Yu-Gi-Oh E-Quest: Malefic Wars

by DakariKingMykan

Rating: teen
Tags: Dark, Yu-Gi-Oh, Vice-Principal Luna, Original Character, Equestria Girls, Tragedy, Adventure, Teen Titans, Principal Celestia, Dean Cadance, Main 7 (EqG)
Length: 303518

It's into the Malefic World for duels you won't forget!

Don't be fooled by all the dislike-- it's just trolls and idiots. Give the fic a chance.

From where E-Quest left off... The girls, the adults, the Titans, and Masquerade have been plunged into the Malefic World by their enemies, The Prince Brothers, and where the dueling stakes are far higher than expected, and also their friendships may not be enough pull them through all the other nasty surprises that await them!

Published 2021-01-01 05:20:00 UTC
Last updated 2023-09-15 00:54:50 UTC

Episode 1: Welcome to the Nightmare

Author's Note

For those unfamiliar with how I write Duel Fics, this is what you'll expect

-Cards when played for the first time or so, their names will be Capitalized, Bold Italics, for dramatic purposes (It doesn't always mean shouting)

-Cards names that are UNDERLINED that means the card DOES exist in our world, but I'm using its effects from the anime/manga. It may be the only way to make the duels progress properly.

-Card names with a STRIKE-THROUGH Means it's an anime/manga card only. It doesn't exist in our world. Don't bother looking for it.

-There will be no card from Yugioh Vrains here, just upwards to Arc V.

-They duel using Master Rules 3

Episode 1: Welcome to the Nightmare

EPISODE ONE

Sunset slowly began to awaken. Her vision was all blurry and fogged as she swore she was looking upward at the sky-- the dark shadowy sky with outer-space like stars, and streaks of lightning bolts, but no thunder.

“What’s… happened?” she groaned.

As her vision began to clear up, she sat up, rubbed her eyes, and shook her head, but then, as she gazed all around her-- at all the shining buildings, the dark grounds, and the eerie shadows. “It can’t be…!”

“Sunset?” groaned a familiar voice.

“Rainbow Dash…?” Sunset cried as she looked over at her friend.

All the others were lying flat on the ground near them, and they, too, were beginning to awaken.

Sunset and Rainbow helped the other girls up.

“How long have I been out for?” groaned Applejack.

Rainbow had trouble getting Pinkie up.

“Just five more minutes mom.” Pinkie yawned.

Rainbow shrugged, and then shook her, “Oh, wake up already!”

As the rest of the girls awakened, the adults began to wake up too.

Celestia held her aching head, feeling worse than any dizzy spell had experienced.

“Sister?” groaned Luna.

“Luna! Thank goodness you’re alright.”

Shining Armor and Cadance had come too, and the first word out of Shining’s lips was, “Twilight…?” he could see his sister lying just a ways ahead of him with her glasses lying next to her.

He leapt up onto his feet and dashed over and scooped her up gently in her arms

“Twily.” He said softly as he softly stroked his sister’s forehead and she began to stir. “Come on. Come on, wake up.”

Twilight’s eyes opened and she looked up at her brother through her blurred vision. “Bro? Is that you?”

Smiling lovingly, her brother put her glasses on her face, which made her smile grow bigger, and they hugged warmly, and Cadance sniffled.

“Where are we?” asked Fluttershy as she looked around. “Wait a minute… I think I remember this place.”

“…The Malefic World!” whimpered Rarity.

All around there were shadows, buildings with no visible points of entry, mountains, and deserts…!

“Somebody, wake me up!” cried Pinkie “I want to wake up from this dream!”

Sunset was convinced. “This is no dream, not this time.”

“…You’re right about that.” hissed an evil yet familiar voice.

The girls and the grownups all leapt at the sound, and Sunset’s anger showed. “Rubeus…!”

Another voice snickered and called “…And don’t forget me, Loki.”

Sunset remembered, after she and Rainbow Dash finished their duel, the Prince Brother’s used the gathered duel energy from their tournament and opened a large portal, sending everyone here.

Rubeus’ voice called out, “Welcome to our domain. It has been sometime, but it feels great to be home again. You may as well make yourselves comfortable. You’ll never be leaving here.”

The girls and the adults were furious.

“But don’t worry.” said Loki “This is only the beginning. Soon we’ll have enough power to bring everyone on Earth into our realm, and before you know it, we’ll have the biggest army in the history of dimensions.

For now just feel free to walk around, and enjoy the sights and the local folks.”

The brothers said no more, and their evil laughs echoed through the darkness.

“You creeps…! Come back here!” shouted Rainbow, but the voices were gone, and Rainbow angrily kicked a rock, hurting her foot. “Ow!!”

“Easy now!” said Applejack “Losing our fits won’t help a thing.”

“She’s right.” agreed Pinkie “We’ll find where those guys are, and then we’ll make them sorry, and then we’ll go home, and then we’ll… we’ll…” she stopped where she realized she was getting way too ahead of herself “Where are they anyway?”

Sunset hadn’t the faintest idea, but then she remembered, “…The Titans! Where are the Titans?”

The Titans were all lying on the sands just a few ways from the girls, and they were just starting to come too as Sunset ran up to them.

“Kori, are you alright?”

Kori rubbed her head, “I think so.”

“Ah… man…!” groaned Vic “What hit me?”

Raven and Terra were getting up too.

Finally, Dick was starting to awaken, and right next to him lay Masquerade, whom was starting to come too himself.

However, during the shocking and frightening transport into the realm, he had lost his mask, and his sphere hood had been tattered and damaged, leaving his face and his hair exposed.

Dick took one look at the awakening man’s face before him, and he could hardly believe his eyes.

“…Garfield?”

The other man glared at him with a look of fury.

“…Gar?” cried Kori.

The other Titans all turned towards the young man, and Terra’s heart gave a shocking yet sickening leap. “It can’t be…!” she muttered under her breath.

The man slowly got to his feet and green face and hair were full revealed to everyone.

“Beast Boy?” muttered Sunset.

“It’s him.” Rarity cried softly “That’s the missing Titan they spoke of.”

Gar felt his exposed face with his gloves and he looked mad enough to chew through solid rock. “My face…!” he spoke in a very soft tone.

He slowly turned and could see his reflection in the polished surface of a building, and he nearly froze in shock at the very sight of himself.

“Garfield is Masquerade?” asked Raven. “I cannot believe it.”

“It was him all along?!” wondered Kori.

Terra was easily the most shocked, nearly horrified, and tears were forming in her eyes as she thought back to ho horridly he had acted towards everyone, but then she thought deep down, and she knew he had some reason to.

Gar continued to glare angrily at his reflection, almost as if he wanted to fight it. “UGH!!” he growled and he turned and began to stomp away, only to stop before Dick.

“Gar…! What the heck is this-- You-- You’re Masquerade?!”

Scowling fiercely at him Gar said, “Surprise-Surprise. You never would have found out, would you? I’m not surprised.”

Dick took that as an insult.

Gar turned and glared at the other Titans, but more at Terra. He narrowed his eyes so fiercely at her, piercing her soul.

“Okay, everybody, calm down here.” said Applejack. “We got bigger things to worry about.”

Right at that second, her words came to true pass as the ground began to rumble.

“What’s happening?” cried Cadance.

She got her answer when a whole bunch of humanoid creatures similar to Rubeus and Loki-- horns on their heads-- four each. Muscular, or slender and wearing robes and capes, and they had faceless features except for eyes and eyebrows.

Yet some of them seemed to be wearing armor, or carrying weapons. Some even had demonic or dragon-like wings.

“They look like duel monsters!” cried Sunset. She then remembered what the Brothers meant by “…The local folk” and also how the brothers had used the came to incorporate power into the realm.

“They’re coming straight for us!” cried Shining Armor.

The Titans, excluding Gar, all stood together. “Titans, attack!” shouted Dick.

“No, wait…!” shouted Sunset, but Dick already rushed forth to attack a monster himself… while the others tried to activate their powers, but nothing happened.

Kori couldn’t fly or shoot her star-bolts. Vic’s sonic cannon wouldn’t fire. Even Raven and Terra couldn’t so much as lift a pebble or even create a single dark spark.

The monster only gave one stomp of its massive foot, sending a shockwave along the ground, hitting him and sending him crashing back towards into the other Titans… knocking them down like bowling pins.

“Idiots!” grumbled Gar.

The girls and the adults all ran up to the Titans. “Are you guys okay?” asked Celestia.

“Just peachy!” groaned Vic.

Rubeus’ voice was then heard laughing again. “Fools…! Have you forgotten where you are already? This is our domain-- The Malefic World. Only Malefic Magic and Duel Energy function here.

Every other type of magic or power won’t function here.”

The girls were very concerned. It meant that their Equestrian Magic wouldn’t work here either, but Twilight then noticed on one of the monster’s arms, “He’s wearing a duel disk.”

Some of the other Maleficans also had disks on their arms.

“Maybe that’s what they meant by duel energy.” said Sunset “Maybe we can duel them all down.”

Rainbow’s eyes gave a small shimmer. “That’s all I needed to hear.” and she looked ready and raring to go.

“Wait Rainbow…!” said Sunset “Let me. I have to try something.”

Rainbow hesitated at first, but then she agreed. “Okay, but we’re all here if you need us.”

She went back to help the Titans and the others, while Sunset prepared her disk.

“I’m ready to duel if you are!”

The Malefican snickered. “Foolish girl, you have no idea the horrors you just stepped into.”

Nevertheless, he stood ready, and the two players shouted. “…DUEL!!”

Sunset LP: 8000

Malefican LP: 8000

The others could only watch at the moment, and stay vigil for anything strange.

“I hope Sunset knows what she’s doing.” said Kori.

The others all agreed, but Terra was more distracted, looking over at Gar who stood far from the others, still unable to believe it had been him all along.

“I shall go first.” announced the Malefican “I call forthVAMPIRIC LEECH!”

(Atk: 500)

Rarity shuddered in disgust at the sight of the ugly creature. “I think I’m going to be sick.” she groaned.

“Attack now!” shouted the Malefican.

“What?!” cried Sunset, and before she knew it, the large creature had rammed straight into her, knocking her down.

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 7500

“That’s not fair!” wailed Fluttershy. “How could he attack on the first turn?”

The Malefican explained. “That is the special ability of my leech; it can attack even if it is the first move of the duel.”

Poor Sunset looked a little sore and tired as she got up.

“That attack…!” she groaned “It felt so real for a hologram?” then she suddenly had a sickening feeling about something.

“Now to continue the hurt…” said the Malefican. “I shall activate my leech’s second ability: I send one card in my hand to the graveyard to switch my monster into defense mode.”

(Def: 1500)

“And next I shall cast the spell of MONSTER REBORN, which I use to revive the monster I had just discarded. Reveal yourself, JOWGEN THE SPIRITULAIST!”

(Def: 1300)

“As long as my spiritualist is in play, the both of us are forbidden from special summoning any monsters.”

Sunset’s eyes widened and she fret in thought, “Oh, no…! That means I can’t Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, or Pendulum summon!”

The Malefican ended his turn with two facedown cards, leaving his hand empty.

Fluttershy was worried. “If Sunset can’t special summon, how is she supposed to win this duel?”

“Easy now…” said Celestia. “The duel has only begun. I’m sure Sunset can find a way out of this.”

“It’s my turn,” said Sunset. “I draw…!”

She then pondered over her cards and what she could do, and she thought, “I may not be able to special summon, but I can still use my cards to make things work out.”

She gazed at her opponent.

“First, I’m playing POT OF GREED, so I can draw two more cards, to give me seven.

And now, I’m summoning WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN.”

(Atk: 1500)

“And next, I’ll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 STARGAZER MAGICIAN and Scale 8 TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN.”

The two magicians leapt up into the tubes of light, but because special summoning was impossible, the magic pendulum did not appear… which she didn’t mind.

Sunset gazed at the two face-down cards on her opponent’s field and thought, “With Stargazer and Timegazer set in my Pendulum Zones, my pendulum monsters can attack without worrying about spells or traps, and then I can destroy his Jowgen and be able to pendulum summon.”

That’s what she wanted, but her opponent began to chuckle at her, “I activate the quick-play spell, SPELL-SHATTERING ARROW!”

“What?!”

The magical arrow fired, streaking across Sunset’s field and destroyed the magicians in the pendulum zones.

“Sunset’s Pendulum cards are gone!” cried Pinkie.

Twilight nodded and explained, “Spell Shattering Arrow destroys all of Sunset’s face-up spell cards, which includes pendulum cards.”

The Malefican snickered, “That is correct, and what is more… now my opponent takes 500 points of damage for each card that was lost.”

Sunset whimpered, and the magic arrow then struck her right in the chest, making her yell in pain!

Sunset LP: 7500 -----> 6500

She was down on her knee, clutching her aching chest, and feeling more tired than ever.

“Sunset, are you alright!” called Vic.

“What’s happening to her?” wondered Dick.

Sunset wondered the same thing, which was exactly why she chose to step up and duel. “I was afraid of this…” she said aloud “Here in the Malefic World, the duels are far more real than what we’re used to back home.

…Not only do the attacks feel more real, but whenever I lose life points, it’s as if I lose my actual life energy!”

From within their secret lair, Rubeus and Loki were observing the duel, and enjoying watching Sunset suffering.

“She catches on quite quickly…” said Rubeus “And for every life point she or our soldier loses, the duel energy continues to increase our powers.”

He looked behind him at a rather large generator. “As our power increases, the closer we get to unleash our wrath across all worlds.

The Malefic World will become the center of worlds, and only darkness shall rule once again.”

Loki chuckled and rubbed his hands at the thought of so much power. “And that’s not all that happens when you duel in our domain, but they’ll find out soon enough.”

Sunset bolted up onto her feet. “I can’t let this guy get to me. I’ve got to win this!”

She engaged her battle phase.

“Now, Wisdom-Eye Magician attack Jowgen!”

Her magician readied to fire its magic, but the opponent sneered. “I activate the trap MASSIVEMORPH! And with that, his defense and attack points become double!

(Def: 1300) -----> (Def: 2600)

“No!” cried Sunset.

“She can’t win this battle!” exclaimed Applejack.

“I can’t watch!” groaned Pinkie.

Sunset couldn’t stop her monster from attacking, and the magical blast bounced right off the monster, and headed straight back towards her, hitting her hard!

Sunset LP: 6500 -----> 5400

Gar didn’t even know at this point why he was watching anymore. “This is like watching a train-wreck.” he thought “If she keeps dueling like this she’ll be clobbered in no time.”

Sunset could hardly believe this was happening; the duel had barely started and she was already falling badly behind because she couldn’t special summon.

“I’ll place two cards face down, and that ends my turn.”

The Maelfican snickered and drew his next card.

“Now then, I shall tribute my Vampiric Leech, so that I may summon AIRKNIGHT PARSHATH.”

(Atk: 1900)

He ordered the monster to attack.

“I activate my trap, PENDULUM SWITCH.” shouted Sunset “Now I take my Wisdom-Eye Magician, and place him up in my Pendulum Zone.”

With that, her magician leapt off the field and into the light with its scale of 5 showing.

“Why would Sunset do that?” exclaimed Rarity “Now she is completely defenseless!”

The others were inclined to agree, but the Malefican didn’t seem to mind a bit, and he replayed his attack to strike Sunset directly.

Sunset wailed as the monster blasted her hard with bright light beams.

Sunset LP: 5400 -----> 3500

The others began to fret for her, but still Sunset remained undeterred and she roared as she threw out her arms and stood up tall.

The Malefican was impressed. “You seem to have more strength that I believed. However, since my knight dealt you damage, I now will draw one card… and I place it facedown, which shall end my turn.”

He felt most confident that his victory was assured as he said in his mind, “If she attempts to attack me again, my Magic Cylinder trap card will repel the attack towards her life points, leaving her weaker than ever. Then on my next turn I shall finish this fool once and for all.”

The other friends were really starting to fret for Sunset.

“Sunset needs to special summon to get out of this mess.” said Cadance.

“But how can she?” asked Shining Armor as he pointed at Jowgen “As long as that guy is around, she can’t special summon, and its defense is still at 2600. It’s not going to be easy to beat.”

Even Raven shook her head in dismay “It’s going to take a miracle to get her out of this one.”

Sunset looked pretty weary from the many attacks she had suffered, but she still wasn’t willing to quit as she looked down at her deck.

“If I play my cards just right this turn…” she thought “Then I should be able to win, and then we can start to figure out a way to get out of this realm.”

She drew her next card, which gave her three in total. “Yes! This could work!”

She gawked over at her opponent. “It’s been fun, but it’s time that I took control of this duel, starting with my Scale 1 DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN, which I set in my pendulum zone.”

Her mighty magician took his place in the light.

“Now that I have another “Magician” up there, I’ll activate Wisdom-Eye Magician’s pendulum ability, which lets me destroy him, and then I get to replace him with any other pendulum magician from my deck…

…I choose Scale 8: XIANGSHENG MAGICIAN.”

One magician left the field while another one appeared.”

“You switch one worthless pendulum card for another?” asked the opponent “You must be desperate.”

Sunset smirked and said, “Hardly…!

I now use the pendulum ability of Dragonpulse Magician: by discarding my Xiangke Magician to the graveyard, I can destroy one face-up card you have!”

The Maelfican winced, “No…! You can’t…!”

“Can, and will!” protested Sunset “Say bye-bye to your Spiritualist!”

With a bright spiraling twister of winds, the monster was blown off the field.

The Malefican was devastated and couldn’t believe his eyes, while the friends were all overjoyed.

With the Jowgen destroyed, the magical pendulum appeared and began to swing.

“Thanks to my playing my cards right,” boast Sunset “I can now summon as many monsters between levels 2 and seven as I need!”

She called up to the swinging pendulum!

“As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Four mighty blazes of light rained out from her hand and Extra Deck and her monsters appeared.

“STARGAZER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1200)

“TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 800)

“WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1500)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

As the four monsters all stood in a line, Sunset was shrouded with an eerie green light.

“What’s happening to her?” wondered Terra.

The light faded before anyone could say another thing, and even Sunset herself was confused.

“What was that all about?” she thought. She shrugged it off and stayed focussed on the duel.

“Now I activate my Pendulum Switch card, which lets Dragonpulse Magician join us on the field.”

Her magician did just so, leaping down from the light, and joining his comrades.

(Atk: 1800)

“Next, I’ll take my Dragonpulse and Wisdom-Eye, and build the Overlay Network!”

The two level 4 monsters leapt into the portal, and in a bright flash of light, the new monster appeared as Sunset shouted, “I Xyz Summon TIMESTAR-MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 2400)

Nothing happened to her this time.

Sunset was still baffled herself, but she continued on. “I activate my Magician’s special ability: by using one overly unit I can retrieve Xiangke Magician from the graveyard and place him in my hand…

…and now that he’s back, I’ll set him into my Pendulum Zone!”

Her two magicians in the light tubes looked at each other and nodded gracefully.

“Time for some Pendulum Power!” hollered Sunset. “Fisrt: Xiangsheng Magician uses her power so my Timestar Magician’s rank becomes the same as Odd-Eyes’ level.”

With a bright shot of the magician’s arrow, the two monsters were struck hard, and Timestar’s rank became 7.

“And now…” Sunset continued “Xiangke Magician uses his power to change that rank into a level!”

The magic was done, and the Malefican was near speechless. “You have two level 7 monsters?!”

Sunset nodded, “And now I overlay both of them to Xyz Summon an even greater monster!”

Sunset nodded, “And now for my next trick, I activate the trap card DRAGONS TRIBE. It casts a special curse on my field, changing all my monsters into Dragons until the end of the turn.”

With the curse in effect, all her monsters began to sprout scales, teeth, claws, and they all growled like fierce dragons.

“What sort of plot is this?” asked the Malefican.

“You’ll see…” said Sunset “I need my Timestar Magician to be a dragon for what I’m about to do… and here goes…!

I overlay Timestar with Odd-Eyes to Xyz Summon an even greater monster!”

The two monsters faded off into the portal, and Sunset called out to the forming new creature!

“From deep within the rages of war,
comes a mighty beast with power to pour!

…ODD-EYES REBELLION DRAGON!”

(Atk: 3000)

Her mighty dragon appeared and roared fiercely, and Sunset roared with it. This time, she was shrouded in blackness, which was stronger than ever!

“What is that?” asked Twilight.

“You don’t know?” asked Pinkie.

Twilight shook her head.

Not even Raven could tell what it was. “First she pendulum summoned and the light was green, and then she Xyz Summoned and that dark light happened.

I have no idea what it is.”

Everyone watched in awe until the light vanished again, leaving everyone confused, and baffled, especially Sunset. “What’s happening to me?” she wondered. “It’s like every time I summon from Extra Deck, I feel this strange force.”

Then she had a strange vision…!

She was standing in a stark, dark realm with absolutely nothing else around, except for two large glowing eyes gazing at her.

Before she could even begin to wonder what it was, the vision had ended, leaving her stunned and puzzled.

Still, she managed to snap to her senses and focus back on the duel. “I activate my dragon’s ability: since he was summoned using an Xyz Monster, your knight is automatically destroyed, and you take 1000 points of damage!”

Her dragon’s wings pulsated with flowing power, which it unleashed at the opponent’s field.

The Malefican growled as the waves consumed his only remaining monster!

Malefican LP: 8000 -----> 7000

“This can’t be happening!”

“Oh, it’s happening all right.” said Sunset “And I’ll tell you what else is about to happen. Odd-Eyes can now attack three times this turn!”

The opponent screamed and thought, “No! This can’t be! Even with my Magic Cylinder trap, I can’t defeat her!”

“Odd-Eyes, attack him directly!” shouted Sunset.

As her dragon prepared to strike, the Malefican decided, even though he couldn’t win, to at least drain Sunset down to size.

“I play the trap MAGIC CYLINDER! Now your attack is absorbed and fired straight back at your life points!”

As promised, the dragon’s blast struck Sunset the hardest she had been hit all match long, making her scream louder than ever.

“SUNSET!!” everyone shouted.

Even Gar felt this was getting extremely freaky.

Poor Sunset lay on the ground, with a few dirt marks on her face as she tried to catch her breath.

Sunset LP: 3500 -----> 500

She felt pretty sore after all that, and almost as if she wanted to pass out, but she still managed to call up to her dragon and her other monsters…

“Attack… All of you! Now!!”

Her dragon and her two magicians complied. Odd-eyes remaining two attacks with the two magicians left, completely wiped out the Malefican’s life points.

Malefican LP: 7000 -----> 0

The Malefican screamed and roared as he was knocked to the ground by the incredible force of the attacks.

“She did it!” squealed Pinkie “Sunset won!”

Everyone felt their smiles growing, but suddenly…

“Wait… what’s happening to him?” Celestia motioned at the downed Malefican.

The creature roared and yelled as his body was struck by strange lightning bolts from the skies, and his body began to break up into tiny light particles… and he was transformed into a card!

Everyone stood wide-eyed at what had just happened; even Gar was shocked to see such a thing, though he hid his expressions well.

Rarity felt faint, and Fluttershy turned blue with fright.

“It can’t be…!” cried Luna.

“Oh, but it is…” hissed Rubeus’ voice. “It’s just what happens here in the Malefic World. You don’t just lose the duel… you lose your soul!”

Everyone shuddered with worry, now fully realizing just how high the stakes around here were.

“You sick creeps!” thundered Rainbow “Why don’t you come out of hiding and show yourselves?!”

Loki laughed, “Now what fun would that be if we made it too easy? Why don’t you try to find us instead?

…If you can brave the dangers long enough.”

He said nothing more and was gone again. Gar looked up at the sky narrowing his eyes, and his clenched fist quivering.

Rainbow angrily kicked a rock across the field, to where the other Maleficans stood, but they were gone; having run off when the duel ended.

As for Sunset, she felt exhausted, and Vic went over to her and helped her up onto her feet. “You okay, girl?”

Sunset nodded “I just need to relax for a bit, but I think we all need to prepare ourselves for the rough road ahead.”

Episode 2: Hungry for Trouble.

EPISODE TWO

The Brothers sat in their lair, impressed with all the energy gathered from the previous duel.

Rubeus was especially pleased, especially the way Sunset had dueled. “She still has no clue yet.” he said “She’ll play a more vital role in our conquest than she thinks. Right Loki…?”

His brother didn’t answer; he was far too busy thinking of ways to impress someone else he had on his mind-- Celestia.

“Should we have a queen-sized bed or king-sized?” he wondered “I wonder what dress a Malefic Queen should have.”

Rubeus shook his head grimly at him.

His brother looked up, “What? Just making preparations for when she joins the family.”

Dismayed, Rubeus could only sigh, “You still believe she can be persuaded?”

Loki stood and looked seriously at his brother. “She won’t be able to resist. Then again, she won’t have much of a choice anyway.”

Celestia hadn’t had a single dizzy spell ever since her last one, during the tournament. For now, she and the group were helping to care for Sunset.

“How are you feeling now?” she asked.

“I feel fine…” replied Sunset. “I just needed some rest, but I tell you… I’ve never had a duel like that before. I felt like I was going to pass out.”

Rainbow held up the card which the Melefican was imprisoned in. Unlike previous entrapments, he was now nothing more than flat picture on the card.

Unlike Princess Twilight Sparkle and Spike…!

Sunset gasped and quickly felt through her jacket pockets, and pulled out the two cards.

“It’s about time you got us out.” grumbled Spike.

Princess Twilight could only smile up at all her friends and they beamed down at her.

Sci-Twi, which was a preferred nickname for her when in the vicinity of the princess,

“I’m so happy you two are safe.” said Sunset.

“Uh… they’re not really safe yet.” Raven pointed out. “We still have figure out how to release them.”

Everyone agreed, and felt the only people who knew to them would be The Brothers, and they were hiding… somewhere out there in the ever expanding dark realm.

All ways looked the same-- dark building, dark lands, dark mountains, and wide open areas which lead to who knew where. There were practically a million places where they would be hiding.

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” said Dick “We’re all in this together now, and we’ll all look out for each other just like we did in the tournament.”

Everyone else agreed, except for one…!

Gar had remained by himself ever since the duel ended. He pulled up the turtleneck on his shirt so that it went past his mouth, and then he took the remains of his tattered sphere-hood and broke it up into a long strip that he was able to lather around his head like a cowl, one again covering nearly his entire face.

To complete the ensemble, he pulled out of his pocket a pair of dark thick sunglasses to wear over his eyes.

“Gar… what are you doing?” asked Dick.

He wouldn’t answer him or even look his way, and he began to walk of.

“Hey!!” shouted Rainbow as she dashed over and stopped in front of him “Where do you think you’re going?”

Still not stopping, Gar answered, “I’m going to find those two creeps.”

“And just how do you intend to?” called Sunset.

“The traditional way-- Look!”

Everyone was already turned off by his attitude, but the Titans weren’t going to take this-- now that they knew who he was.

It was Kori who ran up to him first.

“Gar, wait please!”

He wouldn’t stop, until she finally stood in front of him.

“Get out of my way!”

“No! Not until we talk about this.”

Gar was really growing impatient. “I’m not going to play along with you idiots!”

“Hey!” snapped Dick “Don’t you talk to Kori like that ever again!”

Gar turned to look at him sharply. “I can do anything I want, however I want, whenever I want, to whomever I want.”

Raven approached him furiously. “Are you even the slightest bit aware, that you came so close to doing me serious injury?!”

She referred to their last duel when he sent her slamming into the wall and broke her duel disk.

Even though his face was still covered, they could all see his remorseless expression.

Terra was almost afraid to approach him.

“I can survive just as fine without you guys.”

“No, you can’t!” bellowed Rainbow. “Look, we get that you don’t like us. In fact, I hate your guts, but we’re all in this together, and the best chance we have is by staying together.”

Everyone agreed, but Gar was completely unmoved. “I don’t need help, especially from a bunch of wannabe super heroes like you Equestrians, or a bunch of traitors like the Titans!”

Everyone, even Princess Twilight felt horribly struck by his words, and it was becoming quite clear there was no reasoning with him…

…But Terra wasn’t willing to give up so easily. She finally found her courage and approached him. “Gar… please, listen to me. I know it’s been a long time, and I know how you feel, but please, can’t we just try and talk this over? I want to make things right.”

He spoke very deeply and gruffly at her. “Get away from me!”

She backed away from him as if he was pointing a gun at her, and he turned and began to walk away into the dark lands.

“And one last thing…” he called to them “…The name is “Masquerade!”

Then he was gone.

“We can’t just let him go off like that.” said Fluttershy.

“What choice do we have?” asked Vic. “He doesn’t want to work with us.”

Rainbow blew at her bangs, “We don’t need that jerk! Let him get turned into a card for all I care.”

“Rainbow… that is enough!” snapped Celestia. “All this insulting, blaming and anger… We don’t need things to get any worse.”

“She’s right.” agreed Sunset. “Much as I’m not fond of his yelling at us, if we run into again, we should keep trying to reason with him.”

Rarity nodded…

Pinkie nodded…

Sci-Twi agreed to it herself. “He may be a jerk, and he’s nasty, and I have a big score to settle with him… but nobody deserves the situation we’re in.”

Princess Twilight felt like shedding a tear for the acts of morality being shown.

Even the Titans didn’t really want to give up on him.

“He was one of us once.” said Dick “He was a Teen Titan, and we sort of… drove him away.”

The other Titans looked extremely remorseful and guilty; especially Terra-- She still hadn’t told them the one most desperate part of her side of the story.

Kori agreed too, but she like her teammates were still very heart-struck. “I just can’t believe-- he was gone for five years, and he was in front of us all the time?”

“We searched for him,” said Dick. “I never thought we’d ever find him again… or like this—so angry, so callous and cold.”

“…Or so skilled.” said Vic. He referred to his cunning, his gamer skills, and his athletics, not to mention an incredible world-wide reputation.

Raven said nothing; she still wasn’t so sure how to feel about this. She was still horribly infuriated with him, and she had good reason.

All she was rather interested in at the moment was getting out of this realm. “If we run into Gar again… whatever…” she thought to herself.

Spike didn’t take kindly to how cold the Titans seemed to act. “They sound like they had no faith in him.” he whispered to Sci-Twi.

Terra seemed a little crushed after being rejected by him, until Sunset came up to her. “You okay?”

She didn’t know how to answer, still overcome by all the shocking revelations, and haunted by her past.

“Whatever you think.” was all she could come up with.

With that settled, everyone huddled together to talk about what to do next, unaware that they were being observed, by someone other than The Brothers.

High atop a cliff, overlooking the area where the group stood chatting, a cold, shadowy figure, wearing, what appeared to be, tattered bedsheets like a robe and hood, stood observing them all…

…She looked straight at Sci-Twi, and she snickered at her.

In the slight brightness, a familiar looking duel disk was shown on her arm-- Sci-Twi’s duel disk!

That’s when Sci-Twi finally noticed. “My deck…! My duel disk…!” She had left them in her suite on the airship, and the airship had since disappeared, as well as the remains of the Titans’ crashed camper.

“How am I supposed to survive or help if I can’t duel?”

Raven looked at her bare wrist where he duel disk would be if it weren’t still broken, and gone--left on the ship as well.

“There’s not much we can do about that now, is there?” asked Pinkie.

Everyone agreed, and that’s when Shining Armor finally confronted his sister about that.

“You were dueling all this time, and you were pretending to be somebody else?”

Twilight gulped put her hands behind her back and looked down shamefully.

“I wanted to tell you all right away.” said Spike.

Sci-Twi looked down at the card him sternly.

Everyone looked at Sci-Twi, and even though many had already forgiven her for what she did as Karle, her brother and his wife still pretty upset by it.

They didn’t yell at him, but Shining Armor didn’t know how ashamed of her to be. “Twily… just why…? Why would you do such things?”

Sci-Twi looked on the verge of tears, and so Pinkie Pie decided to fill in the facts for him.

“Well…” she took a deep breath and then went off on one of her fast pace blabs. “She really wanted to get revenge on Masquerade, so she made this program which changed her into Karle to make her a super strong duelist, but things got out of hand, and Karle ended up having a conscience of her own to make us all miserable, and after she lost she felt really ashamed, but we’ve moved past it all and forgave her, so now everything’s fine.”

She panted heavily trying to catch her breath.

Cadance and Shining Armor were baffled, and their heads were ringing, but they sort of got the drift.

Sci-Twi confessed to them. “It was my battle, and I didn’t want to make it everyone else’s problem, but I did anyway. I created a monster!”

Rather than talk it to her even more, her brother just hugged her, in understanding how she felt.

Princess Twilight sighed from her card.

“Excuse me…?” wailed Rainbow “I hate to break up this little heart-to-heart moment, but do you think we could get going all ready?!

The sooner we find those creepy brothers, the quicker we’ll get out of this place.”

“Right…” agreed Sunset. “And I have just the idea of where to start looking; we need to confront more Maleficans.”

“What?!” snapped Rarity.

“She’s not seriously is she?” shuddered Fluttershy.

Applejack could tell just by looking at her, “Eeyup, she’s serious.”

Dick actually agreed with her. “If we confront the Maleficans, maybe we’ll find information about where to find The Brothers.”

The other Titans agreed, but they were still skeptical. “And what if they just decide to duel us?” asked Vic. “I mean you saw what happened; losing ain’t an option here.”

Everyone took this into consideration, especially since they had no super powers to battle with or protect themselves with.

Still, there were no other options, and everyone decided it was time to head out.

…While that hooded figure continued to observe them, and she snickered wickedly. “I’ll see you all when the time comes.” then she slinked off into the darkness and was gone herself.

The brothers continued to observe the teams moving out and traveling together.

“Just look at them…” said Rubeus “A whole flock of stray sheep heading into the land of the wolves.”

Loki snickered, “Well, this won’t be much fun. We’ll just have to spread things out a bit.”

His brother agreed and he turned round looking over a railing where a whole swarm of Malefican stood and bowed to their prince.

“You all know the plan?” he asked “You have been outfitted with great dueling powers and skills that will assist you in this conquest.

Go out there, and serve us well.”

The Maleficans all cheered and wooed.

“And remember…!” thundered Loki. He showed an image of Celestia, “Leave this one out of it! Anyone who even dares to duel her shall answer to be deadly! UNDERSTAND?!!”

The Maleficans all shuddered in fear, but they promised to obey, and they all headed off.

Rubeus rubbed his eyes in dismay.

The team had walked a long ways, and Pinkie’s stomach began to growl. “Oops. Guess I sort of skipped my snack.”

Then she suddenly realized and asked, “Uh… did anyone happen to bring any food with them?”

Everyone’s expressions all became concerned. Some of the others were starting to feel hungry too, but not one had a single morsel of food with them.

“Oh, no!” groaned Pinkie. “How are we supposed to survive here without any food?! I got to eat something! I’ve just got to!!”

Much anyone would have told her to calm down; the seriousness was far too overwhelming.

“Do they even HAVE any food in this realm?” asked Terra.

Everyone turned to look at Sunset, but she hadn’t the faintest idea. She even consulted Princess Twilight, but she shook her head. “I’m sorry, but I hardly know much of this world myself, and I’ve been trapped like this for a while now.”

“That makes two of us.” said Spike.

Sci-Twi had already deduced, “Given the fact there isn’t any sunlight here, and the grounds are just sand and lacking the proper nutrients… it’s highly improbable for any food to grow and flourish… at least the kind that we know of.”

“Great. I feel full on knowledge now.” grumbled Raven.

Suddenly, Terra sniffed the air. “That smells like fresh cooking.”

Everyone else could smell it too.

“What an astounding aroma…!” said Rarity.

“But where is it coming from?” wondered Applejack.

Rainbow didn’t care. “Let me at it!” and she dashed off in the direction of the scent.

“Rainbow, come back here!” shouted Luna. “It could be a trap!!” but Rainbow had already disappeared around the bend of a large building.

“Let’s move!” snapped Dick, and everyone dashed off after Rainbow, running around the same bend she did, and they all skidded to a halt at what lay before them!

There were many tables spread out with all kinds of foods, like an all-you-can-eat buffet.

Pinkie and Applejack drooled with their eyes glimmering at the wide spread.

Sci-Twi was incredibly baffled. “How is this possible? Where could all this food come from?”

Seeing as Rainbow was already enjoying having her fill, and munching at all the food she could…

“CHOW TIME!!” chirped Pinkie, and she and several of the others rushed over.

“Wait!!” called Kori. “That food, it could be--!” but she was cut off when Terra, Vic, and even her own husband rushed over seeing how safe it was.

“Well, if you can’t beat them, join them.” said Raven.

The grownups couldn’t disagree, and soon everyone was having a marvellous fill.

Princess Twilight and Spike didn’t have to eat, as they were mere souls trapped in cards, and never got hungry.

Princess Twilight didn’t seem so optimistic anyway. “Luna could have been right… this could be a trap.”

Sunset swallowed a mouth full of food, and she began to stuff her pockets with many of the wrapped foods. “Well, nothing so far.” she said “Besides, we’ll have to take what we can get.”

The others agreed and began to take their own share of wrapped food and filled their pockets up.

Sci-Twi was still baffled and she kept wonder how the food could possibly be here, and properly prepared as well. “Maybe it’s some kind of magic?” she suggested.

“You’re correct about that…” hissed a sinister voice, which made everyone jump.

“Who said that?” called Shining Armor.

Suddenly, all the remaining food began to disappear, and then the tables themselves.

“What’s happening?” cried Celestia.

Sunset looked all around and felt they all really had stepped into a trap.

This was confirmed when a Malefican stepped out from around a corner.

“I’m glad you all enjoyed this feast. Just try not to lose it.”

He stepped down into the open, and as well as having an ordinary Melfican appearance, he seemed to have bits of food and utensils for pieces of armor-- noodles for one shoulder pad, a pudding dessert as another, and a large fork and knife on a dish as a chest-piece.

“Are you the one who created all this?” asked Fluttershy.

The Malefican snickered. “Naturally, after all… with the kind of duel energy I have been vested with and the very cards that I hold, it is no difficult task to create such culinary concoctions.”

“Duel energy!” thought Sunset “So that’s it.”

Sci-Twi thought the same thing, “Somehow, by combining Malefic Magic with dueling cards, they can make certain things happen.”

Princess Twilight was astounded at the thought someone could use such magic.

This was also terrible for the friends, because since none of them could use Malefic Magic, meant they couldn’t harness or use duel energy either.

Sunset’s features hardened and she spoke clear at the creature. “Your masters, Rubeus and Loki, where are they? You’d better tell us!”

All the others nodded in agreement, but the Maelfican snickered. “Funny you should mention their highnesses, I was given strict orders to serve you all the food you so enjoyed…”

“Hey, we asked you a question, Bub!” growled Rainbow.

“Ooh, someone’s getting a little spicy.” taunted The Malefican “Well, as I was saying… I do have my orders.”

He held up a single card, the “Twin Twisters”

“What’s he doing?!” cried Kori.

Before anyone could question, the creature had magically conjured stronger winds to billow straight at the groups.

Everyone groaned, and some held onto one another as the winds only got stronger and stronger!

Even though Vic’s Sonic Cannon couldn’t function, some of his equipment could as it was mere technology, not super powers.

Out from his backside, a small hatch opened, firing a set of anchor ropes. The anchors drilled into the ground and would hold him securely.

“YO’, GRAB ON!!” he shouted to the others.

Celestia and Luna managed to make it to him and held onto him tightly-- Vic Was rather aroused having Celestia this close to him, still having a slight crush on her, and Sunset was the only other one able to grab on to…

…But all the others were lifted up by the strong gusts and began to fly up, up, and away, soaring in different directions across the realm.

“NOOOOO…!!” cried Sunset.

Then they were gone, and the winds died down, leaving only Sunset, Vic, and the two sisters left.

“They’re gone!” cried Celestia.

“They really are!” added Luna, with tears coming to her eyes.

“No…! They can’t be!” Sunset whimpered with sadness.

She still had Princess Twilight’s soul card with her, but her heart was aching after just losing nearly all her friends and the others.

Even Vic was feeling shaky, but more due to his resisting the winds.

The Malefican stowed his card away.

“So, you fools managed to stick around eh?” he taunted “Ah, well… guess some foods are just harder to break up.”

The gang didn’t take kind to his tone.

“Yo’ man! I’ve had just about enough of you and your mockery!” yelled Vic. “Now tell us where your masters are before we really get mad!”

The Malefican simply flicked his noddle-like epaulet, refusing to budge.

“It’s not going to help. He won’t talk.” said Sunset.

Vic finally lost patience and marched straight over towards him.

“Vic, don’t!” called Celestia.

“You can’t fight him!” added Luna, but the Malefican could already see this was going to get ugly.

“You want more?” he asked teasingly. “Well, lucky for you I can always whip up a second course.”

He then held out his duel disk, which shot a magical beam straight at Vic’s automatically activating it.

“Oh, no!” cried Sunset “The Maleficans must also have the power to force us into duels!”

The sisters could hardly believe it themselves.

“What the-- I don’t want to duel you. I want answers.” growled Vic.

“Sorry, but the order has been taken, and I aim to serve...” replied the Malefican. “Of course, if you wish to surrender, that’s fine-- if you don’t mind spending the rest of eternity as a card.”

Vic could see there was no way out. His disk was already engaged and glowing, and there was no way he was willing to forfeit and give his life so easily.

“Fine...! You want a duel, you got one! At least I can make you suffer for what you just did to our friends!”

The Malefican was most pleased as he continued to glare Vic down, while Sunset and the ladies could only watch from way back.

“Be careful, Vic.” called Sunset.

Vic only hoped he would be able to do that himself.

Episode 3: Cooking up a Swarm: Part 1

EPISODE THREE

The two figures stood as the duel was ready to begin.

“Dinner is about to be served,” hissed the Malefican “And for you I’ll make it ice-cold.”

“Ha!” scoffed Vic “It’ll take more than that to make me lose my cool.”

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Malefican LP: 8000

Vic LP: 8000

The ladies watched anxiously, and Sunset had completely forgot about Princess Twilight’s card, and was holding it flat by her side so she couldn’t see anything.

“Sunset, hold me up!” she called to her.

“Oh, sorry.” said Sunset, and she held up the card so Twilight could see the duel.

The Malefican went first “Time to order up!” he bellowed as he drew his first cards.

“I shall place one monster face-down in defense-mode, and then I shall place two other cards facedown as well.

The table is now set, so can I take your order now?”

Vic was starting to really get annoyed with all the entrée and cook references.

“It’s my turn now… I draw!”

He then took a moment to think carefully to himself. “I got to stay cool here. If I lose this duel, I’m going to lose a whole lot more.”

“Now, I summon my pal, DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-TWO!”

(Atk: 500)

“And next I activate the spell MACHINE DUPLICATION! So now I get to summon two more of these guys from my deck!”

Two more Deskbots appeared, giving Vic three in total.

(Atk: 500) x2

The Malefican seemed impressed. “My-- talk about the lunch crowd coming in.”

Vic only smirked, “Oh, there’s more than that coming. Since my Double-O-Two boys were special summoned, their abilities allow me to take one “Deskbot” card and add it to my hand.”

He looked down at his duel disk screen and ran his finger through his deck selections, and he found the very two cards he felt he’d need.

“I’ll Take Deskbot Double-O-One, but as for the others… well… it’s time to clear out the restaurant, because I play the field spell, DESKBOT BASE!”

The entire are magically warped into the military airbase.

“I remember when he used this on me.” said Sunset. “Now all his Deskbots will gain 500 extra attack points.”

Vic turned and winked at her, “You know it, and also, my Double-O-Two’s grant an additional 500 points for every machine I control except itself, but I have three-of-a-kind, they all get boosted by a whopping 1500!”

With such a mighty power bonus, all of Vic’s bots gained 2000 attack points, bringing them all up to 2500 a piece!

The Malefican looked cross.

“What’s wrong? Lost your appetite?” Vic taunted. “Well, you’re about to lose even more than that, cuz’ here comes the serving!”

He ordered one of his bots to jump forth and attack the face-down monster.

The monster revealed itself to be a simple little egg, which was scrambled to bits.

“What is that?” asked Vic.

The Malefican snickered, “That, my dear consumer, was good friendCOOKPAL EGGONG.

It’s true, you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs, and therefore you should have good supply with you.

Since you destroyed my Eggnog, its special ability activates, allowing me to call another Eggong from my hand.”

(Def: 300)

Vic didn’t seem to upset. “Fine then, I’ll just have to scramble that one too!” and he ordered another of his bots to destroy the monster, which it did, but the opponent only laughed.

“Remember when I said you should keep a good supply with you? You’ve just allowed me to call upon the Eggnog that you sent to the graveyard.”

“What?!” snapped Vic, but surely enough, the Eggong had appeared once again.

(Def: 300)

Now Vic looked concerned...

…And so did the ladies.

“An effective play.” said Sunset. “Even if Vic destroys that egg, that creep will just bring out another one back and forth.”

Celestia agreed, “A clever to keep his life points protected.”

Vic didn’t see any point to attacking anymore. “I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

“And with that…” said his opponent “I’ll just activate my trap cardFOOD CEMETERY.”

Everyone watched a large oven appeared, with a monstrous face and smoke blowing out of it.

The opponent explained, “As long as Food Cemetery is in play, I can add any number of “Cookpals” that were sent to my graveyard this turn into the massive oven.”

With that, his Eggnog that was destroyed earlier leapt up and jumped into the oven’s fiery mouth.

“And for each one, I can now a “Cookpal” card to my hand to keep my kitchen running…

…I choose this, “Royal Cookpal King Burger.”

However, I am now required to be careful to whom I invite to the feast. You see if I control more monsters than the number of those in my Food Cemetary, then every card I control will be destroyed.”

Then he thought to himself, “Not that it matters-- My preparations are coming together nicely. Soon I shall cook up a feast that will bring this fool to his doom.”

Meanwhile, ever since the twister attack, the teams had since been blown clear across the realm, landing in different areas, yet each and every place seemed exactly the same-- dark, eerie with shadowy skies, long and endless plains…

Dick was just coming to his senses, and he rubbed his sore head, but he remembered everything that had happened.

Next to him lay Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie.

He softly shook them awake. “Rainbow, Pinkie…! Come on, wake up.”

“Just five more minutes, mom.” Pinkie moaned like she did before, but Dick managed to shake her fully awake.

“You two okay?”

“Apart from being incredibly infuriated, I’m fine.” answered Rainbow. She did look steamed, mad enough to kick over a building.

“Where are we?” she asked.

“We’re in the Malaefic World, remember?” replied Pinkie. The others gave her a hard stare. “Oh… you mean where in the Malefic World are we.”

The trio stood to their feet and realized they were in a kind of rock canyon, far away from the evil city scape, which nothing but cliffs and rock formations everywhere they looked.

“Kori…!” Dick said, worrying about his wife.

Kori was fine, and with her were Fluttershy and Rarity.

They had all awakened and found themselves standing on a flat plain, with mountains in the distance.

“I don’t like it here!” whimpered Fluttershy.

“Nor do I.” agreed Rarity. “We must find the others. Who knows what horrors they are facing?”

Kori felt frustrated that’s he couldn’t fly. She even tried her titan communicator, but the signals were all dead.

“We’ll have to find them ourselves, but stay close together.”

The shuddering girls did just that-- standing right by her sides, trembling with fear, much to her slight annoyance.

“Hello!” Raven called as she found herself wandering through an empty city. “Is anyone there…?”

The streets were all empty, with not a soul to be scene. The building all around her shimmered with their spacey glows, but they didn’t seem to have any access points-- no doors, or windows to open.

“Swell…” she groaned “Well, I hope things don’t get worse.”

…But they did, when she could hear the sound of growling coming from behind.

She turned round and saw a large Malefican-- three times her size, and wearing dragon parts for armor-- head, claws, even a tail.

It roared at her, and since Raven couldn’t fight back with no powers or duel disk, she decided to run for it.

She quickly dashed around a corner, only run into another monster that resembled a fiend-type monster, which forced her to backtrack and head another way, only to run into yet another monster that resembled a sea-serpent.

“Can’t I get a break?!” she grumbled as she continued to run, and the monsters were chasing right after her, forcing her to run into an alley… only to run straight into a dead-end with the wall of a building before her.

She could hear and feel the monsters and their footsteps getting closer.

Never in the history of her life had she felt so scared-- and was able to feel it now that her powers were gone.

She could see their shadows on the road, and she backed up against the wall… only to magically pass right through it.

The monsters all grouped together outside the alley, and they couldn’t see Raven anywhere. Finally, they decided to spread out and find her.

From inside the building, Raven could hardly believe her lucky break, yet she backed against a solid part of the wall and sighed in relief.

“You think they could tell us we could just pass through invisible openings.” she grumbled.

She then looked around to see the building was vacant and empty-- nothing but a large open atrium with metal pillars, and steel stairways and bridges.

“What kind of a building is this?” she wondered.

The metal beams all rattled and squeaked, making the place seem creepier than ever.

“Oooooo…kaaaaay…”

Then things became not okay, as she could hear the growling of the monsters near the entrance where she came in, and they were shoving to try and barge in themselves, forcing Raven to take off for the stairs and climb up and up the tall tower.

The rest of the troop, Terra and Applejack were with Twilight and her relatives.

They were atop of what appeared to be a huge and spooky rock tower-- on the terrace of the tallest tower, and there was no door or window to get out.

It was a long drop to the ground below.

Shining Armor whimpered, as he hated open-heights, and he held Cadance while panicking, “H-H-How do we get down from here?”

His wife patted him softly trying to keep him calm.

Spike sighed from his card. “What a wuss.”

Sci-Twi didn’t take kindly to him insulting her brother.

Terra tried and tried to use her powers to move the rocks, but it was no use. “Anybody got a Plan B?”

“Hey, over here!” hollered Applejack. The others all headed over to her, with Shining Armor hiding behind his wife.

“Look down there.” Applejack said, pointing over the stone-railing. There, directly below them was an open window big enough for any of them to fit through, and it had no glass either.

“But how are we supposed to get to it?” asked Cadance.

Applejack simply held up her rope. “I never leave home without it. I can lower each of you down one at a time, and you’ll swing into the window.”

Sci-Twi thought that was incredibly brilliant, but her brother turned blue with fear. “There’s no way you’re going to get me to do that.”

“There’s no other way!” snapped Terra. “I’ll go first.”

Shining Armor could only gulp hard.

Back at the duel, it was the Melefican’s turn.

“Here I come! I draw…!”

He now had three cards in hand, and he liked what he had just drawn.

“I play the spell GRACEFUL CHARITY, so now I draw three cards, and then discard two.”

He did just so, and the two cards he chose to discard were visibly monster cards.

“But it’s such a shame to waste good food, so I shall invoke the power of Food Cemetery, which sends the two tomatoes into the oven.”

The two little creatures bounced their way into the fire, which made the opponent’s conscience feel at ease, and he sighed heavenly. “Of course, by doing so, I am now able to add two new “Cookpal” creatures to my hand.

I choose “Royal Cookpal Queen Omlette” and “Royal Cookpal Princess Pudding”

Vic was starting to get worried. “I’ve never seen cards like these before. How do I even know what they do?”

“Poor Vic…” thought Sunset. “It’s bad enough these Malefic creeps trap us here, and then they go ahead and use cards we’ve never seen.

It’s going to make it hard to determine how to strategize against them.”

“And now…” hollered the opponent “I shall activate yet another spell known as REGAL RECIPES!”

“Again with the food stuff?!” groaned Vic.

The Malefican cleared his throat, “As I was about to say… we now have royal treatment, because thanks to this spell I am able to summon as many “Royal Cookpals” from my hand equal to or up to the number of “Cookpals” in my Food Cemetery.”

The ladies all gasped as they saw the images of the monsters appear.

“He has three monsters!” cried Luna.

“Which means he is able to summon up to three monsters!” wailed Celestia.

“I don’t think so!” Vic shouted “It’s about time for me to get rid of that overgrown oven, with the aid of MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON!”

“Ah!” cried the opponent.

“Sorry, but the kitchen’s about to be closed…”

The Malefican then laughed, “It’s not a polite thing to interrupt a chef while he’s preparing such delicacies. Therefore, I’m afraid I must stop you.”

“Huh?”

“I activate the continuous trap, IMPERIAL CUSTOM!”

Vic gasped!

Twilight asked Sunset “Is that bad?”

“It’s very bad! As long as that card is in play, all other Face-up Continuous traps can’t be destroyed!”

Twilight swallowed hard.

Thanks to the protection, the large oven was struck by the lightning bolts, but nothing happened to it.

“Dang!” growled Vic.

“Now, as I was saying…” said his opponent “With Regal Recipes, I shall now call forth three “Royal Cookpals from my hand.”

He held up three glowing cards in his hand. “Joining us for dinner this evening; their royal majesties…

ROYAL COOKPAL KING BURGER... ROYAL COOKPAL QUEEN OMLETTE…ROYAL COOKPAL PRINCESS PUDDING!!”

(Atk: 300) x3

All three monsters resembled mouth-watering dishes, which astounded Vic and the ladies, and also, even though the number of monsters in play exceeded those in the Food Cemetery, the Imperial Custom card shielded the Cemetery from even destroying itself with its own effect.

“You see…” said the opponent “Cooking is a fine art, and when the craft is perfected and the right combinations are made, you can create a mighty force.

Speaking of which, Regal Recipes has another effect-- one that deals you 300 points of damage for each monster that was summoned with its power.”

Vic growled, “That means I’m going to lose 900 life points!”

Indeed… magical blasts fired from the spell card, pelting Vic all over. He wailed and moaned as he felt actual strikes of slight pain hit him due to the malefic effects of the realm.

Vic LP: 8000 -----> 7100

“Vic!!” cried Celestia.

He was alright, just a little drained.

“You think that’ll stop me?” he scoffed “You may have beaten me up a bit, but you can’t expect a bunch of weaklings like those dishes are going to be able to stand up to my big bots.”

His opponent grinned, “…I not only expect it; I’ll cook it up myself.”

“Say what?!”

“I told you… cooking is an art, and the right combinations can unlock bold things, especially when you have the right sort of tools.

He held up his last card, “I activate RAIGEKI!”

“No!! Not that!” exclaimed Vic, but lightning bolts rained down from the skies wiping out all three of his mighty bots at once.

“He’s wide open to an attack now!” cried Luna.

“Indeed he is...” agreed the opponent. “So open wide, it’s time for the feeding!

I activate King Burger’s special ability, which allows him to double the attack power of my Princess Pudding!”

(Atk: 300) -----> (Atk: 600)

“And what is more, my Queen Omlette can do the same thing, so my Pudding’s attack is doubled again.”

(Atk: 300) -----> (Atk: 1200)

Vic quivered!

“Now my Princess, have your fill, attack now!”

The wobbling dessert leapt over towards Vic and gave him a huge blow to the chest, knocking him back a few paces, and he felt more pain as his score dropped!

Vic LP: 7100 -----> 5900

The ladies could hardly bare to watch.

“Feel fortunate my other monsters can’t attack.” said the Malefican. “So this means my turn ends, and my Princess’s attack returns to normal.”

(Atk: 1200) -----> (Atk: 300)

“It’s my move now…” said Vic. He drew his next card, giving him four in hand.

He looked at his opponent’s field and thought, “He’s got no other spells, or traps in play, and all his monsters are pretty wimpy.

I should go after them, but what it I’m biting off more than I can chew? Nobody leaves a bunch of weak monsters out of the field like that without a good reason.”

Still, he couldn’t just stall. He felt there was only one way to know. He hoped he knew what he was doing.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale l DESKBOT DEOUBLE-O-SIX and Scale 10 DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-SEVEN!”

His two little bots took their places in the light and the pendulum began to swing. “Now I can summon as many Deskbots between levels 2 and 9 as I need…

…I Pendulum Summon!”

He only had two cards in his hand, and they were monsters. In two flashes of light, they appeared.

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-ONE…” (Atk: 500)

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-FOUR…” (Atk: 500)

The two bots looked at each other and nodded, and then they glared at the food ahead while Vic smirked.

Sunset couldn’t help but notice that Vic was never shrouded in light the way she was when she performed a summoning.

“Don’t bother feeding these bad boys, because I got it covered. Thanks to my Deskbot Base, they each gain 500 attack points, Plus, Double-O-One gains another 500 points for every Machine I control.”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 1000)

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 2500)

The ladies were impressed by how powerful the bots seemed now.

“Perfect.” said Celestia. “Those monsters should be able to smash down those dishes, and wipe a good amount of life points as well.”

…But the opponent simply snickered.

“Um… why is he laughing?” asked Twilight.

The opponent then called to Vic, “Sorry to have to spoil your appetite, but you just activated the abilities of my monsters.”

“Huh?!” cried Vic.

The ladies all looked nervous.

“You see…” said the opponent “If I happen to have a “Royal Cookpal” in play, and you summon any creatures, by simply returning my monsters to my hand, I can make them serve your monsters with such a feast… they’ll be destroyed!”

Vic and the ladies gasped, and then watched as King Burger and Princess Pudding had leapt over and began to actually keep the monsters bits of their own food-bodies.

“Even robots have to eat…” teased the opponent as the bots got fatter, and fatter, and finally exploded and headed for the graveyard.

“They’re gone!” cried Vic.

“At least they had a good feed.” the Malfeican taunted “As for my two monsters, here they are back in my hand and waiting for the next meal.”

Vic had no choice. “I have to end my turn.”

“I can’t believe it!” groaned Sunset “Vic just lost all his monsters like that!”

“And now he is wide open for another direct assault!” cried Luna.

The Malefican snickered. “It’s my turn, and I draw…

“I activate POT OF GREED so I may draw twice more.”

He now had four cards in his hand, which made his sinister grin widen.

“I really don’t like it when he grins like that!” grumbled Vic.

“Time to mash things up once more…

Since I have two “Cookpals” in play, I can automatically summon forth COOKPAL PUMPAOTATO.”

(Atk: 600)

“And next I shall sacrifice him along with my Eggong to once again whip up the recipe forROYAL COOKPAL KING BURGER.”

(Atk: 300)

“Ah, man… he’s back again!” groaned Vic “And worse: you just sent two more Cookpals to the graveyard.”

“I see you’re catching on.” said the Malefican “Now I shall drop both those ingredients into my Food Cemetery, so I may once again add more “Cookpal” monsters to my hand.”

He flicked through his deck, “I choose “Royal Cookpal Pasta Knight,” and “Royal Cookpal Prince Curry.”

Twilight was astounded by the royal names of the monsters. “It’s like he’s assembling an entire cook family.”

The Malefican was very pleased with the cards in his hand. “Now that we’re all set at the table, let us serve the main course!

King Burger, Queen Omelette, wage a direct attack!”

Though the monsters were both weak, they both took their toll on Vic’s life points as well as his life energy!

Vic LP: 5900 -----> 5300

“VIC…!!” the ladies cried out.

Vic held his shoulder in pain. The lower his life points got, the stronger the effects the energy drain had on him.

“Ah, satisfaction…” teased the opponent “It is impossible to gain, no matter how fed you are. You’ll always be back for more.”

He placed one card form his hand facedown, ending his turn.

“Ah, man!” Vic groaned in thought. “How am I supposed to beat this guy? Even if I summon a monster turn, he’ll just send his two food freaks back to his hand and destroy my monsters again.

And if I don’t win this duel, I’ll get turned into a card, and I won’t be able to help the others!”

“The others…!” he suddenly snapped, worrying about them.

Raven had dashed far up the long stairways to the top of the building with those monsters chasing her up, and up, and up…!

“I’ve got to get out of here!” she panted.

Luckily for her she could see a doorway up ahead, which led her out onto the roof of the high-rise, only now she was trapped even more. She couldn’t jump from such a height without her powers, and the monsters were still coming for her, and there was no place for her to run now!

Shining Armor gripped onto Applejack’s rope tightly and whimpered like a baby as he was lowered down to the window, where his wife, his sister, and Terra were standing from inside, having gotten down successfully.

“Careful! Don’t swing me too hard!”

“Oh, stop your whining!” growled Applejack, and she softly guided the rope so Shining Armor swung right into the window, crashing into the ladies, and they all fell on the floor.

“Is it over? Can I look now?” whimpered Shining.

“Yes… you can!” groaned Sci-Twi who was stuck under her brother’s legs.

Applejack then swung on the rope herself, making it to the window, and with a skillful yank, she pulled her rope back into her possession.

“Hey, that’s pretty cool.” said Terra.

Applejack blew on her wrist and boasted, “T’weren’t nothing.”

Though everyone was now successfully within the tower, they suddenly heard a clanking sound, like footsteps…!

A shiver ran up Cadance’s spine. “What’s that?”

Twilight turned and saw a pair of armored suits, armed with shields and lances stomping their way towards the group.

Everyone began to fret, but Terra spotted a doorway. “Let’s get out of here!” and they all ran towards the door, and they began to run down a large hallway…

…Only to run into more knights, and forcing them to head for a stairway. The knights tried to follow them, but crowded each other at the top, and they couldn’t proceed.

“What kind of a tower is this?!” yelled Applejack.

“One that I hope we get out of and fast!” shouted Shining Armor.

Once at the bottom of the stairs, they found there was another set of stairs at the end of the hall; forgetting that the tower was very tall.

“How many stairways can this tower have?” asked Terra.

Sci-Twi did the calculations in her head, judging from outside how tall the tower was, “I would estimate no less than fifty.”

The others groaned… and so did something else-- a large stone golem in the hall that began to stomp towards them.

“Run!!” shouted Cadance.

They ran down the stairs like Lightning, and the golem couldn’t chase them any further.

“What next is there?” wondered Applejack, but she got her answer-- looking straight ahead, she saw the stairway just ended with nothing on the other side but open dark air!

“Stop!!” she shouted, skidding to a halt, but all the others bumped into one another and into her, and all fell off the edge, plummeting deep into the darkness.

To Be Continued…!

Author's Note

Despite what the text translates about the royal Cookpals "Doubles the ORIGINAL attack points" that was clearly not what happened in the anime.

Episode 4: Cooking up a Swarm: Part 2

EPISODE FOUR

The gang fell and fell into the deep darkness of the tower, believing this was truly it for them… had they not landed--SMOOSH-- on a large and incredibly soft cushion.

One-by-one, everyone pulled their faces up, and Shining Armor was nearly paralyzed with fear-- like anyone would be from dropping that far.

“Am I dead yet?” he peeped so softly.

His wife was trembling exactly as he was. “No… we’re alive.”

The other three pulled themselves up and brushed themselves off.

“What a drop!” Terra said while looking way up. “This tower was probably made to scare the living daylights out of anyone who enters it.”

“Look out below…!” Spike called as his soul card was slowly tumbling and flipping as it glided down and into Sci-Twi’s grip. “Oh, thank goodness!” she cried as she actually hugged the little card close.

“Hey… look over there…” said Applejack. Everyone could see what appeared to be an exit leading to outside.

Cadance and Shining Armor leapt up, wanting to get out of the tower before something else happened.

“No, wait…!” called Sci-Twi “It could be another trick!”

Her relatives were too excited at the thought of getting out.

Suddenly, a pair of narrow cages dropped on them, and the door vanished-- as it was only an illusion.

The cages suddenly vanished with the captives still inside.

“Cadance… Big Bro!” called Twilight.

“Where did they go?” wondered Terra.

Applejack clenched her fists angrily.

Suddenly, a sinister, female voice called to the ladies. “If you really want to save your friends, come and find them. I’ll be waiting for you.”

Spike couldn’t help but growl. Even while trapped in a card, his dog senses still acted normally.

“Sounds like another trap to me.” said Applejack.

Sci-Twi was aware of this too, but she wasn’t about to leave her brother and sister-in-law. “We’ve got to find them!”

Suddenly, there was a rumbling sound.

“What now?” groaned Spike.

A secret panel in the stone walls was sliding open, revealing a torch-lit hall way with a staircase leading deeper down.

The female voice called to them, “Your friends await you at the bottom and so do I.” she then snickered sinisterly, which told the group it had to be a sure-fire trap, but Sci-Twi immediately ran for the stairs.

“Twilight, wait…!” called Applejack. “Ugh! Stubborn kid!” and she ran off after her with Terra catching up from behind.

As for Raven, she was backed against the edge of the high-rise, with the large drop to the streets below before her, and the angry monsters coming up towards her, and she was till powerless to defend herself as they were bigger and stronger than she was.

“If only I had my duel disk!” she panicked.

The creatures then activated their own duel disks and summoned powerful monsters, even though it seemed no duel had been issued…

…But there had been.

A bright flash of light emitted from behind, Raven turned round and she saw…

“What? That’s… Exodia the Forbidden One?!”

It was… the giant hulking creature, glowing ominously and hissing at the smaller beasts and their users, and there was only one duelist Raven knew could summon the creature so easily…!

She could see right before the gargantuan beast. “Gar…?”

It was him alright, standing another building adjacent to the one she stood on.

Since they were no longer in the Friendship Cup tournament, the restriction rules no longer applied, and Gar had the full to bear his full-power, especially considering the circumstances.

Exodia began to power up behind him, forcing Raven to leap to the side and out of the way.

Gar shouted out loud, “Exodia… Obliterate!!”

POW!! Exodia unleashed his extremely powerful wave, blowing the monsters to ashes.

Raven wailed as she covered her eyes and braced herself from the force of the waves blowing just several feet away from her.

The monsters all wailed as they vanished in the blast, and when the light had faded, there was no sign of the monsters for they had all been turned into cards.

Raven was both freaked out, and livid that Gar had nearly attacked her again-- despite the obvious fact that she jumped out of the way in time anyway.

She turned and glared angrily at Gar from afar, but he paid her no notice as he recalled Exodia, and then turned to start walking away.

“Hey, wait!!” called Raven, but he wouldn’t stop and continued to walk straight towards the edge and he leapt right off the building, and skillfully stretched out his long coat like glider wings, helping him land safely on the ground below.

Raven glared at him with her quivering fists. Despite what the other Titans had told her-- to try and reason with Gar-- he anger and outrage at him was now stronger than ever.

With no more monsters around, she quickly dashed back inside, and bounded her way down the long flight of stairs making it to the ground…

…she panted heavily. “What I’d give to have my powers back!”

Still, knowing Gar couldn’t have gone too far, she decided to chase after him by following in the direction he flew, and then following his footprints in the sands.

Far, far away, Vic was still in a tough spot in his duel.

Malefican LP: 8000

Vic LP: 5300

The ladies could only watch in worry.

“Please tell me he can get out of this fix.” said Twilight.

Sunset was very skeptical. “I wish I knew, but it seems to me that all he needs is one good draw, and he can turn the whole duel around.”

Vic overheard her, and he agreed in thought, “One good draw, that’s all I need.”

He looked on ahead at the hungry dishes still looking to stuff his worries, and then his opponent who looked ready to serve up more trouble.

“Well, are you going to just stand there?” he taunted “The food is getting cold you know? Or has your hunger for victory finally been filled the realization that you just can’t win this?”

Vic growled, and he slowly laid his finger upon his next card, and in a swift flick he pulled it out, and turned it around to look at it.

“I play POT OF GREED, so now I can draw two cards.”

He did so, and he really liked what both cards were.

“What do you suppose he has?” asked Luna.

“Whatever it is, I hope it’s something good.” said Celestia.

Vic smirked and said, “Hope you’re hungry, because now I’ve got a recipe that’s going to knock your senses out.”

“Hmm?!” went the opponent.

Vic snickered at him, “…Now I Pendulum Summon!”

Two shots of light rained down onto his field.

“The lunch crowd is in… not one, but two DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-EIGHT!”

(Atk: 500) x2

“Ha!” snapped the opponent “That’s a good one, but my Queen Omelette can still use her own ability just like before.”

…That’s what he wanted, but his monster didn’t comply.

“Sorry, but you won’t get to pull a stunt like that on us this time.” said Vic “Double-O-Eight has a special ability that shields all other “Deskbot” cards from being targeted by card effects, but as you can see, I’ve got two of them in play, which means they both look out for each other like the bros they are!”

The two bots looked at one another, and held hands, making a spark of energy flow in-between them.

“I can’t believe this!” thought the Malefican “He actually found a way to stop my Cookpals!”

Vic then smirked, “And also… I activate the ability of Deskbot Double-O-One from my graveyard: Since at least two machines were special summoned at the same time, I get to summon him!”

His tuner monster appeared.

(Atk: 500)

“And not only does he get stronger from the Deskbot Base, but he also gains an additional 500 attack points for every machine that I control.

So his attack rises by a huge 2000!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“And as for two other bots, they also power each other up 500 points for every Deskbot in my graveyard, and there happens to be four, and the base gives them another 500 points for a big 2500 point boost!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 3000) x2

“Three-thousand each?!” cried the opponent “This can’t be happening!”

The ladies were astounded.

“That was incredible!” said Twilight “And all done with just one card…?”

“That’s the game for you.” said Sunset. “It also helps that you not give up, and you can still achieve victory.”

Vic continued his move…

“Next, I play the trap SYNCHRO MATERIAL!”

“What? Syncrho Material…?!” cried the opponent.

“That’s right. Thanks to this handy trap, I’m about to invite your Level 9 Queenie there to join us for a snack-- I now get to use her for a Synchro Summon as if I owned her!”

Queen Omelette began to glow along with Double-O-One, much to the opponent’s horror.

“I tune Level 1 Deskbot Double-O-One with your Level 9 Omelette…!”

The two monsters vanished, like streaks of light, heading deep into the base.

The ground started to rumble as the large hanger doors opened wide.

“…Coming up the runway… I Syncrho Summon DESKBOT JET!”

The large machine soared out through the opening and hovered high above Vic’s field, shimmering, and glowing with power!

(Atk: 500)

“And don’t forget, he gets stronger.

First he gains 500 points from the field power bonus, but then he also gains an extra 500 for every “Deskbot” card on the field, that includes himself, the field spell, and the two bots in the Pendulum Zones!"

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 4000)

“…And since I have another Deskbot in the grave now, my other two bots get even stronger now!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 3500) x2

“WOW!!!” cried Twilight “Both his monsters are super-sized now!”

The other ladies all felt their excitements rising, while the Malefican was quivering!

“What’s the matter-- lost your appetite?” teased Vic “Well you’re about to lose even more, because I activate my Jet’s special ability.”

…By destroying Double-O-Seven in the Pendulum Zone, I can target one other card on the field and destroy it, and I know just the one I want too…!” He pointed at the facedown down card his opponent still had.

Celestia was ever so impressed. “Once he gets rid of that card, he’ll be able to win the duel!”

“I hope you’re right.” said Luna.

“It’s go time!” shouted Vic “Go for it, Jet!”

The jet powered up its laser cannon and fired straight towards the card.

“…I activate my facedown card!” shouted The Malefican.

“Say what?!” cried Vic.

The ladies all gasped…

“…Activate DAMAGE DIET!”

His card was destroyed, but not before it shrouded him with a sparkling glow.

“Oh, no!!” cried Sunset “I used that card once. Now all the damage he takes this turn will be cut in half!”

The others all gasped, realizing that Vic couldn’t end the duel this turn, even with all his super-powered bots.

“Man!” he growled in thought “I was so close! I really thought I had it won!

Oh, I guess I may as well do what I can. At least I can weaken him down a bit!”

He clenched his fists tightly and called up to his three monsters. “Okay fellas… let’s cook his life points away!

Desk bot Jet, attack King Burger!”

The jet powered-up its mighty cannon and fired at the burger monster, reducing it to ash.

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 300)

However, because of the Damage Diet trap, the opponent only took 1850 points of damage! Yet the Malefican still wailed under all the burning energy that flowed past him.

Malefican LP: 8000 -----> 6150

Vic then called to his remaining two bots, “Okay boys, go get him!”

The two Deskbots fired their lasers together at the opponent, whom wailed and yelled as the blasts struck him, dealing him another 3500 points from 1750 apiece

Malefican LP: 6150 -----> 2650

After the blast, the opponent was down on his knees, shaking softly after such an attack.

Twilight was nearly blown away herself. “Thank goodness we don’t have this kind of stuff in Equestria. The chaos would be unimaginable!”

“The chaos isn’t even over yet.” said Sunset.

The Malefican heard her and chuckled wickedly as he got up onto his feet. “You’re quite right about that. The chaos isn’t over until the last meal has been served.

And speaking of serving, I can activate Food Cemetery again, which sends my Queen Omelette into the oven, and in return, I’ll take another queen out from my deck!”

This gave him five cards in his hand, and Vic knew they were all Royal Cookpals.

“This could get pretty serious.” he thought, “But I do know they’re all high level monsters, and my monsters still outclass them all by a mile.”

The Malefican looked down at his deck and his hand while thinking sinisterly, “A good chef not only knows how to salvage himself from disaster, but he plans ahead and prepares himself well.”

He drew his next card and grinned at it.

“Now I activate the spell CARD DESTRUCTION! So now, I will discard my entire hand to the graveyard and draw another five cards.”

Vic didn’t like this one bit as he thought “Oh, no! Now, not only does he get a fresh set of cards, he has another chance to use Food Cemetery!”

As predicted, the opponent shouted, “Since I hate to throw good food away, my Food Cemetery now allows me to add all those ingredients together, and I take out each of their doubles from my deck!”

Everyone gawked at how full his hand was!

“He has ten cards in his hand now!” cried Sunset.

“Who knows what he might be able to do now!” added Celestia.

Vic was sweating over that too.

“And now…” the Malefican announced… “Prepare yourselves for the last meal, one that I’m sure will leave your appetites settled, starting with this spell. Recognize it…?”

He turned it over to reveal, much to Vic’s horror. “No! Not REGAL RECIPES!”

“Yes it is…” replied the opponent “Which means, I am now allowed to invite the entire Royal Cookpal family to join us for one final feast!”

The opponent held up five of his cards, and, one-by-one, his monsters appeared “Introducing, the royal meals of ROYAL COOKPAL… KING BURGER… PASTA KNIGHT… PRINCE CURRY… PRINCESS PUDDING… QUEEN OMELETTE!”

(Atk: 300) x2

(Def: 1000)

(Def: 100)

(Def: 0)

All five of the stunning food monsters stood together like a mountain of a feast, and all of them began to glow brightly.

“And you remember, for each monster that was summon by Regal Recipes, you lose 300 life points!”

The food monsters fired their magical energy pellets at Vic, damaging him hard and making him wail!

Vic LP: 5300 -----> 3800

The ladies began to tremble!

“And next…!” said the Malefican “A good chef prepares his meals properly, and therefore, I activate the spell SHIELD AND SWORD.”

“Huh?”

“Yes… I prefer to think of it as a knife and cutting plate, but instead of chopping up food, it swamps the attack and defense values of every monster in play.

Your monsters and their abilities will remain the same, while my King and his knight shall become stronger thanks to their high defenses.”

(Atk: 300) -----> (Atk: 1300)

(Atk: 300) -----> (Atk: 1100)

Vic and the ladies didn’t like this at all, and just as they feared, the opponent announced, “Now I shall use the ability of Queen Omelette. She will charm my king by doubling his attack power!”

(Atk: 1300) -----> (Atk: 2600)

“And now, my Prince and my Princess will each boost up my Knight’s Power-- doubling it once, then doubling it twice…!”

(Atk: 1100) -----> (Atk: 4400)

“hundred attack points?!” exclaimed Vic!

The ladies all whimpered in fright.

The Malefican grinned wickedly, “And now, the final dinner bell is about to be served, thanks to this spell… DOUBLE ATTACK!

Now, by sending this other King Burger in my hand to the graveyard, my Knight gains an additional attack this turn!”

“Great!” thought Vic “Now he has the power blow out all my monsters!”

The Malefican engaged his battle phase.

“Now my knight, attack and destroy those two Deskbots!”

The knight leapt up high, and spilled the cooked noodles from his body right atop the two Double-O-Eight Deskbots.

(Atk: 4400) VS (Atk: 3500) x2

Both bots were destroyed in a mountain of noodles and sauce, and Vic lost 900 points for each one, totalling 1800 points of damage to Vic.

Vic LP: 3800 -----> 1000

He was down on his back after the resulting explosions.

“And now…!” shouted the opponent “Since you no longer have those Deskbots in play, your oversized jet up there loses 1000 attack points.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 2000)

“King Burger, why don’t you replenish the hungry jet? Attack now!”

(Atk: 2600) VS (Atk: 2000)

The King flipped himself on top of the massive jet, and its food juices began to eat through the metal, causing the jet to exploded and deal Vic more damage and more pain, causing him to wail in agony!

Vic LP: 1000 -----> 400

The ladies all gawked in horror.

“He’s only got 400 life points left!” cried Sunset.

“Oh, Vic…!” added Celestia.

“Please, don’t give up!” whimpered Luna.

Vic struggled to set himself upright, but he felt pretty beat with his score so low now, while his opponent only laughed at him.

“Had enough to eat yet? I know I haven’t, I mean after all… I sent a Cookpal to the graveyard, which means my Food Cemetery activates again, allowing me to fill up the oven, and in exchange, I addCOOKPAL LOINION to my hand.

Then again, I can easily sacrifice my Prince Curry, and summon Loinion to the field in defense-mode!”

(Def: 1800)

“And I should point out, that as long as Loinion is present, you can’t attack any of my Cookpals other than him.”

Vic gawked in horrors, feeling his entire duel was about to be flushed down the drain!

“That ends my turn,” sneered the Malefican “Which means my monsters gain their original 300 point stats, still, it’s just about closing time anyway.

Their majesties will be incredibly pleased when I serve them your soul in a card at meal time. You may as well make it easier on yourself and tip the server.”

He was pretty much telling Vic to surrender, and poor Vic was inclined to believe him.

“What am I going to do?” he thought “I’ve got no monsters to protect me, and no cards in my hand, and even if I summon a monster to the field, those monsters can easily get rid of them, and I still can’t attack any monsters other than that over-stuffed loin-head over there.”

He was beginning to think that maybe he was finished, and he was about to be turned into a card…

Yet, he just couldn’t give up; not for himself, and not for the others whom he promised to help.

He then looked and realized his only hope was a Pendulum Summon, but with his Pendulum Zone broken, that wasn’t likely to happen.

“Unless…!” he thought as he looked down at his deck…

…Sunset thought the same thing as he did. “One good draw; that’s all he needs. It worked before…”

Suddenly, Vic was bolted upright onto his feet, much to his opponent’s shock.

“Don’t tell me you’re still planning on continuing? Like I said, the feast is done, and all that remains is for you to pay your bill… with the last of your life points.”

“I got a better idea…” said Vic “I’ll pay that bill with your life points instead of mine!”

“What?”

Vic then placed his fingers over his next card, and shut his eyes hoping for something incredible!

“Come on, baby. You did it before… do it for me now!”

He pulled out his card, and then peeked over it at the opponent. “Looks like this chef forgot to use his best pot.”

The opponent blinked in confusion.

“I activate MONSTER REBORN!”

The opponent and the ladies gawked with anxiety.

“…I’ll use this to summon DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-TWO from the graveyard just like that.”

(Def: 500)

“Ha!” snapped the opponent “For all the good that will do you, because now I can activate my King Burger’s ability; by returning him to my hand, your monster goes straight back to the graveyard!”

With that, his king unleashed a large and strong burger patty, which flipped into the air and crashed down hard on Vic’s monster.

Vic didn’t seem to mind too much. “Oh, it did me good… because you forgot about my monster’s ability-- when it was special summoned I get to add a “Deskbot” card to my hand.”

The opponent growled.

Vic then pulled out just the card he wanted. “It’s my old pal, Scale 10 DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-FIVE, which I use to complete my Pendulum Scale once again!”

The opponent gasped in horror!

“All right…!!” cried Sunset “Vic’s really cooking with fire now!”

Indeed he was as the Deskbot made its way into the light, and the pendulum began to swing once more.

“Looks like you go more customers coming your way…” Vic teased “…I Pendulum Summon!”

Three shots of Light rained down from the sky and the monsters landed on his field.

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-SEVEN…” (Atk: 500)

“And two… DESKBOT DOUBLE-O-EIGHT(s)…” (Atk: 500)

The three bots all stood together, making the opponent tremble.

“Excellent!” cried Celestia “And thanks to the Double-O-Eights, the Cookpals can’t use their abilities to destroy the cards.”

“And they stronger too, right?” asked Twilight.

“They sure do…” replied Vic “Thanks to the Deskbot Base, and the six other Deskbots chilling in my graveyard, they get a humungous boost!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 4000)

“AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH, HOW CAN THIS BE?!!” cried the Malefican.

Vic smiled, “Just a little we call “Not giving up.”

He turned to look back at the ladies, and they all nodded at him proudly. Even Twilight was astounded by his triumphant comeback.

“Oh…! There’s something else you may to know…” said Vic. “…When Double-O-Seven attacks a monster in defense-mode; you get hit with piercing damage!”

The opponent winced in shock.

“Go Double-O-Seven, strike down that Loinion!”

His bot complied, and it jumped up high in the air and slammed down hard on the monster!

(Atk: 4000) VS (Def: 1800)

The resulting explosion blew the opponent back hard.

Malefican LP: 2650 -----> 450

“THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!!” he wailed.

“Oh, it is…!” hollered Vic, “And guess what else…? My Double-O-Eights can make two attacks on monsters.”

The opponent knew this was it, and Vic ordered his bots, “…Go boys… clear the table, and end this duel! Attack…!”

The two twin bots nodded at each other, and they both leap up high charging their lasers. They fired their beams, which wiped out the rest of the monsters, and since Pasta Knight was still in attack-mode… it cost the Malefican the rest of his life points, winning the duel!

“HE DID IT!!” cried Sunset.

The sisters leapt for joy and hugged, and Twilight was overjoyed, while Vic could only feel some of his strength returning to him, and he leapt up high his fist out and shouted, “BOO-YAH, who’s the master chef now?!”

Despite his second-wind, he still felt pretty drained, and he collapsed to his knees.

The ladies ran up to him, and Sunset stowed Twilight’s card in her jacket pocket as she helped Vic up. “Are you okay?”

“I’m just a little woozy.” he replied. “I’ll be fine in a bit. I’m just glad it’s over.”

…But the fallen Malafican just laughed as he lay disgraced and defeated on the ground. “It isn’t over, you fools; it’s just beginning.”

The group all gawked down at him, and realized he was right.

“Though you may have bested me, there are plenty others. And each every duel only grants more power to the princes, Rubeus and Loki.

You thought this battle was tough, just you wait!”

He was still laughing as he was struck by the magical lightning from above, and he was turned into a card.

As thankful as the group was that Vic was safe, seeing that happen still flipped them all out.

“We’ve got to find the others and fast.” said Sunset. “Who knows what troubles they’ve run into?”

The others agreed, and the sisters helped Vic up onto his feet.

“It’s okay, ladies, I can manage; just got to get my third wind.”

Twilight then began to call from Sunset’s pocket, “Hey, let me out of here!”

Sunset scrambled to pull her up. “Sorry about that.”

“Never mind,” replied Twilight “…But where are we supposed to even start looking for the others? They were all blown off in different directions.”

Vic flipped open his wrist-computer mumbling, “Come on… work… work…! Please work!” and it flipped on “Yes! I can try and sense for their energy signals!”

The ladies all beamed with joy, and remembered, only super powers like his sonic-cannon didn’t function, but regular technologies and gadgets seemed to work.

“That’s great!” cried Celestia “So which way do we go?”

Vic scanned around and took a few steps forward until his com reacted. “I’ve got a lock… Let’s go!” and off they went deep into the darkness!

Who knew what other dangers and paraphernalia they would run into?

Author's Note

Much as I'm sure Cyborg's sonic-cannon is also technological and not a super-natural power, I just couldn't have him using it in the opening episodes.

It wouldn't matter even if he could use it anyway...

-The Maleficans are unaffected by anything that isn't Malefic Magic or Duel energy

-Besides... there's ONE OTHER problem Vic is going to have...

Episode 5: Gals and Shaddolls: Part 1:

EPISODE FIVE

The Brothers had observed Vic’s win, and they were not the least bit disturbed.

“So they defeated our chef?” asked Rubeus. He then snickered, “They seem to have more backbone than we thought.”

Loki agreed as he checked the energy flows into their absorption. “It still doesn’t matter if our soldiers lose. They are all prepared to, all for the sake of our purpose.”

Then he thought of the others. “It still fascinates me how these humans continue to strive when there is really no chance. It would be so much easier if they just surrendered.”

His brother agreed. “Well, if they prefer to do it the hard way… then so-be-it.”

Sci-Twi was practically skidding down the long flight of stairs in the tower, with Applejack and Terra behind her and catching up.

“Twilight, slow down!” called Applejack.

“Who’d have thought she could run so fast?” said Terra.

Finally, they reached the bottom, and ran through a doorway into a large round room.

“Where are you?!” called Twilight, hoping to get an answer from that voice. “Where’s my brother and his wife?!”

He voice echoed all along the stone walls.

Terra and Applejack covered their ears, and so did Spike in his card, and he grumbled “Sure… that’ll get them to come out.”

That’s when a bright tube of light shone above the center of the room, and there, floating high above a large, and eerie-looking oriental-like carpet on the floor-- Cadance and Shining Armor sat in an iron cage suspended by a strong chain.

“Twily…!” cried Shining.

Cadance was so glad to see them.

Suddenly, more torched lit up, followed by the sound of familiar voice snickering at them

There, sitting on a throne up ahead was a female Malefican, wearing black robes with a dark purple shawl across her shoulders, and a matching sash for a belt.

“Welcome…” she hissed in a rather ghastly voice. “I am the Malefican, Spectra. Welcome to my Tower of Terror.”

Eyes began to turn cross at her, especially Twilight, but it was Terra who spoke up first. “So you’re the one who’s been freaking us out.”

“Not cool, girl.” said Applejack. “Not even funny.”

Spectra snickered, “Well, what do you expect there to be in a place like this-- Flower fields? Candied mountains, children laughing and playing?!

You humans are ridiculously pathetic. Not to mention horrible cowards.”

“Now wait just a--” Applejack said before she was cut off.

“SILENCE!!” thundered Spectra, and large jets of fire erupted behind her, making everyone jump, and Cadance whimpered. “…You try my patience.”

Chains on the walls rattled, and whistling winds seemed to pass through the room. “The spirits feed on fear and disparage, and their appetites is never satisfied. They hunt for more, and their lust for darkness carries on.

Those who cannot overcome their own darkness are doomed to be plunged-- lost within its ominous veil.”

A huge gust of wind billowed as the fire flared up again.

Shining Armor and Cadance didn’t like this all one but, while the others were all growing more annoyed than frightened.

Spike was non-too amused himself. “I’ve seen old bones I buried scarier than this.”

Sci-Twi stepped forth and demanded the release of her relatives. “Give them back, now!”

Spectra only laughed, “Either you are braver, or more foolish than I thought to make demands from me.”

She stood from her throne and stepped onto the rug. Then she rolled up her long sleeve revealing her duel disk. “Perhaps you would like to duel me for the release of your friends instead?”

Applejack clenched her fists and then stepped forth. “Missy, you got yourself a duel.”

“No, don’t do it!” called Shining Armor.

“You saw what happened before.” added Cadance.

Applejack was well aware of the consequences and danger involved if she lost, but that didn’t stop her. “There’s no other way. It’s the only way to get ourselves out of this place.

Besides, someone’s got to stand up to this witch for scaring us.”

Spectra took that more as a compliment. “If you only knew of the terrors you’re stepping into. Soon, I’ll have you quaking in those boots of yours before I send your soul into darkness!”

Applejack, unnerved, took her place at the end of the carpet and got her duel disk ready.

“This one seems stronger than most of my victims ever were.” thought Spectra. “No matter, especially considering when you duel in my lair, there’s so much more bound to happen.”

Her evil eyes began to glow, followed by large, skeletal hands to burst up from the ground and snare Terra and Sci-Twi, holding them firmly in place.

Spike’s card fell to the floor, facedown.

“Hey!!” cried Terra.

“I can’t break free!” added Sci-Twi.

Shining Armor and Cadance were horrified, and Applejack was livid. “What are you doing?!” she bellowed.

Spectra glared at her, “You’ll find out soon enough.”

None of the others liked the way she said that, which made them all feel they were all in bigger trouble than ever.

“Whatever you’ve got planned, it won’t scare me that easy.” said Applejack. “Now let’s do this! The sooner I beat you, the sooner I can set my friends free.”

Spectra only seemed amused.

Cadance looked down through the bars of the cage. “I hope Applejack knows what she’s doing.”

“That makes two of us.” agreed Shining Armor.

“LET’S DUEL!!” the two duelists shouted.

Spectra LP: 8000

Applejack: 8000

Meanwhile… Raven was continuing to peruse Garfield, by following his footprints in the sandy grounds.

She had pursued him far outside of the city and out into the open dark plains, and she was growing heavily exhausted, especially after outrunning the monsters from before, as well as running up and down the stairs of that huge building she went into.

She sat on a rock trying to catch her breath, and she snacked a little on some of the food she had pocketed earlier.

“Maybe I should exercise more.” she groaned to herself.

She was astounded how much of a head-start Gar had on her, and she was astounded by how much shape he was in to just keep going.

“It just isn’t like him.” he said to herself.

Suddenly, the ground began to rumble, preferably the rock she was sitting on.

She quickly jumped off as the rock rose up out of the ground, to reveal it was in fact another Malefican monster, and a giant one at that.

Raven gawked up in horror as the monster glared down at her.

The monster raised his huge arm looking like he really wanted to duel, but Raven couldn’t fight back at all.

“Hold it!” shouted a voice.

Raven turned and saw Gar standing there with his coat billowing in the winds.

“Gar…?”

He paid her no notice as he was focussed directly on the monster, and his duel disk was ready. “I’m ready to duel!”

“Gar, what are you doing?” Raven asked.

“Be quiet, and stay out my way!” he snapped at her, making her scowl at him, but then remembering from before, she guessed what was about to happen and stepped away.

The duel was on and Gar was up first.

“I activate the spell PAINFUL CHOICE!”

He said nothing more, because he knew how his own card worked.

He selected the five cards he wanted to show his opponent.

“I knew it…!” Raven thought as she gazed at the card images. “…It’s the five pieces of Exodia The Forbidden One! He got them all in just one turn.

But wait a minute! What good does that do? Now he only gets to keep one of them, and the rest go to the graveyard.”

Gar called over to the monster. “Take your pick!”

The monster growled and raised its huge arm, and pointed at the Left Leg card.

Gar complied, adding the chosen card to his hand and ditching the other four.

“Now, I activate the spell MONSTER REINCARNATION!”

He sent one card from his hand to the graveyard which allowed him to add a monster card from there to his hand, but before he actually did, a familiar monster spirit was glowing from the graveyard.

Raven’s eyes widened, “I see what he’s doing now!”

She was correct as Gar called out…

“Since I sent MAKYURA THE DESTRUCTOR to the graveyard, I can activate this trap from my hand… BACKUP SOLDIER…

Thanks to this, I can now retrieve three pieces of Exodia and place them in my hand, and also Monster Reincarnation allows me to gain hold of the final piece!

Thus, Exodia is now complete!”

Raven and the monster were in complete shock!

The five cards glowed as the ground shook, and the magical portal appeared, summoning the all-powerful Exodia.

The monster had lost all its courage and tried to run for it, but Gar called up to Exodia,“…Obliterate!”

Raven yipped and ducked down behind a real rock as the mighty force was unleashed destroying the monster’s life points, and leaving nothing but a card where it once stood.

The explosion was so massive that it caught the attention of Sunset’s group.

“Hey, what’s that?” cried Sunset.

All the others could see the light from the explosion from way far out, beyond the city limits.

“Do you think it could be some of the others?” asked Luna.

“It has to be…” replied Vic “My com signal shows the energy source is stronger from that direction.”

“Let’s go.” said Celestia, and she and the others began to dash through town heading for the outskirts.

Raven was actually trembling, unable to believe what she had just seen. “He won the duel on the very first turn?!”

She even remembered during the tournament, and how he crushed Terra, and the two opponents on his first turn during the final qualification round.

He totally wiped them all out, and acting rather ruthless too!

She then looked up over the rock, only to find he was gone once again; having walked off as soon as he won the duel.

“Oh, brilliant!” she grumbled to herself. “Now where did that punk go?”

She was beginning to view him with more and more hostility by the minute.

She clutched her head in realization, “What’s wrong with me?!” she wondered, remembering what the other Titans had said of trying to find him and reason with him…

…But Gar wasn’t exactly the reasoning type. He had made it clear he had no intention of cooperating with, or being nice to any of them.

Still, the number one thing Raven knew was she couldn’t just stand out here all alone, unarmed and powerless.

“I’ll never forgive myself.” she groaned, and she went off to find Gar again, following his footprints.

Back at the tower, the duel had begun, and Spectra decided to go first.

“Let the terrors begin…” she hissed “I’ll set this one monster in defense mode, and that ends my turn.”

Applejack was confused. “That’s a pretty small move.” she said “You sure that’s all you want, because now it’s time for the harvest.

…I draw!”

It was a good thing for Spectra that her face showed visible emotions, or Applejack would have noted her sniggering softly. “Just you wait my dear.” she thought.

The spectators wondered why Spectra would have made such a small move, while poor Spike could only complain. “What’s going on? I can’t see a thing.”

Applejack made her first move.

“I summon this here critter, BUJINGI QUILIN.”

(Atk: 1600)

“And while I’m at it, I’ll go ahead and activate the ability of BUJINGI IBS in my hand. By discarding it, when my Quilin attacks your defense monster, you’ll get his with piercing damage!”

Her monster growled and then charged forth to destroy the facedown card, which flipped up revealing a rather fiendish and ghastly creature, but it was destroyed nonetheless, and it only had 200 defense points, meaning Spectra was dealt 1400 points as damage.

Spectra just stood where she was, complete unfazed or deterred.

Spectra LP: 8000 -----> 6600

“All right!” cried Shining Armor “Way to sock it to her!”

Sci-Twi didn’t seem so optimistic. “…It was a Shaddoll!”

Applejack whirled round, “Huh? A Shaddoll?”

Spectra snickered, “Your friend is correct. My deck is built around the dark creatures known as the “Shaddoll” and when played in just the correct way, they can be quite the deadly force.

The monster you just destroyed was known as SHADDOLL HEDGEHOG, and when it is flipped over, I am granted the power to add this special spell to my hand…

…NEPHE SHADDOLL FUSION!”

“…A fusion card!” cried Applejack.

“That means she can Fusion Summon.” said Terra.

Sci-Twi nodded, and she tried to explain how nasty the Shaddoll cards were…

“Silence!” shouted Spectra, and with a wave of her hand, Spike’s soul card on the ground magically came into her hand.

“Put me down!” Spike demanded.

“Hey! Let him go!” shouted Sci-Twi, but Spectra preferred to keep onto the card, tucking it into the folds of her shawl. “Continue to disrupt and give away my strategies, and I will have no choice but to destroy your dog’s card, eliminating him from existence forever!!”

Everyone’s hearts gave a sickening leap, and Spike never looked so frightened.

“Why you dirty, witch!” sneered Applejack. “Using a poor, helpless dog’s soul to get your way?!”

Spectra snickered, “Oh? And I suppose that you having your friends tattle and cheat is not sickening either? And you’re supposed to be the Element of Honesty?”

Applejack felt struck hard, but then again, despite the dangers and the desperation to win the duel, she turned to face Sci-Twi and the others. “No offense but y’all better keep your mouths shut up there.

I got to do this the right way.”

The others were deeply concerned for her, but Applejack preferred to stay focussed. “I still have the lead over you, but now I end my turn with one card facedown. So bring it on.”

“With pleasure.” hissed Spectra. She drew her next card thinking, “But you’ll regret having said that. It’s time for the real fun to begin.”

“I now I summon forth SHADDOLL HOUND!”

(Atk: 1600)

The ghastly dog growled.

“And now I shall use the Nephe Shaddoll Fusion. By equipping it to my hound, the spirits will infuse with its own, and allow me to change its attribute to any type that I wish.”

“Who-to-the-what now?!” said Applejack “You’re changing its attribute.”

“That’s what I said.” hissed Spectra “And I chose the blazing Fire type!”

With that, her monster was encased in flaming aura, making Cadance tremble and hold her husband tight.

“And now…” hollered Spectra “Now I am able to use the secondary effect of my spell, which, you may have guessed, allows me to Fusion Summon using my Hound and SHADDOLL SQUAMATA in my hand!

The two monsters merged together, forcing Darkness and Fire into an frightening explosion, making everyone wail as they covered their eyes from the brightness.

Spectra laughed at their fears and then shouted out, “From the depths of the fiery shadows, I Fusion Summon… EL SHADDOLL GRYSTA!”

(Atk: 2450)

The monster spread out its huge flaming wings and let out an eerie screech. The spectators gawked in horror.

“Now I get it…” Terra thought “That monster could only be summoned with a Fire Type monster, and so Spectra had to change her monster’s attribute to make it work!”

Sci-Twi could barely contain herself. “Be careful, Applejack!” she called. “That’s monster’s real bad news…!”

“Silence!!” shouted Spectra, and she motioned at Spike’s card in her shawl, “Or say goodbye to your precious pooch!”

“Twilight… you better zip it!” shouted Spike “She’ll do it! She will!”

Applejack was growing furious.

“Now then…” said Spectra, “Since my Squamata was sent to the graveyard by card effects, I activate its ability.”

“You got to be kidding me?!” groaned Applejack.

“I kid you not. The darkness holds many surprises, and now, Squamata allows me to send one “Shaddoll” monster from my deck to the graveyard to join it… so be gone, SHADDOLL FALCO.”

The spirit of her monster out from the deck, and headed straight for the graveyard.

“Of course, since Falco was demised by an effect, its special ability allows me to call it to the field facedown!”

The monster then reappeared, and flipped itself over, but not before Applejack saw its defense points were 1400.

“This is getting crazy.” she thought “That must be what Sci-Twi was trying to warn about-- all them creatures must have special powers that activate when they get sent to the graveyard.

This could be a bit tougher than I thought.”

Spectra then engaged her battle phase.

“Go Grysta… attack now!”

The monster soared up high and came crashing down ready to strike…

(Atk: 2450) VS (Atk: 1600)

KAPOW!! Applejack’s monster was destroyed in an instant. She managed to hold herself steady as the grueling pain coursed through her.

Applejack LP: 8000 -----> 7150

…But suddenly, right behind her, the spectators were being tortured by painful electric-shock coming from the cage and the skeletal hands.

All of them wailed and yowled as the pain struck them hard.

“No!!” cried Applejack.

“What’s happening to them?!” shouted Spike.

Spectra snickered, “I told you, the darkness holds many surprises. With every life point you lose, not only will you suffer the torment, but you friends will share the pain as well.”

Applejack was scowling, but really she and her friends were starting to really feel freaked out.

“Have you begun to understand the nightmare you walked into?” asked Spectra. “As I told you, those who enter the darkness unprepared are doomed to be plunged.

If you continue to duel, you’ll put so much more than your own soul on the line-- you’ll risk the safety and well-being of your friends as well.”

Spike was completely infuriated and wanted nothing more than to jump up at her, biting and clawing, but, of course, he couldn’t. He was helpless to do anything, and so were all the others.

Applejack felt a mix of fear and anger, but she hardly knew what to do at this point.

“Risking my own neck is one thing…” she thought “But risking the safety of my friends… I can’t do that to them!”

“Is that fear that I see in your eyes?” hissed Spectra. “Perhaps all the boldness hasn’t helped you after all. You’re just a frightened little speck that’s about to be stomped into the blackness forever.”

Applejack growled, but she still wasn’t sure of all this.

“Keep going, Applejack!” called Terra.

“Huh?”

Sci-Twi agreed and added, “You have to keep dueling.”

“I can’t!” cried Applejack “I couldn’t bear it if y’ll got hurt because of me.”

“Oh, suck it up!” called Shining Armor. “You helped me get through the window, and I was scared like a baby. So you can get through this too. We all can!”

“He’s right…” agreed Cadance “Spectra’s just trying to use all this to discourage you, but you’ve been through tougher things than this.”

Their words of encouragement felt her find the spark she needed, and she turned round to glare at her opponent, with newfound flares burning in her eyes.

“Sorry, Spectra, but I ain’t giving up just yet.”

Spectra was annoyed yet impressed at the same time. “So you choose to continue? Very well, it only makes things more exciting… for me.

For now, I shall end my turn with a face-down.”

“And with that, I play my facedown trap SESSION DRAW.” hollered Applejack. “Now that it’s my turn, I get to draw two cards instead of just one, and if both of them cards happen to be monsters with the same levels, I can use them to Xyz Summon!”

Spectra narrowed her eyes, while the spectators all watched with anxiety.

“This could work for her.” said Terra. “All of Applejack’s monsters have the same level.”

“Even still,” said Sci-Twi “She needs to draw two exactly, and the odds are still fifty-fifty.”

Applejack placed her fingers over her deck, and without hesitating, she drew two cards and looked down at them.

“Yee-Haw, that’s what I’m talking about!”

She then held the two cards up high, “I use BUJIN YAMATO and BUJINGI HIRUME to build the Overlay Network!”

The two cards glowed bright and the images of the two monsters vanished into the forming portal.

Spectra shielded herself from glowing lights the portal emitted while the spectators watched with glee.

“I Xyz Summon… BUJINTEI KAGUTSUCHI!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her monster stood tall and proud; its glowing body illuminated the room.

“A’RGH!! That light!” groaned Spectra, and she quickly took a card out of her hand… and her Grysta’s eyes began to glow eerily.

“Wow! What a summoning!” cried Cadance.

“That Spectra’s really in for it now.” cheered Shining Armor.

…But suddenly, the monster stopped glowing.

“What the--?” gasped Applejack “What’s going on? My monster…!!”

The creature began to disintegrate before her eyes, and it was gone!

“What happened?” asked Terra.

Sci-Twi growled in the direction towards Spectra who was laughing wickedly. “… What’s happened is I used Grysta’s special ability: by sending a “Shaddoll” in my hand to the graveyard, I was able to negate your monster’s summoning and obliterate it like that!”

“Ah!!” cried Applejack.

“No way!” complained Terra. “…Talk about a cheap shot!”

“Oh, but there’s more…” hissed Spectra “The card that I sent out was SHADDOLL BEAST, and since it was sent away by a card effect, I draw one card.”

Applejack was growling and quivering in anger. “You think it’s that easy to break me down?! Well, think again…

I may have lost my Xyz Monster, but I got others.

I summon BUJINGI FOX in defense mode!”

(Def: 2100)

“Then I place one card face down, and that’s about it.”

Spectra snickered. “You’re beginning to show fear again, you poor thing.”

Applejack growled, “Just make your move.”

“Oh, I shall…” hissed Spectra, and she drew her card.

“Firstly: I shall activate a special trap known as SHADDOLL CORE!

This card transforms into a special monster, and summons itself right to my field.”

“A trap monster?!” cried Applejack.

She watched as the creature took the forum of of shadowy beasts that growled at her, and made the Spectators quiver.

(Def: 1950)

“And there’s something you should know,” said Spectra “The card calls upon the dark forces to change its attribute to any kind I choose, and I choose “Water!”

The evil creatures were shrouded in waves of wet energy.

“I’ll bet I know what’s coming now!” said Applejack.

Spectra held another card and shouted “Now I activate the spell SHADDOLL FUSION, fusing my Grysta with my newly-summoned water creature!”

The two creatures merged together, and by combining water with fire, they vanished into a cloud of eerie mist as a new creature was formed.

“I Fusion Summon EL SHADDOLL ANOYATYLLIS!”

(Atk: 2700)

Applejack and the spectators all gawked at the new creature. Though it seemed less creepy or violent-looking than the last, they still felt it was going to be trouble.

Applejack couldn’t help but think, “Why would she sacrifice a perfectly good fusion monster to summon another one?”

Sci-Twi knew exactly why, but she couldn’t say a word. “Applejack’s in big trouble now!” she thought. “Spectra’s playing this duel with incredible skill.”

Spectra thought “The darkness conceals many things. The more your opponents are kept guessing the easier it is for the forces to strike and catch them off guard.”

She then reached for her graveyard, “Since I sent both Grysta and Core to the graveyard, their abilities each let me take a card back, and so I’ll take back my Core, and my Shaddoll Fusion.

And now I shall flip my Falco up into attack mode!”

(Atk: 600)

The second the monster was revealed, it let out a spooky shriek, making Applejack and the spectators all groan at the irritating sound.

“What’s happening now?” asked Applejack.

Spectra flicked her robe, “When my Falco is flipped over, its special ability allowing me to revive a “Shaddoll” out of the graveyard.”

Applejack’s eyes widened. “You mean…?!”

Spectra snickered as her monster appeared in a twister of dark fog. “Welcome back, El Shaddoll Grysta!”

(Atk: 2450)

“Oh, no…! It’s back again!” cried Cadance.

“Bad… very bad!” whimpered Shining Armor, “…Not to mention way creepy.”

“And it gets much worse, for you…!” Spectra sneered “My Anoyatyllis has a special power, one that shrouds the field in cursed fog which forbids either of us to summon monsters from our hands or graveyards with any spell or trap cards.”

Applejack gasped, and then looked up at the two ferocious creatures, trying hard not to break a sweat.

“There’s no sense in trying,” hissed Spectra “The darkness senses your fears, and from there it gains strength, just like my forces, and soon they devour you and your friends whole, only to want more and more…

…No one stands up to the darkness and lives to tell the tale! Nobody…!!”

Her evil laugh echoed all through the tower as the monsters glared Applejack down, and made her feel incredible shaky.

To Be Continued…

Episode 6: Gals and Shaddolls: Part 2

EPISODE SIX

The Scores stood.

Spectra LP: 6600

Applejack LP: 7150

Applejack’s slight lead seemed to mean nothing with those monsters glaring at her.

“Face it, young one…” hissed Spectra “The darkness is calling, and your time is now. Remember, when you lose life points, your friends will suffer with you.”

Applejack looked back at all the others, still trapped, and then she looked over at Spike’s card on Spectra’s shawl, and he seemed more helpless than she was. He was even holding his floppy ears over his eyes, unable to look and whimpering, “Tell me when it’s over!”

Poor Applejack! What was she to do?

“She looks so helpless down there.” said Terra, and she began to struggle to try and break free, but the skeletal hands was too strong.

“It’s no good.” called Sci-Twi “We can’t get out of this unless Applejack wins the duel.”

Cadance and Shining Armor felt worried for Applejack, and angry at Spectra.

“If I get out of this cage I’ll wrap those robes around Spectra’s neck!” growled Shining Armor.

Spectra took offense to that and looked sternly.

Cadance covered her husband’s mouth, “Don’t make her mad! Who knows what else she could do to us?”

Applejack just kept staring her opponent down. She didn’t want to give in, and she did have a plan, but she was beginning to think of something else as well… but it would mean putting her friends in danger.

She also couldn’t tell them either or it would give her strategy away.

All she could do was lower her duel disk and stand outright with her arms open want.

“You want a piece of me, well come and get it!

“What?” snapped Spectra.

“Is she crazy?” spat Terra in disbelief.

Sci-Twi wasn’t convinced, and began to wonder if Applejack had a plan.

Cadance and Shining Armor could only watch with curiosity.

Spectra scoffed, “Perhaps it’s finally clued in to you that there’s no escape from your dark fate?”

Applejack said nothing and maintained her stance.

Spectra then called up to her monsters, “Grysta, attack! Roast that scared little fox!”

Her monster flapped its flaming wings and Applejack’s fox was toasted.

“She’s wide open now!” cried Cadance.

Spectra then ordered her other monsters, “Falco… Anoyatyllis… wage a direct attack!”

The two monsters jumped forth, and blasted streams of dark power straight at her, dealing her a full 3300 points of damage.

Applejack LP: 7150 -----> 3850

Applejack wailed as the energy burned out of her in the waves, and the spectators received painful shocks.

Their hairs were starting to look frizzed, and their eyes rolled wearily.

“I can’t take this!” growled Terra.

“I don’t get it.” said Sci-Twi. “Why didn’t she use her monster’s effect?”

It was true: If Applejack had banished her Fox from the graveyard, and discarded a “Bujin” from her hand, she would have taken no damage, and thus spared herself and the others the agony.

Applejack felt hurt deep down, it almost brought her to tears.

“Sorry guys…” she thought sadly “I had to do it. If I play my cards right, I might be able to win this, even if it means we all suffer a little.”

“That was foolish!” Spectra sneered as she placed two cards facedown. “Standing up to the darkness like only makes it hungrier, and believe me it shall strike even harder on you next time!”

Spike uncovered his eyes, but he didn’t know what to say as he thought, “What was Applejack thinking, taking the hit like that?”

“My move…!” yelled Applejack, and drew her next card, leaving her with two in hand.

Then she carefully contemplated. “I’ve got to get me a good strong monster in play and wipe out those creeps, but if I try to special summon that overgrown firefly will destroy it instantly, but in order to do that, Spectra has to discard from her hand.”

She saw that Spectra had three cards in her hand as well, and then she looked at the two facedown cards.

“Okay… I’m sure one of them cards is Shaddoll Core, which means she’s got to have that Shaddoll Fusion still in her hand. So that’s one card, but then she’ll still have two more.

A’rgh! It’s too risky, and it won’t work. I’ll just have to find some other way of breaking those monsters down, but thanks to that overgrown robe-wearing freak show, I can’t summon monsters with spells and traps.

There’s got to be a way.”

“You’re stalling.” called Spectra “Too scared to make a move?”

“I’ll show you “scared!” I activate the spell GRACEFUL CHARITY. So I draw three cards and discard two of them.”

She still had only two cards in hand upon finishing the move, but she had discarded two monsters she felt would be extremely helpful and she liked the ones that she had drawn.

She gave her hat a small tip, “Time to rustle up some trouble…!”

“I think she’s got a plan.” said Terra.

The spectators watched with anxiety.

“Since you love darkness so much, I’ll give you some; with the spell SWORDS OF CONCEALING LIGHT!”

“Huh?”

Magical dark swords struck down from above, surrounding Spectra’s monsters and shrouding them in black light, and flipped them over back into their cards.

“Thanks to my swords, all of your monsters are forced to hide in the shadows from whence they came.” said Applejack “And for the next two turns, they can’t change modes, and that means they can’t stop me from what I’ve got planned now.”

Spectra seemed annoyed, and then Applejack looked concerned at what she was about to do, and she looked back at her friends, and they could see the last card in her hand.

“I’m sorry guys, but I have to do this.”

The others all nodded and then braced themselves for what was about to happen.

Applejack turned, “Okay… I activate SOUL CHARGE! Now I get to round up five of my monsters from the graveyard and call them out to the field!”

Her graveyard glowed brightly, and five strong beams shot out onto her field as her monsters appeared.

“BUJIn ARASUDA…” (Atk: 1600)

“BUJINGI TURTLE…” (Def: 1200)

“BUJINGI FOX…” (Def: 2100)

“BUJINGI IBS…” (Def: 300)

“BUJIN YAMATO…” (Atk: 1800)

Her five monsters all stood together like a proud army…

…But suddenly, Applejack was shocked by the energy drain and so were her friends behind her.

“Foolish girl!” mocked Spectra “You forgot that for each monster summoned, you lose 500 life points, which means your friends suffer with you.”

Applejack LP: 3850 -----> 1350

Applejack slowly looked up. “I… didn’t forget!” she coughed as she shook the dirt off herself. “Maybe you’d understand if you had friends.”

Spectra felt insulted. “The darkness is all the friendship I need, and soon it will be the only kind of friend you and anyone else in your world will know when Rubeus and Loki takeover!”

“That ain’t never going to happen! Not if neither I nor my friends have anything to say about it.

Your monsters are still face-down, and that means they still can’t stop me from summoning my own monsters.

I take Hirume and Asurda and build the Overlay Network once more…!”

The bright lights illuminated the room one more as the monsters vanished into the portal and the shimmering creature appeared again.

“Please welcome back my pal BUJINTEI KAGUTSUCHI!”

(Atk: 2500)

The creatures glowing body annoyed Spectra, but she thought to herself, “I got rid of this creature once before, and I’ll do it again!”

Applejack was proud having finally gotten one of her strong monsters out, so were the spectators.

“Check it out!” cried Shining Armor “Applejack’s really cooking with fire now.”

Sci-Twi agreed, “That’s not all…! When Kagutsuchi is successfully Xyz Summoned, Applejack gets to send the top five cards from her deck to the graveyard, and for every “Bujin” card that was sent, her monster gains 100 attack points!”

Applejack sent her five cards away, and all of them happened to be monster cards, which meant Kagutsuchi gained 500 extra points, raising its attack to 3000.

“You’re going down!” shouted Applejack.

“Oh, no I’m not…!” sneered Spectra “Now after I activate my face-down, SUPER POLYMERIZATION!”

Applejack gasped, “I know that card! Pinkie Pie uses it!”

Spectra snickered, “Then you should know, by sending Shaddoll Fusion from my hand to the graveyard, this card allows me to fuse monsters I have with yours, even if they are facedown!

So now I fuse my facedown Grysta with your Kagutsuchi!”

Applejack watched in horror as her monster was ensnared by the big forces. “I don’t believe this!”

“Oh, believe it!” called Spectra “Because I now Fusion Summon the creature that will ultimate lead to your defeat…

…EL SHADDOLL CONSTRUCT!”

(Atk: 2800)

This monster looked much larger than any other she had summoned so far. At least it had a soft glow which lit up the room a little, but Applejack was plenty worried as well as outraged for losing her monster to yet another trap!

“Isn’t it magnificent.” boasted Spectra “Thanks to her special ability; any special summoned monster that she battles will be instantly destroyed!”

Applejack gasped. “Instantly?!”

Spectra nodded, “Also, you know what happens when Grysta is gone, she allows me to retrieve my Shaddoll Fusion and place it back in my hand.

But that isn’t all. Since my Construct was successfully summoned, I may now move one “Shaddoll” card from my deck to the graveyard, and I choose Shaddol Falco!”

Applejack’s eyes widened, “That means you get to summon him back to the field facedown!”

“Very good… now if only could duel as well as you talk!”

The monster card appeared facedown.

“Come on! Give us a break already!” groaned Spike.

The spectators didn’t like it themselves.

“That card is unaffected by the swords.” said Cadance. “That means she’ll be able to use its ability next turn and summon a monster from her graveyard!”

“That may be…” said Shining Armor “But Applejack still has more monsters in play. Maybe she can do something else?”

Spectra had already anticipated this…

“If you’re thinking of special summoning again, it won’t help, I activate my other facedown card…!”

Applejack looked forth. “It’s not Shaddoll Core!”

Spectra snickered, “No. It seems you overthought this. Thanks to my EL SHADDOLL FUSION, I am now able to perform another Fusion summon using my other two facedown monsters.

So I combine my first Falco and Anoyatyllis… and I Fusion Summon EL SHADDOLL WINDA!”

(Atk: 2200)

Applejack was really growing annoyed with all the fusion monsters being played, and wondering how many times Spectra could keep it up.

“Behold my newest Shaddoll!” boasted Spectra “Not only can she not be destroyed by card effects, but her specialty forbids the both of us from specially summoning more than one monster per turn!”

Applejack felt like she was going to faint.

“You’ve got to be kidding?!” cried Terra. “All those monsters of hers just keep pinning Applejack down more and more!”

Sci-Twi thought silently, “Spectra’s playing this like a pro! And now, because she sent her other Fusion monster to the graveyard, she gets to add another spell card to her hand!”

Spectra added her El Shaddoll Fusion card to her hand, to potentially use on her next turn.

Applejack could see she was in really huge trouble, but she at least she was able to special summon one last time that turn.

“In that case, I’ll Xyz Summon one more time, this time by using my Fox and My Turtle!”

The overlay network appeared again. “Now I call… BUJINGTEI SUSANOWO!”

(Atk: 2400)

“And now I’ll use his special ability: by using an overlay unit, I can add BUJINGI CRANE to my hand.”

With that her turn was over, and she was ever so astounded by the way Spectra was playing. It seemed that no matter how many times she got rid of those Shaddolls, they would always come back again, and she always managed to maintain her hand with Shaddoll cards to use their powers.

“She thinks she’s got the duel won,” she thought, “But thanks to this turn, I’m ready for her too.”

Spectra noted Applejack’s stance and how she didn’t seem too afraid.

“What’s with her?” she thought “Usually my victims are all sobbing and broken by now. So why does she seem so undeterred?

Not that it matters anyway. I’m just one turn away from finishing her off, and sending her to the darkness where she belongs.”

She drew her next card.

“I activate my trap…!” shouted Applejack.

“Huh?”

“…Go XYZ REBORN!”

Applejack smirked, “I’ve had the baby set down for a good part of the duel. I couldn’t use it before because you negated the summoning of my first Xyz Monster. Now I can revive the one you just used for your fusion!”

Her graveyard glowed brightly as a bright ray shot out onto the field, “Welcome back Kagutsuchi!”

(Atk: 2500)

“And what’s more, the trap, itself, transforms into an overlay unit.”

The spectators were overjoyed, but Spectra looked cross.

“Hey, you said I could special summon once a turn, and I did.” teased applejack.

Spectra scoffed, “If you are expecting me to be intimidated, you are not only mistaken, but quite hopeless.”

Applejack’s grin never left her face. “Just you remember, you only allowed to special summon once this turn yourself.”

Spectra was aware, “You believe I am unaware of how my own cards work? Besides, there is a way to overcome that issue…

…I play the spell DE-FUSION!”

Applejack stiffened.

“Now by returning my Winda to the Extra Deck, I am able to summon the two creatures that were used to form it!

…EL SHADOLL ANOYATYLLIS …SHADDOLL FALCO!”

(Atk: 2700)

(Atk: 600)

“They’re back!” cried Shinning Armor.

“Argh!!” groaned Terra “Is there no way to get rid of those creeps once and for all?!!”

Applejack was especially upset. “With Winda gone, that means she can special summon as much as she needs!”

Spectra snickered, “And I shall start by flipping my other Falco into attack mode!”

(Atk: 600)

“And you remember-- when he is flipped over, I may summon one “Shaddoll” from the graveyard, and I choose to, once again, revive El Shaddoll Grysta!”

(Atk: 2450)

“And of course, I can still activate SHADDOLL FUSION!”

“Not again?!” cried Applejack.

“Oh, yes… I fuse both my Falcos in order to bring back SHADDOLL WINDA!”

(Atk: 2200)

Everyone looked up at the four powerful Fusion Monsters glaring down at Applejack’s creatures.

Twilight and Terra-- being Fusion duelists-- felt incredible overwhelmed.

“Look at all those monsters!” cried Terra.

“Incredible!” thought Twilight “I’m barely able to bring out my own Fusion monsters that well.”

Spike, who was closer to the monsters, felt extremely worried for Applejack, and he really hoped whatever she was planning would work.

“I know Applejack’s deck,” he thought “This duel could really be in the bag.”

Then he stopped and looked up at Spectra, “Then again… what if Spectra doesn’t even keep her word about me-- What if she decides to destroy my soul card and get rid of me anyway?!”

He had such horrible visions of his card being destroyed and himself being plunged into eternal darkness.

Even as an imprisoned soul, Spike had never felt such fear that would have made every hair on his body stand up at once… were he still IN his body.

“Behold…” Spectra shouted “The four most deadly creatures of the dark; all have come to sentence you into chaos and imprisonment, forever!”

Each monster narrowed its evil eyes at Applejack’s field, and while Applejack couldn’t help but sweat a little, she did her best to maintain her cool.

“Gotta stay focused!” she said to herself. “I’m not going to let this horror hoody get the best of me anymore!”

“Now then!” hissed Spectra “Remember what I said about my Construct? When it attacks a monster that was special summoned, that monster will automatically be destroyed!”

Applejack growled, and Spectra ordered to her monster, “Go, Construct… send Kagutsuchi into darkness! Attack… now!”

Construct bounded straight for Applejack’s Monster!

“Look out!!” cried Cadance.

“That’s her best monster!” added Shining Armor.

Terra could hardly bear to watch!

The attack was ready to fire…!

“Hold up!” hollered Applejack “You fell right into my trap.”

“What? What trap?” asked Spectra “You haven’t any spells or traps in play.”

“That’s true, but I have other ways of trapping beasts like yours. It’s what comes from living on a farm all these years and having to shoo mice and other critters away.

I banish BUJINGI HARE out of the graveyard to activate its special ability!”

“What?!” snapped Spectra.

Applejack’s eye shimmered with cheek, “Once it's banished, my Xyz monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects once this turn, and that means, your Construct can't destroy my card either way!

Her monster was then bathed in a protective light

"Big deal!" scoffed Spectra "You'll still take the damage!"

The attack broke through...

(Atk: 2800) VS (Atk: 2400)

The blast sped past her monster, and struck Applejack hard, making her groan in pain.

Applejack LP: 1350 -----> 950

“Applejack!" cried Cadance.

“She's running out of life points!" added Shining Armor.

Spectra, however, only laughed. “That was pretty clever. I must admit it was cunning the way you stopped my attack… but that doesn’t mean I’m finished yet! I still have my other creatures.

Anoyatyllis, attack!”

Her monster complied and stood ready to unleash its wrath.

Applejack only smirked, “You may have another attack up your sleeve, but I have another surprise for you.”

“Huh?”

“Now I discard my Crane from my hand, and you know what that does…? It doubles the attack points of Kagutsuchi until the end of the battle!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5000)

“Five-thousand?!” shouted Spectra.

Applejack then shouted, “Kagutsuch, counter attack!”

Her monster shoved Spectra’s monster off and prepared to return the favor!

“Not so fast!” sneered Spectra “I can still play this… EL SHADDOLL FUSION!

Now I can fuse Winda and Anoyatyllis, saving it from destruction!”

The fusion energies surrounded the monster, and yanked it away causing Applejack’s attack to miss.

“Now I Fusion Summon a fresh Anoyatyllis to the field!”

(Atk: 2700)

Applejack growled in outrage, because now that the battle had failed, Kagutsuchi’s attack power returned to its normal 2500!

Spectra snickered, “And what is more, sending my other monsters to the graveyard allows me to retrieve my two fusion spells, Shaddoll Fusion and El Shaddoll Fusion!

“Ugh!! She just keeps getting them back every time!” groaned Shining Armor.

“She’s playing like a super pro!” added Cadance.

Spectra’s eyes flared up with fury. “For the third time: Attack that Katgutsuchi!”

(Atk: 2700) VS (Atk: 2500)

Just as it looked the attack would succeed…

“Not so fast!” hollered Applejack “I use Kagutsuchi's ability, which let's me use its lat overlay unit to protect itself from being destroyed!"

Spectra growled as her attack failed once again. The monster survived, but Applejack still took damage anyway…

Applejack LP: 950 -----> 750

…Followed by more painful shocks for herself and her friends.

Sci-Twi felt very dizzy from all the shocks and her eyes were spinning. “Gee… what pretty colors.”

“I’m getting tired of this.” added her brother.

Applejack was panting from her low score, but she was still standing nonetheless.

“Looks like you missed again.” she teased.

Spectra was extremely furious!

“Please tell me that was the last attack!” begged Cadance. “I can’t take any more of these shocks.”

Spectra, was panting heavily, unable to believe that hardly any of her attacks made it through.

“I still have Grysta, and I order her to attack your Susanowo!”

She was really hoping the attack would break through this time, but Applejack was once again prepared for it.

“Grysta… attack Susanowo!”

(Atk: 2450) VS (Atk: 2400)

Spectra was sweating bullets hoping her attack would make it, but Applejack only laughed, “Now I banish BUJINGI SINYOU from the graveyard!”

“Ah…!”

“Now my Susanowo’s attack power increases by the same attack power as your monster does.”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 4850)

“No!!!” screamed Spectra, but there was no way for her to call the attack off now, and her monster destroyed itself instantly upon contact.

“Oh, don’t feel bad…” taunted Applejack “The damage you take is only halved.”

Spectra LP: 6600 -----> 5350

Spectra was more outraged that her monster was gone for good. She had no other Shaddoll spells to put back in her hand either.

Spike could only howl in joy. “Take that, you overgrown nightmare!”

Spectra was shaking, still unable to believe this happened. “So you got lucky, and managed to pull off an inconceivable move, but don’t think this is over by a mile.

I shall place two cards facedown and end my turn!” she thundered.

“Now I’ve got her.” Thought Applejack. “Those two cards can only be El Shaddoll Fusion, and Shaddoll Core.”

She drew her next card, which was the only one she had.

"I play POT OF GREED, to draw two cards."

She really liked the two cards she got with that.

“You know, I have to say, you were right about one thing.”

Spectra looked up.

“…The dark does conceal many surprised, and if you’re not prepared for them, you’re doomed!”

Spectra blinked once in confusion, and then she realized all of Applejack’s smaller monsters still in play.

Applejack sniggered, “I got you so riled up with my Xyz monster, you didn’t bother to worry about my other monsters, and now it’s going to cost you!”

“What…?!” Spectra growled! “Impossible! I already told you that I rule here in this tower. The darkness will never let me down, and to prove it, I activate SHADDOLL CORE, and have it treated as a light monster.

Then I activate EL SHADDOLL FUSION yet again, allowing me to fuse my core with my Construct so I may summon it to the field in attack-mode!”

(Atk: 2800)

The spectators were worried.

“This can’t be good!” cried Terra. “Both those Fusion monsters are two strong for applejack to beat and Construct will instantly destroy any special summoned monsters.”

“That’s not all.” said Shining Armor “Now Spectra gets to add the two cards she used back to her hand, and she can send a "Shaddoll in her deck tot he graveyard!”

"Right you are..." hissed Spectra. "So I send Shaddoll Beast to my graveyard, which allows me to draw another card."

Sci-Twi, however, was smiling, able to determine what was coming now. “Applejack’s got this. Just wait and see.”

Applejack merely tipped her hat and said, “Sorry to do this to you, but I’m ending this nightmare of nonsense once and for all.

First: I’m switching my Ibis into attack mode.”

(Atk: 1600)

“Then I activate Susanowo’s ability once again!” hollered Applejack “I use its last overlay unit to add another Bujingi Crane to my hand.”

Spectra scoffed, "You think that scares me?"

"Nope." remarked Applejack "But this sure will... the spell card OVERLAY REGEN!" which adds an Ovelay Unit to my Kagutsuchi."

Spectra’s stomach gave a turn as she could see what was coming her way. “No! You can't…!”

“Can, will, and going to, especially since Susanowo is allowed to attack the monsters you control, and thanks to my Crane, It’s attack points will be doubled for the one battle!”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 4800)

“Go Susanowo, attack Shaddoll Construct!”

Her monster complied and began to jump ahead to strike.

“Have you lost your senses?” sneered Spectra. “My construct automatically destroys any special summoned monster that tries to attack it.”

“Oh, I know that, and I was ready for it.”

“You what?!”

“I activate Kagutsuchi’s ability: by using one overlay unit, I can target my Susanowo, so now it can’t destroyed in battle or by cards effects.”

“Ah!!”

“So say bye-bye to the nightmare!”

(Atk: 4800) VS (Atk: 2800)

Spectra fret in thought, “My construct’s ability is completely useless!”, and her monster was destroyed-- vanquished into darkness.

Spectra LP: 5350 -----> 3350

“But what now?” asked Cadance. “Now that the battle is over, Susanowo’s attack goes back to normal.”

(Atk: 4800) -----> (Atk: 2400)

“All part of my plan…” said Applejack, And she ordered Susanowo to attack Anoyatyllis, even though it was clearly weaker.

“How foolish!” sneered Spectra “Anoyatyllis, counter-attack, go!”

(Atk: 2700) VS (Atk: 2400)

Kapow!! Applejack’s monster lost and was destroyed instantly.

Applejack LP: 750 -----> 450

Applejack and her friends were shocked really hard from the pain.

“What was she thinking doing that?!” yelled Terra.

“I bet I know…” said Sci-Twi.

Applejack roared as she stood tall and proud to shake off the pain, “I discard BUJINGI RAVEN from my hand!”

“Huh?!” cried Spectra.

“Since my Bujin was destroyed by battle, Raven steps in and destroys your monster!”

Spectra screamed in terror as he remaining beast bit the dust. “You…! You attacked me and destroyed your monster on purpose because you knew that would work out for you!”

“Eeyup, but it’s like you said, “The darkness holds surprises” and now your wide open for me to wipe out!”

Spectra looked all around her, but her field was totally emptied, and nothing in her hand could save her either.

“No!! The darkness has actually failed me?! IMPOSSIBLE!!!”

Applejack roared and called out to her remaining monsters, “Kagutsuchi…! Ibs…! …DIRECT ATTACK!!”

Her two monsters combined their powers together, and fired a massive blast of energy straight at Spectra, totaling 4100 points of damage!

Spectra LP: 3350 -----> 0

The spectators would have been rejoicing with wild cheers over Applejack’s victory, only Spectra continued to wail and scream as her body began to flare up in bright lights followed by an earthquake as the tower began to collapse.

Rocks and boulders came crashing down from the ceiling and pillars toppled over.

With Spectra’s defeat the cage and the skeletal hands vanished, freeing the hostages, and they all fell to the floor with small thuds.

Applejack dashed to them all.

“You all okay?”

“We’re fine, now let’s beat it out of here!” shouted Terra.

Fortunately for them, a stone door opened wide leading to outside for real, and everyone dashed for it leaving Spectra and the tower to their fates.

Before long, the group had made it outside and a good distance away as the massive tower sank into a mountain of rubble, and then completely vanished, leaving nothing behind but Spectra sealed in a card.

“What an escape!” cried Spike.

“What a duel!” groaned Applejack. “I’m still bushed from it. What a close call.”

As for Sci-Twi, it all added up to her now. “Now I see why you didn’t use Fox’s ability earlier.”

Applejack nodded, and recalled earlier to when she lost a ton of life points…

“If I had used Fox’s effect and taken no damage, I know it would’ve spared you guys some shocks, but then… I’d be a bad spot for later in the duel. I’d have no cards to use, and I’d be wide open for a worse attack.

That’s strategy for you.”

She then looked regretful, “I’m just sorry I had to put y’all through that.”

The others were more than forgiving.

“Forget it.” said Shining Armor “At least you still won, and we’re all out of the tower.”

The others agreed, and Applejack wiped a tear from her eye.

Terra then looked a little down, over the concept of “putting someone through pain.” It began to bring bad memories that struck her a bit deep down.

“Gar…” she muttered to herself “Where are you, and why can’t you understand I want to make things right again?”

“You okay?” asked Cadance.

She snapped out of her trance, “Yeah, I’m fine.” but really she wasn’t.

Author's Note

Whew!

It's not easy making duels. Just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize some mistakes or impossible moves that screw it all over, and you got to redo some things to make it work right.

Oyi!

Episode 7: Call of the Darkness

EPISODE SEVEN

Garfield gone a long way, and beaten a ton of Maleficans…

Now he was just sitting on a rock, way out in the middle of nowhere. He was practically meditating-- his eyes were shut behind his face-coverings and he kept nice and still, which was usually how he preferred it…

…Silence, stillness, with nobody around to bother or irritate him.

Suddenly, he knew he wasn’t alone.

“What do you want now?” he asked to Raven, whom had finally managed to track him down via his footprints, and that he didn’t get very far anyway.

She was all hot and sweaty, and took a sip from a canteen she had from the feast.

“How much longer are you going to continue following me?” he asked sternly.

“Don’t start with me!” Raven snapped. “I’m tired, I’m fed up, and I’m sick of all this drama.”

Gar could only scoff at her, “Well, maybe you should never have come to the Friendship Cup Tournament in the first place. You don’t even like dueling.”

Raven narrowed her eyes. “You know, you entered the tournament too, and unlike us you did it for your own greedy reasons.”

Gar didn’t even so much as growl, knowing she was right about that, and he didn’t care.

“You take pride in talking down to me, the others, and especially the Equestrians, and you even went as far as to knock me out during the finals!”

She still was obviously very sore with him for the way he sent her crashing into the wall, knocking her unconscious and breaking her duel disk.

Gar still had no qualms about that, but thinking of it brought back those slapping sounds in his head, as if somewhere were striking him, which made his fist quiver.

“My point still stands. Besides, you don’t even like dueling, and you entered the tournament for a more ridiculous reason-- trying to save a city that is already beyond hope.”

Now Raven was furious.

Gar got up, “Unlike you, I keep my mind focused on what’s in front of me, and that’s why I’m battling all the Maleficans I come across. The more this army diminishes, the more those Prince Brother will be likely to reveal themselves, and when they do…I’ll be ready for them.”

It was in vain that Raven tried to reason with him, “Gar, will you stop being cocky and stubborn. You have no idea the powers that exist here.”

He only scoffed, “Same old Raven, little understanding or regarding of what’s around her. It’s no wonder you lost to me, just like everyone else. IT’s no wonder you were surrounded by those monsters…

…But, of course, it’s also no wonder I outwitted you all when you tried to chase me in the streets.”

They both recalled how the Titans and the Equestrians tried to chase him and unmask him, but he managed to elude them by ducking into the alley.

He had in fact used his animal morphing-- for the first time in a long time-- turning into a mouse and making it easy to hide in the dark ways and no one would see him, making it look as if he had vanished.

“…Pathetic!” he scoffed. “Like I said… I can look after myself. I don’t need help, especially from a bunch of pathetic wannabes who couldn’t duel their way out of a shopping bag.”

Raven’s fists were quivering, but despite her lack of powers, she still tried to keep her emotions in check. “I’m warning you, Gar…!”

“No! I’m warning you-- stay out of my way.

And for the last time… My name is “Masquerade!” Garfield is dead, like he should be, and like YOU always wanted!”

He began to walk off again.

Raven felt most insulted. “Fine!” she called after. “Hope you get turned into a card, you jerk!!”

By this point she had completely given up. “I don’t care what the others say. He’s a heartless and ungrateful punk who ought to be put in his place.”

Sunset and her gang had reached the place where Gar and Raven were a while back, and judging from the way the land looked beat up, there was a duel there, which accounted for the distant explosion they saw.

“Look, there’s footprints.” said Luna.

Vic didn’t have to scan one of them to know, “Raven... I’d recognize her sole marks anywhere.”

“Well, whose are the other footprints?” asked Celestia.

Vic was unable to scan the other prints-- there was no data from, what was likely, custom made footwear.

Still, the footprints were headed north, deeper into the dark lands

Celestia was feeling a bit weary having come all the way.

“Why don’t we sit here and rest a bit.” suggested Luna.

“I can keep going.” Celestia insisted.

“Besides, we can’t stop now.” said Sunset “Imagine how much trouble the others are getting into.”

Luna agreed with Vic. “We should stop a rest a while. We are very tired, and it won’t make much of a difference if we continue on. We won’t have much strength to even stand, much less defend ourselves.”

“Exactly right.” agreed Twilight “Besides, we do need to have faith in the others, and I know we’ll all be together soon.”

So everyone sat down by the rocks and relax, even snacked a little on their packed foods from the feast.

Little did they realize, that sheet covered person was watching them from the hillsides.

“If I keep following them, I’m certain to find the ones I seek.”

Then she slipped down to keep out of sight.

Meanwhile, Sunset was poking through her cards to keep them all in check and make any changes from booster packs she carried in her pockets.

Then she checked her Extra Deck, and it all seemed in order, except for that lone card that was still blank. The same questions kept haunting her.

“What is this card? Why won’t it reveal itself? Who sent me it, and all the others?”

…All questions and no answers, and she still kept worrying about the others and if they were safe.

In the canyon regions, Dick, Pinkie, and Rainbow climbed up to the top of a mountain, hoping they could see far out at the top and maybe spot any of the others.

Rainbow and Pinkie climbed very well, after all those times of going rock-climbing together, but still, climbing up too high and for too long wore them down a bit.

“Finally…!” Pinkie panted when they finally reached the top.

Rainbow couldn’t deny her weariness herself, and she remembered how the Chef Malefican used a Twin Twisters card to send everybody flying, which meant certain other cards were probably capable of such things as well.

She held up one of her Raidraptors, hoping to summon it and hitch a ride with it, but nothing happened. “Ugh!! It’s no use!” she growled “Without that Malefic magic, it won’t work.”

Pinkie was more distracted with the view, “Look at that…!” she exclaimed softly.

The view was almost breathtaking. There were loads of mountains, plains, shrouded until the dark, shadowy skies, and that was what made things creepy-- not like being on a real nature hike.

“Not a sign of anything in-particular.” said Rainbow.

Dick stood near the edge, looking out into the lands and worrying about the others, especially his wife.

“KORI…!!” His voice echoed along the mountains, and it wasn’t the first time either. He had been calling out for her several times-- she being his wife and he was rightfully concerned about her most.

“Dick, it’s no use, they can’t hear us.” said Rainbow “Yelling for her again and again won’t help.”

“Besides,” whimpered Pinkie “What if you attract those big, ugly Maleficans and they’ll come after us?”

“I’m hoping they do.” said Dick.

“What?!” spat Rainbow “You WANT them to come after us?”

“Don’t you get it?” said Dick. “It may be our best chance of finding the others, and maybe even where the Prince Brothers are based.”

Rainbow blinked once, “Yeeeeeeahhh… not so sure it could work.”

“Uh… I think it could,” whimpered Pinkie “…Because I think it has!”

Rainbow and Dick turned round and saw a trio of monsters rising up from the other edge of the mountain.

Normally, Rainbow would have been stoked for some action, but she was still a little wiped from the long climb up.

Dick didn’t want to duel them anyway, preferring to try and interrogate the Maleficans, but still keeping in mind they could force them into duels…

“Take off your duel disks.” he suggested.

The girls agreed, and all three of them removed the disks from their arms, stowing them behind on their belts.

The monsters still looked raring to duel, while Dick, who wasn’t too tired looked to ready to fight them himself.

The Prince Brothers observed everyone from their lair.

“It is useless to resist.” chuckled Rubeus. “Here in our domain, we always get what we want.”

Loki nodded in agreement, and he and his brother just watched while snickering.

Suddenly, just like magic, Dick’s duel disk appeared back on his arm.

“What?”

Rainbow and Pinkie’s disks were suddenly flashed onto their arms too, and there armed and ready.

“Oh, no!” cried Pinkie.

Rainbow growled, “These Prince Brothers aren’t taking any chances. They won’t take “No” for an answer.”

Dick was really getting frustrated, but he was forced to comply. “All right... Why don’t we take them all on at once? Then we can look out for one another.”

The girls agreed, and were ready to duel.

Elsewhere, Sunset’s group was on the move again, and Vic’s scans were showing a strong signal.

“Hey, look up ahead!” cried Sunset.

Everyone looked up ahead and could see Raven far off in the plains.

“Yo’ Rae….!” shouted Vic “Rae, over here!”

Raven looked up, and she couldn’t believe how glad she was to see some familiar, and friendlier looking people, and she and the group dashed towards each other.

“Are you alright?” asked Celestia,

“I’m okay, considering all I went through.”

Everyone’s bloods turned cold.

“You weren’t dueling we’re you?” asked Sunset, and then she remembered, “Of course you weren’t.”

Raven explained everything that happened to her.

“So you found Gar?” asked Vic “And you just let him go like that?”

“He was being a jerk, as usual. I wasn’t going to put up with that, and don’t start with me about what we talked about. We don’t need him.”

The others felt annoyed with Gar for his obvious hating. Princess Twilight was especially disturbed. “How can someone be such a grouch at times like this, when we should all be working to help one another?”

“Don’t know, don’t’ care about him now.” replied Raven. “We need to find the others and fast. There could be more monsters hiding around here.”

“She has a point.” said Luna “Not about the whole not caring thing.”

Vic was about to start scanning for the others, but suddenly he noticed, “Ah, man…!”

“What? What is it?” asked Sunset.

“It’s my power-cell.” cried Vic, “All that dueling and scanning I did really took it out of me.”

His power meter read just under fifty-percent, and very slowly, but surely dropping.

“This is really bad. I need some way to charge myself, or I’m as good as done.”

Everyone began to fret inside. There was no sunlight for his mini solar panels to use.

“What can we do?” asked Sunset. “It’s not like there’s some recharge station around here.”

“Then we’ll just have to find some way of making one.” said Celestia. As an educator, she wasn’t willing to let Vic suffer so.

“And just what do you plan to use?” asked Raven. “All I was able to do was enter the buildings.”

Sunset’s eyes lit up, “That could work!”

Vic caught on to her plan, “Ah-huh… I like where this is going. We got a plan.”

Of course it also meant hiking that long, long way back into the cities, after spending all that time getting all the way out there, but the motivation to help Vic gave them all some strength, and so they turned about and headed back for the city.

“What if we run into more monsters?” asked Raven.

Sunset held up her duel disk. “I’ll take them on.”

“And so will I.” agreed Celestia. She turned to look back at Vic with promising eyes, and Vic couldn’t help but plush. Then he caught hold of himself, “We better go. Every second counts.”

While back on the mountain summit, the Maleficans had summoned a load of monsters in play, but the trio of friends were good and ready for them with their own monsters.

“Let’s end this, girls!” said Dick.

With no spells or traps to defend themselves, the Maleficans didn’t have a chance.

Rainbow hollered, “Raidraptor- Rise Falcon… absorb the attack of the strongest monster, and then wipe them all out!”

Her mighty falcon gave a huge screech, and blazed at is soared down and burned away all the opposing creatures.

“Get ‘em, guys!” Rainbow called to the others.

Dick called up to his two monsters, “Performage Trapeeze Magicians… wage a direct attack!”

His two monsters swung in and magically zapped the opponents, dealing them a great amount of damage.

Finally, Pinkie was left, and even in this dire situation, she couldn’t help but announce like being in a show. “Ladies and Gentlemen, the grand finale…! Watch as my Performapal posse takes away the rest of our opponents’ life points and ends this duel!”

Her cute little performers all complied, and goofily, yet effectively took the last of the life points away, and the Maleficans were struck by the lightning from above, and turned into cards.

“Show’s over! Smiles win!”

“Ah, yeah!” cheered Rainbow as she and Pinkie slapped high-fives, but even though Dick was glad to have won the duel, he didn’t seem so optimistic. “We haven’t really won. There’ll be more.”

The girls snapped back to their senses, and once again, Dick couldn’t help but call out, “KORI…!!”

Far, far away, Kori, Rarity and Fluttershy were dueling too, and they and their monsters had just wiped out more Maleficans.

“Hooligans!” shouted Rarity “Ruffians…!

…DEGENERATES!!”

The Maleficans were all turned into cards, and Fluttershy was more frightened than relieved, even though she actually won her duels.

“It’s so scary!” she whimpered “Losing a duel means…” she gulped hard and pointed at the cards on the ground “…You turn into that!”

Kori was disturbed by this whole ordeal. “It doesn’t matter if we win or lose, remember? The Prince Brothers still gain power.”

The girls were aware of this too, which made them realize how vital it was to find the rest of the group before things got even worse.

“I can’t bear to think how much worse things can get.” said Rarity. “How much stronger and more dangerous can these creatures become?”

She and Fluttershy both shuddered with chills.

The Brothers had been listening, and Loki actually agreed, “Perhaps we have been going too easy on them.”

“Yes, we have.” said Rubeus “In that case, we better start sending out our stronger forces after them.”

Loki’s eyes widened, “You don’t mean…?”

His brother snickered, which made Loki feel intrigued.

The brothers moved to the center of the big room they were in, and together they used their magic to raise a stone block out of the floor, revealing a small box contained within a hollowed niche carved into the block.

The box was opened to reveal three different colored cards-- Purple, Blue, and Black.

“These cards have been infused with the most incredible of dueling energy.” hissed Rubeus. “With these we shall create duelists of incredible strength and skill.”

Loki chuckled, “Let’s do it… now.”

Rubeus lay the three cards down on the floor, and then he and Loki combined their powers to infuse them with powerful amounts of Malefic energy, creating the duelists.

Each one of them strongly resembled them, as Maleficans-- flat, near-expressionless faces, armor, robes, different styled hair, which, like their armor, resembled the same colors of the respective cards they were created from.

“Excellent…” Rubeus hissed. “This is better than I ever hoped it would be.”

The three duelists all stood together and called out their names…

“Violet”: A female created from the purple card, and she had much longer hair than the others. Her armor, like the card was purple, and coated all over her were insect-like body parts-- claws, wings, hairy legs for edgings.

“Sapphire”: A male created from the blue card, with sparkling blue crystal like armor. His hair was short and combed neatly on his head

“Khaos”: A male created from the black card, with spikey, dark purple hair that stuck up in all directions, and he wore dark armor, with small tattered cape in the back.

All three of them dubbing themselves, “The Terrible Trio” bowed to the princes, declaring, “We exist to serve your highnesses.”

The brothers snickered with their creations, and Rubeus stepped forth.

“You three have created to do our bidding, and as such you have granted great decks and dueling skills we have perfected over the ages. Use them well to bring us victory.

However, in addition, you are tasked with one special goal in mind.”

He conjured up an image of Sunset. “This one has incredible potential that she is not yet aware of, and it could prove most-useful in our plots. Should you come across her, do whatever it takes to ensure that this power is awakened.”

The trio bowed, but Violet couldn’t help but ask, “What if we are to defeat her, or if one of us should lose? What then?”

Loki held up his hand, “Worry naught about that. Just do as you are told.”

Khaos bowed, “It shall be done, sires. No one shall stand in our way.”

“And one more thing!” sneered Loki, and he showed the trio an image of Celestia, “If any of you are to come across her, there is to be no duel, not even if you have a sure-fire shot at winning.

…Anyone who dares to hurt my future queen will answer to me… AND I WON’T BE MERCIFUL!! UNDERSTAND?!!”

The trio shuddered, “Sure, sure… we get it.” replied Sapphire.

The trio then left the main chamber.

Rubeus scolded his brother for his shouting. “You didn’t have to be so touchy. They know better.”

Loki calmed himself, “My apologies, but the thought of anyone harming my beloved Celestia, it just fires my temper.

It shouldn’t be too much longer before I am ready to welcome her into our world.”

Rubeus had other things to tend to, and left his brother to ogle at the image of Celestia, and longing for the day he would make her his queen.

As for the trio, they had already made it out into the realm, and a sinister song began to play for them.

[Khaos]

When the darkness gives its call
when you know it’s time to brawl
There is naught that can defy…

[Violet]

When the time has come to choose
Who shall win and who shall lose

[Sapphire]

In our hands your fate shall lie

The music then erupted into a wild heavy metal song as the trio began to fly through the air on magical, dark clouds, conjured up by cards they had.

All three of them continued to sing loud and viciously…

We will catch you in our sight
you may fight for what is right
But you’ll answer evil’s call
You may try and fight or run
but when all is said and done
all the good and light will fall
Are you brave or just a fool?
In the shadow games, we rule
And our might is best of all

Friendship, love, and goodness, they won’t hold us back
And when we’re on the move, our decks are stacked, and we attack!

This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at all
This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at all

Powers growing in the force
We will gather up the source
Heed our masters rule and call
Terrors always be our guide
Evil spreading open wide
The world shall be trapped inside

See, it’s not just like a game you played so fair
the rules and consequences are se there, so beware

This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at all
This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at all/center]

Finally, the trio separated, sailing across the realm in different directions, arming their duel disks and their special, custom-made decks the brothers had given them, which, as they had sung, were filled with rare and powerful cards… sorts of which the other duelists were most-likely unfamiliar with.

Their mission was still clear…

This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at all
This is the call of the darkness
Blight out the light
This is the call...
Never escape at--
Never escape at--
Never escape at all!!

Author's Note

Love that song by Power Wolf...

So angry, so evil... I could've made Garfield sing it, but I've got other plans for him

Episode 8: Planting Predators

EPISODE EIGHT

Sunset’s group finally managed to hike back to the city. All of them felt exhausted, having hiked all the way out and then all the way back again.

The two sisters were especially tired. “I think that was worth more than a year’s workout at our favorite gym.” panted Celestia.

Luna agreed.

Vic didn’t feel too tired, because his motivation for his survival kept him going, but when he looked at his com, his power-meter had dropped another small notch.

“I’ve got to recharge and fast!” he said trying not to panic.

“Well, we’re here now,” said Sunset “But how do we get inside the buildings?”

Raven, though exhausted, still managed to keep going, and she felt along the walls of a building they were near, trying to find an invisible door.

“Feel along the walls, it’s got to be somewhere around heeeeeeeeeeeere…!!” she found it by surprise and slipped inside, falling to the floor.

The other poked their heads inside.

“You okay?” asked Sunset.

Raven pulled her face up off the floor, and she looked grouchy.

“She’s fine.” said Vic.

Once inside the building, all the others were rather confused by the lack of… well… everything.

“What kind of a building is this?” wondered Twilight “No rooms, no four-walls, no doors, no lights…”

Sunset agreed “Nothing but flights of stairs and windows.”

Luna was most confused by the whole setup. “How could a metropolis of anyone live or function in such a world with hollowed-out buildings? No businesses, no living quarters… nothing.”

“They must have relied heavily on their magic to make their lives work.” suggested Celestia.

Raven and Vic hated the looks of the place because it reminded them of the critical condition Jumpy City was in, only more damaged, and desolated, which also reminded them of how the people had exiled them and the other Titans for failing in the tournament.

Still, that was all beside the point. The real issue was how to charge Vic’s power now without visible means of electricity or materials they could see or use.

“I think I got a way…” said Vic, and he moved towards one of the solid walls.

“What are you doing?” asked Sunset.

Vic didn’t answer, and instead he used his robot-eye to scan the hard metal of the walls, and the metal of the stair railings, which read “Lead” and “Copper.”

Vic’s eyes lit up with glee, “This’ll do great.”

He reached for a secret compartment in leg for a miniature toolkit, complete with all the perks, and then he motioned to the ladies to help him unscrew the railings down.

Not bothering to question him, the ladies helped.

“Okay,” said Vic. Then he extended his grapping cables and cut them.

Sunset realized, “I get it, we can use these metals and the rubber and bits of the wiring and make some kind of generator to make static electricity.”

“Ingenious!” agreed Celestia.

“Do you think it could work?” asked Twilight.

“Only one way to know for sure…” replied Vic. “Come on, every second we waste counts.”

Using miniature drills, welders, and copper cables from Vic’s grappling lines, they managed to form a cranking device which would rub the rubber and metals together, and the electricity would flow from a copper line, attached to Vic’s chest, which would likely charge his cells.

“Okay… start cranking.” said Vic.

Celestia and Luna both took hold of the massive crank and slowly began to turn it, causing the leather and metals to rub together.

“Anything yet?” asked Sunset.

Vic kept a sharp watch on his com, at the power levels, and ever so slightly they began to rise.

He chuckled with glee, “We just discovered electricity!”

The ladies could even see soft sparks of static electricity flowing along the wires.

“Okay, stop!” said Vic. “If we keep constantly rubbing we’ll generate too much and it’ll blow. We have to keep doing it little by little until I’m full.”

“…This could take a while.” groaned Raven. “I just hope nothing else happens.”

Something was about to happen to Kori’s group as they finally came across a cave in middle of the open plans made from an enormous, hollowed-out rock.

Inside wasn’t very homely, in fact in Rarity’s opinion, “I’ve seen outhouses cleaner and less jagged than this.”

“Well, at least it’ll do for some sort of temporary haven.” said Kori.

Fluttershy then got an idea. “If we camp out here, maybe we can find some way to signal the others. That way they can come to us instead of us having to find them.”

Rarity’s eyes lit up, “That’s a marvelous idea. Only… how are we to do such a thing?”

With all their powers and magic useless they couldn’t shoot any beacons into the air, and they had no wood or ways of making signal fires.

Rarity and Fluttershy got out their cell-phones, they had no signals, but the flashlights did work and they were plenty bright.

All three of them were grinning, and it would be worth the try.

The flashlights were not only very bright; they could run for hours upon hours, but it still meant draining the batteries. So, for the sake of conserving power and strength, each of the ladies agreed to take turns. One would climb the rock and stand on its peak while waving a light around to signal anyone, while the others would rest or eat and strategize.

As Kori took her shift, she kept look out into the deep and endless span of shadows hoping to spot one particular face.

“Dick… Where are you?” she muttered under her breath.

Rarity was busy looking at her reflection in her phone reflection, she didn’t like the way she looked. “My skin is starting to look pale.”

“Your skin IS pale.” said Fluttershy, “But I do get what you mean. I really wish we could go home.”

Rarity sighed, but she was just as worried about the others; wondering where they were, and if they were okay. What if they had dueled… and lost?!

“Oh…! Oh, dear…! Oh, my…!” Rarity panted as she began to hyperventilate, luckily she was able to use a paper wrap from a sandwich she brought from the feast, as a paper-bag, and vent into it.

She was starting to make Fluttershy feel nervous too.

Kori suddenly called down to them from outside. “Hey… I see someone, in the distance!”

The girls bolted upright and rushed outside, and they could see something high up in the sky flashing a light near them.

At first the girls were excited, until Fluttershy remembered, “Wait! Why would they be up in the sky? Our powers don’t work here.”

Rarity realized this as well, as did Kori.

As the shining speck got closer, they could see it was a glow coming from a duel disk.

“It’s a Malefican!” cried Fluttershy.

“Oh, no…! We’ve must have led it here with our beacon!” cried Rarity.

Kori clenched her fist and growled, but there was almost no time or place to run.

The Malefican touched down several feet away from them, and she snapped her head upright flicking her long hair, and glaring her evil eyes at the ladies.

Fluttershy hid behind Kori, whimpering, for this Malefican seemed different than any other they had seen so far.

“Greetings duelists.” She hissed, “I am Violet of the Terrible Trio!”

Kori blinked, “…The Terrible Trio?”

Violet nodded, “I was created for one purpose, and that was to duel for my masters.”

The ladies knew she meant the Brothers.

Rarity also shuddered at the sight of her outfit. “Your masters must have a very poor fashion sense. Just look at what you are wearing.”

“Rarity… not now…” Kori grumbled at her.

Violet, however, took a bit of offense to the remarks. “It is an honor to wear such a garb, especially those who are loyal to their majesties.

To insult my clothes is an insult to them.”

Her eyes narrowed furiously at Rarity, and she aimed her duel disk at her, forcing hers to activate. “I challenge you for my honor!”

“No! You can’t!” cried Fluttershy.

Kori stepped forth, “Duel me, not her!”

“Silence…! I have made my decision!” growled Violet “The rest of you shall follow soon enough anyway! You will all have your chance to duel, and lose, and be sealed away forever!”

Rarity’s anger was starting to boil.

“How dare you speak to my friends that way!” She stepped forth with her disk ready. “Now it is I who demands the honor.”

“Rarity, you can’t!” cried Fluttershy.

“I must, I have no choice.”

Kori and Fluttershy were still very concerned, especially considering Rarity still wasn’t that much of an experienced duelist, and they had no idea how Violet dueled, but it was already clearly in vain to talk Rarity out of it, the duel was ready to begin anyway, and that couldn’t be stopped.

“Ready when you are.” said Rarity.

Violet nodded. “Let us begin.”

“DUEL!!”

Violet LP: 8000

Rarity LP: 8000

“I shall go first.” Violet said as she picked up her cards. “I summon one monster in defense-mode, and then shall lay one card facedown. That ends my turn, but it begins the ending for you, my dear.”

Rarity was unamused, at least on the surface, but her insides were already quaking.

“I must stay focussed.” she thought to herself “I must duel with all my might. My friends are counting on it.”

Then, as she gazed at Violet’s outfit, and the way her armor seemed to resemble that of insects, gave her the idea, “…Perhaps she uses and insect themed deck. That could be a clue for me to defeat her.”

Kori and Fluttershy could only watch from the sidelines.

“The duel just started, and Rarity’s already stalling.” said Fluttershy.

“Maybe she’s just strategizing.” suggested Kori.

Violet thought wickedly, “With the skills infused within me, and the cards I have been given, all the strategizing they have will prove infective against what I can do.”

Rarity stood ready. “It’s my move.” and she drew her card.

“Firstly I shall use the spell FIRST MOVEMENT SOLO. Since I currently control no monsters, I am able to summon a “Melodious” creature from my deck.”

A great glow of light emitted from her deck, and a beam shot down onto the field.

“…I play OPER THE MELODIOUS DIVA.”

(Atk: 2300)

Her monster struck a fashionable pose while singing a note, which made Rarity nearly slip into one of her dozy moods again.

“Oh, even in the shadows, my cards are still the most exquisite sights.”

She quickly snapped herself back to her senses. “Anyhow, since I now have a “Melodious” creature in play, from my hand, I am able to summon CANNON THE MELODIOUS DIVA!”

(Def: 2000)

“Then again, for a fashion show of this calibre, we must call on another to join us. Therfore, since I can also special summon SONATA THE MELODIOUS DIVA!”

(Atk: 1200)

Rarity’s trio of monsters stood together, humming a different note each from low to high.

“Wow! Rarity summoned three monsters in one turn.” said Fluttershy.

Kori was equally as impressed, but Violet remained as she was-- standing straight and stiff with her arms folded. If her face could show proper expressions, it would be that of an unamused one.

Rarity snuffed at her. “Now, I activate the spell POLYMERIZATION! With it, I shall fuse my Opera and my Cannon… along with MOTZARTA THE MELODIOUS MAESTRA in my hand…”

The three ladies sung their notes as they swirled and merged together, emitting a large glow of light as the new monster bloomed, like a flower, into play.

Rarity gave a fashionable flick of her long hair as she called up “I Fusion Summon… BLOOM PRIMA THE MELODIOUS CHOIR!”

Her monster fully bloomed, and she curtsied with her gown and did a pirouette.

(Atk: 1900)

Kori couldn’t help but gawk in awe at this creature. “Wow. Talk about a fashion queen.”

Fluttershy nodded, while Rarity smirked and said “My Diva also becomes stronger, by 300 points for every monster in which I used to create her.

Since I used three, that means an extra 900 attack points.”

(Atk: 1900) -----> (Atk: 2800)

“And she will become even stronger. Thanks to the ability of Sonata, all Fairy-Type monsters I have shall gain an additional 500 attack and defense-points.”

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 3200)

(Atk: 1200) -----> (Atk: 1700)

Violet still didn’t seem the least bit concerned, much to Rarity’s insult.

Rarity engaged her battle phase.

“Sonata, I command you to attack the facedown monster! Sound your pipes.”

Her monster took a deep breath and sang a melodious note, sending the soundwaves straight at the monster, which flipped-over to reveal a Plant-Type monster.

“What? That isn’t an insect.” said Rarity.

Violet snickered, “No, it isn’t. It seems you overthought this.”

She then watched as her monster was destroyed, but it didn’t seem to bother her in the least. “When MYSTIC TOMATO is destroyed in battle, I can summon one Dark creature from my deck, with an attack no higher than 1500.”

Rarity nibbled on her nails nervously.

“What do you think she’ll summon?” Fluttershy asked.

“Whatever it is,” said Kori “…It can’t be good.”

Violet chose her monster…

“Come forth PREDAPLANT OPHRYS SCORPIO.”

(Atk: 1200)

The ladies all gawked at the strange new monster; it looked like a leafy plant with claws, shapr thorns and a nasty growl to boot.

“What kind of monster is that?” asked Kori.

“I don’t know.” whimpered Fluttershy “But it sure is sending shivers up my spine.”

Rarity was especially nervous, having never seen or heard of a card like this before.

Violet snickered, “It seems you are all unfamiliar with this monster type I use. Well, allow me to get the two of you acquainted.

When my Scorpio is summoned, it allows me to send one monster in my hand to the graveyard, and then I am permitted to call another “Predaplant” from my deck to the field.

So, now I shall discard this monster to summon PREDAPLANT SPINODIONAEA.”

(Def: 0)

This new monster made Fluttershy Rarity shudder in disgust and fear, while Kori didn’t like the looks of it herself.

“I wonder what that monster does.”

She was about get her answer as Rarity’s Bloom Prima suddenly had a magical leaf appear floating above her head.

“Whatever is that?” asked Rarity.

Violet explained, “It’s a Predator Counter. It was placed there courtesy of my Spinodionaea because it was summoned, and that’s not all…

Thanks to the predator counter your monster has, its level now becomes 1.”

Rarity watched as her monster’s level changed, but she was most confused by it. “Why ever would she change my monster’s level?” she thought. “It isn’t as if it brings forth disaster… unless…” she paused and began to think “…There must be something more to her plan.”

Violet secretly thought to herself, “It doesn’t matter what she tries. Nothing can escape the devastation that I will soon unleash.” She thought that while gazing at a single card still in her hand-- a very special one.

Rarity still didn’t feel too discouraged, because of one special thing she did. “I shouldn’t be too worried.” she thought. “Since I used Opera to fusion summon, all my creatures can’t be destroyed in battle or by card effects. So nothing should be able to stop me.”

With her confidence restored, she stomped her foot and stood tall. “I still hold the advantage over you, especially since my Bloom Prima is now up. Her level may have changed, but her attack power has not.”

She then ordered her Prima to attack Scorpio, but as Prima prepared to sing her solo…

“I play the trap,PREDAPROUTING!”

“Ah!” cried Rarity. It was another card neither she nor any of the others had seen before, and all three of them wondered what it did.

Violet explained, “This trap protects my Scorpio from being destroyed in this battle, and it also destroys your attacking monster!”

Scorpio began to glow with protective magic.

Rarity scoffed, “Sorry to disappoint you, but my Prima cannot be destroyed by card effects due to Opera’s special ability.”

Violet grunted softly, and Rarity’s monster sang her solo sending the soundwaves at her Scorpio.

(Atk: 3200) VS (Atk: 1200)

The brightness and sound of the waves shrouded Violet’s field, yet as promised, her monster survived.

“Even though your monster survived, you still take damage.”

Violet: LP: 8000 -----> 6000

Violet seemed hardly annoyed.

“And furthermore…” said Rarity “Bloom Prima can make a second attack!”

Violet growled, and Rarity ordered a second attack, which was the same thing again-- the monster was not defeated, but Violet still took another 2000 points of damage.

Violet: LP: 6000 -----> 4000

“All right!” cheered Kori. “She’s lost half her life points.”

Fluttershy felt a little better too. “I just hope she can take away the rest of them, and quickly.”

Rarity sighed in relief that nothing serious had happened, yet.

“I shall lay one card face down, and end my turn.”

Her hand was now empty, but she still held the lead.

“So far, so good…” she thought. “But still, I have no idea of how these strange cards work. I just hope I can hold out with whatever they are.”

Violet drew her next card slowly, giving her three in hand, and exactly what she needed to finish the job.

“Prepare yourself for a humiliating defeat.”

Rarity didn’t like the sound of that, and Violet raised her next card up high, “Firstly, I shall use MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON to get rid of that facedown of yours.”

“Ah!” Rarity cried, and the lightning and winds struck her face-down, Mirror Force trap card, blowing it to pieces. “Oh, no…! I was counting on that!”

Violet snickered, “Now that everything is safe and well, I now activate the spell POLYMERIZATION!”

Rarity blinked once. “You can fusion summon?!”

“I most certainly can.” sneered Violet. “I now fuse my Spinodionaea with my Ophrys Scorpio!”

The two monsters zoomed up and merged together, and as the new creature began to form, Violet roared as she was bathed in the purple glow of Fusion Power.

“What’s happening to her?” asked Fluttershy.

“I don’t know.” said Kori, but she did remember something similar like this happen to Sunset when she was dueling and she Extra Summoned.

Still, the new monster that was forming didn’t look anything like a plant at all, but a huge snarling dragon, and Violet made a call out to it.

“As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!!”

This dragon stretched its dripping claws, and gnashed its sharp pincers, letting out a huge roar!

(Atk: 2800)

Rarity never thought it was possible to shudder as badly as was now at the sight of this monster.

Fluttershy held onto Kori like frightened child, and Kori held her tightly.

Violet could only laugh. “Yes, you should be frightened.” She aimed that more at Rarity “Perhaps you know now how things are not always as they seem simply because they appear so.

I am dressed more like an insect because insects feed upon plants, and some insects can infuse their venom with the plant life and convert them into dangerous species… such as my dragon.

Speak of which, I activate Venom Dragon’s special ability: Since it was successfully Fusion Summoned, I am able to target your Bloom Prima, and increase his own attack power by the attack of your monsters!”

Rarity’s eyes widened.

“Bloom Prima has 3200 attack points!” said Kori. “If that gets added to Venom Dragon’s attack power…!”

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 6000)

Rarity gawked up with her mouth hanging wide open. She couldn’t believe how strong the dragon was now. She just had no words.

Violet was really enjoying herself, and she decided to make things even more interesting!

“But my dragon sure seems a bit lonely. Therefore, I now summon PREDAPLANT CHLAMYDOSUNDEW!”

(Atk: 600)

Fluttershy tried to say the name, over, and over, but kept getting tongue-twisted. “I can’t even say its name right.”

Rarity couldn’t either, but it wasn’t the monster’s name she was concerned with. “What does this creature do?” she asked fearfully.

Violet’s eyes gave an evil shimmer. “What it does is grant the power to fusion summon without the need of a fusion spell.”

“Of course, however I can only summon a Dark monster, but as a nice twist, I am able to use your monsters instead of mine.”

“What?! My monsters…?!” cried Rarity, and that’s when she realized the counter over her Prima’s head.

“You’re catching on, I see.” said Violet. “Yes, any of your monsters that have Predator Counters can be treated as Dark Attributed, and be used in my fusions.

So, now I send Chlamydosundew and your Bloom Prima! Combine the two forces together for form a deadlier creature!

Violet called out, “I Fusion Summon…

PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

The monsters growled and hissed at Rarity, making her feel sick, but this nausea was quickly fading into fear, as she now had two incredibly powerful monsters glaring her down.

Violet snuffed. “Now, to fully pay you back for your insolence and insults.

I use Flesia’s special ability. Since your remaining Meloduis has a lower level than her own, that monster is instantly banished!”

“Ah!” cried Rarity, but she could only watch as her last monster vanished off the field just like that.

“She’s gone!!” wailed Rarity.

“That was her last monster!” cried Fluttershy.

“Rarity’s wide open!”

Rarity held her hands on her head, pulling her hair going, “This can’t be happening!! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING… IT’S NOT FA-A-A-IR!!”

Rather than laugh at her, or sneer at her, Violet groaned with her eyes shut tight at the sound of Rarity’s whining! She wanted nothing more than to shut her out once and for all!

“Now my monsters, attack!! Wipe her out and send her into the darkness!!”

Flesia drilled her huge roots into the dragon’s glowing orbs, infusing them with power and venom, practically combining their powers for a one-shot combo-attack, for 8500 points!!

The dragon took in a huge breath and the blasted a large, burning stream of venom straight into Rarity, and she screamed as she flew back hard, her cards scattered everywhere, and she was horribly burned by the power as her life points went to zero instantly!

“RARITY!!” the others screamed.

The poor lay on the ground with her cards lying all around her. She looked bruised and burned from taking such a hit.

Her friends started to run towards her, when the shadow lightning began to rumble, and struck Rarity hard from above, and all she could was scream as she was consumed by the light.

Kori and Fluttershy covered their eyes and looked away.

Far away, Sunset suddenly felt a sickening force strike her deep inside; the kind that only hit you when something extremely horrible happened and you could actually feel it.

It hit her so hard that she stopped cranking the machine and just froze with horrific expression.

“What’s wrong?” asked Vic.

“Are you okay?” added Raven.

Twilight recognized the look Sunset had, and knew it all too well herself. Something really had to be wrong.

Sunset wasn’t the only one who felt it, the rest of the Equestria Girls, they could all feel that sickening blow too-- since their friendship with each other was that strong.

“My stomach’s turning.” said Applejack “It only does that when something horrible just happened!”

The others felt worried as well.

“You don’t think…?” Sci-Twi asked, with her insides quaking.

The light had faded, and Kori and Fluttershy saw to their horrors, in the center of all of Rarity’s scattered cards, right next to her duel disk, was Rarity’s soul trapped in a card of its own.

Fluttershy’s eyes filled with tears as she made her trademark squeaky sound, trying to hold in her cries.

Kori held her hand to her mouth in shock and sadness, while Violet felt content.

“You two are not worth my time now. I have bigger things to tend.”

Then she jumped up on her black cloud, and flew away, leaving the duo crushed and in tears as Fluttershy scooped up Rarity’s card, and held it away from her face so her tears wouldn’t splash on it.

Kori could only embrace her softly as they both sobbed softly over it all.

Meanwhile, the Prince Brothers could only laugh in their lair.

Rarity’s defeat had given them a great boost of duel energy, making it glow brighter than ever.

“Creating the trio was an incredible idea after all.” said Loki.

“Agreed,” said Rubeus “But she was the weakest of the lot, and we still have a long way to go in any case, and I look forward to our future and the events that follow.”

Author's Note

On Haitus again people... I've done good, 8 chapters. Pretty good. I really have to do some things for TT Idol and get Starfleet Season 10 going again.

We will continue...

Episode 9: Rock, Shock, and What?

EPISODE NINE

Sunset still looked pale and terrified as she couldn’t shake of these nasty feelings making her stomach turn. “Something… is really wrong!”

“I feel it too.” added Princess Twilight. “Even trapped in this card, I can still feel the friendship forces calling out when something strange happens.”

“What do you think is it?” asked Vic.

“How should I know?” remarked Raven.

The sisters were deeply concerned too. While they didn’t seem to feel the turning feelings like Sunset was, when someone like her acted this way, something had to be wrong.

“Perhaps we should investigate?” suggested Luna, but then she realized that Vic still needed help with his batteries.

“Are you charged up?” asked Celestia.

Vic checked his computer, “Hardly by too much. If I went out there now, chances are I wouldn’t last long.”

Sunset felt like going out there herself to find what the trouble was, but she didn’t dare leave her friends; if they were to suddenly be attacked by other Maleficans, and traveling out there alone wasn’t smart either.

For now, it was best to keep charging Vic up before doing anything huge.

“Please!” she begged in thought for her friends, “Please, may you all be okay.”

Rarity’s cards were all gathered and stacked and placed next to her duel disk which sat on a rock in the stone hollow, while Fluttershy was weeping softly and almost uncontrollably while Kori tearfully held her tight.

Who could blame them, because in Kori’s hand, she held Rarity’s soul card, intending to keep it safe and well… but still… the feelings were so heart crushing.

The two still remembered the end of the duel, when Violet ordered her Starving Venom Fusion dragon to attack and wipe Rarity out of the duel, and how she was struck by the magic lightning, sealing her within the card.

“Oh, Rarity…!” sobbed Fluttershy.

As devastated as she was too, Kori softly patted her back saying, “We’ll get her back; that’s a promise. Once we find the Prince Brothers, we’ll make them sorry they ever messed with us all.”

Fluttershy dried her eyes and promised to try and find her strength.

Suddenly she thought she heard something-- the distinct sound of someone’s voice over the distance.

“Hey…!!”

Kori’s ears gave a twitch. That voice, though distant, was so familiar to her.

“Dick…?”

“Hey…!” the voice called again, followed by two other voices.

“Hello!”

“Is anyone there?”

Fluttershy began to feel she was cracking up. “That sounds like… Rainbow Dash… and Pinkie Pie…”

Kori couldn’t resist and took a peek outside. She looked all around, and then up on the mountains in the dark distance, she could see him, and heard him call out to her.

“Kori…!!”

Her heart leapt for joy, and she called out to him. “Dick…!!”

Her husband heard, and saw her down below in the valley. Rainbow and Pinkie dashed up to him and saw her.

Pinkie began to leap for joy chirping, “We found the others! We found the others!!”

“No, not all of them.” said Rainbow, but she was too glad to really care.

“Let’s get down there, now!” cried Pinkie, only to stop in her tracks… right at the very edge of the steep drop.

“Yeah, any safer ways?” asked Rainbow.

Dick was already leaping skillfully down the mountain, from ledge-to-ledge-- desperate to reunite with his wife.

“Hey, wait up!” called Pinkie, and she merrily began following him, leaping from rock to rock, making her way down the slope.

Rainbow would have called them both out on it, were it not she had remembered, “Hey… I’m athletic. I can do this.” and she followed after her friends, leaping down the slope.

Kori began to run towards the foot of the slope just as Dick took his last leap off the ledge, and came down into her arms.

Kori squeezed him a little tight, but Dick was so happy to see her and kissed her sweetly on the lips. “Are you alright? I thought you’d be in trouble!”

“I’m fine, really.” his wife replied. “Oh, I’m so glad you guys are here.”

Fluttershy peeked out and saw Rainbow and Pinkie, and the second they saw her, they dashed over to her, nearly bulldozing her down in a big girl hug.

…Then they noticed she seemed rather tearful.

“What’s up? Aren’t you happy to see us?” asked Rainbow.

Fluttershy sniffled and peeped one single word, “…Rarity.”

Rainbow and Pinkie stiffened; feeling cold chills run up their spines.

Kori then showed everyone the soul card.

“No…” Dick exclaimed softly.

“Rarity?!” cried Pinkie.

“…She didn’t?!” wailed Rainbow, but it had to be true.

Dick held the card, and felt crushed and angry. “Tell us what happened.”

Meanwhile…

Applejack was sniffing the air like a bloodhound, attempting to use her farm-girl instincts to “Smell out the trouble” as she called it.

The others felt she was being silly, especially Sci-Twi and Spike.

“If I wasn’t stuck in this card, I could sniff out the others in a heartbeat,” Spike grumbled. “But you can’t seriously rely on simple instincts.”

Applejack turned and glared at the group, “You don’t know what you’re talking about. This sniffer of mine always pulled through. I could smell if something was burning, or an animal needed feeding, or even if my own family was in trouble from a-hundred miles away.”

Logically, Sci-Twi would find that ridiculous-- smells could not function like that and over such distances-- but she knew Applejack was only going by her gut and really let her heart guide her.

“What have we got to lose other than to follow her?” she asked.

“The same as we had before… our lives.” groaned Shining Armor.

Cadance was inclined to agree. “Just how many more dangers could be out there waiting for us?”

“Well we better no stay here and let them find us first.” said Terra. “The sooner we find all the others the better.”

She did want to find the others, but deep down the one she wanted to see most of all was Gar.

Ever since their last encounter, she didn’t let on that she was often worried about approaching him for the way he acted.

She was have this visions of confronting him, and he would just as cold as vicious as ever.

“Please don’t do this. This isn’t like you, Gar.”

Even while his face was covered, she could still feel the scowling he was throwing her way by the tone of his voice.

“Stop calling me that! I’m not Gar, I’m Masquerade, and always will be, and you’re going to have to accept that even if I have to break you in half.”

Then he would activate his duel disk, “Come forth, Exodia! Teach this miserable excuse of a duelist twerp a lesson!”

His massive monster appeared and gave Terra a nasty glare as he powered up.

Terra began to run for it, but Exodia would fire his powerful burst which consumed her…

“Terra?” called Sci-Twi “Terra, are you okay?”

She snapped out of her trance. “Sorry. I was lost in my thoughts.”

The others all sighed. They knew who she was thinking of, but now wasn’t the time to talk about it, and they continued to follow Applejack… and wherever her “Sniffer Sense” led her.

“If anything bad has happened to my friends,” she thought “…I wouldn’t want to be the varmints that did it to them!”

Meanwhile, the stranger in the sheets, who had Twilight’s duel disk, was still roaming about own through the dark lands.

“I know you’re around here somewhere.” she hissed softly. “I’ll find you, and then you’re all mine!”

Suddenly, she got the feeling she wasn’t alone, turned round, and saw three Malefican monsters glaring at her and armed with duel disks, and looking raring to duel.

The lady only snickered, “You can’t be serious?”

She didn’t mind having a duel, and readied the disk and her deck…

Big explosions and bright flashes were seen up ahead by Applejack and the others.

“What’s that?” cried Cadance.

“I’d say that’s the trouble we’re looking for.” replied Shining Armor.

“See? I told you I’d sniff it out.” gloated Applejack.

Terra, worried for her friends and hoping to find Gar, began to dash on ahead.

“Terra, wait!” called Twilight “It may be a trap!”

Everyone began to dash up after her; over the hills and they reached the to just in time to see a duel going on.

“Twilight, look!” cried Spike.

Sci-Twi gazed at one of the monsters, “Lunalight Cat Dancer…?!

Lunalight Panther Dancer...?!

Lunalight Leo Dancer…?!”

The cloaked lady then ordered her monsters to destroy the opposing monsters-- wiping them all out and taking down the Maleficans with them.

The monsters all roared and were struck by the magic lightning from the skies, turning them all into cards.

The lady snickered as her monsters vanished, but Sci-Twi saw on the lady’s wrist. “That duel disk… it’s mine!” and that immediately told her that the deck was hers too.

The lady looked up and saw the group coming her way.

She looked the group over and saw Sci-Twi. “This ought to be interesting.” she muttered.

The gang approached her, and Sci-Twi barked. “Who are you, and how did you get my deck and duel disk?!”

The lady only snickered. “This is my duel disk and deck now. You’ve squandered it for long enough.”

“What s that supposed to mean…?!” Spike growled from his card. “Just who are you? Are you working with the Maleficans.”

The lady snuffed. “As if. I don’t work for anyone… not anymore.”

“What do you mean “not anymore?” asked Cadance.

Shining Armor stepped forth, “Look, whoever you are… you don’t steal from my sis? Now hand over the cards and the disk before I get real mad!”

The stranger snickered, “I already told you these are mine now, and in any case, I’m not interested in any of you twerps, and I should be going.”

“Now wait just a darn minute!” snapped Applejack “I don’t know who you are, but you got no right talking to my friends this way or taking stuff that ain’t rightly yours.”

The lady only glared at her through her hood. “You’re all THAT insistent?”

Terra stepped forth, “You bet we are, and if you won’t hand over the items willingly, then I’ll duel you for them!”

“Terra, don’t duel her.” cried Cadance “She could still be working for the Maleficans, and you know what’ll happen if you lose…!”

The lady agreed, “Yes, you’d be wise not to duel me anyway. You’d lose in a heartbeat.”

Terra felt insulted, and remembered one of her visions-- where Gar insulted her as a duelist. She was determined to prove herself…

…and she stepped right up there and her duel disk was ready. “I said… let’s duel!”

With that, her duel disk began to glow, and shot a magical wave at the lady’s disk, automatically activating it.

“Did you see that?” asked Spike.

Sci-Twi nodded. “That means we can force other being here into duels ourselves.”

Even Terra was amazed by this discovery, and the lady was forced to comply. “Fine… I guess you’ll have to learn the hard way. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

“Terra, stop!” called Cadance.

“It’s too late…” said Sci-Twi. “Once the duel is on, it’s on. If she were to quit now, it would mean forfeit, and she’d be turned into a card anyway.”

Terra continued to eye the lady down thinking, “Whoever she is, if she’s using Twilight’s deck, I should have a slight advantage because I know all of her cards.”

The stranger was already aware of this as she thought, “This fool doesn’t realize what a nightmare she’s stepped into… once she discovers that I’ve altered this deck to make it better than ever.”

The cards were drawn and the two duellists stood ready.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Terra LP: 8000

Opponent LP: 8000

“I’ll go first…” said Terra “And I activate BRILLIANT FUSION.

This spell allows me--”

“…I know what it does.” the stranger cut in “It lets you Fusion Summon a “Gem-Knight” using monsters from your deck, but I’s attack and defense will be zero.

I’m not an amateur you know.”

Terra growled angrily, but proceeded with her move.

“From my deck I now take GEM-KNIGHT AMBER, GEM-KNIGHT IOLITE, and GEM-KNIGHT SARDONYX.”

Her three monsters appeared above her, and began to glow and merge together as their respective cards were sent to the graveyard.

“By combining the powers of these strong crystals, I shall unleash a force to be reckoned with!

…I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND!”

Her monster appeared and looked fierce and ready for action, but as promised, its attack was reduced to zero.

(Atk: 0)

The stranger merely stood with her arms folded, showing she was unimpressed, and she didn’t even make a witty remark about anything.

Sci-Twi began to have a sickening feeling in her stomach about this person. “I wonder…” she thought “Could she possibly be…?”

It was too early to make assumptions, and she didn’t wish to break Terra’s concentration.

“Now…” Terra hollered “I summon GEM-KNIGHT LAPIS.”

(Atk: 1200)

The two creatures looked at one another and nodded in a rather cheeky manner, and Terra smirked.

“My Lady Diamond may not have attack points, but she still has her special ability; one that lets me tribute my Lapis, and now I get to call on a “Gem-Knight” Fusion monster ignoring its usual requirements.”

Her Lapis vanished, and her Extra Deck began glowing as her new monster emerged.

“Come forth GEM-KNIGHT LADY LAPIS LAZULI!”

(Atk: 2400)

The two ladies stood together on the field glaring the, still, unfazed stranger down.

Terra kept her cool over the silence and continued her move.

“Next up, I play the spell DE-FUSION! This lets me send my Brilliant Diamond back to the Extra Deck…”

With that, her big monster rose up into the air. She spun around, and around, and separated into three glowing orbs that struck down hard onto the field.

“…And just like that, all the monsters I used to make her have returned.

GEM-KNIGHT AMBER…” (Atk: 1600)

GEM-KNIGHT IOLITE…” (Atk: 1300)

“GEM-KNIGHT SARDONYX…” (Atk: 1800)

The small monsters all huddled around the larger one, like an army of knights protecting a queen.

“Check it out.” cried Spike “Terra’s got four monsters in play, on her first turn too.”

Shining Armor agreed, “And if I remember correctly, that bigger monster can inflict damage.”

Terra turned and winked at him. “You’re so right… Lapis Lazuli lets me send Gem-Knight Crystal to the graveyard, and then… her special ability deals my opponent 500 points of damage for every special summoned monster that’s in play… and there happens to be four…”

She paused and glared at her opponent. “…Which means you’re taking 2000 points of damage like that!”

Still the opponent didn’t even flinch or show the slightest signs of worry. Not even when Terra’s monster’s eyes glowed and fired a big water-beam at her. She just stood there as the shockwaves passed her, and didn’t even flinch at the pain that would strike her for losing life points either.

Opponent LP: 8000 -----> 6000

Now Terra was starting to feel annoyed, and confused, and so were all the others.

“What’s with her?” wondered Applejack.

She recalled her recent duel against Spectra, and how every time she lost life points, she got physically weaker, but this stranger seemed perfectly fine.

“What are you, a rock?” asked Terra.

“No,” hissed the opponent “I’m not like the rest of you. You can’t weaken or scare me that easily.”

Sci-Twi’s suspicions about this person were starting to peak. “If only I could see her face…!” she thought.

Spike looked up at her through his card, and wondered what she was thinking.

It was still Terra’s turn.

“I activate ONE DAY OF PEACE!” she hollered “So we now--”

“…Each draw one card and nobody takes damage until your next turn. I KNOW!!” shouted the opponent. “Just end your turn already, and quit boring me with all these explanations.”

Terra ended her turn.

“About time… now I draw.”

The stranger now had seven cards in hand.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 LUNALIGHT WOLF and Scale 5 LUNALIGHT TIGER.”

Terra’s eyes widened. “No, way…!”

The others didn’t look nearly as surprised as the two monsters leapt up high into the light with the pendulum swinging between them.

Twilight knew her deck was capable of Pendulum Summoning, she just never had the proper timing or cards in hand or play to do it right.

The stranger snickered, “With this, I can now simultaneously summon as many level 2 to 4 monsters as I wish.

…I Pendulum Summon!”

Two shots of light rained down from above and her monsters appeared.

“LUNALIGHT BLACK SHEEP…” (Atk: 100)

“LUNALIGHT WHITE RABBIT (Atk: 800)

Terra already didn’t like the looks of this.

“Now,” shouted the stranger, “I activate POLYMERIZATION.

Since you love Fusion Summoning yourself, why don’t I join the party; by fusing White Rabbit and Black Sheep…

I Fusion Summon LUNALIGHT CAT DANCER!”

(Atk: 2400)

Her monster stood tall and fierce, glaring at Terra’s army.

“And now…” called the opponent “I activate Black Sheep’s ability; since I used it to Fusion Summon, I’m allowed add White Rabbit back to my hand.

And next, I use Lunalight Tiger’s Pendulum Ability, which allows me to summon Black Sheep to the field, but its effects will be negated!”

(Atk: 100)

“Now I can use the Pendulum Abbility of my other card; Lunalight Wolf allows me to Fusion Summon by banishing Cat Dancer and Black Sheep.”

The monsters began to merge, and Terra began to worry. “This is so not good!”

Her opponent called out, “Now I Fusion Summon LUNALIGHT PANTHER DANCER!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her monster flexed her claws, which shimmered sinisterly.

“That monster can take out all of Terra’s monsters!” cried Applejack.

“Yes, but remember, Terra can’t be damaged this turn thanks to One Day of Peace.” Cadance pointed out.

Terra knew this too, but she didn’t feel or look any better, and braced herself for the upcoming attacks.

“Go, Panther Dancer…!” shouted the opponent. “You can attack all those monsters… so wipe ‘em all out.”

The monster complied, and leapt up high, slashing each of Terra’s monsters twice, and they all exploded into chunks of shiny stones.

The shockwaves zoomed past Terra, blowing her hair in the breeze, but since she lost no life points, she felt no pain.

“Oh, how tragic.” the opponent mocked as she laid a card facedown “Now you have no monsters left, and my Panther is still raring to go for more.”

Terra only scoffed “If you think I’m the least bit intimidated, you’re wrong!”

She drew her next card.

“Perfect!” she exclaimed “I use my favorite spell, CHANGE OF HEART, so now I’ll control your monster!”

The stranger actually grunted in shock this time as her Panther Dancer switched sides.

“Yee-Haw… that’s showing her!” hollered Applejack.

“Great move!” added Shining Armor “Now what’s-her-face over there is the one in trouble.”

“Go Panther, make a direct attack!”

The stranger braced herself for the impact this time, and was struck hard by her own monster, and her sheets began to tatter in the resulting shockwaves billowing past her.

Opponent LP: 6000 -----> 3200

…But still, she wasn’t shocked from the point loss, and she still didn’t seem the least bit in pain from the attack.

Sci-Twi still couldn’t see who she was good enough because of the sheets, and was still pondering over who she was.

Terra felt the same as she thought, “Who is she? I’ve reduced more than half of her life points and she still doesn’t seem to be losing strength.”

“What’s the matter?” the stranger taunted “You’re not starting to break are you?”

Terra clenched her free fist with that and thought, “I’ll show you who’s going to break. I’ll win back Twilight’s deck yet.”

“Now I play the spell ADVANCE DRAW!”

“You dare?!” snapped the stranger.

“I dare indeed.” griped Terra “Since your Panther Dancer is Level 8 and I’m controlling it, I can tribute her to the graveyard… and then I draw two cards.”

“I’ll place one card facedown, and then summon a monster in defense mode.”

She had only one card in her hand left, but she felt confident with her next move.

“Is that all?” asked the stranger “Very well… My draw…!”

She had three cards in hand, one of them still being White Rabbit.

“I must admit, it was clever for you to turn my own monster on me and then get rid of it… but not clever enough.

Using the Pendulum Ability of my Tiger, Panther Dancer returns to the field.”

Her monster returned as promised, she seemed a little pale due to not having her abilities.

(Atk: 2800)

“And now I’ll summon my friend LUNALIGHT WHITE RABBIT back to the field.”

(Atk: 800)

Terra began to sweat a little.

“I now activate white Rabbit’s Special ability; now I can send that facedown of yours straight back to your hand…”

White Rabbit bounced over to Terra’s field and about was about to pounce.

…But Terra suddenly smirked, “…Figures you’d try that.”

“Huh?”

“I play the trap TREASURE MAP!”

“What?!” snapped the stranger. “I’ve not seen you play that before.”

“Maybe I just never got the chance, but I trust you know what it does… since you’re such an expert!”

The stranger growled. “It activates whenever a power is used that would return it to your hand. Now you may draw two cards as long as you discard one of them.”

Terra pointed to the middle of her face, “On the nosey…” then she drew her cards.

“Now I discard GEM-KNIGHT LAZULI to the graveyard.

Oh, and because she was discarded because of my trap, I get to add Lapis back to my hand.”

She took her card out from the graveyard…

“…But that’s not all, now that my trap is gone, your White Rabbit has no choice but to return Brilliant Fusion to my hand now.”

Her hand now had three cards.

The spectators were somewhat thrilled that she pulled off such a move, but they were hardly convinced that it meant she was out of the woods.

“Her monster is still wide open for an attack!” wailed Spike.

The stranger snickered and thought, “It’s about time I showed them a thing or two of how my dueling is different than that nerdy fool.” she referred to Sci-Twi.

“I shall place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn, which means, my Panther Dancer is instantly destroyed!”

Her Panther vanished, as promised, leaving Terra stunned and confused.

“Why didn’t you attack me?”

“Never you mind,” hissed the opponent “Just make your move!”

Terra stood stiffly.

Sci-Twi eyed the opponent and figured in thought, “She didn’t attack when she had a clear shot. She must be waiting for something big, but it still doesn’t confirm to me who she really is, or if it’s even possible.”

“It’s my move.” called Terra “I draw…”

She considered all the five cards she had and thought. “I can’t let her try and break me like this. If I can just keep my strength up, I can wipe out the rest of her life points and win Twilight’s deck back.”

The two facedown cards did worry her, and she suspected a trap was set for her.

“My life points are still untouched, and I have seen much of Twilight’s deck before. I’ve got to try.”

She grabbed one of her cards, “Once again, I play BRILLIANT FUSION.”

“Again?” hissed the stranger “Don’t you know how to do anything original?”

Terra snuffed, “How’s this for different? I take from my deck GEM-KNIGHT TOURMALINE and GEM-KNIGHT CRYSTAL.”

Her two monsters appeared and instantly began to merge.

“The Thunderous force of these two monsters shall now combine to finish you for good.

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT PRISMAURA.”

(Def: 0)

“That’s a pretty good summon.” Said Shining Armor “But’s its defense is still zero because it was summoned using Brilliant Fusion.”

“True… but remember it doesn’t take away her monster’s effects.” said Cadance.

“That’s right…” called Terra “And I use that special effect now, by sending Gem-Knight Obsidian from my hand to the graveyard, I can target one of your face-up cards, and destroy it!”

The stranger barely seemed fazed at all.

Terra considered her options. “I better destroy your Lunalight Tiger, so you won’t be able to summon any more of your Lunalights out of the graveyard again.”

Her monster threw its huge lance straight at the opposing field, striking the pendulum card hard. The Wolf let out a huge howl as it exploded and went straight to the Extra Deck.

“And what’s more…” Terra continued “Since I sent Obsidian out of my hand, I’m allowed to summon a “Gem-Knight” from my graveyard…

…And I choose, Sardonyx!”

With a magical glow, her monster reappeared.

(Atk: 1800)

“And now from my hand, I play GEM-KNIGHT FUSION!

I Fuse Lapis in my hand, with Prismaura, and my facedown GEM-KNIGHT SAPPHIRE!

I now Fusion Summon the great and gallant leader of all my monsters—GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND!”

Her great knight appeared with his armor shimmering brightly, and all the diamonds and jewels embedded all over his mighty sword, and his majestic cape fluttering in the wind.

(Atk: 2900)

The spectators gazed up at the creature with joy and hope, except for Sci-Twi who was still concerned with the identity of the stranger.

“Now I activate Master Diamond’s ability.

By Banishing Prismaura from the graveyard, her special ability now becomes his ability!”

The spirit of Prismaura emerged and thrust its way into Master Diamond, making him glow with powerful aura.

“Now, just like before, by sending Gem-Knight Emerald out of my hand, I can destroy your other Pendulum Card, so you won’t be able to perform any Fusion Summons anymore.”

The stranger growled softly, but she could only watch as her beloved Tiger got struck hard and hit the dust-- landing in the Extra Deck.

“Yeah, take that!” Applejack cheered.

Spike let out a hopeful howl while the two adults were overjoyed.

Terra grinned at them, and then turned back to face her opponent. “Now, I have one other special ability to play.

Since Sardonyx is a Gemini monster, he’s treated as Normal at first, but I now get to re-summon him to gain his super power.”

Her monster began to glow as it regained its power as promised, and the creature began to glare down the little White Rabbit on the other side.

“Now, when he destroys a monster, I’ll be able to add one “Gem-Knight” card from my deck to my hand.

Go Sardonyx! Wipe out that scared little rabbit!”

Her monster complied and rushed forth ready to strike…

…But the stranger snickered. “Got’cha!”

“Huh?”

“You fell right into my trap as I hoped you would. Activate, POWER FRAME”

Terra’s eyes bulged.

“What the--” cried Shining Armor.

Sci-Twi could hardly believe it herself. “I never had that card in my deck before.”

Terra’s monster suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, and White Rabbit began to glow.

“What’s going on?” asked Terra.

“My Power Frame negates your monster’s attack, and then this trap equips to my my Rabbit who gains attack points equal to the difference in both monster's attack strengths."

(Atk: 800) -----> (Atk: 1800)

Terra scoffed, “So what, I still have Master Diamond, and while he can’t use his effect to power up this turn, he’s still strong enough to finish your Rabbit off.”

She ordered her knight to attack, and he rushed over with his massive sword at the ready, and he struck the Rabbit hard.

(Atk: 2900) VS (Atk: 1800)

Opponent LP: 3200 -----> 2100

The stranger, still unfazed by the life point loss, snickered. “Now you’ve allowed me to activate the trap LUNALIGHT REINCARNATION DANCE!”

“Oh, no!” cried Sci-Twi “Now she gets to add two “Lunalight” monsters from the deck to her hand.”

“Quite right, You’d know your own deck after all.” the stranger taunted. “Yes… I will add two “Lunalight” monsters to my hand, and I know just the ones I need; Wolf and Tiger!”

Terra felt her blood turn cold. “So you played your cards this way trying to lure me into false security. Now you’ve got your cards back and you didn’t lose the duel.”

“Exactly. I’ve already defeated a ton of weak wimps around here, and I decided to add some of their cards to my deck to further boost my own.”

Sci-Twi took great offense to that. She had worked long and hard to get her deck the way she liked it, and now it meant that her deck was rigged with surprises and things she wasn’t even aware of.

“Well now…” hissed the stranger “My draw.”

She had three cards in her hand.

“And now I once again set Wolf and Tiger into the Pendulum Zones so that I am able to Pendulum Summon once again!”

Terra didn’t like the feeling of this one bit.

“Now I Pendulum Summon… LUNALIGHT TIGER-- Return to the field.”

In a bright flash, her monster appeared and growled!

(Atk: 1200)

“Now I activate my Wolf’s Pendulum ability, which allows me to banish my Tiger on the field, with Panther Dancer and White Rabbit in the graveyard.”

The three monsters emerged and began to merge together.

“Oh, no!” cried Sci-Twi “I know what’s coming now.”

“So do I!” added Terra.

In a bright glow, the monster materialized, and the stranger called out “Behold the monster I’m sure you’re all familiar with…

I Fusion Summon LUNALIGHT LEO DANCER!”

(Atk: 3500)

The monster stood tall and strong, glaring all of Terra’s monsters down in a threatening manner.

“Hang tough, Terra!” called Applejack, but Terra was fretting. Nothing she had could stand up to that creature.

“You seem a little distraught.” chuckled the stranger “Well, maybe this will help… help you shiver even more.

…Does this card seem familiar to you?”

She turned the single card in her hand around.

“It can’t be!!” wailed Terra.

“It is… I play CHANGE OF HEART!”

“What?!” snapped Cadance.

“She’s got one too?!” added Shining Armor.

“You bet I do…” replied the stranger “I told you I strengthened this miserable deck, and now, with the power of this spell, I will control your strongest creature.”

“Master Diamond!” cried Terra, but there was nothing she could do; her monster had already leapt to the other side of the field.

“No!! Terra!” cried Spike.

Terra was completely hopeless. She had absolutely nothing to stand up with now! “She’s going to wipe me out!

That Leo dancer can attack twice in one turn, and with 3500 attack points, plus master diamond’s 2900… I’ll take 8200 points of damage!!”

The spectators were all fretting for her.

“She’s going to lose the duel!!” cried Applejack “She’ll get turned into a card!”

Her opponent was just about ready to call her attack, when she stopped to think.

“This girl… she has a soft spot for Masquerade, whatever the silly reason.”

She hesitated, and then decided, “I should spare her. After all… she and the rest of these losers could be the key to helping me find Masquerade faster, and then I’ll have my revenge.

Besides, I don’t have anything to lose.”

So instead of calling her attack, she placed her hand over the deck, much to everyone else’s shock.

“What are you doing?” asked Terra.

“Did she just… surrender?” asked Spike.

Much as the others would feel outraged and livid at someone doing that when victory was assured, to them it was the biggest relief they could ever feel.

“That means Terra wins.” said Applejack “And that means…”

The duel images vanished, and the lightning suddenly struck at the stranger, forcing everyone to cover their eyes.

When the light had faded, everyone looked out, and they couldn’t believe their eyes.

“She’s still there?!” cried Terra.

“She didn’t get turned into a card?” said Spike.

The stranger laughed wickedly, “Of course I didn’t… after all…” she reached up and pulled the sheets off “…I’m not like the rest of you!”

Everyone, especially Twilight gasped in complete shock and confusion. And all shouted together “KARLE…!!”

Episode 11: Part 2: Immortal Enemies

EPISODE ELEVEN

Sunset glared Khaos down as they prepared their duel disks. “I’m going to make you guys sorry for ever having meddled with me and my friends!”

Khaos scoffed, “Somehow I doubt that threat has meaning.”

“DUEL!!” they both shouted.

Khaos LP: 8000

Sunset LP: 8000

Raven placed Twilight’s card in upper front pocket of her sweatshirt so she could see.

“Come on, Sunset.” she muttered softly.

Raven could only look forth between the two duelists, somewhat eager to see the duel, but keeping in mind how serious things were.

“First turn honors are mine.” said Khaos, and he drew his five cards.

“I summon THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF RAGGED GLOVES.”

(Atk: 1000)

This monster appeared as a shadowy specter with large, ghastly gauntlets.

“I thought so…” Sunset grumbled to herself “Cards of likes I’ve never seen before.”

Khaos heard her anyway and sneered, “There’s no finer time to learn.

Since I control a “Phantom Knights”, I am now able to summon this from my hand, THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF THE SILENT BOOTS.”

(Atk: 200)

“Two level 3 monsters!” wailed Sunset “Oh, no…!”

Khaos thrust out his arm. “I overlay Level 3 Boots with Level 3 Gloves to build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters vanished into the appearing portal, and a dark mist puffed out, making everything around darker and more eerie than before.

A horse’s neigh was heard as the creature came galloping through the mist as Khaos called to it…

“Here it comes, riding through the mist to crush every opposing threat in its path…

…I Xyz Summon THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF THE BREAK SWORD!”

(Atk: 2000)

Everyone looked up at the spooky knight, and Raven didn’t know whether to feel impressed or intimidated at the sight of it.

“So… you Xyz Summon?” said Sunset.

Khaos nodded, “And because I used Gloves to Xyz Summon a Dark creature, my knight now gains an additional 1000 attack points.”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“Three-thousand points?!” cried Sunset “You got a monster that strong on the field already? Hate to say, but that is impressive.”

“And I’m afraid there is more,” Khaos said as he lay a card facedown “But I’ll leave you to discover it for yourself.”

Sunset scoffed, “It’s my draw now.”

She took her card, but continued to look at the opposing monster.

“It’s bad enough that brute’s already super strong,” she thought “I don’t even know what special powers it has, but I guess there’s only one way to find out. I just hope it doesn’t cost me.”

She looked down at her hand. There wasn’t much she had to take that creature down and thought she would at least prepare a good defense.

“Here goes…” she hollered “I use Scale 2 OAFDRAGON MAGICIAN and Scale 8 TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN to set the Pendulum Scale.”

Her two monsters leapt up into the Pendulum Zones, and the magic pendulum began to swing.

“Now I can summon as many monsters between levels 2 and 7 as I need!

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light rained down and her monsters appeared.

“STARGAZER MAGICIAN…” (Def: 2400)

“DHARMA-EYE MAGICIAN…” (Def: 2500)

“That’s all I can do.”

Raven and Twilight noticed that Sunset wasn’t glowing in the green light that happened when she Pendulum Summoned before.

Sunset noticed this herself as she looked her body up and down; not a speck of light.

“Maybe what happened before was just a one-time thing?” she thought.

Khaos could tell what she was thinking. “She has no idea, and that’s exactly why I’m here.”

“My draw now,” he said as he picked his third card.

“And I shall now activate my Knight’s special ability; once per turn, by using an Overlay Unit, one card on your field is instantly destroyed, provided I destroy one of my own first”

Sunset stiffened, and watched as the monster rode over to her side of the field, and pitched his sword far up to the Pendulum Zone, destroying Oafdragon Magician.”

“Oafdragon…No!!” cried Sunset, and because he was gone, Timegazer Magician’s pendulum scale dropped from 8 to 4.

Khaos snuffed. “Now I target my own face-down card to destroy, but I'll activate it in response anyway-- the trap, XYZ METEOR!”

His powerful monster began to glow an eerie light, and Sunset wondered what it meant.

Khaos almost immediately explained, “For the rest of this turn, when my Knight attacks your defending monster, you’ll still take the damage, and I get to draw a card each time.”

“What do you mean “each time?” asked Sunset.

“Observe. From my hand, I play the spell ONI-GAMI-COMBO.”

Raven and Twilight both gawked on at the card’s image.

“What does that do?” asked Twilight.

“How should I know.” said Raven.

Khaos explained, “To use this spell, I must have an Xyz monster in play. Then… by losing all its Overlay Units, my monster is allowed to attack twice this turn.”

The ladies all winced, and watched as the single overlay unit vanished into the monster, powering him up by the aid of the spell.

Khaos then entered his battle phase.

“Breaksword, attack Stargazer Magician!”

He knight’s horse reared up and bucked. Then it galloped over to Sunset’s field, and the knight took one swing with his sword, slicing the magician down.

(Atk: 3000) VS (Def: 2400)

And Sunset got burned with damage as promised, which shocked and drained her, making her groan in pain.

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 7400

“Hang tough, Sunset!” Twilight called to her.

Khaos scoffed. “And since you were damaged, I now draw one card.

Now, I’ll use my second attack, and destroy your Dharma-Eye Magician!”

(Atk: 3000) VS (Def: 2500)

The knight charged, and destroyed Sunset’s remaining monster, damaging her life points and sapping at her life energy again.

Sunset LP: 7400 -----> 6900

Khaos drew another card, giving him four in hand.

Sunset managed to stay on her feet, but now she was virtually defenseless.

“I believe that’s enough torment for now.” said Khaos. “I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn.”

Sunset could only look up at the huge hulking monster looming over her, and looking ready to strike again, and wondering how she could beat it.

Meanwhile, down below…

Celestia and Sapphire were both still full on life points, and it was Celestia’s turn.

Luna’s hand was shaking softly, and Vic placed his hand on her shoulder. “You okay?”

Luna admitted, “Just really worried, that’s all. It’s a sister thing.”

She was still trying to be brave for Celestia.

“It’s my draw now.” called Celestia, and she drew giving her four cards.

“I activate GRACEFUL CHARITY. It lets me draw three cards, and then I discard two.”

She did so, and was pleased when she had done.

“I now play my field spell, CELESTIA!”

The entire ground floor began to shimmer with the mist and sparkles the card image threw out.

“Isn’t that cute? You’ve got a card named after you.” joked Sapphire.

Celestia resisted the urge to grin, and informed him, “Thanks to this field spell, all my Wyrms will gain an additional 300 attack and defense points.

Now, I summon my faithful Tuner monster, METAPHYS RAGNAROK.”

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 1800)

“A Tuner monster?” asked Sapphire.

Celestia grinned, “And it so happens to have a fine special ability, which I now activate.

I now banish the top three cards on my deck, and if any of them happen to be “Metaphys monsters, Ragnarok will gain 300 attack points for each one.”

Sapphire growled, and Celestia took her top three cards. All three were monsters, but as luck would have it, not one Metaphys.

“Aw, too bad...” Sapphire taunted “You didn’t get what you wanted, did you.”

Luna and Vic felt upset for Celestia, but she didn’t… She was actually grinning.

“Actually… I did get what I wanted.”

“What?”

“Now I activate DIMENSION FUSION!”

“Huh?!” said Sapphire.

“First, I must pay up 2000 life points…”

She braced herself, and then she cringed and groaned as her energy drained with her points.

Celesita LP: 8000 -----> 6000

“Celestia!” cried Vic.

Luna almost came to tears, but her sister looked at them both, and gave them a thumb-up, relieving them both.

Celestia then called to Sapphire, “…Now the three monsters that I banished will return!”

A portal opened up in the sparkling mist, and her three monsters emerged.

“MAGMA DRAGON…” (Atk: 1600) -----> (Atk: 1900)

“TRUE KING ANGIMAZUD, THE VANISHER…” (Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 3200)

“TRUE KING BAHRATOS, THE FANTOHMER…” (Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 2100)

The monsters all stood together, growling and hissing at Sapphire and his Puzzle.

“BOO-YAH!” cheered Vic “Now that’s a good lineup. Four big bad brutes ready to beat some bad guy butt.”

“That’s a lot Bs.” remarked Luna.

Celestia only chuckled, “There’s a fifth one on the way…

Since my Magma Dragon was special summoned, I’m now allowed to summon a “Wyrm” from my graveyard in defense mode, but its effects will be negated.”

A beam of light shot out from her duel disk. “…I call NIGHT DRAGOLICH!”

(Def: 0) -----> (Def: 300)

“And now, I have all that I need to really strike things up!”

Celestia raised her arm up high, “I Tune level 4 Ragnarok, with my summoned level 4 Dragolich!”

Sapphire watched in awe as the monsters began to sync together.

“I Synchro Summon BAXIA, BRIGHTNESS OF THE YANG ZING.”

(Atk: 2300) -----> (Atk: 2600)

Her Synchro monster spread out its wings, and roared; the winds billowed past Sapphire’s robe.

“So you can Syncrho Summon too, huh?”

“More than that!” snapped Celestia “When Baxia is Synchro Summoned, his special ability activates; it allows me to select cards on your field up to the number of different attributes of the monsters I used to created him…

…Then those cards go back to your deck!”

Sapphire’s eyes widened as both his cards began to glow.

“Just a minute… I play the trap HALF UNBREAK!”

“Ah!” cried Celestia.

“Ah, yeah…! This trap targets one monster on the field. Then, for the rest of this turn that monster can’t be destroyed in battle, and I only take half the damage from any battle involving it.”

Everyone else raised their eyebrows.

“What good will that do if his monster’s going away?” asked Vic.

Sapphire waved his finger going, “Uh-uh-uhn… I said I can target ANY monster. It doesn’t have to be my own.”

The card image fired a strong beam at Baxia, making it roar and groan, much to Celestia’s anger.

“Ha!” scoffed Sapphire “Now if that monster attacks me, I’ll only be dealt half the damage.”

Since his trap was successfully used, it went to his graveyard, while his Synchro monster had to go back to the Extra Deck, leaving his field totally empty.

“You can do this, Sister!” called Luna.

“Yeah, get in there and wipe him out!” added Vic.

Celesta agreed.

“I’ll switch my Muddragon into attack mode.”

(Atk: 2200)

All of her monsters stood fuming and looking ready to give it all they had.

“Baxia… you go first, wage a direct attack!”

Her Baxia let out a huge sonic roar, blasting Sapphire hard, but as promised, only dealing him half the damage, which was 1300.

Sapphire LP: 8000 -----> 6700

He did groan as the shockwaves sped past him, but he didn’t seem to lose actual energy from his life point loss. There were no electric currents, no glowing, no pain… nothing!

The trio couldn’t understand it, while Sapphire snickered, “What’s the matter? We’re you expecting something to happen?”

“Why wasn’t he sapped?” Celestia wondered.

She decided to attack again, “Go Muddragon!”

Her dragon growled, and opened its huge jaws, spewing out its acid breath at Sapphire, hitting him hard, giving him another 2200 points of damage.

Sapphire LP: 6700 -----> 4500

The shockwaves sped past him, but once again… he felt no pain and lost no strength. All he did was snicker and tease, “Is that all you’ve got?”

Celestia almost felt like trembling, as if something was way off, but she knew she had to keep going.

“Bahratos, attack!”

That was another 2100 points down…

Sapphire LP: 4500 -----> 2400

…But still no harm to Sapphire.

“What is this?” wondered Luna “He’s been attacked three times and he hasn’t lost any strength?”

Vic couldn’t deny that himself, but he didn’t think it mattered. “Celestia’s got him in the corner now. Just one more attack and she wins!”

Celestia clenched her free fist proudly, knowing Vic was right. “And now, the final attack…!” she called as she looked up at her last monster.

With Vanisher’s attack at 3200, she was sure to win, but before she could even call it…

“Not so fast…!” shouted Sapphire. “I activate Tri-Eyed Dice’s ability from the graveyard.

By banishing it, I can stop one attack from any of your monsters.”

“Ah!” Celestia yelped, and she watched as a bright beam fired at Vanisher, locking him into place. “Oh, no! If I call my attack, it’ll just get stopped!”

Vic and Luna were outraged.

“Ah, man! She had it won!” growled Vic.

Luna could only watch with worry now that Sapphire would have a chance to fight back.

“Too bad.” said Sapphire “Guess you’ll just have to end your turn.”

“Not quite yet.” Celestia insisted.

She engaged her Main Phase 2.

“I take my two Level 9 Kings, and build the overlay network!”

Her monsters vanished into the portal, and her best monster appeared on the field, nearly crowding the entire area.

“I Xyz Summon TRUE KING OF ALL CALAMITES!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 3300)

“Excellent.” said Luna “With that monster in play, Celestia should have the advantage now.”

Vic agreed, having seen Celestia’s king in play before.

“Now I activate Baxia’s special ability.” said Celestia “I will destroy my Level 4 Magma Dragon.”

Her monster vanished into sparkles.

“Now I am able to summon one other level 4 monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Night Dragolich… return!”

(Atk: 1700)

Celestia grinned wickedly. “Now, all special summoned monsters that are not Wyrms will be instantly changed into defense mode, and their defense will become zero.”

Sapphire winced in shock, while Luna and Vic rejoiced.

Finally Celestia ended her turn with her last card facedown. Her hand was now empty, but she felt confident that her victory was assured.

Back up on the roof…

Sunset LP: 6900

Khaos LP: 8000

Sunset was still in a bit of a spot of how to take down Khaos’ super-powered knight.

“My Phantom Knight is losing his patience.” Khaos called “Make your move.”

“…When I’m good and ready I will.” growled Sunset.

Raven and Twilight continued to watch from the sidelines.

“Come on, Sunset. Don’t give in!” Twilight called to her.

“Like hollering at her is really going to make a difference?” protested Raven.

Twilight gave her a cold stare for that.

Sunset drew her next card, giving her three.

“I play POT OF GREED so I draw two more cards.”

She was astounded at the two cards she had drawn.

“Perfect. Now it’s time for me to take control of this duel.

“I’ll do that by setting Scale 5 NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN, into the Pendulum Scale.

Her little friend took his place causing the magic pendulum to begin swinging again.

“I can now summon as many level 6 or 7 monsters as I need.

Behold my monsters!”

Three flashes of light shone onto the field and her monsters appeared.

“OAFDRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2100)

“DHARMA-EYE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2000)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Her Odd-Eyes roared very loudly, and suddenly, Sunset was bathed in that mysterious green light from before.

“Not again!” she cried “What is this.”

Twilight and Raven gazed in awe and astonishment.

“Excellent!” thought Khaos “Her power is beginning to resonate. Let us see if she can keep it up.”

The light suddenly faded. Sunset shook her head vigorously to regain herself.

“Now I’ll follow things up by using my Leve 7 Odd-Eyes and my Level 7 Dharma-Eye to build the Overlay Network.”

Her monsters leapt up and vanished through the portal.

“With wings so sharp and a shining light
I summon a dragon of great might!”

Her monster burst out in a ray of light crashing onto the field, “I Xyz Summon ODD-EYES ABSOLUTE DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her dragon let out a roar, and once again, Sunset was bathed in light-- this time, black.

“It’s that same black light again.” said Raven “What is it?”

“I don’t know.” replied Twilight “It seemed to happen when Sunset called her Xyz Dragon into play.”

She then thought back to how when Sunset Pendulum Summoned the first time, nothing happened, but then when she Pendulum Summoned again she was bathed in the green light… because her Odd-Eyes was there.

“I think I’m getting the idea. Maybe it old happens when Sunset summons a Dragon-Type monster.”

Sunset could hear her, and began to feel the same way. “Is it possible?” she wondered. There was only one other way to make sure.

“Now, I’ll have my Odd-Eyes attack your Knight!”

Her dragon prepared to open fire, “Now I’ll use his special ability, by using one overlay unit, the attack is stopped, and then I can summon Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon out of the graveyard!”

Her dragon bounced back onto the field and roared.

(Atk: 2500)

…But nothing else happened-- no green light or anything.

Khaos gave a sour expression, “She still hasn’t a clue of how it really works. In order for the masters’ plan to work, she must unlock her absolute full potential.”

Sunset looked herself all over, but could see no light. “Wait a minute.” she thought “When I Pendulum Summoned Odd-Eyes before, that’s when the light glowed, but now I didn’t Pendulum Summon him.”

She still had no idea what all this light stuff was for or what it meant.

“Do you still plan to stall and keep me waiting?” called Khaos “Or should I assume your plan is as futile as I believed?”

Sunset grew cross, “I’ll show you, especially when I play the Quick-Play Spell, RUSH RECKLESSLY, and it’ll give my Odd-Eyes an extra 700 attack point boost until the end of the turn!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3200)

Her mighty dragon glared the knight down, and Khaos cringed angrily.

“Odd-Eyes, attack that overgrown shadow!” Sunset ordered “And also… thanks to Odd-Eyes’ ability, you’ll take double the damage.”

Khaos growled, and watched as Odd-Eyes blasted his knight into bits, blowing burning winds by himself.

(Atk: 3200) VS (Atk: 3000)

Khaos LP: 8000 -----> 7600

Raven and Twilight gawked with joy, and Sunset leapt up high. “So long Mr. Scary Knight.”

“Wait a minute…!” said Twilight “Look at Khaos; he didn’t lose any life energy or anything.”

Raven noted this as well, and then she and the others noticed two misty clouds began to billow up on the field.

“What’s going on?”

Khaos explained, “My Phantom Knight has a special ability that you aren’t aware of; when he’s destroyed I can special summon two “Phantom Knights” with the same level from my graveyard.”

“Ah!”

Raven and Twilight both cringed.

The mists began to fade as the monsters reappeared before Khaos. “Welcome back Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots.”

(Def: 500)

(Def: 1200)

“Oh, and one other thing I should mention; their levels are increased by one, making them both Level 4 now.”

“Level 4?!” cried Sunset, and she immediately had a nasty idea of what would be coming her way.

“I can still wipe them out with my Oafdragon Magician.” and she was about to order the attack…

“I don’t think so, because I activate the trap WONDER XYZ!”

Sunset gawked in horror.

“This allows me to Xyz summon using monster I control. So I’ll use my two Level 4 knights to build the overlay network!

Brace yourself for a monster of likes you have never seen before.”

The two monsters vanished into the portal, and as they appeared, Sunset was starting to glow Black again. “What’s going on now?!” she cried.

“Sunset!” wailed Twilight.

The monster began to form in the air.

“What is that?” called Raven.

As the monster took shape, Khaos called to it…

“Cloaked in shadows and ready for the purge,
I call on the most dangerous of dragons to emerge.

I Xyz Summon DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!!”

The mighty dragon appeared, with dark scales, glowing orbs all over its wings, and a long shapr jawline.

(Atk: 2500)

“…An Xyz dragon?” cried Raven.

Twilight was more concerned with Sunset’s glowing, but the Black light soon faded and sunset shook herself back to her senses.

Nevertheless, this big, hulking dragon was far too much for her magician to take, so she called off the attack.

“I’ll end my turn with a facedown…”

Her hand was empty.

“Now my Odd-Eyes’ attack points return to normal.”

(Atk: 3200) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“It’s my draw then.” said Khaos and he drew his card.

“I play POT OF GREED as well, so I may draw two cards.”

He now had two cards in hand.

“And now observe as I activate my Dragon’s special ability.”

Sunset cringed softly, worrying what it could be.

Khaos raised his arm up, “By using both of hiss overly units, my dragon will now cut the attack points of one of your monster’s in half!”

“Ah!” cried Sunset “My Absolute Dragon!”

Xyz Dragon’s orbs began to glow, generating sparks of electricity which fired at sunset’s dragon.

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 1400)

“And what is more…” said Khaos “Those lost attack points are now transferred permanently to my own dragon.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3900)

Sunset could hardly believe her eyes as the opposing dragon seemed to grow larger, and the energy in its wings glowed brightly.

“Oh, no!” cried Twilight.

“That’s incredible!” added Raven “It cuts the attack down and then takes it?!”

“Oh yes…” called Khaos.

“But wait just yet… because I play a spell known as OVERLAY CAPTURE! This detaches all overlay units from an opposing player’s Xyz monster, and allows my dragon to gain back an overlay unit.”

“Ah!” cried Sunset, and she watched as her Absolute Dragon lost its remaining overlay unit; and it transferred over to Dark Rebellion.

“And to continue,” said Khaos. “I activate yet another spell from hand known as OVERLAY REGEN, which adds yet another unit to my dragon.”

Everyone watched as a second glowing orb appeared.

“It’s got two overlay units again!” cried Sunset “That can only mean--”

“Indeed!” hissed Khaos “I use Dark Rebellion’s ability again… I now halve the points of your Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and my dragon will gain those attack points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1250)

(Atk: 3900) -----> (Atk: 5150)

“Look at all those attack points!” Raven wailed softly.

Twilight could believe this herself, but not nearly as much as Sunset did, and that oversized dragon looked ready to roast her monsters to bits.

“It’s time!” shouted Khaos “Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

His dragon powered up, and was ready to strike.

“Hold on!” shouted Sunset, “I activate the trap MAGIC CYLINDER!”

“WHAT?!” shouted Khaos.

“Now your dragon’s attack is reflected back at you, and you lose life points Equal to his attack points!”

Khaos cringed angrily and braced himself as the blast struck him, his cape fluttered high in the breeze.

Khaos LP: 7600 -----> 2450

When the blaze had faded, Khaos was still standing of course; for once again he had not succumbed to any pain, or energy drain or anything!

Much as the ladies were relieved that sunset evaded the attack, they were most confused.

“What is going on?!” bellowed Sunset “Why is it when I take damage, I end up in pain, but you’re perfectly fine.”

Khaos snickered, “Don’t you understand? I was created specially by my masters, and so were my colleges. Unlike other Maleficans, we don’t have the same kind of energy forces that you do. Therefore, you cannot harm us simply by lowering our life points.”

Sunset stiffened.

Raven and Twilight were aghast.

“How fair is that?” complained Raven “Everyone else takes damage and we don’t.”

“It’s worse than that…” said Twilight “It also means that if they lose their duels, they won’t be turned into cards.”

Khaos would have grinned if he could as he hissed, “…Precisely.”

Sunset winced in shock.

“Now, you understand the truth.” called Khaos “Even if by some miracle you win this duel, I won’t be defeated like you think I will.

My colleagues and I will continue to plague you and your friends over, and over, and over, until none of you remain.”

He laughed wickedly, much to Sunset’s displeasure and horror.

To Be Continued…

Episode 12: Final Part: Sisterly Sacrifice

EPISODE TWELVE

Khaos continued to laugh, “So now you know the truth. Win the duel: You won’t be rid of me, at least not forever. Lose, and… well… you get the idea.”

“Oh, just great…!” Sunset thought. “So even if I win this duel, we won’t be rid of this clown.”

Then she suddenly remembered, “…The others! They don’t know the truth either.”

Raven and Twilight realized this too.

“I’ll go and warn them.” said Raven, and she began to run for the entrance to the roof, but… WHAMM… she ran straight into what felt like a solid wall and fell backwards onto the roof.

“Ohh…!!” she groaned.

“Are you alright?” asked Twilight.

Raven got up growled while holding her aching head, “Fine, except for this big bump!” she groaned. “What happened to the door?” She felt along the wall, but couldn’t pass through it anywhere.

Then she turned and looked back at Khaos. “You…!”

“I just made it so we wouldn’t be disturbed so easily.” replied Khaos

He explained how before the duel began, when Raven and Sunset burst out onto the roof, he used his Malefic Powers to seal the entrance to ensure that no one would come in and disturb the duel.

“The spell will lift once the duel is over.” he explained. “In the meantime, I wonder how your friends are faring down below against Sapphire.”

The ladies cringed at the thought.

Down below, Sapphire was faced with an empty field and Celestia’s massive swarm of monstrous brutes.

Sapphire LP: 2400

Celestia LP: 6000

…But he still didn’t seem the least bit worried; for a guy who didn’t have actual facial features.

“Would you look at that guy?” said Vic “He looks so calm and confident.”

Luna agreed, but looked back to her sister’s army wondering, “Could he possibly believe he’s going to beat Celestia that easy?”

“So it’s finally my turn, huh?” asked Sapphire “Fine… I draw.”

He had four cards, and he thought carefully. “This ought to rock her world and bring those brutes tumbling down.”

“First I’m playing the spell SPEEDDRAW. Since I have no cards out, I get to draw two. Then I have to send a “Speedroid” monster in my hand to the graveyard.”

When all was said and done, he had four cards in hand.

“Well now… since my field is once again bare of monsters, I get to summon another SPEEDROID TERRORTOP!”

(Atk: 1200)

“Don’t forget…” called Celestia “He isn’t a Wyrm, therefore he is changed to defense mode and his defense is zero.”

(Def: 0)

“So?” remarked Sapphire “I still special summoned him, which means I get to add--”

“Just a moment!” called Celestia “I activate King Calamty’s special ability.”

“Say what?”

“…Now by using one overlay unit, I can declare one Attribute type, and I choose “Wind.”

Her King began to charge up, and blew a strong wind across Sapphire’s field.

“Sweetness!” cheered Vic “That means any and all the monsters become Wind Types, and Sapphire’s monsters can’t attack or use their effects.”

Luna agreed. “My sister certainly knows how to duel. Makes me wish I did.”

Sapphire growled softly, but didn’t let it ruin his concentration.

“Well, this could be a real problem for me.

So if I can’t attack your monsters, I’ll just wipe them!”

“What?” snapped Celestia.

“I play the spell RAIGEKI!”

Celestia gasped hard, so did Vic and Luna.

Lightning bolts began to ravage across the field, “Too bad…” called Sapphire “Now all the monsters you have are destroyed!”

Celestia looked up in horror as all her monsters were struck hard and vanished into the brightness of the storm.

The shaking was so violent that it began to rattle the makeshift generator Vic was still attached too.

“Whoa!” cried Vic. “I don’t think she’s going to hold together!”

Luna helped detach him quickly, but the machine still held.

Still, Celestia’s field was devastated.

“My monsters!!” she cried.

“Gone, just like that.” taunted Sapphire “And as for my monsters, you may have blocked their powers on the field, but not in my hand you haven’t.

Since I have a Wind monster out, I get to summon this… SPEEDROID TAKETOMBORG!”

(Atk: 100)

“While I’m at it, I don’t think your blocking power targets my graveyard either, so I’ll activate the special ability of the monster I just sent there…

…SPEEDROID DEN-DEN DAIKO DUKE!

By banishing him, I can summon one other “Speedroid” Tuner monster out of the grave to join us, and I choose Gum Prize!”

(Atk: 100)

Now had three monster in play again, and Celestia didn’t like where this was going.

Sapphire called out, “I tune level 1 Gum Prize with my level 3 Terrortop and Taketomborg, to bring out my great big guy!”

The monsters began to tune and sync together, forming not a Speedroid, but a mighty dragon that began to come into view as Sapphire called to it…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

The mighty beast came into full view with sparkling wings, and a nasty growl to boot.

(Atk: 2500)

Celestia gazed up at the mighty dragon, having never seen anything like it before.

Luna and Vic felt the same way.

…While up on the roof, Sunset started glowing again, this time in a blue light.

“What’s happening now?!” she fretted.

Khaos could tell what it was. “Sapphire must have summoned his dragon, and its power is resonating within her… just as we need it to.”

Back down below, Sapphire’s dragon glared Celestia down, and she trembled a bit.

Sapphire snickered and said “Oh, and you do remember Gum Prize’s effect-- it activates when he’s used as a Synchro Summon, meaning you can’t block that either.

Now I look at the top card on my deck and send it to the graveyard…”

He flipped over his card. “Ah, sweetness… I got SPEEDROID DOUBLE YO-YO.

Well, looks like my Clear Wing gains an extra 1000 attack points now.”

(Ak: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

Celestia was actually starting to sweat nervously, much to Spaphire’s delight.

“Anyways, I’ll have mercy and let you off easy. I’ll just end my turn with a couple of facedowns.”

“Mercy?” snapped Vic “He couldn’t attack anyway.”

Luna was just as annoyed, but more concerned for Celestia. “I just hope she can find some way of beating that creature. None of us really know much about it.”

Celestia felt the same way, but she looked confident she would beat it anyway.

“It’s my turn now, and I draw.”

She had only one card in her hand.

“Now I activate the special power of my field spell…

Once per turn, Celestia allows me to banish three Wyrms from my graveyard, and then it destroys any card on the field I choose.”

Three spirits of her monsters appeared, and vanished into the image of the card, which then poised directly at the dragon.

“Say goodbye!”

POW!! The card fired a strong beam straight at Clear Wing…!

“Sorry, but I’m going to have to stop you, with the help of the Counter Trap, SPELL SHIELD TYPE-8.”

Celestia blinked nervously.

“This trap can be used to stop a spell that targets one monster on my field, and then it stops the spell’s power and destroys that card!”

The field spell fired its beam at Clear Wing, but the trap intercepted and deflected the blast right back, destroying Celestia’s Card.

“Oh, no…!” she cried as the images around the field began to revert back to normal.

She growled and then decided, “I guess I have no choice, I play MONSTER REBORN

I choose to revive from the graveyard Baxia, Brightness of the Yang Zing!”

(Atk: 3000)

She then quietly thought, “I can’t beat that dragon like this, but there might be a chance…

I’ll use Baxia’s effect to destroy my facedown card, and that will let me revive Dragolich from the graveyard.

Then his dragon will be forced to change into defense mode and lose all its defense points.

I’ll be able to wipe it out with Dragolich, and then wipe out the rest of his life points with Baxia.”

She hoped with all her might that it would work.

“Now, Baxia, use your special ability, target my face-down!”

Her monster began to power.

“I activate Clear Wing’s special ability!” shouted Sapphire.

“Huh?”

“Once per turn, when a Level 5 or above monster activates its effect, Clear Wing can negate that effect and then your monster is toast!”

Celestia gawked up in horror as her freshly summoned Baxia bit the dust-- exploded into sparkles.

“Ah, man!” cried Vic “That was her last monster!”

Luna was sweating bullets in fear.

“So sad for you, but great for Me.” taunted Sapphire “Since Clear wing successfully destroyed a monster with his effect, he now gains the attack points that monster had!”

(Atk: 3500) -----> (Atk: 6500)

Celestia began to panic, but not as much as Vic and Luna.

“Sixty-Five hundred points!” cried Vic.

“Celestia only has 6000 life points!” added Luna.

Sapphire snickered, “Relax, it’s just until the end of the turn …but just in case you were counting on that face-down card to back you up…

…Here’s a little something for you; MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON.”

“No!” cried Celestia, but her last card was destroyed in the strong winds, leaving her completely defenseless.

“Too bad, so sad.” taunted Sapphire.

Celestia was all in a deterring fear now. There was totally nothing she could do to stop that dragon from attacking her next turn.

While back on the roof… Sunset was released from the blue light, which still baffled her, and much as she wondered what it could be, she was still in a huge bind…!

Even though she still had all her monsters in play, not one of them even came close to stopping Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, not with its attack at a whopping 5150.

Not that it really mattered either as Khaos once again reminded her, “Remember, even if you win this duel, it won’t be the end of me.”

“I remember!” snapped Sunset. “That doesn’t mean I still can’t try and get rid of you for now. This duel is still on!”

Sunset LP: 6900

Khaos LP: 2450

“So you still intend to continue?” asked Khaos “I can see now why my masters are interested in your dueling.”

Sunset took it more and insult than a comment.

Raven and Twilight were still unsure of how Sunset could turn this duel around.

“She does have more life points, that’s a good thing, isn’t it?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, but look…” Raven said pointing at Dark Rebellion. “It’s going to take something extremely powerful or cunning to take that thing down, and if she doesn’t…” she stopped right there, not bothering to finish.

Twilight already felt her nerves rising. “I still can’t believe all this.” she thought quietly. “A simple card game has done all this; bringing so much evil and darkness and ruining lives...”

“It’s my turn…” shouted Sunset and she her card really hard. It was the only one she had in her hand.

And she gazed down at it hard and looked at all three of her monsters.

Both her dragons were still weak…

(Atk: 1400)

(Atk: 1250)

Oafdragon Magician didn’t nearly have enough power either, but with the single card she had in her hand, she felt there was still hope.

“This better work.” she said.

“Now, Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, get ready to attack!”

Raven and Twilight gasped in shock.

“But that dragon’s too weak.” Twilight pointed out.

“And it has no overlay units, so it can’t stop the attack.” added Raven.

Khaos narrowed his eyes at Sunset, feeling he knew what she was attempting.

“Attack now…!”

Her weak dragon powered up and unleashed its best blast at its opponent…

(Atk: 1400) VS (Atk: 5150)

As expected, the attack proved ineffective and harmlessly bounced off of Dark Rebellion like a rubber ball.

“Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, counter attack!” ordered Khaos.

His dragon obeyed, and charged forth, bashing its huge head into Sunset’s dragon, quashing it like a bug.

The shockwaves from the resulting explosion billowed past her, and the pain from the energy drain was near-unbearable!

She screamed and yelled in pain, and collapsed to her knees after such a hard hit.

Sunset LP: 6900 -----> 3150

“Sunset!” cried Twilight.

“She lost more than half her life points doing that!” said Raven.

Sunset struggled a bit, but she got back up onto her feet. “I activate Absolute Dragon’s special ability; when it’s sent to the graveyard while still originally Xyz-Summoned, I’m allowed to summon one “Odd-Eyes” from my Extra Deck.”

He Extra Deck then glowed brightly, and then fired a big and bright beam up into the air, and her monster began to materialize.

“I summon ODD-EYES VORTEX DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her mighty Fusion Dragon spread out its wings and roared.

Even though it was a Fusion Monster, as everyone had suspected, there was glowing light coming from Sunset because the monster had not been effectively Fusion Summoned.

Sunset ignored this, and had a big smirk on her face.

“True, my Odd-Eyes isn’t powerful enough to take on your dragon, but he doesn’t have to be, because thanks to his special ability, he can send your Xyz Dragon off the field, just like that.”

Her dragon powered up and prepared to do as she just explained.

“Don’t think so!” sneered Khaos. “I activate the Counter Trap XYZ REFLECT!”

Sunset gasped.

“This activates when you target my Xyz Monster with a card effect. It then stops that effect and destroys your monster and deals you 800 points of damage.”

“Ah!” gasped Sunset, and because it was a Counter Trap, she couldn’t use her dragon’s second ability to try and stop it.

Her dragon roared as it got struck with a blast from the trap, and it was shattered, and the blast hit Sunset too, lowering her score even more and sapping more of her energy, but she managed to stay on her feet.

Sunset LP: 3150 -----> 2350

“No… Sunset!” wailed Twilight.

“Huh?” Raven noticed “Is she… grinning?”

She was. “Heh… I figured you’d try that. You’d do anything to protect your Xyz Dragon.”

Khaos narrowed his eyes at her.

“Well, I’d do anything for my monsters too, even if it means doing something I may regret later, but it’s all worth it for me.

“I now activate FUSION SUBSTITUTE.

Now I get to fuse my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon with my Oafdragon Magician.”

Her two monster began to merge together, and as expected, Sunset began to glow in an

“With magical forces and a dragon’s might
I summon a creature of amazing sight!”

Her body began to glow, this time with a bright purple glow as her monster materialized in the same glowing light.

“I Fusion Summon RUNE-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON.”

(Atk: 3000)

Both she and her dragon roared, as the purple light seemed to get stronger, and brighter!

“Sunset!” called Raven, but Sunset was clasping her head and groaning.

“What’s happening to her?” wondered Twilight.

Sunset began to have that vision again…

There she was, in that dark realm, with those monstrous eyes glaring at her. Only, this time, the creature’s growling felt clearer than before, as if she could hear it trying to talk to her.

“Free me…!” it hissed very softly but clearly.

“Huh? What are you saying?” asked Sunset.

“Unleash the power. Free me…!”

Then the dream began to fade out again.

Sunset hollered “No! Wait! Come back…! What do you mean “Free Me?”

The dream was over, and she found herself back in the duel with a face of extreme perplexity.

“What is that thing?” she wondered.

Khaos was most pleased. “Perfect!” he said in thought “She has been affected by the four summoning methods, but she still has yet to understand what it really means and how to use it.

A pity I am forbidden to explain to her how it is, but those are the Masters’ orders.”

Sunset shook herself back into the game.

“Now I activate Fusion Substitute’s effect from the graveyard.

By banishing it, I can return Odd-Eyes Vortex dragon to the Extra Deck, and then I get to draw one card.”

Her dragon’s spirit emerged and the vanished back into her Extra Deck. After which, Sunset placed her finger over her deck, closed her eyes and hoped with all her might for just what she needed… and she drew…!

“What did she get?” asked Twlight.

“I don’t know, but I hope it’s something good.” replied Raven.

Sunset peeked at her draw, and her eyes then widened and shimmered. “…This will do great!”

Khaos and the spectators wondered exactly what it was.

“Now since I can still Pendulum Summon, I know just who to call out.

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light rained down from the sky, and her monsters appeared.

“OAF DRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2100)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Sunset was glowing in the green light again, just as her Odd-Eyes was, but she shook it off quickly.

“Sunset.” murmured Twilight.

Nevertheless, Sunset smiled with pride, “Now I have all that I need to finish you off.”

She held up her last card, “I activate ODD-EYES FUSION.

Now I can fuse Odd-Eyes with my Oafdragon Magician once more, and I can Fusion Summon… you know who…

…ODD-EYES VORTEX DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

With her dragon being successfully fusion summoned, both Sunset and her dragon were shrouded in the purple light again, but she still shook it off.

“Now that Odd-Eyes has been summoned, you know what that means… your Xyz Dragon is history!”

Khaos growled angrily, but he could only watch as Vortex Dragon blasted his own dragon back to his Extra Deck, leaving Khaos without a single card in hand or in play.

“All right!!” cheered Twilight.

Raven actually cracked a soft smile. “She did it.”

Sunset sighed in heavy relief. “There’s no way out for you this time. With Odd-Eyes and Rune-eyes out, you may as well surrender.”

Khaos, knowing fully well he was defeated, this time, actually agreed with her, and surrendered the duel.

“Huh?” said Sunset “You’re actually giving up.”

Raven and Twilight could barely believe their eyes.

“Just for now.” he hissed Khaos. “What would it matter if I had continued anyway?” He hinted to the fact that no lightning struck him, as he had explained earlier.

Then he summoned his flight cloud and prepared to take off. “You dueled fairly well, but next time I will not go so easy on you, but you and your friends had better take care... for the dangers in this real are bound to be greater than what you’ve experienced so far.”

Then he took off on his could.

“Wait! Come back!!” called Sunset, but he was already gone, and she angrily stomped her foot hard. “We couldn’t get him to tell us where to find the Prince Brothers!”

Raven felt along the walls, and as Khaos promised, his spell was gone, making it possible to enter the building again.

Then she turned back to look at Sunset who was still sulking angrily. “Look… we’re not going to get anywhere by just staying here, and we should get back to the others.”

Sunset’s head jerked up. “The others, right!”

While all that happened up there, down below it was another story…

“Here I come.” called Sapphire. “I draw…

Clear Wing’s attack may have gone back to 3500, but that still leaves you in a mess, especially when I play this-- look familiar?

…MONSTER REBORN!”

Celestia gawked in horror, so did the others.

“And I know just which monster I want to revive too.” chuckled Sapphire, and right behind him appeared one of Celestia’s monsters.

“It’s my Baxia!” she cried.

(Atk: 3000)

“You tried to use it on me, and now I’m going to return the favor and use your own Synchro Monster against you.”

“I’m doomed!!” cried Celestia

“Ah, man! She doesn’t have enough life points to survive those brutes.” yelled Vic.

Luna was nearly stiff and frozen with fear and pain at the thought that her sister was about to lose.

“Now, Baxia… attack your former controller directly.” ordered Sapphire, and Celestia’s monster had no choice but to obey, and struck her hard, making her scream as she was knocked over onto her back.

Celestia LP: 6000 -----> 3000

Loki had been observing the duel ever since it began, and he did not like the way things were going.

“What does he think he’s doing?! Has he forgotten what I ordered?!”

He was about ready to go down there save his would be future queen, but as the duel folded out, he wouldn’t have to.

“And now…” shouted Sapphire “Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, end this duel!”

His dragon roared and shot Celestia with a big blast fired from his jaws.

Celestia screamed and wailed as the blast struck her, and took the last of her life points.

Celestia LP: 3000 -----> 0

“SISTER!!!” screamed Luna.

The force of the blast was so bright and strong; the shockwaves billowed at Vic cutting him loose from the generator… which collapsed in the waves, much to his horror.

Sunset and Raven had just begun rushing down the stairs from the roof when the brightness shot up from below and the entire building seemed to quake.

“What… What’s going on?!” Twilight wailed as she covered her eyes.

Raven pulled her sweatshirt hood over her entire face, and Sunset began to fret and began to leap down the stairs at the fast pace to get down in time.

Celestia lay on the floor, weak, dirty, and could barely seem to get up, yet she looked over at her opponent who was snickering wickedly at her.

“Looks like you lose.” taunted Sapphire, but then suddenly he gasped. “Wait a minute! Oh no…!” only now-- too late-- did he realize whom he had just defeated-- the one Prince Loki explicitly said not to.

Worse than that, the Malefic Lightning was beginning to flash. Staying inside the building wouldn’t stop it.

“She’s going to get turned into a card!” cried Vic, and just as he as was about to rush over in attempt to save Celestia… Luna beat him to it.

“No…!!” she hollered as she dashed forth just as the lightning struck, and in just the very split second of the time, she shoved her sister hard out of the way, causing the lightning to strike herself instead!

Sunset only made it halfway down the stairs but saw everything as the light got brighter and Luna began to wail.

“LUNA!!” screamed Celestia.

“SISTER------------!!!” was the last thing Luna screamed before the light had faded, and a card with her picture on it flopped to the floor.

Everyone around, even Sapphire was shocked by what they had just seen.

“Whoa! I’m bailing out!” murmured Sapphire, and he summoned his flight cloud. “We’ll meet again!” he called to the others as he rushed away.

He had barely gotten a block away when he a large portal appeared and drew him into it like a wind tunnel. “Oh, no…! I’m in for it now!!” he shouted as he was sucked in and the portal vanished.

Celestia, wearily crawled over to the lone card on the floor and scooped it up in her fingers.

Her hands trembled as her tears began to fall.

“LUNA--------------!!!”

Episode 13: Haunting Hunting: Part 1

EPISODE THIRTEEN

The Terrible Trio was brought before The Princes, and Loki was really raving mad with Sapphire for nearly defeating Celestia and turning her into a card.

“My lord, please forgive me!” begged Sapphire “I just got carried away. I couldn’t stop dueling, and we are supposed to gain energy.”

Loki growled and looked ready to blast him to pieces, but he didn’t. “You are most fortunate that things turned out the way they did, and that my brother and I still have use for you.

Don’t let this happen again!” he paused and looked up at Violet and Khaos “…That goes for all of you!”

The Trio bowed.

“Now, that’s enough, Loki.” said Rubeus. “You’re letting your obsession get the best of you again.”

He stepped forth and addressed the trio. “In spite of the near mess-up, you all did fairly well for your first duels”

Khaos bowed. “It is an honor to serve you, sire, and Prince Loki as well.”

Rubeus nodded thankfully at him and the others, “But don’t let your guards down. The enemies are bound to get stronger now.”

Violet scoffed, “Let them. Some of them already know the truth-- that we can’t be decimated that easily. I can’t wait to get back out there and battle more of those weaklings.”

“A pity we can’t make all our foot soldiers like us. Then there wouldn’t be any trouble.”

Loki shook his head, “We only had enough power to spare to give that to the three of you in your creations. You should feel privileged.”

Rubeus agreed, “Besides, you all know why you were created and why things are like this.”

Khaos nodded once, “And we carry it on with pride, sires. We will collect more power from you, and we will help you unlock the full power that Sunset has.”

The two Princes nodded at the trio.

“That will all. You have your orders.” said Rubeus. “And remember, the honor and future of the Malefic World rests on your shoulders.”

“…So don’t mess it up.” sneered Loki.

The trio bowed and left.

Sapphire sighed heavily as he walked down the dark hall with his comrades. “Well, that was easier than I thought it would be.”

Violet scoffed, “Too easy if you ask me.”

“Well, I didn’t ask you.”

“Knock it off, both of you.” snapped Khaos “We’re supposed to be fighting those fools out there, not bickering with each other.”

The others agreed, but then they gave him a straight look.

“At least we won our duels.” Sapphire pointed out. “You let that Sunset girl get away.”

“I had to…” retorted Khaos “She is getting stronger, and it won’t be long before she knows what she must do.”

“I wouldn’t mind dueling her myself.” said Violet.

She recalled her duel with Rarity, and while it was fun to see her squirm and have one less pest to deal with, “…She was a lightweight. I need strong opponents to duel.”

The Trio still knew their orders; Sunset was to be left alone for a bit, and there was to be no dueling Celestia again, not even by accident.

Celestia was on her knees sobbing softly while gawking at her sister’s soul card.

Sunset finally reached her, in tears herself. She had no words to say over this devastation, and could only hug her principal deeply.

Raven stood near Vic, still holding Twilight’s card in her sweatshirt pocket. All three of them were crushed.

Twilight sniffled, “Poor Celestia!”

“Poor Luna you mean. She’s in a worse fix.” She spoke very softly trying not to make things worse than they were…

…But things were indeed worse!

Vic was salvaging through the remains of his busted generator, and it was all smashed to bits with no way to repair it.

He checked his battery meter, it was still above the halfway mark, and while he had reason to be concerned for himself, he felt more crushed for Celestia.

His anger then began to show for the enemies. “The Dueling Demons!” he grumbled softly “They’re going to pay for this one.”

Raven agreed.

Twilight felt deeply worried now. “I thought the lightning could only take your soul if you lost the duel.”

“Obviously that’s not the case.” said Raven. “It can obviously take the soul of anyone that it strikes.”

Everyone else agreed with this because of the fact that the lightning never came back to strike Celestia.

Sunset then realized, “…The others, they may not know of this yet, or everything else going on either.”

The others all felt their stomachs turn, except Celestia who was still lost in her devastating woes.

As she gazed down at her sister’s card in her hand, memories of their childhood and their always being together flashed before her to the melody of a song…

There were days when I was alone
No one around to talk to or share
But I knew I was never always on my own
I had somebody there… somebody there

We were close as could be
We were friends, she and me
There were times when we’d lose our minds
But in the end, like any other friend
We’d smile and laugh and put it all behind

…My sis and me.

Many of the scenes included from the beginning…

Celestia and Luna as toddlers, playing together, sharing toys, and sometimes getting into fits and arguments, and ending up turning away from one another, which were often soon dissolved and made up, as was shown by the sisters hugging.

They grew up and went to school, and Celestia looked out for Luna when she was picked on by bullies.

Celestia would struggle with dioramas for projects, and Luna would help her-- holding things steady while Celestia glued them in place.

Then they came to be teens in high-school, and they would help each other with homework, and they would have hard times, and silent spells… a typical teenager attitude.

In the end, the sisters never broke their bond, and were always there for each other, even through college, through their days as teachers, and finally taking over as councillors for Canterlot High.

She’d be there to catch me whenever I’d fall.
If she was in the dumps, I’d always be on call
With a shoulder try cry on, and be there and rely on
Sisterly love that would conquer all…

We were close as could be
We were friends, she and me
There were times when we’d lose our minds
But in the end, like any other friend
We’d smile and laugh and put it all behind

…My sis and me.
…My sis and me.

My sis… and… me…

The song ended and the flashbacks faded back to Celestia clutching the card. Her teary expression faded, replaced with anger and determination.

She wouldn’t let her sister’s sacrifice be in vain, and she didn’t want to let anyone else suffer like this. She would find the Prince Brothers and make them pay for everything!

“We should move out, and find the others before they fall into trouble.”

The others couldn’t agree more, especially Sunset “They already got Rarity, and now Luna, and they plan to go after more of us.”

“Wait…” Twilight called “What about Vic’s power cell? It still isn’t fully charged.”

Vic assured her, “I’ve got half a tank full, and that’s good enough. I should be perfectly fine, as long as I don’t duel, or use my gear too much.”

To ensure this, he removed his duel disk, and stowed it in a secret compartment in his backside, along with his deck, so he couldn’t be forced into a duel.

“Besides, the others are right. The sooner we head out, the sooner we can find the others, and then we all work together on getting out of this realm.”

“And… just how are we supposed to find them if we don’t use your scanner?” Raven asked. “They could still be anywhere.”

Sunset sighed, “I guess we do it the old-fashioned way… and look.”

There was a loud hint of panic and worry in her voice. She wasn’t playing around, and really wanted to get going.

So, off they all went, exiting the building and making their way through the city and into the outer lands again.

All the footprints, if any from before, had now vanished-- blown away by the sands in the breeze, but still the fearless group trekked on, while keeping a lookout for more Maleficans looking to duel.

Celestia kept her sister’s soul card in an empty pocket of her blazer, and took practically every half minute to feel inside at it, which helped fuel her to keep going.

As for Sunset, as much as she was eager to find her friends, she couldn’t stop thinking about her duel with Khaos, and that creature in her dreams.

“Unleash the power. Free me…!”

That single call kept echoing at her.

“What does that thing mean?” she kept asking herself. “What kind of power is it, and how do I free it? How do I know if I can even trust it?”

Suddenly, she had a thought, and reached into her disk for a card in her Extra Deck-- the one that was still blank on both side.

This time, upon looking at the card…

“Huh?” she stopped dead in her tracks.

“What’s wrong?” asked Raven.

Sunset held up her card, “Look at this.” and she flipped it over revealing it had magically changed, while it was still blank on one side, on the side she held up there were now four tiny diamond embedded into it.

Each one was a different color-- Purple, Blue, Black, and Green; the very same colors as those lights that shrouded her whenever she performed one of the Summoning techniques.

She told Celestia and Vic about her visions, and that creature.

“Sounds like quite a call for help.” said Vic.

Sunset finally put her finger on things; “Maybe that’s it. Maybe that creature is sealed within this card, and it wants me to release it just like I unlocked all the other blank cards I got.”

Celestia’s eyes began to light up. “You mean this card may have the power we all need to get us out of this; the power to bring Luna back?”

“I don’t know…” replied Sunset “But I remember the day I got these cards, it was “To help save the world.” That’s what the note said.”

She stared down at the four diamonds, “…But I don’t know how to unlock it. These diamonds just appeared on it out of nowhere…and…” she paused.

“What?” asked Vic.

Twilight had the idea of what Sunset was thinking. “I remember during the duel… Khaos said…”

“…I can see why my masters are interested in your dueling.”

This made everyone realize it was possible the Prince Brothers knew about Sunset’s cards too. Maybe they had known all along, which meant that Sunset was in the biggest trouble of all.

Sapphire tried to duel her, but Celestia intervened, forcing her to duel Khaos instead.

“They’re all after me the most.” Sunset realized. “Just like the Prince Brothers wanted me to duel in the Friendship Cup Tournament from day one, and the other girls too; because they wanted the use of our Equestrian energies to unlock the Malefic World in the first place.”

“We get all that…” said Raven “But why are they still after you in particular?”

Sunset looked down at her card, “If these cards were given to me to save the world, they know that I have the power to stop them, and they’re probably trying to keep me from unleashing it.”

“It would explain why they separated all of us.” said Vic “Then it’s easier for them to come after you.”

With this in mind, everyone felt it best to get it going and round up the other groups all the faster.

Sci-Twi’s group had traveled a long way across the shadowy lands since Terra’s duel with Karle before finally running low on steam. They stopped to have a long rest by large rocks to help them lay low.

Shining Armor took the first watch to keep an eye out for more danger.

Terra, Cadance and Applejack were all sleeping peacefully, with the exception of Applejack’s slight snoring.

Spike didn’t sleep at all, and he didn’t have to-- being a mere soul in a card, but he was growing concerned…

Sci-Twi just couldn’t bring herself to sleep ever since Karle revealed herself. You couldn’t blame her either…

…After all the things Karle threatened, and that she stole Twilight’s deck and duel disk and was planning to only cause trouble.

“You really should sleep, Twilight.” he whispered softly.

Sci-Twi just nodded like she half heard him.

Then her brother turned to face her and saw she was still awake.

“You’ll be pretty tired if you don’t catch a wink.” he teased.

She smiled at him, but weakly.

Then she looked at the sleepers. Applejack rolled over and continued to snore with her hat over her face. It went up and down like a shade as she snored.

Even though she knew she had to sleep, and so did the others, it still baffled her scientifically. “How can people who bear so many burdens just crash off and sleep?” she wondered.

She felt more concerned for Terra, and wondering if the other Titans were having it any easier; what with Gar still out there, and worse, even if everyone escaped from the Malefic World what would happen to the Titans; they had been exiled from Jump City and had no place to go.

Far, far away in the hollowed rock, Dick was finally talked into taking a rest by Kori while she took the next watch.

Rainbow, Pinkie and Fluttershy were sleeping too.

All three of them were dreaming and softly muttering in their sleep.

Pinkie was dreaming about a land covered in cakes, pies, and other goodies, and she wanted to sample it all-- bite-by-bite

“Yummy.” she sighed softly as she rolled over.

As for Rainbow, she was dreaming too, but she was dreaming of being the strongest, most powerful duelist in the universe; so great that Karle, Masquerade, even the Prince Brothers and their army of Maleficans fell to her forces.

“Go get ‘em!” she shouted to her army of Raidraptors, and her massive swarm of feathered friends would caw and screech as they unleashed their wrath upon all her enemies.

Wings of fire…

Sonic screeches…

Powerful gusts…

The monsters attacked them all, blasting them all into sparkles, and leaving them all trapped within cards for their wicked ways.

The good people would cheer and holler.

“HAIL RAINBOW DASH: QUEEN OF ALL GAMES!!”

And Rainbow, many times her normal size, would be seen standing higher than all the buildings and laughing with power like some kind of maniacal, unopposable giant.

Rainbow could only give a very soft by satisfying sigh in her sleep.

Fluttershy… all she dreamed of was everything nice, clean, and quiet; so quiet you could hear the snails crawling.

She could only sigh. “Ahh… blissful peace… Nothing but quiet. If this is a dream, please don’t ever wake me up!”

The poor girl, she really wanted the nightmares to end, and to be home in the real world without all the evil and stress.

…A dream that many would want to share and to wake up too.

…Dick, unfortunately, was cringing softly in his sleep as he struggled with a nightmare!

There he was, in the crumpling ruins of Jump City.

Buildings were cracking and dropping bits of rubble by the second. The streets were cracking open like fissures, and the people… the poor people were starving and struggling to keep alive.

Dick then saw a poor little girl who looked lost and couldn’t find her mother.

As a hero, Dick felt obligated to try and help her.

He walked up softly to the child and asked “Are you lost?”

The girl looked up at him, and her features hardened into anger. “You! You’re a Titan!” she screamed, and then she called “HELP!! HELP!! IT’S A TITAN!!!”

Her screams alerted loads of adults and teens, whom were all armed with broken bottles, steel rods, or wooden clubs. Some even had burning torches, and the all began to holler like savages—and given their current dishevelled state it was understandable.

“A Titan…!”

“You let us down!!”

“You’re not welcome here!!!”

“LET’S GET HIM!!”

“Wait, hold it!!” shouted Dick, but his efforts to reason with them all were in vain, and he saw no choice but to flee.

Luckily, he still had some of his gear on him, such as his handy grappling-line, which he used to latch onto a building side and swing himself up and away from the savage crowds.

Unfortunately for him, the spot his hook was latched onto began to crumple because of the building’s poor state, and it broke off causing Dick to fall towards the open streets below, and with nothing else to grab onto.

He was very lucky… the ground he fell towards collapsed, causing him to fall deep into the underground of the crumpling city, and he was able to use another grappling-hook on a strong stalactite to suspend himself a few feet off the ground.

He set himself down safely, but he soon found out he wasn’t alone.

“Nice to see you again, Robin.”

He knew the sound of that voice. He turned round and saw... HIM…! “Slade…!” his old nemesis whom he hadn’t seen since Raven’s father, Trigon, took over, and he actually helped defeat the evil demon lord, and then disappeared.

“It’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” the masked man asked.

Dick clenched his fists, “I thought I’d seen the last of you.”

“Uh-uh-uhn…” Slade said waving his finger “This is a dream, where anything is possible, but then again maybe it’s your guilty conscience tormenting you again for your own misdoings.”

“You’re not one to talk about misdoings, Slade.”

“Am I…? Either way this does not erase what has happened to you, your city, or your precious team, has it?”

The more he taunted him, the angrier Dick became, and he charged at the madman, only for Slade to leap out of the way.

“Oh, come now, you don’t really think that’s how we’re going to settle this, do you? This isn’t the first time you’ve had nightmares like this.”

He was right; Dick had had this recurring nightmare before, ever the city fell into decline and began to crumple.

Then came those undeniable feelings of guilt, shame, remorse, knowing fully well that he and the Titans played large roles in the city’s doom and turning the entire world against helping.

Dick began to clutch his head in anguish as he ran blindly through the darkness trying to shake it all off, but Slade would only remind him. “…No matter how hard you try to run, you can never escape the truth, Robin.

The people no longer believe in you. They don’t wish to see you anymore, and I feel they made the right decision.”

“STOP IT!!” Dick shouted “I won’t listen to this anymore!”

Sadly, he couldn’t just wake up from the dream whenever he wanted; it had to roll out.

Slade then appeared before him, standing on a rocky mound, and he had a duel disk on his left arm.

“You really ought to do something about that temper of yours.”

Dick got the gist already, and already he would deny him. “Why should I duel you? Nothing will change from that.”

“Quite so…” agreed Slade “…Too bad the choice isn’t yours.”

Dick then looked down at his arm; his duel disk seemed to appear out of nowhere and was already armed and activated.

…Then, to make it worse, the ground began to rumble as the rock began to crack all around him. It all collapsed leaving himself and Slade both standing on large rock pillars with a pit of flowing lava below.

“Now what do you say?” asked Slade. “If you still want to run, feel free to try, but note: Even if you were to succeed-- which you will not-- are you truly the hero you used to be-- running away from danger instead of facing it?

Or is it because you still can’t stand up to yourself and all the horrible things you’ve done to the very people you once protected and served?”

Finally having reached the peak of his patience, and realizing there was no other way out, Dick conceded and agreed to duel.

“If it’ll shut you up and get me out of these sooner, then fine.”

Slade nodded, and the two men stood with their inner aura’s blazing like the lava below them.

“DUEL!!” they shouted, as the lava flared from below.

To Be Continued…

Episode 14: Haunting Hunting: Part 2

EPISODE FOURTEEN

And so, the duel was on…

Slade LP: 8000

Dick LP: 8000

“Let the hunt begin.” hissed Slade “And speaking of “hunt” I summon forth ANCIENT GEAR HUNTING HOUND.”

(Atk: 1000)

This creature resembled that of a mechanical canine, which growled and gnashed its metal teeth at Dick.

Dick, having never actually dueled Slade in his dreams before, glared at the monster looking unamused.

“Now, now, Robin, you should know better than to show your teeth at the beast.” said Slade “Especially when I use Hunting Hound’s special ability… since it was Normal Summoned, you automatically are dealt 600 points of damage.”

Dick winced in shock, and watched as the hound leapt clear over to him and bit his arm; thankfully it was just a hologram.

Dick LP: 8000 -----> 7400

“But that’s the least of your problems now.” said Slade “I activate my hound’s second ability, which lets me fuse it along with another Hunting Hound in my hand.”

“A Fusion Summon?!” cried Dick.

He watched as the two hounds merged into the air, and a larger mechanical hound with two heads appeared.

“I Fusion Summon DOUBLE ANCIENT GEAR HUNTING HOUND.”

(Atk: 1400)

The double-headed creature growled at Dick and Slade complimented “Two heads really are better than one.”

Dick still remained unamused.

“You always were one to keep a straight face in dire times.” Hissed Slade “But let’s see how you like this…

I activate the Field Spell, FUSION RECYCLING PLANT.”

The area around the two men began to warp and transform, placing them in the midst of a dark and eerie facility with machinery, power units, and everything.

“What’s this card do?” asked Dick.

“I’m glad that you asked.” Slade said as he place one card facedown. “Now I will end my turn, which allows to use the power of my Recycling Plant, for it allows me to retrieve one monster I used in a Fusion Summon, and add it to my hand.

So now, my Ancient Hear Hunting Hound is back with me, and you can bet it is raring for another bite at your life points.”

Dick groaned softly.

“Now go ahead, O’ Hero. Show me you still have what it takes to stop the villain.”

“Don’t push me!” Dick growled as he drew his card.

“I summon PERFORMAGE TRICK CLOWN.”

(Atk; 1600)

“My Double Hound’s special ability now activates!” shouted Slade.

“What?”

“When you summon a monster, my hound places one Gear Counter on it.”

Right then and there, a small glowing cog-gear appeared above the clown’s head.

Dick remained undeterred. “It’ll take more than a little cog to get at me Slade.”

Then he ordered his clown to attack.

“Your second mistake!” hissed Slade “When a monster with a Gear Counter on it attacks, that monster is instantly destroyed.”

Dick’s eyes widened behind his mask, and he could only watch as his clown exploded into sparkles just like that.

“That’s what you get for being so reckless.” taunted Slade. “You’ve lost your touch, Robin. A good hero always plans ahead before rushing into action.”

Much as he was correct in some ways, Dick was actually grinning, “Yes… but other times, the best to learn about traps you’ve never seen before is to set them off.”

Slade’s eyes narrowed at him behind his mask.

“Now that I know how your Hunting Hound works, I can also activate my Clown’s ability. By paying 1000 life points…”

Dick LP: 7400 -----> 6400

“I can summon him right back to the field, but he’ll lose all his attack and defense points.”

His clown reappeared.

(Def: 0)

“And now I activate the continuous spell BUBBLE BARRIER!”

His card appeared, and magically cast a load of magical bubbles on the field, entrapping his clown inside of one.

“Now, once per turn, my Performage monsters can’t be destroyed, and also, I take no damage from attacks made against my Performage monsters.”

Slade seemed impressed for a man who’s features were covered. “Very impressive, but this duel is far from over.”

Dick placed a card facedown and said “Then make your move and we’ll see who beats whom.”

“Very well…” agreed Slade, “Now I draw…”

He had three cards in his hand.

“Now I once again summon forth my Hunting Hound.”

(Atk: 1000)

The hound growled as fiercely as it did before.

“You do remember what happens, don’t you?”

Dick flashed a small grin, “Sure do… You’ll sick it on me to deal me more damage.”

Slade nodded and snapped his fingers for his hound to pounce.

“Not this time!” snapped Robin “I discard PERFORMAGE DAMAGE JUGGLER from my hand to activate its ability; which stops your hound from dealing me damage and destroys it just like that!”

The hound stopped in midair, just a few feet away from biting him again, and it exploded.

Slade showed little concern. “Figures you’d try that, which grants me exactly what I need.”

“Huh?”

“I now activate my trap card, CALL OF THE HAUNTED, and just like that, my hound returns once more.”

(Atk: 1000)

Dick was really starting to grow annoyed with all these dogs.

“And now, while I could activate my hound’s special ability to Fusion Summon, I have a much better idea.

…I activate the spell POWER BOND!”

Dick gasped, “I’ve heard of that card!”

“Good for you.” teased Slade “Then you should know it allows me to fuse my Hound with my Double Hound.”

The two machines merged together, forming a larger and even more powerful machine with three canine heads.

“I Fusion SummonTRIPLE ANCIENT GEAR HUNTING HOUND!”

(Atk: 1800)

The triple-headed mongrel growled loudly at Dick, blowing gales of its breath at him, and forcing him to struggle to keep his balance.

“And since you claimed you know my Power Bond…” said Slade “You also know that it double the attack of my machine.”

(Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 3600)

Dick scoffed “I also know that come the end of your turn you’ll take damage equal to your monster’s original attack points.”

“…A mere minor setback.” Slade assured him. “It’s my Hunting Hound that should concern you, for it has the power to make three attacks, and your spells and traps cannot be activated in battle!”

Dick growled nervously and then thought. “Just great, well lucky for me, I have a plan, and by the end of this turn he’ll take 1800 points of damage anyway.”

“Now…” shouted Slade “Go my hound, attack that clown!”

The dog growled and out from its three mouths emerged three small cannons which began to charge up.

“Fire one!”

POW!! The blast shot the clown hard, and the resulting explosion billowed shockwaves clear at Dick nearly knocking him off of his pillar, but he still held strong, and so did his monster.

“You forgot about my Bubble Barrier. It protects my clown, and I take no damage from your attack.”

“I am aware.” sneered Slade “But I still have two more attacks, and here comes the second bout!”

He ordered his dog to attack again, and Dick’s monster was brutally blown up, but Dick still took no damage and still held his ground on the pillar.

“I activate my Clown’s ability!” he shouted. “I pay 1000 life points…”

Dick LP: 6400 -----> 5400

“Then my clown returns to the field with a defense of zero.”

(Def: 0)

“And I doubt your third attack will be enough to break him this time.”

Slade was not concerned in the least. “It makes no difference to me. After all, you lowered your own life points for me.”

Dick gnashed his teeth.

Slade didn’t bother attack as it wouldn’t help, and he had something much better in mind as he entered his Main Phase 2.

“I now activate a spell to really damage you. Behold the power of ANCIENT GEAR EXPLOSIVE.”

Another card Dick had never heard of, and he was almost too afraid deep down to ask, “What does it do.”

Slade held out his arm, “It destroys my Hunting Hound, that’s what it does, and then it deals you damage equal to its original attack points, which is 1800.”

“Ah!” cried Dick, and he watched as the dog gave three mighty howls as it exploded in a big fireball, and the flames billowed right at him.

Dick LP: 5400 -----> 3600

This time he fell off the pillar, but managed to hang onto the ledge and pull himself back up.

“I can’t believe you would do that!” he bellowed “You just up and sacrificed your monster to deal me damage?!”

“All things come with a price.” protested Slade. “Even things that seem free or easy will always come with some sort of catch, or task that needs doing.

The question is can you pay it? Are you willing to pay it? Are you willing to sacrifice anything in order to do what must be done, or to get what you want?”

Well I certainly am.

Thanks to my clever dueling I’ve already reduced your life points to less than half, and I’ve barely broken a sweat. That’s what it means to be ruthless…

…Something you know too well when you sold the people out.”

Dick felt stabbed in the heart again, being reminded of his foolish acts in the past which forced people to lose their jobs, their homes, and he didn’t realize it until it was too late, and would lead to the decline and decay of Jump City.

“Like you said,” Slade continued to taunt “…Even if you win this duel, you won’t change the people’s minds about you. They no longer believe in you. They no longer want you.

So either way, Robin… you will lose it all.”

Dick was beginning to tremble deep down; remembering how the people treated him and shunned him.

“No!” he snapped “I won’t let it happen! I know… I’ve made some mistakes, and I regret them dearly, but at least I can still struggle and try to make things right.”

Slade shook his head in dismay, “A pity the people still won’t let you. I certainly wouldn’t let you.

As far as I see, Robin… you haven’t the right, the privilege, or even the very permission to make up for what you’ve done.

There are some mistakes that are completely unforgivable. You’re officially like me, Robin… and nothing you say or do will undo it.”

Dick growled and stomped his foot down. “I won’t give up and that’s final!”

“If you insist.” said Slade. “Meanwhile, it is still my turn, and I activate the spell ONE DAY OF PEACE.

We now each daw one card, and until my next turn, neither of us can be damaged, and of course… that means even my Power Bond card won’t harm me.”

Dick could hardly believe the way he was dueling. “Amazing.” he said in thought “He’s managed to damage me a lot, and now he’s avoided his own damage and he’s ensured that he won’t get hurt on his next turn.”

“Now I’ll place my last card facedown.” said Slade “And as I end my turn, thanks to my Fusion Recycling Plant, my Ancient Gear Hunting Hound returns to my hand once more.”

He said nothing more. His turn was done.

“It’s my draw!” said Dick, and he drew his fifth card.

He knew he couldn’t damage Slade this turn, but it was safe to know he couldn’t be damaged either.

He looked deeply inside him for what he was about to do, thinking of the souls of his parents for guidance.

“Mom… Dad… Please help me get through this. Guide me with you spiritual talents.”

He held up his hand declaring, “Now, I activate Damage Juggler’s ability from the graveyard; by banishing it, I’m allowed to add a “Performage” monster from my deck to my hand.

…I choose Plushfire.”

Now he had a full hand of six cards, and stood ready for action.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2PERFORMAGE REVERSAL DANCER, and Scale 5 PERFORMAGE PLUSHFIRE.”

His two monsters leapt up high into the light. “Now I can summon as many monsters from levels 3 and 4 as I want.

…I Pendulum Summon!”

Two shots of light rained down from above as his monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAGE MIRROR CONDUCTOR…” (Atk: 600)

“PERFORMAGE BALL BALANCER…” (Atk: 1000)

His performers all stood together, showing off and striking a pose.

Slade just stood where he was with his arms folded, and didn’t make any references or taunts or anything.

Dick scoffed and continued his move…

“I now activate Mirror Conductor’s special ability! It’s about to cast a reflection of your monster.”

His monster aimed its large mirror chest so it reflected the hunting hound perfectly, which made the dog monster growl and glow.

Dick grinned, “And with that, your monster’s attack points now swap with its defense points!”

Slade narrowed his eyes.

(Atk: 3600) -----> (Atk: 1000)

Normally, Dick would then lose 500 life points, but he was safe thanks to One Day of Peace.

“Now I overlay my Level 4 Mirror Conductor with Level 4 Ball Balancer, in order to build the Overlay Network!”

The portal appeared as the two monsters dipped into it, and from out if leapt Dick’s faithful performer on a trapeze swing.

“I Xyz Summon PERFORMAGE TRAPEZE MAGICIAN.”

(Atk: 2500)

Looking up at his monster swing, he could practically see his father’s face again.

Then he ordered the monster attack and destroy Slade’s monster.

The magician swung down hard, and gave the hunting hound a strong kick to the face, smashing it to pieces in its weakened state.

Slade took no damage, and just stood casually as the shockwaves sped past him, which did frustrate Dick a little, but he still felt he had the advantage.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.”

The magician swung back to right behind, and Dick couldn’t help but look up at his “Father’s” face again.

“Now it’s my turn.” hissed Slade, and he drew a card giving him two.

“And now, I shall activate my trap card, ANCIENT GEAR REBORN.

Since I control no monsters, I can resurrect an “Ancient Gear” creature from my graveyard, and increase its attack power by 200.”

His graveyard began to glow, and a beam of bright light shot onto his field.

“…I revive Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!”

(Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 2000)

“And now I summon an old faithful companion of mine, the Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!”

(Atk: 1000)

Dick was starting to really get annoyed with playing the same monster over and over again.

“Now you can say goodbye to another 600 of your life points.”

The hound leapt over and bit Dick on the arm again!

Dick LP: 3600 -----> 3000

Dick growled.

“And now…” hissed Slade “I activate CARD OF DEMISE, which permits me to refresh my hand with five cards, as long as I discard my entire hand in five turns, but it shouldn’t take that long to defeat you, with only 3000 life points remaining.”

Dick kept his cool.

“I now activate the spell CYBERNETIC FUSION SUPPORT.

By trading half of my life points…”

Slade LP: 8000 -----> 4000

“…I am now able to enhance the Fusion capability of my Hunting Hound-- I can Fusion Summon by banishing the correct monsters from my hand, field, or graveyard.”

Dick sweated softly.

“Now, with the power of my Hunting Hound, I shall fuse it, along with my Double Hunting Hound in the graveyard, and two other Hunting Hounds in my hand.”

“Four monsters?!” cried Dick, and he watched as the spirits of the four machines merged together.

“Prepare to face the most powerful creature I can manufacture!” called Slade “I Fusion Summon ULTIMATE ANCIENT GEAR GIANT!”

(Atk: 4500)

Dick had never seen such a giant machine before, and its attack points were off the charts too.

“Yes, take a good look at it.” said Slade “This monster will be the end of you, for it is impervious to the effects of your spells and traps, and your monsters are unable to use their own powers when in battle.”

Dick’s eyes widened behind his mask with worry!

“And I should also mention, I am able attack all your monsters.”

Dick’s mouth hung open!

“Of course there is still a matter of your Bubble Barrier, and I won’t approve it any longer, so I play DE-SPELL.”

“No!!” shouted Dick, but his beloved Bubble Barrier was busted, and all his monsters were no longer shielded from monster attacks.

“Quite sad, isn’t it?” taunted Slade “And one final thing I should mention; when my Gear Giant attacks a monster in defense mode, you’ll still take damage.”

Dick winced. “My clown has zero defense points! I’ll lose the duel!!” he paused as he looked up at the huge monster, but then he remembered what Slade had said about it…

“Gear Giant is unaffected by your spells and traps, and you cannot use your monster’s abilities during battle.”

“That’s it!” he cried “I will destroy you, with the help of my Trapeze Magician’s special ability, which I can use during either player’s Main Phase 1!”

His magician leapt up onto his swing and bowed majestically.

Dick smiled up at him.

“Now, but using one Overlay Unit, I can target your Gear Giant!”

The magicians swung on in, and gave the Gear Giant a taste of his magical dust, which made the huge steel hulk sparkle and glow.

“And this is supposed to frighten me… how?” asked Slade.

“Because…” snapped Dick, “Your monster is now allowed to attack twice in one turn--even though it already is a multiple-attacker-- but at the end of this turn, your monster will automatically be destroyed.

Slade’s eyes widened, but only for a moment. “That’s very clever, but still not enough, because you won’t survive by the end of this turn.”

He entered his battle phase, and his gear giant began to power up its huge laser cannon, and targeted Trick Clown.

“FIRE!!”

POW!! The large burning blast headed straight for the defenseless clown.

“Hold on!” shouted Dick “I activate the trap DEFENSE DRAW.”

Slade couldn’t believe this as he narrowed his eyes in anger as Dick began glowing.

“This trap makes it so I don’t take any damage from the attack…” Dick called to him, and he braced himself as the blast hit, destroying his precious clown, and while he wasn’t able to bring him back this time due to Gear Giant stopping him, his life points were safe.

“Whew!” he said. “After that’s done, I also draw one card.”

“So you got lucky and outwitted my giant.” said Slade “I applaud you for it, but don’t think you’re out of the woods yet.”

He had his sights now set on Trapeze Magician, which really turned Dick’s stomach. The thought of seeing his monster go down would only bring back memories of his parents and how they were murdered before his eyes.

“Gear Giant, attack!” shouted Slade.

POW!! The laser fired again…!

Dick shut his eyes really tight so as not having to see it as his “Father” was consumed in the burning energy field that consumed him and vaporized him into nothing…

…But still Dick didn’t take any damage.

With a heavy heart, and his body trembling in the air of his dead monster, Dick told him, “Guess you didn’t realize… I don’t take damage if the amount is less than that of my father’s attack points.”

Slade only shook his head in dismay. “Poor, pitiful Robin… That card is not your father, and you should be quite thankful it isn’t either. I don’t really think he’d be proud of you to see what you’ve become…”

“Now don’t start THAT with me again!”

“You’re right, I won’t… especially seeing as you’re wide open, and I have one other monster to strike you with… my Triple Hunting Hound.”

Dick growled. He knew he couldn’t stop the attack this time.

Even though he would havd been able to summon his Plushfire from the Pendulum Zone thanks to its ability, the Gear Giant would be able to attack and wipe out all of his life points. He couldn’t risk it, and had to take what was coming to him.

Slade ordered his monster to attack!

The hound opened all three of its huge mouths and blasted him directly, giving him a full 2000 points of damage!

Dick LP: 3000 -----> 1000

Dick glared at Slade viciously, with burning flames in his eyes behind his mask.

“Like I said…” taunted Slade “A good thing your father isn’t here to see you as you are-- a disgraced hero, and poor duelist, and hopeless optimist with no real light at the end of the tunnel.

…And you still wonder why the people kicked you out and why they will continue to do so?”

Dick’s fist was clenched so hard, it almost felt as if he would puncture his palm with his fingers.

“Well then…” Slade said “Allow me to prove myself all the more right by activating this spell card…

…WINGS OF DIMENSION.”

“Huh? What’s that card do…?” asked Dick, but he got his answer when Slade ended his turn… and the Gear Giant lost the sparkling glow, and wasn’t destroyed.

“No…!”

“Oh, yes.” hissed Slade “I was able to negate the destruction of my monster, so he stays around and ready to finish you off on my next turn.

So make your final move, and for your sake, Robin… I hope it’s a good one.”

Dick was really in a fix now. With no monster in play and that Gear Giant staring him down, he wasn’t sure how to beat it… until he realized.

“Wait a minute. Maybe I don’t have to beat it?” he thought, and he had a plan.

“I draw!”

He now had three cards in hand, and he liked them a lot.

“I activate PENDULUM BACK.Since I have two monsters up in my Pendulum Zones, I can retrieve two monsters from the graveyard if their levels are in between the two scales.

So I’ll add Mirror Conductor and Ball Balancer back to my hand, and just time…

…I Pendulum Summon.”

Four shots of light rained down as his monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAGE MIRROR CONDUCTOR…” (Atk: 600)

“PERFORMAGE BALL BALANCER…” (Atk: 1000)

“PERFORMAGE FIRE DANCER…” (Atk: 1400)

“PERFORMAGE OVERLAY JUGGLER…” (Atk: 1200)

His four performers stood by him, two on each side, almost like his family and friends from the circus.

“That’s a charming assembly.” said Slade “But they don’t near come to be a great as my Gear Giant.”

Dick shot him a sinister grin and said, “…I know they don’t, which is why I plan to make them do more.

I activate Mirror Conductor’s ability, which lets me swap the attack and defense points of your monster like before, but I’m not going after your Gear Giant.”

Slade turned and gawked at his other monster-- his Triple Hunting Hound, and once again, it’s attack and defense were swapped.

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 1000)

“And now, everything into place for the next trick I have.” called Dick “I overlay Mirror Conductor and Overlay Juggler… so I can Xyz Summon another PERFORMAGE TRAPEZE MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 2500)

His monster appeared, swinging in on his trapeze, and he shot Dick a thumb-up.

“But why stop at one, when I do it again.” hollered Dick “I overlay Fire Dancer and Ball Balancer to summon my third Trapeze Magician.”

(Atk: 2500)

The two magicians swung together, and though they were both male monsters, Dick couldn’t help but see the faces of both his mother and father on each of them.

He held his heart, feeling their spirits guiding and strengthening him.

“Now I activate their abilities! They each use an Overlay Unit, and then cast their magic upon each other!”

The magicians each gave power to each other, making their bodies glow and sparkle brightly.

“Now they each get to attack you twice! Oh, but before they do, I still have one last card to play.

…MIST BODY!”

Slade’s eyes actually widened and watched as a powerful mist enveloped his hound’s body from heads to feet. “What is the meaning of this?”

Dick smirked, “Whichever monster is equipped with the Mist Body cannot be destroyed in battle.”

Slade stepped back in actual horror for the first time.

“And since your monster can’t be destroyed, I’m free to attack it up to four times.” said Dick “Your monster will survive, but the same won’t be said for you, Slade!”

Slade could only growl angrily, and Dick called to his two magicians, “Bring down the house, and attack that Hunting Hound!”

The two magicians bowed and swung over to other side of the field, each firing two blasts each at the hunting hound, engulfing it in fiery explosions.

Slade covered his eyes as the shockwaves of the explosion billions right at him as his life points dropped to zero.

The rock pillar he was standing on began to crumple in the force of the blasts, Dick’s pillar crumpled too.

Dick jumped to safety, but Slade fell down and into the lava pool, and his body began to spark and short circuit, for it was just another one of his old robot clones.

As the robot sank slower into the lava it commended at Dick. “You did well to defeat me, but that’s as far as it goes. It’ll take much more than a mere victory for you to restore yourself from disgrace.”

Then he was gone-- completely melted away, and worse than that, the cavern was beginning to collapse from all the stress of the duel.

Rocks and boulders came crashing down all around, and there was no way out.

“No…!! NOOOOOOO….!!”

“Dick…? Dick! Wake up!” Kori said as she softly shook him.

Her husband slowly opened his eyes to find himself back in the hollowed rock and looked up into his wife’s big green eyes.

He lay back and sighed in relief, but not really too much being back in the Malefic World where it was dangerous and all that.

The girls were still asleep, he hadn’t awoken them.

“Having another nightmare?” Kori asked.

Dick nodded shamefully, “And a ridiculous one at that.” he paused and realized “…Slade’s never dueled before… has he?”

Kori could only shake her head in dismay over her husband’s constant nightmares.

Author's Note

Right... I guess that'll do for now.

Let's go on Hiatus again!

*Sighs* This fic is gonna take quite a while.

Episode 15: Rocking-Raging-Raven

EPISODE FIFTEEN

Sci-Twi’s group had wandered a great deal from where Terra had dueled Karle, and they didn’t feel like they were any nearer to finding any of their friends than they were before.

“We’re lost… aren’t we?” asked Cadance.

Shining Armor looked one way, and then another. Every way looked the same; just endless stretches of shadow lands with mountains, and deserts, and not a sign of anything to tell them where they were or where to go, not even any footprints in the sand other than their own, and even then, their own footprints were disappearing by the billowing sands so they couldn’t even know which way they came.

“Yeah, I’d say we are.” he finally admitted, but he didn’t like it.

Spike felt upset. “If only I wasn’t trapped in this piece of cardboard, I could sniff the others out.”

Applejack was already trying her farm-girl sniffing technique. “I ain’t given up, and neither should you all.” She was very worried about her friends ever since she had that sickening feeling that something had gone horrible wrong in two places.

Terra agreed with her, still determined to find the others, but then she noticed Sci-Twi was looking all around, and even up on the mountain peaks.

“What are you looking for?” she asked.

“Karle.” Sci-Twi answered “She said she was following us, and who knows what other dangers are out there. Plus, I really want to get my deck back.”

This and concern of the others gave her plenty of fuel to keep going… until her stomach growled. Some of the others felt the same way.

“Maybe we should stop for a bite first.” suggested Terra.

Unable to argue with that, everyone just sat where they were on the sand, and took out some of the food they had stored from a while back.

They were careful not to consume too much took quickly, for the food wasn’t going to last much longer, unless they found a new supply, which wasn’t too seemingly.

The other groups had also stopped and consumed bites of their food supplies, but Celestia didn’t seem too hungry.

“You okay?” asked Vic, but then he figured. “Still upset about Luna, huh?”

“Well, yes…” replied Celestia “But that’s not slowing me up. I… just don’t feel hungry at all or even sleepy or tried for that. If anything, I feel stronger than ever.”

The others all found this strange, seeing as she had just gotten out of a duel, which she lost, not to mention the shock and grievance of seeing her sister turned into a card thus: sparing her own soul.

Sunset wasn’t paying too much attention, as she was preoccupied wondering about the jewels on the mystery card.

She thought to herself, “I know these jewels must resemble the four summoning methods, but how do they work exactly?” she thought and she thought. “I won’t know for sure unless I duel again, and that’s running a great risk as it is.”

“Sunset?” called Raven. “Sunset…?”

She snapped out of her trance. “Oh, sorry, I was miles away.”

“I’ll say you were.” said Raven. Then she looked back and could barely see any sign of the city. “We’ve come miles too, and we’re just wandering around like Gar used to be.”

Vic’s eyes narrowed at her. “Rae!”

“What do you mean by “How he used to be?” asked Twilight.

Raven shook her head trying to act innocent, “…It’s nothing. It’s all history.” Then she took a big bite of a sandwich, hoping the Equestrians would back off, but both Sunset and Celestia felt convinced that what she had implied wasn’t merely “Nothing.”

Twilight especially wasn’t convinced, but before she could ask, the ground began to shake.

“What’s happening?!” she wailed.

“Ah, man! Don’t tell me--?” groaned Vic, and at that moment, the ground burst open and out came a gaggle of rock-type Malefican monsters. One of which, the leader of the bunch was wearing a duel disk.

The leader laugh, “There she is.” he growled while pointing at Sunset. “That’s the one their highnesses want most.”

Sunset looked ready and edging for a duel, despite the risks, really wanting to learn more about her card, but before she could do anything…

Raven snuck behind Vic and opened the compartment in his back, stealing his duel disk.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” he bellowed, but Raven already stepped forth and addressed the monsters, “If you brutes are dueling anyone, it’s going to be me.”

She readied the disk, taking out Vic’s deck and replacing it with her own. “It’s about time I got back into the action.”

“But Raven--” called Celestia.

“But nothing…!” Raven insisted “Something’s going on with you, and I don’t think it’s safe for you to duel. Vic shouldn’t duel at all, and Sunset…” she paused “…Somehow, I don’t think she should duel either, not if they want something from her.”

Sunset knew this as well, and found it hard to protest, but the rock leader still disagreed as he glared Raven down. “You have nothing of importance to us. We intend to duel your friend and that is final!”

Before he could do anything else, Raven held out the duel disk and fired a beam at the leader’s disk, which forced the duel challenge, which surprised the rest of the friends.

“How did she do that?” wondered Celestia.

Sunset deduced, “Of course… in this world, if they can force others into duels, then so can we.”

Raven nodded, having guessed that earlier. Now the leader had no choice but to duel her.

Much to the leader’s chagrin, he had to comply, “Very well, but you realize you are digging your own grave with this. I’ll burry it with you, and then rock slide on your friends back there too.”

Raven was growing annoyed. “Can you knock it off with the bad rock puns? Let’s just duel.”

The other rock monsters didn’t take kind to her rudeness, but the leader, somewhat did. “The last being foolish enough to speak to me that way was crushed like a pebble.”

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Rock Leader LP: 8000

Raven LP: 8000

The cards were drawn, and the friends were all worried for Raven.

“Do you think she can crush this creep?” asked Sunset.

“Hard to tell,” replied Vic “She hasn’t dueled in a while, but we can’t think negative here.”

“Let’s Rock and Roll.” chuckled the leader as he made the first move. “I shall summon BARRIER STATUE OF THE DROUGHT in defense-mode!”

(Def: 1000)

His dumpy little rock monster appeared.

“Ha!” Raven scoffed “You just made a big mistake. By summoning a monster, I can--” she was about to try and summon one of her PSY Frames, but her cards actually shocked her like a force-field blocking her off.

“What’s going on?” asked Celestia. “Why can’t Raven play her card?”

“Ah!” Sunset gasped “That monster…”

Everyone saw the creature shedding thick sands all over the field, which made Raven gag and cough.

The Rock leader snickered, “You’re already catching on. Thanks to my Statute’s special ability, the field becomes shrouded in dusty drought. Now no monster can be special summoned unless it is Earth-Attributed.”

Raven growled angrily. All her monsters were Light-Attributed; meaning her PSY Frames no longer could use their effects.

“This is really bad!” she thought. “Since most of my monsters needs to special summoned to be played, I won’t be able to get much out onto the field.”

The Rock Leader felt satisfied. “Now I shall place four cards facedown, and end my turn.”

“Great!” Raven thought “I can’t play my monsters, and now I’ve got four face downs to deal with!”

The friends were all shuddering for Raven already.

“I can’t believe this.” Sunset muttered “The duel just started, and Raven’s already seriously backed up.”

Vix wasn’t even sure if he wanted to cheer Raven on, knowing she wouldn’t like it and it probably wouldn’t help.

“Maybe thinking negative is the only thing right now.” he thought, but he really didn’t want Raven to lose.

“It’s my turn…” Raven said and she drew her card, but it wasn’t really something that could help her. “I have no other choice.

…I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

The Rock Leader’s followers taunted Raven.

“Looks like someone’s hit rock bottom already.”

“She’s like a mere pebble in the land of boulders.”

Raven’s head was throbbing in anger. “If I have my powers back--” was all she could say before the Rock Leader cut in “…But the fact remains: you haven’t. So I suggest you settle in. It’s going be a rocky road.”

Raven didn’t know what hurt more; the bad puns, or her terrible situation.

“It’s my draw…” said the opponent. “And I activate the trap known as STATUE OF ANGUISH PATTERN!”

A large stone creature suddenly appeared on the field.

(Def: 2500)

“Uh… what is that supposed to be?” asked Raven.

“It’s a Trap Monster!” called Sunset. “It’s a card that’s both a monster, and still treated as a trap.”

Raven growled softly while her opponent chuckled. “Perhaps you’re all not full of rocks in the head.”

“Yeah?” sneered Raven. “Well, the fact is that monster still has no attack power.”

The Leader snickered. “I am aware, but here’s what you are unaware of, I have two more of them to play.”

“Huh?

“I activate… two more Statutes, and summon them to my field, for just as the very rock formations that formed the Earth itself!”

Surely enough, two more Statues formed up by the first one.

(Def: 2500) x2

Raven glared at the trio of statues, and two of them started glowing!

“What are they doing now?” she had to ask. She got her answer when, POW, the glowing statues fired magical beams at her two facedown cards, and blew them into dust.

“No! My cards…!”

The leader chuckled, “Did I not mention my Statues’ hidden powers. Whenever a card is summoned from my spell/trap zone, they are able to destroy one card, which leaves you virtually defenseless.”

Suddenly, Raven’s side of the field began to spark and thunder with rage.

“What is happening?”

That’s when Raven gave a sinister grin. “Looks like you fell for a little trick of my own.

One of the cards you destroyed was my BLACK PENDANT. Since you destroyed it, you get hit with 500 points of damage.”

Dark billowing winds blasted from her field, striking her opponent hard…

Rock Leader LP: 8000 -----> 7500

…But the opponent just stood where he was, taking the hit without so much as a flinch or a flicker, as he was a rock creature.

“And further more…” Raven continued “The second card was this…” she got it out of the graveyard to show everyone, “This is a handy spell called SPELL CALLING, and since you destroyed it, I now get to set one Quick-Play spell from my deck down onto my field.”

The opponent grumbled softly as Raven made her selection. “Read it and weep. I set BOOK OF MOON facedown.”

The opponent gazed deeply at that card and could practically read Raven’s thoughts. “I see what she plans… she intends to use that spell to turn my Drought Statue facedown, and thereby canceling out its power.

A bold attempt, but not good enough.”

The friends could hardly believe Raven was still trying to duel her best out there, and watched with extreme anxiety.

“Now then!” shouted the Rock Leader “I shall summon one monster in defense-mode, and then ends my turn.”

Raven was confused. “All he’s doing is playing defense. Why isn’t trying to attack me?”

She began to suspect there was more to his plan than she thought, but at least now it was her turn.

“It’s my draw!” she thundered, drawing a fifth card. “And now, as you may have guessed, I activate my BOOK OF MOON. It lets me flip one monster on the field facedown, and I know just the one…” she pointed straight at the Barrier Statue, and with a magic zap from the book, the monster flipped over.

“Alright!” cheered Vic “With that statue flipped down… that means Raven can summon her monsters again.”

Celestia and Sunset were hopeful for Raven’s next move; while the opponent seemed all stiff as the rock he was, as were his followers.

Raven reached for another card, “Now from my hand I activate the spell CARD DESTRUCTION. It forces us to discard all the cards in our hands, and then draw the same amount from our decks.”

She discarded four cards, and then redrew four more, but her opponent did nothing as his hand was empty.

Raven then gazed down at her cards, and she was pleased with what she had.

“What do you think she drew?” asked Twilight.

“I think we’re about to find out.” said Sunset “I just hope it’s good.”

“Now…” Raven called as she grabbed a card “I play the spell TELEKINETIC POWER WELL. Now I can special summon as many Level 2 or below Psychic-Type monsters from my graveyard.”

Her graveyard began to glow brightly, and three of her monsters appeared in an instant.

“PSY-FRAMGEAR ALPHA…” (Def: 0)

PSY-FRAMGEAR GAMMA…” (Def: 0)

PSY-FRAMEGEAR DELTA…” ( Def: 0)

Her three monsters all stood with their wires flailing, and their bodies glowing.

The Rock Leader was hardly impressive. “A bold move, I must say, but you forget that it comes with a price; a price that costs you 300 life points for each level of those monsters.”

The friends all gasped, and Vic added it all up. “That means Raven’s going to lose 1500 points!”

Raven groaned and growled as the energy drain shocked her…

Raven LP: 8000 -----> 6500

…But she managed to stay standing. “It’s a price I had to pay, and it was worth it. Now I tribute my Beta, in order to summon this… PSY-FRAME DRIVER.”

(Atk: 2500)

“And if you think that I’m finished here, guess again, because I tune my Level 1 Alpha with Level 6 Driver.”

The monsters changed into the orbs and rings as they began to tune together.

“I Synchro Summon PSY-FRAMELORD ZETA!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her monster glowed with its powerful light, forcing the rock monsters to raise their arms up to their eyes.

“What’s the matter? Can’t stand the light?” Raven teased “Well, maybe you can stand this… I play MONSTER REBORN, to bring back my Frame Driver.”

(Atk: 2500)

“And that here’s here, I’ll Syncrho Summon again, by tuning Gamma with Driver, I bring forth… PSY-FRAMELORD OMEGA!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her two strong Synchro monsters stood side-by-side, glowing brighter than ever, much to the disdain of the enemies, but the joy of the friends.

“Excellent.” said Celestia “Now Raven really has a chance to turn the tables.”

Raven entered her battle phase.

“Go Zeta, attack that facedown Statue.”

Her monster rushed in to attack while she thought, “By destroying that card, I’ll be free to special summon more of my monsters again.”

The attack was about to connect, when the opponent sneered, “I think not! I activate the trap CALL OF THE EARTHBOUND.”

“Huh?”

The friends all gasped too, and watched as the monster veered off from its selected target.

“This trap forces your monster to attack a different creature on my field.” He pointed to his other hidden monster, and Zeta was forced to attack and reveal it-- an ugly kind of jar with a goofy looking face.

“What is that?”

“…It’s a MORPHING JAR!” cried Sunset.

Everyone watched as the ugly creature was destroyed, but then came the next part as Sunset explained, “When a Morphing Jar is flipped up, both players discard all cards that they hold, and then draw five new ones.”

Raven was forced to send her last card away, and both players drew a fresh hand.

The opponent snickered, “Your plan was only rock-steady, but far from solid. Now, my hand is perfectly freshened.”

“Yeah?” snapped Raven “Well you forget, I still have another monster.” And she ordered her Omega to attack the Drought statue again, and this time it was destroyed, but since it was in defense-mode, the opponent was left undamaged.

“Like I said…” he taunted “I am Rock Solid. You are not.”

“We’ll see about that…” sneered Raven. “I place two cards facedown and end my turn.”

Raven’s features were starting to harden, and she seemed to be breathing softly yet angrily.

“Is she alright?” asked Celestia. “She’s looking really angry.”

The others noted this as well, particularly Twilight. “She looks like she’s struggling with some deep inner memory.” she thought.

Raven still managed to cool herself down, but she wasn’t done with the thoughts in her head by a long shot.

The rock monsters also noted her anger rising.

“What’s with her?”

“She looks like she wants to fly into a rage.”

The leader took little interest and drew his next card, giving him six in hand.

Raven thought careful as she looked up at Omega. “I dare not use his special ability just yet. It’ll be best if I wait for him to play his hand down first.”

“Let’s Rock!” bellowed the opponent, “And I shall turn all three of my Statutes to attack mode.”

(Atk: 0) x3

Raven was confused since all three monsters had no attack points.

“Confused are we?” taunted the leader, which made Raven’s head throb.

“Well you know, they say a good offense can come from a strong defense, and that is exactly what I intend to show you.”

Raven had a good idea of what was coming now!

“I play the spell card SHIELD AND SWORD, and its enchanting power will swap all monsters attack and defense points.”

“Oh, no!” cried Raven, and the magic did its work right before her eyes.

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2500) x3

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1800)

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 2200)

“Raven’s monsters just grew weaker!” cried Sunset.

“And his monsters just toughened way up!” added Vic.

The leader laughed, “Time to rock her monster’s world!”

“I don’t think so!” sneered Raven. “I activate Zeta’s special ability, which lets me target one Attack Position monster you have and banish it alone with Zeta.”

The monster only snickered, “I’m afraid that won’t be happening. My statues are impervious to being targeted by card effects so long as I have a trap monster in play.”

Raven was furious now by this recently revelation, and the fact that her monster had to stay put and couldn’t use its power after all.

She began panting angrily again.

“Rae, take it easy.” called Vic “Don’t let this guy get to you.”

It still wasn’t exactly her opponent that was bothering her, but her inner conscience.

Twilight still felt more convinced about this than ever.

The opponent then engaged his battle phase. “My first statue shall destroy your Zeta!”

His monster summoned a hoard of magical stones and began to bombard Raven’s monster…

(Atk: 2500) VS (Atk: 1800)

…Destroying it and more stones pelted against Raven. She growled as it felt like she was really being stoned.

Raven LP: 6500 -----> 5800

“Hang tough, Raven!” called Sunset.

“Ha!” scoffed the opponent. “My second statue will now destroy your Omega!”

As the monster began to charge up again, Raven couldn’t believe what she was about to do, but she felt it was her only chance.

“I activate my trap, PSY-FRAME OVERLOAD!”

“What?!” barked the leader.

The other monsters and the friends gawked in confusion.

“Now I’ll banish one “PSY-Frame” in my hand, and now I can target and banish one card in play.”

The leader seemed unamused. “And I thought I had rocks on the brain. I already explained to you that my Statues cannot be targeted.”

“I’m not going after them.” said Raven “I’m banishing my own monster. Scram, Omega!”

Her monster obeyed, and vanished in a ray of light.

“Why would Raven do that?!” snapped Celestia. “Now she’s wide open for a direct attack!”

“And worse than that, now he get a replay.” said Sunset. Then she suddenly realized, “Wait a minute…!”

“Now I activate another trap!” shouted Raven

“Since your monster vanished,” sneered the opponent “Now I will attack you instead, go my Statue.”

The attack then aimed straight at Raven.

“No!” she shouted “I activate PSY-FRAMEGEAR BETA from my hand. When you declare a direct attack while I control no monsters, I can summon him from my hand along with a PSY-Frame Driver from my deck.”

The two monsters appeared.

(Def: 0)

(Atk: 2500)

“And you know what happens now?” Raven partially bellowed at her opponent, “Your attacking monster is instantly destroyed, and the battle phase ends! And by the way: This effect doesn’t target, so your monster is going down!”

“Ah!” gasped the leader, but he was forced to watch as his monster powered down, and his body began to crack and crumble, and the creature collapsed into dust.

“Oh, no… This isn’t good!” muttered one of the rock comrades.

His friend agreed, “So that’s why she banished her monster. It was so she could summon those creatures out and stop the leader.”

“This is far from over.” the leader insisted as he laid three cards facedown, ending his turn.

“Now my monsters are both banished.” said Raven, and her creatures vanished as she said, leaving her wide open again.

The friends were impressed by Raven’s playing, but her anger was still showing.

“She’s getting angrier.” said Twilight. “Is she alright?”

Vic couldn’t answer. It wasn’t often that Raven showed growing rage like she was now; mostly because she had to hold her powers back, but now that her powers were disabled… was she just starting to break loose?

Raven was finding it harder to keep her composure as she gazed at her opponent, and then her eyes began to narrow angrily, as if she was seeing something different.

“I’ve got to get a grip!” she thought “If I keep slipping like this I could lose focus, and I can’t afford that, not now!”

She drew her next card, giving her two in hand.

“I now play my trap, RETURN FROM THE DIFFERENT DIMENSION!

It activates when I pay half my life points…”

Raven LP: 5800 -----> 2900

“And then I can summon as many of my banished monsters as I need.”

She was about to do so when her opponent called to her. “Sorry, but I’ll have to ground you, because I activate a trap of my own… CALL OF THE HAUNTED…!”

Raven growled angrily, but she had a sneaky feeling he was going to revive his Drought Statute, which would prevent her from summoning her Light monsters.

“Sorry, but I’m not grounded!” she scoffed. “Since I have no monsters, and you played a trap, I summon PSY-FRAMEGEAR EPSILON from my hand and a third Driver from my deck.”

(Atk: 1500)

(Atk: 2500)

“And by doing so, your trap is negated and destroyed!”

In a flash of lightning fired by the monsters, the trap had failed.

“And now…” Raven called “My trap continues to activate, which lets me summon my banished creatures.”

Three flashes of light shot out from an opened portal, and her monsters materialized.

“PSY-FRAMEGEAR BETA…” (Def: 0)

“PSY-FRAMEGEAR ALPHA…” (Def: 0)

“PSY-FRAME DRIVER…” (Atk: 2500)

Raven suddenly gasped and clutched herself in pain, and fell down on one knee. She had forgotten she had just paid much of her life points, which drained much of her energy as well.

“Raven!” called Vic “Are you okay?”

She didn’t answer, if anything, she looked more enraged than ever as she glared at her opponent, with her eyes flaming with building rage.

She got back up onto her feet, looking almost ready to ram through a brick-wall.

Her opponent noted this, and yet preferred to egg her on. “Looks like someone’s been a little rocked, and is about to get buried alive.

You fell for my real trap.”

“What?!” snapped Raven.

“That Call of the Haunted was a ruse to get you to use us resources, because now I activate another trap monster… TIKI SOUL!”

Raven groaned softly, and watched as a new monster popped up onto the field.

(Def: 1800)

“Oh, no!”

“Oh, yes…” laughed the opponent “And since I have summoned yet another trap monster, my two Statues on Anguish activate their own abilities, which will destroy two of your cards.”

The monsters began to glow, and they fired their ancient beams at Raven’s field, destroying one of the Frame Drivers, and the Overload trap card.

“It won’t matter to me!” Raven growled. “Now I tune Level 2 Epsilon with my Level 6 Frame Driver.”

The monsters began to synchronize, and Raven’s largest monster appeared.

“I Synchro Summon THOUGHT RULER ARCHFIEND!”

(Atk: 2700)

Her monster growled viciously.

The friends began to feel their hopes returning as they basked in the light of Raven’s monster.

Raven then engaged her battle phase. “Thought Ruler, attack that Anguish Statue now!”

Her monster charged up, and prepared to fire a powerful psybeam…

…But the opponent snickered, “You just never learn do you. I still have one more trap monster to summon.”

Raven cringed softly.

“I now activate SWAMP MIRRORER, a trap creature that allows me to choose its Type and Attribute. Obviously: I choose Rock and Earth!”

The monster then appeared on the field, giving the opponent a full five trap monsters!

(Atk: 1800)

The friends were aghast beyond imagination.

“He’s got five monsters that are also considered traps in play at once!” cried Vic.

The others all nodded with shock in their eyes. Five trap monsters VS Raven’s single monster.

“And it only gets worse…!” said Sunset “He just summoned another trap monster; that means…!”

…The Anguish Statues began to glowing again.

“Say goodbye to your last defense!” shouted the opponent, and his two statues prepared to fire their beams.

“Not this time!” sneered Raven. “I activate Archfiend’s special ability. Whenever a spell or trap targets one Psychic monster I control, by paying 1000 life points.”

Her monster was able to block both monsters, which cost her quite a lot of points…

Raven LP: 2900 -----> 900

She wailed and growled as the pain shot through her.

“Raven!!” cried Sunset.

“What is she thinking?!” wailed Celestia. “Now her life points are so low she could lose duel!”

Twilight was shuddering with fear. “…And if she loses the duel, she loses her soul!”

Raven was aware of this, but she thought to herself, “I’m not going to lose! I have this duel in the bag, and I’m going to punish him!”

With a loud roar, she summoned more inner strength to help her stand upright.

The rock monsters could hardly believe her.

“How is she still able to go?” asked one.

“She’s stronger than she looks.” suggested the other.

The leader was growing irritated. “You may be standing now, but I’ll ground you to rock bottom yet!”

Raven clenched her teeth. “You have no idea how sick I am of hearing all those bad rock puns!”

She engaged her battle phase. “Archfiend, attack and destroy Anguish Statue.”

Her monster complied, and he lunged over to the other side of the field, and with its might claws it slashed the creature’s rock solid body.

(Atk: 2700) VS (Atk: 0)

The monster exploded, and bits of debris flew past the opponent.

Rock Leader LP: 7500 -----> 4800

“Take that!” shouted Raven, and she panted heavily after that, which almost made the rock monsters all wince.

The friends were now deeply concerned that Raven needed to cool down a bit.

“What is with her?” wondered Twilight.

Suddenly, the rock pieces of the statue began to reform into the image of its card.

“What’s happening?” asked Raven.

The leader snickered and motioned over at his Tiki. “You should never attack ancient properties, even if they seem like simple stone.

My Tiki has the power to reform my trap monsters. Then, instead of being sent to the graveyard, the card is merely set face down on my field.

Raven’s eyes widened and the opponent snickered and said “You realize what this means now don’t you? It means that I shall be able to reactivate the card on my next turn, and you’ll be in big trouble!”

He was right. He would be able to destroy Raven’s monster on his next turn, and Raven didn’t have enough life points to defend block it this time.

Yet, she didn’t seem deterred much.

“If that’s true, then I’ll activate ONE DAY OF PEACE.”

“Ah!”

The friends all gawked in relief.

“That’s good.” said Sunset “Now each player draws one card, and no one takes any damage until Raven’s next turn.”

Once her turn was over, Raven’s Alpha was destroyed due to the Dimension card’s effect.

Raven felt slightly relieved, but the rest would all depend on what happened next, but she was formulating a plan.

“It’s my draw!” growled the opponent, and he took a fourth card, but really there wasn’t much more he could do for now.

“I activate my STATUE OF THE ANGUISH PATTERN!”

(Def: 2500)

Since it was summoned, Raven’s monster was blasted and destroyed, and she couldn’t stop it this time.

“Looks like your monster’s been grounded, but I can’t very well have it causing me more trouble next turn, can I?”

Raven was unamused.

The leader then glared at her, “Fortunately for you, attacking will have no effect. Therefore, I’ll put all my monsters in defense-mode, and I shall place one card facedown.”

It didn’t take much for anyone to guess that he had planted another trap monster to spring on Raven.

“And now, the time has come for you to make your final move before I ground you into dust.”

Raven was completely still, a mix of incredible anger and determination, and a slight bit of concern.

She didn’t even bother to think about the potential consequences that would befall her if her next draw failed.

The friends noted this as well.

“Look at her. She’s all stiff as a board.” said Twilight.

“I’d be too if I were in her position.” remarked Sunset. “Look at all those monsters! How can she possibly get past--” she stopped when it finally clued into her the one possible way that Raven could turn things around.

“Come on, Rae…!” muttered Vic.

Raven looked deep inside of her, thinking only about what was making her incredibly angry, and seeing it within her opponent.

She then swiftly drew her next card, giving her only two in hand.

She wasted no time in playing it.

“I activate POT OF AVARICE so I can shuffle five monsters from my graveyard into my deck, and then I draw two cards.”

When all was done, she was ready.

“Time for me to get rid of those rocky pests once and for all, starting with… HEAVY STORM!”

“AAAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!” The monster leader screamed, and his two comrades gasped in horror as the strong winds began to pick up.

“Ah! Of course…!” cried Celestia, finally realizing the fact herself. “All those monsters… strong as they are, they are still treated as trap cards.”

Raven heard her and nodded, “That’s right, and Heavy Storm destroys all spells and traps on the field, and there’s nothing you can do to save them all this time!”

The monster growled in outraged as ever single card he had out was blown into dust, leaving him completely wide open!

“Curse you!” he bellowed “Curse you and your trickery!”

“You brought it on yourself!” Raven protested. “You spent so much time playing trap monsters that you didn’t have much room left to summon other monsters or play different cards.

The leader groaned angrily.

“Hey, take it easy.” called one of his comrades.

“Yeah, you still have more life points than she does.” added the other.

Raven mere snuffed, “Like that’s going to make a difference when I play this spell, POT OF GREED, let’s me draw two more cards.

Now I’ll throw this facedown, which allows me to finally play this card, REVERSAL QUIZ!”

“What? Reversal Quiz?!” cried the opponent.

The friends all gazed with excitement.

“Now…” Raven said “The first thing I do is send my facedown card and every card I’m holding to the graveyard…”

Her facedown card vanished, and as it did, it cast a bright glow on her deck. “That, card my HYPER QUICK, and when it’s sent to the graveyard, I draw one card, and if it’s a spell card, I can activate it at once.”

She quickly drew her next card.

“What do you know; it’s my PREMATURE BURIAL! So now, I pay 800 life points…”

Raven LP: 900 -----> 100

She braved the forces of the shocking.

“…And now, my Thought Ruler Archfiend returns!”

The evil ghost hand reached deep into the ground and pulled up Raven’s monster.

(Atk: 2700)

“Oh, no!” cried the leader, and then he looked at Raven.

“And now…” Raven said “My Reversal Quiz fully activates. I declare one card type, and then look at the top card on my deck, and if I call it right, then we will trade life points, and since I only have 100 points left… if this works, then I win!”

It was a real tense moment now. Raven only had a one-in-three chance, but she didn’t let it get to her.

She closed her eyes, and still thought of what was enraging her.

“…I choose “Monster!”

Then she flipped over her top card. “Ha! It’s PSY-FRAME DRIVER!”

“No!!” cried the leader, but there was no way out of it. The life point scores switched like magic.

Raven LP: 100 -----> 4800

Rock Leader LP: 4800 -----> 100

“This can’t be!!”

His comrades were just as frightened and astounded, while the friends would have been cheering for joy, but Raven looked pretty enraged now as she engaged her battle phase.

“Thought Ruler Archfiend, wage a direct attack and end this!!”

Her monster roared, and lunged over to the other side of the field, striking the opponent hard and wiping him out with such force that the leader screamed and roared.

Rock Leader LP: 100 -----> 0

Raven then let out a raging scream herself as the Malefic Lightning come forth, zapping the Rock Leader, and turning him into a card.

The remaining two rock monsters were so upset at the loss of their leader, and so frightened by Raven’s raging, they quickly began to burrow away and were gone.

Raven was panting very furiously, finally feeling her weariness catching up with her.

“Raven…!” Celestia called as she began to dash over-- running much faster than usual, and catching Raven in her arms in almost no time, and almost even hurting her with her strength.

“Stop!!” she groaned.

Celestia gently lay her down on the ground as the others rushed over, and Celestia looked down at her hands and felt one of her legs. “What’s happening to me?” she wondered. “First I don’t feel tired, and now I--”

She stopped when the others came rushing over and Vic scooped Raven up in his arms, and he didn’t hurt her.

“You okay, girl?” he asked.

Raven was so blown out from her rage-fit she could barely speak. Vic could feel the tension within her just by the feeling of her body.

“We better set her down and let her rest.” suggested Sunset.

Celestia didn’t hear them, as was far too concerned as she continued to look at herself. “My hands!” she cried. “Look at my hands!”

Her hands were starting to show spots of paleness, and these were not usual. Now she was really getting scared, and so were the others.

Episode 16: Rough Refusals

EPISODE SIXTEEN

The Prince Brothers had been observing the last duel. Rubeus was certainly intrigued by how enraged Raven was, which poured on so much power for them to absorb. “The more these beings duel, the more their emotions are stressed out.” he snickered.

He turned to look at the absorbers. “Every passing second, our goal comes closer to being in reach.”

Loki agreed, but one of his goals was nearing reaching-point too as he viewed Celestia. “It is time.” he said “Sending the rock creatures to duel was a good idea, even though I was hoping Celestia would duel. Nevertheless, this proves she is nearly ready.

Already the power I have given her is awakening, and the transformation is slowly commencing.”

He paused as he gazed at Celestia in a silent but obvious daze.

“I shall alert the trio for a new assignment. It is time to pick up and welcome my Future Queen.”

Raven was resting quietly; sitting upright against a rock, while Vic, had reclaimed his duel disk form her, and was now trying to scan Celestia with his wrist-com, to try and figure out what was wrong with her.

“Your cells are realigning, and your metabolisms are speeding up, but I can’t figure out why.”

Celestia looked down at her paling hands again. She still didn’t feel too tired or hungry after all that had transpired, but she was feeling really freaked out by now.

“Isn’t there anything we can do?” asked Sunset.

Vic hadn’t the slightest idea, for he had never seen anything like this before. “It’s probably something she contracted, but until we know what, I wouldn’t know what to try.”

Twilight felt really upset for her entrapment, really wishing she could be free to be of help, but all she could suggest was, “…All the more reason for us to find the others and find a way out of this world.”

The others agreed, but Celestia began to have another idea of what was causing her to change. “Those flowers I had…” she remembered during the tournament, the flowers that were sent to her suite on the airship. She remembered her passing out, and her dizzy spells…

“…It’s got to be those flowers! I don’t need any more proof now!”

Sunset was forced to agree with her, but it only led to more confusion. “Who would send you those flowers, and more importantly… why you?”

Celestia wasn’t so sure she wanted to find out. “We better get out of here before something else happens.”

Vic agreed, and was about to scoop Raven up again when she began to awaken.

“You okay?” he asked.

Raven clutched her head. “Apart from this massive headache, I’ll live.”

“You really had us worried there.” said Twilight “Are you sure you’re alright? You looked like you were really struggling with something.”

“It’s nothing.” Raven said, not wanting to say to what was making her so angry. She herself thought and knew it was silly, and she wanted to try and supress it all she could.

“Let’s just get out of here.”

Twilight and Sunset were unconvinced as they looked at one another. Still, it was only for the sake of Celestia’s growing situation that they decided to drop it, for the moment and continue searching for the others.

Vic took a look at his power cell after scanning Celestia. He was just fine, but still concerned for his supply as he hadn’t the materials to make a new generator to fix himself with.

Suddenly, he and the others could hear the sounds of a faint voice in the distance.

“Helloooooooo…!”

“Anybody else hearing that?” asked Vic.

Even the distant sounds echoing made Raven’s head throb slightly. “I think so.”

“Hey y’all…!” the voice called again, and the Equestrians instantly recognized all together, “…THAT’S APPLEJACK!”

Vic’s expression brightened.

Sunset then leapt up onto a small sand dune and took in a deep breath to shout out-- resulting in Raven quickly covering her ears and cringing!

“APPLEJACK-------!!”

Far down the plains, Applejack’s ears twitched. “…Sunset! It’s Sunset…!”

The rest of her group looked joyful, and Spike gave a cute and overjoyed howl.

“Where is she?” asked Cadance as she looked all around.

“Look there…!” Shining Armor cried while pointing across the plains.

Sunset was very far away, but recognizable.

“What are we waiting for?” chirped Terra.

“Nothing at all!” cried Twilight, and everyone began to dash along as fast as they could, until they reunited with their friends and allies.

“Vic… Raven…!” cried Terra.

She and Vic hugged warmly and he twirled her and gave her a playful head noogie.

She would have hugged Raven next, but Raven simply held up her hands and settled for a soft and quiet handshake instead, while the Equestrians all came together in a huge group hug… except for Celestial who kept well away from everyone.

Even when Cadance came up to hug her, she stepped back.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, but right then she noticed the paleness of her hands. “Are you alright?”

“I don’t know.” she replied.

Applejack looked around and then asked, “Wait a minute… where’s Luna?”

Expressions went silent and sad-looking, and Celestia, near-tears, held up her sister’s soul card from her pocket.

The other group gawked in complete and total devastation.

“No way!” cried Shining Armor.

“But how can that be?!” yelled Spike “I thought that only happens if you lose a duel?”

“Sort of…” Sunset replied, and she explained how it all happened-- Celestia was dueling Sapphire… she lost. Luna shoved her out of the way as the lightning struck and ended up losing her soul instead.

“Oh…!” Cadance sighed sadly “Luna…!”

“I can’t believe it!” added Applejack “Is there no length these creeps will do to bring misery to us all?”

“I’m afraid it gets worse.” replied Sunset, and she told them what Khaos had told her, that Rarity had been defeated as well.

Applejack looked ready to throw something sky-high, and Sci-Twi’s heart felt heavy.

“What next?!” she wondered miserably, and then she remembered and was about to warn the group about Karle…

…When she seemingly just appeared and scoffed “What next, indeed!”

Everyone turned, and Sunset’s group was very surprised.

“You?” exclaimed Sunset.

Vic looked back and forth between Sci-Twi and Karle.

“Long story short.” said Shining Armor. “She’s here, and she’s trying to cause trouble.”

Karle snickered, but then turned her back, “I was hoping to find Masquerade here. Instead I find more losers.”

Raven’s eyes narrowed at her. “…Excuse me?”

Terra felt insulted already, remembering how she nearly lost to her and she aborted.

Karle didn’t bother to explain things and prepared to leave. “I’m out of here.”

“Yo’ wait a minute!” snapped Vic. “What do you want with Gar? Do you know where he is?”

Karle refused to answer and continued to walk away.

Raven informed everyone, “We can stop her by challenging her to a duel using the Force Beam.”

She was still a little wiped from her previous duel, and Vic reclaimed his duel disk from her anyway.

“No, don’t!” said Twilight “You can’t beat her.”

Sunset stepped forth, “I can, I know can do it.”

“No, that’s not what she means!” called Spike. “Even if you win the duel, you won’t beat her.”

Sunset felt that sounded very familiar, back how Khaos warned her than neither he, nor his comrades could be turned into cards upon losing a duel.

“You would be wise to listen.” hissed Karle “The only one I’m interested in is Masquerade. I will find him, and I will destroy him.”

Raven growled softly and felt her own anger rising. “No you won’t, that’s my job now.” then she quickly realized “Wait… what am I thinking?”

Karle looked back and forth at all the duelists, noting how they didn’t approach her, and she blew them all a mocking kiss. “Later.” Then she walked deep into the shadows and vanished.

Sci-Twi felt tense with outrage and worry.

“Never mind her.” said Celestia “We’ve got to find the others and fast. Imagine if they run into her or other members of The Trio.”

With no arguments, the group all headed off deep into the darkness.

Later on, Karle continued to wander off looking around, still not succumbing to weariness and fatigue at all.

She figured that following the groups around any longer wouldn’t help her find Gar at all, and it would be best to search around for him on her own, and she had a new inkling of where to look.

She suddenly heard a loud explosion off in the distance, which was created by a large blast.

“I think I know what that is.” and she bounded across the land, coming to a large hillside, and she looked down…

There, deep within the plains was Exodia the Forbidden One, whom had just blasted three more Malefic creatures, and it didn’t take much to see who was behind it all.

Gar stood before the great creature as the image disappeared. That’s when the lightning came and turned the three Maleficans into cards.

Gar couldn’t help but shake his head in dismay, “…Too easy.”

Then he turned and prepared to leave to find more Malaficans to beat, still clinging to his belief that the more Maleficans he defeated, the sooner he would find the Prince Brothers in their hideout and escape from this dreadful nightmare.

He was completely unaware that Karle was watching and getting ready to slide down the hillside and force him into a duel… Except…

“Gar…!” called another voice.

Gar didn’t even have to turn around to recognize that voice came from Dick.

He and his group had been wandering around themselves-- having finally left their hollowed rock to seek out any of the other groups.

They saw the explosion and dashed over.

Karle aborted her plans to dive down there and cursed, “What beastly luck! They couldn’t wait just ten more seconds!”

Just as the group came dashing up, Gar began to walk away

“Wait…!” called Kori “Gar, don’t go.”

He didn’t even acknowledge her.

“Hey, we’re talking to you!” shouted Rainbow, but still he wouldn’t even stop and just kept on going.

“I don’t think he’s glad to see us.” said Fluttershy.

Pinkie Pie and Rainbow were both not willing to let him get away this time, and they both dashed up in front of his way, and he finally stopped.

“You stop right there.” snapped Pinkie. “I’m usually cheerful and joyous, but guys like you make me not so cheery and joyous.”

“…You don’t say.” Gar scoffed, and he proceeded to try and walk past her, but it was Rainbow who stood before her.

“You’re not going anywhere.”

“I’m warning you, don’t enrage me! Just get out of my sight.”

“Gar, stop it!” snapped Dick as he and Kori caught up with the group. Gar turned to face them, and his features went harder under his face covers.

“Please…” said Kori “Can’t we just talk with you, Gar?”

“Stop calling me that!” snapped Gar. “My name is “Masquerade,” and why would I want to talk with you guys?”

“Because we have something important to tell you!” insisted Dick “There’s a lot of trouble going on out here, and it’s not safe to be alone, especially for you.”

Gar, stubborn and rude as ever, sneered at him, “I already said… I don’t need or want help; especially from you. I can look out for myself, which is more than anyone can say for all of you; still clinging to your friendship philosophies, and teamwork stupidity.”

Dick looked ready to tackle him to the ground and beat him senseless, even though he probably wouldn’t succeed.

Fluttershy’s eyes narrowed in anger as she stepped forth. “Why are you being so nasty to us? We just came to warn you about the danger out here.

The Prince Brothers have sent other warriors out for us.”

She then held up Rarity’s card “Look what they did to Rarity.”

Gar gawked at the card, but he remained silent and still.

“Don’t you have anything to say?” asked Kori.

Gar hesitated, and of all things he thought of to say it came out. “…Why don’t you try using friendship to get her back? You’re so good at that.”

The Equestrians all felt super struck by that burn, while Kori and Dick were outraged.

“How could you be so cruel?” Rainbow said trying not to choke on her own rage.

Pinkie and Fluttershy were near tears, and the two Titans were about to reprimand him, and even looked ready to duel him.

“…I wouldn’t if were you.” he cautioned them. “Even if you all faced me at once, I’d still crush you all, and you know it, and then how would you save your friend?”

Rainbow was starting to feel as if she didn’t have a care in the world and really wanted to crush him.

Absolutely none of them could see Karle creeping down the hillside trying to get in closer.

“Audience or not…” she said to herself “I’ll force that jerk into a duel, and I’ll beat him and he’ll be gone forever!”

The closer she got, the clearer she could hear the group squabbling.

As angry as Dick was, he knew getting angrier would only make things even more worse, which was not what everyone wanted.

He tried one more time to try to reason with Gar.

“Look, Gar… I know we’ve had our differences in the past, and many of which I regret…”

The Equestians suddenly softened, remembering the story Dick and the Titans had told about their falling out with Gar, when he was still Beast Boy.

Kori stood beside her husband, “Gar please… you were part of our team once before, and we learned to move on and let things go!”

Hearing those phrases, “Move on…” and “Let things go…” …Gar’s anger was really building up inside.

“Gar, look deep inside you. I’m sure there’s still a part of you that feels the same way we do.” Kori continued.

…But she was wrong, Gar could only see and feel nothing but horridness, pain, and a little voice telling him not to trust her, or Dick, or the Equestrians.

He shook his head at them all and said “…You don’t deserve my help, and even if you did, I still wouldn’t give it to the likes of you.

…Traitors!”

Everyone was taken back by that, especially the two Titans.

Gar then looked at three girls, and couldn’t help but jeer at them “…Friendship is for weak, and the weak-minded and you all are the perfect prime example.”

Something inside of Rainbow Dash snapped. “That’s it, let me at him!”

“Rainbow, don’t!” cried Pinkie as she Dick and Kori held her down. Fluttershy didn’t help, as she was all froze up with mixes of anger, disappointment, not to mention deeply wounded for having friendship scoffed upon.

“Let me go!” shouted Rainbow as she struggled to break free from the others. “Just one…! Let me take just one swing at him!”

“Rainbow, stop it! It won’t help.” Dick insisted, and he looked over at Gar with a mix of anger and hurt, but Gar was unmoved as usual.

Then, judging from his silence, Gar was able to deduce. “I see… you didn’t tell them everything, did you?”

Dick and Kori looked a bit nervous and sweat-dropped.

“That’s what I thought. I’ll bet the other Titans held back too. Why else would the girls still be clinging to you, to share in your failure?”

Pinkie and Fluttershy felt knives striking their hearts; to hurt to consider what he meant by “Telling Everything.”

Rainbow gave a nasty roar and tried every more to break free, but was still restrained by the others.

That’s when Fluttershy began to step forth. “Enough!” she growled softly. “You insult my friends! You treat us all like the dirt beneath your feet! And then your former allies try to reason with you and express their apologies, and you spit on them…!”

Gar, still having no qualms of his actions, merely sneered at her, “…If you knew the truth, you wouldn’t be icing me.”

“We know enough!” said Fluttershy “They told us all we needed to hear. They’re our friends, and we believe in them, and that’s why we help them… That’s what friends do.”

“Pathetic!” scoffed Gar “I’m out of here. Good luck trying to get your friend back, but like I said… I stand alone! Stay out of my way!”

He began to walk off leaving the group.

Rainbow finally settled down, but she was still mad enough to wish she were alone with him to do things her way.

“JERK!!” she shouted.

Just as Gar continued to walk away…

She sprung out from behind a rock, pointing her duel disk right at him.

Gar couldn’t believe his eyes, nor could any of the others.

“Is that…?” asked Pinkie

“…It can’t be.” said Kori.

Karle snickered, “Please, I don’t want to have to explain all that again.” then she gazed squarely at Gar “Now I have you, and it’s time I finished what I started.”

She didn’t have to say much else.

Gar then scoffed, “I don’t know how it is you’re here, and frankly I don’t think I care, but I have no reason to duel you.”

Everyone, even Karle was shocked by refusing a challenge.

“I’m dueling to find a way to get out of this place, and you’re not one of those Malefic creeps. Dueling you would be a waste of my time and energy.

Besides, I already crushed you… or rather I crushed your other self.” he referred to Sci-Twi.

Karle only laughed, “That kid only held me back. She made the mistake, which I will now rectify… and exact vengeance on you once-and-for all, whether you want to or not.”

The rest of the group didn’t like the sound of this at all.

“Gar, get out of there!” Dick called to him.

“Be quiet!” he snapped back.

In his distraction, Karle activated the Challenge Beam, but Gar dodged it by jumping to the side.

“I already told you, I’m not dueling you. It would just result in your defeat again.”

Karle ignored him and shot another beam, which he dodged again.

“Sit still, coward!” she thundered as she kept on shooting at him, trying to get a good lock on his duel disk, but Gar kept up his athletic skills dodging her every shot.

He began to leap his way up the hillside.

“Oh, no you don’t!” shouted Karle, and she began to chase after him. “You won’t escape me!”

“Let’s go after her!” said Kori.

Dick agreed, and even the Equestrians complied.

“I can’t believe we’re actually going to help him.” groaned Rainbow.

“Me neither.” agreed Pinkie.

Fluttershy said exactly what Kori and Dick were thinking. “Even if he says he doesn’t want help, we can’t let Karle hurt him.”

The two Titans nodded and greed with her nobility.

“Really…? I could.” thought Rainbow, but even her own morals were too much for her to bear.

“Let’s take a shortcut.” she then suggested “If they headed this way, they’re headed for a ravine we passed through; we’ll cut them off.”

“Good idea.” said Dick “Let’s move.”

The group turned and bounded for another hillside they knew of.

“Come back here you…!” Karle shouted as she fired more challenge beams, which Gar continued to avoid.

But he was starting to grow tired, while Karle wasn’t the least bit.

“I don’t understand!” he said to himself “How can she keep going?”

Thanks to Karle’s artificial body, she could keep on perusing him forever, which gave her the advantage.

The others were rushing over the hills, and saw them.

“There they are.” called Pinkie.

Gar was still dashing away from Karle, and she was coming up close behind.

Kori then noticed Fluttershy wasn’t with them.

“Where is she?”

The others looked all around, and Pinkie goofily looked under her arms, behind herself, and then she stuck her head down looking between and through her legs… and she could see her rushing down the hillside.

“There she is!”

“Fluttershy!” shouted Dick.

Karle was gaining on Gar as he grew more and more tired and was slowing up. “I have you now.” she called, and aimed to take another shot at him.

Gar was already prepared to dodge again, despite his weariness, when Fluttershy came leaping in just as the shot was fired, and the beam struck her own duel disk and activated it.

“Ah!” cried Karle.

“What?” snapped Gar.

The others all gawked in extreme shock.

Fluttershy was panting heavily, in deep shock herself at what she had just done. “You’re not dueling him!” she called to Karle. “No matter what beef you have with him, you’re not dueling him!”

Karle was most outraged, while Gar was shocked beyond words, but far from grateful.

“I told you to stay out of my way! I could’ve lost her.”

Fluttershy ignored him and focused on Karle, whom snickered at her. “You really think you have me, don’t you?”

She raised her hand to forfeit the duel before it even began, knowing she would be spared, but then she decided. “On second thought: a little warmup duel won’t hurt. It’ll be a great way to show Masquerade what he’s in for.”

Gar clenched his fist, and as much as he would have taken this chance to flee, he couldn’t help but want to see Fluttershy duel… just to see if she really had improved her game, which he seriously doubted.

“Fluttershy, what are you thinking?!” called Rainbow.

“It’s too late,” said Dick “The duel’s already begun.”

Pinkie shrugged, “Well… only one thing to do for it now.” and she began to cheer and holler for Fluttershy. “Go, girl! Beat her cards to the ground!”

Fluttershy was already starting to feel shaky inside as her fears began to catch up. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.” she whimpered in thought. “If I lose this duel… I lose my soul! Oh, no… What have I gotten into?!”

Karle could see Fluttershy’s obvious timidity, and thought, “Beating her won’t be much of a challenge, but at least I get to test some new cards out. It’ll make things all the better when I take on Masquerade.

Besides, even if I lose, it won’t matter much. Too bad they don’t know.”

The two duelists, with their disks ready, drew their cards.

“LET’S DUEL!”

Episode 17: Friendship Follies: Part 1

EPISODE SEVENTEEN

The first cards were drawn, and the scores were set.

Karle LP: 8000

Fluttershy LP: 8000

“You really should have stayed out of this.” Karle called to Fluttershy “Now you’re going to pay the price for having interfered with me and my plans.”

Fluttershy cringed with her nerve-wrecking fear inside.

“Don’t listen to her, Fluttershy.” called Kori “Don’t let her throw your game off.”

The other friends all agreed, while Gar only watched quietly from where he stood far away.

“Ha!” scoffed Karle “Your game is already thrown off, especially when I play this Field Spell; FUSION RECYCLING PLANT!”

Dick gasped, and everyone watched as the power plant formed all around the duelists.

“I saw this card in my dream.” said Dick “If she Fusion Summons a monster, she’ll be able to grab one of the materials out of the graveyard and add it to her hand.”

The friends and Fluttershy all stiffened, while Karle snickered and said, “Then apparently you didn’t dream big enough, because that’s not all this card does.”

Fluttershy shuddered to ask, “…What’s that exactly?”

Karle then tossed one card out of her hand. “Simply by discarding one card, I am now able to add “Polymerization” into my hand.

Everyone felt a bit concerned.

“Why didn’t you tell us it could do that too?” Rainbow asked.

Dick shrugged, “It was just a dream, and besides… Slade didn’t use that power.”

Karle flicked her long hair. “Blah, blah, blah… if you’re done yakking over there…”

The friends took offense to that remark.

“…I now activate POLYMERIZATION, fusing LUNALIGHT BLUE CAT and LUNALIGHT BLACKSHEEP!”

“Lunalights?!” cried Fluttershy.

The monster formed and Karle called out, “…I Fusion Summon the fierceness of LUNALIGHT CAT DANCER.”

(Atk: 2400)

The friends all see clearly now, that Karle was using Sci-Twi’s, and, now that they looked more closely, “…That’s Twilight’s duel disk on her arm.” cried Pinkie.

Fluttershy gawked deeply at Karle. “Twilight… it can’t be you.”

“And it isn’t!” snapped Karle “I’m not your friend, and that’s all I’ll say about that.

But I will say… that I activate Black Sheep’s ability. Since it was used in a Fusion, I get to add my Blue Cat back to my hand.

Then I’ll place one card facedown, and now… as your friends put it, I can use Recycling Plant’s power to regain Black Sheep into my hand as well.”

Her turn was over.

Fluttershy kept looking back and forth at the cards in play, but what really baffled her was still the fact that Karle was even here, and that she claimed she wasn’t Sci-Twi.

“I don’t understand at all.” she thought “If she’s here, and she’s using Twilight’s deck and strategy…”

Suddenly, it hit her...

“Maybe that’s it! I know how Twilight duels. I’ve seen the Lunalights before and I know all their secrets.”

Karle was losing patience. “Will you make your move already?!”

Fluttershy snapped upright. “Okay… I draw!

“And I activate HAND DESTRUCTION. This spell makes us discard two cards, but then we each draw two cards.”

The duelists both did so, and Fluttershy liked when she had drawn.

“I now summon the tuner monster, COCKADOODLEDOO.”

(Def: 2000)

True to its name, the monster was nothing more than a mere rooster.

“I was able to special summon this beca--”

“I know how it works!” snapped Karle “You were able to special summon it as a level 4 monster because I control a monster and you have no cards in play.

You forget, your weak friend created me by infusing every possible dueling strategy there is.”

Fluttershy’s eyes blazed. “Don’t you EVER call my friend “Weak” again!”

She calmed herself and continued her move.

“Now then… since it was a special summoned, I’ll summon this monster, DANDYLION.”

(Def: 300)

Her two monsters stood together, glaring up at the large Cat Dancer that stood before them.

Fluttershy then raised her hand, “I now Tune my level 4 Cockadoodledoo with my level 3 Dandylion!”

The rooster crowed as it changed into the orbs, which floated towards the Hyena, whom formed the tuning rings.

The two light forces merged together, and in a bright flash of light, Fluttershy’s monster materialized, and she couldn’t help but call to it.

“From a sacred realm, this creature rises
Her power and wisdom will bring forth surprises!

…I Synchro Summon ANCIENT FAIRY DRAGON.”

Her dragon spread out her sparkling wings, and rather than roaring, she gave a gentle cry like a beautiful siren as she settled near Fluttershy.

(Def: 3000)

“And also, since Dandylion was sent to my graveyard, I get two Fluff Tokens on my field.”

The two little puffs popped up on her field.

(Def: 0) x2

“And now, it’s time to get even tougher. I use Fairy Dragon’s special ability.”

Karle snuffed “So you get to summon a monster form your hand. What good does that do you?”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes and grinned wickedly, “It does me loads of good, because the monster I play is… FIRE PRINCESS.”

(Def: 1500)

Karle gasped, “No! Not Fire Princess!”

Kori gazed in astonishment. “I’ve seen that creature before. As long as she stays on the field, every time Fluttershy gains life points, Karle will lose 500 points.”

Dick smiled with hope, “And if I recall correctly, that dragon has the power to increase her life points.”

Fluttershy nodded at him from afar, “Yes, she can… and I use that power now. Now she destroys your field spell.”

The dragon flapped her wings once, sending a gale of sparkles at the Recycling Plant causing it to collapse into a mountain of rubble that faded away.

The dragon then began to glow, casting her sparkles onto Fluttershy. “Now I get to gain 1000 life points…”

Fluttershy LP: 8000 -----> 9000

“…And of course, now my Fire Princess uses her powers and burns 500 points off of your score.”

Karle just stood idly where she was as the princess fired a barrage of flames at her.

Karle LP: 8000 -----> 7500

Karle stood just fine, without being shocked or feeling weak from the energy drain.

Everyone, including Gar, was confused by this.

“It’s like she’s made of metal or something.” said Rainbow.

“I wish Twilight was here.” said Pinkie “Maybe she’d know what’s going on.”

Karle snickered in thought, “It sure pays to be like me. I can withstand anything these losers try to throw my way.”

Fluttershy snapped out of her trance and continued with her move. “Thanks to my Fairy Dragon, I now get to add a Field Spell of my own straight to my hand from the deck… and I’ll activate it right away.

Here comes ARRAY OF REVEALING LIGHT.”

The images once again warped, as a magical, glowing seal appeared on the ground covering the entire dueling field, and within the seal appeared the monster mark of the Beast-Warrior tribe, which made Karle growl in dismay.

“You understand…” said Fluttershy “As long as my field spell is active, all Beast-Warriors can’t attack on the same turn that they appear, and if I’m not mistaken… all Lunalights are Beast-Warriors, aren’t they?”

Karle growled at her cheek.

Fluttershy ended her turn with one face-down.

The friends were all chattering away at the situation.

“So far, so good.” said Rainbow “Fluttershy’s got a good lead right now.”

Pinkie tried to hold in any urges to leap out and start cheering. “…If we know Karle, and the way Twilight made her duel, she’s probably got loads of secrets in store.”

Fluttershy was feeling and thinking the exact same things herself, but she still did her best to keep calm and easy.

Karle drew her next card and then taunted, “Just as I thought, your strategy hasn’t changed a bit. You put up this passive maneuver so you can weak my life points every turn without having to engage in much battle.”

Fluttershy scowled at her.

“Let me show you how a real strategy works. I play the spell LUNALIGHT PERFUME, which lets me summon one “Lunalight” from my graveyard. I choose Blue Cat.”

(Def: 1200)

The second her monster appeared on the field, she yelped and wailed as electrical currents from the seal enveloped her.

“She may not be able to attack, but my Cat Dancer can, and by the way… in case you forgot, Blue Cat doubles the attack of my dancer until the end of the turn.”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 4800)

Fluttershy gulped hard.

“Forty-Eight Hundred…?!” groaned Pinkie “This is crazy.”

“That’s more than nuts.” agreed Dick.

“Oh, and it gets even nuttier.” said Karle “I activate Cat Dancer’s ability, which… well, you remember this card and how it works.”

“I remember…” said Fluttershy “You sacrifice a Lunalight monster, and your monster gets to attack several times and deal me damage.”

“I see you are paying attention.” sneered Karle “Cat Dancer, I order you to attack Fire Princess! Go!!.”

Her dancer complied and leapt on over.

“Not going to happen!” shouted Fluttershy “Activate MAGIC CYLINDER!”

“No!!” shouted Karle.

“Oh, yes. Now your attack is canceled out, and your life points will take a hit by the total amount of your monster’s attack strength! Too bad you powered it up.”

The attack was absorbed and fired back towards Karle… whom was laughing manically. “You fool, you think it’s that simple, I have a trap too you know.

Activate NATURE’S REACTION!”

A large stone wall covered in dark thorns sprung out before her, intercepting the blast.

“What’s happening?” cried Fluttershy, but she got her answer when the blast came straight back towards her, and struck her hard, making her scream and wail as she was shocked and burned!

Fluttershy LP: 9000 -----> 4200

She fell to her knees, clutching herself in agony.

“FLUTTERSHY!!” the friends all shouted.

Karle laughed. “You should’ve seen the look on your face. Nature’s Reaction casts a curse over the entire field this turn. Any damage you try to inflict on me gets shot back to you instead.

Nice try-- Not!”

Fluttershy felt very foolish, and confused, as did her friends.

“Oh, Fluttershy!” murmured Kori.

“I don’t remember Twilight ever having that card in her deck before.” said Rainbow.

Gar could immediately figure it out as he thought to himself, “So that’s why she thinks she can beat me now. She’s been going around, defeating Malefican Soldiers and confiscating cards left behind to power up her own deck.

If I had dueled her, I would have had no way of knowing this. Still, it wouldn’t matter anyway. I’m usually prepared for anything that comes my way.”

While all this was going on…

As the rest of the friends continued to trek though the plains in search of the others, they were suddenly ambushed by none other than the Terrible Trio…

Each of them dropped down, and shouted their names.

“Violet…!!”

“Sapphire…!!”

“Khaos…!!”

Bloods began to turn cold instantly.

“You…!!” Sunset and Celestia yelled at the same time.

“So we meet again.” hissed Khaos. Then he noticed the others in the group, “And we see you have more allies.”

Sapphire and Violet snickered.

Spike growled at them from his card

“Who are these creeps?” asked Shining Armor.

“They’re the ones!” sneered Sunset “The ones that dueled us before, and captured Luna’s soul.”

Many faces began to scowl towards the trio.

“Then you’re the ones who also captured Rarity too.” sneered Applejack.

Violet snuffed, “She was a weakling, but that’s beside the point.”

She and her comrades then eyed at Celestia.

“We have come for you.” hissed Khaos.

Her eyes widened, and everyone felt concerned.

Vic stood in front of her, shielding her. “What do you want her for?”

“That’s our concern.” said Sapphire “Now step aside.”

The entire group huddled around Celestia. Cadance and Shining Armor stood right next to her.

“Take a good look. You three are badly outnumbered.” said Sunset.

The trio didn’t seem the least bit discouraged, and continued to creep forth.

“Stay back!” thundered Applejack.

“We’re warning you…!” added Terra.

The trio wouldn’t back down, and Sunset could only think of one way out of this.

She motioned to Applejack and Terra, and as much as the ladies felt it wasn’t safe, they felt it was the right thing to do.

Applejack and Sunset tossed Twilight and Spike's soul cards to Vic and Raven.

"Look after them for us, will you?"

The two Titans agreed.

Twilight and Spike didn't like this one bit.

The three duelists stepped forth, and fired challenge beams at each member in the trio, activating their duel disks.

Before any of the others could question, Sunset called to them, “Take Celestia and get her out of here!”

Vic quickly complied and scooped Celestia up in his arms, draping her over his massive shoulder, as he and all the others began to run for it.

“Hey!!” Celestia called.

The three duelists stood ready to face the trio down, but the trio only laughed at them.

“You really think you can slow us down like this?” asked Sapphire.

Before the girls could get another word in, the trio raised their hands and surrendered the duels because they even began, terminating the lockdown.

“Hey!!” snapped Applejack “They can’t do that!”

Sunset finally remembered, “Yes, they can. The lightning won’t strike them.”

Terra and Applejack were shocked.

The trio then called for their flying dark clouds to help them chase after Celestia.

“Quick, let’s challenge them again.” suggested Terra “It’ll slow them down at least.”

The others agreed and fired the challenge beams again, but the trio already took off up into the air.

“So long, fools!” Khaos called to them, and he and the others laughed.

“After them!” shouted Sunset.

The girls began to dash after them on foot, and they kept trying to shoot the challenge beams at them, but missed because the trio teased them by flying in circles up and down.

“You have to quick to catch us.” called Violet.

Sunset was sure she had a beam on Violet’s duel disk and couldn’t miss this time, but since she wasn’t watching where she running… she suddenly tipped on a small rock, causing her to twist around as she fell, and she shot her beam at Applejack, hitting her duel disk and activating them both.

The girls all gasped in extreme horror.

“Oh, no!!” cried Terra.

Applejack and Sunset kept gazing at each other with no words to say.

“Well, look at that…” called Sapphire “Looks like you two have to duel each other, and unlike us, you can’t forfeit without paying the price.”

“We’d love to stay and watch, but we have our mission.” said Khaos, and he and the others all zoomed off on their clouds.

Terra didn’t chase after them because she couldn’t bear to leave the others alone in this predicament.

Applejack and Sunset stood gawking at each other while shaking with such sorrow.

“Applejack…I’m sorry, I’m so sorry!” sobbed Sunset.

Much as her friend knew it was just an accident, she couldn’t stop thinking about how serious this was.

“Sunset… I… I…” Applejack clenched her fist. “… I guess we got no choice. Let’s do this!”

“What?!” cried Sunset.

Terra was most upset. “No, you can’t! There’s got to be a way out this.”

“There ain’t.” protested Applejack. “Of course I could just surrender right now. I’d be turned into a card and you two could get out of here.”

“No!” cried Sunset “Please, don’t!”

“The duel me, and get it over with. Besides, you said yourself you need to learn more about that mystery card of yours, well, here’s your chance.”

Sunset still didn’t think she could bring herself to actually do this.

She closed her eyes really tight, cringing really hard. “Alright… You got yourself a duel.”

She felt like kicking herself all over for what she had just said.

Terra felt like she was going to faint, but decided to stay and watch, not wanting to leave the winner out here all alone.

“I can’t believe this is happen!” she said to herself “I can’t believe this at all. No matter who wins, one of them is going down.”

This duel was not about to go unnoticed…

Loki had been observing the mission to ensure that the trio brought Celestia to him properly this time, but he saw the duel beginning.

“Brother, come see this.” and he showed his brother what was happening.

“My, my…” chuckled Rubeus “…Two friends having to face one another because of one, little folly. I wonder how this will play out.”

The girls drew their cards, but they were still feeling rather sick to their stomachs about this.

“Sunset… just give it all you got, because that’s what I intend to do. So don’t you go holding out on me, you hear.”

Sunset could only nod at her, unable to find words to say, until the signal…

“DUEL!!”

Sunset LP: 8000

Applejack LP: 8000

Terra kept looking back and forth between the two girls and moaned softly with worry. She couldn’t even begin to understand how the girls were feeling as they drew their first cards.

“Okay…” Sunset said trying to summon her nerves forth. “Here I come.

I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN, and Scale 4 ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON.”

Her two magicians rose up into the lights as the magic pendulum began to swing between them.

“Now I can summon as many level 2 to 3 monsters as I wish.”

She called out her usual chant…

“As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots fired down from the sky as her monsters appeared.

“NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Def: 1400)

“TIME BREAKER MAGICIAN…” (Def: 0)

Even though she Pendulum Summoned, she was not bathed in the mystical light.

She then looked up at her Odd-Eyes in the Pendulum Zone. The dragon gazed down at her, but that was about it.

“That’s it then.” she thought “The light only seems to envelope me whenever I summon my dragons. Maybe that’s what has to do with my mystery card.”

Nevertheless, she placed her last card facedown. “I end my turn. Go ahead.”

Applejack nodded and drew her card. She, like Sunset, still felt horrible about this, but she held her card up…

“I play the spell DOUBLE SUMMON, which means I get to play two monsters instead of just one.

So I play… BUJINGI BOAR, and BUNJINGI HARE.”

(Atk: 1100)

(Atk: 1700)

“I now overlay both these level 4 critters to build the Overlay Network!”

Her monsters vanished into the portal, and the monster leapt out in a bright flash of light.

“I Xyz Summon BUJINTEI SUSANOWO.”

(Atk: 2400)

“An Xyz Summon already?” wondered Terra “I wonder what she’s got planned now. Not that I already don’t think I know.”

“I told you, I’m not holding back.” Applejack called “I activate Susanowo’s ability. By using an overlay unit, I can send BUJINGI CENTIPEDE from my deck to the graveyard.

And that’s just the start of it. Now that Centipede’s in the grave, I’ll banish it and destroy that facedown of yours!”

Her Centipede’s spirit soared over towards Sunset’s field, destroying it instantly. “No! My Mirror Force…!”

Applejack flicked the rim of her hat. “So much for that… and also, I have one other ability to play, and that’s my BUJINGI IBIS.

By sending it out of my hand, if my “Bujin” monster attacks a defense monster, you still take damage.”

Sunset groaned softly. “And that monster can attack all of mine!”

“Eeyup.” replied Applejack, and she engaged her battle phase, but took a moment to reflect on her upcoming actions. “This is going to hurt me more than you.”

With a heavy heart she called her first attack, “Now Susanowo, blow off that Nobledragon Magcian!”

Sunset watched as the monster soared in with its bright wings sparking with electricity, and it swooped down on her magician, crushing him flat.

(Atk: 2400) VS (Def: 1400)

Sunset got shocked with the electrical currents…

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 7000

Terra held her hands to her mouth.

Sunset was still standing, and Applejack was cringing hard at what she just did, and wiped a tear from her eye before her features hardened “I’m sorry, girl”

Then she ordered her monster to attack Timebreaker Magician.

“Not this time.” hollered Sunset, and she held up her hand calling to her Odd-Eyes, “…thanks to his Pendulum Ability, once per turn, I can make the damage I take from a Pendulum Monster go down to zero!”

Her dragon cast her within a magical barrier, shielding her form the shockwaves of the battle. Her magician was still destroyed and sent to the Extra Deck, leaving Sunset defenseless.

Even though she took no damage, both she and Applejack felt hurt deep down.

“Are you okay?” Sunset called.

“I’m fine.” replied Applejack “I place two cards facedown, and that’s all.”

She gazed forth at her friend, but Sunset just hesitated.

“Well, come on! Draw your card.” she demanded.

Sunset placed her finger over her deck, but couldn’t seem to find too much nerve to draw.

“I can’t!”

Applejack growled, and Terra gazed at Sunset with worry.

“Applejack… I just can’t do this. It’s too much!”

Of course Sunset knew that by stalling too long, she’d forfeit the duel herself, and she’d lose it all too.

Meanwhile…

Fluttershy was trying hard to keep strong and stand.

Fluttershy LP: 4200

Karle LP: 7500

“Poor little thing,” Karle taunted “Is it really worth all this trouble to protect someone who couldn’t care less if you survive or not?” she looked out towards Gar in the distance.

He didn’t seem to take much notice or care.

Karle then placed a card facedown, ending her turn.

“Go ahead. Make your move. See what else I can do to further humiliate you for your foolish efforts.”

The friends were all growing horribly disturbed by her taunting.

“Fluttershy, don’t let her bring you down.” called Rainbow.

“Yeah, you can show her.” added Pinkie.

The two Titans agreed as well.

“Fluttershy, everyone is worth protecting.” called Dick, and he looked over to where Gar stood, “…That means “everyone” no matter what they’ve done or behave.

It’s how a hero works.”

Gar could only sigh, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

Fluttershy stopped trembling and her features hardened at Karle. “It most certainly IS worth the effort.”

Even though Gar had been nothing but a creep and a jerk ever since she had met him, Fluttershy still believed in firm kindness like her element.

“I know there’s good in him.” she thought “And maybe my dueling for him will help him see that.”

It was her turn.

“Now I draw…!

And with that, I activate the effects of MARIE THE FALLEN ONE, which I discarded with Hand Destruction.

She boosts my life points by 200 whenever my turn begins.”

Fluttershy was bathed in another shower of sparkle, which boosted her score as promised.

Fluttershy LP: 4200 -----> 4400

“And since I gained life points, my Fire Princess burns another 500 of your points away!”

The flames blasted at Karle again, and still she didn’t even flinch.

Karle LP: 7500 -----> 7000

Ingoing the confusion of the mystery, Fluttershy focussed on her move.

“Now I play POT OF GREED, so I draw two more cards.

And now I’ll play one of them; TOKEN THANKSGIVING.”

The field began to quake as the two Fluff Tokens crumbled to the ground, leaving behind sparkling dust clouds which floated towards Fluttershy.

“I see!” hissed Karle “You used that spell to destroy your tokens, knowing it would grant you 800 life points for each one.”

Fluttershy LP: 4400 -----> 6000

“Yes.” replied Fluttershy “And because I just gained life points, you know what happens now.

Do it, Fire Princess. Burn another 500 of her life points.”

Karle LP: 7000 -----> 6500

“Wow! Fluttershy’s catching up.” said Kori. “She’s right back in this game again.”

The others agreed and were just as excited.

Gar didn’t seem too impressed though as he thought. “It’ll take a lot more than just a small boost to win this duel. She’ll have to attack eventually.”

Fluttershy wanted to attack, but the two facedown cards discouraged her, and she didn’t want to risk it too much, and she felt she didn’t have to.

“Now I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn.”

“Is that all?” asked Karle. “It’s no wonder you didn’t last very long in the tournament. Why if I had dueled you, you’d have already been eliminated in the first round.”

Fluttershy growled in anger.

Karle drew her next card. “I now activate my facedown card, SPIDER WEB!”

“Huh?”

A long spider thread shot out from the card image, striking Fluttershy’s graveyard.

“Hey!”

“What is that card?” wondered Rainbow.

“Ew… it’s gross.” gagged Pinkie.

Karle explained, “This lets me take one card that was sent to your graveyard during the last turn, and it goes straight into my hand.”

The web retracted itself dragging a card with it, straight into Karle’s grasp. “Thank you. I play your POT OF GREED, so now I may draw two cards.”

She drew and looked at her cards, “Excellent!”

Then she raised her arm up, “I now banish Lunalight Perfume from my graveyard, and I discard one card in my hand, which allows me to grab a “Lunalight” monster from my deck.”

A single card popped out from her duel disk.

“Just what I need… LUNALIGHT WOLF, which I place in my Pendulum Zone.”

Her wolf took his place in the light, and gave a loud howl, much to Fluttershy’s worry.

“Yes, I’d be worrying too.” taunted Karle. “Especially when you see what else I have in store.

I now summon LUNALIGHT PURPLE BUTTERFLY.”

(Atk: 1000)

“I know it may seem like nothing, but after all… once I activate this FUSION TAG spell it’ll be a different story.”

“Ah! Not Fusion Tag!” wailed Fluttershy.

Kori and Dick growled, while Gar snuffed. “She’s in for it now.”

Karle grinned. “Yes! You remember how this works. I select my Lunalight Leo Dancer in my Extra Deck, and now… the power of Fusion Tag will make Butterfly here, take on the form of a monster needed to create it… such as “Lunalight Panther Dancer!”

All at one, her Butterfly took on the fake form of said monster.

The others didn’t like where this was going one bit.

“I now activate Lunalight Wolf’s Pendulum Abbility.” called Karle. “You recall: it allows me to fusion summon by banishing my Panther Dancer with my Blue Cat on the field, and my Black Sheep in the graveyard!”

The monsters began to merge together, and the new monster appeared in a dark burst.

“Sharp as blades, and dark and deep,
I summon this beast to make you weep!

I Fusion Summon, LUNALIGHT LEO DANCER!”

(Atk: 3500)

Fluttershy gawked in horrors up at the huge creature with its sword shimmering, despite the lack of light, and she could only peep softly “Ohhhh… Nooooo….!!”

“Oh, yes…” hissed Karle “Your end is near, and your friendship has failed you.

This duel and your soul are as good as done!!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 18: Friendship Follies: Part 2

EPISODE EIGHTEEN

The Leo dancer continued to glare at Fluttershy, and she stepped back a pace in fear.

Fluttershy LP: 6000

Karle continued to grin sinisterly, feeling that her victory was assured.

Karle LP: 6500

“No, Fluttershy!” cried Pinkie “She can’t take that monster down!”

“It’s okay.” Dick called to her. “Remember, the Array of Revealing Light is still in play, so Leo Dancer can’t attack.”

That’s when the seal from Fluttershy’s field spell shocked Leo Dancer and held her down.

“Ha!” scoffed Karle “You think I’m not prepared for that either?! I activate the trap DUST TORNADO.”

“No!” cried Fluttershy “That lets you destroy any spell or trap on my field!”

The nasty twister billowed over her field and blew her field spell away; warping the field back to normal, and Leo Dancer was released from bondage!

Fluttershy was really trembling now, much to Karle’s delight.

“And don’t forget.” hissed Karle, “Not only can you neither target or destroy my monster with your card effects, but she can destroy all special summoned monsters you have.”

Fluttershy began to sweat nervously and even made her trademark whimper.

Gar shook his head pitifully at Fluttershy. “She doesn’t have a chance.”

The friends were all trembling for Fluttershy, and Karle engaged her battle phase.

“Go Leo Dancer, and wipe out that Ancient Fairy Dragon!”

Her monster gripped her sword tightly, and leapt over to strike.

Suddenly, Fluttershy shouted, “I activate my trap, BARRIER WAVE!”

“Ah!” cried Karle.

The friends all looked on with hopeful expressions.

“When your monster declares an attack, the first thing I must do is tribute a Synchro Monster I have.”

She looked up at her Ancient Fairy Dragon, hating having to part with her, but her dragon looked down at her, and actually nodded, as if she were telling her to do it.

The dragon then vanished into the graveyard in a shower of sparkles.

“Now that that’s done…” said Fluttershy “…My Barrier Wave changes all your monsters into defense-mode, and that includes your Leo Dancer!”

“No!” cried Karle, but her monster skid to a halt, and quivered as she and Cat Dancer both changed positions.

(Def: 3000)

(Def: 2000)

“Oh, no!” cried Karle “And now that trap makes me take damage equal to my Leo Dancer’s defense points!”

The trap card image glowed brightly, and Fluttershy gave a sneaky smirk, and with a soft peep she said, “…Fire.”

POW!! A big blast of energy shot out from the card, forcing Karle to brace herself as the blast hit her, and pushed her back in the sand several inches.

Karle LP: 6500 -----> 3500

“You’ll pay for that!” Karle roared.

Rainbow sighed heavily in relief. “She ought to let us KNOW next time she plans to save herself!”

Pinkie breathed deeply and heavily to catch herself, being a little overdramatic.

Far, far away, sunset was still feeling stressed out as she still refused to draw her next card.

Sunset LP: 7000

Applejack LP: 8000

“I’m sorry, Applejack, but I just can’t do this!” she cried, and she shut her eyes tight trying to fight her tears off. “… I can’t duel you like this, not after all we’ve been though.”

She thought back to the greatest times she and other girls had—all the parties they went to, the songs they sang, working on building their decks together, and always hanging at Canterlot High and sleepovers.

Applejack felt the same way, but she clenched her fists tight, supressing the feelings, and keeping a stern expression.

“If you don’t duel me…” she said deeply. “… I swear… I will attack you again, and you’ll be the one to get it!”

Sunset looked across at her in shock.

“You think I like this anymore than you do? I don’t want to duel you, I’m only doing this because I have no other choice, and neither do you.

There’s no amount of talking or crying that’s going to make this any easier than it is, so the right thing is to do it and get it over with.

It’s only way we’ll get out of here, find the others, and stop the Prince Brothers so we can save everyone, including who loses this duel.”

Sunset gasped, finally realizing. “Yes… that is true.”

“Sunset…!” Terra called to her “Sometimes victory comes with a price, no matter how bad it may seem, it’s what a hero does, like when I had to turn myself into stone to save Jump City from an eruption I caused.”

Though Sunset was unable to understand Terra’s sacrifice, she did feel her reasoning catching up with her.

“They’re right.” she thought. “I might as well do this, and at least I can try and unlock some of my mysteries, but this sure doesn’t make it easier.”

She stood up straight and tall. “Okay… I really hate to do this, but I’m in, and I draw!”

Sunset gave a weak smile, but she was pleased that Sunset was out of her funk a bit.

Terra didn’t know whether to think this was good or bad.

“Now…” Sunset called “...Behold my monsters! I Pendulum Summon…!”

Three flashes of light shot down as she summoned her creatures.

“TIMEBREAKER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1400)

“NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 700)

“DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1800

Her three magicians stood side-by-side.

“I now use Timebreaker’s special ability, which allows me to banish himself and your Susanowo until the end of this turn.”

The Magician’s sword began to glow bright as he prepared to strike, but Applejack called “You set off my trap, XYZ REFLECT.”

“Ah!”

“When you use a card effect to target an Xyz Monster on my field, the effect is negated, and the card is destroyed, and then you’ll take a big 800 smack-a-roos to your life points.”

Sunset sweat nervously as her Magician got shot by a powerful beam from the trap, shattering him to bits, and sending the remaining waves at her, making her wail.

Sunset LP: 6900 -----> 6100

Sunset quivered in pain as she slowly regained her stance.

Applejack scolded, “You better not be holding back on me again; after what we just talked about…?”

Sunset then grinned, “No, I’m not. That was just a setup for what I really have in mind.”

“Huh?”

“Now for the real fun to begin… I Tune Level 3 Nobledragon with level 4 Dragonpulse…”

The two monsters tuned together, sparking roaring flames, which Sunset called out to.

“On flaming wings, and claws that seer,
My mighty beast shall now appear!

I Synchro Summon ODD-EYES METEORBURST DRAGON.”

Sunset roared as she was bathed in the mystical blue light from the summoning, and her dragon was glowing in the same light.

Applejack and Terra were astounded.

The fading stopped, and Sunset regained herself, but nothing else happened-- nothing to give her any clues or signs of her mystery card.

“I’m not giving up on it.” she thought “I know this only happens when I summon my Odd-Eyes Monsters using their specific summoning methods. Maybe if I keep it up, something may happen… I just hope it isn’t too dangerous.”

“I activate Meteorburt’s ability; when it’s summoned, I can call a monster from the Pendulum Zone to join us in play… so come on down Odd-Eyes!”

Her Pendulum Dragon roared and leapt down onto the field.

(Atk: 2500)

Since it wasn’t Pendulum Summoned, no glowing lights happened, but Sunset had something else in mind.

“I overlay these two level 7 dragons in order to build the Overlay Network.”

The two dragons vanished, and Sunset called into the portal as her next dragon formed.

“With wings so sharp and a shining light
I summon a dragon of great might!

“I Xyz Summon ODD-EYES ABSOLUTE DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her dragon roared, and while its crystal wings were glistening, the dragon was bathed in the dark light, as was Sunset, and it felt stronger than before.

When the light had faded, Sunset was feeling rather strange… almost stronger even.

“What’s happening to me?” she wondered. “I’m starting to feel like I could duel an army.”

Applejack gawked at her, wondering what was happening as well, but Sunset continued her move, engaging her battle phase.

“Go, Absolute Dragon, attack Susanowo!”

Her dragon powered up, ready to strike, but Applejack was no fool, she knew Sunset’s strategy too well.

“Just a minute!” she hollered “I activate my other facedown, NEGATE ATTACK!”

“No!” cried Sunset.

“Eeyup. The attack is stopped and the battle’s over.” said Applejack “And because it’s a counter trap, you can’t use your monster’s effect in response.”

Sunset growled as the attack ceased.

Applejack flicked her long hair back. “I know you, Sunset, you were planning to negate the attack and get more of your monsters out here, but it ain’t happening this turn.”

Sunset growled, and her eyes gave off a small flare, which surprised the others, and even herself.

“Whoa! What was that?” Sunset asked.

Not one of the girls had an idea of just happened her, but they began to wonder if maybe this had to do with the mystery card, since Sunset Xyz and Synchro summoned two dragons on the same turn.

Still, there was nothing she could do this turn, so she had no choice but to stand down, which made her dragon regain its defense points.

“My draw…” said Applejack, “And I play CARD OF SANCTITY, so now we both draw until we’re each holding six cards.”

Terra watched the two girls draw and thought, “Now they’re both refreshed. Who knows what could happen now.”

Applejack looked at her cards, and then peeked up over them.

“Brace yourself, Sunset. I’m about to surprise you big time.

I set Scale 3 BUJIN HIRUKO into my Pendulum Zone.”

“What?” exclaimed Sunset.

“A Pendulum Monster?” added Terra.

The creature rose up into the light, and Sunset kept on gawking at it. “Since when did you have a Pendulum monster?”

Sunset smirked, “I’ve had it in my Side Deck, always keeping it handy, and I added it in after my last duel, because I figure it’ll be useful, and now it is.”

Sunset then informed her, “…If you mean you intend to Pendulum Summon, I’d like to see how. You need another Pendulum Monster to do that.”

Applejack smirked again, “I know that, and I know where to get one, with a little help of this spell.

…Activate EXCHANGE.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “But that spell makes us both look at each other’s hands and take a card from each other.”

Applejack nodded. “You may as well do it.”

She then turned over her hand to reveal her cards, which appeared as holo-images before Sunset’s eyes. Sunset did the same thing with her six cards.

“Eeyup, just as I hoped.” said Applejack “I’ll take your Wisdom-Eye Magician. I know how it works, and it’ll stop you from using it.”

“Okay…” agreed Sunset “And as for me… I’ll take Bujingi Fox.”

With the agreement made, the physical cards in each of their hands began to magically fade away and reappeared in the opposing players’ respective hands.

The duelists fell silent, and Terra looked back and forth between them, feeling very sweaty.

Not only had they exchanged cards, but they got a good look at each other’s hand and saw other cards, meaning they now had better ideas of what was coming and how to better prepare for it.

Sunset was especially worried as she thought. “I noticed in her hand… she had two spells… Overlay Capture, and Overlay Gift… and I bet I know how she plans to use them.”

She then looked down at the card she took from Applejack.

“This card can’t help me at all. It only works on “Bujin” monsters.”

“Alright, it’s time.” Said Applejack “Hope you’re ready, Sunset, because now I putting Scale 5 WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN into my other Pendulum Zone, completing the scale.”

The magician appeared, and glared down at Sunset with angry eyes, which turned Sunset’s blood cool.

She thought, “Applejack knew what I could do with that card, and even if she can’t use its Pendulum Ability, she still kept it from me.”

Applejack gazed at the pendulum swinging above her head, and she felt it was beautiful yet mysterious at the same time.

“Now, before I Pendulum summon, I use Susanowo’s ability again. I use one Overlay Unit to add BUJIN ARASUDA to my hand, giving me all I need to perform my first Pendulum Summon.

…And here we go…!!”

Two bright flashes rained down from the sky as she summoned her monsters.”

“BUJIN ARASUDA…” (Atk: 1600)

“BUJIN MIKAZUCHI…” (Atk: 1900)

Her two monsters looked at one another and nodded.

“YEE-HAW… it worked!” Applejack cried for joy. Then she regained her stance, “Now let’s round up the cattle with another spell.

I play OVERLAY CAPTURE!”

Sunset winced in shock, while Applejack smirked. “This here spell takes all Overlay Units off of your Odd-Eyes, and then attaches them to my Susanowo. Plus, the spell card itself becomes and overlay unit as well.”

“Oh, no!” cried Sunset “That gives you monster a total of four Overlay Units!”

Then she thought quietly, “And without those units, my Odd-Eyes can’t use his own ability either.”

“It’s time for me try the Pendulum Ability of my Hiruko.” said Applejack.

“A Pendulum ability?” cried Sunset.

“Eeyup… Now, by banishing Hiruko from the Pendulum Zone, I can then make an Xyz Summon by using an Xyz Monster I control.”

Sunset groaned softly, not really liking where this was going.

Applejack thrust her arm forth, “I use my Susanowo to build the Overlay Network, and bring out my biggest hitter yet.”

The monster began to appear, and Applejack called out to it.

“Drawn by a sword of mighty will
The beast lurks forth to fight all ill.

I Xyz Summon BUJINKI AMATERASU.”

(Atk: 2600)

This was a monster Applejack had rarely used because it was hard to summon, but Terra and Sunset gawked up at its shimmering armor, its gigantic sword… not to mention its four overlay units, which were spinning above the head of the beast rather than flowing in diagonal courses around it.

Sunset and Terra were both astounded by the flowing orbs, but Sunset was growing more nervous.

“And now…” Applejack called “Since you know what I got in my hand, I’ll play my last card, XYZ GIFT. It lets me use two overlay units from Amaterasu and I draw two new cards.”

Once again, she was careful not to use any of the units she stole from Sunset.

… Since I got two level 4 Beast-Warriors, I’ll build the overlay network once more.”

Her two monsters vanished into the portal, and she called out to it again…

“Basked in the glowing light of day,
There’s a great, grand creature coming my way!

I Xyz Summon BUJINTEI KAGUTSUCHI!”

(Atk: 2500)

Now she had two Xyz monsters in play, which Sunset found impressive, but still frightening.

Applejack raised her arm up, “When Kaguysuchi is Xyz Summoned, I have to send the top five cards in my deck to the graveyard, and if any of them happen to be “Bujin” cards, Kagutsuchi will gain 100 attack points for each one.”

Sunset gawked at Applejack’s deck while thinking, “Knowing her deck, all the cards will be “Bujin” cards.”

She was right, Applejack sent two monsters down, two spells, and one trap, and since they all had “Bujin” in their names… the monster gained 500 attack points.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“Now both monsters are stronger than Sunset’s dragon.” Terra wailed softly. “This can’t be good.”

Applejack looked down at her deck with pride. “I stacked this baby well…” she paused and looked over at Sunset. “…Thanks to you for getting me into the game.”

Sunset’s expression changed, as she remembered the time Applejack was just getting into the game herself…

“Those are some sweet cards, Applejack.” she said to her “And you did it just like I showed you-- each one can help out another.”

Applejack smiled at her, “Well, seeing you and Rainbow Dash duel so much, I decided to jump on the hay wagon and ride it with the rest of you.”

“Well then, what do you say we put it to a test?”

“You’re on, girl.”

The flashback ended, and the two girls were smiling bravely at one another, almost completely forgetting their present situation.

“So that’s why you want this duel to be all out.” said Sunset “It’s not just to push me to be my best, but how much you’ve come along since you started dueling.”

“Eeyup, I’m giving it my all.” said Applejack. “I now banish Bujingi Boar out of my graveyard, which lets me change your Odd-Eyes into defense-mode, and its defense goes down to nothing.”

(Def: 2500) -----> (Def: 0)

“Zero defense points?!” cried Sunset.

“Time to work!” called Applejack, and she engaged her battle phase. “Amaterasu… attack Odd-Eyes Absolute, now!”

Her monster complied and leapt up high into the air, and with one swing of its mighty sword, Sunset’s dragon was crushed.

The shockwaves from the blast still sped past her, and when she unbraced herself she called out, “You just activated my Absolute Dragon’s ability. When it’s sent to the graveyard, I can summon one Odd-Eyes out from my Extra Deck.”

Her deck was glowing brightly, followed by the roar of a dragon materializing.

“…I summon ODD-EYES VORTEX DRAGON… and I’ll put him in defense mode!”

(Def: 3000)

Applejack glared at the big dragon, and even though it was a Fusion Monster, since it was no properly Fusion Summoned, neither the dragon nor Sunset were glowing in light.

Terra was astounded as she said herself “That’s a smart move. With Odd-Eyes’ defense at 3000, Applejack’s Kagutsuchi can’t attack it.”

Sunset then called out, “Since Vortex Dragon was summoned, I activate his special ability, which lets me target your Amaterasu, and send it back to your Extra Deck.”

As her dragon began to flap its massive wings, Sunset thought “By sending that monster away, both my Odd-Eyes monsters will go straight to the graveyard.”

“Nice try!” Applejack called “I banish BUJINGI TURTLE from my graveyard. It stops your Odd-Eyes targeting my monster.”

Sunset then smirked, “No problem, I’ll use my own special ability. All I have to do is shuffle Timebreaker Magician from my Extra Deck to my Main Deck, and it cancels your Turtle’s power.

Her dragon was about to unleash it’s force, when it was suddenly stopped when water started pouring down on its head.

“Hey, what the--!” exclaimed Sunset, and then she saw Applejack, standing before a card images from a quick-play card she had used.

“Got’cha!” she called to her. “I figured you’d try and stop my Turtle’s power, so I used FORBIDDEN CHALICE, to block out your monster’s effects for the rest of the turn.”

Terra gazed in awe, realizing Sunset had failed to get rid of Applejack’s monsters, but at least she herself was safe… for the moment.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that’s all for me.” said Applejack. “Now, give me all you got!”

“With pleasure.” called Sunset. “I draw!”

Much as Sunset knew she couldn’t use Applejack’s Fox card, but with a hand of seven altogether, she felt she had a load of ways to turn things around.

“Now I set Scale 3 XIANGKE MAGICIAN into my Pendulum Zone, to complete the scale once more.”

The second her magician took his place in the light, Applejack called to her “…I activate a trap, POWER BALANCE.”

“Ah!” cried Sunset.

Applejack explained, “This here trap can only be played when my hand is empty, which it is. Now you have to discard half the cards your holding, and I get to draw cards equal to the number you throw out.”

“No way!” thought Sunset “That means I have to discard three cards, and Applejack gets to draw three.”

She looked at her Vortex Dragon, but she decided, “I dare not use his effect, not just yet. Applejack could be planning something huge, and I better stand ready for it.”

She then gawked over at Kagutsuchi, remembering its effect. “That monster can protect other Bujins from being destroyed, so my effects may not work too well either.”

Applejack was starting to lose her patience. “Well, go on… toss out three cards.”

Snapping back into reality, Sunset looked at her hand trying to decide which cards to ditch, and she realized she still had Bujingi Fox, which Applejack could still use if she sent it away, which prompted her not discard it.

She sent three cards away, finally allowing Applejack to draw her own three.

“Okay, Applejack.” said Sunset “I’m ready to come at you with everything I have!”

“Bring it!”

Terra adjusted her shirt and jacket, feeling hot and sweaty from all the stress and anxiety.

Part of her wished she was off with the others, and that snapped her into other reality. “The others…! I wonder if they’re okay.”

While all that was happening, Karle placed the last card in her hand facedown, finally ending her turn.

Karle LP: 3500

Fluttershy LP: 6000

Karle then smirked. “I must admit, you obviously duel with a lot of passion, and you may have some skills.”

Fluttershy took it all as an insult.

“…But if you think you have this duel won, you’ve got another thing coming, and that’s a huge defeat.”

Fluttershy narrowed her eyes at Karle, but deep down she was fretting, because what had in play, alone, wouldn’t be enough to win.

The friends were all worried about her too.

“Poor Fluttershy.” said Kori. “Do you think she can still win this?”

“I don’t think, I know she can do it!” said Rainbow.

“That goes double for me.” added Pinkie, and she called over “Come on, Fluttershy, show her, and Gar what dueling with friendship is all about.”

Fluttershy smiled at her friends, and then she turned to look at Gar standing in the distance. She couldn’t see beneath his face-covers, but she had her hunch that he was still morbidly unmoved.

“She doesn’t have a chance.” he thought to himself “And now it’s going to cost her dearly, but that’s what you get for getting involved where you’re not wanted.”

Fluttershy placed her fingers over her next card.

“It’s my turn, and I draw!”

Without even looking at her card, she called to Karle. “Now I get to gain 200 life points thanks to Marie in my graveyard.

Fluttershy LP: 6000 -----> 6200

“And since my life points went up, the Fire Princess will burn another 500 of your life points.”

The Princess aimed her magic staff and shot more fire at Karle again.

Karle LP: 3500 -----> 3000

Dick was muttering nervously under his breath, “Come on… Come on, you can beat her.”

Only then did Fluttershy gaze down at what she had drawn.

“I activate GRACEFUL CHARITY, and this spell lets me draw three cards, as long as I discard two.”

She still only had one card in hand when all was said and done, and yet she smirked.

“Since I just sent another DANDYLION to the graveyard, two more Fluff Tokens are now summoned to my field.”

Her two little tokens puffed out.

(Def: 0) x2

“And now, I summon the Tuner Monster, SUNNY PIXIE.”

(Atk: 300)

“Don’t be fooled by her size. She may be a tiny pixie, but she’ll be most useful for what I have planned, especially when I tune her with my Fire Princess and my tokens.”

The tiny pixie began to flutter around the monsters, changing them all into the tuning rings, which coiled around her.

Fluttershy called out as her monster began to emerge in a bright light…

“On wings of light, and powers so high,
This mighty creature descends from the sky.

I Synchro Summon ANCIENT SACRED WYVERN!”

(Atk: 2100)

Her mighty creature stretched out its glowing wings, and let out a loud, yet sacred screech.

Karle covered her eyes with arm. “Watch it with those lights!” she groaned.

Fluttershy just snuffed.

“Oh, I should mention something more; when my Sunny Pixie is used to Synchro Summon a Light monster, then my life points are boosted by 1000 points.”

She was then bathed in a shower of sparkles, which felt nice to her…

Fluttershy LP: 6200 -----> 7200

“So what?” sneered Karle “Without your Fire Princess, you can’t burn my life points any longer.”

Fluttershy’s eye gave a small twinkle. “I don’t have to, because I have last card to play.”

“Huh?”

“I play my face-down; the Equip-Spell, FAIRY METEOR CRUSH.”

Karle’s eyes widened. “What?! …Fairy Meteor Crush? Impossible!”

The friends began to go wild with great hope.

“Ah, yeah!” shouted Rainbow “Way to play it, Fluttershy!”

Dick nodded, “Thanks to that spell card, if Wyvern attacks monster in defense mode, Karle will still take damage from the attack.”

“And what’s more…” added Pinkie “Since Fluttershy has more life points than Karle, Wyvern gains attack points equal to the difference in the scores.”

This meant that Wyvern gained a 4200 attack point boost.

(Atk: 2100) -----> (Atk: 6300)

The monster was glowing brighter than ever before as it eyed the defending monsters on Karle’s field, preferably at Cat Dancer, whom had the weakest defense of 2000.

Karle growled angrily, much to Fluttershy’s delight. “Even though Cat Dancer can’t be destroyed in battle, once my Wyvern attacks it, your life points will be all gone.”

Then she turned round to look over her shoulders to see that Gar was still watching, which he was.

“He’ll have to see at least some worth in my kindness now.” she thought, and then engaged her battle phase.

“Go Wyvern… attack Cat Dancer!”

Her monster complied, and opened its huge mouth to unleash a powerful and bright ray of light!

POW!! The beam was launched, straight at Cat Dancer…

The blast got closer, and closer…

“Go on!!” hollered Rainbow.

“Come on, Fluttershy!” cheered Kori.

The attack struck, and as Karle was about to get hit when…

“I activate the trap, GIFT CARD!”

“What?!” gasped Fluttershy. Remembering she had that very card in her own deck, she knew “…That card gives me 3000 life points.”

Fluttershy LP: 7200 -----> 10,200

“Whoa!” cried Pinkie “Fluttershy has over ten-thousand life points.”

“But that move doesn’t make a lick of sense.” said Dick “Now Wyvern gains another 3000 attack points as well.”

(Atk: 6300) -----> (Atk: 9300)

“Why would you do that?” asked Fluttershy “Now you’ll just take even more damage.”

Karle scoffed, “…Not if I play this; SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTON!”

“Huh?”

The friends all gawked on too while Gar growled under his covers.

Karle snickered as the image of her trap began to pulsate. “This can only be played if my life points are lower than yours by at least 7000 points.

Now, everything is about to explode, and both our scores drop to zero!!”

Fluttershy’s eyes widened.

“They’re both going to lose?!” exclaimed Kori.

“…But that’s-- it’s just--” Rainbow couldn’t find words to say about that.

The card image gave off one final, really bright glow.

“IT’S GONNA BLOW!!” shouted Pinkie, and she hit the ground hard.

The card then exploded in a mighty and forceful blast, which shook the nearby area in a huge quake.

The light consumed all the cards on the field.

Fluttershy wailed and screamed as the brightness engulfed her, while Karle stood her ground as the force shoved her hard.

The brightness of the explosion was so massive…

…From far, far away, where Applejack and Sunset were dueling; both they and Terra could see the brightness, shimmering in the distance like a star.

“What is that?” wondered Sunset.

“A star, on the ground?” suggested Applejack, but she felt that was ridiculous.

The brightness began to fade down.

“Could someone else be dueling?” wondered Terra, and then she began to worry if maybe it was one of the others, or even still. “Could Gar be dueling there?”

To Be Continued…

Episode 19: Friendship Follies: Final Part

Author's Note

Whew! Writing duels, trying to make them work within the set algorithm-- it can really give you headaches. It's not easy to write up duels like this.

Also, I don't take kindly when people refer to Yu-Gi-Oh as a "Child's Card Game"

I still think the game and the anime is cool, and also... it doesn't matter how much people complain, the law of Yu-Gi-Oh is crystal clear.

"A Duelist settles their issues with a duel... NOT their fists."

Only rarely are exceptions made (Depending on the situation)

Episode 19: Friendship Follies: Final Part

EPISODE NINETEEN

The force of the explosion knocked Fluttershy down onto her back, while Karle barely managed to stay on her feet herself.

Both their scores dropped to zero as promised.

Fluttershy LP: 10,200 -----> 0

Karle LP: 3000 -----> 0

The light faded and was gone.

The friends finally looked onward, as Fluttershy sat upright, though wearily and looking dry and a little bruised, while Karle still had not a scratch.

“Fluttershy!” called Rainbow “You alright?”

“Let’s get over there.” suggested Kori.

The friends began to make their way down the hill towards her, but suddenly the Malefic light began to come in.

Fluttershy looked up in complete horrors. “What?! But the duel was a draw!”

Karle looked up at the forming lightning and snickered at it.

“Fluttershy, get out of there!!” shouted Dick, but it was too late, the lightning had already struck her hard, and she screamed and wailed as the force consumed her.

“FLUTTERSHY!!!” Rainbow and Pinkie screamed.

When the light had faded, all that was left was Fluttershy’s duel disk, her cards scattered about, and Fluttershy herself was sealed into a card.

Pinkie seemed to run faster than all the others, with a stream of tears streaking as she dashed. “Fluttershy…!! FLUTTERSHY…!!!” she wailed as she ran up to the card pile, and scooped up her friend’s soul card in hand.

She began to sob miserably as her hands quivered. “No…!! Fluttershy…!!”

Rainbow skid to a dead halt, with her own pain and her own tears catching up to her.

The two titans couldn’t believe their eyes.

“But how?” cried Kori “I thought you only lost your soul if you lost the duel?”

Just there, there was the sound of a familiar and sickening laugh.

Everyone turned, and they were shocked and appalled to see Karle was still standing and mocking them all.

“Isn’t it painfully obvious? Oh, wait, it’s not… to you losers anyway.”

The others took great offense to that.

“If you don’t win the duel, then you lose your soul, and since this duel was a draw, poor little Fluttershy paid the price!”

Pinkie looked down miserably at the card in her quivering hands.

“But wait…!” shouted Rainbow “You didn’t win either. So how come you’re still standing?”

Karle gave a sinister grin, “Looks like I have to explain this again, but long story short… I’m not like you dolts; I’m artificial. I have no soul to lose!”

The gang all gasped in shock and near disbelief, but nothing else would explain why Karle never once succumbed to any weakness or pain from being attacked or losing life points.

“So that’s why you want to duel, Gar.” said Kori. “You may lose a duel, but you’ll never be beaten.”

Karle nodded, and then her features hardened into sternness. “Consider this a warning: The next time you or anyone gets in my way again, I’ll go even harder on you than I was on Fluttershy!”

Rainbow was quivering with rage.

Then Karle turned to look for Gar to duel him, only to find “…He’s gone!”

The others looked on and saw that Gar was indeed no longer there, hinting he had left earlier, having seen enough of the duel when the last card was played.

Karle was outraged at first, but then her anger faded as she said to herself, “Perhaps it’s just as well. After all I went through; I could probably brush up on a few more skills and snag some more cards.”

She turned to leave.

“HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!!” bellowed Rainbow.

Karle turned and saw her rushing up to her in a blinding rage “…YOU’RE GONNA PAY!!”

Rainbow was so enraged, she was willing to defy the rules of the duelist and attack Karle herself for what she did to her friend.

“Rainbow, stop…!!” called Kori.

Rainbow didn’t listen and aimed a powerful punch for the lady’s face, but Karle simply stepped back slightly causing Rainbow to miss, and roll down the hill.

“Rainbow!” shouted Robin and he and Kori leapt down the hill.

As for Karle, she merely snuffed, and then she walked off into the shadows.

Rainbow pushed herself up, but remained down on all fours with her face pointing downward at the dark sand.

She was cringing and grumbling painfully, but not from her fall, but from her outrage and msiery of all that had just happened.

“Rainbow?” Dick said softly, but he couldn’t think of anything else to say, especially when Rainbow’s fingers curled into fists, leaving marks in the sand.

“First it was Princess Twilight, and then Spike got zapped.” she grumbled. “Now both Rarity and Fluttershy are down too.”

Pinkie was still atop one of the hills looking down tearfully at Fluttershy’s card.

“It’s not fair.” she said to herself. “Dueling is supposed to be about having fun, and being all excited, not danger, power, and suffering.”

She began to cry again letting her tears fall past the soul card.

Kori and Dick were both outraged and upset by the loss, the revelations of Karle’s supposed immortality, but was really aggravated them was that Gar had left, and obviously was still unmoved by Fluttershy taking a hit for him.

They even remembered before the duel started when they tried to be sincere with him, only for him to remark…

“…You don’t deserve my help, and even if you did, I still wouldn’t give it to the likes of you.

…Traitors!”

The two Titans would have questioned how he could be so cruel, so heartless…

…But really they knew exactly why, but now was not the time to really think about that, especially when Rainbow lifted her head and slowly got on to her feet with her eyes still raging.

Pinkie did the same atop the hill-- rose up onto her feet with a blazing, angry expression.

“She’ll pay…!” growled Rainbow.

“They’ll pay…!” hissed Pinkie.

And the two angry girls said together, “…They’ll All Pay!!”

Overtaken by their rage to get even, the girls had really lost their composures, replaced with these raging beasts.

Kori and Dick felt worried.

Meanwhile, Sunset, Applejack, and Terra were still concerned with that distant shimmer they saw.

Sunset and Applejack also had that sickening feeling strike them that something was horribly wrong.

“That light…!” cried Sunset “You don’t suppose it was one of our friends, do you?”

Applejack kept look off to the darkness in the distance, and she never denied her own senses when she felt something was up.

“We better finish this duel fast.” she suggested.

That’s when the two girls re-awakened to their own predicament.

Sunset LP: 6900

Applejack LP: 8000

Whichever of them won this duel, the other would lose their soul.

Terra felt sick for both girls, as well as herself; sick with worry and tension beyond anything she had ever felt in her life.

“Hey, come on you two!” she called to them “Can’t one of you just surrender?” then she held her hand over her mouth “…What am I saying?!”

The two duellists were both tempted by such a thought, but just the same neither one of them seemed to be willing to go through with it.

“I can’t just surrender this duel.” said Sunset. “Sure, Applejack and Terra would be able to go after the others and try to end this, but… I just don’t know.”

The Prince Brothers were watching from their lair, and they were both deeply concerned.

“Sunset Shimmer can’t surrender this duel.” said Rubeus “She is vital to ultimate goal.”

“She wouldn’t dare.” said Loki “She knows she has great power and potential.”

Sunset’s hand was quivering, as if it had a mind of its own telling her to surrender and be done with it.

“No…!” she snapped at no one in particular. “I can’t give up. There’s too much on the line here.”

Applejack didn’t wish to give up either. Even though it meant delaying themselves to go find their friends, she couldn’t just quit now, not when she and Sunset were fighting a good duel here and now, and she was trying to help Sunset unlock the mysteries of her Extra Deck.

“So… we continue?” she asked.

Sunset nodded with reluctance. “It’s still my turn, and I play POT OF GREED, so I can draw two other cards.”

This gave her four in hand, including Applejack’s Fox card, which she refused to play or send to the graveyard.

Terra could hardly believe this as she thought. “They’re still willing to go through with this? Are they crazy or just--” she paused, unable to come up with anything else. “…I don’t know what else to call them.”

Sunset then grabbed one of her cards. “I activate Dragonpit Magician’s pendulum ability; by sending Xiansheng Magician in my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy one spell or trap card, and since you have only one…”

She pointed at her own Wisdom-Eye Magician, still on Applejack’s field.

“Now, I’ll use this magic and destroy Wisdom-Eye Magician, thus sending him to my own Extra Deck where he belongs.”

Applejack growled as she saw the monster shatter into sparkles of light, and the card magically leapt off of her duel disk, slipping itself into Sunset’s Extra Deck.

“That’s Pretty smart.” remarked Applejack, “But now it’s my turn to use an effect of my own; the effect of my Bujinki Amatersaru.

By using an overlay unit while it’s your turn, I get to target one of my banished Bujin monsters, and add it to my hand.

I think I’ll go ahead and take back my faithful BUJINGI HIRUKO.”

Sunset had a pretty good feeling she knew why Applejack took that card.

“I know what you’re up to, and it won’t save you, because I’ve got a plan of my own.”

She pointed up to her Pendulum monsters.

“WithScale 3 Xiangke Magician and Scale 8 Dragonpit Magician, I can summon monsters between levels 4 and 7 all at the same time.

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light rained down from up high as her monsters appeared.

“HARMONIZING MAGICIAN…” (Def: 0)

“WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1500)

Her two magicians stood together, and Sunset gazed proudly at her Wisdom-Eye Magician.

“Welcome back.” she said softly, and her monster nodded at her thankfully.

“As for my Harmonizing Magician… When she’s pendulum summoned from my hand, she lets me call on a “Magician” Pendulum monster from my deck to join us on the field, and I choose TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN.”

(Def: 1200)

Applejack could sense where this was going.

Sunset held out her arms, “I overlay my Harmonizing Magician with Wisdom-Eye to build the Overlay Network!”

Her two magicians vanished into the portal, but since it was not the summoning of a dragon, Sunset did not glow with the eerie light, and she also didn’t bother to call out to this monster with a chant, but she still hollered out…

“I Xyz Summon TIMESTAR MAGICIAN!”

Her magician stood tall and majestically, holding its staff strong.

“There’s a monster I haven’t seen in a while.” said Applejack.

Sunset gave her a smirk, “Now I use his ability; by using one overlay unit, I can add one Dark Attributed “Magician” monster to my hand, and I choose Harmonizing Magician, which I summon right to the field.”

(Atk: 0)

Applejack growled softly, while Terra watched with anxiety…

“I now tune Level 4 Harmonizing Magician with Level 3 Timegazer Magician.”

Her monsters began to tune up, but, again, Sunset was not bathed in light as this was not a dragon summoning, nor did she chant, but still hollered to her creature.

“I Synchro Summon ARCANITE MAGICIAN!”

(Def: 1800)

Applejack gazed up at the sparkling magician remaking; “Now there’s a creature I haven’t seen in a while.”

Sunset gave her a smirk. “Then you remember his ability; he gains two spell counters, which do raise his attack up, but I have different plans.

By using one of those spell counters I can destroy your Kagutsuchi.”

The magical force began to fire, straight at Applejack’s monster.

“I don’t think so.” said Applejack “I banish BUJINGI HARE from my graveyard, which activates its ability and prevents it from being destroyed by battle or card effects once this turn.”

As her hare’s spirit began to come forth, Applejack felt relieved she had sent the hare to her graveyard on her last turn.

“That won’t help you this time.” called Sunset “I still have Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon, and all I have to do is shuffle Harmonizing Magician back into my Main Deck, and I can stop your hare’s effect.”

The spirit of the hare was roared at by the mighty dragon, causing it to fade into the darkness, much to Applejack’s annoyance.

“Still no problem…” she stated “I still have my Kagutsuchi’s ability. Whenever a Beast-Warrior type “Bujin” I control would be destroyed, I just use an overlay unit instead.

With that, her monster stood where it was, shrouded in magical light, shielding it from destruction.

“No matter,” said Sunset “I still have another spell counter to use.”

She fire another burst of magic.

“Yeah...? Well I still have an overlay unit to use.” protested Applejack, and her monster defended itself again.

Sunset only grinned again “That takes care of them.”

Applejack gasped realizing what she had just done-- using up all the overlay units.

“Oh, no…!”

“Oh, yes…” called Sunset “But since both your monsters are too strong for me to face right now, I’ll just set this card facedown and call it a turn.

So you’re up, Applejack.”

Applejack was most confused, and thought surely that Sunset would have done something much more impressive than that.

“What is she up to?” she wondered. She looked at Vortex dragon, knowing it was still a huge danger, and the facedown card behind it.

She also checked the graveyard, and she couldn’t see her Bujingi Fox, which told her it was still in Sunset’s hand.

“I can’t let her see me stall like this. I need to give it my all, because that’s what I promised her, and I intend to live up to it.”

“Here goes…!” she hollered as she drew her fifth card.

“Perfect!”

Sunset and Terra both gawked at her.

“Now I set my Hikuro into my Pendulum Scale once more!”

“Oh, no you don’t!” called Sunset “I use Vortex Dragon’s ability, by shuffling Harmonizing Magician back into my main deck, your Pendulum Card is negated and destroyed.”

With that said, her dragon blew Applejack’s card off the field.

Terra gazed in awe at the move and said to herself, “Now Applejack can’t use its power to Xyz Summon.”

…But Applejack began to snicker sinisterly. She then said “Nice shot, but not nice enough.”

“Huh?” said Sunset.

“I activate the spell MONSTER REINCARNATION. So by discarding one card in my hand to the grave, I get Hiruko back.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes.

“So let’s try this again. I set my Hiruko back into the Pendulum Zone!”

Sunset was unable to block it this time.

“Even though I can’t Pendulum Summon anymore, I don’t need too, because I got something better in mind.

I use Amaterasu’s last overlay unit.

Since it’s my turn, I get to target one of my banished “Bujin” monsters, and summon it, and I choose my BUJINGI CENTIPEDE!”

(Atk: 1700)

“And now, from my hand, I summon BUJINGI SINYOU!”

(Atk: 1100)

“I use Wolf and Centipede to build the overlay network!”

She didn’t bother call out to her monster this time, and preferred to just summon it out.

“Brace yourself, because I Xyz Summon BUJINTIEI TSKUYOMI!”

(Atk: 1800)

The new monster was glowing bright, and while it wasn’t as strong as any other creature, Applejack only grinned. “Now, by using one overlay unit, and discarding every card I hold, I get to draw two new cards.

And by the way, I just sent Centipede to the graveyard. You know what that means...”

Sunset cringed, “You’ll banish it, and then you’ll destroy one card on my field.”

Applejack tipped her hat, “Eeyup, and that’s just what I’m doing now, and I know just the card to blow out too.

…Go on, Centipede… take down that facedown card.”

The spirit of the Centipede rose, and dove straight at Sunset’s card.

“Hold up!” she then shouted “I activate my trap PENDULUM BACK.”

Applejack growled angrily.

Sunset then called, “Since my Pendulum Scale is still intact, I get to add two monsters from the graveyard to my hand, as long as their respective levels are within the scale.”

Two shots of light shot out from her deck, straight into her hand. “I’ll take Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dragoncaller Magician… which you forced me to discard with your Power Balance.”

Applejack snuffed. “I see… well, I can still use Hiruko’s Pendulum Ability.

When I banish it from the Pendulum Zone, I can Xyz Summon using my Tskuyomi.”

The Overlay network appeared again as the monster leapt into it.

“And I know just who to Xyz Summon now… my old faithful friend, BUJINTEI SUSANOWO.”

(Atk: 2400)

“Not another one!” cried Sunset.

“Eeyup, and you remember his ability. I use one overlay unit to add this baby to my hand; BUJINGI CRANE.”

Sunset began to fret softly, remembering fully-well what that card did.

“And remember…” called Applejack “Susanowo can attack every monster you control.”

A large drop of sweat rolled down from Sunset’s hair bangs as Applejack engaged her battle phase.

“Go Susanowo, and destroy that Vortex Dragon…

…With a little help from Crane. I send it to the graveyard so Susanowo’s attack becomes double for this battle!”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 4800)

Sunset could only watch as her dragon was beaten down and destroyed before her eyes.

“Good thing it was in defense-mode.” she said to herself. Yet she looked up at the other monster, “…But that thing’s still not done yet.”

“Darn tootin’ it ain’t.” replied Applejack “Susanowo’s attack may go back to 2400… but the fun’s just getting started.

Now I’ll destroy your Arcanite Magician. Go Susanowo.”

KAPOW!! Another monster was destroyed.

“That’s two down and one to go.” said Applejack, and she glared at Sunset’s last monster, lowering her hat down, putting her eyes behind the shadow.

“Susaowo… destroy Timestar Magician!”

Her monster complied and rushed in to attack.

(Atk: 2400) VS (Atk: 2400)

“Both those monsters have the same attack points.” cried Terra “They’ll both be destroyed.”

“Oh, no, they won’t.” called Applejack “Not after I banish Sinyou from my graveyard, which lets my Susaowo gain attack points equal to the attack of the monster it’s battling.”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 4800)

“Oh!!” wailed Sunset.

The attack got closer, and Applejack informed, “But, lucky for you, all the damage you take from this battle is halved.”

That still didn’t hurt sunset any less as she took damage and was burned by the waves of destruction.

Sunset LP: 6900 -----> 5700

Sunset managed to stay on her feet after the energy drain.

Thanks to her last move, she didn’t lose quite so many life points, and that was a very good thing for her!

It pained Applejack to have just harmed her friend, but not nearly as much as what was about to happen now. Sunset was wide open to her other monsters.

Fighting her tears strongly, Applejack called “I don’t know if this is going to hurt me more than you, Sunset, but I can’t hold back.”

Sunset was quivering nervously inside, but she shut her eyes tightly. “Go on! I’m ready!”

Applejack shut her eyes too, not wanting to see…

Terra was the only one with her eyes open, and they were flooding with tears of pain for both girls.

“Now, Kagutsuchi… Amaterasu… give sunset a huge direct attack!”

The monsters complied and both leapt up in the air.

Kagutsuchi fired a magic beam from itself into Amaterasu’s sword, making it glow brightly with the combined force of the attack strength of both monsters, which totaled 5600 points!!

Sunset braced herself, knowing she would still survive the attack.

The monster leapt down and took a huge swing with its might glowing blade, slashing her across the front, and making Sunset scream in pain.

Terra winced and looked away while crying out in emotional pain, and couldn’t bear to watch sunset fall flat on her back.

Sunset LP: 5700 -----> 100

“SUNSET!!” cried Terra.

Sunset could barely feel herself after such a powerful attack as she lay on the ground, letting her strength slowly return.

Applejack felt crushed inside for what she had just done. “Sunset, come on!” she called “I know you’re not out yet. Please… say something!”

Sunset’s fingers began to twitch.

Terra slowly turned round and gawked in astonishment. “Sunset…?”

Slowly but surely, Sunset managed to struggle to force herself back up.

“That was… an amazing attack.” she said wearily.

Finally she was back on her feet, and looking raring to go for more.

Applejack only felt the slightest of ease. “That’s the spirit.” she said as she ended her turn by placing the last two cards in her hand facedown.

Then she thought to herself. “I can’t believe Sunset just took all those blasts I gave her.

Of course, even then, if I had beaten her, she wouldn’t be around for another turn, and then I’d be down on my knees.

I don’t think I could ever live with that, and I know she can’t either.”

Sunset was just as upset as she felt, if not then worse; especially because it was her fault they were both in this mess in the first place.

“How has it come to all this?” she thought, and she recalled back to how she tripped up and shot Applejack’s duel disk with the challenge beam.

She shut her eyes tightly, but couldn’t supress the feelings.

“I guess there’s no other way out. It’ll just keep on eating me until this duel is over. So I guess the quicker I get this over with the better it’ll be… for one of us at least.”

Terra and Applejack kept looking at her and how she was struggling with herself.

But finally, Sunset managed to draw a card.

“Sunset…?” said Applejack.

Sunset only gave her a weak, but proud grin, meaning she was still willing to keep dueling the best that she could… even if she was in a horrible position.

Terra couldn’t help be fret in thought. “How can Sunset beat all those monsters? She’ll have to pull off something really huge.

Oh, but then… Applejack… she’ll be in trouble too.”

There was just no way could she root for one of her friends over the other; not in a game like this.

Sunset noted that she had no cards in her field, and just the three in her hand were not good enough.

She thought as she looked down at one card-- Applejack’s Fox, “I can’t play this card. If it goes to the graveyard, Applejack will probably use its power to shield her from taking damage, and I’ll never be able to get at her life points.”

She looked down at her deck.

“I only have 100 life points left. Whatever I draw now will ultimately decide this duel. It’ll either be me or Applejack”

That’s when her pain began to resurface-- the very thought of guilt of defeating her friend and trapping her inside a card.

…It made her stall.

“Don’t you be stalling on me again.” called Applejack. “I’ve seen you duel your way out of tougher situations than this, and every time you never stopped trying.”

“But Applejack…”

“No buts!

Look, I’ll even show you by playing one of my cards. I play BUJIN REGALIA- THE SWORD. This here trap lets me add my banished Sinyou back to my Graveyard.

Now, if you try to attack me, my monster will get stronger, and even with half the damage, with only 100 points left, you won’t have a chance.

You see…!” she paused, and wasn’t able to hide her oncoming tears this time. “…This hurts me just as much as you, but I’m willing to go all the way, because… you’re my friend… and I’m still trying to help you be the best duelist you can be.”

Sunset felt touched; real touched.

A tear rolled down Terra’s face. She had never seen such acts of friendship before, which made her hurt inside… feeling she never was that much, for her own reasons.

“Now come on!” called Applejack “Show me what you’re made of, and draw that card.”

Finding enough strength, Sunset laid her fingers on her top card. “Here goes…!” and she drew it out.

She gawked down at it, and could hardly believe what she had just taken.

“Applejack, you asked for it and here it comes.”

Applejack looked proud, but inside she was also cringing.

“Since I still have my Pendulum Scale, I can summon as many level 4 though seven monsters as I need.”

She called up to the swinging pendulum…

“As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two strong light flashes shot down as her monsters appeared.

“DRAGONCALLER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2400)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Her Odd-Eyes gave a might loud roar, and since it was properly Pendulum Summoned, both it and sunset were bathed in the green summoning light for the Pendulum Force.

Sunset roared right up into the sky like an angry warrior giving her battle cry.

Her eyes were now blazing more fiercely than ever, which frightened Terra as she watched from the sides.

Sunset’s voice even sounded deeper, and madder.

“And now, I activate the spell card FUSION SUBSTITUTE, which allows me to fuse Odd-Eyes and Dragoncaller Magician!”

The two monsters began to merge, and Sunset called to them as they formed her monster.

“With magical forces and a dragon’s might
I summon a creature of amazing sight!

I Fusion Summon RUNE-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON!”

The mighty dragon appeared, and it roared as both it and Sunset were bathed in the purple glow of Fusion Power.

Sunset continued to howl and roar. She looked as if she was going to burst herself out.

The Prince Brothers, watching from their lair, could feel the very power flowing through her.

“She’s done it!” cried Loki “…Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, Pendulum-- she did it all in one duel.”

“Yes…” hissed Rubeus, and then he thought “Simply amazing. Even though she is dueling her friend, knowing she is putting her in danger, she manages to overcome herself, and now she is stronger than ever.

…The final step approaches, and with her power, the ultimate goal will be seized.”

Sunset, still feeling and looked more pumped up than ever, glared at Applejack, almost as if they were sworn enemies rather than friends.

“You feeling alright?” asked Applejack.

“I’m more than alright.” Sunset called “I’m about to crush you once and for all.”

She suddenly gasped, as the blazing began to go down. “Whoa! What just happened to me?”

Applejack and Terra wondered themselves, but all three ladies had their suspicions that the summoning lights had something to do with it.

“For a short while it felt like I had incredible strength and power, like I could move the moon with my bare hands.” thought Sunset.

She had no time to think of it though, for she still had to finish the duel.

“As you know,” called Sunset “Not only is Rune-Eyes immune to card effects this turn, but since Dragoncaller Magician was fused to form it, not only can it attack your monsters three times, but its attack power doubles.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 6000)

Applejack gawked in horrors at how strong that dragon was.

“That’s pretty good, but you remember, I put Sinyou in my graveyard, and you won’t be able to attack me without destroying yourself.”

“Not quite…” said Sunset “There’s still one last chance.”

“What?”

“I banish Fusion Substitute from the graveyard, which sends Vortex Dragon back to the Extra Deck…

…and in exchange, I get to draw one card.”

She drew without even stopping to think, or hesitate, or even worry.

“I banish another card from my graveyard, which you sent there…

…WINGS OF MISDIRECTION.

“Wings of what?” asked Applejack.

Then she noticed her remaining facedown card was locked down by an electrical force-field, and Sunset’s two Pendulum Magicians were beginning to vanish.

Sunset explained, “Wings of Misdirection: when it’s banished out of the graveyard, I have to banish two cards I control, like my Pendulum Magicians.”

The two cards vanished off the field.

“But it’s well worth it, because now, until the end of the turn, all cards that you have out on the field can’t be activated.”

“Ah!” cried Applejack.

“And what’s more, Rune-Eyes will gain an additional 800 attack points.”

(Atk: 6000) -----> (Atk: 6800)

“It’s time!” hollered Sunset. “Rune-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, attack Amaterasu!”

The dragon gave a roar and prepared to launch its attack.

“Hold up!” shouted Applejack “I can still banish Sinyou out of the graveyard, and that means Amaterasu gains the attack points of your monster.”

(Atk: 2600) -----> (Atk: 9400)

Terra was all aghast. “Whoa! All those attack points!!”

“You dueled good Sunset,” said Applejack “But it looks like it’s all over now.”

Sunset smiled very weakly, as her tears began to fall “You’re right… it is over… but not for me.”

“Huh?”

As the two monsters prepared to engage battle, Sunset turned around the card she had drawn.

“I play the quick-play spell HALF-SHUT!”

All at once, Applejack went numb inside, and her arms slowly dropped to her side.

“But that-- That means… my monster can’t be destroyed, but it loses half its attack strength!”

(Atk: 9400) -----> (Atk: 4700)

Rune-Eyes continued its attack, and blasted Applejack’s monster hard.

(Atk: 6800) VS (Atk: 4700)

The shockwaves zipped right past, and hit her hard, yet Applejack felt so numb inside she hardly felt too much.

Applejack LP: 8000 -----> 5900

The two girls stood where they were, gazing at each other from afar.

Rune-Eyes still had to two attacks left, and with its attack still super high, and the remaining monsters were still weak…

…It really was all over for Applejack.

Sunset was quivering again, and her tears were cascading down her face.

“Applejack…” she sobbed.

Terra felt her own heart aching for both the girls.

Applejack… with a brave smile, and her eyes filling with tears, looked up at Sunset and called to her. “Thanks for a great duel; best I’ve ever had.”

Sunset’s lips quivered sadly, but she managed to crack a very small smile.

“Go on. Do it!” said Applejack “…I know you’ll beat the Prince Brothers, and I know you’ll save us all. It’s what you’re supposed to do, remember?”

Sunset knew this, but it wasn’t making things any easier for her now.

“Come on! Do it now!!” shouted Applejack.

Shutting her eyes tightly and clenching her fists, Sunset yelled at the top of her lungs. “RUNE-EYES… ATTACK NOW!! END THIS!!”

Her dragon complied, and fired its remaining two shots at Kagutsuchi, and Susanowo, resulting in Applejack taking 8200 points of damage.

The shockwaves struck her hard, enveloping her in an enormous blast of light, and knocking her hat off her head.

Applejack LP: 5900 -----> 0

Sunset, so overwrought with grief, fainted over forward, and Applejack landed on her back.

The light had faded, and the duel images vanished.

“Applejack…!!” Terra shouted as she began running towards her, only for Applejack’s hat to come flying through the air and hit her in the face.

With the last of her strength, Applejack was smiling and saying, “Watch yourself, girl, and help Sunset for me.”

That’s when the lightning came and struck her hard, and she screamed and wailed as she vanished.

Terra pulled the hat off her face just as the last of the light faded.

“Oh, no…!!”

She ran up to where Applejack’s duel disk lay with her cards all scattered around it.

She fell to her knees, and she sadly scooped up a lone card, with Applejack’s picture on it.

She began to cry very softly while clutching the card and the hat close to her, while poor Sunset lay unconscious in her misery with Applejack’s fox card still clutched in her hand.

The Prince Brothers saw the whole thing.

“Aww, how tragic.” mocked Loki, and then he snickered wickedly.

Rubeus looked at the generators. “We just got two more souls. Two powerful souls that further aid us in our mission.

All we require now is the final item.”

Loki nodded, “And the Malefic World will rise once again, and all the light shall be swallowed by the shadows. That’s when we shall rule all order or all existence.”

Just then, a Melfican sentry entered, for he had news to report to their majesties.

“What is it?” asked Rubeus, and the sentry whispered into where his ear would be, were it visible.

Rubeus then seemed annoyed, and he then whispered to Loki the news.

His brother gasped softly, and his cheeks went bright red. “Oh, at last.” then he caught hold of himself. “Excuse me, I must prepare myself.”

He left, and Rubeus sighed while shaking his head. “…I have bigger things to deal with.”

Episode 20: Long Born The Queen

EPISODE TWENTY

Terra sat in the wide open plains, practically all alone what with Applejack gone, and Sunset was still unconscious no matter how much Terra shook her.

“Sunset, please wake up.” she cried “We can’t lose you too. Please, wake up!”

Sunset was far too lost to hear her. The only hint at all that she was even alive at all was the very faint and soft sounds of her breathing, and the crackling groans.

Terra felt really all messed up herself. “Why?” she thought sadly to herself “Why and how has it come to all this? No matter where I go, no matter what I do; it’s always a disaster.”

Thinking about it only made her hurt with more grief, when she thought back to her former life as an lone traveler, a Teen Titan, Slade’s appetence, and…

…She stopped right there, trying to supress the next bit of memories that continued to torment her, but they were still there and refused to let her be.

…Then, all that topped off with Jump City decaying, the people banishing her and her fellow comrades, and then there was Gar and the way he behaved towards her and everyone, all down to these Malefic battles and how they were picking off her friends one-by-one.

Just as she was wondering how things could get any worse…

“Terra!” called a familiar voice making her practically leap up onto her feet.

She turned round, and could see Vic and the others coming to her… without Celestia.

The friends arrived on the scene to see Sunset unconscious.

“What happened?” asked Sci-Twi. “Where’s Applejack?”

It didn’t take long, or the fact that Terra was still clutching Applejack’s hat, and the crushed expression on her face, to know what happened, which made all the friends turned shocked.

“No…” said Shining Armor “No, it can’t be!”

Terra got up and handed him Applejack’s soul card.

“Applejack!” cried Cadance.

“Ah, man!” groaned Vic.

Even Raven was shocked and saddened by this. “What happened?” she asked.

Terra explained it all…

She and the others were trying to stall the trio from chasing after them to keep Celestia safe, when Sunset accidently forced herself and Applejack into a duel. The rest spoke for itself.

“I can’t believe it!” cried Raven “As if we hadn’t lost enough as it is.”

That’s when Terra finally realized, and her eyes went wide.

“…Celestia?”

The others all gave looks of extreme guilt, and it was Vic who explained what happened.

“The trio was gaining on us, and we tried to get away, but those three were on us in almost no time. They didn’t even try to challenge us to duel them.”

“There is no way out of this.” said Violet “Hand over the woman.”

“Never!” shouted Vic, and he along with the others stood in front of Celestia like a protective wall.

“What do you even want with me?” she asked.

“Look, we don’t have time for this.” growled Sapphire. “Hand her over, or else!”

“Or else what?” sneered Cadance.

Shining Armor stood next to his wife, and before Celestia, showing his fists.

“Oh, well, I guess we’ll do it the hard way.” said Khaos, and he held out a single card from his deck.

“What is he doing?” wondered Princess Twilight.

Suddenly, she and the others had just remembered that spell cards and their effects could be used for real with Malefic Magic.

“I play the trap THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS’ FOG BLADE!”

The mighty sword appeared above him, but rather than behave like it would in a normal duel, the sword lived up to its name, and began to cast a mighty veil of dark shadows everywhere.

“Hey! What’s going on?” groaned Spike.

“I can’t see a thing.” called Twilight.

It was so much darker than ever, no one could see their hand before their face, but this was nothing that the Maleficans weren’t used to; being shadow creatures, they could navigate even the thickest of darkness.

“We’ve got to protect Celestia!” cried Cadance.

“I can’t see her.” wailed Shining Armor.

“I’m right here!” Celestia hollered Celestia, but she suddenly felt herself being scooped up by Khaos.

“Put me down!” she shouted as she fussed and kicked about. “Let me go!! Do you hear me?!”

Violet came up to her and gave her a hit in the neck, knocking her out cold.

Khaos glared at her angrily. “Don’t hurt her! Remember Prince Loki’s orders.”

Violet protested, “Relax, it was just a tap. Besides, it shut her up.”

“Okay, okay… let’s split.” said Sapphire.

The trio jumped on their clouds and began to soar away leaving the gang to continue stumbling about in the darkness.

Sapphire couldn’t help but give them a final gift. “Hey, down there… catch this…!” and he grabbed one of his own cards.

“Take this; SHOCK SURPRISE!”

Rather than destroy monsters like it would in a duel, the card created a massive swam of shocking lightning bolts that struck all around the fog veil, blowing it away in massive gusts from the force of the strikes, and knocking everyone off their feet.

In midst of all the chaos, and stumbling, Twilight and Spike’s soul cards had fallen out of Raven’s possession, and in the billowing gales, it began to blow away.

“HEEEEEEEEEEEELP…!!” they both screamed as they floated off in different directions.

“SPIKE….!! PRINCESS TWILIGHT…!!!” shouted Sci Twi.

The trio hadn’t seen the cards fly off, but Sapphire was having too much fun torturing the victims, he was ready to zap them with another card, only for Violet to smack his hand and balk “Cut it out! You’re wasting precious power.”

“Ah, come on, I’m just fooling with them.”

Khaos intervened, “Every ounce of energy we waste could seriously jeopardize The Masters’ plan. Until we have gathered a sufficient amount, we can’t afford to get carried away.”

With this in mind, Sapphire sulked as the trio flew off, leaving the gang in disgrace and anger.

Vic angrily pounded the ground so hard, almost sending his entire metal fist all the way through.

Sci-Twi fell to her knees in tears. “Spike…! Princess Twilight…! We lost them again!”

Her brother came up and hugged her sorrowfully, and Cadance joined them in despair.

Raven… she was standing stiff as a board, with a mix of anger and sadness.

The flashback was over, and you can bet, Terra felt more hurt than ever. She could barely breathe and felt she was going to faint like Sunset did.

“Listen to me!” snapped Vic as he held her shoulders. “Look, I know this bites, believe me, we all feel like this. But all this moping and groaning over it isn’t going to help us. You need to stay strong so we can beat these guys and get the others back.”

The others all nodded in agreement.

Terra braved and wiped her tears away, promising to try.

Of course, Sunset was still unconscious, and the group agreed they couldn’t do anything until she woke up.

So they all decided to stay and rest where they were, and consume bits of food they had, which was starting to run low, and cause for greater concern.

“This is horrible!” thought Sci-Twi. “Our friends are trapped in cards, Celestia’s gone, Spike and Princess Twilight are lost, we still can’t find the rest of the gang, Karle is still out there, and now our food is running low.”

She never felt so helpless and so lost for clues or direction in her life.

Shining Armor could sense his sister’s woe, and held her tightly like he always did when she was upset. He didn’t bother say anything to her, and he didn’t have to. She knew him better than that, and he would have given her the old pep-talk that things would get better, or he had faith in her.

All she could do was snuggled into his arms, while at the same time wondering what horrors Celestia was getting into being in the clutches of the enemy.

Celestia was slowly beginning to awaken.

“Oh!” she groaned. “What happened to me?”

She looked around and saw she was lying on a bed, in a dark room, with stone columns surrounding her, and the floor was all misty with fog.

“Where am I?” she wondered as her vision slowly became clear and, then she remembered being kidnapped by The Terrible Trio, and someone hit her in the neck.

Strangely, her neck didn’t feel very sore, not even when she rubbed it.

Suddenly, her eyes snapped wide open by the strange feeling of her hand rubbing up against her skin. It felt a little colder, and rougher, as if she were wearing gloves.

She looked at her hands to realize, they were no longer their usual color, but was now a pale chalk gray, and her skin was scalier now, just like Prince Brother’s in their true forums.

She wasn’t even wearing her causal summer outfit anymore, but a Maleficain robe, half yellow, and half pink, with a blue sash across her left shoulder.

“No!!” she panicked “What’s happening to me?!”

Then she heard a familiar voice that told her, “No need to panic my lovely. It’s not as bad as you think it is.”

She looked on towards a darker area of the room, and saw someone standing in the shadows.

“Who’s there?”

That’s when Loki stepped out, and she recognized him all at once.

“You…”

Though he had no proper facial features to show it, Loki would be grinning at her. “I’m glad that you’re awake. Now we can get to know each other better.”

He slowly began to step towards the bed, but Celestia backed away, rolling off the bed and got onto her feet. “You stay away from me.”

Loki only snickered, “I’m afraid resistance is quite useless at this point. You’re already becoming one of us thanks to the gift I gave you.”

Celestia froze where she stood “Gift? Wait a minute…” and she thought back to the flowers sent to her suite on the airship, from “The Secret Admirer.”

“It was you? You’re the one who sent me those flowers?”

Loki nodded and answered, “I am said “secret admirer.”

Celestia was shocked, and disgusted to learn this.

Loki explained…

“I have been around for many centuries, and never have I met a creature as remarkable and as stunning as you, and to think, you are your own world’s counterpart of Princess Celestia, the ruler of Equestria.

…But that’s beside the point.”

He moved in closer, and still Celestia backed away from him.

“You mean you’re the one who did this to me as well.”

Loki explained again. “The flowers that I gave you were tainted with a powerful Malefic Powder, which slowly began to take effects upon you.

The dizziness you felt was mere a beginning-- a slight side effect on your human body, but upon entering the Malefic World, the power has begun to awaken within you, making you one of us.”

Using his powers, he conjured up a kind of magical wall that served as a mirror to reveal Celestia’s full reflection, which made her gasp in horror…

Her facial features were vanishing as she was becoming as expressionless as he was, and even her long hair was styled differently-- instead of hanging loose in a big flowing wave, the left side of hair remained that way, while the right side was braided and hanging off of her right shoulder.

She gasped in horror and disgust, which only amused Loki as he uncast the mirror. “Don’t worry; you’ll grow used to it, after all… you’re going to be my queen.”

Celesti felt like throwing up. “You must even crazier as you are insane.”

“Oh, trust me, I’m not insane.” said Loki. “Even as we speak, the Malefic World grows strong, and it hungers for more souls and power. Soon it will be strong enough to rise to full strength, and my brother, Rubeus, and I will have more than enough power to invade every world, every dimension, and shroud it within our realm.

We will be the most powerful creatures that ever existed, and I want you to be by my side, Celestia.”

He reached out to take her in his arms, but she gave him a huge smack to the face, sending him reeling backwards.

“You’re a monster! A Demon! A Scoundrel! You’ve caused me and my friends nothing but suffering, and you captured my sister’s soul!!”

Rather than be annoyed with her, or try to make any form of correction, Loki simply chuckled, “You’ve got a real fighter’s spirit, and it only means we were made to be even more.

Think of it. All this and all worlds will be yours to rule with me and my brother. Anything you could ever want, I can give you.”

Feeling less and less afraid, and more infuriated, Celestia was starting lose her patience.

“No! I’m not your queen, and I never will be! I’m getting out of here.”

She began to run towards the end of the room where a single doorway lay, but Loki gave one snap of his fingers, causing a large stone slab to seal it tight.

“As I told you: resistance is impossible. Besides, even if you were to escape the palace, you’re already one of us.”

“No! No, I’m not!!” shouted Celestia. “Understand this, you psycho: I am not your queen, and I never shall be! I will never fight for your evil cause!

How can you even think I would consider, especially after what you did to my sister?!”

Loki rolled his eyes and sighed, “I can see you’re going to need a little extra persuasion.” he paused. “Tell you what… I’ll make you a deal.

If you can defeat me in a duel, right here and now, then I’ll consider letting you go.”

Celestia couldn’t believe he would suggest such a thing, and the whole “Consider” bit was a major turn off for her.

“I won’t!” she snarled “I know you and your kind, you’d double-cross the second I win.”

Loki snickered, “Perhaps I would. It is the Malefic way after all, and you’d better get used to it.”

Celestia looked angrier than ever, and then suddenly, like magic, her duel disk appeared on her left arm, with her deck and all.

“What the--” she gasped, and before she knew it, Loki had flapped up his cape, revealing his own duel disk, and he shot hers with the challenge beam, automatically initiating a duel.

“Come now,” hissed Loki “What’s a little friendly duel?”

Celestia looked as if she would explode. “You know nothing about the word “Friendly!”

Still, with the challenge already active, she couldn’t refused, and right now she felt made enough to brawl her way through an army, and decided to duel.

“I’m dueling for my sister!” she stated “I’m also dueling for the sake of my friends and our freedom!”

“How very noble.” mocked Loki. Then he thought silently, “What she doesn’t realize is that this duel is the last step into making her mine.

With every life point she loses, her pure energy will weaken allowing the Malefic power within her to finally make her see me and our in whole new way.”

The disks were ready and the cards were drawn.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Celestia LP: 8000

Loki LP: 8000

“Ladies first…” insisted Celestia.

“I activate the spell INSTANT FUSION. I pay 1000 life points to summon a Fusion monster!”

Celestia LP: 8000 -----> 7000

She didn’t feel shocked from the drainage at all, but she did feel a slight tingle inside of her, as if she were a beach ball and someone had just pricked her with a pin, and the air hissed out of her.

“The Malefic energy does well.” thought Loki. “It makes her stronger so she can resist the lethal consequences. It still puzzles me that she can’t

Celestia shook herself back into focus. “…I Fusion Summon MUDDRAGON OF THE SWAMP.”

(Def: 1600)

Her dragon gave a sickening growl.

“And now, I summon the Tuner monster, METAPHYS RAGNAROCK.”

(Atk: 1500)

“When he’s summoned, I banish the top three cards from my deck.”

She did just that, and was very pleased with what she had banished.

Loki said, “I take it by your glaring at me that you did something you feel will benefit you.”

Celestia felt insulted, but didn’t want to let him get to her.

“I now activate the spell DIMENSION FUSION!

I now pay 2000 life life points…”

Celestia LP: 7000 -----> 5000

“And I am now able to summon the three monsters that were just banished.”

The portal opened wide as the three monsters jumped out onto the scene.

“TRUE KING ANGIMAZUD, THE VANISHER…” (Atk: 2900)

“TRUE KING ANGIMAZUD, THE LYTHOSAGYM…” (Atk: 2500)

“MAJESTY MAIDEN, THE TRUE DRACOCASTER…” (Atk: 2300)

She began to feel weary again after that drainage of points, and it was harder to maintain focus more than ever.

“What’s happening to me?” she wondered in thought. “I’ve got to maintain my stance. I need to win this so I can hurry up and get out of here.”

All her monsters stood together, glaring Loki down.

He could only remark, “So you’ve managed to summon five monsters in one turn… very impressive, my dear.”

“I’m not your dear.” insisted Celestia, “and when I win, I’ll prove it to you.

I now Tune Level 4 Metaphys with Level 5 Majesty Maiden.”

The two monsters began to tune together in a bright light which illuminated the room as the monster was formed.

“I Synchro Summon CHOFENG, PHANTOM OF THE YANG ZING.”

(Atk: 2800)

The monster’s glistening body and sparkling wings brightened up the room even more, much to Loki’s annoyance.

“And I’m still not done yet.” called Celestia “With my two Level 9 Kings, I build the Overlay Network!”

The giant monsters leapt up into the portal, and the monster appeared in a powerful bust of light forcing Loki to look away while groaning.

Celestia then hollered, “I Xyz Summon TRUE KING OF ALL CALAMITES.”

(Atk: 3000)

Loki narrowed his eyes at the three beasts on Celestia’s field. “Fusion… Synchro… even Xyz? Not bad… I’m very impressed with your dueling.”

“Comments from you mean nothing.” sneered Celestia. “Now I’ll play the spell SPELL-ABSORBING POWER MIRROR! It will cast a spell upon my Muddragon.”

With that, her dragon began to glow in a magical shield.

“I see…” hissed Loki “So this way, your monster won’t be destroyed by your Instant Fusion’s side-effect at the end of the turn. Very clever…”

Celestia couldn’t help but nod at him that time in agreement, and then she ended her turn placing her last card facedown.

The shield then vanished off of Muddragon, leaving him still in play.

Celestia’s hand was empty, but her field was full of powerful beasts, making her truly believe she had the duel in the bag.

“There’s no way he can beat me now.” she thought. “With my Calamity King and my Muddragon, I can use their effects to stop monsters on his field from using their special abilities or attacking.

And then there’s my trap card, Half Or Nothing! If he tries to make his monsters attack, they’ll all lose half.

Celestia stood down.

“Now, it’s my turn.” said Loki “I draw, and I shall now show you the way a True Malefican duels.”

Celestia growled softly.

“It all starts with this spell; FORBIDDEN DARK CONTRACT WITH THE SWAMP KING.

It allows me to summon “Triple-D” monster form my hand in defense mode, but its effects will be negated, and so I summon TRIPLE-D CHAOS KING APOCALYPSE!”

(Def: 2000)

Celestia felt very irked seeing these cards; remembering how they had caused a whole bunch of trouble-- capturing Princess Twilight’s soul, and Spike’s too.

“And now…” continued Loki “You know how my spell works; it allows me to fuse monsters without the need of another fusion card.

So, I shall now fuse my Chaos King Apocalypse with DOUBLE-D LAMIA in my hand, and I shall now call on a monster you haven’t seen yet.

I Fusion Summon TRIPLE-D DRAGONBANE KING BEOWULF!”

(Atk: 3000)

Celestia gawked up at the wolf-like creature. “He’s right!” she thought “I’ve never seen that monster. I don’t even know what it does.

This is so unfair; the way he keeps using all these mystery cards that no one has ever seen before to give himself an unfair advantage.”

She looked up at her own monsters, but decided not to use their powers just yet. Knowing how crafty he was, she knew he would most likely summon amore monsters, and then she would decide when and if to strike.

“You’re speechless I see…” hissed Loki “A fine quality in a queen you will make for me.”

Celestia growled at him and demanded, “Just go already!”

“As you wish.” said Loki.

“When my Tuner monster, Double-D Lamia, is sent from my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy my Contract Card and summon her out.”

With that, his contract card was shattered, and his Lamia appeared in its place.

(Def: 1900)

Celestia’s hunch was proving right so far, but still she chose not to activate her own monster’s abilities yet.

Loki was quite aware of her idea and thought, “If she truly thinks she can out duel me, she has much to learn.

I will train her well and make her a fine dueling Malefic Queen.”

He snapped himself back into focus.

“Now, to continue… I’ll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 6 DOUBLE-D SAVANT THOMAS, and Scale 8 DOUBLE-D SAVANT NIKOLA.”

His monsters took their places up in the glowing lights.

“I am now able to summon as many Level 7 monsters as I wish.

I now resurrect my TRIPLE-D CHAOS KING APOCALYPSE!”

(Atk: 2700)

“He’s back!” wailed Celestia.

“He is… but he won’t be for long.” insisted Loki. “I tune my Level 1 Lamia with Level 7 Chaos King.”

The monsters tuned together, forming yet another creature Celestia had never seen before.

“I Synchro Summon TRIPLE-D CURSED KING SIEGFRIED!”

(Atk: 2800)

Celestia was beginning to quiver at the sight of all this summoning, yet she stayed strong, and ready to use her own effects later.

“And if you thought I was finished, you are sadly mistake.” sneered Loki “I play the spell CARD OF DEMISE. So now, I may draw five new cards, but I must discard my entire hand in the next five turns.

But of course, this will all be over soon anyway”

“Oh, just great!” groaned Celestia “It’s bad enough he summoned a whole bunch of monsters, and now he’s refreshed his hand too. I’ve got a bad feeling about this,”

Loki snickered softly.

“I now will use the Pendulum Ability of Savant Thomas, which allows me to add King Apocalypse from my Extra Deck to my hand.”

Once he took his card back, he declared “…I am now ready to attack!” and he engaged his battle phase.

“Oh, no you don’t!” thundered Celestia. “I use one overlay unit to activate Calamity King’s special ability.”

“I thought so.” thought Loki.

Calamity King began to glow brightly, and Celestia called out, “Now my king will change all the monsters on the field into Dark Attributes for the remainder of this turn, including your monsters.”

With that, all the monsters on the field were bathed in glowing light, which really irked Loki.

“So now my monsters are unable to attack and cannot use their abilities?”

“You know it…” said Celestia “You may as well give up, on this duel, and in winning my heart.”

“On the contrary, I’m going to win this duel, and there’s nothing you can say or do that will stop me.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’ll show you… by activating the quick-play spell TRAP BOSTER!”

Celestia gasped hard.

“Thanks to this…” said Loki “I discard one card in my hand, in order to activate this trap from my hand, DNA TRANSPLANT!”

“No!! Not that card!” cried Celestia.

“Oh, yes…” hissed Loki. “The power of this trap allows me to transform all creatures on the field in any Attribute I call, and I believe I shall choose “Wind!”

Strong gusts of wind seemed to magically billow in, and all the monsters on the field were enveloped in the gales, causing Celestia’s dark aura effect to cease.

“I believe your King of Calamites can no longer hold me down!” sneered Loki. “You forget… I’ve seen you duel before, and as much as I do admire your current skills, you’ll need to step up your game if you’re going to be my queen.”

Celestia balked at him “How many times do I have to tell you… I am not… your… queen.”

“Oh, but you will be.” insisted Loki. “I always get what I want, especially when I know how to get it.

Now that my monsters are free to attack, I call on King Beowulf, to attack and destroy your Muddragon of the Swamp.”

His King leapt forth, ready to attack Celestia’s monster.

“Nice try…!” snapped Celestia “I activate the trap HALF OR NOTHING.”

Loki growled and narrowed his eyes, while Celestia smirked at him. “Thanks to this trap, you can either continue your battle, but your monsters will have their attack points all halved, or you can choose to just back down.”

Loki hesitated for a moment, and then he went. “Hmm… This is quite a predicament I’m in. Either choice I make will result in me being in trouble.

So I’ll just have to go with Option three.”

“There is no option three!” sneered Celestia.

“Don’t you ever get tired of being wrong? I now activate Cursed King Siegfried’s special ability, which stops the effect of your trap card.”

“What?!” cried Celestia, and she watched as the wicked creature unleashed a powerful blast, which shot her trap card and turned it pale, and ceasing its effects.”

“No!” wailed Celestia.

“Now that your trap is no longer in effect,” shouted Loki “My Beowulf continues his attack against your Muddragon.

Oh, and I should mention that Beowulf deals you damage even if your monster is in defense mode!”

“Ah!!” Celestia shrieked, and the attack struck hard…

(Atk: 3000) VS (Def: 1600)

Her monster exploded, and the shockwaves billowed past her…

Celestia LP: 5000 -----> 3600

She still felt no shocks or pain from the loss of points, but she felt that strange feeling catching up to her again.

“What’s happening to me?!” she cried “I feel like I’m slipping away or something.” Then suddenly it hit her, “…It’s the poison you gave me!”

Loki said nothing about it, which confirmed her fear.

Instead he contemplated on her remaining monsters, which his King Siegfried was no match for.

“I suppose I shall have to step up my game now.” he said “From my hand, I play the quick-play spell FLASH FUSION.

This allows me to Fusion Summon using my King Beowulf and King Siegfried, and together they will form a monster I’m sure you remember.

I Fusion Summon TRIPLE-D SUPER DOOM KING PURPLE ARMAGEDDON!!”

(Atk: 3500)

Celestia screamed fretfully as the huge monster appeared and glared down at her.

Loki snickered, and since it was still his battle phase, he ordered his king to attack, “…Destroy her Chaofeng now!”

His king complied, and stirred up incredible and powerful energy forces which blew Celestia’s monster down!

(Atk: 3500) VS (Atk: 2800)

The winds billowed past her, nearly frazzling her hair.

Celestia LP: 3600 -----> 3100

Now she felt even stranger than ever, and could her insides starting to churn and change no matter how much she tried to resist.

Loki almost regretted what he was doing by attacking her so much. “Trust me, darling, this will all be over soon, and it really is for your own good.”

Celestia was feeling a bit too sore to protest.

Loki’s battle phase was over, but not his turn.

“Now I activate Armageddon’s special ability, which allows him to strike down your King of All Calamites, and then you are dealt damage equal to half of your king’s attack points.”

Celestia only cringed and shut her eyes tight as Armageddon blasted her own king into ashes, and the shockwaves struck her again, and she lost another 1500 life points.

Celestia LP: 3100 -----> 1600

Celestia felt so weird and strange that she collapsed to her knees while quivering softly.

Loki sighed softly.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and now my turn is complete, which means my King Armageddon is now destroyed due to my Flash Fusion.”

His King exploded and vanished into the Extra Deck.

Celestia was still quivering, in sickness and in worry. She had no monsters in play, no cards in her hand, and very little life points left.

Even in her quivering, she still reached for her deck to draw. “I… will not… be… your queen!” she growled, and she managed to draw a card.

“Actually, you will.” said Loki. “This is the end for you, but the beginning… for us.

Triple-D Chaos King Apocalypse’s effect can be activating when it’s your turn.”

“Huh?”

“But first I must destroy Savant Nikola and Savant Thomas.”

The two monsters vanished in sparling explosions, and the two cards were sent to the Extra Deck.

“…By doing this, I can now summon Chaos King Apocalypse to the field.”

(Def: 2000)

Celestia was shaking and whimpering to the verge of tears.

“And now, everything is exactly as I need it.

I activate the trap DARK CONTRACT WITH THE SWINGING ABYSS.”

Celestia was too weak and numb with fear and sickness to ask what it did, but Loki explained anyway.

“Now I activate the effect of Savant Nikola.

Whenever it is destroyed in my Pendulum Zone, I can return Chaos King Apocalypse to my hand, which allows me then to reset the Pendulum Scale with Dobule-D Savant Niokla, and Double-D Savant Thomas!”

The two monsters returned to the light.

“And now, my Dark Contract with the Swinging Abyss shall use its power on you.

Whenever a “Double-D” monster is returned to my hand, you will take damage equal to the defense points that monster had.

Chaos King Apocalypse has 2000 defense points, which is more than you can afford to lose!”

Celestia felt her vision faded away with all the fear that was swimming through her!

The trap card gave her a huge blast of dark power, blowing her down and onto her back.

Celesta LP: 1600 -----> 0

Celestia was down on her back, with her cards scattered all about, and she passed out, but no lightning came to strike her.

Instead, the duel images all vanished, and Loki slowly approached the fallen woman.

“I’m sorry I had to do that, are you quite alright?”

Celestia got up softly, and turned her face, now complete without much features.

She looked up at him, but rather nicely than with fury, and she hissed at him in a deeper and wickeder voice. “I feel perfectly fine, and I forgive you… my dear Prince.”

Loki gazed down at her almost lovingly, and he held her hand, helping her onto her feet.

“Come… we have much to discuss, about our future.”

She actually agreed with him. “Yes… our future.”

Episode 21: Dreading the Dragon: Part 1

EPISODE TWENTY-ONE

Loki took his new queen to the main chamber where his bother and the trio were gathered.

“Meet your new subjects, my queen, and your new future brother. I know they may not seem like much, but in time you will grow accustomed.”

The queen looked at everyone, seemingly unimpressed. “Well… I suppose we all need to make adjustments.”

“Hey, what is that supposed to mean?” snarled Sapphire, but Violet and Khaos stomped on each of his feet for that one.

Rubeus cleared his throat, “Moving along… It is pleasing to have another member of our team, and while we have cause to celebrate, we have much to do.”

He turned to address the trio. “You three get out there, and see what can be done to further Sunset Shimmer’s power. Shake things up a little for her friends while you’re at it.”

“Yes, sire.” replied chaos. “Let’s go.” he then said to the others.

Violet followed him, and Sapphire limped softly do to his sore feet. “Oh! Ow! Ouch!”

Celestia scoffed at them, which Loki found admirable.

“Tell me, my prince…” she asked him. “Will I be getting my chance to go out there and deal with those meddles.”

Loki softly tickled her chin with his claw, “All in due time, my pet. First we need to do some alterations for your deck.

As good as it is, it could use improvement, and together you and I shall be unstoppable!”

Rubeus cleared his throat hinting at his own presence. “…“We”… shall be unstoppable”

Loki corrected himself. “Yes, my apologies, brother.”

He then offered his arm to Celestia, “Shall we…”

She snickered playfully as she looped her arm around his, “Lead the way, my love.” and she headed off with him leaving Rubeus feeling rather annoyed, and he grumbled to himself, “I still don’t really trust her.

I’m going to have to keep a closer eye on those two.”

Meanwhile…

Gar had traveled quite a ways from the group since Fluttershy lost, still not caring a bit that Karle was out there for him, or that Fluttershy had just sacrificed herself for him.

He had a couple of duels and defeated more opponents, but his mind always went back to Kori and Dick talking to him, and trying to convince him to join them again, which only made him angrier.

“They sure have a nerve.” he thought. “I don’t need their help, and I’m not going to let them or their friends get to me.”

He began to feel a little tired and decided to find someplace to sit and rest.

Luckily for him there were some large rocks nearby in the plains, just perfect for him.

As he settled in and tried to relax, he suddenly heard the sound of a creature howl echoing from nearby.

He could tell instantly that it wasn’t the howl of any monster-- he would know from his extensive knowledge of animals from his powers.

He heard the howl again. “That sounds like… a dog.”

He didn’t believe there really were normal dogs here in the Malefic World, but he kept on following the sound, which seemed to coming from a single card that was stuck, by its corner, deep in the sand.

Gar figured there was only thing that could be making that sound, and he picked up the card.

Spike howled again, and he looked on, and was shocked to discover, “…It’s you!”

Gar didn’t bother to respond, or even ask how Spike got where he was or where the other groups were.

Instead, he just flicked the card down.

“Hey!!” yelled Spike as his card landed face-up on the sand.

Gar began to walk away.

“What about me? You can’t just leave me here. What am I supposed to do?”

“I don’t know.”

“You don’t know, or you don’t care?”

“Pick one!”

Spike growled, “Wow! You’re even more heartless than I thought.”

“So what if I am?” called Gar.

Spike said nothing else, but then, miraculously, Gar stopped dead in his tracks. His fists were clenched tight and quivering.

Much as he wanted to keep on going and forget about the helpless little dog, he turned round and picked the card back up, much to Spike’s surprise.

“What? But I thought you--” was all he could get out before Gar pulled out a card pack from his overcoat.

“Hey, I don’t want to go in there!” he protested, but Gar stuffed him right inside and said sternly to him, “…I’m already regretting this. If you don’t want me to throw you back in the sand, zip it!”

He shut the case, and re-pocketed it in within his coat. Then he thought, “I’m just doing this to prove a point; that all this friendship and moral nonsense means nothing!”

Finally, he managed to rest up against a rock and relaxed.

Despite that Spike was now in total darkness, his prison itself was still in the same. HE just no longer could see things outside the card no.

He was very angry and appalled at Gar’s behaviour, but there was no point in trying to talk with him.

“What is with this guy?” he thought. “He almost left me without care, and then he shoves me here in the dark…!”

He growled, and really wished he had an old shoe to chew on, but he hadn’t, so he calmed down.

“I just don’t’ get him. I mean… sure, I know he and the Titans have had their issues in the past, but that’s no excuse to denounce all friendship and morals, and take it out on the girls.”

He thought Sci-Twi carried the grudge, but Gar took it to a whole new level. It was like more than just a game to him. It was more like he was trying to actually battle the world itself, and anyone who believed in friendship at all.

“I wonder…” thought Spike, thinking back to the stories the Titans had told the girls when they had first met, and the more he thought, the more he remembered Terra… and how she kept looking extremely guilty about something probably really bad.

Not that breaking up with someone you loved was bad enough, and they wanted you back and rejected you making it worse.

…She never got around to telling it on the count of always being interrupted.

“…I’ve got a strange feeling that there’s more to the Titans’ stories than they told us.”

Still, he knew he wouldn’t get the answers from Gar; he never seemed to want to talk about it, which only further made Spike believe it was probably worse than it seemed.

For now, all he could do was wait to be reunited with some of the others, at best, especially since Gar had fallen asleep.

Meanwhile, Sunset was still unconscious, because she was actually trapped in another vision.

There she was in the darkness, before the huge eyes of the giant creature in the shadows.

“I’m here again?!” she groaned.

This time, however, things were slightly different.

There were now flowing currents of energy, each a different color representing each of the four summoning powers, and all them seemed to be coming from below the creature’s huge eyes; from four jewels similar to the ones on the mystery card.

“What is all this?” wondered Sunset. “I get these are the four summoning forces.

Fusion… Synchro… Xyz… and Pendulum…

…But I still don’t get it.”

Then she looked up at the creature’s big eyes, and she began to see something she had never noticed before…

There, in each of the creature’s eyes was a symbol, one seeming to represent a large Number Zero, and the other seemed to be the “Infinity” symbol.

Sunset figures those two symbols, like the jewels and the energy streams, had only just appeared.

“I still don’t get it.” she said aloud, and she addressed the creature directly. “What do you want me to do?”

The creature gave a soft growl and repeated the same request.

“Unleash the power. Free me…!”

“You keep saying that!” yelled Sunset. “…But how? How do I free you?”

The flowing energy streams glowed brighter than ever, and Sunset could see very faint images of monster silhouettes all around her.

“Those are all my Odd-Eyes Dragons.”

Then the large creature called to her again saying. “…Combine.”

Sunset was most confused. “…“Combine?” Combine what.”

“Combine… and Unleash the power.” was all the voice said before all began to fade again.

“No! Please don’t go!” Sunset hollered, but it was too late.

At that exact moment, she awoke and snapped upright.

“Yo’ welcome back to the living.” said Vic.

Sunset noticed some of the others around her.

“Are you okay?” asked Terra “You really passed out.”

Sunset suddenly remembered, “…That’s right! Applejack and I were dueling and--” she paused. “…Applejack! I won the duel, and she’s…!”

Nobody had to say a thing about that, and Sunset wouldn’t even had to see Terra clutching Applejack’s hat or hold up the soul card.

Ashamed and deeply upset, Sunset hung her head low, and she began to shake with small sobs that were creeping up on her.

“It’s all my fault. I trigged the duel, and I beat her. It’s my fault she’s trapped in that card.”

“Stop it.” said Raven. She couldn’t stand anymore crying or hard emotions, and said “If anyone’s to blame it’s those Prince Brothers.”

“She’s right.” agreed Sci-Twi, and she explained what happened to Celestia, Princess Twilight, and Spike.

“That… That’s just awful!” cried Sunset. “We have to get them back. We have to do something!”

Then her stomach gave a sickening growl, and Sci-Twi offered her a sandwich from the food supplies. “Yeah… you should eat first.”

Some of the others were already snacking, and Sunset’s hungry really called to her. “I guess so, but it’s so hard. I mean… who knows what’s going to happen next? This whole Malefic world and all the horrors are really starting to get me.”

There was a moment of silence as everyone felt speechless, and Sunset continued. “We didn’t ask for any of this to happen and yet here we are, dueling for our lives, for the safety of our world, and losing our friends in the process, and we don’t even get a choice to refuse.”

Raven, Terra, and Vic looked at one another, and shook heads.

They both proceeded to say something, but Sunset held up her hand stopping them. “…I know; it’s what a hero goes through.”

Then she looked up bravely, “I’ll keep fighting… for everything we’re fighting for.”

The others were pleased with her.

Shining Armor whispered to Cadance, “At least she can actually fight, we can’t do a thing about this.”

His wife agreed, and she like her husband didn’t want to let on that they were more scared than Sunset or any of others could be.

As everyone continued to eat, Sunset then got out her mystery card, and nearly spit out her food in shock…

There, on the card’s surface were the two symbols she saw on the creature’s eyes in her vision.

“What’s that?” asked Cadance.

Sunset showed everyone the card, and she explained what she learned in her vision.

“What did it mean, “Combine?” asked Raven.

“I don’t know,” replied Sunset “But all I know is that it has something to do with the four summoning powers.”

Terra remembered during the duel, every time Sunset summoned one of her dragons with any of the summoning powers, she began to go berserk, and the more she summoned, the more she raged on.

Sci-Twi examined the card herself, but couldn’t make much sense of it. Then she passed it back to Sunset. “Are you sure it’s safe to be experimenting with this anymore?” she had to ask.

“…I don’t think she should.” Terra cut in.

Everyone turned and looked at her.

“This about it, Sunset… During the duel you very nearly lost control of yourself.”

Sunset only remembered feeling strange every time she summoned, and then a little tired, especially when she passed out after the duel.

She looked down at the card, and wondered if it was responsible-- what if it had some kind of incredible super power that no other card had.

Regardless of the ever-growing feelings of warning and signs of danger, Sunset wouldn’t relent. “I have to unlock this card. It may be powerful, but it also just may be the one thing that can help us end this nightmare once and for all.

That’s what whoever sent it to me said in their note.”

“But do we know that for certain?” asked Vic.

“We don’t.” replied Raven “And we won’t know unless she unlocks it, but I get it… that it could be dangerous too.”

Sunset looked down at the cards again while thinking, “All the other cards I unlocked have helped me so far, but what if the others are right and there is something evil within this?

Am I making the right decision?”

She then thought back to those who had been lost.

“I can’t be discouraged. If we’re going to save them, we’ll need all the power we can get… no matter what.”

Far away, the rest of the group were on their way again, treading through the shadows in search of their friends.

Rainbow and Pinkie still had sheer looks of fury on their faces for Fluttershy’s loss to Karle, and they both looked ready to get some serious dueling action on the first Malefican that showed up.

Dick just had to ask. “You two okay?”

“We’re fine.” Pinkie growled with gnashed teeth.

Rainbow said nothing. She just kept looking forth with the same deeply angered expression she had before.

Kori felt shivers run up her spine, and she whispered softly to her Dick, “…I don’t think we should let them duel. They’re not about to be thinking straight.”

Her husband agreed, “One of us will have to duel in their stead, no matter how dangerous it is.”

“Um, we can hear you…” said Rainbow “And for your information, we can duel just fine.”

Pinkie nodded and grunted, but the Titans were not convinced.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, the winds began to pick up, and in a huge crash, Sapphire landed right near them.

“Yo… what up!” he snickered.

Though the group had never seen him before, judging from the way he was dressed up like Violet was, Kori could already tell… “You… You’re one of those Terrible Three!”

Sapphire’s features hardened. “It’s “Terrible Trio” and yeah, I’m part of them, which means you know why I’m here; I’m edging for a duel. So who’s up for one?”

“Kori, who is this guy?” asked Dick.

“He’s one of three dueling sentries created by the Prince Brothers. Their purpose is solely to duel, to cause us more trouble, and gather more power for their masters.”

Pinkie and Rainbow’s rages began to boil.

“So you…” sneered Pinkie “You’re the ones who captured Rarity!”

Sapphire acted smug, “Just doing our job.”

He then created a magical view of his last duel against Celestia, which resulted in Luna’s capture.

“You captured Vice Principal Luna too?!” yelled Rainbow.

Sapphire couldn’t resist goading them, “And that’s not all, we also got your friend with that silly hat. We didn’t duel her, but we got her.”

“Applejack…?!” cried Dick. “She’s gone too?!”

“Hey, that’s what happens.” said Sapphire. “You lose the duel… you lose your soul… we GET your soul, period, and you better get used to it, because soon your entire world will be exactly like this.

In fact, with all the energy we’ve gathered, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was already started.”

He envisioned it so clearly; people of Earth screaming in terror-- whether they were a duelist or not-- as the darkness engulfed their pureness, leaving only shadows, and everyone slowly became wicked and nasty like the Maleficians.

Rainbow and Pinkie looked as if they were going to blow/

“THAT’S IT!! IT IS ON!!” they both yelled at the exact same time.

“Huh?!” They looked at each other.

“This one’s mine this time.” said Rainbow.

“Nuh-Uhn, I’ll be taking this one.” protested Pinkie.

The girls continued to protest to who would be dueling, much to Sapphire’s amusement, and he chuckled “…Keep it up, it only means more energy for me to capture.”

Suddenly, a challenge beam struck his duel disk.

“Hey, what the--”

He looked on and saw Kori stepping forth and glaring at him. “You’ll be dueling against me.”

“Kori…!” snapped Dick, but she wouldn’t hear any arguments, especially from the girls who were both outraged.

“What are you doing?!” snarled Rainbow.

“I wanted to duel him!” whined Pinkie.

Kori ignored them both and focussed on what lay ahead of her.

Sapphire only snickered, “Don’t be scared little lady, you have no idea what I’m capable of doing.”

Kori narrowed her eyes. “I’m not afraid, but by the time I’m done with you, you’ll be running scared when I turn you into a card.”

“…Whatever you say.” teased Sapphire. “Let’s do this.”

Dick and the girls moved back a bit. The girls were sulking miserably for not dueling, which deeply concerned Dick, but he was concerned far more for Kori.

“I hope she knows what she’s doing.” he thought. “We don’t even know what kind of strategy this guy uses, even after looking at those images we saw.”

Kori had already considered from what she saw; Sapphire’s big dragon, blowing Celestia down, and she could also tell by the blue shadings of Sapphire’s outfit and appearance.

“He must be a Synchro Duelist, but that dragon of his… I have no idea how it works, or what it does, and that doesn’t even begin to tell me what strategy he uses.”

Nonetheless, they were ready to begin.

“DUEL!!”

Sapphire LP: 8000

Kori LP: 8000

Much as Pinkie and Rainbow were still outraged and wished they were dueling, they still called out to their friend.

“You can do it, Kori.” cheered Pinkie.

“Kick his Malefican can!” hollered Rainbow.

Dick couldn’t tell just how serious the girls were, but he looked at his wife and gave her a brave and proud nod, which told her he was wishing her luck, and telling her to be careful.

Sapphire couldn’t help but chuckle, “You sure got some kind of support there, but it’ll take more than that to beat me…”

Kori growled at him.

“… Especially when I play this… SPEEDROID HORSE STILTS!”

(Atk: 1100)

“But he won’t be alone for long, because he lets me call a friend my hand to join him on the field, so here comes the Tuner monster… SPEEDROID RED-EYED DICE.”

(Def: 100)

“Now I’ll tune both these bad boys together, to summon forth a heavy hitter that’s really going to give you a bashing.”

The two monsters tuned up, and the new monster appeared in a big flash of lightning.

“I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID HAGOITA!”

(Atk: 2000)

This new monster seemed to look like some giant mechanical bug, which buzzed as strong electrical currents coursed through it.

“What kind of monster is that?” asked Kori, earning her only a chuckle from Sapphire as he laid one card facedown. “You’ll find out soon enough.

Now go ahead. Show me what you got.”

He sure seemed pretty confident, which only concerned Kori more as she thought, “I thought he would just bring out that dragon of his from the get-go. It’s like he’s toying with me or something.”

She looked down at her first five cards, and she was pleased with them. “I have what I need to make a perfect Xyz Summon, and maybe take control the entire duel right now.

…I’m going for it.”

She placed her fingers over her deck, “Here goes! I draw…!

And I summon SATELLARKNIGHT VEGA.”

(Atk: 1200)

“And just like your monsters, it also lets me call another to join it on the field.”

She was about to play her next monster when Sapphire cut in. “Hold it right there! I activate Hagoita’s special ability.”

“Huh?”

The spectators all cringed softly.

“During either turn, I can tribute him, and therefore raise the levels of all the monsters on the field by one until the end of the turn.”

“What?!” snapped Kori, and she watched as her monster instantly went from Level 4 to 5.

“Oh, no!” she thought “I was all set to Xyz Summon, but now I won’t have two monsters with the same level.”

The spectators were a mix of emotions from that last move.

“He just messed up Kori’s strategy.” wailed Pinkie.

“Yeah… but look.” said Rainbow “He just left himself totally wide open. Kori could still attack him directly. I know I would.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” said Dick. “He wouldn’t just leave himself open like that, unless he has something else in mind.”

Kori thought of this as well, and even though she couldn’t Xyz Summon, she still knew something she could do.

“I’ll continue to use Vega’s ability, and summon STELLARKNIGHT ALSAHM.”

(Atk: 1400)

“You’re in for a world of hurt now, because when Alsahm is summoned, you instantly get dealt with 1000 points of damage.”

Sapphire growled angrily, and braced himself as the monster shot him with strong rays of light.

Sapphire LP: 8000 -----> 7000

“Yeah! Take that!” Rainbow taunted.

“You go, girl!” cheered Pinkie.

Even though would have sided with them, he didn’t take too nice to their loud remarks, fearing the girls were still tainted by their rage.

The smoke from the blast had cleared, and Sapphire didn’t look the least bit damage or tired, which made everyone gaze at him.

Sapphire snickered, “What… we’re you expecting something?”

Kori ignored the calls and stayed focussed on her strategy. “I’ve got to take this chance.” She thought “I have to attack now, regardless of what that facedown is. At least I can get him to use it up.”

She took in a deep breath and engaged her battle phase. “Now, Alsahm, wage a direct attack!”

Her monster leapt up into the air, and came down in front of Sapphire, socking him hard in the face.

Sapphire LP: 7000 -----> 5600

“Yeah!!” shouted Rainbow.

“That was for Rarity, and for Fluttershy!” added Pinkie.

Sapphire, still didn’t look to be too much in pain, and his groans turned in wicked chuckles. “…Actually, that was just what I needed, because since I took battle damage, I get to summon this…

…SPEEDROID GUM PRIZE.”

(Def: 800)

“And now I’ll chain that with the trap CALL OF THE HAUNTED, which I use to summon Horse Stilts back into action!”

(Atk: 1100)

Kori snuffed, “Nice move, but I still have my Vega, and he can blow either one of your monsters away.”

“Oh, no he can’t, because I wasn’t finished!” sneered Sapphire. “See, when I summon Gum Prize, and I have another Wind monster on my field, I’m allowed to use them both to Synchro Summon.”

Kori’s eyes widened, and the spectators all gasped.

“And that’s just what I do now! I tune level 1 Gum Prize with level 4 Horse Stilts!”

“Not another one!” cried Kori as she watched the monsters tune together, and the monster appeared as a giant sword, and Sapphire called out to it.

“I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID CHANBARA!”

(Atk: 2000)

The mighty blade’s tip shimmered, despite the lack of light in the shadows.

“My vega can’t beat that!” cried Kori.

“No joke.” sneered Sapphire, “And what’s more, since Gum Prize was used to Synchro Summon it, I get to send the top card from my deck to the graveyard, and if it’s a “Speedroid” monster, Chanbara will gain a 1000 attack boost.”

He flipped up his top top.

“Sweetness…! It’s good old SPEEDROID DEN-DEN DAIKO DUDE. Thanks for the help pal! Your sacrifice means our buddy gains a power-up!”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“Three-thousand points?!” shouted Rainbow.

Pinkie growled and fussed. “Why you little cheat! You can’t do that! It’s just… just-- A’RGH!!”

Kori felt a little discouraged. “You haven’t won yet you know.” she called as she set two cards facedown. “I can still take you on, especially since my Vega now gains his original level back.”

Then she began to think to herself, “He still hasn’t played that dragon of his yet, that’s what dreading me the most. I have no idea how strong it is or what it can do. I just know that’s it has to be super dangerous.”

Sapphire was thinking the same thing.

“I can see the fear in her eyes. She’s scared of my dragon.” he paused and chuckled, “This is turning out even better than I thought.

Maybe I’ll play her along a little longer and let her wait when and how I’ll play it. Because after all…

When my dragon comes to play,
All in its path shall pay.”

He began to laugh wickedly in thought as an imaginary image of his dragon appeared behind him, with its eyes glowing ready to strike.

To Be Continued…

Episode 22: Dreading the Dragon: Part 2

EPISODE TWENTY-TWO

Kori and Sapphire continued to glare each other down, while the spectators watched on.

Rainbow and Pinkie’s anger were still rising as they continued to call out to the duelists.

“You can whip him, Kori.” called Rainbow.

“Teach him a lesson he won’t soon forget.” added Pinkie, and she hopped up and down thrusting her fists like a boxer in a ring.

Dick was growing very annoyed with their behaviours and balked, “Will you two knock it off with that?!”

“Hey, chill out, we’re just cheering her own.” protested Rainbow.

Pinkie nodded, but Dick scolded them both, “You’re letting your inner rage getting too far out of control. Look what it’s doing to you.

The only reason Kori’s dueling out there is because you two aren’t thinking straight.”

“We are so!” growled Pinkie “We’ve never thought straighter. If we thought anymore straighter, it would… um… well…” she couldn’t think of anything to say, slightly proving Dick’s point. “…We just are! Okay?!”

Rainbow just folded her arms and turned her attention back to the duel.

Sapphire LP: 5600

Kori LP: 8000

Sapphire taunted over to Kori. “What’s the matter? Are you scared of something… something that might happen that could make you lose your cool?”

Kori growled at him, but she said nothing.

“That’s what I thought.” said Sapphire. “I could put you out of your misery, but seeing like this is just too much fun for me.”

“Will you just take your turn already?!” yelled Kori.

“Whoa… if you’re that anxious to lose, I will.

I draw…!”

He narrowed his eyes at what he had, much to Kori’s discomfort.

“Time for me to rev it up…! I play the Tuner monster SPEEDROID MALICIOUSMAGNET.”

(Atk: 0)

“Another tuner monster…?” Kori asked in disbelief. “How many of these do you have?”

Sapphire chuckled, “More than you can think of, but never mind that, because you should see his special ability.

Whenever it’s summoned, it lets me take control of one monster you have, and then I get to Synchro Summon with it.”

Kori’s eyes widened.

The spectators all gasped.

“He’s going to Synchro summon again?!” groaned Pinkie.

“Man, this guy may be annoying, but he sure is tough.” thought Rainbow.

Sappire thrust out his arm, “Now I think I’ll go ahead and target your Alsahm!”

His monster shot an electro-magnetic current at Kori’s monster, entrapping it.

“It’s Synchro time…!”

“No, it isn’t; it’s quick-play time!” snapped Kori.

“What?!”

“I activate SATELLARKNIGHT SKYBRIDGE! It lets me target Alsahm, and then I summon one “Tellarknight” straight from my deck, and then send Alsahm back to my hand!”

“Ah!”

Kori quickly flipped through her duel disk’s screen, and made her selection. The monster was summoned instantly in a bright flash of light.

“I call forth another SATELLARKNIGHT VEGA!”

(Def: 1600)

Once he had appeared, her Alsahm dashed back to Kori’s hand, meaning Sapphire was no longer targeting it, so his summoning failed, much to his anger.

“Oh, and don’t forget…” Kori called “When Vega is summoned, I’m allowed to resummons Alsahm to the field!”

(Def: 1800)

Kori now had three Tellarknights protecting her.

“Ah, nuts!” snapped Sapphire “Since you summoned Alsahm, I get zapped another 1000 points of damage.”

Kori nodded with a cheeky grin on her face as her monster fired a blast at him.

Sapphire LP: 5600 -----> 4600

He looked up after the shot and bellowed, “Doesn’t matter how many of those things you summon, I can still take them on.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” said Kori “Now I activate the trap WONDER XYZ! This card lets me Xyz Summon using monsters that I control.”

Sapphire growled softly.

Kori then held out her arm at her two monsters. “I take my two Vegas and my Alsahm, and build the Overlay Network!”

The monsters vanished into the portal, followed by a huge burst of light the shot down, and the monster appeared.

“I Xyz Summon STELLARKNIGHT TRIVERR!”

(Def: 2500)

Her monster stood tall and proud with its weapons and armor shimmering brightly…

Far, away, where Sunset and the rest of the group sat, Sunset looked off into the distance where she saw another shimmer of light, just as she did when she and Applejack were dueling.

“Does anybody else see that?” she asked.

“Not unless we’re all going crazy.” replied Shining Armor.

“I can see it.” cried Cadance.

The light just as soon faded as it appeared, and everyone instantly happened upon the same hope that maybe it was the rest of the group.

“Let’s go!” shouted Sunset, and she bolted upright and began to dash off into the direction where the light was seen.

“Sunset, wait!” hollered Vic “It could be a trap too!”

Sunset was already way up ahead.

Raven sighed, “Save it, let’s just go.” and she began to dash off after you.

Terra sighed as she began to dash, “…I really miss my powers.”

“Speak for yourself.” panted Sci-Twi. “I need to exercise more. I spend too much time in the library or my lab.”

What kept sunset going was desperation to catch up with the rest of the group before something else dreadful would happen.

“We’ve already lost enough of our friends!” she said in thought. “If we lose anymore… I’ll go positively insane!”

Back at the duel, Kori’s monster stood glaring Sapphire down.

“Pretty cool summon.” he commented, “But it’s going to take a whole lot more than that to beat me.”

Kori grinned and snickered, “…There is more to come.”

Sapphire was confused, and then he noticed all the cards on the field were glowing. “Hey! What’s going on?”

“When Triverr is successfully Xyz Summoned, all other cards on the field are returned to our hands.”

Sapphire wailed in shock as his tuner monster and his Call of The Haunted began to disappear, landing back in his hand, while his Chanbara went back to the Extra Deck, leaving him without a single card in play, and he was 0most infuriated.

“Wow! What a combo!” cried Pinkie.

“That Sapphire doesn’t have a chance now.” said Rainbow.

Dick wasn’t so sure. “Don’t count him out yet. It’s still his turn after all.”

Not only was it still his turn, but Sapphire began t chuckle and laugh wickedly. “I got to hand it to you; that was a pretty sweet trick you pulled, you may even win this duel.”

He paused and then glared straight at her “…Of course… even you win, you won’t actually beat me.”

Kori blinked twice in confusion, but then she thought back and noted that Sapphire had lost nearly half of his life points, and yet didn’t get hurt or seem tired at all… just like Karle did when she dueled Fluttershy.

That’s when it hit her!

“You…!” she cried “You’re artificial! Even if I win this duel, you won’t be turned into a card.”

The other spectators realized this too, and Sapphire could only smirk slyly and simply remarked. “…That’s about it.”

Kori went numb inside.

Dick was outraged, as were the girls.

Kori then thought back to when Rarity had dueled Violet. “…So even if Rarity had beaten her, Violet would still stand, and be ready to duel again.”

“That’s not fair!” whined Pinkie.

“So much for the rules of the Malefic World.” grumbled Rainbow. “It’s bad enough Karle can’t be crushed; now we got more unbeatable creeps?!”

Sapphire snuffed, “Hey, don’t blame me. It’s the bosses who made us like this, and that’s just about it.

Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to continue, and I’ll start by playing this spell,SPEEDRAW.

Since I don’t have any cards in play, thanks to you, I now get to draw two new cards, and then I have to send Maliciousmagnet to the graveyard.”

He drew and discarded, and then he snickered.

“Now that that’s settled, I banish Den-Den Daiko Duke from the graveyard, and that lets me summon SPEEDROID GUM PRIZE back to play.

(Def: 800)

“But I hate to leave him on the field by himself, so… come on back HI-SPEEDROID HAGOITA!”

(Atk: 2000)

“What? It’s back?!” cried Kori.

“Yep, that’s what it can do when I have a tuner monster in play, and speaking tuning… go Gum Prize! Go Hagoita! Tune it up!”

The two monsters jumped into the air, forming the tuning rings and the light orbs…

“I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID KENDAMA!”

(Atk: 2200)

It was another odd looking machine-type weapon, and everyone else gawked at it.

“You see?” called Sapphire. “I don’t need to rely solely on my dragon to bring me victory. My deck is full of surprises.

And here’s one you should remember: Gum Prize was used to Syncrho Summon, so, again, I send the top card from my deck to the graveyard.”

He flipped up his top card, and his evil gaze widened. “Ah, yeah… I’m revved up and burning on fire. It’s SPEEDROID RAZORANG.”

“Oh, no!” cried Kori.

Dick clenched his fists, “That means his Synchro Monster now grows stronger again!”

(Atk: 2200) ------> (Atk: 3200)

“Not that he needs that many attack points anyway to cause much damage. That’s where one of his special abilities kicks in. I can banish Razorang from the graveyard, and now Kendama deals you 500 points of damage just like that.”

Kori winced as she saw the monster charging up with electrical currents, and it shocked her hard.

Kori LP: 8000 -----> 7500

Kori looked up and growled.

“Hang tough, Honey!” called Dick.

Sapphire chuckled, “Yeah, you better hang tough, considering what else is coming your way.

Kendama, attack! Take out that overgrown light show over there.”

(Atk: 3200) VS (Def: 2500)

The mighty machine complied and darted its way towards Triverr.

“And by the way…” Sapphire called “Even if your monster is in defense-mode, you still get hit with damage.”

“Ah!!” cried Kori.

The spectators all winced and growled deeply as they all watched as Kori’s monster got impaled right through the chest, and the resulting explosion sent the burning waves back at Kori making her wail!

Kori LP: 7500 -----> 6800

As her life points decreased further, the pain began to grow sharper, but Kori still managed to keep on her feet.

“I’m not beaten yet! I’ll blast you and your machines to scrap!”

Sapphire loved it when his opponents got all fiery and snappy. It only made his job and existence feel all the sweeter.

“I’d like to see you try.” he taunted as he laid two cards facedown to end his turn. “And don’t forget, I can still unleash my big hitter on you anytime I want.” he referred to his dragon.

“Let’s see you be ready for that.”

Kori growled in outrage. “If I had my super powers…”

“Well the fact is: you don’t. You’re stuck here just like the rest of your little posse.

I mean… you already get the picture. Even if you win this duel, I’m not going down. I’ll still be able to hunt down the rest of you, and it’ll just keep going, and going, and going, until you’re all nothing more than additions to somebody’s lifeless dueling deck.”

Now Kori was infuriated, almost as badly as Rainbow and Pinkie were.

“I won’t have you talking about my friends that way; like we’re just some pawns in your twisted little games for world domination!”

Sapphire showed no remorse at just stood with his arms folded waiting for her to make her move.

“Here I come!” Kori shouted as she drew her next card.

She looked down at it.

“My Skill Drain…!” she thought silently. “This could help me lots. If I use this, I can block all the monsters effects, and then… even if he does summon his dragon, I won’t have to fear of whatever powers it has.”

She looked over her cards at her opponent feeling she really had it made.

“Now, I activate the spell CUP OF ACE!”

Another magical coin appeared, ready for flipping. “I now toss this coin, and if it lands Heads; I draw cards, but if not, then you do.”

Sapphire narrowed his eyes, but really, there was hope for him here. With her sharp, Tameranian eyesight, Kori knew could watch the coin carefully as it flipped and she knew when to stop it.

“Heads… So now I draw two more cards.”

“Talk about being cheap.” Sapphire thought.

“Okay…” shouted Kori. “I now summon SATELLARKNIGHT ALTAIR.”

(Atk: 1700)

“And when it’s summoned, I’m then allowed to summon a “Tellarknight” from my graveyard, so come back TELLARKNIGHT ALSAHM.”

Her monster reappeared in a bright flash.

(Def: 1800)

“And of course, now that it was summon, that means you get dealt another 1000 points of damage!”

Sapphire growled angrily while gnashing his teeth.

“Go, Alsahm! Blast him good!”

Her monster complied and shot a strong beam at Sapphire.

Sapphire LP: 4600 -----> 3600

“Great shot, Kori!” called Pinkie.

“Put him in his place!” added Rainbow.

Dick said nothing, but he was pleased that his wife seemed to be in perfect control of the duel.

“Oh, yeah?!” thundered Sapphire “I’ll show you… by activating CALL OF THE HAUNTED, which lets me revive my good old SPEEDROID MALICIOUSMAGNET.”

(Atk: 0)

The spectators gasped hard.

“It’s back!” cried Pinkie.

Dick growled angrily, knowing what this meant, and just as Sapphire explained it…

“You remember what goes now… I get to Synchro Summon using Magnet and a monster you control too.”

Kori only smirked, “…Hmm. Sorry to disappoint you, but you won’t!”

“Huh?”

“From my hand, I play this handy, Quick-Play spell… TELLARKNIGHT GENESIS!

Now, for every “Tellarknight” I’ve got with me, I can destroy up to that many spells and traps on the field.”

“Ah!” Sapphire could only gasp as his two cards were destroyed, and with Call of The Haunted gone, his Magnet was lost with it, thus canceling out its effect yet again.

“This is getting annoying!” Sapphire growled.

Kori just snuffed, “You thought that was annoying, wait until you see this…

I overlay Alsahm and Altair to build the Overlay Network!”

The portal appeared and the two monsters leapt inside.

“Here comes the trouble!” Kori hollered. “I Xyz Summon DARKTELLARKNIGHT BATLAMYUS!”

(Atk: 2600)

Her monster stood, and clenched its fists while glaring at the opposing field.

“Nice summon,” mocked Sapphire. “Next time, try and summon something stronger. There’s no way that freak of yours can beat my Kandema.”

(Atk: 3200)

Kori then grinned and snickered.

“What’s so funny?” asked Sapphire.

“You’re right. I will need more power to beat your monster, and that’s why I’ll use his special ability to get it!

By using one overlay unit, and sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can use Batlamyus to Xyz Summon again!”

“What…?! Hey wait a minute!” shouted Sapphire, but Kori had already built the Overlay Network again, which bathed a show of light beams onto the field as her next monster appeared.

“I now Xyz Summon STELLARKNIGHT DELTEROS!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her monster gripped its glowing sword and struck a battle pose.

Pinkie and Rainbow grinned wickedly and snickered sinisterly. They even slapped each other a high-five.

Dick stood with a proud smile on his face, and was nodding very softly.

His wife turned her head and nodded back at him.

Sapphire didn’t look the least bit impressed.

“So you summoned one weak boss, and then used it to summon an even weaker boss? Come on…!”

Kori’s eyes gave a small shimmer. “Well, you asked for it. I use one overlay unit to use his special ability.

Now he can instantly destroy one card on the field.”

Sapphire gasped, and watched as the monster’s sword began to glow brightly.

“Uh-oh…!” and he covered his eyes so as not to the monster fire a powerful blaze at his Kandema, shattering it to pieces.

“You’ll pay for this!” he shouted.

Kori snuffed, “No… you will!”

She engaged her battle phase. “…Especially now that you have nothing to defend yourself with…

…Delteros, wage a direct attack!”

Her monster gripped its glowing sword and charged forth.

“Get him!” shouted Rainbow.

“Slice him!” added Pinkie.

Sapphire wailed as the sword struck him hard, but not because he felt any pain, the power of the attack made a bright explosion of light nearly blinding him.

Sapphire LP: 3600 -----> 1100

The light made a large flash, which Sunset and friends saw as they got in closer.

“Hey, what’s that?” cried Shining Armor.

Everyone could see the light just as it faded away, and the three Titans recognized the light almost immediately.

“That’s from a Tellarknight attack.” said Terra.

“Are you sure?” asked Shinning Armor.

“How can you tell?” added Cadance, but even Sci-Twi recognized the power too, and with her extensive study of duel monster holograms, “…It is. That’s Tellarknight light.”

“BOO-YAH! We just found Kori.” cheered Vic. “It couldn’t be anyone else.”

Raven agreed, remembering all the duel training she had with her friends while preparing for the tournament.

“So… um… what are we just standing here for?”

“Let’s go!” shouted Sunset, and she began to dash across the land again.

Rainbow and Pinkie were cheering, but more viciously.

“You’re so close, Kori!” called Rainbow.

“You’ve almost got him!” added Pinkie. “One more attack and you’ll blow him to bits!”

“Hey, you two, quit it!” snapped Dick. “Getting angry isn’t going to help.”

The girls sulked, still refusing to acknowledge their bad behaviour.

Sadly, Kori had nothing left to attack with. The only card she had left to play was the one she hoped would hold Sapphire back and clench the entire match for her.

She looked down at her Skill Drain card. “I’m counting on this.” she thought, and she placed it facedown, finishing her turn, but she was still feeling enraged.

“Even if I do beat him, he can still go after me again, or even one of the others.”

She felt especially worried about Pinkie and Rainbow, worried that their anger and outrage was getting more and more out of control, and if they were to enter a duel, neither of them would be able to think straight.

“It’s my go now.” called sapphire “I draw…!”

“Activate trap!” shouted Kori. “…Go SKILL DRAIN!”

“What?”

“I first have to pay 1000 life points…”

Kori’s trap fired a small beam of energy at her, and she growled and groaned, but managed to make the payment.

Kori LP: 6800 -----> 5800

“…Ah, that smarts.”

Then she stood upright and tall declaring, “And now, as long as this trap remains in play, all monsters on the field lose their effects.”

Her Delteros went pale, indicating it was seemingly powerless, and so did Sapphire’s Menko, but Sapphire didn’t look the least bit discouraged. “…Looks like somebody’s getting desperate.”

Kori narrowed her eyes at him.

“Well, just because my monsters lose their powers doesn’t mean I can’t rely on them, because that trap doesn’t affect my monsters in the graveyard.

Like my Kendama…!

Since I control no cards, he shows up back to play.

(Atk: 2200)

Kori was outraged and wondered, “How many special abilities can one monster have?”

“But wait! I’m not finished…

Now I’ll banish Horse Stilts. This means I can move one “Speedroid” from my deck to my graveyard, and I choose to send another Daiko Duke there.”

Kori growled angrily while the spectators watched with deep concern.

“Now that Duke is in the grave…” said Sapphire “I’ll banish him, which lets me summon my pal Gum Prize out to play.”

(Def: 800)

“Oh, and while we’re at it-- since I do have a Tuner Monster in play-- guess who else is invited to the party.”

“Not again?!” groaned Kori.

“…Yes, again!” snapped Sapphire “I summon Hi-Speedroid Hagoita from the grave!”

(Atk: 2000)

“He’s summoning a whole army of those mechanized mobsters!” cried Pinkie.

“Yeah, but don’t forget,” said Rainbow “…Thanks to the Skill Drain, none of them gets to use their effects while they’re in play.”

Dick realized this as well, but he was getting a really strange feeling as he thought, “If Sapphire knows all this too, why would he summon so many monsters out?”

Then, suddenly, it hit him. “Oh, no! I get what he’s going for!”

Sapphire snickered and glared squarely at Kori. “I think it’s more than time now.”

Kori cringed inside.

Sapphire held out his arms, “I tune level 1 Gum Prize with level 6 Kendama.”

“Here it comes…!” cried Dick.

As the monsters merged, the mighty beast began to form, and Sapphire called to it…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

The dragon spread out its wings. Its body glowed, and it let out a mighty roar!

(Atk: 2500)

Then it stopped glowing due to having its powers negated, but Kori and the spectators gawked up at it in awe and near fright.

“That is one mean monster!” said Rainbow.

The others agreed, having never seen anything like it.

“HEY!!” called a voice.

Everyone turned and saw Sunset running up in the distance, followed by the rest of the group.

As joyful as they were to see each other deep down, one look at the dragon made the runners skid to a halt.

“Whoa! What is that?!” cried Shining Armor.

Raven and Vic gawked in horrors.

“It’s Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.” said Raven.

Vic began to look furious, especially when he noticed Sapphire. “That’s the guy-- the one who beat Celestia and captured Luna!”

Cadance felt her anger rising, and then she noticed who else was dueling. “It’s Kori!”

Terra’s blood turned cold, but Kori held up her hand and called her, “…It’s okay, I’ve got this!”

“Ha!” scoffed Sapphire. “The only thing you’ve got coming is a date inside of a card.

Especially since Gum Prize uses his effect now.

I flip up my top card and ditch it…” he paused as he looked. “Heh…! I got SPEEDROID OHAJIKID.”

Kori growled, as it meant the dragon would now get even stronger!

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

The spectators didn’t like that one bit.

“I think he’s got a plan!” cried Sunset.

Sapphire then held up a card declaring, “I sure do, and it starts with SPEED RECOVERY! It lets me call back a “Speedroid” from the grave, such as… Kendama!”

(Atk: 2200)

Everyone gazed in awe and shock; Sapphire now had three Synchro monsters in play.

“And now, for my final card!” he called “Go SHOCK SURPRISE!”

Kori’s eyes widened.

“Ah, man, not that again!” cried Vic.

Raven remembered the card when it was used on Celestia. “…Now Kori’s in real trouble!”

The other spectators all gawked in concern, and Sapphire called out, “You bet she, because now… by banishing Maliciousmagnet and Gum Prize out of the graveyard, I can destroy two cards on the field.”

“What…?! No!!” shouted Kori.

“Ah, yeah...! Here comes the shocker!” called Sapphire, and at his command, his card unleashed powerful, burning electrical currents, destroying the Skill Drain, and Delteros.

Kori braced herself from the strong winds that billowed past her.

“Kori!!” cried Dick.

“She’s wide open now!” wailed Rainbow.

Pinkie was quivering angrily now, and growled furiously. “This can’t be happening!”

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of light the burst out from Kori’s field.

“Hey! What’s happening?!” cried Sapphire.

Kori smirked at him, “You just activated Delteros’ special ability.

When it’s sent from the field to the graveyard, I’m allowed to summon one “Tellarknight” from my deck, and I know just the one I want… I play another TELLARKNIGHT ALTAIR!”

(Atk: 1700)

“Ah!” wailed Sapphire.

Kori snuffed, “And when it gets summoned, I’m allowed to revive another Tellarknight from the graveyard, and I choose Delteros!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her two monsters stood together and nodded at one-another as they formed a wall to protect her.

“I knew you wouldn’t resist destroying my Skill Drain, especially since you found cool ways to get around its negation effect.”

Sapphire felt outraged for being outsmarted, but then he scoffed, “So what. Without your Skill Drain, my monsters gain all their powers back!”

All his monsters were glowing with color again, and pulsating with energy.

“And speaking of powers, you remember Kendama’s effect: I banish Ohajikid from the graveyard, you and get burned with 500 points of damage.”

The electrical currents were fired, and Kori growled and wailed in pain.

Kori LP: 5800 -----> 5300

“Hang in there, Kori!” hollered Dick.

“Yeah, you better hang in!” called Sapphire, and he engaged his Battle Phase.

“Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, attack Delteros!”

He dragon roared, and soared in, unleashing its wrath.

(Atk: 3500) VS (Atk: 2500)

The monster was destroyed, and the burning waves hit Kori hard.

Kori LP: 5300 -----> 4300

She looked up after the blast at Sapphire laughing at her.

“I wouldn’t laugh if I were you, because you activated Delteros’ power again! So now another Tellarknight jumps onto the field from my deck… and this time I pick another Alsahm!”

Her monster shot out onto the field instantly.

(Def: 1800)

“And that means, you’re about to be burned with 1000 points of damage!”

Sapphire braced himself as the magical beam was fired at him!

Sapphire LP: 1100 -----> 100

“All right!” cheered Shining Armor. “…One more hit like that and he loses the duel.”

Cadance grinned wide, “We’ll be able to avenge Luna.”

Sunset, Vic and Raven shook their heads.

“Not exactly…” said Raven “Even if she wins, he won’t lose his soul, because he hasn’t got one.”

Sci-Twi and Terra turned to face her in shock, but Sunset and Vic nodded confirming it.

“It’s just like with Karle.” Sci-Twi said to herself. “They have no souls, so they can’t be turned into cards.”

Terra shook her head, still trying hope it was all a hoax, but it obviously wasn’t.

Sapphire continued his onslaught.

“Go Hagoita, smash that Altair!”

(Atk: 2000) VS (Atk: 1700)

Another destroyed monster meant more pain coming Kori’s way with the loss of her life points…

Kori LP: 4300 -----> 4000

“Now, Kendama… you’re up! Blow that Alsahm to its doom, and deal out piercing damage!”

(Atk: 2200) VS (Def: 1800)

Kori LP: 4000 -----> 3600

In spite of all the agonizing pain from constant attacks, Kori still managed to keep on her feet.

“Dang!” said Vic. “I’m glad Kori’s still up, but this isn’t looking too good for her.”

Raven agreed. “Especially with that Clear Wing Synchro Dragon still out. After all, it can negate the effects of monsters that are level 5 or above.”

Everyone else turned to face her and Vic in shock.

“It’s not over yet.” said Sunset. “The duel is perfectly set to go either way. All Kori needs is one good draw, and while it won’t get rid of Sapphire, at least she’ll be spared from being turned into a card herself.”

The tension was extremely high at this point.

Rainbow and Pinkie were sweating bullets, either from being enraged so much, or the fact that Kori was extremely in a spot now…

…Or both.

“Come on, Kori.” Dick thought deeply. “I don’t want to lose you. You’ve got to pull this off.”

Kori was trembling inside. She had never been this worried in her life.

“One draw-- One card…” she thought. “I can do this. I’ve done things like this before; that’s what being a superhero is all about.”

Sapphire stood with his arms folded, and though he lacked facial features, he was acting very smug.

“She hasn’t got a chance.” he thought. “There’s nothing she can play that I can’t stop, especially with my good old Clear Wing.”

Really, deep down, he was worried, because with only 100 points left, any move had potential to finish him, but Kori still seemed doubtful of drawing her next card…

…Until she actually did!

“Hey! What are you doing?” he asked.

Kori looked at her card, and then she glared squarely at him. “…Defeating you is what I’m doing.”

“Get out of here. There’s nothing you can play that can stop me.”

“Wanna bet?” sneered Kori. “If there’s one thing being a Titan has taught me is to never give up.”

She paused and looked over at her husband.

Dick nodded at her proudly.

“That’s why I’m summoning TELLARKNIGHT RIGEL!”

(Atk: 1900)

Sapphire blinked twice in confusion. “That’s it…? That’s your big move?” and he began to chuckle uncontrollably. “Don’t make me laugh any harder.”

Kori only folded her arms, and none of the other spectators were the least bit discouraged at all.

“It’s no joke.” said Kori, “When Rigel is summoned; it has the power to increase its attack strength by 500.”

“Huh?!” cried Sapphire.

(Atk: 1900) -----> (Atk: 2400)

“No way!!” he groaned, and then he thought. “That monster’s level is 4! Clear Wing can’t negate it!”

“She’s done it!” cried Sunset. “She’s got it won!”

All the others began to cheer, holler, and jump for joy.

Kori quickly called out her attack. “Go Rigel… attack Kendarma!”

(Atk: 2400) VS (Atk: 2200)

Her monster gripped its sword, and leapt over to Sapphire’s field, much to his horror, and with one mighty swing, it took out his monster, and wiped out the last of Sapphire’s life points.

“I DON’T BELIEVE IT!!” he shouted.

Sapphire LP: 100 -----> 0

The entire group erupted in loud cheers of joy, but Kori could only heave a huge sigh of relief and fell to her knees in half shock that she pulled it off.

“Kori!” cried Dick as he ran over to his wife’s side. “Are you okay?”

She looked up at him and nodded wearily, and then she smiled at him.

Sapphire was still in a grouch fit of rage. “I can’t believe this!” he growled “How could-- I mean it’s just-- SHE WON BY A STROKE OF LUCK?!!”

He then held up his dragon card, almost as if he wanted to pin the blame on the dragon itself, but he knew it was his own fault for acting so cocky and underestimating his opponent.

“He’s mine!” snarled Rainbow, and she began to charge off to duel Sapphire.

“No, he’s mine!” protested Pinkie, and she dashed off two, only to bump into each other and they fell down.

“WHY CAN’T YOU WATCH WHERE YOU’RE GOING?!!” they both shouted at each other.

They both glared at one another, with their eyes blazing with raging flames.

Shining Armor and Vic both dashed up to the two girls and held them back.

“Yo’, Chill!” said Vic.

“Calm down, both of you.” added Shining Armor.

The girls did calm down, and then they turned to see Sapphire had fled and was gone, obviously unable to bear the fact that the groups were all huddled together.

He was already off flying on his dark cloud. “So I lost this time.” he thought. “Ah, well. It wasn’t a total loss, after all, I still got some good duel energy, and now the morale between those guys is starting to drop.

…Perhaps this wasn’t such a big deal after all.”

Author's Note

time for another Hiatus

Been working on this good (Just passed the 100 thousand word mark,

and I gotta start organizing some vids and stuff.

Hang tight... we will continue.

Episode 23: Emotion Games

EPISODE TWENTY-THREE

It took some doing, but Rainbow and Pinkie finally calmed down, though they were still embittered and enraged, not just with the circumstances, but still at each other.

They were both sitting at opposite ends from each other in the groups, occasionally giving each other a snarky glimpse.

The rest of the gang did not like this one bit.

“Come on, you two,” said Robin “We can’t have you both being at each other’s throats now.”

Rainbow scoffed, “Well I wouldn’t be if Pinkie hadn’t messed everything up.”

“Me?!” snapped Pinkie “You’re the one always rushing to be first at everything.”

“Oh, yeah…?!”

“Yeah…!”

“STOP IT!!!” shouted Sunset. Her voice echoed all through the plains, and everyone hushed and gawked at her.

Sunset was panting softly, and spoke severely to everyone, “Things are already bad enough, the last thing we need is to give in to the darkness. We’ll never rescue our friends and get out of this place if we don’t get our acts together.”

Nobody knew quite what to say about that. They did want to escape and stop the Prince Brothers, but the way things were going-- with several friends turned into cards, Celestia, Spike, Princess Twilight all missing, and Karle was out there as well as the trio and other dangers… things just didn’t seem to be going to well.

“Wait a minute.” said Sci-Twi “Maybe that’s it.”

“What do you mean?” asked Shining Armor.

“I’ve been thinking ever since we came here…

The Malefic World is a realm of shadows and negativity, as well as duel energy. So maybe it also feeds off our own darkness-- our inner doubts, our rage, our sadness…”

“You could be right.” agreed Sunset “Which means our emotions here could be more dangerous than we thought.”

“I know the feeling too well.” muttered Raven.

“But how can we help but not feel these ways?” asked Kori. “With all that’s happening; there’s no way we can tune it all out.”

“Then we’ll have to try hard not to give in to the darkness.” suggested Vic. “I’m not trying to say we should just treat it all as nothing, but to just keep our heads up.”

He checked his wrist-com again, and his battery power was still dropping softly, which he didn’t bother to tell the others, and he didn’t have to-- they knew, but they didn’t wish to give in to more despair and more worrisome in case things would get worse.

Rainbow and Pinkie still felt rather grumpy, despite the suspicion.

Both Terra and Raven were also thinking about Gar, and wondering where he was, but both of them seemed to be with different thoughts.

Raven’s thoughts were raging and slowly worsening the more she thought of him, while Terra, she was praying and hoping, “Gar, wherever you are… please, try to understand I just want to make things right again.”

Far away, Gar was starting to stir in his sleep; struggling with nightmares.

Spike, though still locked away within in the dark, was able to feel and hear Gar’s groaning.

“What’s going on?” he wondered. “I wish I could see.”

Gar was really struggling, and then suddenly he just snapped away. He panted a little bit, but then he growled and angrily kicked the sand ahead of him.

“I can’t take this anymore.” he thought to himself, and he thought back to the Titans, “Why did those morons have to come back into my life?!” he paused and thought of Terra “…Especially her!”

Then his mind started to trail back to a very old and painful memory. “No…! No!!” he groaned as he clutched his head, trying his best to supress it, and he only barely succeeded, but it wasn’t enough, because he had already dreamed of it just a few seconds ago while sleeping, and it hurt just as much.

“Hey!!” Spike yelled out from his card. He was hoping to at least try and talk to Gar again about what was bothering him, but it was no use; though he could hear Gar, Gar couldn’t hear him at all-- exactly how Gar wanted it.

Then Spike also remembered how cold and uncouth Gar behaved anyway, despite picking him up and stowing him until they could reunite with the others.

Spike was still determined to learn the true reason behind Gar’s hostility.

“Well, what have we here?” called an evil yet familiar voice.

Gar bolted up to see Violet glaring him down and snickering wickedly.

“What do you want?” he growled at her, to which she snickered in delight, “My, my, what a temper. Looks like someone got up on the wrong side of the sand-trap.”

Gar snuffed, while Spike felt things were about to spiral out of control.

“Gar’s never faced any of the trio before.” he thought. “Even if he wins, it won’t matter because Violet won’t disappear.”

Gar had readied his duel disk without a word or thought of it.

“Anxious for a duel, eh?” taunted Violet “Or are you just taking out your rage on me like you do everyone else you run into.”

Gar growled at her, which only confirmed her theory. “Let’s just duel already. The sooner I duel you, the sooner I can figure a way out of this place.”

“Is that so?” hissed Violet “Or are you just desperate to run away from your troubles again?”

“Shut up!” growled Gar “You don’t know anything about me, so who are you to judge?”

As violet got her duel disk ready, “You don’t think we don’t know the truth do you? You have a lot to learn about how the Malefic World works.

We not only feed off the darkness and negativities, but we also can read them, and yours is no different.”

Now Gar felt a little tense-- because he had lost his protective electrodes, he wasn’t impervious to most magic. Then again, Malefic magic was unlike anything he had ever seen.

Still, he remained undeterred.

“Let’s do this!” he said as he pulled up his first cards.

Gar LP: 8000

Violet LP: 8000

He looked down at his hand and thought, “Perfect! I already have three Exodia pieces, and getting the other two should be easy.” he peeked over his cards at his opponent. “As soon as I win this duel I can make a break for it.”

“Ladies first…” hissed Violet “And the first card I play is POLYMERIZATION.”

Gar growled at the very sight of that card, and felt infuriated at what was coming next.

“From my hand, I fuse two PREDAPLANT LILIZARD(s)”

The two plant creatures leapt up high and began to merge together.

“I Fusion Summon… PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

The very flower monster she had used once before, in her duel with Rarity, spread out its vines and hissed with venom drooling from its fangs.

Gar was quivering at the very sight of this card and grumbling “Fusion.”

Spike could feel Gar’s anger, and while he couldn’t see the duel, he could see practically hear it.

He knew Gar wasn’t fond of Extra Deck monsters; preferably Fusion, and he was about to find out why.

“What’s wrong?” taunted Violet. “Oh, but of course… you can’t stand Extra Deck creatures because it represents something you despise most…

…The power of Teamwork.”

Gar clenched his left fist furiously.

Spike heard this as he thought, “He hates teamwork?

Well, of course he would; he used to be a Teen Titan-- a member of a team, and he can’t stand any of their guts now.

Plus, he also doesn’t seem to like friendship, which is why he gives my friends a hard time about it.

…But that still doesn’t explain enough. How can one guy carry such a grudge, and on people he doesn’t even know or did anything to him?”

“I know what you’re up to, and it won’t work!” sneered Gar to Violet. “You won’t throw me off my game.”

“Humph.” Violet grunted as she put a card facedown. Then she thought silently, “I think I already have.

You know you can’t get rid of me, even if you win, yet you didn’t run and chose to duel anyway. It goes to show how you’re positively filled with rage, which helps me either way; win, or lose.”

“It’s my turn!” shouted Gar “I draw…!”

He looked at his card.

“Excellent!” he thought “I now have the fourth Exodia piece, and I already have what I need to get the final part. This duel is as good as mine!”

“Prepare to lose it all!” he balked at Violet. “I summon the monster… SANGAN!”

(Ak: 1000)

Violet narrowed her eyes at the dumpy little critter.

Gar thrust his arm forth. “Now, Sangan… attack that oversized plant creature!”

His monster complied and rushed forth, ready to take a bite.

“Once Sangan goes to the graveyard, I can use its ability to add the final piece to my hand. Then Exodia will be complete, and this duel is over.”

“Sorry, but I can’t allow that!” called Violet “I activate the trap NEGATE ATTACK, which stops your monster dead in its tracks and ends the battle!”

Gar growled softly as his Sangan skid to a halt and resumed its standing position.

“You don’t think I know of your Exodia strategy, do you?” sneered Violet. “You won’t summon him all that easily.”

Gar snuffed, “I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.”

He then thought to himself. “Smooth move. She managed to avert me that time, but I have ways of getting what I want. There are other ways to make Exodia appear.”

Spike was astounded that Violet was actually able to stall Gar’s sneaky move, but he was more than certain that this duel was far from over.

“Well now, it’s my move.” said Violet, and she drew a card.

“And I shall activate Chimerafflesia’s special ability; and ability that lets me target your Sangan and banish it!”

“What?!” shouted Gar, and he watched as the giant plant ensnared his monster in its massive vines and sent it away, and because it wasn’t destroyed or sent to the graveyard, its effect could not be played.

“So sad,” mocked Violet, “But that’s what happens when you duel against cards you’ve never seen before.”

Gar paid her no mind or response.

“What’s the matter, tongue-tied, well maybe this can shake you free...” she engaged her Battle Phase and ordered her monster to make a direct attack.

Gar then shouted, “I activate the trap SAKURETSU ARMOR! Now your monster will be destroyed and I’ll escape unharmed!”

“Oh, really?” called Violet “We’ll see who has whom. I activate from my hand, DE-FUSION, which sends my monster back to the Extra Deck, and then I get to summon the two monsters I fused to form it.

So be gone, Chimeraffleisa… and come forth my twoPREDAPLANT LILIZARD(s)”

Her two plants sprouted up, and hissed with drooling venom.

(Atk: 1200) x2

“And by the way,” said Violet “Since they were summoned from the graveyard, they each let me draw one card.”

This gave her three cards in hand, but Gar didn’t seem amused, making her feel insulted.

“Well, it’s still my battle phase, which means I can send both my plants to attack you directly. Go, my pretties!”

The two plants leapt up high and began to swat and whack at Gar, and he didn’t even move or flinch.

Gar LP: 8000 -----> 5600

Gar was shocked by the painful waves, but he stayed strong and stood his ground, and he made no attempts to show rage now.

Violet glared angrily at him. “Looks like you’ve changed dramatically since we started. But then again that’s life… Things Change… you know.”

Hearing those two words “Things Change” actually did provoke him, making him stiffen and growl.

“I told you,” Violet sneered “We know of the darkness within you. That’s the Malefic way. We see, we feed, we take delight, and yours is among the biggest rage I’ve seen, all because of Things Changing.”

Gar was quivering again as painful memories shot through his mind, and Spike could feel the tension himself.

“Things Changing?” he wondered. “What is she talking about?”

Violet didn’t say anything else, despite what she knew. To her; Gar’s growing rage was more than enough for her.

“Looks like I hit a nerve there, but for now, I’ll end my turn with two facedowns.”

Gar was still struggling with those horrible memories and barely managed to shake them off.

“I draw!” he shouted loudly and furiously.

“Now, I activate the spell CARD DESTRUCTION!”

Violet and Spike were both shocked.

“Now we each throw away all the cards in-hand to the graveyard, and then draw the same number of cards we had before.”

Violet only had one card to toss, but Gar placed all four Exodia pieced in his hand to the graveyard.

“What’s he thinking?” Spike wondered. Though he couldn’t see the cards or read Gar’s mind, he was certain of what happened. “He just threw nearly all his best cards away.

“And now!” shouted Gar, “The monster I’m about to play is something rather special, but first I have to shuffle all the monsters in my graveyard into my deck.”

His four monster cards ejected from the duel disk, and he added them to the deck, and they shuffled automatically.

Suddenly, the entire field began to quake as powerful lightning bolts struck a card that Gar held up high.

“What are you doing?” asked Violet.

“I’m summoning this…!” shouted Gar “Behold… EXODIUS, THE ULTIMATE FORBIDDEN LORD!”

The massive monster appeared, and it was gigantic, and an exact resemblance of Exodia himself!

The creature pounded its mighty fists together, making massive sparks fly.

(Atk: ?)

Violet’s shock immediately faded into amusement. “That’s an interesting summon, but you don’t really expect me to feel intimidated, do you? It has no attack points.”

Gar scoffed, “You’re just as pathetic as other opponents I’ve had.”

Violet took offense to that.

“I realize my monster hasn’t any attack strength, which is why it can be easily changed; with the help of this spell; GRACEFUL CHARITY.

Now I draw three cards, and then I discard two.”

Once he drew his cards, he was most pleased. “For my discard, I’ll send two normal monsters to the graveyard.”

“Since I now have two normal monsters in my graveyard, Exodius will gain 1000 attack points for each of them.”

(Atk: ?) -----> (Atk: 2000)

Violet narrowed her eyes.

“And what’s more,” said Gar “Whenever Exodius attacks, I’m required to send another monster from my deck to the graveyard, making him even stronger.”

Violet growled again!

Gar engaged his battle phase. “Now I send the Left Leg of Exodia to the graveyard, to increase the strength of Exodius!”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“Exodius, attack now!”

His mighty beast-- its huge fists was sparking with electric-like currents as it swung back and pounded one of the small Predaplants to pieces.

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 1200)

Violet LP: 8000 -----> 6200

Violet was unharmed by the point loss, and far from amused that her monster was crushed.

“You’ll pay for that, I assure you.”

“Ha!” scoffed Gar. “That’s what they all, but they never learn.”

He placed two cards in his hand facedown.

“But there is something you might as well learn now, and that’s another power of my Exodius…

With each passing turn, not only will I send more monsters to the graveyard to beef up his strength, but if I send all five pieces of Exodia to the graveyard, Exodia will then be complete, and I’ll win the duel!”

Now Violet’s eyes bulged wide in shock.

“So, you’re planning to beat me in just four turns? …Very clever. It’s no wonder you’re considered an expert player.”

Gar then thought softly. “Yes, I am an expert, and far greater than you realize.”

He thought that as if he were up to something far worse than planned.

Spike couldn’t hear those thoughts, and really wished he could see the duel now, but it was a good thing he could still hear it all, and was taking down notes of everything.

“Well, that was interesting, though hardly worth much.” scoffed Violet. “Now it’s my draw!”

She pulled out her card, giving her two in hand and thought silently at what she had. “This is perfect… just what I need to secure my victory over this fool.”

She paused and looked over at him. “Then again… I ought to stir him up a little more. The masters will be pleased with the duel-energy obtained regardless.”

“Tell me…” she called to Gar. “Does this dueling and tough-guy act make you pleased with yourself?”

“Just move already!” sneered Gar. “The sooner I win this duel, the better.”

“Okay then, don’t answer; not that you actually need to… I can see right through you; dueling to silence your insecurities. Putting people down to have power over them, and seeking vengeance on those who wronged you.”

As she wanted, Gar’s face curled into fury behind his covers.

Violet snickered softly. “Yes, sad, really; no matter how much you try to hide and cover it up, the pain is always there, feasting on your soul-- on your mind.”

“Will you just move already?!” demanded Gar.

“As you wish...!

I summon PREDAPLANT CHLAMYDOSUNDEW.”

(Atk: 600)

“And next I activate its special ability, which allows me to use it, and my Lillizard to Fusion summon yet again!”

Gar clenched his left fist again as he watched the fusion begin, can Violet called out, “Welcome back, PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

The monsters extended its vines and roared.

Then Violet engaged her battle phase, “Now my pretty, attack Exodius!”

Her monster complied and prepared for attack.

Gar narrowed his eyes behind his coverings. He knew Violet wouldn’t willingly just attack with a weaker without a good reason.

“I activate my monster’s special ability.” Violet shouted “When it attacks, I can make your monster lose 1000 attack points, while my monster gains 1000 points.”

“Ugh!!” groaned Gar.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 2000)

“Now that your so called “Ultimate Lord” is weaker, it’s well on its way out.”

Exodius was grabbed by the monster vines, and it looked as if it was about to bite the dust.

“Don’t think so!” sneered Gar. “I activate the trap, HALF COUNTER.”

“Ah!” cried Violet.

“This trap allows Exodius to gain attack points equal half of your monster’s points, making Exodius stronger than your creature.”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 3750)

Violet growled and watched as Gar ordered his monster to counter attack, and destroying her precious Predaplant with its might fist.

(Atk: 3750) VS (Atk: 3500)

Even though Gar wasn’t able to send a monster to his graveyard, since he was only counter-attacking, he still felt so satisfied to see the monster blow away, and Violet take damage.

Violet LP: 6200 -----> 5950

“So much for your pathetic Fusion Monster.” sneered Gar.

“Oh, really?!” growled Violet “Well let’s see how you like this-- I play a trap of my own… PREDAPLANT REBORN!Return to me, Chimerafflesia!” and in a snap, her monster had grown back through the ground….

(Atk: 2500)

…Much to Gar’s annoyance.

“Now let’s try again, shall we…?” said Violet. “Chimerafflesia, attack again, and use your special ability to make yourself strong again!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

(Atk: 3750) -----> (Atk: 2750)

Once again, the two monsters began to clash, and it looked as if Exodius would lose.

“Nice try!” called Gar “But I activate MIRROR FORCE. So now your attack is sent back to you, and your monster will be destroyed.”

The attack was repelled and began to head straight back.

“Think again!” snapped Violet “I activate yet another DE-FUSION! Sorry, my pretty, but you’ll have to go again.”

Her monster quickly vanished; back to the Extra Deck.

“And now I bring back my other two monsters… PREDAPLANT CHLAMYDOSUNDEW, and PREDAPLANT LILIZARD.”

(Def: 200)

(Def: 1200)

The repelled attack missed its target since the monsters were in defense mode.

Violet snuffed, “And since Lilizard was, once again, revived from the graveyard, I draw yet another card.”

Gar only stood with his arms folded, not making a sound.

Violet was actually impressed the way he was about to avert her the way he did.

“His inner-rage drives him forth.” she thought. “I’ll admit one thing. His skills are quite impressive, but if he thinks he’s got this duel won, he’s got another thing coming.”

She looked down at the single card she drew. “Especially since I’ve just drawn the one good card I need that will assure my victory.”

She placed the other card in her hand facedown, ending her turn, which made the attack of Exodius return to 3000.

“My move now!” sneered Gar and he drew a card.

“I play POT OF GREED, so now I draw two cards.”

When he was through, he had three cards in hand, and thought. “This will do me nicely. There’s no way this robed witch can out-duel me. No one has been able to out-duel me, and no one ever will.”

He grabbed one of his cards, “I now equip Exodius with the spell SWORDS OF FLASHING LIGHT – TRYCE!”

The two swords materialized and the might monsters grabbed one in each hand.

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“True, I may have weakened his attack by 500, but it’s a small price to pay, because this spell will allow my monster to attack twice this turn, and every time I attack, another monster gets sent to the graveyard, which means Exodius will only grow stronger.

But first, I activate MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON, to destroy that facedown card of yours.”

In a blast of strong winds, the card was shattered, much to Violet’s annoyance.

“Now, nothing’s going to stand in my way.” said Gar. “Exodius, attack now!

I offer this Right Leg of Exodia to the graveyard to make you stronger!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

With one swing of those swords, the Lilizard was sheered to grans of dust.

“And now, thanks to my swords card, I’ll send this last card out of my hand to the graveyard so Exodius may attack again, and I’ll offer this Left Arm of Exodia to power him even further.”

(Atk: 3500) -----> (Atk: 4500)

Exodius attacked again, destroying Violet’s last monster, leaving her totally wide open, and she was angry while Gar was pleased.

“And by the way…” he called “The card that I sent to the Graveyard is KING OF ABSOLUTE BACK JACK.

Sending it to the graveyard activated his ability, allowed me to arrange the top three cards on my deck in any order I wish.”

He quickly looked at his card, and was especially pleased with what they were, and he laid them all back down the way he wanted.

“This duel is all mine now.” he thought.

As for Spike, he heard everything that happened. “This is incredible!” he said to himself. “Gar’s got Violet where he wants her.

It’s like he’s the ultimate duelist, and that no one can ever beat him.

No matter what anyone ever throws at him, he always seems to be one step ahead.”

Gar glared his opponent down. “You may as well give up. You can’t beat me! Exoduis is incredibly strong now.

On my next turn, I’ll be able to attack twice again, and even if I fail to wipe out your remaining life points, it won’t matter. I now have three Exodia cards in the graveyard. As soon as Exodius makes two more attacks, Exodia will then be complete!”

Violet only snickered. “And if you win this duel, what then?”

“Hmm…?”

“I mean… you’ll have won the duel, and even if I don’t disappear, you’ll have still beaten me. Will you feel any better about yourself? You’ve beaten a great many opponents in all your years, but in the end… what does it really do for you?

You just go off to trounce someone else, and then another… and again… and again… because your darkness and your problems are always with you.”

“Shut up!” Garfield hissed softly. His rage was rising again, and he thought softly. “I have every right to be the way I am, and that’s how it will always be.

I’ll never go back to the way I once was, and no one will make me!”

Violet then drew her next card. “Well, you seem to have a bigger deep-seated hate than I thought. In that case: allow me to put you out of your misery.

I summon PREDAPLANT OPHRYS SCORPIO!”

(Atk: 1200)

“And when it is successfully summoned, I send this monster in my hand to the graveyard, so now I can summon another “Predaplant” from my deck, and I choose this…

…PREDAPLANT DARLINGTOINA COBRA!”

(Atk: 1000)

“When this creature is summoned by a Predaplant’s effect, it allows me to add one “Fusion” spell to my hand from my deck, and what better than my good old POLYMERIZATION!”

Gar’s rage began to rise once again at the thought of another Fusion summon coming.

However, soft winds suddenly began to stir distracting the two duelists.

Khaos and Sapphire then slowly descended upon their flying clouds.

“What are you two doing here?” sneered Violet. “Can’t you see I’m in the middle of a duel?”

“Yeah, well duel’s over.” replied Sapphire.

“Prince Loki wishes to see all three of us… immediately.” added Khaos.

Violet really didn’t want to leave, especially feeling so confident that she was about to make the move to end the duel, but she wouldn’t dare defy order from either of her masters.

So she terminated the duel, causing all the images to vanish.

“What are you doing?” shouted Gar.

Violet already hopped up onto her own cloud. “We’ll have to finish this some other time. Consider yourself lucky, and take it easy with those problems of yours.”

Gar didn’t know how enraged he could possibly feel, but the trio suddenly took off and left him alone where he was in the open plains.

Gar didn’t like it when his opponents suddenly quit and run, even if it meant he won. He really preferred trouncing them himself, which he felt he would have done as he looked at the top three cards on his deck.

And as the trio flew off, the two men told Violet of the three cards they had seen as they came flying in overhead.

“What?!” snapped Violet “So I would have lost, no matter what?”

“Yes!” snapped Khaos.

“His top card was THREATENING ROAR.

Had you summoned your Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, he would have used Back Jack’s ability from the graveyard to activate his trap, thus… preventing you from attacking for the rest of the turn.”

“No joke…” agreed Sapphire “And then on his turn, he’d draw a second card; a handy little spell called AURORA DRAW.

Since he had no other cards in his hand, that would let him draw twice more, and one of those draws was the spell HALF SHUT.”

Violet was totally astounded and shocked. “It all makes sense now.” she thought, and she was right.

“He would use Half Shut to cut my Dragon’s power in half, giving it only 1400 attack points. Then, he would just use his Sword card to let Exodius attack me twice by discarding whatever other card he would pick.”

There was no doubt about it; Violet would have lost the duel… either she would have no life points left from the attacks, or Exodia would have been completed in the graveyard and cost her anyway.

“I can’t believe it!” she grumbled. “I won’t believe it!”

“Never mind.” insisted Khaos. “We still would have had collected vital duel energy, but just the same; I would suggest we refrain from dueling that one for a while. His skills are not like most others.”

Violet agreed without much reluctance. Since she and her comrades already knew much of Gar’s inner darkness, it was agreed to let him continue to roam about and duel on his own to generate even more power their masters would absorb.

“What do you suppose the bosses called us for anyway?” asked Sapphire.

“We’ll know soon enough.” hissed Khaos.

Gar was still in a bit of a huff that the duel was just called like that, and he was more enraged that Violet dared to bring up mentions of so many bad memories of his past, which were still, now, trying to come back and torment him again, making him growl and groan softly as he tried to shake them off.

“The sooner I get out of this nightmare, the better.” he felt, and he walked off to venture forth into the realm…

While Spike was still contemplating about all he heard during the duel, especially the words “Things Change.”

He figured that if anybody would know it would be the Titans. “I’ve got to get back to them, somehow, and settle this once and for all.”

Episode 24: I Triple C You

EPISODE TWENTY-FOUR

The trio flew off to a vast and empty region with flat lands for miles where Rubeus and Loki were waiting for them all, and Celestia was there as well.

“Good, you’ve arrived.” said Rubeus.

Khaos bowed respectfully to his masters. “Sires, may I ask why have you summoned us here?”

“It better be good, I was in the middle of a duel.” grumbled Violet.

The guys just glared at her for her cheek and disrespect.

Loki stepped forth with Celestia on his arm, and could barely take himself away from her beautiful gaze.

He then addressed to the trio, “My dear Celestia has perfected a new deck to use against our enemies, but in addition…” he reached into his robe and pulled out a single card and held it up for the trio to see, which they gazed in awe.

“Whoa! Check it out.” said Sapphire.

“What a card.” added Violet.

Khaos seemed intrigued, but he didn’t say anything.

“Thanks to all the dueling energy gathered, we have recently perfected this new card,” explained Loki “And it is now ready to be tested, and I would like the honors to go to Celestia.”

Celestia acted coy, “Oh, Loki, Darling...” and she graciously took the card and shuffled it into her new deck. “My old deck was rather pitiful. I am deeply grateful for you helping me to change it.”

Loki would be smiling wide if he had a visible mouth.

“So which of us is up first?” asked Sapphire.

Rubeus stepped forth, “You all are. This will be a three-on-one match.”

The trio looked back and forth at one another.

Loki leaned forward with his eyes narrowed. “I hope there are no objections…!”

“None at all, sire.” replied Khaos.

“Three-on-one?” muttered Sapphire. “This ought to be interesting.”

Violet agreed, “She’s not like us. If we beat her, she’ll lose her soul.”

Celestia didn’t seem the least bit worried as she stood ready. “Let’s get busy, you three. It’s not polite to keep your princess waiting.”

Violet didn’t like her attitude, but she stood ready with her teammates.

All duel disks were set and cards were drawn.

Since this was a special, practice duel, the duelists all began with 4000 and no one was allowed to attack until each duelist had one turn.

“Begin!” called Rubeus.

“LET’S DUEL!!” everyone shouted.

Celestia LP: 4000

Violet LP: 4000 Saphire LP: 4000 Khaos LP: 4000

Celestia was up first. “Let the pummeling commence.” she taunted.

“I all place five of my cards facedown, and that ends my turn.”

The Trio all gawked at her field.

“That’s it?” asked Violet. “No monsters? What kind of strategy is this?”

“Never you mind that!” sneered Celestia. “Just make your move.”

Violet snuffed, “Fine then. Here I come, and I’ll start by activating the spell POLYMERIZATION! Fusing together PREDAPLANT FLYTRAP and PREDAPLANT CORDYCEPS…

I Fusion Summon… PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her monster spread out its tentacles and snarled, drooling venom from its fangs.

“But I’m not through yet!” said Violet, “I now activate MONSTER REBORN, so that I may revive Flytrap from the graveyard!”

(Atk: 200)

“And then from my hand, I play PREDAPLANT CHLAMYDOSUNDEW.”

(Atk: 1200)

“And now, thanks to Chlamydosundew’s special ability, I can use it and my Scoripo to Fusion Summon without a Fusion spell.”

The two plants leapt up and began to merge.

“As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2800)

The mighty dragon let out a fierce roar as it spread out its wings.

…While far away, Sunset was shrouded in the purple light of Fusion again.

“Sunset!” cried Sci-Twi.

Everyone gazed in shock at Sunset’s glowing, which soon faded away.

“What happened?” she asked.

“Uh… you were glowing again.” replied Raven.

“You were glowing with that purple light when a Fusion Dragon is played.” added Terra.

Sunset was confused. “But I’m not even dueling.”

While back at the duel…

Sapphire was impressed as he gazed at both of Violet’s monsters. “…A double fusion in one turn.”

Khaos said nothing and kept his head facing forward at Celestia, whom stood with her arms at her side and hardly looking the least bit impressed or amused, much to Violet’s annoyance.

“That ends my turn. You’re up, Sapphire.”

“Sweetness!” he exclaimed. “Let’s Rev it!”

He drew a card and added it to his hand.

“Since I haven’t any monsters in play, I can play SPEEDROID TERRORTOP.”

(Atk: 1200)

“Since I successfully summoned it, it lets me add SPEEDROID HORSE-STILTS to my hand, so I can play it right away!”

(Atk: 1100)

“But don’t slam on the breaks yet, because when Horse-Stilts is summoned, I get to summon a “Speedroid from my hand, and what better than the Tuner Monster, SPEEDROID GUM-PRIZE.”

(Atk: 100)

“But wait, I’m still not done with my summoning yet! Since I have at least one Wind monster in play, I can also summon TAKETOMBORG!”

(Atk: 600)

Celestia slowly cocked her head to one side and sarcastically remarked, “So you summoned four monsters in one move? You must be so pleased with yourself.”

Sapphire felt insulted, “Actually, I am pleased, especially with what I get to do now, and that’s use Tune Level 1 Gum-Prize with Level 4 Horse-Stilts.”

The two monsters jumped into the air, forming the tuning rings and the light orbs…

“I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID HAGOITA!”

(Atk: 2000)

His monster appeared, with powerful electrical currents flowing through its shape.

“Ah, yeah, but now to speed things up even more, when Gum-Prize is used to Synchro Summon, I can send the top card from my deck to the graveyard, and if it happens to be a “Speedroid” then Hagaito’s attack will boost up by 1000.”

He quickly took his top card. “Sweetness… SPEEDROID DEN-DEN DAIKO DUDE."

I’ll tribute Hagoita to the graveyard, and by doing so, its special ability increases the level of all the monsters I have on the field by 1 for the rest of the turn.”

His monsters vanished in a big, electrical flash, which shocked his two remaining monsters, changing their levels from 3 to 4.

“Now that that’s settled, I’ll activate Den-Daiko Dude’s ability from the graveyard; by banishing it, I can summon SPEEDROID RED-EYED DICE from my hand.

(Atk: 100)

“And since I now have a “Speedroid” Tuner monster in play, I can activate Hagoita’s ability from the graveyard; an ability which lets me summon it right back onto the field.”

His monster reappeared, sparking stronger than ever.

(Atk: 2000)

Celestia still didn’t budge an inch, which really annoyed Sapphire a lot.

“You’re starting me angry, and when I get angry, my monsters charge up!

I activate Dice’s special ability. It lets me change Taketombog’s level to 5, and just in time for me to tune both these monsters together!”

Once again, the Synchro process commenced.

“I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID KENDAMA!”

(Atk: 2200)

The two strong monsters floated side by side, with their electrical currents flowing wildly.

“And if you think I’m finished, you’ve got another thing coming.

I activate the spell SPEED RECOVERY, which lets me bring my Dice back to the field.”

(Atk: 100)

“And now I’ll use its ability again, this time to change Terrortop’s level to 6.”

As soon as the level change resolved, Sapphire tuned his monsters together, and called up as his monster appeared…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Synchro Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

His dragon’s wings sparked with electrical winds, and it growled angrily.

Sunset started glowing again; in the Blue Synchro light.

“Not again!” she wailed, and she nearly fell to her knees had Vic not caught her and she stopped glowing.

“This is getting a little freaky.” whimpered Rainbow.

Then suddenly, Shining Armor remembered, “…The Terrible Trio!”

“The Trio?!” yelped Pinkie, and she angrily bolted upright. “Where are they?! Let me at them!!”

“No, no!” hollered Shining, “Remember, The Trio and their dragons-- whenever they play them, it makes Sunset glow too.”

Sunset realized he was right.

“But I thought she had to be close by when that happened?” asked Cadance.

That’s what everyone else thought too, and Sunset reached into her Extra Deck and pulled out the mystery card. Sure enough, two of its gems were glowing.

“I don’t understand this.” she muttered to herself. “First I glow, and now the card is glowing too?”

Celestia was starting showing a slight bit of impression. “…Three Synchro Summons? I suppose that is rather good.”

Still feeling insulted by her lack of respect, Sapphire growled at her. “I’ll show you what good means.

I now activate Kendama’s ability; by banishing Terrortop from the graveyard, it’ll now zap you with 500 points of damage!”

“YOU DARE…?!” shouted Celestia.

“No!” cried Loki. The very thought of his darling about to be damaged made him want to run to her side, but Rubeus held him back. “She’ll be fine.”

Loki groaned softly as he watched…

Celestia screamed as she was shocked with electrical currents.

Celestia LP: 4000 -----> 3500

“Good shot.” Violet complimented.

Sapphire nodded proudly at her, but his turn was over. Give it to her, Khaos.”

“Oh, I shall indeed.” Khaos agreed. He looked down at his five cards, and knew exactly what to do.

“I summon THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF ANCIENT CLOAK!”

(Atk: 800)

“And I am also able to play this from my hand; THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF SILENT BOOTS!”

(Atk: 200)

“I now overlay these two Level 3 Phantom Knights to build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters changed into light streams and vanished into the opening portal.

“…I Xyz Summon THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS OF THE BREAK SWORD!”

(Atk: 2000)

His Knight sat proud on his nightmarish steed, which bucked up and neighed wickedly.

“Now that my knight has successfully appeared, I will use his special ability, by using one overlay unit, one card you control is instantly destroyed!”

The knight launched his huge blade into one of Celestia’s cards, destroying it instantly, much to her annoyance.

“And now…” called Khaos. “I shall play TRIBUTE TO THE DOOMED! Now, by discarding one card in my hand, I will destroy Break Sword… Be gone!”

His knight exploded in a dark blast, but left behind a cloud of smog.

“I now activate Break Sword’s special ability. When it is destroyed, I am able to call the two monsters I used to summon him back to the field, and increase their levels.

Now, my Cloak and Boots… return to me!”

The smog had parted revealing the two monsters, and they were indeed Level 4 now.

“I Overlay these two monsters, and build the Overlay Network once again!”

The two monsters vanished, and Khaos called out to his monster emerging…

“Cloaked in shadows and ready for the purge,
I call on the most dangerous of dragons to emerge.

I Xyz Summon DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!!”

The mighty dragon appeared with its magical orbs glowing all over its body.

(Atk: 2500)

It along with the other two dragons roared straight up at the sky like a trio of brothers.

…And of course, with the dragon’s summoning, Sunset, again, was glowing; now in the dark aura of the Xyz Power.

The glowing was worse than ever as Sunset’s hair was starting to flow-- stick upward, and her eyes were starting to change red, and she started to roar rather angrily.

“Sunset!” cried Sci-Twi. She tried to approach her, but her brother held her back.

Sunset’s card was glowing brightly too, with all by the Pendulum jewel lit up.

“What’s happening to her?” cried Kori.

“She’s going crazy!” wailed Robin.

Vic didn’t waste any more time, and fired one of his jack cables, lassoing Sunset hard and making her drop the card onto the sand.

Vic then pulled her away hard into his arms. The glowing didn’t hurt him, but it was frightening, especially how Sunset struggled and shouted, demanding to be let go!

“You simmer down now!” Vic groaned as he tried to hold her down, and then, she actually collapsed and the glowing stopped.

The card was no longer glowing either, and all was silent.

The three dragons stood, snarling and hissing.

“Wow! All our dragons in play at once…” cried Sapphire.

Violet nodded once, “I never thought I’d see such a sight.”

Khaos was still not finished. “I now activate the trap I just discarded, THE PHANTOM KNIGHT’S FOG BLADE. By banishing it I am able to revive my Break Sword from the graveyard.”

A dark portal appeared as the eerie knight came charging out on his steed.

(Atk: 2000)

“Then I shall equip him with the spell XYZ UNIT. This will grant my knight an extra 200 attack points for each star in his rank, and also serve as a spare Overlay Unit.”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 2600)

“Of course, since my knight now has an Overlay unit again, and it was freshly summoned; my knight can use his ability again to destroy another one of your cards.”

With that said and done, Celestia now had only 3 cards remaining, while the knight had his attack power go back to its original 2000.

“And now, I end my turn.” said Khaos.

Seven powerful monsters, all standing in a row…

“Fusion… Synchro… even Xyz.” Celestia said softly as she looked the monsters over.

Seeing all their different types suddenly began to make her think deeply as faded images started appearing in her mind.

“What’s happening to her?” wondered Loki.

Rubeus narrowed his eyes worrying, but Celestia then shook it all off and seemed fine, but Rubeus was not all that convinced.

“She’s losing it.” said Violet.

“No joke,” agreed Sapphire “With all our strongest monsters in play, she doesn’t have a chance against us, not even with those facedowns!”

Khaos didn’t share their enthusiasm. “Don’t be so sure. We know she has that one special, new card, and we haven’t seen what else she possesses.”

Celestia drew her next card. “And now, I activate CARD OF DEMISE, which refreshes my hand with five cards, as long as I discard my entire hand in five turns.

…Of course, once I’m finished, that won’t be a problem.”

The Trio grew tense.

“And just to keep it going, POT OF GREED will let me draw two more cards for a total of six in my hand, giving me all that I need.

Watch now as I set the Pendulum Scale with these two creatures-- Scale 2 FOUCAULT’S CANNON, and Scale 5 DARK DORIADO!”

The two monsters leapt up into the lights, astounding The Trio.

“She can Pendulum Summon?” asked Violet.

“Apparently so.” replied Khaos.

“Yes, I can!” sneered Celestia “And now I Pendulum Summon the beast that will seal your fates;DOUBLE-C CRITICAL EYE!”

(Atk: 1400)

This was the new creature The Trio had been shown. It seemed to resemble an evil-looking, metallic eye-patch.

Khaos narrowed his eyes at the creature, and Violet felt a little tense, while Sapphire still scoffed. “Yeah… um, I don’t see how that little guy can beat us.

We read what it says: You’re not allowed to Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon with that guy and other monsters you control.”

Khaos wasn’t convinced as he thought, “Things are not always as simple as they first seem, and I have a feeling those five facedown cards are part of the key.”

Celestia held out her arm and declared, “I now activate the facedown card INFERNO RECKLESS SUMMON! Now, I am permitted to call two more Critical Eyes to the field.”

Two more monsters then emerged on her field giving her three altogether.

(Atk: 1400) x2

“So now you’ve got more…” said Sapphire “It’s not like it makes a difference.”

“You’re quite right it doesn’t.” scoffed Celestia “But it will when I activate this; SUPER POLYMERIZATION!”

The trio gasped and growled in shock.

“Now, by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I am able to Fusion Summon, using my Critical Eye, and any one of your creatures.”

She paused, and then pointed forth, “I choose Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

“No!!” cried Sapphire, but he was forced to watch his prized dragon being whisked up into the sky along with Critical Eye. Sapphire was unable to use Clear Wing’s ability against Super Polymerization too!

The two monsters began to merge together, and Celestia called out to the forming new creature…

“Swift as the howling winds will blow,
I call on a creature to smite all I know!

I Fusion SummonTRIPLE-C SONIC HALBERD OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 3000)

This new monster appeared in the forum of a small, shiny scepter, shrouded in soft billowing gales.

The trio gazed up in awe and curiosity. Sapphire was more livid than amused for losing his dragon.

“Oh, yes, I would be frightened too.” taunted Celestia, and she engaged her battle phase.

“Oh, and there’s something I should point out; my Dark Doradio’s Pendulum ability can now be used.

Earth, Wind, Water, and Fire monsters on my field receive an extra 200 attack points for every different attribute among my own monsters.

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 3200)

“And what is more, since Sapphire has at least one Wind monster in play, my Halberd can make three attacks!”

“What?!” cried Violet.

“Three attacks?!” wailed Sapphire.

“This can’t be!” growled Khaos.

“Oh, but it is.” remarked Celestia, and she eyed at Khaos and his monsters, which made him sweat nervously.

“Halberd, destroy that Knight!”

(Atk: 3200) VS (Atk: 2000)

The knight was speared clean through its armor, shattering it to bits and sending the shockwaves flying past Khaos.

Khaos LP: 4000 -----> 2800

Khaos looked up at his dragon, fearing what was coming next, and he was right.

“Say goodbye to your prized-monster!” called Celestia. “…Halberd, attack!”

(Atk: 3200) VS (Atk: 2500)

Unable to bear and see his dragon fall, Khaos shut his eyes tightly and braced himself as the winds zoomed past him again.

Khaos LP: 2800 -----> 2100

Celestia called at him, “Now that you are wide open, my Halberd shall wipe out of this duel!” and she ordered her monster to attack once again, striking Khaos hard, clearing out his remaining life points and sent him falling hard backwards to the ground.

“Khaos! No!!” cried Violet.

Sapphire was totally livid, and he snarled at Celestia. “You’re going to pay for this!”

Celestia snickered, “Am I? Who ever said I was finished?”

“Say what?” snapped Sapphire.

“You’ve got to be kidding?!” grumbled Violet.

“I assure you I am not kidding!” bellowed Celestia I activate my trap DNA TRANSPLANT! With the power of this trap, I shall change the attributes of all the monsters in play to any type I choose, and I choose “Earth.”

With her command, the card image began to spew out a magical wave, striking every single monster in play, giving them all rock-solid forms.

“What is the meaning of this sort of play?” asked Khaos.

“You shall see.” replied Celestia. “From my hand, I activate the quick-play spell known as CRITICAL TUNING!”

“What-- What’s that do?” asked Sapphire.

“I’m glad that you asked.” teased Celestia. “It lets me target your Hagoita, and then this spell card becomes a near exact replica of it, but with one catch; since your monster is Level 5, it now becomes Level 3!”

“Say what?!” snapped Sapphire, and then, right before his eyes, the spell had taken on the form of his own monster-- copying its shape, attack, defense, type, and even its attribute.

(Atk: 2000)

“This can’t be!”

“Oh, but it is.” remarked Celestia, “And I should also mention that my Tuning spell card negates the effects of my Critical Eye…”

The nasty eye was being shrouded in a magical field, turning it pale, negating its power.

“But in exchange, my Eye now becomes a Tuner monster, and I also am permitted to Synchro Summon right away!”

The Trio gasped one-by-one, “She’s going to what?!” shouted Sapphire.

“I tune Level 3 Critical Eye, with my Level 3 Tuning card.”

The monsters leapt up high forming the orbs and rings, and created a new monster which Celestia chanted to…

“Forged from the earthly depths below,
I forge a mighty beast for you to know!

I Synchro SummonTRIPLE-C ROCK BLASTER OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 2200)

This new monsters seemed to resemble a very large cross-bow with a monster face on it, but it seemed more like a rocket-powered missile with a gun mouth.

Violet was almost repulsed by its hideousness, while Sapphire was astounded. “First she Fusion summoned, and now she can Synchro Summon? What else can she do?”

Celestia snickered, “I’ll show you, with the help of my final quick-play spell card, CRITICAL OVERLAY.”

Khaos, still on the gorund growled, “She… can Xyz Summon?”

Ignoring him, Celestia continued her move.

“…And just as before, I create an exact likeness of one monster I choose, and I choose Kendama!”

Just like before, she created a perfect clone of Sapphire’s monster, and it took its exact forum, shape, and even shared its level… 6.

(Atk: 2200)

“And just as before, my remaining Critical Eye has its powers negating, but it is shrouded with magic allowing it to share all that my is, which now permits me to overlay these Level 6 cards and build the Overlay Network!”

The magical portal appeared as the two monsters vanished, and Celestia, again, called out to her new forming creature.

“From deep within the Earth sprouts a new life,
A creature I make to bring only strife.

I Xyz Summon TRIPLE-C ROCK ARMOR OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 2500)

This new, fiendish-looking creature floated near the others, much to The Trio’s growing astonishment.

Loki and Rubeus were equally as astounded.

“Pendulum, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz… all in one turn.” said Rubeus. “She is doing rather well.”

Loki agreed and hollered to his princess, “You are doing fine, my dear; excellent dueling.”

This earned him a flirtatious wink from her making him blush.

“Isn’t she something, Brother?”

“Yes, she is.” Rubeus said in a low tone.

Celestia then turned back to her opponents.

“I can’t believe she summoned all that!” cried Sapphire.

“Don’t’ worry.” called Violet “We still have better resources than she does.” She looked up at her Starving Venom Dragon, believing it would be the key to saving herself and her comrades.

Celestia scoffed, “You may want to re-think that, especially when I use Rock Armor’s special ability; by using an overlay unit, it gains attack points equal to half of the defense points of every Earth monster currently in play.”

“ALL EARTH MONSTERS?!!” the opponents bellowed.

Violet looked the field over, “But thanks to DNA Transplant, all the monsters are Earth types!”

There were a total of seven monsters in play, and six which actually had defense points…

1600

1000

2000 x4

All that together, and then divided by half, totalled 5300 attack points given to the monster’s power.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 7800)

The Trio shuddered with fright at how strong the monster was now!

“And I’m afraid it only gets worse!” shouted Celestia “I activate my Rock Blaster’s ability, which lets me Target Chimerafflesia, and it loses 1000 attack points.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1500)

Violet growled angrily.

“And now!” called Celestia. Rock Blaster, attack Chimerafflesia!

Her monster’s huge mouth opened wide and began to charge up energy like the gun it resembled.

“I activate Chifflesa’s special ability!” shouted Violet “Since an attack is involved with it, I make your monster lose 1000 attack points, while Chimerafflesia gains 1000 points.”

(Atk: 2200) -----> (Atk: 1200)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

“That doesn’t matter to me!” yelled Celestia “When Rock Blaster attacks, it gains 200 attack points times each level of every Earth monster in play!”

Violet’s eyes widened!

There were six monsters with levels in play!

One Level 5, Two level 6s, One Level 7, and Two Level 8s… which totalled 40!

At 200 attack points apiece, which totalled 8000 extra attack points!

(Atk: 1200) -----> (Atk: 9200)

“AAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!” cried Violet, and she screamed even louder when the attack struck, wiping out her monster, and busting all her life points to zero instantly, and sent her falling to the ground alongside Khaos.

“Violet!” shouted Sapphire.

He looked at his two comrades lying flat in defeat on the ground.

Since Violet was knocked out, her Fusion Dragon vanished as well, rendering it incapable of helping Sapphire as he now stood all alone, with one last giant monster staring him down.

“No, no, wait… can we talk this out!” he whimpered, but Celestia snapped her fingers and ordered her super-charged Rock Armor to attack, wiping out Kendama, and Sapphire too in a big explosion, and he too was sent crashing to the ground with his comrades.

Celestia lowered her duel disk, feeling rather content with her new power, and yet, it seemed to bring on more blurry memories to her…

…As if she had done things like this before.

They were still to blurry to see and understand, and she brushed them off easily.

Loki approached her, “That was wonderful, Darling; well-dueled.”

Celestia responded by raising her arm, allowing him to softly pressed his flat face against her-- as if he were pecking her arm-- making her giggle softly.

Rubeus was impressed himself, but didn’t show it.

Sunset was unconscious, and lay on the ground silently, barley making a sound.

Robin picked up the mystery card, feeling it was causing too much trouble.

“I say we get rid of this thing.”

“No, don’t!” yelled Pinkie. “Sunset needs that card. It’s the only thing that can help us get out of here.”

Some of the others were starting to doubt if whether or not that was true anymore.

“The card is making her go crazy.” said Rainbow.

“That and we don’t even know who sent it to her.” agreed Sci-Twi “Then again, all the other cards that were given to her did help her along the way.”

“Yeah, but that still doesn’t explain why they make her act so crazy now.” said Terra.

“So, do we ditch it or not.” asked Shining Armor.

“Maybe we should wait for Sunset to wake up, and then we decide?” suggested Cadance.

Everyone fell silent for a moment, unsure of what to do.

The trio managed to get back onto their feet, but they were still in shock from being defeated; angry and feeling insulted and embarrassed as well.

“I can’t believe she beat us all!” groaned Sapphire, “And with all our best monsters in play too!”

“Ugh!!” growled Violet, “I’ve never been so humiliated before.”

She then looked over at Loki as he appeared Celestia, stroking her and congratulating her on a stupendous win, and she accepted with deep flatter.

This only aggravated the trio even more, especially Violet, but they were snapped out of their sulk when Rubeus approached them.

The trio expected he was about to scold and mock them for their loss, but instead, he held out three card packs. “…A small consolation for you all for serving in this test.”

The trio were confused, but accepted the gift. Inside each pack were sets of new cards that would work well in their respective decks.

Rubeus explained, “These were also created from the energies that you obtain. With these, you should now become stronger.

Sapphire chuckled as he ogled his new cards. “Whoa-ho…! ...Sweetness at its finest.”

“Impressive.” agreed Violet.

Khaos bowed graciously to Rubeus “You shall not regret this, sire.”

“See that we don’t.” replied Rubeus. “As good as the energy gets that you gather for us, we are still short of the most vital key of our mission.”

Loki, finally managing to look away from Celestia, agreed, “Sunset Shimmer… she still holds the ultimate force that will guarantee our ultimate victory.”

Celestia began think wickedly at the thought of challenging Sunset herself. “I could probably take her on. I already know her entire dueling strategy, and I also know what her mystery card is.

Still, perhaps a few warm-up matches will do me well too.”

Think of this brought on more faded memories again.

“Are you alright, my dear?” asked Loki.

Celestia shook herself back into reality once more. “Yes, I’m fine.”

Now Loki was starting to worry, but not too much.

Suddenly both he and Loki perked their heads up.

“What is it?” asked Violet.

Rubeus narrowed his eyes, as he and his brother could feel that someone was coming quite near, and they saw this as their time to flee and send the Trio on their way to duel some more and master their new cards.

Author's Note

It was the best I could do for Celestia's new, evil deck.

I would have given her YANG ZING Pendulum monsters, but a deck like that can't Fusion or Xyz Summon too well.

And worst of all; almost all these cards are non-existent. (And it annoys me the STRIKE-THRU effect isn't automatic when I copy-paste

Episode 25: Part 1: Dark Duos

EPISODE TWENTY-FIVE

The team was rushing through the lands as fast as they could go. They figured that if Sunset had reacted to the special summoning’s of The Trio’s dragons; that they had to be somewhere close by.

“If we find those guys, we can try and get them to tell us where to find the Prince Brothers.” said Shining Armor.

“But don’t forget,” reminded Sci-Twi “We still have to find Princess Twilight, Spike, and Celestia too.”

Vic carried Sunset, still unconscious, on his back. “If only she was awake she could give us a clue of sorts to where these guys might be.”

“I don’t think it quite works like that.” said Cadance.

Dick felt inside his pocket where he kept the mystery card away from Sunset; not wanting her to go berserk again.

He silently thought to himself. “If this thing causes anymore trouble; first chance I get, I’m chucking it away. If it makes her go crazy like that, it can’t be anything but trouble.”

Even while unconscious, Sunset was having yet another one of those visions again.

There she was, back in the darkness, with the mystery creature’s eyes glowing, along with the images of all her dragons, and even those large symbols-- one of Zero, and the other of Infinity.

“Now what am I doing here?” she wondered. “It seems that every time I come to this place, something new seems to appear, and yet I never get any closer to the answer.”

This time however, the creature seemed to call to her with a new message.

“…Time.”

“Time…? What does that mean?”

“It is time…” the creature called to her again. “Unlock the power.”

There, right below Sunset’s feet appeared a new picture; one that resembled that of a new spellcaster monster which Sunset had never seen before.

“Seek.” the voice called. “Seek out.”

The images began to fade into white again. “No! Not again!” Sunset yelled, but once again she slowly began to awaken.

Rainbow and Pinkie Pie were still feeling a bit grouchy, wanting nothing more than to find the creeps responsible for turning their friends into cards, and that included Karle, who was still out there somewhere.

“When I get my hands on these bozos, I’ll duel circles round their necks!” thundered Rainbow.

“Not if I get to them first!” growled Pinkie. “I want at them way more than you do.”

Raven sighed “Here we go again.” and she pulled her sweatshirt hood over her head to try and quell the sounds of the bickering.

“Hey, you-two, don’t start up again.” Sunset called to them, making Vic and everyone else skid to a halt.

“Didn’t know you were awake.” Vic said as he softly let her down.

“Are you alright?” asked Kori.

Sunset rubbed her aching head, “Did I pass out again?”

“You sure did.” replied Terra. “You had another one of berserk fits because your card.”

Sunset barely remembered, but she knew the lights were shrouding her again, and she felt herself slipping away.

She reached into her duel disk for her card. “Hey! Where is it?”

“I have it.” replied Dick as he held it up. “I think we should keep it away from you for now. It’s making you go crazy; in a very bad way.

I’m sure this thing is evil.”

Sunset, while fully aware of this possibility, still insisted he give it back. “I had another vision, and I need that card to unlock the secrets.”

Dick still didn’t budge. “I won’t give it back until we can be sure of what this thing really is.”

Before Sunset could protest…

“Shh… listen!” said Sci-Twi. “I thought I heard a voice.”

Everyone listened hard. Raven came out from under her hood. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Quiet.” snapped Rainbow. “I think I can hear it.”

Everyone listened again, and could hear a voice calling, “Help…!!!”

Pinkie picked at her ear. “Either I’m hearing things or that sounds like--”

“Help…!!” The voice called out again, and everyone’s hearts gave a sudden leap of joy.

“I’d know that voice anywhere!” cried Sunset “It’s Princess Twilight!”

“She must be close by.” said Shining Armor.

Everyone looked high and low, but they couldn’t see Twilight’s card anywhere.

“Twilight?” called Sunset. “Twilight Sparkle…!”

Her voice echoed along the lands.

From within her prison, Twilight could hear “Sunset…?” and then she called out “SUNSET SHIMMER!!”

Everyone could hear and followed the sound of her voice to the edge of a hill.

“Down there!” cried Cadance.

Everyone looked and could see Twilight’s card wedged in the sand.

“I’ll get her.” said Rainbow.

“Rainbow, wait!” called Sunset, but Rainbow was already dashing down the slope.

“She never listens.” grumbled Raven.

Rainbow reached the bottom of the hill and began to das towards Twilight’s soul card, but just as she was within inches of grabbing it, something zoomed past and snatched the card away.

“Hey!”

Rainbow then saw who took the card; it was a Malefican wearing Ninja garbs.

“Is this yours?” he hissed in a deep voice.

“Put me down!” demanded Twilight.

“Just what I was going to say, Hand her over…!” Rainbow bellowed.

Just then, another Malefican leapt into the fray. This one was female, wearing samurai armor.

“You will not be taking anything from us so easily.” she hissed at Rainbow.

Her ninja buddy agreed, and Rainbow had fire in her eyes.

“I sense a duel about to happen!” whimpered Cadance.

“What gave you that idea.” remarked Raven.

Rainbow looked so flared up and so enraged, she looked as if she was willing to take on both the creatures herself.

The two warriors glared Rainbow down, both of them looking cool as ice.

Then, Pinkie came sliding down the hill and ran up to Rainbow’s side.

“Hold on, Rainbow. I want a piece of this too.”

Rainbow growled, “Stay out of this! I can take them on alone.”

Pinkie wouldn’t budge, “I said I’m dueling!”

“And I say you’re not!”

The girls anger and bickering was really heating up, much to the dismay of the others, but to the delight of the two warriors.

“Stop it, both of you!” Sunset yelled down from the hilltop.

Pinkie and Rainbow glared furiously at each other with their eyes blazing. They were really not looking like their old, friendly selves at all.

Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing; both her friends so angry, and so vicious—like they were ready to duke it out with anyone; even each other.

That’s when the Ninja and the Samurai agreed, and activated their duel beams, shooting both duelists.

“Hey!” snapped Rainbow.

“What’s going on?” asked Pinkie.

The warriors snickered…

“We have decided to duel you both, in a tag-team match.” said the Ninja.

Rainbow and Pinkie looked down at their disk screens, which read, “TAG-MODE ACTIVE.”

Rainbow was still outraged. “I said I’m taking you two on alone!”

“I’m afraid it is too late.” said the Samurai. “The duel is now ready to begin, and you will both be dueling the two of us.”

The Ninja snickered, “Although, judging from your attitudes and lack of focus; it should be no difficult task to eliminate you both.”

Something inside the two girls snapped. They both felt insulted by what was said.

“OH, YEAH?!!” they both bellowed. Then they both stood and looked ready to duel.

“Ah, man!” whimpered Vic “This is one duel I don’t think I like the looks of.”

Sci-Twi agreed, “It’s well-known fact that dueling while suffering from emotional or psychological rage can cause you to lose focus, and not think yourself through during play.”

Still, with the duel already about to begin, there was no way to terminate it; without Pinkie and Rainbow losing their souls.

“Pinkie, Rainbow! Listen to me!” called Sunset “You have to put your anger and outrage aside. Don’t stay mad at each other. Fight the forces of the Malefic World.”

Rainbow and Pinkie were much too preoccupied preparing to listen to her.

“Just stay out of my way. I can handle this.” growled Rainbow.

Pinkie grinded her teeth furiously, yet the Maleficans were amused the more they bickered with each other.

The teams two would share a score of 8000 life points each. Once the points ran to zero, both players would lose automatically.

As it was a tag duel, each duelist couldn’t attack on their first turn, and each duelist could attack any opposing duelist while defending their partner.

Each player was allowed to draw on the first turn.

As for the turn order: The Ninja would move first. Then Rainbow, then the Samurai, and finally: Pinkie.

“Shall we begin?” asked the Ninja.

“Yes, I am ready.” replied his partner.

“BRING IT!!” Pinkie and Rainbow shouted.

The rest of the group came down from the hilltop to get a better view, while Twilight was tucked away in the Ninja’s garbs.

She was extremely worried for Pinkie and Rainbow and wished there was some way to calm them down, but all she could do was sit and hope for the best.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Malefic Team LP: 8000

EQ Team LP: 8000

“Now it begins!” sneered the Ninja, and he swiftly drew his card. “Hy! Ya! For my first move, I shall summon the mighty UPSTART GOLDEN NINJA.”

(Atk: 500)

The creature, like the ninja it was, flipped and dashed about as it took its place on the field.

“I now activate Golden Ninja’s special ability. By sending one trap card in my hand to the graveyard, I am able am to call a “Ninja” straight from my deck to the field.

Come forth, FLAME ARMOR NINJA.”

This new ninja appeared in a burst of flames and struck a pose as well.

(Def: 1000)

Rainbow and Pinkie were astounded.

“He’s got two monsters in play already.” wailed Pinkie.

Ninja scoffed, “Yes, I do, and because my Flame Ninja was successfully summoned, it has the power to change my Golden Ninja’s Level from 4 to 5.”

Golden Ninja was shrouded in spiraling flames as his level changed as promised.

“And now, from my hand, I shall activate the spell LEVEL AWARD. Now my Flame Ninja’s Level shall also become the same as Golden Ninja.”

The ninja was bathed in a bright glow of light as its level changed to 5.

“He’s got two level 5 monsters!” Rainbow thought.

Ninja then did backflips and struck a few fighting poses. “With my two Level 5 Ninja, I now build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters up and vanished into the portal.

“I now Xyz Summon NUMBER 12: CRIMSON SHADOW ARMOR NINJA!”

(Atk: 2400)

This new Ninja performed a few dance moves, and then stomped down hard as large flames erupted in back of it.

“A Number Monster.” exclaimed Sunset.

“What? What is it?” asked Shining Armor.

Sci-Twi explained to her brother. “Numbers are a group of special-classed Xyz Monsters. They have extraordinary powers that can really turn the tide of play.”

Everyone felt deeply concerned, but for the moment, Ninja ended his turn with one facedown, and Rainbow was now up.

“It’s my turn, and I draw…!

Now I summon RAIDRAPTOR - VANISHING LANIUS!”

(Atk: 1300)

“And thanks to its ability, I can also summon RAIDRAPTOR- MIMICRY LANIUS.”

(Def: 1900)

“But why stop at two, when I can summon a third? Since I control at least one “Raidraptor,” I can summon this from my hand… RAIDRAPTOR - FUZZY LANIUS.”

(Def: 1500)

Her three birds fluttered side-by-side.

“Wow! Rainbow just summoned three monsters in one move.” Pinkie thought to herself. “I bet I know what she’s up to.”

Rainbow stomped her foot forth furiously, and she bellowed at Ninja. “Let me show you how a real Xyz-User works.

I activate Mimicry Lanius’ ability, which lets me increase the level of all my feathered friends by one.”

Her creature flapped its wings, catching itself and its comrades in strong winds to change all their levels from 4 to 5 instantly.

“An interesting play.” remarked Ninja. “I assume you will Xyz Summon now?”

“Darn straight I will!” bellowed Rainbow. “I overlay all three of these level 5 raptors, in order to build the Overlay Network!”

Her three birds vanished, and massive flames burst from the portal as the monster appeared.

“I Xyz Summon RAIDRAPTOR – BLAZE FALCON!”

(Def: 2000)

Her flaming bird cawed and screeched.

The brightness of its flaming wings made the opponents growl as they covered their eyes until the lights dimmed down a bit.

“You think he’s hot now?” sneered Rainbow “Wait until he really gets cooking.

I activate Blaze Falcon’s special ability: By using one Overlay Unit, I can destroy your Ninja, and then you’ll take 500 points of damage.”

Samurai growled and thought, “Clever! She knew she could not attack this turn and prepared an alternative maneuver.”

Rainbow then called up to her falcon, “Go for it!”

Her monster cawed and rushed forth for the kill.

“I think not!” snapped Nina. “I activate Crimson Shadow’s ability.”

“You what?!” wailed Rainbow.

“Now by using an Overlay Unit of my own, my Ninja cannot be destroyed by your monster’s power.”

A wall of fire erupted between the two monsters as Rainbow’s bird crashed into the flames, but failed to win the struggle and resumed its position by Rainbow’s side, much to her anger.

“Talk about fighting Fire with Fire.” said Terra.

The others were all just in as much shock as she was.

“Nice going, Rainbow.” Pinkie remarked in a sarcastic tone. “Don’t be in such a rush to end this.”

Rainbow then glared at her, “Zip it! Like you could do any better!”

Pinkie growled.

“Oh, no… Not again…!” groaned Sunset.

“Can’t those two get over their issues already?” grumbled Kori.

Dick clenched his fists tight in outrage at the girls’ bad attitudes.

Rainbow still wasn’t quite finished. “I activate Fuzzy Lanius’ ability; since it was sent to the graveyard, I add another Fuzzy Lanius from my deck to my hand.

Then I’ll place two cards facedown, and end my turn.”

Samurai chuckled at her. “With the way you foolishly executed that botched move, I honestly cannot wait to see how else you will fail.”

“JUST MOVE!!” thundered Rainbow.

“Oh, I shall indeed.” Replied Samurai. “I draw…

I shall now activate the Continuous Spell, SHIEN’S DOJO.”

The ground rumbled as a large, oriental training arena seemed to appear behind her, with large and fancy lanterns above the gateway.

“What is that supposed to be?” asked Pinkie.

“You will see soon enough.” Replied Samurai, “But for now, I shall activate a second spell; GATEWAY OF THE SIX.”

With that, two magical doors appeared over her dojo gateway, and then slammed shut with a large glowing symbol on it.

“And now, the true battle begins.” Samurai declared, “Since you have a monster in play, and I have none, from my hand I shall special summon ELDER OF THE SIX SAMURAI.”

(Def: 0)

With her monster’s summoning, a lantern was lit over the dojo, and two circles within the symbol on the gateway lit up as well.

“And now I call forth LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI – KAGEKI.”

(Atk: 200)

With that summoning, another lantern was lit, and two more circles on the gateway were glowing too.

“What are those things?” asked Rainbow.

Samurai explained, “They are called Bushido Counters, and every time I call forth a “Six Samurai” my dojo receives one while my gateway receives two.

What they are, you shall know soon enough, but for now I shall use Kageki’s special ability, allowing me to call on this creature; the Tuner Monster KAGEMUSHA OF THE SIX SAMURAI.”

(Atk: 400)

“A tuner monster?” wailed Pinkie.

“No way!” hollered Rainbow.

Samurai held out her hand, “Hi-ya! Since I have played another Samurai, another lantern is lit on my dojo, while my gateway receives two more glows.”

The two structures were glowing brighter than ever, giving her a total of nine counters.

“And something you should know about my gateway. If I wish to use its power, I needn’t rely on all the counters it has alone, but I can use any counter I have anywhere on my field.”

Rainbow and Pinkie cringed softly.

“A perfect setup!” said Sci-Twi.

The spectators turned to look her way.

“She set up both those cards to keep her options wide open. She’ll always have counters and be able to use them in any way she needs.”

Sunset cringed and thought, “That means Pinkie and Rainbow are in for far more than they bargained for.”

Samurai did more battle poses. “Now I shall use four of my counters–two from the dojo, and two from the gateway.”

One lit lantern went dark again, and three of the circles went out and her deck began to glow, “This permits me to add a “Six-Samurai” to my hand LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI – SHINAI.

…But it shall not remain in my hand for long; since I am already in control of a “Six Samurai” this creature can be called to the field at once.”

(Def: 1500)

“And this, of course, grants me yet another three Bushido Counters.”

Now three lanterns were lit up, and the gateway had six glowing circles on it, giving her nine once more.

“I shall now activate the true specialty of Shien’s Dojo, as I send with its lit lanterns to the graveyard!”

The dojo began to sink beneath the sands, but left behind the light from the three lanterns, which shone on Samurai’s deck once more.

“I am now able to call a “Six Samurai” whose level is equal to or less than that of the lanterns that were lit.

Therefore, I call upon a second KAGEMUSHA OF THE SIX SAMURAI.”

(Atk: 400)

“Now she has two tuners in play!” wailed Pinkie.

“I can see that.” Grumbled Rainbow.

Samurai snickered, “I also gain another two counters on my gate, giving me a total of eleven.”

“How many of those counters can she possibly get?!” groaned Rainbow.

Samurai thrust out her arm.

“I now tune my first Kagemusha with my level 3 Elder… to create a warrior that shall bring forth incredible powers that will destroy you both!”

The monsters formed the light orbs and the tuning rings.

“I Synchro Summon LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI – SHI EN.”

(Atk: 2500)

This huge, armored monster swung a huge katana sword and let out a loud growl like a fierce warrior.

Rainbow gawked up at the huge creature, while Pinkie took a step back.

The spectators also gazed in frightful awe at the sight of this creature.

“What do you think this monster does?” asked Robin.

“Whatever it does, it can’t be good.” said Sunset.

Samurai snuffed, “Then again, I need not have just one, because I now tune my remaining Kagemusha with my Kageki, and I synchro summon a second Shi En!”

(Atk: 2500)

The two samurai stood together, like true guardians at the gate behind them, which was glowing very brightly now too.

“And of course…” said Samurai “Summoning these two mighty warriors grant me yet another four Bushido Counters on my gate.”

So many circles were lit upon the gate—fifteen in total. It made Pinkie feel dizzy.

“Now, I shall use twelve of those counters.” Samurai declared, and she dimmed the lights on her gate, leaving her with only one, which made her deck glow again.

“For every four counters, I add one “Six Samurai” into my hand.

I choose LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI - MIZUHO and ENISHI. I also add to my hand SECRET OF THE SIX SAMURAI – DOJI.”

Ninja was pleased with what his partner had done, while everyone else was simply shocked and astounded nearly beyond words.

“I can’t believe it!” wailed Terra. “Not only did she manage to summon those two monsters, but it she managed to keep her hand stocked up too.”

“Yeah, this could mean even more trouble than we thought.” Agreed Sunset, and then she thought, “Especially considering those two huge brutes there.” She referred to the two large Synchro monsters “I’ll bet they have some kind of super special power.”

Samurai finally ended her turn with one facedown card, and she looked over at her Ninja partner, and they nodded at one another.

It was now Pinkie’s turn, and her nerves were going crazy–mixed with anger, concern, worry. These things were not good to be having in a duel like this with the stakes so high.

“Will you hurry up and move already?!” Rainbow yelled to her. “The sooner you hurry up, the sooner I can get to smashing these two freaks and avenging our friends.”

“Hey!” snapped Pinkie “I want to get at them too, but don’t take your problems out on me!”

The two girls growled and snarled at one another, and their every sound was heard by Twilight, and even though she was merely a soul trapped in a card, she could feel the pressure starting to hurt her from within.

“I can’t take this!” she cried to herself. “Pinkie and Rainbow are only getting worse! They need to snap out of this rage.”

Pinkie then drew her card, “I’ll take these two down, and I have just the cards for it.”

Instead of attempting to put on a show like she usually would, Pinkie just got straight into her move.

“I summon PERFORMAPAL TRUMP WITCH.”

(Atk: 100)

Her little monster leapt up onto the scene, but instead of her usual, cheerful smile, she was wearing a sour scowl.

“Hey, check out Pinkie’s monster.” Said Terra.

Sci-Twi compared the monster to Pinkie and believed, “Maybe it’s because Pinkie’s not her usual cheery self.

She usually duels with flare, and style, and she puts on a show too, but here…”

She said nothing else, and didn’t have to, because Pinkie’s furious face told everyone enough, and the fact that she didn’t even bother to go circus on everyone like she usually did.

She just stayed focussed on crushing her opponents.

“I play Trump Witch’s ability; by tributing her, I get to add POLYMERIZATION to my hand.”

Samurai and Ninja both clenched their fists softly, but they didn’t seem too worried.

“Now that I have it,” called Pinkie “I’ll activate the spell I just got… it’s Fusion Time!”

She put her spell into play…

“Ha!” scoffed Samurai “You will be doing no such thing.”

“Huh?” said Pinkie.

“I am now activating the special ability of Shi En. Once per turn, if you dare to play a spell or trap, my mighty warrior will slice through your card, and cancel out its power.”

“Ah!”

Rainbow growled, and then she and Pinkie both watched as the mighty samurai leapt up, and over to Pinkie’s field, and took one swing with its sword, slicing the card image in half, wiping it out, much to Pinkie’s chagrin.

“Well done, Shi En.” Said Samurai. “Your task is complete. Now, return to me.”

Her warrior sheathed his sword, and leapt back to where his brother was waiting for him.

“So that’s what her monsters do.” Thought Pinkie. “And worse than that, she still has another Shi En to work with.”

Then she looked down at her hand, “If I were to activate any of my Pendulum Cards–since they’re also spell cards, she could negate them too.”

Rainbow thought this as well, worrying about the two warriors and their powers.

“Come on, Pinkie.” She thoughts. “I’m getting annoyed here. Just make a different move already. Even I know how to outsmart these two goons already.”

Pinkie then felt she knew a way to make another move safely.

“She can only use the effect of her brutes once per turn.” She thought. “Maybe I can trick her up by playing around that–get her to waste it.”

Feeling she had nothing left to lose, she decided to go for it.

“Now… I’ll use Scale 1 PERFORMAPAL MONKEYBOARD, and Scale 10PERFORMAPAL IGNITION EAGLE!”

Her two monsters took their places in the light zones, and everyone, especially Sunset was amazed.

“…A Scale 10…?! That is amazing!” she exclaimed.

Dick nodded, “She found that card while traveling with me, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen her play it.”

That’s when everyone noticed that the cards were remaining in play. Samurai had made no attempt to stop them with her second Shi En.

She was thinking quietly to herself, “I will use my monster’s ability with the time is right, and not simply off the bat.”

Ninja was also thinking quietly as he eyed at Rainbow and Pinkie, “It matters not what these bunglers summon. My partner and I are well-ready to intercept.”

Pinkie thought for certain at least one of her cards would be negated, but she decided to take it all in stride.

“Well, since you didn’t negate my cards, I can use Monkeyboard’s Pendulum ability, which lets me add PERFORMAPAL TRUMP GIRL to my hand.

And just as well, because thanks to this super-strong Pendulum Scale I have, I can summon monsters between levels 2 and 9 as I need… AND HERE THEY COME!!”

Two large lights rained down from above, as her monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAPAL TRUMP GIRL…” (Atk: 200)

“PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES DISSOLVER…” (Atk: 2000)

Pinkie let out a furious and mighty roar as she was seemingly shrouded in raging, dark flames, and her monsters’ eyes all glowed furiously too, which freaked out the other spectators, and though Twilight couldn’t see it herself, she could practically feel the rage sending shivers through her soul.

“I activate Trump Girl’s special ability.” Shouted Pinkie, “I can use her and Odd-Eyes Dissolver to Fusion Summon without using a Fusion Spell!”

In bright flames, her monsters leapt up high and began to merge.

“Be prepared to face the wrath of my rage and my deck!

I Fusion Summon, PERFORMAPAL GATLINGHOUL!”

(Atk: 2900)

Her angry monster snarled and growled as he held up his huge gun.

“Ooooo-kaaaaay.” Muttered Raven “Really starting to get freaky here.”

She was right. Pinkie’s monster was usually scary and gruff looking, even when she was cheery. Now it looked even more raging and snarling than ever.

Pinkie then glared at her opponents. “Hope you’re in the mood for fireworks, because since my Gatlinghoul was successfully Fusion Summoned, you’ll be taking 200 points of damage for every card that’s currently in play.”

The two opponents growled, while Rainbow actually felt a deep sense of joy and cruel pleasure spark.

“There are currently twelve cards in play.” Pinkie hollered at her opponents. “That means, you’ll be taking a huge 2400 points of damage!”

Her monster charged his gun, ready to unleash his fury…

“That shall not happen!” shouted Ninja “From my graveyard, I activate the trap BREAKTHROUGH SKILL. I’m afraid for this turn, your monster’s specialties are no good.”

Rainbow and Pinkie gasped hard.

“I don’t believe it!!” Pinkie thundered as her monster powered down.

The spectators hated it just as much themselves too.

“He planned that all along!” growled Vic.

“Those two are working in per synchronization.” said Sci-Twi.

“But Rainbow and Pinkie are still heating up.” added Kori.

Pinkie looked mad enough to bite a solid rock in half, and Rainbow simply snuffed. “I knew it would never work.”

Pinkie growled at that remark, “Like YOU could have done any better?!”

Rainbow clenched her fists, but said nothing, and Pinkie ended her turn with a facedown card.

Ninja and Samurai snickered.

“Look at you…” hissed Ninja. “I am surprised that you were able to survive in this world to this point. Not that your previous attitudes were any brighter.”

The girls were only getting more riled up. Their faces both turned red with rage, and their bodied were finally being shrouded with flaming aura, and this was not of their gaming determination. This was evil and dangerous looking aura…!

Even the shadowy skies from above were starting to swirl with the aura itself.

“The Malefic World!” whimpered Sci-Twi. “I thought so. It really is feeding off the negativity and intensifying it. The angrier Rainbow and Pinkie get, the more power is enflamed.”

Cadance and Shining Armor held each other, feeling rather freaked out by all this.

Sunset was more concerned with the way the duel was going, and worried for the way her friends weren’t focussing too well.

She thought to herself, “Now that all the duelists have each had one turn,

“Well now,” said Ninja “It is my turn, and I draw.”

He now had three cards in hand.

“And I play POT OF GREED, so I may draw two cards.”

After drawing, he then had four cards in hand.

He looked over to Samurai, and his partner nodded at him as if to say “I have your back.”

Ninja then waved his arms around. “Ho! Hoi… Ya…! I now summon the mighty LADY NINJA YAE!”

This graceful, beautiful, swift Ninja female, came rushing into the field like a swift tornado.

(Atk: 300)

“And if you think is graceful now, just watch at her ability.

I now send one Wind monster in my hand to the card graveyard, she is now able to blow all opposing spell and trap cards to my opponents’ hands!”

Pinkie and Rainbow’s eyes widened as the winds began to stir up.

“I won’t let this happen!” shouted Rainbow “I activate the trap RAIDRAPTOR – READINESS! So now, for the rest of this turn, my Raidraptor cannot be destroyed by battle.”

“Rainbow!” snapped Pinkie. “Haven’t you forgotten…!”

“It would seem she has.” said Samurai. “My Shi En shall now destroy your card, and prevent its effect from being used.”

Rainbow growled as she watched her card she sliced by the warrior’s sword, and the image pieces flew past her.

“And now…” hollered Ninja “All remaining cards shall return to your hands, and that includes the Pendulum Cards.”

Pinkie was starting to feel more fretful than enraged, which was still a negative feeling which continued to stir up the Malefic World itself.

The spectators were also feeling the shudders and shivers of worry.

“Not good! This is so not good!” cried Dick.

Everyone felt that Pinkie’s Gatlinghoul was still safe due to it being the strongest monster in play, but it was Rainbow’s raptor that concerned everyone.

“And now,” said Ninja “From my hand I activate the spellARMOR NINJITSU ART OF REVIVAL.

With this, I am able to revive a “Ninja” from my graveyard, and who better than FLAME ARMOR NINJA.”

His ninja reappeared, in a spiral of flames.

(Atk: 1700)

“And just as you witnessed before I can now use his special ability to change Ninja Lady’s level to 4.”

Ninja lady was then shrouded in flames, just as it all happened before, and neither Pinkie, nor Rainbow, or their friends liked where this was going.

Ninja spun round, striking another fight pose. “I now overlay these Level 4 Ninjas, and I build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters vanished into the portal, and a new creature began to emerge.

“…I Xyz Summon the swift and sly; BLADE ARMOR NINJA!”

(Atk: 2200)

“Another Xyz Ninja!” grumbled Rainbow.

Pinkie narrowed her eyes at the two ninjas standing side-by-side.

Ninja snickered. “I now activate Blade Ninja’s special ability; by using one overlay unit I can target my Crimson Ninja…”

The ninja was basked in a soft glowing light.

“…And now it is granted the power to make two attacks in this single turn.”

“…TWO ATTACKS?!” cried Rainbow and Pinkie.

Their friends all gawked and gasped in fear.

“Pinkie’s may be stronger…” said Sunset, “But Rainbow’s Raptor isn’t.”

Twilight cringed softly, “And what’s worse, Pinkie and Rainbow share the life points.”

Rainbow’s fist was quivering, and then she raised her hand up high, “I now banish Raidraptor – Readiness from my graveyard, and by doing so, we can’t be damaged this turn.”

The image of her card appeared, and was about to cast its power.

“And this is one card effect your overgrown helmet-heads there can’t stop.” Sneered Rainbow, “Their effects can only stop the effects of cards on the field.”

Samurai nodded, “Quite correct, which is why I am activating my face-down.”

“What?”

“Behold the spell SILENT-GRAVEYARD. Now, by discarding Doji in my hand, all card effects that activate in the graveyard are canceled out!”

Rainbow grunted nervously as her Readiness card turned pale, and faded out of sight. “No! I can’t protect my life points!”

“You mean OUR life points!” cried Pinkie.

Ninja snickered, and nodded thankfully at Samurai, and then he engaged his battle phase.

“Blade Ninja… attack and destroy Blaze Falcon!”

The ninja leapt up and over to Rainbow’s field, and with a mighty swing from its swords, nothing happened at first… but Rainbow’s monster then came apart, and was destroyed, leaving her wide open.

Ninja then hollered, “And now, Crimson Shadow shall wage a double attack on you and your life points!”

The second Ninja’s blade was shrouded in fiery flames, much to Rainbow’s sweaty fretting.

“At 2400 points,” wailed Sci-Twi “Rainbow and Pinkie are going to take 4800 points of damage!”

The rest of the group all cringed with fear, but they–or rather some of them–could only watch as Rainbow got slashed hard and sent her sailing backwards to the ground.

EQ Team LP : 8000 -----> 3200

“Rainbow!” cried Pinkie, but then she wailed and screamed as she was shocked and burned hard, which proved Sci-Twi’s theory–they shared life points, they shared the pain.

Ninja and Samurai laughed wickedly.

Ninja laid his last card facedown, and called over at the girls. “Face it, the both of you; our combined strategies cannot be overcome.”

“You have lost more than half your life points,” taunted Samurai. “You are unable to defend yourselves, and now it is only a matter of time before the both of you are destroyed.

We shall bring your souls as well as your princess to Prince Loki and Rubeus.

It’s over for you both!”

“No, it can’t be over for us!” thought Pinkie.

Rainbow then thought as she softly got up, “I won’t let these creeps get me like this, but how can I stop them?”

Easily everyone else was worried for their friends. If they didn’t stop being hostile with one another and got their heads in the game, the duel was pretty much lost already.

To Be Continued…

Episode 26: Part 2: Reliving Reliefs

EPISODE TWENTY-SIX

Within the secret lair, Rubeus observed the duel, and he was most pleased.

“Such power, such darkness…” he murmured to himself, and then looked back at the generator where Loki was standing.

“And it gets even better, Brother.”

He excused himself from the massive machine, and then magically observed Celestia, dueling it out like a huge pro. She was trouncing so many other Maleficans, which gathered more duel energy.

So far, she hadn’t lost a single match thanks to the new cards she had.

“Take this!!” Celestia shouted, and all her monsters attacked, wiping out all her opponents in one massive barrage.

She flicked her long hair in back and scoffed. “This is too easy! I need better opponents than this.”

Loki snickered, “I do believe she is ready.”

“I believe she is…” agreed Rubeus.

For the moment, he turned his attention back to the double-tag duel.

Rainbow had just gotten back onto her feet, but things were not looking good for her and Pinkie.

Malefic Team LP: 8000

EQ Team LP: 3200

The spectators weren’t feeling any better themselves.

“Rainbow and Pinkie sure are in bad shape.” said Cadance.

“You’re telling me.” agreed Shining Armor. “They lost more than half their life points and worse yet: those two Samurai can still negate spells and traps they try to play.”

“That’s not even half of the worst.” said Kori, hinting how Rainbow and Pinkie were still horribly enraged and had been bickering so much, that their dueling was far off the mark, and only made the Malefic Energies even stronger.

“Uhhh… I don’t mean to add more to the load,” said Raven “…But what about our own emotions?”

Everyone went silent, and Sunset looked up at the evil, swirling skies. “She’s got a point; our own fears, our outrage and weariness… these could also be feeding the darkness.”

Now everyone looked up and realized she had a point.

“So, we better try and suppress our feelings.” suggested Robin, but Terra already insisted, “That’s not possible. We can’t help but feel all this. Even if we tried to supress it, even the smallest of doubts could be enough to do it.”

“We should try.” said Raven. “I’m already good at things like this.”

The others were still unconvinced.

Easily, it was Rainbow and Pinkie who had it the worst…

“You may as well surrender.” insisted Ninja. “Nothing that either of you can do shall defeat us.”

Rainbow angrily bolted upright, much to the opponents’ and even Pinkie’s shock.

“You still choose to fight?” asked Samurai. “You are either very stubborn, or very, very foolish.”

“I’m neither!” growled Rainbow. “I never back down, and I don’t like being made a fool of.

I have a score to settle with your bosses, and nothing, not you, not a-hundred like you is going to stop me!”

Pinkie was not going to take this for a moment a longer.

“Stop, right there!” she bellowed.

Rainbow was about to balk at Pinkie again, but Pinkie spoke right in front of her. “Rainbow, what’s happening to us?! Look at us both! You’re wilder and angrier than ever, and you think this is all about you. Well… it isn’t!”

Rainbow didn’t seem too moved. “Like you’re one to talk? You always used to be all “Ladies and Gentlemen…” this and that, and “It’s show time, and smiles.” and whatnot.”

Pinkie growled.

“Pinkie, these aren’t like the duels back at home! This isn’t about having fun, nor about showing off. It’s about winning at all costs, and that means… even if it means I don’t trust you!!”

“Ah!!” Pinkie felt that one slice her right down the middle, and her hands fell to her side.

The spectators, even Twilight still trapped in her card, all felt the same heart-striking jolt.

Rainbow then turned to face the opponents. “I’m not trying to show off; I’m trying to show that nothing stands in my way!”

Pinkie didn’t know whether to breakout crying or screaming in rage; she did neither one. She just stood there with a rather crushed and hopeless expression on her face.

“Man, I can’t believe Rainbow just said that.” said Vic.

The others felt the same, and despite the Malefic World having some, it was too hard to ignore that Rainbow did have traits like this even without the realm’s power-- egotism, brash, and a bit of a narcissist.

Rainbow then shouted, “It’s my turn. I draw…!”

She gawked at her next card. “Perfect!” she thought, and she looked over at the two strong samurai and the two Xyz Ninjas. “I may not have what I need to beat these creeps yet, but at least I can prepare something else for them to worry about.”

“I summonRAIDRAPTOR – RETROFIT LANIUS.”

(Atk: 800)

“It may not look like much, but if I plan to use it to Xyz Summon a “Raidraptor” monster, Retrofit Lanius counts as two monsters.”

With that, her monster magically split into two versions of itself.

“I now overlay these two monsters, in order to build the Overlay Network!”

The two images then joined together as a single light which vanished into the portal, and Rainbow’s new monster emerged anyway.

“I Xyz Summon RAIDRAPTOR – FORCE STRIX!”

(Def: 2000)

Her monster sat well in front of her, but despite being treated like a normal summon, it only had a single overlay unit floating around it.

“I’m not done yet,” said Rainbow “Since I control a “Raidraptor,” I can now summon RAIDRAPTOR – FUZZY LANIUS from my hand.”

(Def: 1500)

“Since I now have another Winged-Beast in play, Force Strix gains 500 attack and defense points.”

(Def: 2000) -----> (Def: 2500)

Everyone could already see what Rainbow was up to with this move.

“So you have prepared a strong defense to use against us?” asked Ninja.

“Oh, I’m doing more than that.” replied Rainbow. “Now I use Force Strix’s ability; I use one overlay unit, and now I get to add this to my hand… RAIDRAPTOR – BOOSTER STRIX.”

Ninja and Samurai both gasped softly.

“Ah, I see…” said Sci-Twi. “Rainbow’s got a good setup now.

Her Force Strix is too strong for any opposing monster to attack, and if any of them try, Rainbow will use Booster Strix to destroy the attacking monster.”

Sunset gazed deeply at the field, and while she felt a slight bit of relief for Rainbow, she noticed Pinkie didn’t seem the least bit brightened up.

Her long puffy pink hair was all sagged down and hanging straight from what Rainbow had thrown at her earlier. She really looked as if she had lost the last of whatever hope or strength she had.

Rainbow didn’t seem to notice as she ended her turn with a face-down.

“There’s no way we can lose this now.” she thought. “All our monsters are too tough for any of those creeps to take down, and if they try to take down my Raptors, I’m ready.”

This was why she paid no attention to Pinkie’s downed state.

“Her cockiness is overwhelming.” thought Samurai. “With her poor dueling style and her partner now unable to perk up; I shall have great pleasure in wiping them both out this turn.”

She looked over at Ninja, and her partner nodded at her.

“It is my draw now!”

She took a third card, and Pinkie still didn’t look up at her or even respond.

“Since I control at least one “Six Samurai” I am able to special summon this form my hand; LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI – MIZUHO.”

(Atk: 1600)

“And this also lights up two more Bushido Counters on my Gateway of the Six.”

The magical gate now had five lit circles on it.

“And now, I shall activate Mizhuo’s special ability; it allows me to tribute my Elder Samurai, and then Mizhuo is able to destroy one card on the field.”

She at first eyed at Pinkie’s Gatlighoul…

“No. I have a better idea.” said Samurai “Instead I shall destroy Force Strix!”

Rainbow growled and cringed, and in a blaze of flames, her monster was destroyed instantly.

“But that was Rainbow’s strongest defense!” cried Sunset.

Ninja snickered, “An excellent choice, Partner.”

“Thank you.” replied Samurai “And I have much more to do now. I now summon LEGENDARY SIX SAMURAI - ENSHI.

(Atk: 1700)

“This will grant me yet another two Counters on my gate for a total of seven, and further more since I have different Samurais in play, Enshi’s attack is increased by 500.”

(Atk: 1700) -----> (Atk: 2200)

“However, it is his special ability you should worry about. For I can now banish my two Samurai tuners in my graveyard, and in exchange, I am able to return one monster on the field to the player’s hand.”

Rainbow cringed, knowing fully-well which monster she would choose.

“I choose Performapal Gatlinghoul! Be gone, now!”

Pinkie still didn’t react, or even both to look up as her only monster disappeared back to her Extra Deck and left her wide open to a direct attack.

“Pinkie’s going to get clobbered!” wailed Cadance.

“And if she gets attacked, so does Rainbow.” added Shining Armor.

“That means they’ll both lose!” murmured Kori.

Everyone else was cringing in anger and worry.

“We told you were hopeless.” taunted Ninja. “It is time for your misery to end.”

Samurai agreed, “And I know just how to do it; with one simple attack, and for this I require use of the power of my Gateway.

I can use two Bushido Counters to power up my Shi En’s attack by 500, and since I have counters to spare, I shall spend four counters, to give him a 1000 attack boost.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3500)

Rainbow couldn’t believe her eyes and she thought, “With all those attack points-- if Pinkie gets struck, we’re both doomed!”

Pinkie still did not bother to look up or even tremble in fear. She had lost so much hope and faith, she either couldn’t’ see or hear what was happening around her, or she plain didn’t care that she was about to lose and practically welcomed it.

“Samurai Shi En, wage a direct attack!”

Her warrior gripped his sword tightly, and leapt over ready for the kill.

“I can’t watch!” Terra cried as she looked away.

The Samurai was coming down, down, down…

And Rainbow began to sweat and fret like crazy! “…NO!!!”

The mighty sword came down, and Pinkie finally looked up just as it was within centimeters of hitting her…

…And then it stopped, blocked by an electrical field.

“What?!” snapped Samurai.

“What is happening?” asked Ninja.

The spectators were all confused.

Rainbow then sighed heavily in relief. “I don’t want to begin to think how close that was.”

The opponents saw, next to her was a NEGATE ATTACK trap card.

Pinkie turned her head to look at Rainbow, and Rainbow was still panting heavily in stress, while the opponents were outraged.

Thanks to Negate Attack, Pinkie was spared and the battle was over, and the two Shi Ens were unable to negate a counter trap card.

“She saved me.” Pinkie whispered to herself.

Rainbow looked as if she was going to fall down, but not from the exhaustion of the stress, but rather realization… of the way she had been behaving, and the horrible things she had said to Pinkie.

It was as if seeing Pinkie in danger, and the fact that her loss would result in both their loss because of her attitude, that her good judgment kicked in and began to fight off the Malefic forces in the air.

And just now, Rainbow’s act of protecting Pinkie sparked her own small bit of strength to fight the darkness and wake up from her funk.

Ninja and Samurai were outraged that their victory was delayed for the moment.

“After all this, they are still able to outwit us?” sneered Ninja.

“It matters not.” insisted Samruai. “We still have the better advantage. For now, I shall end my turn.”

“You two got nothing on us.” insisted Rainbow. “Okay, I admit it, I was acting like a complete and total jerk when I know better, and Pinkie and I weren’t thinking too straight…

…But I realize that now, and I’m sorry I acted this way, Pinkie.

I’m glad to have you as my partner, and as my friend, and I don’t want anything to happen to you or the others.

We’ve got to pull through this together. We’ve got win this… for everyone’s sake; not just our own.”

Twilight could hear her, and she felt proud with Rainbow for pulling through and letting her friendship breakthrough again.

The spectators were pleased too, and as for Pinkie… while she still didn’t seem too enthusiastic-- her hair was still flat down-- she did manage to slowly get back onto her feet to keep dueling.

“I’ll try…” she peeped.

Then she wiped her eyes, and tried to get as serious as she could-- her hair was still down.

She analyzed the field. “Rainbow may have protected me, but I still don’t see how we can get past all these monsters.”

She paused and looked down at the cards in her hand.

“I could set the Pendulum Scale again, but then those two Samurai can negate my cards and break me, or anything else we try to play.”

Then she looked down at her deck, and could only hope that whatever she would draw would be at least something that could help.

She softly laid her fingers on her card, and pulled it out.

“Huh?” she murmured.

Then she compared to what she had in her hand, and she narrowed her eyes. “I think I know what to do.”

Everyone gazed with anxiety at what she had planned.

“From my hand, I summon PERFORMA PAL SEAL EEL.”

(Atk: 300)

Her cute little monster bounced onto the scene, but it still didn’t look as giddy or as cheerful as Pinkie still wasn’t fully in cheer-mode herself.

“He may not look like much, but he can still be helpful… especially when I use his special ability on that facedown card over there.”

“What?” growled Ninja, and he watched as the playful little seal flopped its tail, swishing magical bubbles over towards him, encasing his face-down in one giant bubble.

“Heh!” said Pinkie “Now that card can’t be activated for the rest of the turn, and nothing’s going to stop me from what I have coming for you now.

I play the spell SUPER POLYMERIZATION!”

“Ah!” cried Ninja.

“No!” yelled Samurai.

Rainbow began to grin with glee.

“Now by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can Fusion Summon not only using one of my monsters, but with any one of yours… and you can’t negate this effect either.”

Samurai growled angrily.

“Since your Shi En is a Level 5 Dark monster, it’s just what I need to fuse with my Seal Eel.”

The two monsters floated up into the sky and began to merge.

“And just like that… he’s back… PERFORMAPAL GATLINGHOUL!”

(Atk: 2900)

The opponents were shocked, while the spectators were going wild.

“BOO-YAH! That’s how to make it roll!” cheered Vic.

“And it gets worse…” added Sunset “Gatlinghoul’s ability activates, and deals 200 points of damage for every card that’s in play.”

Pinkie tallied up all the cards on the field. “…I see there are nine cards in play, so look out, because 1800 points of damage is headed your way!”

Gatlinghoul armed his bazooka, and the opponents were unable to stop it this time. They were both bombarded by many small shots.

Malefic Team LP: 8000 -----> 6200

“How could you have let this happen?!” scolded Ninja.

“Me?!” snarled Samurai “Do not question my dueling! You were supposed to shield me!”

“Wow! Check it out.” said Dick. “It looks like their team morale is going way down.”

“The tables are turning alright.” agreed Kori.

Raven was still not as enthusiastic however. “She may have gotten rid of one Shi En, but there’s still another one.”

The monster looked furious and stood still and silent.

Pinkie was starting to feel a little more fired up, and her hair was starting to stick upward again.

“Now, I activate Gatlingghoul’s other special ability; since I used a Pendulum Monster to fuse it, I can target one monster one of you controls and I can destroy it, and then you’ll both take damage equal to its total attack points.”

The opponents cringed, and Pinkie then pointed at Samurai’s field. “I got rid of one Shi En, and now I’ll get rid of the other.”

She ordered Gatlinghoul to fire his gun, which he did… sending a huge energy blast towards the warrior.

Samurai growled and quickly fiddled with her cards, just as the big explosion hit.

“Yeah…!! That’s the way they fall!” cheered Rainbow.

“Don’t be so certain.” hissed Ninja.

Pinkie and Rainbow gasped, and as the smoke cleared, they couldn’t believe their eyes-- the monster was still standing.

“No way…!” groaned Rainbow.

“How did that happen?” asked Pinkie.

Samurai snickered. “I used the special ability of Secret Samurai Doji…

By banishing it from the graveyard, my Samurai was spared from destruction.”

Pinkie clenched her fist, and she looked down at her last two cards.

“I guess I’ll have to take a chance! I set PERFORMAPAL MONKEYBOARD andIGNITION EAGLEinto the Pendulum Zones!”

The two monsters began to rise up into the Pendulum Zone.

“I will stop your plan!” shouted Samurai “Shi En uses his special ability to slice through your Scale 10 monster, which will destroy it and sent it to its demise!”

With that, Pinkie Eagle was slain.

“Oh, no!” cried Cadance.

“Talk about a cheap shot.” added Shining Armor.

Sci-Twi and Sunset, however, were smiling…

…So was Pinkie, and her hair begin to perk up better than ever. “I was hoping you’d target him.”

Samurai blinked once.

“I was hoping you couldn’t resist destroying my Eagle, which spared my Monkeyboard, and now his Pendulum ability lets me add a new “Performapal” to my hand.

…I chose Scale 6 PERFORMAPAL LIZARDRAW, and he’s just in time for me to set the Pendulum Scale again.”

Her playful Lizard jumped into the light, and the magic pendulum formed between the two monsters.

“…Now I get to summon as many Level 2 through 5 monsters as I need, AND HERE THEY COME!!”

Two shots of light fired form her Extra Deck, and her monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAPAL TRUMP GIRL…” (Def: 200)

“PERFORMAPAL IGNITION EAGLE…” (Def: 1000)

Her two monsters stood on each side of Gatlingghoul, and with that, Pinkie’s hair fully bloomed again.

“Look at Pinkie.” said Terra.

“I think she’s coming back now.” murmured Sunset.

Even Twilight could feel the positive force herself, and it filled her with joy and hope.

Pinkie then stepped forth like being on stage and announced. “Ladies and Gentlemen, sorry I’ve been away for so long, but the greatest dueling show in the world is now back in business.”

Rainbow gave her a thumb-up, while the opponents were outraged and disgusted by the way Pinkie was making the duel out to be some kind of joke show.

Pinkie then pointed upward, “…I’d like to direct your attention to Lizardraw and its astounding pendulum effect to destroy itself, which allows me to draw one card from deck…

…What’s it going to be? Well, let’s find out.”

She shut her eyes, and then drew her card in a way as if to cause more anxiety.

She peeked at it, and glared at her opponents.

“Now it’s time for a little action!”

She engaged her battle phase.

“Gatlinghoul, attack Samurai Shi En!”

Her monster charged up his gun…

“And while I’m at it, I’ll activate Ignition Eagle’s special ability; when a monster I control attacks, I can have both it and Monkeyboard switch places!

So Monkey comes down here, and Eagle flies into the Pendulum Zone.”

As promised, the two monsters changed positions, and Monkey board came to Pinkie’s side.

(Atk: 1100)

“She played it in attack mode?” Dick asked in shock.

“What is she thinking?” wondered Vic.

“But hold on to your seats folks, because there’s more.” hollered Pinkie “Because this magical swap was successful, Gatlingghoul’s attack points now increase by Monkeyboard’s attack power, and that’s 1100.”

(Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 4000)

“Four-thousand?!” cried Samurai.

“Impossible!” shouted Ninja.

Gatlinghoul fired his energy blast straight at Smaurai’s monster.

“I activate Shi En’s special ability!” shouted Samurai.

“Huh?” said Pinkie.

“Not another…!” wailed Rainbow.

“When Shi En is on the verge of destruction, by sending Enshi to the graveyard, my might warrior shall take your blast and escape without harm.”

Pinkie then hollered, “It may escape without a scratch, but you’ll still get hurt with damage--both of you!”

(Atk: 4000) VS (Atk: 2500)

The blast made contact, and its rays sped past the monster and struck the opponents.

Malefic Team LP: 6200 -----> 4700

The two Maleficans braced as the winds billowed past them, but they remained strong.

“Those two are really starting to get on my nerves.” said Raven. “They always seem to have some way to keep each other safe.”

The others were all still worried for Pinkie and Rainbow, especially since Pinkie placed her Monkeyboard in attack mode.

“Well, that was an entertaining act.” said Pinkie “Now I’ll play the card I was lucky enough to be granted; POT OF GREED, so now I get to draw two more cards.”

She drew her two cards, and she peeked over them sharply at her opponents.

She then set them both facedown ending her turn. “That’s a wrap… for now.”

With the end of her turn, the bubble over Ninja’s card burst, allowing it to be used again, but at this point he and Samurai were starting to have huge doubts.

Gatlinghoul still had 4000 attack points, making it impossible to destroy in battle, and he was also concerned of Pinkie’s facedown cards.

With only one Shi En still on the field, Samurai would still be able to negate one spell or trap each turn.

“But wait…” Ninja thought. “…Supposing it is yet another card that cannot be stopped? Perhaps that is why she played her monster in attack-mode.

Even still, she could merely activate one card, and then stop us with another.”

Samurai thought the same thing. “We must defeat them on this turn. It is our only hope to succeed, but can we do it?”

It was Ninja’s turn and he drew a card.

“Oh!” he exclaimed, indicating he had drawn something very good.

“This card will serve us both well and attain victory…”

Rainbow and Pinkie narrowed their eyes…

“…I activate the Equip Spell DOUBLE BUSTER SWORDS,which I give to my Crimson Shadow.”

His ninja sheathed its own swords and grabbed the two new ones that materialized; slashing them about in a ninja strike pose.

“Now, not only is my Ninja able to attack twice, but should it attack a monster that is in defense mode, damage will still be dealt!”

Pinkie and Rainbow cringed.

Ninja went on and explained, “This card… unfortunately comes with a price, and that is I must destroy my Ninja at the end of this turn.

However, Crimson Shadow can use its last overlay unit to ensure that neither of my ninjas will be destroyed this turn.”

Both his ninjas were shrouded in protective light indicating their protection.

“And now, I shall activate Blade Ninja’s ability. With its last overlay unit, my Blade Ninja shall also attack twice this turn.

There will be no escape for you both this time!”

Samurai was impressed. “An excellent move… Now finish them off! Victory is assured.”

His partner agreed, and he knew just where to start as he eyed Pinkie’s field.

“Crimson Shadow, attack and destroy Trump girl!”

His Ninja leapt up and prepared to strike.

“Not so fast!” shouted Pinkie “I play the trap PERFORMING PAL’S COUNTER STRIKE!

It prevents my Performapals from being destroyed and destroys a different monster on the field instead.”

“It shall not!” shouted Samurai “Shi En stops your card and slays it!”

Her monster leapt up, ready to strike with all its might.

…Pinkie’s grin widened, “Just what I hoped you’d do.”

“What?”

“No! It cannot be…!” cried Ninja.

“Oh, it is…” snickered Pinkie. “I now activate Performapal Ignition Eagle’s Pendulum ability!”

Her Eagle began to flap its little wings, spreading strong winds along the field.

“What is the meaning of this?” asked Ninja.

Pinkie smirked, “I’m glad that you asked. This is one of the highlight of the show; see… during either player’s battle phase, I can banish all cards from my Pendulum Zone.

After that-- and this is the fun bit-- I now send as many “Performapal” monsters from my deck to the graveyard that equal the number of Spells and Traps in play.

There are currently five in play, and so that means I have to send five Performapals to the graveyard.”

She grabbed her cards, and held them up high.

All at once, images of her monsters came soaring through the air like colorful fireworks…

Rainbow was astounded by all the explosive colors, so were the other spectators.

Twilight wished she could see it herself, but she had a good feeling about all this.

“What is the point of all these fireworks?” asked Samurai.

Pinkie smirked, “Well, these arena ordinary fireworks you know… their Spell to Trap seeking missiles.”

The opponents’ eyes widened, and they watched as each and every spell and trap on the field was struck by one of Pinkie’s flying monsters; blowing them all away.

“My Swords!” cried Ninja.

“My Gateway!!” wailed Samurai.

“Totally awesome!” hollered Rainbow.

“And now for the best part of all…” Pinkie announced. “Ladies and Gentlemen… it’s Math Time.

You see, I now get to target my Performapal Monkeyboard, and he’ll gain an additional 500 attack points for every Pendulum Monster I have in play.

I currently have two of them. So who can tell me how much stronger my Monkey gets?

Come on, don’t be shy.”

Rainbow blinked once in shock and a bit of disdain, “Uhhh… just 1000 points?”

“E-----xactly! One-thousand beautiful attack points.” hollered Pinkie.

(Atk: 1100) -----> (Atk: 2100)

“And the best part yet is: Now that Double Sword is gone, my monster will still be destroyed, but Rainbow and I take no damage whatsoever.”

Crimson Shadow attacked with its own swords, destroying Pinkie’s Trump Girl, but no life points were lost as promised.

Without it’s special blades, it was also no longer allowed to make a second attack.

“You think you have it won?” snarled Ninja “You have nothing won. Even without my special swords, I still am able to attack!”

He turned to look at Rainbow’s field.

“I shall attack you instead! Go, Blade Ninja! Attack Fuzzy Lanius!”

In a swift swing, Rainbow’s bird was sliced in half. Rainbow didn’t dare to use Booster Strix in her hand because the Ninja was still protected.

Still, Rainbow called out, “When Fuzzy Lanius is sent to the graveyard… another one jumps into my hand.”

“It matters not!” thundered Ninja. “My Blade Ninja is still allowed one more attack from using its power, and I shall now attack you directly!”

Neither or Pinkie could block the attack this time, and Rainbow got struck hard and knocked back…

Pinkie felt every last bit of pain as the life points decreased.

EQ Team LP: 3200 -----> 1000

Pinkie fell to her knees while Rainbow was on her back.

The spectators all gawked with deep concern.

“Dang!! Talk about a close one!” shouted Vic.

“Yeah… real close…” Raven grumbled as she picked her ear, having been near him while he shouted.

“They’ve only got 1000 life points left!” cried Cadance.

“What was Pinkie thinking with this move?” asked Shining Armor, but his sister and Sunset both could see, and they were both grinning at Pinkie’s cunning.

“Pinkie just may have given them both the chance they needed.” said Sunset

Sci-Twi agreed and explained to everyone…

“If Crimson Shadow had succeeded in attacking while equipped with the swords, Pinkie and Rainbow would have been defeated for sure, but Pinkie activated her first trap to test the opponents out.

Since Samurai used Shi En’s ability, this led Pinkie to realize Ninja’s facedown card was nothing to worry about, which then gave her the chance to use Ignition Eagle’s effect to blow all the cards off the field, and power up Monkeyboard.”

Everyone began to catch on…

It meant than Ninja would have no better alternative than to try and attack Rainbow instead, and deal lots of damage, but not enough to win the duel.

Terra sighed heavily in relief. “But still… it’s quite a long shot. Rainbow and Pinkie are still at a disadvantage.

Their opponents still have stronger monsters and more life points, and if Rainbow can’t take them out on her turn--” she stopped right there. Everyone already got the drift.

Rainbow got it especially herself.

“Pinkie saved us both with that last turn.” she thought. “… Just like… I protected us both on mine and after all the mean things I said and the way I acted…”

Pinkie then looked over at her, and gave her a very soft nod as if to say, “You can do this. I believe in you.”

Rainbow clenched her fist and stood ready to take a card.

“Okay… this is it!” she declared. “It’s make or break… I DRAW…!”

She looked at her card, and her eyes widened in a strange, but gleeful way.

Then she glared at her opponents, “You two are going down, and that’s a promise!”

Ninja and Samurai scoffed at the very idea.

“You don’t believe me?” snarled Rainbow “Well, you will when I summon this… RAIDRAPTOR – BOOSTER STRIX!”

(Atk: 100)

“And just like always, Fuzzy Lanius can join him in play too.”

(Def: 1500)

“So you have two monsters in play?” sneered Samurai. “That is hardly anything for us to be concerned of.”

Rainbow snuffed, “You know… you’re right; two monsters isn’t enough, so I’ll just have to change that with this; RAIDRAPTOR – PAIN LANIUS!”

The opponents gawked softly.

Rainbow then cautioned “… Brace yourself, Pinkie. This is going to sting a bit.”

“Do it!” Pinkie insisted.

Rainbow nodded and declared, “Since I have Fuzzy Lanius in play, Pain Lanius can join my feathered friends on the field, and it’ll have the same level as Fuzzy Lanius does.”

(Def: 100)

“She has three level 4 monsters now!” cried Ninja.

Samurai nodded nervously.

Suddenly, Pinkie and Rainbow both were shocked by strong energy jolts.

“There’s… still the price… to pay!” Rainbow growled, “We have lose life points… equal to Fuzzy Lanius’ attack points!!”

EQ Team LP: 1000 -----> 500

Rainbow and Pinkie fell to their knees in pain. With their score so low, the agony and weariness was getting to them.

“You… okay, Pinkie?”

Panting softly, Pinkie managed to nod.

Rainbow got to her feet. “That was still well worth in order to get exactly what I need… so that WE can finish you both off.

I overlay these three level 4 raptors to build the Overlay Network!”

Her three birds fluttered up high and vanished into the portal, and Rainbow decided to chant to her incoming monster.

“From the shadows comes a force to great,
It’ll crush everything at a fantastic rate!

I Xyz Summon RAIDRAPTOR - RISE FALCON!”

(Atk: 100)

Her mighty bird spread out its wide, flaming wings, and cawed most furiously.

The opponents gazed up at the great creature and actually began to fret.

“I activate Rise Falcon’s special ability!” shouted Rainbow. “By using one Overlay Unit, its attack power now increases by the attack power of Shi En!”

(Atk: 100) -----> (Atk: 2600)

“And now, I activate a trap card from the graveyard!”

“What?” snapped Ninja “But you have no traps in your graveyard to activate.”

“Show’s what you know.” said Rainbow. “Pinkie and I share life points, we share a field-- we share a graveyard too. Her cards are now my cards.”

Pinkie nodded at her and declared, “The spotlight’s on you. Take it away!”

Rainbow, though not much of a showgirl, thrust her chest up high and strong declaring, “From the graveyard, I banish the trap SKILL SUCCESSOR!

Doing this will grant Rise Falcon an additional 800 attack points.”

(Atk: 2600) -----> (Atk: 3400)

“THIRTY-FOUR HUNDRED?!!” the opponents wailed.

“Huh!” Rainbow grunted. “Now… Raidraptor Rise Falcon, attack and destroy every special summoned monster on their field!!”

The opponents screamed in fright as the monster soared up high, ready for the kill!

“How could you have let this happen?” Ninja shouted.

“I did nothing! It was your fault!!” protested Samurai.

Rainbow’s monster came soaring down, slamming on the opposing field, and with her monster at 3400, and all the other monsters in attack mode…

(Atk: 3400)

VS

(Atk: 1600)

(Atk: 2200)

(Atk: 2400)

(Atk: 2500)

…The total amount of damage came to 4900!!

KAPOW!! The opponents screamed as their field went up in a huge explosion!

Malefic Team LP: 4700 -----> 0

In the midst of the billowing winds, Twilight’s card was knocked loose and began to fly off again!

“HELP ME!!!” she screamed.

“Twilight…!!” Sunset shouted.

Vic quickly picked her up off the ground, “Go for it girl!” and he threw Sunset up into the air allowing her to catch the card, and do a somersault in the air before landing gracefully on the sand.

After that, the lightning came and struck Ninja and Samurai, trapping them both in cards, causing cheer and joy to erupt from the spectators.

“They won!!”

“They got Twilight back too!!”

Rainbow and Pinkie were exhausted, but they both managed a soft grin.

“Show’s over…” said Rainbow.

And Pinkie followed up saying “...Smiles win.”

The Prince Brothers saw everything.

“Incredibly astounding.” remarked Rubeus. “Even after all that, they still managed to fight through the darkness and overcome the impossible.”

Loki clenched his fists angrily. He was really beginning to see the team as a dangerous nuisance that would most-likely put his and Rubeus’ plan in jeopardy.

“They had best enjoy this victory while they can.” he hissed “We’re about to play a different game, with different skills.”

He referred to the fact that Celestia was out there, and aiming to assist in the great battle.

Celestia herself was well on her way, flying on a dark cloud of her own, to confront the team.

“You are mine, Sunset Shimmer.” she said to herself “I must be victorious for my love.”

Episode 27: Do you Remember?

EPISODE TWENTY-SEVEN

Everyone was so relieved to have found Princess Twilight, even if she was still trapped in a card.

As for Rainbow and Pinkie; now that the duel was over they wholeheartedly apologized to one another.

“I’m really sorry, Pinkie… for all those rotten things I said. You’re a great duelist, and I was glad to have you by my side.”

A small tear rolled down Pinkie’s eye, “And I’m sorry too, Rainbow… I didn’t mean to blame for everything that happened, or yell at you so much.”

The girls smiled lovingly, and they hugged.

Sunset felt like crying, and so did Vic.

“Man, that is… sweet.”

Dick and Kori held hands while smiling proudly, and Cadance, Shining Armor, and Sci-Twi hugged.

Why even Raven had to crack a small smile, which Terra noticed but didn’t call her out.

Easily, Twilight was very pleased to see such wonderful friendship strengthening.

…But this moment was ceased immediately by a familiar, gruff voice.

“Pathetic!”

Everyone looked ahead and saw him standing in the open.

“Garfield.” said Dick.

Terra’s features twisted into anxiety, while others twisted into mixed of anger or annoyed.

As for Gar, he corrected Dick by saying, “My name is “Masquerade!”

Everyone’s patience was already becoming lost, especially Raven’s as she glared at him with a deep scowl.

“What do you want?” asked Sunset in a gruff voice.

“How did you even find us?” asked Pinkie.

Gar didn’t bother to answer; the fact that they all screamed so loud, and the bright explosions from the duel could be seen and heard for at least a mile away, which also saved him trouble.

From out of his coat he pulled a single card, and pitched it towards Rainbow.

“Spike…!” Rainbow cried with joy. “I got Spike’s card!”

Everyone practically rushed down the hill with glee, and Spike was delighted to see them all again, and he howled in glee.

Sci-Twi was near tears as she smothered the card. “Oh, Spike… I thought I’d lost you for good.”

She couldn’t believe that Gar had found him, and actually returned him to the group-- an actual act of kindness?

She would have thanked him, but he had already turned round and began to walk away.

“Gar wait…!” called Terra, and she dashed up in front of him to block his path.

“Stop calling me that!” he growled at her. “That name and that life no longer have meaning for me, and that goes double for you and the other Titans.”

Terra felt hurt, and the other Titans felt insulted as well.

Raven’s anger was starting to boil deep down.

“Stop this!” insisted Sunset as she and the group came over. “Why are you always being so hostile to everyone?

We know you had it a little bad with the Titans before, and we know you and Terra broke up, but why are you only adding to the rifts?”

Dick spoke severely to Gar, “Gar, we know we’ve had our troubles, but we want to put them aside.”

“Can’t you at least try…” said Kori “…Try to see things differently?”

Vic nodded his head. “You were once my little bud, and I know we had some hard times, but I don’t want it that way anymore.”

Raven had nothing to say, she just glared at him with a very sour expression, which Gar could understand too well.

As for Terra, “Gar please…” she softly begged “I know what happened was wrong, and I know it hurt you…”

Before she could continue, Gar held up his hand, silencing her, and what he said to her next really hit her hard.

“…Things Change, Terra. The guy you want me to be is just a memory.”

She stood there, with wide eyes, and her head and her heart ached so much she could hardly move.

“Things Change…?” Spike muttered to himself, and he remembered what he was after in the first place.

Gar then walked right past Terra on his way out into the darkness.

“Hold it!” called Twilight. “I really don’t what your beef is with everyone, but I can’t stand the way you keep scoffing at Friendship and putting it down like it’s some kind of detriment.”

Gar stopped in his tracks.

“Whatever differences you have with Terra and the Titans… we’re willing to help you, especially seeing as how we’re all in this now.

We all have a common enemy with the Maleficans, and only working together can we get out of this and save the others.”

The others all were inclined to agreed, but Gar just snickered and laughed.

“Did I miss a joke?” Rainbow asked demanding to know why he was laughing.

Gar turned round and mocked at Princess Twilight. “Tell me, O’ Princess… don’t you think it’s time you grew up and stopped kidding yourself?”

Twilight felt shocked, and as did all the others.

“All your “Friendship is Magic” nonsense gives me is a real pain in the neck. You claim that it’s a great power that can solve all things, but that’s only because you’ve had it so easy. It only makes you look weaker and more foolish than before.”

“Hey!!” snapped Rainbow. “Don’t you go talking to the princess like that!”

“Yeah!” agreed Pinkie.

Sunset was losing her patience too, but Gar only scoffed at them as well. “And you… “Equestria Girls.” Don’t you think it’s time you gave up the act?

You act like you’re some bigshot superheroes just because you have magic and cool suits, and that you saved the world, and yet you have no idea what being a Real Hero is all about.

You’re nothing but a bunch of pretenders, which isn’t nearly as close to your incompetence in life and dueling!”

Rages were boiling, and people looked ready to rush over and teach him a good lesson.

“Stop!” shouted Sci-Twi. “If we keep losing our cools like this, the darkness will grow worse.”

“She’s right.” agreed Sunset, and she explained to Gar about the possibilities of the emotional connections to the darkness…

…To which again, he just scoffed, “Whatever.” And he turned and began to walk off again.

“…Gar, wait!” called Dick.

He stopped and looked over his shoulder, and even with his face covered, everyone could tell he was giving an extreme threatening look. “The next person who calls me by that name…” and he pointed to his duel disk “…It will not be pretty!”

Vic clenched his fists, and Kori shuddered. Easily, Raven looked ready to go ahead and go for it anyway, but she didn’t.

The Equestrians were all shocked and appalled by this behaviour, but they said nothing.

Gar snuffed. “... Later, Losers.” and he walked off into the darkness again.

“Jerk…!” Raven grumbled ever so softly.

Rainbow was trembling with rage, and would love to duel him to the ground, but remembering all the times he had crushed her, she couldn’t take the risk; not this time.

“I can’t believe him.” said Cadance. “Why can’t he just put his anger aside for just a minute?”

“It’s like everything in the world is a battle to him.” agreed Shining Armor.

Sci-Twi shook her head in dismay.

Pinkie didn’t think it was possible for even her to Gar smile.

Terra was still struck hard by what Gar had said to her. She looked as if she wanted to cry, or fall to the ground in shame, but couldn’t bring herself to do either.

Sunset and Sci-Twi quietly approached her.

“Are you okay?” Sunset asked softly.

Terra snapped out of her trance. “I’m sorry.” she peeped.

Sci-Twi had brought Spike in his card along, and he looked dead up at Terra. “What does he mean?”

Terra and the other girls looked down at him and his stern expression.

“You’re hiding something, Terra, and you’ve been hiding since we met you and the other Titans.”

“Yo’ man, not now.” said Vic.

“Yes, now!” insisted Spike.

He told everyone how Gar had dueled Violet, and how she brought up the same subject and how Gar was struggling with nightmares too; all revolving around the words “Things Change.”

Terra began to sweat nervously, indicating there was something serious.

Now that Sunset thought of it, Terra had looked this way before, and every time it seemed she was going to say it, something happened that changed the subject or made everyone forget all about it.

The other Titans were all looking a bit awkward too.

“You know something about this?” asked Shining Armor

“Terra… Tell us, now.” she said in a rather deep voice. “What is this deal with “Things Change”?”

“That’s what I’d like to know.” added Spike. “Does it have something to do with you and Gar splitting up?”

Terra was trembling with shame and fear. She almost couldn’t bring herself to say, but she knew it would only keep eating away at her soul until she let it out.

“Come on, tell us.” said Sci-Twi. “Maybe it’ll help if we know.”

Terra shut her eyes and bowed her head softly.

“I don’t know how it happened, but somehow, I was freed from my stone prison, after I saved Jump City from the underground volcano.”

Terra went on explaining…

She didn’t know how she had been freed from her stone prison—it was likely that when Raven destroyed Trigon, and reverted all the world back to normal; all those who were turned to stone by a curse were normal again, including her.

That wasn’t the point…

“If you were set free, why didn’t you try to contact the Titans?” asked Rainbow.

Still trembling, and biting the tip of her tongue inside her mouth, Terra admitted, “…I didn’t want them to find me. I didn’t want to go back to the team… ever.”

The Equestrians had expressions of deep shock.

“But they were your friends.” said Cadance. “You told us Gar was the best friend you ever had.”

Hearing and remember that brought a tear of shame to Terra’s eye. She just couldn’t go on anymore.

“I think I better explain the rest.” said Dick.

He explained his story from memory…

One day, all the Titans had returned from losing a shape-shifting monster, because Gar, known as Beast Boy then, had run off. He claimed he had seen a high school student that greatly resembled Terra.

The Titans did not believe him at the start, for they hadn’t seen him, and couldn’t figure how she escaped from stone.

They all dismissed that his obsession with the girl led him to seeing things that weren’t there, but Gar was insistent it was her.

When Gar went to confront the girl, she revealed having no memory of being Terra, or a Teen Titan, or Beast Boy and the times they shared… or anything of her past.

“She had amnesia?” asked Sci-Twi.

At this point, Terra was biting her finger trying to supress the ever-growing signs of guilt and shame.

“It seemed that way…” explained Kori.

The more Gar tried to get the girl to remember, the more insistent the girl tried to inform him that her name was not Terra, and that she was not a superhero, or the girl he knew.

“Maybe your friend is out there somewhere. I hope you find her.”

She also showed no sign of even remembering her geo-kenitc powers.

She also admitted she didn’t play card games, including Duel Monsters, and that she had no idea how the game worked.

She didn’t even know much about the Change of Heart card Gar showed her. The very one he gave to her while she was a Titan.

But her case started to weaken, for Gar had noticed the girl’s regretful expressions every time they talked, her desperation to want to leave and not be near him, and even stuttering a little when she spoke. As if she were trying to make excuses.

Not to mention, while they were having pizza, the girl clenched her fist, and the ice cubes in her drink actually clumped together in a strange way… despite them being ice and not rock-- but still solids.

Then, as the girl desperately tried to leave, the glass of drink tipped and spill over the table… without her even touching it, though it was close enough to look as she did.

When Gar was confronted alone by a robot clone of Slade, the robot taunted him further about the situation.

“Maybe she doesn’t WANT to remember.”

“If the girl does not use her powers, it is because she chooses so.”

“Don’t you see? She no longer wants to remember you.”

“You’re the one hurting her. Let her go.”

“Face it… she doesn’t want to see you anymore.”

The Equestrians began to feel sick deep down as they gawked at Terra, and her trembling, her guilt-ridden face and cringing, were already more than enough to tell them…

…But there was still more; the jackpot, ending the jig for her.

Gar desperately tried to confront the girl one last time.

“You’re my friend. You’re a Teen Titan.”

“You’re wrong!”

She demanded he stop addressing her as “Terra.”

“Why can’t things just go back to the way they were? You were so happy then.”

“Things we’re never the way you remember. Now just leave me alone!”

Still desperate, Gar attempted to give her a communicator, in case she would ever need help, but she forcefully declined, and insisted…

“Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory.”

Case Closed: She was indeed Terra, and she did remember, and she still had her powers, but she was basically telling him that she wanted nothing to do with him, or their past, and she didn’t want to be a superhero or anything of the sort… and just wanted to live a simple normal life in her new school, with her new friends… and that he kindly leave her in peace.

That’s when Gar sadly respected her wishes, and ran out her school, and her life.

By this time, Terra was on her knees, with her face buried in her hands, and she was still so ashamed she couldn’t break out sobbing.

As for the Equestrians, they were nothing short of appalled.

“That… is the most despicable thing I’ve ever heard!” bellowed Spike.

“I… I can’t-- I just…” Rainbow could find no words to say for such horridness.

Sunset was shaking her head in total disbelief.

“You said he was the best friend you ever had.” said Pinkie.

Even Princess Twilight herself could see no good, no justification, and no moral in such an act.

“Terra… how could you do something like that?” she asked. “…You dumped someone who really loved you, forced him to stay away… all just to gain a normal life?”

“YES!!!” Terra burst out in a scream, making everyone jump in fright.

Now she was tearfully crying as she spoke as she was down on her hands and her tears splashed onto the dark sands. “I admit it! I did that! I hurt him!!”

She hesitated a moment and finally managed to admit.

“I was ashamed, and I was miserable. All my life I lived in fear and pain as a runaway, and on top of that I kept bringing harm to those around me.

I just couldn’t do it to myself anymore, so I decided to hang it all up and try to live peacefully. Put my past behind me, and I’d never hurt anyone again.

I told Gar to stay away, because I was being constantly reminded of all my crimes, my fears, and everything else. I didn’t want to put him through all that again especially.”

“So you decided to just kick him out!” snapped Shining Armor. “Even though he was willing to overlook all the bad things, give you love, a home, and friends, a life of excitement. It wasn’t good enough for you?”

Vic would have snapped and told him to chill, but even he and the other Titans, and Terra herself knew it was justified balking.

It would never matter how Terra would try to slice or excuse or justify her actions. In the end, while living a normal life and why she wanted to was understandable… in the end, her actions and her attitude made her look totally selfish, and foolish.

She didn’t have to be a superhero. She could have stayed in school and still have a relationship with Gar instead of kicking him to the curb the way she did.

“Are you gonna keep running away from me?

“I'm not running from anything. Go home!

Sunset confronted the sobbing young woman. “Terra, you were not only running away from your past, you were trying to deny it; pretend it never happened, and you lied to people about it too.”

Sci-Twi shook her head pitifully. “It is virtually impossible to totally shut memories out of your conscience. You may try and supress them, but they will resurface.

Our histories are part of us. They make who we are today.

If you don’t learn from your past, it’s bound to come back at you.”

Terra curled her fingers up in the sand. “Believe me, I know.”

She recalled that a few weeks passed since she and Gar parted ways-- sadly.

She tried to put it behind her, but it was no use. Her conscience was loaded up with guilt; it was hard to focus on her studies. She couldn’t sleep well.

All she could think of was Gar, and how she hurt him, and even remembered the good times they had… which she had tried to put behind as well.

A small song began to play as more images of the past flashed by…

Terra found herself growing steadily worse, and yet she still wanted to remain dedicated to her normal life.

It also didn’t help that as she passed by game shops displaying Duel Monster cards, that she could see Change of Heart in the windows, which triggered more memories.

She even ended up accidently running into Gar in the city as they both turned round the same corner.

He wouldn’t respond to her. He would just glare at her with angry, cold, hate-filled eyes, which told her he didn’t take his dumping too well, and hadn’t moved on himself.

After a while, she decided to try and talk to him again, to try and him understand she was sorry, and things could get better.

Really… it seemed more as if she just cared about was clearing her conscience for herself. All she was doing was, again, trying to insist he forget about her and move on.

He came down hard on her.

“Beast Boy, can’t you understand? I’m doing this for both of us; try and make our lives better.”

Unamused, Gar sneered at her. “I don’t think so. You were doing it for yourself, just like you are now. You hate feeling guilty for what you did to me… to yourself… to us… and now you’re in a desperate hurry to clean your mind of it.

I want to wish you a lot of luck. I hope it takes the rest of your life!”

He walked off insisting. “I left you alone. I respect your wishes… now you respect mine, and keep away from me.

…That’s what you wanted after all.”

Cadance felt sorry for Gar. “No wonder he’s so upset and rough all the time.” She felt his attitude was still inexcusable, but at least it was more explainable and understandable.

Terra’s body felt numb. All these painful memories were hurting her more and more, and yet she caused them.

“How did you guys learn about this?” Sunset asked the Titans.

“She told us all of it, when she decided to come back to us.” Raven explained. “Of course, it was too late. Gar had already left the city, and we couldn’t find him.”

“Didn’t you even try to comfort him?” Pinkie asked.

The Titans gave a stunned silence, and some rubbed their shoulders nervously, which told her enough. “I can’t believe this.”

“We never saw her.” said Dick “We still thought he was just being overly obsessed with the past, and that he needed to let go and move on.”

Kori agreed. “We hated seeing him all broody and moping all the time. He wasn’t being himself.”

“He was being a spoiled and selfish brat.” Raven murmured, but she was heard by the others, and they couldn’t believe what she had just said.

“People come, and people go. It’s part of life. I was willing to move on, and so were the others.”

Sunset detected a note of sadism in her voice, as if there was even more to this story than was told, but before she could ask.

Pinkie decided, “We’ve got to find Gar now.”

Terra looked up, and Pinkie looked down at her. “We’ll find him; try to make him understand that you’re sorry, and that you really want to have him back in your life.”

Terra wiped away the last of her tears. She did want to make it up to Gar, but after the way things were going, it was starting to feel and look totally hopeless.

“You heard him.” she said. “He wants nothing to do with me, or any of us for that matter.”

“She’s right about that.” said Vic. “The guy scoffs at anything or anyone who would offer him the least bit of friendship.”

“Well friendship is our department.” said Pinkie. “Sunset had a bad past, but we all managed to help her.”

Sunset hated being reminded her of her old evil ways, but she didn’t deny it. She faced her past and learned from it, instead of what Terra did, and she turned out fine with friends, a team.

Pinkie held out her hand to Terra, helping her onto her feet.

She managed a soft smile, but her insides were still going crazy, and so were the Titans’; there was still more that hadn’t been told.

Sci-Twi especially wondered all this as she added it all in her mind.

“So Gar was dumped, and his friends sold out Jump City causing it to fall into decline.”

She could easily deduce why Gar was pushy and angry all the time, but she still felt there was more to it. She read up psychology and found out that most people could still learn to forgive and forget, instead of wailing on innocent beings that they were in differed to… like how Gar would trash-talk herself and her friends about Friendship and all that.

“Somehow I still don’t think the Titans have told us absolutely everything.”

“Come on, let’s go find him.” said Pinkie.

“Uh… yeah… Just how are we supposed to do that?” asked Rainbow.

Pinkie pointed down at the ground where Gar left fresh footprints in the sand.

Rainbow felt silly. “…That’s one way.”

Soon, the group was on their way, feeling that Gar couldn’t have gotten too far in such a short time.

The Titans and Terra still had doubts that he would be willing to listen, given the way he behaved; and still dreading certain other facts that weren’t mentioned in Terra’s story.

…But just as they started hot on the trail.

“Stop right there!” someone shouted.

Everyone halted dead in their tracks, and then, right ahead of the group, she dropped in from above.

Though she was a Malefican, everyone recognized the voice, and the hair color.

“Celestia?” cried Sunset.

“Man, what’s happened to her?” wondered Vic.

Celestia glared at the group, and snickered wickedly. “Now we can really get down to business.”

Cadance and Shining Armor couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Aunt Celestia…?” cried Cadance.

“What’s happened to you?” added Shining Armor.

“Hey, I just said that.” remarked Vic.

Dick clenched his fists, “She’s been brainwashed; that’s what.”

“Ha! No one’s been brainwashed.” Celestia insisted. “I’ve just been reborn. I’ve seen better ways. I’ve even found… my one true soulmate.”

“Soulmate…?” asked Pinkie. “What is she talking about?”

Rainbow could tell this was the work of the Prince Brothers. “I don’t think we’ll be able to reason with her too good.”

Sunset leapt up front. “Celestia, please… let us help you.”

“The only one who needs help is you, Sunset Shimmer… because you and I are going to duel now.”

“Huh? Duel, now?” asked Sunset, but she quickly refused. “No, I won’t!” She was still haunted from when she dueled and defeated Applejack; sealing her in a card which Terra had as well as the hat.

“What’s wrong?” scoffed Celestia. “Scared you’ll lose, even though you will?”

“No, I don’t want either one of us to lose.” protested Sunset. “I don’t know what those brothers did to you, but you’ve got to snap out of it.”

Celestia suddenly began to have more blurry memories go through her mind.

She could almost see images of what looked like herself giving Sunset a boost up when Spike’s soul was captured.

…Still, it didn’t last, and she brushed it all off.

“I came here to duel you, and that’s what we’re going to do.”

“And you can understand, my answer is still “No!” insisted Sunset.

She raised her arm to remove her duel disk, when it suddenly began to glow.

“Huh?”

At the same time, the mystery card in Dick’s pocket was glowing too.

“What the…!”

“What’s going on?” asked Raven.

“It’s as if the card wants her to duel.” replied Sci-Twi.

“But she’s not even holding the card.” said Terra.

Suddenly, without warning, Sunset’s duel disk fired its own duel beam, without her telling it to, and struck Celestia’s duel disk.

The others all gasped.

“No!!” cried Sunset.

Celestia snickered, “I knew you’d see things differently.”

Sunset trembled nervously with a bit of outrage. “I don’t want to duel you!”

“Too bad…!”

Dick gazed down at the mystery card, which he and the others agreed was the cause of this mishap.

“So, what happens now?” asked Pinkie.

“What else? They duel.” answered Rainbow.

Nobody liked this one bit, because it meant that no matter who won or lost, one of them would be losing their soul for sure.

Episode 28: Two Friends?

EPISODE TWENTY-EIGHT

Sunset didn’t know what to feel more upset about; the fact that she was dueling Celestia in a Malefic match, or that Celestia was now in allegiance with the enemy.

“Celestia, please listen to me!” she begged making one last desperate attempt to get through to her, but it was just no use.

Celestia laughed, “You just worry about this duel, because once we’re through, your life will become-- how shall I say it-- two-dimensional?

Now let’s duel!”

Celestia LP: 8000

Sunset LP: 8000

The spectators were in just as big of deter as she was. They had no idea who to root for, or anything.

“This is totally insane!” cried Rainbow.

Pinkie agreed, “If Sunset wins this duel, we’ll lose Celestia, but if she doesn’t win, then we lose her.

We lose Celestia…

We lose Sunset…

Celestia…

Sunset…

CELESTIA…

…SUNSET!!”

She stopped when Raven gave a soft smack to her head to snap her out of it.

“Thanks, I needed that.”

Raven shook her head softly.

Cadance was breathing heavily in stress at the very thought of her friends dueling too. He husband let her squeeze his hand, like he always did when she was fretting.

She was more stressed than ever this time given how hard she was squeezing-- to the point of cutting off his blood-flow.

“If this keeps up, I won’t survive this duel!” he groaned.

Dick on the other hand was more concerned with the mystery card, and how it forced the duel to begin.

“That does it.” he thought. “I’ve got to get rid of this thing right now!”

While Sunset was distracted, he slipped behind Vic.

“Where are you going?” he whispered softly, but he got his answer as Dick motioned at the card.

Kori then gave him a look too telling to be careful.

He promised, and he rushed off towards the hills.

“It’s my move.” Celestia called. “I summon a monster in defense-mode. Then I’ll lay one card facedown, and end my turn.

Now go ahead. Show me what you’ve got; not that I already don’t know.”

Sunset fret softly as she thought, “That’s right… she’s knows my entire dueling strategy, but at the same I know hers as well.

But wait a minute…!

What if I’m wrong? What if the Prince Brothers gave her some whole new deck? Why wouldn’t they?”

There was only one way for her to find out, and that was to head straight into it.

“Here goes…” she said as she drew her card.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 DRAGONCALLER MAGICIAN, and Scale 8 TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN!”

Her two magician friends jumped up into the light.

“Now with this, I can summon all monsters form Level 3 to 7 as I need.”

She called up to the swinging Pendulum…

“As the Pendulum swings from forth to back,
My monsters come forth to launch an attack!

…BEHOLD MY MONSTERS!

Two shots of light rained down from above as her monsters appeared.

“DHARMA-EYE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2000)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Her monsters stood together, but because she Pendulum Summoned her Odd-Eyes, she was bathed in the Green Pendulum light again.

“But how?” wondered Terra. “She doesn’t the mystery card and it’s nowhere near her.”

Twilight could see in her card and she didn’t like this one bit. “Maybe there’s more to it than we all think?”

Dick was rushing up the hill towards a sharp drop into a misty valley below.

He held up the card and glared at it deeply. “So long…!” he growled before pitching it over the edge and down into the valley out of sight. “Good riddance!”

He turned and headed back down the way towards the duel, unaware that down below in the valley there was a large glow of green Pendulum Light coming from where the card was thrown.

The glowing around Sunset ceased, but even she herself was confused by the fact that she glowed without the card in her possession.

Celestia was astounded as well. “So that’s the magic that Loki explained to me about.”

She recalled in a flashback.

“You must beware, my dear. Sunset Shimmer is unlike the other duelists. The power from her summoning grows stronger with each time it is done.”

“Do not worry, my love. I won’t let her, or anyone get the best of me.”

That was a promise she intended to keep.

Sunset panted softly and groaned, “I don’t know how much more of this I can take.”

She looked on ahead at Celestia’s field. Much as she hated to attack her, she knew there was no choice, and engaged her battle phase.

With a heavy heart she called to her monster, “Dharma-Eye Magician, attack that facedown monster.”

Her monster complied and leapt over to unleash its fury, and Timegazer out, Celestia could use no traps when a Pendulum Monster attacked

Her monster revealed itself, as a tiny little wizard with zero defense points.

“Hey, I don’t remember you ever having that monster.” said Sunset.

“What kind of monster is that?” wondered Pinkie.

Sci-Twi shook her head, having never seen it before herself.

Celestia snickered, “Meet my FILM MAGICIAN; a creature that cannot be destroyed in battle by any monster, and its attack and defense points increase by the total amount by the attacking monster.”

“What?!” cried Sunset.

Indeed, the little magician’s defense increased…

(Def: 0) -----> (Def: 2000)

She watched her attack went through, but the little magician remained standing. Then it’s defense returned back to zero.

Sunset cringed softly.

The spectators were worried.

“So even if sunset attacks with her Odd-Eyes,” said Kori. “…It won’t do anything.”

“Dang! This could be harder than we thought.” said Vic. “Who knows what other kinds of unfair, advantages those brothers gave Celestia.”

He was really concerned for Celestia’s safety, as well as Sunset’s.

Sunset had no other choice. “I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.”

Then she thought, “You know, part of me is sort of glad I didn’t damage her, but that really isn’t anything to be pleased about, because now she has a chance to get back at me.

Then again, we’re already trapped in this duel. Even if I could convince her to snap out of that brainwashing, we’d still be forced to keep going until one of us loses.”

“It’s my draw now.” hissed Celestia. “And I activate POT OF GREED, so I draw twice more.”

She looked at her newly drawn cards, and then over at Sunset.

“Prepare to feel the wrath of my deck.”

Sunset fretted deep down inside.

“I summon forth DOUBLE-C CRITICAL EYE.”

(Atk: 1400)

Her eye monster appeared.

“What kind of monster is that?” asked Raven.

“It’s got two C’s.” said Terra.

Sci-Twi, again, couldn’t explain the card, having never seen it before. “This is crazy!” she grumbled. “Those Prince Brothers can create and perfect actual cards to use in the game against us.”

“…Like a cheat.” agreed Spike. “I just hope whatever happens, that Sunset can stand up to it.”

“Now I activate the trap DNA TRANSPLANT!”

Everyone recognized this card and what it could do, as Celestia explained, “With the power of this trap, I now change monsters’ attributes on the field to Wind types.”

With a billow gale, all the monsters that were in play became said attribute.

“What’s the point of changing it?” asked Sunset.

“You shall find out.” replied Celestia “Now I activate a powerful spell known as MONTAGE FUSION.”

“Montage-- What?” cried Sunset, and then she noticed her dragon was starting to wail and growl as it was shrouded in a burning light.

“What’s happening to Odd-Eyes?” asked Kori.

“I don’t know,” said Terra “But the same thing is happening to Celestia’s monster too.”

She was right; the Critical Eye was shrouded in the same glowing light.

Then, right there, Celestia’s spell produced a picture of Sunset’s Odd-Eyes.

Celestia explained, “This card has taken a picture of your dragon, and now it gets summoned to the field as near perfect copy of your monster. It has its attack, its defense, its attribute… but unfortunately it lacks any special effects, but that hardly concerns me… because as a secondary effect, Montage Fusion enables me to Fusion Summon this turn.”

Sunset’s eyes widened, and the spectators were shocked.

“I knew she could Fusion Summon before…” said Pinkie. “But this is-- I don’t believe this at all!”

“Now!” shouted Celestia “I fuse to together my picture of your Odd-Eye Pendulum Dragon, with my Critical Eye.”

The two monsters leapt up high.

Strong winds billowed as the monster appeared, and Celestia called to it.

“Swift as the howling winds will blow,
I call on a creature to smite all I know!

I Fusion SummonTRIPLE-C SONIC HALBERD OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 3000)

The mighty weapon appeared; shrouded in the eerie gales, making everyone gawk at it with horrors.

“Would you take a look at that!” cried Vic.

“It’s so beautiful, and yet creepy at the same time.” added Raven.

Celestia laughed wickedly. “Stare into the face of defeat, Sunset. My mighty Halberd shall now blow you and your remaining monster away!

Especially seeing as it can attack twice in one turn!”

“Two attacks…?!”

Celestia engaged her battle phase.

“Halberd, I command you to strike down Dharma-Eye Magician! Go!”

Her mighty monster rushed in to attack.

“Hold on! I play a trap!” called Sunset. “Go DAMAGE DIET! It’ll halve all the battle damage I take for the rest of the turn.”

Celestia wasn’t the least bit outraged, seeing as her attack still went through…

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2000)

The magician was vanquished, but Sunset only took 500 points of damage.

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 7500

The life drains shocks were still painful and annoying.

“And now, I make a second attack.” hollered Celestia. “Halberd, attack Odd-Eyes now!”

The weapon complied and dove straight for the dragon!

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2500)

Odd-Eyes roared in pain as it was shattered, and the shockwaves billowed past Sunset.

Sunset LP: 7500 -----> 7250

Even with only half the damage taken, the shocks still hurt.

Celestia still laughed and taunted. “My word…! Still have some fight left in you I see.”

“I never give up!” balked Sunset “Especially when I know what I’m fighting for… just like you used to. Remember, you joined the tournament to help use rescue Princess Twilight from captivity, and to help the Titans with their problem as well.

Think back, Celestia. You’ve got to remember.”

Hearing her say those things did seem to spark something, as Celestia was, once again, having flashbacks of faded memories…

…But, again, it did no good. They were too blurry to make out and understand, and she shook the feeling off.

“Quit messing with my mind!” she bellowed. “I know who I am. I am Princess of Malefic World, and soon to be co-ruler of all the worlds in all the dimensions as the darkness spread.

I shall rule alongside my dear Prince Loki, and all the beings everyone will glamour at my greatness!”

Her scary talk really struck everyone hard.

“She’s totally lost it.” said Rainbow. “That must be some super brainwashing.”

Cadance’s heart felt heavier by the minute, and her grip on her husband’s hand tightened hard.

“Cadance!!” he wailed.

She quickly let him go. “Oh! Sorry… I just can’t… I don’t think…” she couldn’t find words. This was all just too much to bear.

Shining Armor held her close. He couldn’t stand to see his adoptive aunt-in-law like this-- evil, and misguided, while battling Sunset.

“I don’t think I can bear it that either one of them will lose their soul.” he thought.

He kept looking back and forth between the two duelists wondering if there was any possible way to spare them both.

Dick made it back to the group. “What did I miss?” he asked.

“See for yourself.” replied Kori.

“Celestia just won’t snap out of the brainwashing.” added Terra.

Still looking determined as ever to win, Celesita called, “Let us continue, shall we?”

Her battle phase was done, but it was still her turn.

“I place two cards facedown, and I’ll switch Film Magician to attack mode.”

(Atk: 0)

“What? Why attack mode?” asked Sunset. “It doesn’t even have any attack points.”

Then she and all the spectators realized the truth.

“Of course!” said Sci-Twi. “If Sunset attacks the magician with any monster, its attack points to go up and match the points of the attacking monster.

And since the magician can’t be destroyed in battle, that means Sunset’s monsters would only destroy themselves.”

Spike growled and snarled. “Man, can’t we ever get a break! How much cheaper can these cards get?”

Celestia’s expressionless face remained as it was; she merely glared at her and said “…I end my turn.”

Sunset was livid with this ignorance and arrogance.

Then she noticed something else…

…Celestia’s giant halberd was still in play.

“You said it would be destroyed at the end of the turn.”

Celestia snickered, “I did, but I don’t suppose I mentioned that during the turn my halberd is summoned, it isn’t destroyed by any card effect.”

Sunset growled, and the spectators were outraged.

“Man! I can’t take this!” growled Vic.

Raven was outraged too, but she insisted, “Like throwing a tantrum is going to change things.”

“Hang tough, Sunset.” murmured Sci-Twi.

Princess Twilight was giving all her hopes to Sunset as well.

“It’s my move. I draw…!” hollered Sunset.

Really, she was starting to tremble a bit; having no knowledge or idea of the cards she was facing, and still fraught with the idea of winning the duel and costing Celestia her soul.

Still, there was no backing down, and then an idea came to her.

“I guess even if I do win this duel, and she loses her soul, it’ll at least save her from the brainwashing.

At least she wouldn’t be plotting against us anymore.”

Knowing all this didn’t really make it all the easier, but it was enough to boost her up to keep going.

“I activate GRACEFUL CHARITY, so I draw three cards, and then discard two.”

When all was done, she still had only two in hand, but she felt she had what she needed for what she had in mind, although she was dreading it a bit, fearing what would happen to her if she did.

She had no choice.

“I activate the spell ODD-EYES FUSION. This lets me perform a Fusion Summon, and since you control two monsters while my field is empty, I can use monsters that are in my Extra Deck for this Fusion.”

Celestia growled. “Well, with that little stunt you’re pulling, I’ll do one of my own.”

She held up the single remaining card in her hand, “From my hand I discard MAXX “C!”

Tons of tiny golden sparkles began to emit from her glowing deck.

“Oh, no! Not that?!” cried Sci-Twi.

Her brother looked at her. “You know that card?”

Sci-Twi nodded, “Starting now and until the end of the turn, every time Sunset special summons monsters, Celestia draws one card each time.”

Everyone felt chills run down their spines, because the way things were going, Sunset was going to need all the monsters she could get.

Sunset clenched her fists, but she continued her move.

“I now fuse ODD-EYES ABSOLUTE DRAGON with Dharma-Eye Magician!”

The two monster spirits emerged from the Extra Deck and began to fuse together.

“I summon a dragon of powerful might,
May its swirling force win me this fight!

I Fusion Summon, ODD-EYES VORTEX DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

The Dragon spread out its strong wings, billowing with gales, as it was naturally a Wind Monster without being cursed by the transplant trap.

Still, with its successful Fusion Summon, both it and Sunset were shrouded in the Purple Fusion Light.

Dick couldn’t believe his eyes. “How can this be? I got rid of that card-- chucked it far away.”

Twilight shook her head, “…You can never really determine the true extent of magic. I don’t think it’s all just the card itself that did it.”

“Well, what exactly is it?” asked Pinkie. “Tell me! SOMEBODY TELL ME…!!”

Everyone felt started by her shouting, but none could answer her.

The light faded, but Sunset was feeling a bit stranger as she panted and looked angrier.

“You’re going down!” she hissed in a slight evil voice.

“Whoa! What’s happening to her?” asked Terra.

“This is just like before.” replied Sci-Twi, recalling how Sunset become more and more violent and raging with every dragon summoning she made with the proper method.

“Maybe the card really was evil?” suggested Kori. “Maybe it cursed her with some kind of weird magic?”

“You could be right.” said Raven. “If only my powers were working, I could give us all a straight answer.”

“I activate Vortex Dragon’s special ability!” shouted Sunset. “Since it was successfully summoned, I get to send one monster one your field away, so your Halberd is about to go Bye-Bye!”

Celestia’s monster vanished, angering her severely. “You will pay for that!”

“I don’t think so. Now, get ready! …I Pendulum Summon…!”

A single shot of light came out from her Extra Deck.

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

With her dragon’s proper Pendulum summon, the green light did its work on Sunset again, making her wail and groan as the magic aura worsened.

Her eyes began to glow a bright yellow with red streaks, much to the fright of everyone.

“Sunset!” called Princess Twilight.

“She’s getting worse!” wailed Cadance.

Shining Armor was fretting inside worse than ever.

Struggling with herself, Sunset called out, “I activate NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN’S ability in my graveyard.” said Sunset. “Since I have Odd-Eyes on the field, I can reduce his level from 7 to 4, and by doing so, Nobledragon Magician jumps into the scene.”

(Def: 1400)

“And just in time, because now I tune him with my Level 4 Odd-Eyes!”

The two monsters zoomed upward, creating the tuning rings and light orbs as Sunset chanted…

“On flaming wings, and claws that seer,
My mighty beast shall now appear!

I Synchro Summon ODD-EYES METEORBURST DRAGON.”

(Atk: 2500)

The dragon had no flames to shed, as it was still treated as a Wind monster, but it still roared fiercely, and Sunset roared too as she was bathed in the Blue Synchro Light, intensifying the evil aura.

“And since Meteorburst Dragon was successfully summoned, I can now invite Dragoncaller Magician to join us on the field.”

Her magician leapt out from out of the Pendulum Zone and onto the field.

(Atk: 2400)

“And there’s still worse to come, because now I activate RE-XYZ.”

Celestia and all the spectators gasped.

Sunset then thundered with rage, “With this spell, I can target the Xyz Monster in my graveyard, and two monsters with the same level. Then I can Xyz Summon that very Xyz monster using both those creatures.”

“What monsters is she talking about?” asked Rainbow, but then she suddenly realized when Sunset played Graceful Charity, she most likely sent another creature to the grave.

Snickering evily, Sunset bellowed, “From my graveyard, I overlay Level 7 Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, and Level 7 Xiangke Magician, so I can build the Overlay Network!”

The vortex appeared, and Sunset roared as she chanted…

“With wings so sharp and a shining light
I summon a dragon of great might!”

Her monster burst out in a ray of light crashing onto the field, “I Xyz Summon ODD-EYES ABSOLUTE DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her dragon let out a fierce roar, and Sunset roared loud and furiously as well while she was shrouded in the black Xyz Light, igniting the flaming aura around her to the point where she practically seemed like she was on fire.

Her voice had completely changed now, too. It was deeper, raspier, and even reverbing. “Yes! Power!! Absolute Power...!!”

“What’s happening to her!” cried Terra.

“She’s performed all the summoning methods in just one turn!” answered Rainbow.

Sunset’s energy was so massive that it even stirring up all the darkness in the air and in the sky.

Far off, the mystery card rose up from the valley where Dick had tossed it. It was glowing so incredibly brightly now as it began to fly off.

The Prince Brothers had been observing the duel themselves, and the amount of energy that was pouring in was nothing short of astounding to them.

Loki was laughing loud and hard. “Yes!! It’s all so wonderful!” he gloated. “All this power, all this force; I love it!!

My darling Celestia is indeed living up to her Malefic nature.”

Rubeus agreed. He was pleased to see Sunset’s power and darkness stirring-- perhaps a little too well.

“Still, Celestia doesn’t look like she’s in a good spot. Sunset has summoned many mighty dragons to do her bidding, and with her power reaching its peak…

You do realize there is a chance she may lose.”

“Ha!” scoffed Loki. “My little sweet spell won’t lose this duel. You’ll see.”

Then he thought, “And we’ll finally be rid of that pesky Sunset Shimmer for good.”

Rubeus gazed at Sunset, almost as if her were concerned about something.

Sunset was snickering while glaring at Celestia, and her three dragons all snarled and growled while facing her little Film Magician down.

“Any last words…?” Sunset sneered.

Celestia only growled softly and didn’t say a thing.

“Oh, well! Time for you to go…!”

“Sunset, get a hold of yourself…!” Pinkie shouted to her, but Sunset didn’t listen, she was far too distracted of what she felt was an assured victory.

“Dragoncaller Magician, you’re up first! Attack that Film Magician!”

The Magicians nodded, and powered up, ready to strike.

“And by the way” Sunset called out, “Thanks to Odd-Eyes Meteorburst… your Film Magician can’t activate its special ability, so its attack stays at zilch… but you’ll still take plenty of damage!”

Celestia braced herself as Sunset’s magician attacked her own, swatting it firmly on the head.

(Atk: 2400) VS (Atk: 0)

As promised, the magician wasn’t destroyed, but damage was still dealt to Celestia.

Celestia LP: 8000 -----> 5600

Unlike other Maleficans who were artificial, Celestia still possessed a soul, and therefore was shocked by the drainage.

Cadance fearfully turned her face away crying in anguish!

Shining Armor held her close.

Sunset’s evil glare narrowed, “And now I’ll attack again with Vortex Dragon! Go!”

The dragon roared and unleashed its fury…

(Atk: 2500) VS (Atk: 0)

Celestia took more damage…

Celestia LP: 5600 -----> 3100

She was shocked again and went down on her knees. “You think this is over?!” she snarled.

Sunset laughed, “And now, Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon… let her have it!”

The dragon roared and dove for the magician and prepared to wipe it out. “Now I’ll use his special ability. I can use one overlay unit to stop the attack!”

The dragon halted dead still, sparing Celestia’s monster from destruction.

“You think I may have gone crazy by stopping the attack, but I haven’t, because now I’m allowed to resurrect one “Odd-Eyes” out of my graveyard, and who better than… ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON.”

Her dragon was back, and since it was not Pendulum Summoned, there weren’t any lights, but Sunset was still looking quite creepy.

(Atk: 2500)

“You think that worries me?” bellowed Celestia. “You summoned another monster, so I draw another card.”

Sunset snickered wickedly, “It doesn’t matter. After all, once my Odd-Eyes attacks your puny little magician there, its special ability will deal you double the damage, and you’ll be all wiped out!”

Celestia growled, and Sunset ordered her dragon, “Attack and finish her off!”

Odd-Eyes roared and unleashed his fury straight at the magician.

“What is it she doing?!” cried Pinkie.

“If she wins, then Celestia loses her soul!” added Rainbow.

Everyone gawked in horrors at what was expected to happen, but Celestia laughed wickedly. “Finish me? Never! I activate my facedown card, ENEMY CONTROLLER!”

“What?!” bellowed Sunset.

“Oh, yes! This handy spell allows me to switch your Odd-Eyes from Attack to Defense-Mode, and thus it will spare me from your dragon’s fire.”

Just as the magic began to go into effect, Sunset laughed again. “Oh, really? Guess again! I activate Vortex Dragon’s special ability. Now, by sending Dharma-Eye Magician from my Extra Deck to my Main Deck… your spell is cancelled out, and your card is destroyed!”

The magic faded, and the card image exploded, much to Celestia’s annoyance.

“And that means… my attack continues,” bellowed Sunset “And you… are… history!!”

Odd-Eyes attack continued, and the magician was struck hard, knocking Celestia back and flat onto the sand.

“NOOOO!!!” The Equestrians all shouted, while the Titans gawked in horror!

“She lost!” cried Vic!

“I don’t believe it!” wailed Kori.

Sunset could only glare wickedly and sneer, “You claim to be a princess, yet you can’t even fight like a drone soldier.

Your power and your cards are nothing compared the forces I wield!”

The smoke from the attack cleared, and everyone could not believe their eyes…! Celestia was up and on her feet!

“What’s this?!” cried Sunset.

“Is she still in this?” asked Cadance.

“Seems so, but how?” wondered Shining Armor.

Celestia snickered and then laughed. “Seems that you so busy grandstanding, you didn’t notice that I played another spell card.”

“What?” growled Sunset, and Celestia explained, “Right before your Odd-Eyes’ attack struck me, I activated the spell SHRINK. With that, your Odd-Eyes lost half of its attack strength!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1250)

“True, you still did me double the damage, but I managed to hang in with few life points to spare!”

Celestia LP: 3100 -----> 600

“Maybe I’m not such a pitiful ruler after all.”

Sunset was outraged, while the viewers didn’t know whether to feel relieved or worried. They were glad Celestia hadn’t been knocked out, but then again, she now had a chance to make a comeback!

Sunset could attack no more-- Meteorburst was not allowed to attack since it used its effect. “I end my turn.” said Sunset. “Mark my words, I will finish you!”

“Celestia only has 600 life points remaining!” cried Cadance. “How can she possibly pull this off?”

“Especially with all those dragons staring her down.” added Dick.

“I don’t know about that…” said Rainbow. “Take a look at her hand.”

Since Sunset had special summoned so many times, she had drawn seven cards!

“It still doesn’t really matter what happens anyway.” Terra pointed out. “No matter who wins this duel, one of them goes down!”

“Thanks for reminding us for the umpteenth time.” grumbled Raven.

Shining Armor was contemplating hard as he looked between the duelists. Despite that they were both looking and behaving not like their old selves, he still saw only his friends, and he couldn’t bear it if either of them lost their soul after so many others had.

Rarity…

Fluttershy…

Applejack…

Luna…

That’s when he thought back to when Luna stepped in to protect her sister from being turned into a card.

“It’s my turn now.” bellowed Celestia. “I draw…!”

Everyone gawked at her full hand.

“She’s holding eight cards!” cried Twilight.

“Man, how many cards does she need at once?” groaned Spike.

Celestia chuckled, "It’s time that I showed you what my new dueling style is truly capable of doing.”

“What are you talking about?” growled Sunset.

“Just watch…

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 FOULCAUT’S CANNON, and Scale 7 ARCHFIEND ECCENTRICK!”

“WHAT-----?!” shouted Sunset.

The spectators couldn’t believe their eyes themselves.

“She can Pendulum Summon?!” asked Pinkie.

“She never could before.” said Rainbow.

The two monsters rose up into the lights, and the Pendulum began to swing between them

“With the aid of this power pendulum, I can now summon as many monsters between levels 3 and 6 as I need…

…Show yourselves!”

Two shots of light rained down from above as her monsters appeared.

“I call forth not one, but two DOUBLE-C CRITICAL EYE(s).”

(Atk: 1400) x2

“You have other copies?” sunset asked in disbelief.

“Yes indeed.” hissed Celestia. “And it only gets worse for you!

From my hand, I play SUPER-POLYMERIZATION!”

“Ah!!” cried Sunset.

Pinkie gazed in shock, having owned the card herself. “This isn’t good! I know what she’s doing…!”

Celestia discarded one card for her spell to work. “Now I can use one of your monsters to fuse together with my Critical Eye, and I choose Dragoncaller Magician!”

“You dare?!!” thundered Sunset, but her magician was already cursed by the glowing power.

Celestia laughed wickedly and then said, “I now fuse Dragoncaller Magician with my Critcial Eye, and I once again Fusion Summon…TRIPLE-C SONIC HALBERD OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 3000)

Sunset gawked up at the huge windy weapon.

“It’s back again!” cried Vic.

“And it looks raring to take the other monsters all out.” added Kori.

“Oh, and while we’re at it,” hissed Celestia “I now activate Archfiend Eccentrick’s pendulum ability.

It destroys itself in the Pendulum Zone, but it also takes a spell or trap card on the field with it. Like my own DNA Transplant.”

The two cards then exploded, and with the trap gone, all the monsters in play reverted to back to their normal attributes.

“I don’t understand.” said Sunset. “Why would you get rid of your own trap card?”

Then, in a glowing flash, the trap card reappeared.

“What? Another Transplant card?”

“Precisely.” hissed Celestia. “After all, since I sent MAKYURA THE DESTRUCTOR, to the graveyard, I was able to activate this little surprise from my hand.

Now I shall change the attributes of every monster in play once more. This time they shall be Earth types.”

Sunset watched as all the monsters began to gain rock solid bodies. She couldn’t help but wonder what Celestia was trying to pull, but she soon got her answer.

“Next I shall activate CARD OF DEMISE, enabling me to refresh my hand with five new cards, as long as I throw out my entire hand in five turns.”

Raven couldn’t believe how easily she had pulled that off as she thought, “This new deck of hers is truly stacked in a perfect way. Not only can she summon many strong monsters, but she can keep her hand refreshed too.”

Celestia chuckled, “A good princess always knows how to keep her resources good and stocked.

Speaking of which, I shall now activate FALLING CURRENT, which allows me to change Critical Eye’s Level to 1.

“But it doesn’t stop there, for now I give to you all a spell known asCRITICAL TUNING!”

Everyone gazed at the card.

“And just what does this do?” asked Sunset, but then she noticed her Meteorburst Dragon was going crazy, and it’s level changed from 7 to 5.

“What have you done?”

Celestia answered, “My Critical Tuning reduces your monster’s level, and then clones it on this card.

After which, I am able to treat my Critical Eye as a Tuner monster, and Synchro Summon with them!”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Synchro Summon?!” Vic asked in shock “Did she say “Synchro Summon?”

“She did!” whimpered Terra.

“That must be why she changed Critical Eye’s level.” added Sci-Twi.

Celestia then bellowed, “I Tune Level 1 Critical Eye with my Level 5 monster copy.”

The two monsters leapt up and formed the tuning rings and light orbs as Celestia called out to her forming creature…

“Forged from the earthly depths below,
I forge a mighty beast for you to know!

I Synchro SummonTRIPLE-C ROCK BLASTER OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 2400)

Sunset looked up in fury. “What sort of creature is that?!”

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “I’ll show you, as I activate Rock Blaster’s special ability, which allows it to fire a shot at your Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!”

The mighty blasted shot the dragon, making it roar and growl in pain.

“No, my dragon!!” cried Sunset “What do you think you’re doing?!”

As the brightness began to dim down, Celestia looked up at the creature. “I’m afraid your dragon has just grown weaker by 1000 attack points.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 2000)

Sunset was finally trembling in fear, and while she tried hard to regain herself, Celestia could only chuckle.

“What’s wrong? …Upset that you’re about to be shown up for the fool that you are?”

“Silence!!” shouted Sunset. “I am no fool!”

“But you are!” protested Celestia. “If you don’t believe me, then watch as I activate the spell MONSTER REBORN!

With it, my Double-C Critical Eye returns to the field once again!”

(Atk: 1400)

“Not again!” groaned Pinkie.

“Is she seriously going to keep playing that creepy eye over and over like this?” wondered Rainbow.

Celestia grabbed another card in her hand, but before she played it she couldn’t help but tease everyone. “Observe if you will…

I Pendulum Summoned, Fusion, and Synchro Summoned… would anyone like to guess what else I could do?”

Everyone immediately got the idea.

“No, she can’t…!” cried Spike.

“…I think she will!” groaned Sci-Twi.

Celestia played her card, “Behold the spellCRITICAL OVERLAY!”

“No!” cried Sunset.

“Yes! It allows to me to snap a shot of your Meteorburst dragon once again, which changes its level.

Since it was already made to Level 5, it now becomes 6, and then the creature is copied onto my field, while Critcial Eye also becomes Level 6.”

When all was said and done, Celestia finally had everything she needed for her ultimate victory plan.

“I overlay Double-C Critical Eyes with my Meteorburst copy! With these Level 6 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters vanished into the portal, and Celestia chanted away…

“From deep within the Earth sprouts a new life,
A creature I make to bring only strife.

I Xyz SummonTRIPLE-C ROCK ARMOR OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 2500)

“Aaa-aaah!!” Sunset wailed as she took a few steps back. “This… this is impossible!! I don’t believe it!”

The spectators all felt the same way as they gawked at every single creature on Celestia’s field.

“She did it!” cried Cadance. “She really, actually did it! She used all four summoning methods!”

It was just a lot to take in.

“This is almost like when Celestia dueled Sunset in the tournament.” said Rainbow.

Celestia then shut her eyes tight, and she clutched her head. Something about this felt familiar to her too as she had more blurry memories that were a tad bit clearer than before.

Still, she shook it off and barked at Sunset, “This ends now! Your fate is sealed! Your mighty dragons will never withstand the forces of my army.”

Sunset said nothing as she gazed up at all three Triple-C monsters.

Celestia had more in store for her. “I activate Rock Armor’s special ability. By using one overlay unit, his attack points will increase to equal half the defense points of every Earth monster that’s in play!”

“EVERY EARTH MONSTER?!!” everyone shouted, noting that all the monsters were treated as Earth Types.

Even though the Halberd and Film Magician had zero defense points, all the other monsters’ defense points were added up…

2000 x3

2500

3000

Then it was halved, and the total amount came to 5750 attack points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 8250)

“NOOOOOOO!!!” wailed Sunset.

“Look at all those attack points!” screamed Pinkie.

Everyone else was all fretting with extreme fear, especially when Celestia stood ready for battle.

The Prince Brothers could see it all.

“Yes!” cheered Loki. “I think she’s really going to do it! She’s going to win!!”

Rubeus only growled softly, as if he didn’t feel too thrilled about this.

“My Rock Blaster shall be the first to attack.” said Celestia. “And I should mention, when it does, it’s attack points increase by 200 points for the level of every other Earth monster in play!”

“YOU LIE!!” shouted Sunset, but it was no lie; the monster was already charging up.

While the Xyz monsters had no levels, The Halberd, the Film Magician, and the two other dragons on Sunset’s field; it all came to 4600 points!

(Atk: 2200) -----> (Atk: 6800

The group of spectators were all huddling together in fear and shock beyond imagination while Sunset was terrifying so hard, sweat drops were flying off of her.

“Rock Blaster,” Celestia called “Destroy Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon!”

(Atk: 6800) VS (Atk: 2000)

The gun was fired, shooting a bright beam straight through the dragon’s weak heart, forcing Sunset to cover her eyes and brace herself for the following explosion, and shocking pain that hit her!

Sunset LP: 7250 -----> 2450

She was knocked flat on her back.

“SUNSET!!!” wailed Pinkie.

“She’s going to lose the duel!!” cried Rainbow.

“She’ll be turned into a card!” hollered Dick.

Kori couldn’t bear to watch and turned away.

Many of the others felt the same way. There didn’t seem to be anything they could do to stop things.

“My Halberd will now attack twice!” shouted Celestia. “Halberd, take out Vortex Dragon and Meteorburst Dragon!”

Her mighty weapon soared in and speared the first dragon…

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2500)

Sunset LP: 2450 -----> 1950

Sunset wailed she was shocked harder than ever, and the evil aura surrounded her began to fade out.

Then the Halberd destroyed her second dragon…

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2500)

Sunset LP: 1950 -----> 1450

She was shocked again, and barely able to look up and see that she was totally wide open to Celestia’s super-charged Rock Armor.

“This can’t be happening to me! I can’t lose!!”

“But you can, you will, and you’re about to!!” sneered Celestia.

Shining Armor wouldn’t stand for this.

A small tear fell from his eye for what he was about to do, but before that… he quickly grabbed Cadance, and he kissed his wife very deeply, much to her shock and confusion.

At the same time Celestia called out, “Rock Armor, attack her directly and rid the Malefic World of her presence forever!!”

Her monster began to charge up, much to Sunset’s wide-eyed horror!

Shining Armor broke away from kissing his stunned wife.

She gazed at him wide-eyed.

“I love you, honey.” he whispered to her.

“Huh…?!”

The attack was launched, and Sunset braced herself while screaming as her entire field went up
in a huge explosion, and all her life points were depleted.

The spectators all braced themselves, while Shining Armor was still kissing his wife deeply.

The smoke cleared, and she was lying flat on the ground with all her cards scattered all around her. She was no longer glowing with evil energy, and she wasn’t even conscious.

“Sunset!” sobbed Pinkie.

“Man, what a finish!” groaned Vic.

Celestia then gazed pitifully at her fallen opponent. “You have lost, and now, you shall pay the price!”

The Malefic Lightning was coming forth, getting ready to strike.

“Sunset!” shouted Rainbow.

“She’ll be turned into a card!” wailed Sci-Twi.

Suddenly, she was embraced by her brother in a huge hug. “Take care of Cadance for me.” He whispered to her.

“What?”

Then he broke away from the group and began to rush towards Sunset.

“BROTHER!!” shouted Sci-Twi.

“NO, DON’T!!” screamed Cadance.

“STOP HIM!!” shouted Dick, and he and some of the others began to run after him, but it was more than too late…!!

Just as the lightning struck towards Sunset, Shining Armor leapt right in its path and took the hit for her!

The brightness made everyone else skid to a dead halt, far away, and Celestia gasped in shock. “What are you doing?!”

Sci-Twi and Cadance were able to look on towards the light in absolute horrors, and they could hear Shining Armor calling… “DON’T WORRY ABOUT MEEEEEEEEE!!!”

What no one else could see because it was too bright, the mystery card soared in over the lands, and landed in Sunset’s hand, enveloping her body in a glowing light…!

Then, in a bright flash, the light was all gone, and so was Shining Armor, and a single card floated on the air, landing right by Sci-Twi’s feet.

She dread to pick it up and she looked at it, seeing a picture of her brother on it.

She and Cadance burst into tears.

“No!” sobbed Cadance.

“My brother…!” peeped Sci-Twi.

The others were equally as devastated and silent.

Author's Note

Too much to Author's note, so I'll blog it...

https://www.fimfiction.net/blog/980500/authors-note-yu-gi-oh-e-quest-2-episode-2

Episode 30: Part 1: Four-Way Foul Play!

EPISODE THIRTY

The trio stood, laughing and chuckling at the friends.

Bloods were boiling harder than ever.

Violet beat Rarity and sealed her away, just as Sapphire beat Celestia and would have turned her into a card had Luna not sacrificed herself.

While Khaos hadn’t defeated anyone, he was just as dangerous, just as wicked as the others.

“It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Khaos hissed.

His comrades snickered, but the friends were not impressed.

“Get out of our way!” demanded Rainbow. “We don’t have time to put up with you punks right now.”

“We’ll be the judges of that.” sneered Sapphire.

“Now, who’s first?” asked Violet. “We’re dying to try out our new stuff against all of you.”

Terra growled softly. She wanted to keep on moving and get to Gar before he really got in trouble. No matter how bad he treated her and the others, she still actually believed in him and was still determined to make things right for him.

Sci-Twi also wanted to escape and confront Karle, to get her deck and her duel disk back from the very psycho she created.

“Go.” Dick whispered to them both. “We’ll handle these punks. You find Gar.”

The girls were unsure, thinking it wouldn’t be wise to just run off and split up again, even with the city being a finite area; it was still huge and easy to get lost in.

Still, Terra wouldn’t stop thinking of Gar and worried if Karle caught him and dueled him; knowing she would never get tired or be truly defeated.

Not wanting to miss this chance they were being given, both she and Sci-Twi slipped off behind the group and ducked behind a building.

“Hey!” snapped Sapphire as he saw them.

“Let them go.” said Khaos. “I know exactly where they are going. We can deal with those two later.”

Cadance stepped behind Vic, and he offered to keep her safe, since him dueling was out of the question.

“There’s no use in running.” hissed Violet. “Either way, you’re all doomed.”

She and her two comrades then activated their duel beams and shot at Raven, Kori, and Dick.

Violet would face Raven…

Sapphire would face Kori, for that rematch he wanted…

And Dick would deal with Khaos.

“I thought for certain you’d try and run as well.” said Khaos “After all, you know nothing happens to us if we lose the duel.”

“That’s not what’s important.” sneered Dick. “You know something we want to know, and that’s where your bosses are.”

Sapphire snickered. “You know, if you really want to see them that badly, we’ll be glad to take you to them. Just surrender the duel, right here and now.”

The Titans looked crosser.

“Can we get on with this already?” asked Raven.

Violet sighed, “Some just have no sense of humour. Still, it’ll be just as nice to crush you in any case.”

The spectators could only, once again, stand idly on the sidelines.

“Fight time!” said Rainbow. “I sure wish I was dueling these creeps.”

“That makes two of us.” agreed Pinkie. “They deserve payback for all the trouble they’ve caused.”

“Easy, girls.” said Vic. “Try not to get too worked up. Remember, the darkness.”

The girls promised to try and keep it easy.

Suddenly, Cadance looked up, and caught a glimpse at someone else; someone shadowy disappearing around a tall rooftop overhead.

The duels were about to start anyway, and she turned her attention towards her friends.

Little did she or the others know Cadance had seen correctly, and there was someone peeking around the tall rooftop, spying on the duels.

Her eyes glowed red and she hissed very softly under her breath.

Terra and Sci-Twi had run several blocks away before they stopped, puffing, and panting.

“This… is useless!” Terra panted. “We’ll never get to the other side of town at this rate.”

Sci-Twi was forced to agree. “If only we had powers or magic, we could just fly there.”

Twilight really felt frustrated being trapped in her card, but then again her being free wouldn’t help anyway. Her magic would have been blocked by the shadows too.

“Isn’t there any way you can get across town faster?” she asked.

“I don’t see any.” said Spike. “All ways round there’s nothing but scraps, old sheets and wires…”

As Sci-Twi looked around and all the scraps and things, including old tools from a nearby, fallen mechanic’s garage-- her genius mind suddenly went wild. “That’s it!” she suddenly cried out.

“What? What’s it?” asked Terra, but Sci-Twi just passed her the two soul cards.

Then, she dove into a massive pile of scraps and began to go crazy-- using the tools from the garage, she sniped and threaded wires together, broke layers of discarded cloth tarps, and in almost no time at all, she had produced a pair of functioning glider wings, one for herself, and one for Terra.

The other three were astounded and hardly knew what to say.

Soon, Terra and Sci-Twi had the wings strapped to their backs like knapsacks, and they were both standing atop a tall rooftop with a long drop to the street below.

“Uh… are you sure this will work?” Terra asked

“Of course I’m sure.” Sci-Twi insisted. “I was making things like this in grade school. It’ll work.”

Twilight and Spike were both nervous as Sci-Twi tucked them safely into her pocket.

“Okay, let’s do this.”

Terra gulped hard. Normally she was pretty confident in leaping down from high places… when she had her powers on hand, but were in not for the fact that she wanted to reach Gar quickly, she had no choice but to trust her friend.

The girls backed up to the every backside of the roof, and then they charged forward with all their speed, and leapt right off over the front edge.

Terra had shut her eyes tight after leaping, only to open them wide and realize she was soaring smoothly over the buildings.

“Wow!”

Sci-Twi smirked proudly.

Twilight and Spike couldn’t see anything from within the pocket, but assumed it was working.

Despite there being no super strong updrafts, the sheets were so perfectly folded and placed well in their frames, that they helped the girls to soar on the very air itself, like parachuting, which allowed them to leap across vast distances from high up.

Once they settled back in the streets, it was up to the roof of another crumpling high rise, and off they’d go again.

“Vic would be impressed by these things.” Terra said.

Sci-Twi felt flattered, but for now they still had to find Gar and Karle.

While this and the trio of duels were going on, Gar glared Karle down through his coverings.

Both their duel disks were active, but Karle continued to act cheek. “There’s nowhere to run now.” she hissed. “Finally, after all this time, the ultimate revenge will be mine, and you will fall at the hands of my superior dueling.”

Gar clenched his fists, but he merely snuffed, and then stood ready to duel.

“What? No snarky banter?” Karle asked. “No “Oh, I’m so much better than you’ll ever be?”

Gar merely stepped forth, and spoke in a very deep and low tone. “…Just… duel…!”

Karle was astounded. She thought to herself, “What’s with him? Why is he acting so silent and confident? He knows even with his Exodia deck, I can’t be destroyed.”

Gar thought quietly. “If I duel her and win, the duel beam will be broken, and neither of us will be captured. That will give me a great chance to escape, and while am I at it… maybe I’ll be able to find a way to really beat her for good.

No single gamer is without a drawback or a weakness, but using it to your advantage can be tricky.”

They both drew their starting hands, and were ready to bout.

“DUEL!!”

Karle LP: 8000

Gar LP: 8000

They both looked down at their hands, and Karle was especially pleased with what she had drawn.

“Everything is going just as I planned.” she thought. “The first thing I have to do is ensure that he cannot summon Exodia, and thanks to all the new cards I have obtained in my travels here; this duel is as good as mine.”

Since she resembled Sci-Twi’s anger, and resentment towards Gar, not to mention all the harsh memories, she had flashbacks of the two times she, or rather Sci-Twi had lost to this creep.

“You really are the saddest and weakest opponent I’ve ever had.”

She wasn’t going to lose to him; not this time, and with Sci-Twi no longer a part of her to hold her back, from here on it was all-out.

She grabbed her first card

“Firstly, I shall activate this spell; POLYMERIZATION!”

Gar growled at the sight of the card being played.

“I now fuse LUNALIGHT BLACK SHEEP with LUNALIGHT TIGER!

I Fusion Summon the ferocious feline… LUNALIGHT CAT DANCER!”

(Atk: 2400)

Gar glared furiously at the monster glaring him down. He growled very softly, “I hate Fusion!”

Karle snickered, “I know you do. You hate all forms of Extra Deck summoning, and what better way to defeat you for good than by the very monsters you despise most?

Speaking of which, I activate Black Sheep’s ability. Since it was used in a Fusion Summon, I can add Tiger back to my hand, and just in time to put it in my Pendulum Zone!”

The tiger took its place in the light and roared softly.

“Yes, that’s right my pretty. Now let’s use your Pendulum ability, which lets me summon Black Sheep out of the graveyard.”

(Atk: 100)

“Its effects may be negated, but I can still put it to good use. I play MISCHIEF OF THE TIME GODDESS!

You remember this; it skips one turn ahead to my battle phase, which means I can attack you right now!”

Gar growled softly.

“Now, Cat Danger, attack this creep directly!”

Her monster complied and jumped straight for Gar, and struck him hard!

He held out his arms, actually pushing back against the monster’s strike. He growled and groaned as he was shocked horribly while his life points took a huge hit too…

Gar LP: 8000 -----> 5600

“And that’s just for starters.” said Karle. “Go Black Sheep, attack!”

Her monster, being rather weak-class, simply leapt over to Gar, and gave him a small flick in his chest, but it still shocked him.

Gar LP: 5600 -----> 5500

Karle was laughing wickedly. “Oh, this is so cool!” she gloated. “And there’s more to come, because from my hand I play FLASH FUSION!”

“What? Another Fusion?!” wailed Gar.

“That’s right!” hollered Karle, “And with this card, I can take Cat Dancer and Black Sheep and make them into something just as familiar, and just as deadly!”

The two monsters began to combine together.

“I Fusion Summon, make way for LUNALIGHT PANTHER DANCER!”

(Atk: 2800)

Gar was quaking with rage, more so at the fusion monster itself than what was coming for him!

“Panther Dancer… Go get him!” shouted Karle.

Her monster jumped in, and slashed Gar hard, knocking him back a few feet. He still remained on his feet, but got shocked even harder.

Gar LP: 5500 -----> 2700

Gar didn’t feel too tired, but he was outraged. “Enjoy this while you can, because I assure you; it won’t last.

Especially considering your Panther Dancer is now destroyed with your turn ending.”

He was right; the monster just exploded, and Karle had absolutely nothing left to play, and she didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

“I know exactly what he’ll do now…” she thought. “Now he’ll summon Exodia and win the duel, and that’s when I’ll be ready.”

Gar was also thinking deeply, “I can’t let this artificial twerp get the best of me, but at least I have her where I want her, and I will stop her.”

Sci-Twi and Terra were near the very area, but still hadn’t found any signs of Gar or Karle.

They were both growing exhausted from flying across so many roofs.

“I could’ve sworn I saw them somewhere around here.” Terra panted

“That was a while back,” Spike pointed out. “They could be anyplace by now.”

“They couldn’t have gotten too far, it’s still a wide area.” suggested Twilight.

Sci-Twi agreed, and she looked around.

That’s when she saw a big burst of light a few blocks away. “Hey, over there…!”

Terra looked round and saw the light herself, and it got brighter and brighter than ever, followed by small rumbling.

Sci-Twi recognized the feeling anywhere. “…Exodia, the Forbidden One!”

She could never forget the experience—the light, the rumbling, the giant monster glaring at her, and then… it happened.

“Exodia… Obliterate!!”

At Gar’s command, his mighty beast unleashed its awesome fury, blasting everything on Karle’s field into dust, the force of the blast struck Karle, whom was struggling to stay tall and strong, yet was still blown back hard down onto her back.

The blast was so strong, that the wing-packs on Sci-Twi and Terra’s backs broke loose and fell to the street below.

“Oh, no!” cried Terra.

“Quick, down the stairs!” cried Sci-Twi.

The two girls made their way to the street below.

“Oh, I hope we’re not too late.” Terra whimpered to herself.

Exodia was still sparking a few leftover jolts from his power, but he slowly vanished, and Gar, though panting, was still not tired, while Karle was lost in a cloud of smoke created by the blast.

“I’m out of here before she recovers.” Gar said to himself, but he couldn’t seem to get away in time, as duel beam shot out from the smoke cloud and struck his disk again, engaging another duel.

“Ah!” he gasped.

Karle laughed as the smoke cleared, and there she was standing tall, unhurt, and hardly even filthy from the attack.

“Leaving so soon? I wouldn’t hear of it. We’re just getting started.”

Gar had no choice but to duel again, but at least he went first this time, and he easily summoned Exodia and wiped Karle out again.

Of course, summoning Exodia and pouring on all that power drained him more of his energy, and Karle got up and zapped him into yet another duel.

“No!” groaned Gar.

“Yes!” laughed Karle. “I’ll just keep dueling you, and dueling you, until you’re too wiped out to continue, and you ultimately lose, and you’ll be sealed away.

Finally! Masquerade will be no more, and I’ll be the greatest duelist there ever was!”

Gar was totally frustrated. He really didn’t know what to say or do. He had never had such an opponent before-- that could never go down.

“I can’t give up!” he thought to himself. “Somehow, there’s got to be a way to get rid of her once and for all.

She’s artificial, so she must have a power source that keeps her going; but what?”

Suddenly, he caught a glimpse of something giving a tiny shimmer in the middle of Karle’s forehead under her hair bangs.

“What was that?”

Karle was looking really pumped up for more action, and to finally achieve victory.

“Let’s duel!”

Meanwhile, far on the other side of the city, the three Titans were doing pretty well in their separate duels against The Trio.

“Performage Trapeze Magician, attack!” shouted Dick, and his proud magician swung in, striking Khaos’ Phantom Knights down, and Khaos was left with only 500 life points.

“Stellarknight Constellar Diamond… Darktellarknight Batlamyus… Wipe out those machines!” hollered Kori, and her two Xyz monsters blasted Sapphire’s strong forces into scraps, leaving him with only 800 life points left.

“Wench!” he growled. “Just you wait, I’ll bounce back!”

Raven had Violet’s Predaplant Chimerafflesia right in her sights before her Syncrho Monster.

“Though Ruler Archfiend, go!”

Her monster struck, destroying the opponent’s monster, reducing Violet to 2100 life points.
“I’ll get you for that!” thundered Violet.

“Yeah, whatever.” grumbled Raven. “The only one who’s getting anything is me. My Thought Ruler destroyed your monster, which means I gain 2500 life points.”

She now had 5000 life points after being at just 2500 before.

Kori had 6000 life points, and Dick had 5400. All three Titans were looking strong and good.

All their hands were empty, and they had no other cards in play either, while their opponents were totally empty in hand, and they each had only one facedown card.

“Boo-Yah…! They got this won.” Vic cheered as he slapped high-fives with Pinkie and Rainbow.

“Come on, Cadance, bring it in.” Rainbow said, but Cadance just left her hanging. She wasn’t nearly as optimistic as the others.

“What’s wrong?” asked Pinkie. “There’s no way the Titans can lose this.”

Cadance shook her head. “That’s what it was like when Celestia dueled, and she turned it around perfectly.

I may not be a duelist, but from what I’ve seen… anything is possible.”

The others were aware of this, but they still didn’t think it was likely to happen.

Violet flicked her robe and her long hair while glaring Raven down.

“What?” Raven snapped.

“I’ll show you what.”

Violet drew her card, and she really liked it, and then it was her Standby Phase.

“Since you destroyed Chimeraffleisa, her special ability allows me to add one special Fusion Card to my hand.”

Raven only snuffed. “Yeah… let me guess, “Polymerization.” It’s all you can actually take.”

Violet would have grinned sinisterly at her if she had a mouth. “…You’re half correct.”

She held up her card and showed it, “Behold, my newest card, “Ultra Polymerization…!”

Every one of the friends turned to face Violet.

“Ultra?” asked Pinkie. “I’ve heard of Super Polymerization, but… what’s Ultra.”

Sapphire snickered, “Wow! Are you guys for real? We told you, we’ve been upgraded. We have new cards that we’re anxious to show you.”

The dueling Titans winced softly.

Sapphire drew his next card. “Speaking of which, I’m about ready to show off some of mine, but first, I’ll activate my face-down, POT OF GREED, so now I get to draw two cards.”

He liked what the two cards were that he drew.

“Sweetness! Now I activate SPEED RECOVERY so I can bring back an old friend of mine…

…My Synchro monster, HI-SPEEDROID KENDAMA!”

(Atk: 2200)

“Yeah, you may have gotten rid of it, but now he’s back and ready for action, especially when I summon this… my faithful SPEEDROID GUM-PRIZE!”

(Atk: 100)

“And now we’re all set. I tune my Level 1 Gum-Prize to my Level 6 Kendama!”

The two monsters leapt up high, and Kori had a feeling she knew what was coming, which was confirmed as Sapphire chanted…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

The mighty beast came into full view with sparkling wings, and a nasty growl to boot.

(Atk: 2500)

Kori growled as she glared up at the mighty dragon.

“Not happy to see him?” asked Sapphire “Well he’s dying to get back at you for beating us the last time.”

Kori merely scoffed, “Just don’t forget, since I have Batlamyus in play, all the monsters in play become Dark types, and remember… Constellar Diamond still has one overlay unit, which I can use to negate any Dark monster’s effect that gets played…

Oh, and you also can’t send cards from your deck to the graveyard either, which means, you can’t use Gum-Prize’s ability.”

Sapphire scoffed. “You think that would bother me, but it doesn’t! I can easily compensate for the loss, with the help of SPEEDROID DEN-DEN DAIKO DUKE.

By banishing it, I can summon Gum-Prize back to the field, and just in time.”

(Atk: 100)

“Now I’m going to tune him along with my Level 7 clear wing!”

“What?!” cried Kori.

The other two duelists and the spectators were all shocked and worried.

“What’s he doing?” asked Pinkie.

“He’s Synchro summoning using his Clear Wing Dragon!” cried Vic.

The two monsters leapt up high forming the tuning rings and light orbs, and Sapphire recited a new chant for his newest emerging monster…

“On wings of wind and shining bright,
I call on this beast to win me this fight!

I Synchro Summon, CRYSTAL WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

This new dragon was even larger than his other one. Its scales shimmered like stars, and its roar practically pierced the air.

(Atk: 3000)

“Three thousand attack points?!” cried Kori.

“That’s right.” replied Sapphire “I may not get to use Gum-Prize’s power again, but I don’t need it with what I have in store for you.”

“Kori, stay tough!” hollered Dick, but then Khaos called to him, “I suggest you worry more about yourself and what I have to show you.”

He had already drawn his card. “Firstly from y graveyard, I banish THE PHANTOM KNIGHT’S SWORD from my graveyard, and by doing so, I am permitted to call one “The Phantom Knights” monster back to the field…

I choose THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS’ OF CLOVEN HELM!”

(Atk: 1500)

“And then from my hand, I summon THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS’ OF FRAGILE ARMOR!”

(Atk: 1500)

Dick cringed angrily, “Two Level 4 monsters!”

He knew what was coming.

Khaos then called out, “I build the Overlay Network with these two creatures!”

His two monsters vanished into the portal, and he called out to his emerging monster…

“Cloaked in shadows and ready for the purge,
I call on the most dangerous of dragons to emerge.

I Xyz Summon DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2500)

The dragon growled at Dick, and Dick growled back at the mighty beast.

“Now, now…” teased Khaos “You should never show anger towards a dragon; especially when it uses its ability.

I use two overlay units, which causes your Magician to lose half of its attack strength, which are then transferred to my dragon’s attack power!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1250)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3750)

Dick was growing infuriated at how strong the dragon was compared to his magician. To him, it was like watching his father at the circus about to be cut down from the trapeze and fall to his doom again.

“But wait…!” said Khaos, “I’m not finished, yet, for just as Sapphire, I, too, have been granted a new creature I’d like you to meet.”

Dick blinked once.

“Behold my face-down; the quick-play spell, THE PHANTOM KNIGHTS’ RANK-UP LAUNCH!”

The duelists and spectators all gasped.

“A Rank-Up card?!” cried Rainbow. “He actually has a Rank-Up card?”

“I can’t watch!” whimpered Pinkie, and she covered her eyes with her hands, but silently peeked through her fingers.

Khaos then explained, “This special spell enables me to target a Dark Xyz monster I have that has no overlay units left, and then it lets me Xyz Summon one Dark monster that is one rank higher, and then this card becomes an overlay unit itself!”

His dragon was shrouded in dark aura as it leapt up into the forming portal.

“Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!” shouted Khaos, and he called out to his new monster…

“Deep in the shadows, the dragon will soar,
To bring forth destruction, chaos, and more!

I Xyz Summon DARK REQUIEM XYZ DRAGON!”

This new dragon was larger than his other. Its wings and claws were sharper, and it was coated in strong, bony-like armor.

(Atk: 3000)

Dick gawked up in fear at this new beast…

…As did Raven from where she stood.

“Hey!” called Violet. “Aren’t you anxious to see what nasty surprise I have for you?”

“To be honest… No!” snapped Raven.

“Well too bad, I’m doing it anyway, and it starts with this…. PREDAPLANT CORDYCEPS! By banishing it from my graveyard, I can summon two “Predaplants” from there to the field.”

Her field began to quiver softly as two plants sprouted up from the ground below.

“Welcome back… PREDAPLANT(s) CHLAMYDOSUNDEW and DARLINGTONIA COBRA!”

(Def: 200)

(Def: 1500)

“For the rest of this turn, the only monsters I can play are Fusion Monsters, but that suits me just fine, especially because I get to use Darlingtonia’s special ability, which lets me add FUSION RECOVERY to my hand, and I activate it right away.

Now I can add Polymerization and PREDAPLANT SQUID DROSERA to my hand.”

Now she had four cards in hand, and Raven already knew three of them, but what was the third card?

“I don’t think I like this!” she grumbled softly.

“But I do. Now I activate CALL OF THE HAUNTED, to revive my PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

Cadance was most confused by the move. “I thought she was only allowed to Fusion Summon for the rest of this turn?”

Vic shook his head, “No. She’s only allowed to summon Fusion Monsters. She doesn’t have to Fusion Summon them to get them in play.”

Pinkie and Rainbow dreaded to wonder what Violet would possibly do with that monster in play.

“Get ready, because here comes the big stuff!” hollered Violet “I activate POLYMERIZATION, fusing the Squid in my hand with my Darlingtonia on the field.”

The two monsters leapt up high in the air, and Violet called to them as they merged together…

“As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2800)

Her dragon drooled and growled at Raven, making her nearly gag in disgust.

“Yeah, I’d be pretty disgusted too if I were facing my dragon down, but even more so you’re about to become even worse, because now I activate the spell that I showed you…ULTRA POLYMERIZATION!”

Everyone gazed with strong anxiety to see how it worked.

“This card cannot be stopped when played!” Violet explained “Now I pay 2000 life points…”

Violet LP: 2100 -----> 100

“And I can then Fusion Summon using two monsters that I control! So now I fuse my Starving Venom with my Chimerafflesia.”

The two monsters rushed up into the air merging together as Violet chanted…

“With Plant’s Venom and Dragon’s might,
This creature shall devour all in its sight!

I Fusion Summon GREEDY VENOM FUSION DRAGON!”

(Atk: 3300)

Raven gawked up in horrors at this new monster, and how it looked more wickedly like an insect rather than dragon. It’s drooling venom was just as nasty looking as ever, and she didn’t want to even begin to think of what it could do.

“Take a good look!” said Violet “We’ve all assembled newer, stronger, and better beasts than ever, and they’re all ready to clock you all out.”

Her two comrades snickered at the other Titans.

Pinkie was trembling hard. “They can’t lose! They just can’t!”

Vic didn’t know what to say or do himself.

“I hate it when I’m right.” Cadance muttered. “They totally turned this duel around!”

Rainbow was frustrated beyond words. “And the Titans were doing so well too!”

The three dueling Titans were starting to think it was going to become hopeless!

“Now then,” hissed Violet. “Let me show you another power of Ultra Polymerization; I can banish it out of the graveyard and I now get to summon the two monsters I used to summon my Greedy Venom Dragon!”

“Ah!” Raven gasped.

“That’s right… Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Chimerafflesia are back, however, their effects will be negated, and their attack powers will be zero.”

The two monsters returned to the field as promised, and both of them looked pale and gray without their effects.

(Atk: 0) x2

“I don’t get it.” said Raven “Why would you bring those two back like that?”

Violet laughed, “I’ll show you, by activating this last card in my hand… DE-FUSION!”

Raven’s eyes widened.

“Now I can send Starving Venom back to my Extra Deck, but he won’t be gone for very long, because I still have my Sundew and its ability to fuse itself with my Chimerafflesia!”

Everyone watched the skies, some with horror, the rest with glee as the dragon reappeared, fully energized, and ready to attack!

(Atk: 2800)

“Her dragon’s back!” cried Pinkie.

“And it’s got all its powers back too!” added Rainbow.

“No joke.” said Violet “Now his attack will increase by the attack power of your Thought Ruler!”

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 5500)

Raven was sweating nervous bullets!

“And now,” shouted Violet “Witness Greedy Venom’s special ability; I can target your Thought Ruler and reduce its attack points all the way to zero!”

“A’rgh!!” Raven groaned as her monster stood totally powerless.

“No!” wailed Raven. “This can’t be happening!”

“Raven!” cried Kori.

“Oh, this is going to feel too awesome.” hissed Sapphire

“Agreed.” said Khaos, and he turned back to face Dick. “Allow me to demonstrate the power of my Requiem Dragon.

Since it was summoned using Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, by using one Overlay Unit, the attack of your monster is reduced all the way to nothing!”

“What?!” cried Dick and he watched as his prized magician lost the last of its attack power.

“And what is more…” hissed Khaos “My dragon will now gain attack points equal to your monster’s original attack power.”

Dick gasped, “But Trapeze Magician’s original attack is 2500!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 5500)

Dick stepped back hard.

“No, Dick!!” cried Kori.

“Yeah, it looks like he’s had it.” said Sapphire, and then he turned back to face Kori “…Oh, but don’t worry; you can lose with him.

I summon SPEEDROID PACHINGO KART!”

(Atk: 1800)

“He’s one of my newer bad buys, and he’s got one heck of a special ability; it lets me send one Machine monster in my hand to the graveyard, and then one monster on the field goes Bye-Bye, like your own Batlymus!”

His little machine began to glow, and prepared to fire a strong beam at Kori’s monster.

“No, you don’t!” thundered Kori. “I still have Constellar Diamond’s ability. Your monster is still treated as a Dark type, so I can use its last overlay unit to negate that monster’s effect and destroy it.”

Her monster charged up, ready to intercept the effects waves…

Sapphire only laughed, “Yeah, not this time. I set you up so I can use Crystal Wing’s ability.”

“What?!” cried Kori.

“That’s right. Whenever a monster uses its effect, Crystal Wing can negate the effect and destroy that monster!”

Kori gasped hard, and watched as the might dragon flapped its huge wings, creating billowing winds that stopped the effect.

“But that means, both my monsters will be destroyed now!” cried Kori, and in two big explosions, both her monsters were gone leaving her wide open.

“Oh, and I should mention…” taunted Sapphire “Whenever Crystal Wing destroys your monster, it gains attack point equal to the amount of points that monster had.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 5700)

This was it! This was really it. The Titans were totally powerless to defend themselves, and not one of them was packing enough life points to survive.

“They’re going to lose! THEY’RE GOING TO LOSE!!” screamed Pinkie.

“They can’t!” cried Vic “They mustn’t lose, or…!”

He didn’t have to go on, for the same sickening feeling struck through everyone.

Dick, Kori, and Raven were trembling like crazy while their evil opponents were snickering wickedly.

“Get ready…!” hissed Violet.

“Get set!” chuckled Sapphire.

“…To lose your souls, forever!” laughed Khaos.

From up on the rooftops, that shadowy stranger had seen the duels from the beginning, her two eyes glowed red as she growled softly.

To Be Continued…!

Episode 31: Part 2: She's Back?

EPISODE THIRTY-ONE

Rainbow and Pinkie were fussy as Vic held them tightly to keep them from running over to the dueling area.

“Let us go!” shouted Rainbow.

“They’re going to lose the duel!! THEY’RE GOING TO LOSE THE DUEL!!” wailed Pinkie.

Vic was aware of this, but he couldn’t let the girls try and put a stop to it, not at the risk of also losing their souls.

Still, he didn’t like that his friends were about to bite the dust!

“They’ve got to do something!” cried Cadance

“There’s nothing they CAN do!” said Vic. “Even I can’t see a way out of this.”

The trio laughed and snickered at the three helpless Titans.

“These new cards are totally righteous.” said Sapphire, and he glared at Kori. “Now it’s payback for when you beat me before.”

“Agreed.” hissed Khaos, and he looked past the Titans at the spectators “And the rest of you will soon follow, because we’re coming after you next, and then it will be no difficult task to find your remaining colleagues.”

The spectators and the duelists were a mix of fury and fear.

“Enough of this chattering!” growled Violet. “Let’s finish these punks… now!”

Her comrades agreed, and they each shouted up to their monsters.

“Starving Venom…!”

“Crystal Wing…!”

“Dark Requiem…!”

“…ATTACK NOW!!!”

The dragons all complied, and with their massive might… Kori, Dick, and Raven were blasted off their feet, flat on the ground, and their life points knocked out.

“NOOOOO…!!!” The spectators all shouted.

Dick, Kori, and Raven lay twitching on the ground, weak and tired, but still in complete and total shock and shame.

“I don’t believe…” said Dick “…We actually lost.”

“This can’t be happening!” cried Kori.

“Ohh…!” Raven groaned while rubbing her head.

Then things got way worse; the lightning was starting to rumble overhead.

Kori jumped into Dick’s lap in fear, practically bruising his legs, and choking him in her arms.

“Hold me, Dick!”

“Can’t… breathe…!” Dick groaned.

Raven was trembling.

Pinkie couldn’t bear to watch and turned away. Cadance did to.

The trio looked up with glee as the lightning was ready to strike and turn their opponents into cards…

Suddenly, the lightning did strike, but it veered off course!

“What the-- what’s going on?” wailed Sapphire.

Everyone looked up and saw the lightning bolts flying over towards one of the buildings.

That’s when everyone saw her… that shadowy stranger, standing on the roof and absorbing the lightning into a single card she was holding up.

“Who or what is that?” asked Raven.

The creature stood on the edge of the building.

She had long hair billowing in the winds, and she was wearing a black, shadowy overcoat, which also fluttered in the wind.

She snickered wickedly as she leapt off the five-story tall building, much to everyone’s horror, but then to their surprise, she landed safely on her feet in the street below without much harm.

“Hey! Who do you think you are?!” bellowed Violet. “You just ruined our victory here!”

The girl moved in closer and closer and hissed wickedly “…And I plan to ruin far more than you think.”

Rainbow and Pinkie gasped.

“That voice!” cried Pinkie.

“It can’t be…?” added Rainbow.

As the girl came in closer, her hair was shown to be red and yellow streaked, only with sharper, lightning-shaped ends and longer threads. Then her face came into view, and the others couldn’t believe their eyes.

“…Sunset?” said Kori.

It was her, but her skin was paler, her eyes were seething red with evil, and she had glowing yellow streaks down the sides of her face.

“That’s right… I’m baaa-aaack.”

“Sunset…!” Pinkie squealed with joy. She would have rushed over and tackled her to the ground in a big hug, but Vic still held her back yelling “Whoa! Whoa! Stop…! Something’s up with her.”

“She looks so… different.” remarked Cadance “…So evil!”

The Prince Brothers observed Sunset’s arrival, as well as her interference.

“So, it’s finally happened.” said Rubeus. “She has unlocked the power that we gave her.”

Loki scoffed, “Well, she sure took her sweet time, but did she have to prevent those fools from losing their souls too?!”

“Calm yourself.” said Rubeus. “With those duelists still around, it makes this all the better for us. This way, they can still duel and provide us with more power than ever.”

He looked over at the generator, which was still flaring up and continuing to create more small portals within the Malefic World.

The holes were tiny now, revealing images of other cities in the Human World, which would all soon be sucked into darkness just as Jump City’s remains.

Celestia saw Sunset had returned, and she clenched her quivering fists. Now she had a chance to duel her again, and finally finish her off for good.

While no one was watching, she slipped away silently.

That’s when Loki turned round. “Celestia…? Where is she?” but then he immediately got the idea. “She’s slipped off without my consent!”

Rubeus, as outraged as he felt, decided to let it be. “She still seems to possess a mind of her own, but I suppose this could be useful. She has proven her strength already and provided us with vast amounts of power.”

Loki growled softly, but agreed, “Very well… I just hope we can keep her in line is all. No Princess of mine shall put our plans in jeopardy.”

Rubeus’ mind seemed to ponder over something else-- something rather secretive.

“No way!” protested Rainbow “Sunset used to be evil, but she’s learned since then. She’s one of us.”

Sunset only snickered, “Those times and those gifts were nothing but a waste of time. I now have more power than I ever could have dreamed of; thanks to this…” she held up the very card she used to absorb the lightning.

Everyone recognized it almost immediately.

“It’s the mystery card!” cried Kori.

“Impossible!” wailed Dick. “I got rid of that thing; chucked it off a cliff.”

Sunset glared at him as she packed the card away, “A very fruitless and amateur attempt.”

The Terrible Trio still looked mad with a vengeance.

“You will pay dearly for your interference.” threatened Khaos.

“Are you three still here?” sneered Sunset. “This matter no longer concerns you; therefore I insist you leave at once.”

Sapphire chuckled, and then scoffed “... I don’t think so.” and he called to his comrades “Let’s toast this punkette.”

The others agreed, and charged at her with their duel disks ready, but Sunset only sighed “…The hard way it is then.”

Rather than arming her duel disk or even a card, her evil eyes began to glow brightly with malefic energy, which she then fired, creating a big explosions. The updraft of which sent the trio flying up, up, and away across the crumpling city.

Pinkie shuddered at this new power. “I thought magic didn’t work here?”

Cadance shook her head, “It’s Malefic Magic; the one thing, other than duel energy, that actually works here.”

The three Titans got up and raced to their friends.

“You had me worried there.” said Vic. “You guys okay.”

“Just a little drained.” replied Dick. “I actually thought we were goners.”

“We still have a problem!” Rainbow pointed out as Sunset was still glaring at everyone.

“Now, who would like to be my first victim?” she hissed wickedly.

The friends had no idea. They couldn’t just duel her, not in her present condition and certainly not knowing what kind of dueling strategy she had now.

Suddenly, Dick noticed the crumpling wall behind Sunset and a small rock down by his own foot.

“Get ready to run!” he whispered to the others.

Before the others could ask or react, Dick kicked the stone, sending it just past Sunset’s head and hitting the wall behind her.

“What are you doing?!” Rainbow scolded “Are you trying to hurt her?!”

“That was a big mistake!” Sunset growled, but suddenly, the wall behind her began to crumple and collapse, creating a huge cloud of dust.

“Run, now!!” shouted Dick.

Sunset coughed and hacked as the dust settled, and she noticed the group had gone.

“You can’t get away from me!” she shouted, and began to rush round the corner, but she couldn’t see the group anywhere. Since they couldn’t have gotten very far, they had to have taken refuge in one of the nearby buildings.

Growling furiously, she fired a magical blast form her hand, blowing up the wall of an old convenience store. They weren’t there.

“I’ll find you creeps yet,” she swore, “Even if I have to break down this already broken city piece-by-piece!”

She went off on her rampage slowly kicking down doors, or blasting walls away, which gave the group time to come out of hiding and dash even further away to avoid being found or blasted. In a city that wide there were more than millions of places to duck in cover, but it would still only be a matter of time before Sunset would find them.

“Dang…! I have never seen her like this before.” said Rainbow.

“I don’t even want to see her like this.” cried Pinkie. “There’s got to be a way to help her.”

Cadance felt like her brain was positively breaking. First Celestia was brainwashed by evil, and now Sunset too, which were only one par with the fact that her other friends and dear husband were no longer with them.

Which made her realize, “Twilight! She doesn’t know about this!”

Kori’s head perked up. “Neither does Terra… or Gar.”

Far off on the other side of the city, Gar had won several duels now against Karle. Every time he won she would activate the duel beam and duel him all over again.

Each and every duel exhausted Gar more, and more, while she herself was still fit as a fiddle, yet seething with evil rage and pride.

She had just ordered her Lunalight Leo Dancer to attack him directly, which it did, striking him with a ton of damage, knocking him hard to the ground, and leaving him with only 100 life points left.

Gar was so weak by now for having blown so much energy on his victories, and being shocked so much by the vast amounts of damage he had taken.

He barely found the strength to get up again, but he managed.

His face coverings were starting to come loose, and he struggled to keep them tight.

“What’s the matter?” taunted Karle. “You don’t want me to see your face? I kind of would like to, just once before I crush you like the loser you are!”

Hearing such words infuriated Gar to the point where he felt a slight bit of wind growing in him again.

“No one… sees my face!” he growled in an exhausted, angry tone. “…And I am no loser!”

Karle snickered, “Oooh, sounds like I struck a nerve. I think I’ll go two-for-two, by activate the spell EXCHANGE!”

“What? Exchange…?!” exclaimed Gar.

“That’s right, now we each take one card from each other’s hand, and it shouldn’t be hard for you… since I only have one card, and here you are...” she tossed her card straight for him, which he managed to catch…

…But he took one look at the card and gasped. “No! Not this!!”

It was CHANGE OF HEART; the one card he positively despised more than any other in the entire game.

Just holding it instantly brought on his memories of himself and Terra, their failed romance, and her dumping him…!

“Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory.”

That, combined with his weariness, Gar clutched his chest in pain, and fell down on one knee quivering in weariness and outrage.

Karle snickered and she could see his hand already. He had four Exodia card in hand, and she helped herself to Exodia’s head.

“Without this, there’s no way you can summon The Forbidden One now, which means, once and for all, I will finish you, and claim the revenge I so richly deserve!”

Really, she was actually expecting Gar to pass out from weariness after giving him such a shock with that Change of Heart card, which she had gathered from defeating Maleficans all over.

…But Gar suddenly bolted upright, and glared at her furiously through his loosening covers.

“No! You still have some fight left in you?!” Karle growled. “What do I have to do to get you done already?!”

“You…!!” Gar thundered “You made a big mistake by giving me this card, and I’m going to make you pay!!”

He drew his next card! “Perfect! I use PILLAGER! It lets me retrieve the Exodia Head you just stole from me!”

Karle growled, but was forced to hand the card back to him.

“And now I reveal my facedown card, MONSTER REINCARNATION! I can now discard this worthless Change of Heart… and regain Exodia’s Left Arm which I sent to the graveyard earlier!

…Thus, Exodia is complete once more!”

Karle wailed in outrage as the monsters creature appeared before her again.

“Exodia… OBLITERATE!!”

Karle was struck hard once more; all her life points were gone, and she slammed hard onto the ground.

As dirty as she was, she was still nowhere near as tired or as weak, while Gar was a total mess. He didn’t look like he’d be able to handle one more duel.

Karle slowly got to her feet, and the green glowing on her head was now brighter than ever. It was even starting to push through and reveal itself as that green diamond that was part of the transformation ring Sci-Twi used to turn into Karle for the tournament.

“That’s it!” Gar thought “That must be the source of her power; the very thing that keeps her going. If I can just destroy it…!”

He was starting to feel his eyes grow heavy and blurry.

Karle snickered as she eyes at him, and raised her arm to blast him into another duel. “This time… it’s the last time!” she hissed.

Just as she was about to fire the beam, another duel beam struck her duel disk.

“Huh? What’s going on?”

That’s when Sci-Twi leapt down from a ledge, having fired the beam from Applejack’s duel disk. “You’ve dueled him enough!” she scolded. “Now, you face me; Creator to Creation.”

Gar could hardly believe what he was seeing.

“Gar…!” Terra called to him as she leapt down near him.

“Te…rra?” he groaned softly, but he really didn’t want her to help him, no matter how much pain he was in. “Get away!” he growled as he stepped back.

“I want to help you.”

“I said stay back!” he groaned, but finally he collapsed from total exhaustion, and Terra scooped him up in her arms. “Oh, Gar…!”

“Terra…” Sci-Twi called, and she threw at her Twilight and Spike’s soul cards, “Watch them for me will you?” then she turned to face Karle. “…This is going to get rough!”

Terra agreed, and stuffed the two cards in her front jacket pocket. Then she scooped Gar up, which was hard because he was so much taller and heavier than she remembered him from years back.

Twilight noticed a long flat slab of rock like a stretcher nearby. “Lay him down there.”

Terra dragged Gar as best she could to the slab and lay him down on his back.

Spike was still amazed that after all Gar had done to Terra and the others, she was still able to show him compassion, then again, now that he knew what Terra had done to him years back it was still hard to decide who really was in the right.

Karle glared Sci-Twi wickedly. “Well, well… wanting to get back in the game, eh? You’re either very brave, or very stupid. I should know, why else would have created me to duel all your battles for you.”

Sci-Twi clenched her fist. “You were just a mistake; born from a clear accident. You’ve been nothing but trouble since day one.”

Karle shook her head pitifully while clicking her tongue. “Sticks and Stones...

The fact remains you still relied on me. You couldn’t duel your way out of a paper bag; especially during the last duel… remember?!”

Sci-Twi cringed…

She remembered; dueling Gar in the Friendship Cup Tournament, but her identity was discovered by Celestia forcing her to shed her alter-ego, and in the end she lost the duel to Gar.

She shook it all off and insisted, “I came to get my deck from you, and to put a stop to you once and for all.”

Karle snickered, “I’m twice the duelist you’ll ever be, and I would have destroyed Masquerade for good had you not interfered!

I’ll deal with you first, and then I’ll finish him off.”

Terra heard this, and she stood before Gar like a bodyguard.

“I hope she knows what she’s doing.” said Spike.

“She’s just trying to protect him, Spike.” replied Twilight.

“No…” retorted Spike and he hinted at Sci-Twi, and Twilight understood.

They, as well as Terra wondered how Sci-Twi could possibly finish Karle off… when she couldn’t be finished.

But Sci-Twi had already seen the green diamond appearing out of Karle’s head, and she knew what she had to do.

She looked down at her deck, which she had spent a while re-stacking from the cards she had used; most of which came from her friends.

She could even see their faces around the deck…

“Rarity…

Fluttershy…

Applejack…

…I know you’re here with me, in spirit and in these cards. I’m doing this for you, and for everyone else.”

Meanwhile, in an area consisting of huge trash piles and wrecked cars and oil drums…

Violet, Sapphire, and Khaos each burst through the wreckage, feeling deeply outraged and humiliated.

“I don’t believe it!!” thundered Sapphire. “We actually had those punks at our mercy and with our new cards too!”

Violet brushed the dust out of her, hair and then off her robe. She was still thinking about Sunset and how different she was now.

“She has the power… the power of The Great One.”

She kept picturing Sunset holding up that card, and the awesome power it possessed.

Khaos pondered deeply, “The masters instructed us to duel Sunset strictly so she would unlock it, and she has, but it seems the power is far greater than we thought; for it has dormant for a very long time.”

“So… what?” asked Sapphire.

Khaos clenched his fists. “We must report to their majesties at once. Perhaps they will explain better.”

“What?” wailed Sapphire “I’m not letting that Sunset creep get away with what she did to us, and what about those other punks? We have to deal with them too!”

“I know there’s another out there I’d like to get even with.” said Violet. She referred to Gar and how she suffered defeat to him.

Still, Khaos was insistent, “We should report back! We must know just their majesties wish done now. It’ll be far smarter than rushing into action without much of a plan now.

Remember, the next time we come across Sunset, she may very well have the power to even get rid of us the next time we see her.”

Unable to argue with that the others complied… and together all three of them jumped onto their clouds and headed off.

Sunset was still blasting buildings open. “You’re beginning to make me angry, you twerps! I want to duel!

Come out!!

…DUEL ME!!!”

She blasted another wall, causing the entire building to fall down onto a broken freeway in clouds of dust and mountains of rubble.

While she was raging and rampaging about, the group had taken time to make it blocks away.

“Wouldn’t it just be so much easier to hop along the roofs like you heroes do?” asked Rainbow.

“We can’t. She’d spot us too easily.” replied Dick “Somehow I don’t think dueling her is a smart idea right now.”

Kori agreed, “Especially since she has the power to manipulate the lightning.”

This disturbed everyone greatly. What if Sunset was capable of reversing the lightning’s blast; so even if any of them won a duel, they would still lose their soul?!

Pinkie halted in her tracks, feeling such a shiver run up her spine. “I’m so freaked out I can barely move!”

Raven gave her a soft whack to the head, snapping her out of it.

“…Okay, I feel better now, but we’ve got to find the others.”

Cadance turned to Vic. “Can’t you scan for them?”

“I got worse problems right now.” said Vic “My power-cell isn’t looking so hot.”

He was right as he showed everyone his meter, which was nearing thirty-five percent. “Ordinary electricity only keeps me charged up for so long; not like the super tech we got back home.

I need some kind of power up.”

“Yeah, but how…?” asked Raven “It’s not like there’s any power in this dead city.”

“Maybe not…” said Rainbow “But I think I know how we can make some.” she hinted at a dilapidated gym across the street, which still had some equipment lying around and probably inside.

They were far enough away from Sunset to figure she wouldn’t find them and give everyone a chance, so they headed over and looked inside.

There were a few treadmills, and pedaling machines, not looking clean, but still seemingly useful. There were even some old tool kits in the maintenance closet.

“Let’s get busy.” said Dick.

Working together, they managed to get the machines work, and attached old, dead cables to them, and wrapping them in bits of felt and rubber which would generate static electricity.

Vic managed to connect more wires to his charging system. “Okay, hit it!”

Rainbow on a pedal-bike, and Pinkie on the treadmill-- the girls began to get their legs pumping, gently so as not to start any fires.

The electricity actually started showing and flowing along the wires, and into Vic’s chest.

He checked his com, and the meter was very slowly starting to rise. “Ha-Ha! We just brought electricity back into the city.”

The two Equestria girls smiled at one another, and kept up the pace.

Eventually, they got tired, and they had to give the machines a rest so as not to burn things up. Kori and Dick then took over and pumped more power into Vic’s cells, boosting it past fifty-percent.

“Boo-Yah!” he cheered, only for Raven to put her hand over his mouth. “Will you keep quiet! Sunset will hear us!”

Vic nodded frightfully.

Raven then sat down by herself with a grouchy expression on her face.

“What’s with her?” Cadance whispered to Pinkie and Rainbow.

“She’s been getting grouchy ever since we fled the scene.” said Rainbow.

“Maybe she’s just upset that she nearly lost her soul?” suggested Pinkie, and she decided to walk over and tried to warm up to her.

“Why so down in the rage, Rae?” she asked cheerfully.

Raven looked up very slowly; her grouchy stare sent a chill up her spine again.

“I’m perfectly fine…” Raven grumbled “Considering I very nearly lost my soul, we’re still trapped in this dark world, and now here we are going on a wild chase across this city.”

She pulled a card out from her deck, “…All because of this crazy game!”

She silently thought to herself, “And the fact that the biggest pain of life is still out there, and we’re actually acting concerned about him.”

Naturally, she was thinking of Gar; still just as enraged with him as ever.

“It’s even worse yet.” said Vic “With those vortexes still opening in the sky; more cities are going to fall into this place.” he paused and looked upset “That means more and more people are going to get hurt… or turned into cards.”

Dick and Kori stopped going for a moment.

“All the more reason for us to find the Prince Brothers and stop them for good.” said Dick.

“But we can’t find them.” added Kori “Only the Terrible Trio or Celestia know where their hideout is, and they just never tell us no matter how many times we duel them.”

Cadance cringed angrily, still enraged for the Maleficans. “Because of them, Shining Armor turned himself into a card.” she grumbled softly.

She squeezed a broken cable in her hands, accidently lathering them around her wrists. “Oh, no!” she groaned, but Rainbow took one look at her and she jumped up, “That’s it.”

Everyone turned to face her.

“What’s it?” asked Pinkie.

“We’ll force the answer out.” Rainbow explained, and she grabbed a broken volleyball net, “We can capture the trio, wrap them up tight, and make them tell us what we want to know, or else…!”

She was starting to freak the others out the way she watching like some hunter, but they couldn’t really argue with that.

“A few problems though,” Dick said as he began to pedal again, and Kori starting walking on the treadmill, “Even if we do find any member of the trio, how do we know we can really bind them down?”

“We don’t.” replied Raven “They have Malefic Magic too, and they probably have some kind of powers we’ve not seen yet.”

Silence followed as everyone looked back and forth at one another.

“We’re open to other options.” said Kori.

For now, all they could do was keep charging Vic up, and hope they could hurry and get back to finding the others.

Karle continued to glared Sci-Twi down, and they were both ready for what was sure to be the biggest and greatest, not to mention most dangerous duel they’d ever face.

To Be Continued...

Episode 32: Part 3: Face up to yourself

EPISODE THIRTY-TWO

Sci-Twi could still hardly believe this. Here she stood ready to take on the dueling monster she had created, and against her very own Lunalights.

She was so nervous, and yet so determined to stop her for good.

Karle only snickered, “So it’s the Creator against the Creation; amusing as this may be, I know you won’t win.”

“How would you know that?” insisted Sci-Twi “You forget: I gave you all the dueling skills you know from my own knowledge, and that same knowledge I’ll use to stop you for good.”

Then she stopped and thought silently, “Especially since I see your one fatal flaw, and I know how to get at it.”

She readied Applejack’s duel disk and her new deck. “Let’s do this!”

Karle stood ready herself.

Terra, Twilight, and Spike could only watch helplessly from the sidelines. Not one of them knew quite what to think of a duel like this.

“This is it…” murmured Terra “Either one of them has an equal chance of winning or losing.”

“I don’t see how it matters.” Spike fret, “After all, even if Karle loses, she won’t vanish because she doesn’t have a soul.”

Twilight said nothing, but she was very concerned for her human-counterpart. She did think softly, “She’s got to win this. She’s fighting for our friends, and there’s no greater cause.” Then she remembered other times, when the others were fighting for the same reasons and they didn’t fare so well.

“LET’S DUEL!” the ladies shouted.

Karle LP: 8000

Sci-Twi LP: 8000

They drew their cards.

“Tell you what?” teased Karle “I’ll show you some compassion and let you make the first move. It really doesn’t matter to me.”

Sci-Twi growled softly, remembering the time she met Gar, at the Math-A-Thon, and he said the same thing in their first duel.

“It really doesn’t matter to me; who goes first. You’re going to lose anyway.”

Trying to keep her emotions in check, Sci-Twi grabbed her card.

“This first move is for my friend, Rarity!” as she spoke, it was as if an image of Rarity’s spirit appeared behind her.

“…I summon CANNON THE MELODIOUS DIVA.”

(Atk: 1400)

The monster appeared, and sung her soothing note, spewing out magical sparkles.

The trio on the side thought the same thing as they saw the monster. “Rarity…” Spike peeped softly, worrying about her and the others.

Swi-Twi then held out her hand. “Now I use Cannon’s special ability, which lets me change her from attack to defense-mode.”

(Def: 2000)

“I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.”

She then thought silently, and nervously. “I really hope I did right this time, because I have a feeling I know what’s coming.”

Karle laughed, “Is that the best you can do-- a simple defense and a facedown. It’s no wonder you needed to create me to duel your battles for you.

Now it’s my turn. I draw!”

She looked down at all six of her cards. “Ah, this shouldn’t take too long for me at all.”

Sci-Twi and the others didn’t like the sound of that.

I activate the Continuous spell GUARDED TREASURE, I now must discard five cards from my hand.”

“What?! Discard five cards like that?” snapped Terra.

“But that’ll leave her hand totally empty!” Twilight pointed out.

Sci-Twi and Spike only gawked with worry as Karle ditched her entire hand, and was shrouded in a golden glow from her spell card.

“It may seem like a large price, but it is quite beneficial if done correctly, because I draw two cards, and furthermore: as long as my spell remains in play, I get to draw two cards every turn instead of one.”

The others were still convinced that Karle just made a huge risk by reducing her hand by a vast amount.

“And now…!” Karle shouted, “From my hand, I play the trap DISGRACEFUL CHARITY!”

“Oh, no!” cried Sci-Twi. “That means you get all five cards you discarded back.”

“Hold on!” protested Terra “How could she play that trap.” Then it suddenly hit her, “Unless…!”

Karle snickered as she added all her cards back including one in particular monster. “…That’s what happens when MAKYURA THE DESTRUCTOR is sent to the graveyard.”

Sci-Twi growled. “I remember this strategy!” she grumbled, and she looked over at Gar who was unconscious-- remembering how he used such a move on her in the tournament.

“Ha!” scoffed Karle, “You really should have learned from his other duels and you wouldn' have failed to defeat him, but where you failed, I shall succeed.”

She grabbed her cards, thus replenishing her entire hand with six cards, as if nothing bad had happened.

“Now I shall activate the Field Spell FUSION GATE!”

The field around everyone warped into the static zone of green shockwaves.

Sci-Twi’s eyes widened, “I know what’s coming now!”

Karle’s eye gave a twinkle, “You presume correctly. With Makyura’s power still in effect, I now play from my hand, the trap CHAIN MATERIAL!”

Everyone remembered this move, the very one Karle used against Pinkie Pie.

Karle snickered, “Now, I am able to simple banish monsters from my hand, field, deck, or graveyard any time I Fusion summon, and thanks to my Fusion Gate, there’s no limit to how many times I may do so!”

Swi-Twi sweated nervously and watched as Karle’s field began to go crazy.

“For my first Fusion… I banish LUNALIGHT BLUE CAT, and LUNALIGHT PURPLE BUTTERFLY from my deck…”

The spirits of the two monsters rose up, and then vanished into the darkness as their fused form emerged from the Extra Deck.

“Come forth, LUNALIGHT CAT DANCER!”

(Atk: 2400)

The mighty monster lady appeared, slashing her blades together, and then glared at Sci-Twi, who gawked up at the creature with a mixed expression of shame, fear, worry, and a little awkwardness-- having to face her own monster like this.

“What’s wrong?” teased Karle “I thought you’d be pleased to see your old friend.

Well, how about another comes to join us?

I activate my Fusion Gate again! I combine Cat Dancer with LUNALIGHT WHITE RABBIT in the deck.

I now Fusion summon, the wild and graceful, LUNALIGHT PANTHER DANCER!”

(Atk: 2800)

Yet another of Sci-Twi’s monsters glaring her down like an enemy, making her heart race nervously, and Karlee still was not through.

“I activate my Fusion Gate once more, merging the Panther Dancer with LUNALIGHT WOLF, and LUNALIGHT TIGER!”

The final monsters merged together, and this time Karle chanted the verse…

“Sharp as blades, and dark and deep,
I summon this beast to make you weep!

I Fusion Summon, LUNALIGHT LEO DANCER!”

(Atk: 3500)

The biggest and strongest monster appeared, holding her shining sword up high.

“No! Leo Dancer!” Sci-Twi called!

Her monster just continued to glare at her.

The trio on the sidelines felt just as bad for Sci-Twi.

“That’s Twilight’s most powerful monster!” cried Terra.

Karle then grabbed a card from her hand, “But now I’ll make things even worse, by playing this trap from my hand, RETURN FROM THE DIFFERENT DIMENSION!

Now I can trade half of my life-points, and revive as many banished monsters as I need!”

Karle LP: 8000 -----> 4000

As her life points drained, the gem on Karle’s head began to pulse softly,

…which Sci-Twi observed.

Then in magical glows, four monsters appeared on the field.

“Return to me…” Karle shouted “…LUNALIGHT CAT DANCER… PANTHER DANCER… WOLF… TIGER!”

(Atk: 2400)

(Atk: 2800)

(Atk: 2000)

(Atk: 1200)

Karle’s field was packed to the brim.

Sci-Twi lowered her arms as she just looked up at, “…All my monsters!” to which Karle snuffed “They are no longer yours. You squandered their powers for far too long.”

Sci-Twi growled angrily.

“Now then…” hissed Karle “I can’t attack this turn since I used Chain Material, and at the end of this turn my monsters will vanish, but I can easily change that with MISCHIEF OF THE TIME GODDESS!”

“Oh, no!” cried Terra “Now it skips ahead to her next turn’s battle phase!”

“Which means she’s allowed to attack!” wailed Twilight.

“Worse than that,” Spike added “Thanks to Lunalight Wolf, if a “Lunalight” attacks a monster in defense-mode, then Twilight gets hit with piercing damage!”

“How sad for you.” sneered Karle. “Looks like you’re about to lose this duel, and I’m not surprised you would! You’re so weak, and spineless, I’m surprised you lasted so long with me.”

The more she taunted her, the more Sci-Twi began to feel like she was facing Gar again, and how mean he always was to her.

“You’re the weakest player I’ve ever known.”

“If it were up to me, I’d ban you from ever touching a game again.”

“You’re weak, and pathetic!”

She clenched her fist hard and strongly.

“Say goodbye!” growled Karle. “Lunalight Leo Dancer, I order you to destroy Cannon the Melodious Diva!”

Her monster obeyed and she leapt up high into the air.

“LOOK OUT!!” the trio of friends called.

Leo Dancer came crashing down with her sword at the ready.

“I activate my facedown…” called Sci-Twi.

“What?” snapped Karle.

“Go… HAND DESTRUCTION! Now we’re both forced to discard two cards, and then we each draw two cards.”

Both duelists did as just so, and Sci-Twi really liked what she had done.

“What good does a move like that do you?” Karle asked.

KAPOW!! Leo Dancer struck, and destroyed Cannon, sending her screaming to the graveyard, and sending a wave of fiery energy at Sci-Twi.

“It does plenty, because I activate BUJINGI FOX’(s) effect from my graveyard! By banishing it, and sending one “Bujin” from my hand to the Graveyard, I don’t take any damage for the rest of this turn!”

Karle was mortified, and Sci-Twi wailed from the brightness of the fiery blazes. It all seemed to stop right before her, as if the spirit of Applejack was up and blocking it like a wall.

When the fires had ceased, Sci-Twi looked up at the spirit, which seemed to wink at her before vanishing, and all was well.

“Whoa!!” exclaimed Terra. “She did it! She saved herself.”

“Ah, yeah!” cheered Spike, and he let out a cheerful howl.

Twilight was most pleased as she thought, “I knew it! The powers of friendship came through and saved her.”

Sci-Twi adjusted her glasses and sneered at Karle. “I knew you would pull those stunts on me. Remember: I used it all myself.” she paused, and lifted up her duel disk, motioning at the deck, “This time, I’m not dueling alone. My friends’ cards helped to build this, so it’s like they are here with me, and that’s how I’m going to beat you… with their help.”

Karle naturally scoffed. “I doubt that. Using other people’s cards is one thing, but being able to achieve victory is another.”

“She should know…” grumbled Spike, and the others agreed that Karle using Sci-Twi’s cards was rather hypocritical to say.

Karle huffed and grabbed a card in her hand. “You got lucky, but it is still my turn, and as I am still able to play traps from my hand, I activate this one; PENDULUM SWITCH!”

Sci-Twi gasped softly.

“Hey, that’s one of Sunset’s cards.” said Terra.

Karle then held out her arm, “Indeed it is, and with it, I shall take my Lunalight Tiger, and place it in my Pendulum Zone!”

The switch was made, and the tiger was now safely shielded in the light.

“Now I end with a facedown…

But realize, though you’ve bought yourself at least another turn, there is no way for you defeat me.”

“Yeah… Keep saying that!” Terra snapped. “If it wasn’t for her, you wouldn’t even be here!”

“That’s right!” agreed Spike. “I remember all the many endless days and nights Twilight spent programing all this. Even though you were created by accident, you can’t possibly deny that without her, you’d be nothing.”

Karle chuckled, “Wrong! I don’t need her to hold me back. I duel stronger and better than I ever this way. I am perfect without her.”

“You aren’t!” protested Sci-Twi, “And once I’m through with you, you’ll never harm anybody ever again!”

She wasn’t pretending to sound tough; she really meant it.

“It’s my draw!”

She now had three cards in hand.

“So far, I’m still standing…” she thought “But I need to get rid of all those Lunalights, and I just drew the very card I needed.”

“Now…” she hollered “I’ll place two cards facedown, and I’ll summon a monster, facedown, in defense-mode as well. That’s all.”

The trio on the sides were curious.

“What do you think she played?” wondered Twilight.

Terra was eying all the Lunalights on the other field. “I just hope it’s good. I mean, look at all those monsters. Each one is stronger than the next.”

Spike knew Sci-Twi knew her own Lunalights, and he thought “Knowing her, she’s cooking something up big.”

“It’s my draw…” snapped Karle. “Thanks to Guarded Treasure, I can draw two cards.”

She drew and then snickered at what she had. “Do you recognize this…?” she teasingly asked as she revealed the card she drew.

Sci-Twi gasped, “…No! Not that?!”

Karle grinned wickedly, “I activateLUNAR ECLIPSE!”

The second the card was played, the field was once again shrouded in dark fog, making it almost impossible to see anything clearly.

“Oh, not…! Not this again.” groaned Terra.

Twilight and Spike remembered and resented this darkness.

Sci-Twi growled. “It’s the card I played before. Now all the Lunalights are protected from my spell and trap cards until my next turn.”

“Right you are.” hissed Karle. “Too bad you couldn’t use it properly yourself when you played it, and you may have achieved victory.”

Sci-Twi felt insulted.

“Well then…” hissed Karle “I guess I’ll just have to show you the hard way, especially since I still have Lunalight Wolf, which allows all my monsters to deal you damage even with your defense.

Now, Cat Dancer, stretch your claws and attack!”

Cat Dancer complied, and leapt over to strike…

“And of course, you know very well, when Cat Dancer attacks the first time your monster isn’t destroyed and you take an automatic 100 points of damage, as well as the piercing damage you’ll receive as well.”

Cat Dancer moved in and pounced hard on the monster with a hard crash! The shockwaves struck Sci-Twi hard as she took her damage...

First she lost 100 points from Cat Dancer’s power, and then her piercing damage. Her monster had only 900 defense points, which meant a total of 1600 points of combined damage.

Sci-Twi LP: 8000 -----> 6400

Sci-Twi wailed as the shocks harmed her, but she shook it off, and her lips curled into a grin. “Now you’ve done it!”

“Huh?” said Karle, and she saw what monster she had attacked. “What? It’s CYBER JAR!”

Sci-Twi snickered, “And now that you flipped him up, you set off his effect. Now he’ll destroy monsters on the field, including himself.”

Cyber Jar began to engage it’s vortex to destroy all monsters it could, which confused Karle a great deal. “What is she thinking?” she thought “Panther Dancer and Leo Dancer won’t be destroyed, and she knows this.

Nevertheless, I cannot allow this. She’ll use Cyber Jar’s other effect to gain cards, and summon more monsters to defend herself. I cannot allow it.”

“I’ll stop you!” she thundered “I play the trap, BREAKTHROUGH SKILL!”

Sci-Twi grunted.

Karle smirked, “Sorry, but I’m afraid this trap puts an end to your plan by negating your monster’s effect for this turn.”

The vortex stopped, and the jar lay dormant.

“No!” cried Terra. “That was her best shot at making a comeback on those monsters.”

“And now Karle’s going to attacked again!” wailed Twilight.

Spike, however, noticed Sci-Twi didn’t seem too upset, and she wasn’t at all.

“Panther Dancer, it is now your turn! Get in there and strike that useless tin can!”

The monster dashed ahead with her claws at the ready.

The gem on Karle’s head was pulsating much faster now.

“Oh, and you remember…” Karle called “Panther Dancer also doesn’t destroy your monster at first, but you’ll still take damage anyway.

That’s what you get when your plan fails you!”

The attack was about to connect when Sci-Twi said “…Who said my plan was ruined?”

“What?”

“I thought you’d try and stop Cyber Jar, and I was hoping you would. Now I activate the trap ILLUSION DESTRUCTION! Thanks to this trap, I can turn Cyber Jar face down again!”

Just like magic, the jar flipped back over, just as Panther dancer struck it hard.

(Atk: 2800) VS (Def: 900)

This caused Sci-Twi to suffer more damage and pain from the shocks…

Sci-Twi LP: 6400 -----> 4500

She dropped down on one knee, but she was still fine. “And now, since Cyber Jar was flipped down before the attack stuck, his effect activates once again, which destroys himself and a few of your monsters as well, Like Cat Dancer and Wolf!”

The jar began to suck in again.

“I won’t allow this!” shouted Karle, I the power of Pendulum switch, which will send my Wolf from the field into my Pendulum Zone.”

The Wolf retreated to safety.

“And there’s more, from my hand, I play the Quick-Play Spell, MYSTIK WOK! Sorry, but my Cat Dancer will now be tribute to the graveyard, and then it’s attack points are added to my life points.”

Karle LP: 4000 -----> 8400

Karle laughed as she felt really energized, and the gem on her head was glowing brighter than ever.

“I can’t believe it!” growled Spike. “How could she pull off such a stunt like that!”

The girls were upset too.

As for Cyber Jar, the only monster it could now destroy was itself, so it shattered to nothing.

“Oh, well…” remarked Sci-Twi. “Its other ability still kicks in. We both grab the top five cards from our deck, and summon all level 4 or below monsters we can.”

“I know that!” growled Karle. “It makes no real difference to me.”

“Are you sure?” Sci-Twi teased as she revealed her card “I’ll summon some of Fluttershy’s monsters.

“SUNLIGHT UNICORN…”

“And the Tuner Monster: SUNNY PIXIE.”

She summoned them all facedown.

The remaining cards she had were “Spy Hero,” and two of Rarity’s cards, “Mozarta the Melodious Maestra.” And “Elegy the Melodius Dive” Both their levels were too high for either of them to be summoned.

“Ha!” scoffed Karle “Those monsters are nothing compared to what I have.

I summon “LUNALIGHT PURPLE BUTTERFLY, and LUNALIGHT BLUE CAT!”

(Atk: 1000)

(Atk: 1600)

Her remaining three cards were all traps.

“Lunalight Dance”

“Lunalight Reincarnation Dance”

And “Fusion Guard”

Karle’s field was brimming full, while Sci-Twi seemed only half as much, and none of her monsters had a chance against the Lunalights.

“I suppose I should thank you.” hissed Karle. “Since you allowed me to special summon blue Cat, Leo Dancer’s attack is now doubled!”

(Atk: 3500) -----> (Atk: 7000)

The trio all shuddered in fear.

“And you know… when Leo Dancer attacks, not only will she destroy all your special summoned monsters, but she’ll get to attack again, and you’ll be wide open to ultimate doom!”

“Wrong again!” snapped Sci-Twi, and as she shouted, the field was suddenly bathed in electrical shockwaves, all over the monsters.

“What’s happening?!” cried Karle.

Sci-Twi held up a card, “This is what happened-- ELECTROMAGNETIC TURTLE. I sent him to the graveyard when I plated Hand Destruction, and by banishing him, the battle phase ends!”

Karle was furious, and the trio didn’t know how much more of this could take. They all sighed in huge relief.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn.” Karle declared. She played her dance card, and her Fusion Guard.

“One moment…” Sci-Twi called. “I still have a trap to play myself. Activate BUBBLE CRASH!”

“Ah!” cried Karle.

The trio gazed with wonder while Sci-Twi explained with a cheeky grin. “Since you have more than five cards in play, this trap forces you to send some of your cards to the graveyard until the ones you have in play amount to exactly five.”

Karle cringed.

“Karle has eleven cards in play.” said Terra. “That means she’ll have to send six of them to her graveyard.”

“It’s worse than that,” added Spike. “Since Pendulum Monsters can’t go to the graveyard, she can’t select Tiger or Wolf. She’ll have to choose other cards.”

Twilight gazed in awe as Karle furiously sent her cards away-- Fusion Gate, her two set traps, and her Pendulum Switch, Blue Cat and Purple Butterfly.

This left her with only Panther Dancer, Leo Dancer, her two Pendulum Monsters, and Guarded Treasure.

Sci-Twi then called to Karle, “You thought this deck was full of only my friends’ cards, well it mostly is, but I’ve added a few cards we found along the way to change things up a bit, and they’ve done wonders to put you in your place.”

“My place?!” snapped Karle. “Oh, please. You don’t have a chance against me and you know it. You may have been lucky so far, but luck only lasts so long and gets you so far.

This duel is as good as mine, and you’re as good as gone like the friends whose cards you use.”

Meanwhile, the rest of the group was still trying desperately to get as far away from Sunset and her evil rage, but it was no good… she was catching up fast… blowing down crumpling buildings and blasting through walls calling. “You can’t avoid me forever! It makes my thirst for dueling all the harder.

COME OUT!!”

Pinkie shuddered in fear. “She’s getting closer!”

“Gee, you think?” grumbled Raven.

There was no way for the group to outrun her, and Rainbow also realized. “If we keep running from Sunset, we’ll never be able to try and help her.”

While all the others did agree with her, none were too keen on the idea of actually challenging Sunset… except for Dick.

“Maybe we should.”

Everyone gawked at him with wide eyes.

“Um… you’re not serious are you?” asked Vic.

“Dick, we can’t!” cried Kori.

Her husband disagreed, “We have to.

Don’t any of you see? This could be our chance to find the Prince Brothers. We already agree that they’ve done this to her. So maybe by confronting Sunset, we can force the brothers to reveal where they are.”

There was no arguing it, and even Cadance looked rearing to have Sunset confronted. “The sooner those creeps are revealed, the sooner we can make them pay for what they did to all our friends.”

The rifts in the skies slowly continued to widen.

“…Well, if it means stopping their plans and getting us home,” said Rainbow. “I guess we better do it.”

A loud explosion was heard, which made the streets rumble, as another large building was blasted down, and Sunset was seen standing up high on another roof, glaring down at the gang, snickering wickedly. “There you are! There’s no running from me now.”

She held up her left arm, with her duel disk armed. “Who’s going first?”

Dick fiercely stepped forth. “…I am.”

Kori felt a chill run down her spine.

Dick looked back at his wife, and gave her a brave nod.

Kori still couldn’t hold herself back. “No!” she insisted as she rushed to his side with her own duel disk ready. “I won’t let you do this alone.”

“Kori…!” Dick tried to protest, but his wife was already in the duel, and she held his hand and looked deeply at him.

Dick couldn’t help but warm up to her, and agree to tag with her.

“Two against one?” teased Sunset. Then she laughed. “No problem.”

The rest of the gang backed far away from the, now, vacant area as the couple were surrounded by rubble and destruction, and Sunset still stood on the roof.

“You two have no idea what you’re in for.” Sunset mocked.

Kori called up to her, “Sunset, listen to us. You’re not being yourself. We want to help you.”

Sunset scoffed, “The only one needing help is going to you two, and the rest of you.”

Dick shook his head, “It’s no good. Whatever evil is controlling her must be really deep.”

“Who said I’m being controlled?” sneered Sunset. “Maybe I just like the way I am now--stronger, more powerful than I was before, and with no way I can possibly lose to anyone… Ever!

In fact: I love the way I am now. Who needs friendship?”

Everyone felt struck and shocked at what she just said.

“She’s kidding!” cried Pinkie “She has to be! Sunset would never think that way.”

“Well… she kind of did… once.” Rainbow pointed out.

From where she stood, Raven could see in Sunset’s evil eyes. “I’ve never seen darkness like this before.” she said to herself. “Whatever did this to her is really strong.”

“Now, on with the duel…!” Sunset ordered. “Duel well now, for I can assure you, it will be nothing like anything you’ve ever seen!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 33: Part 4: Foolish Friendship?

EPISODE THIRTY-THREE

The scores were set.

Sunset LP: 8000

Dick & Kori LP: 8000

“I’m up first.” said Dick. He held up his five cards, “And I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 PERFORMAGE BUBBLE GARDNA, and Scale 5 PERFORAMGE PLUSHFIRE.

Take your positions, my brethren!”

As his two monsters appeared up in the lights, Dick still thought back to his childhood days of performing and working in the circus.

“With this, I am able to call on as many Level 3 through 4 monsters as I wish.

…PENDULUM POWER, GO!”

Two lights shot down from above as his monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAGE TRICK-CLOWN…” (Atk: 1600)

“PERFORMAGE DAMAGE JUGGLER…” (Atk: 1500)

The two performers struck their performing poses.

“Okay, I end my turn.”

The others on the sidelines were confused.

“That’s it?” asked Rainbow. “I thought for sure he’d do something more than just play two monsters like that.”

Vic and Raven, however, could see what was about to happen…

…Especially when Dick nodded at his wife. “Do it, Kori.”

She nodded, “I’m with you all the way, and since we share a field, and you build the Pendulum Scale, I get to harness its power as well.

I Pendulum Summon!”

Five bright lights shot down from the sky, and her monsters appeared.

“SATELLARKNIGHT ALSLAHM…” (Atk: 1400)

“SATELLARKNIGHT BETLEGEUSE…” (Atk: 700)

“SATELLARKNIGHT CAPELLA…” (Atk: 1100)

“SATELLARKNIGHT DENEB…” (Atk: 1500)

“SATELLARKNIGHT UNUKALHAI…” (Atk: 1800)

Her five knights glowed with brightness…

Pinkie’s eyes sparkled with glee. “Wow! What a play.”

Rainbow felt it was impressive. “…She pendulum-summoned using Dick’s Pendulum Scale? I wish I had known that during my last duel.”

Kori looked up at Sunset again. “I’m sorry to have to do this to you, but it needs to be done.”

Sunset didn’t seem the least bit concerned.

“…Since Alslahm was summoned, you instantly take 1000 points of damage.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes in anger, and watched as the knight fired a burning light-stream at her, striking her head on.

Sunset LP: 8000 ----> 7000

The sparks and shocks jolted her, but she didn’t even flinch or blink her eyes.

Everyone noted this…

“She’s not even twitching.” said Vic.

“I don’t like the looks of this.” muttered Cadance.

“Ha!” scoffed Sunset. “Was that supposed to frighten me? Don’t you realize that I’m not the same as I used to be? I have powers that not only improve my dueling, but my strength as well.

You can’t harm me so easily.”

“Oh, really?” sneered Kori. “Well here’s something I can do…

Since Deneb was summoned, he lets me add SATELLARKNIGHT SIRUS to my hand.

And now for Unukalhai-- since it was summoned, I send SATELLARKNIGHT RIGEL from my deck to the graveyard.”

“Boring…!” Sunset jeered.

Kori glared at her angrily, “You won’t find THIS so boring.” She paused and looked at Dick again, and he motioned for her to go through.

“I now take all seven of these monsters, and overlay them!”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

Pinkie and Rainbow gasped hard, “ALL SEVEN?!!”

“Is that even possible?!” cried Cadance.

Because the field was shared, Kori was allowed to use Dick’s monsters as well as her own.

“With all of these monsters, I build the Overlay Network, so I can call on a monster I bring out on special occasions!”

The seven lights poured into the portal, and burst out with a light so bright, that nearly everyone had to shield their eyes.

Kori had to chant out to her new, emerging monster.

“With the powers of stars, from the depths of space,
I summon forth a creature of mighty grace!

I Xyz-Summon… TELLARKNIGHT PTOLEMAEUS!”

This new monsters was so incredibly beautiful! Its armor shimmered with spectrum glows, and further illuminated by all the overlay units swirling above its head.

(Atk: 550)

“BOO-YAH!! Girl’s cookin’ with fire now!” cheered Vic.

Raven nodded, and Pinkie couldn’t believe her eyes either. “Whaaa-how!!” she exclaimed “That’s the most beautiful monster I’ve ever seen!!”

Rainbow and Cadance agreed, but they didn’t get what the big deal was.

“It may be pretty, but its attack points are way low.” said Rainbow.

“Maybe you should wait and see.” said Raven.

Kori threw her arm up high declaring, “I now use all seven overlay units to activate Ptolemaues’ super-special ability!!”

All seven orbs flowed faster and faster, forming into a big ball of lightning, which the monster flung straight up towards Sunset.

POW!! The light crashed with such force, the resulting explosion broke a chuck off the roof!

“Sunset!” cried Cadance…

But before anyone else could say a thing, the smoke from the explosion was blasted away, by Sunset-- she had used her Malefic Magic to shield herself in a protective barrier, which also lowered her slowly onto another, lower rooftop.

She still did not seem the least bit impressed.

“Hey! Nothing happened.” wailed Pinkie. “She didn’t lose life points, or cards, or anything.”

“What kind of effect is that?” wondered Rainbow.

Kori then turned, grinning at the girls. “Like I said-- it’s a Super-Special Ability. By using seven Overlay Units, Sunset’s turn will be skipped!”

“Huh?” said Sunset.

Pinkie and Rainbow’s eyes lit up.

“That’s amazing!” cried Cadance. “That means Sunset can’t do anything to either of them.”

Vic nodded. “Told you… Kori only brings out that monster on special occasions. It’s easy to summon, but it’s not easy to give it the power it needs. That’s why Dick let her use his own monsters to help her.”

“Speaking of which…” Dick cut in “Since my Trick Clown was sent to the graveyard, I can summon it right back to the field by lowering its attack and defense to Zero.”

With that, his clown returned to the field, striking its performing pose.

(Def: 0)

“You do realize that by doing that, you also suffer damage.” Sunset pointed out “…A big 1000 points to be exact.”

“I’m aware!” hollered Dick, and he and Kori both received painful shocks.

Dick & Kori LP: 8000 -----> 7000

“Sorry, I had to do that.” he said to Kori.

“It’s alright...” his wife replied. “Now I’m up, and I summon my Sirus!”

(Atk: 1600)

“Since he was summoned, I can use his effect-- I take five “Tellarknight” monsters in the graveyard and shuffle them into my deck.

Then I get to draw one card!”

She took her card, and her eyes gave a shimmer at it.

“I activate the Field Spell,XYZ COLISEUM!”

All at once, the area warped into the glowing realm of the ancient battle zone.

“Now, all Xyz Monsters will gain an additional 200 attack points, and they are the only monsters allowed to attack!

(Atk: 550) -----> (Atk: 750)

Sunset merely grunted, but there was nothing she could do at all with her turn skipped.

Dick and Kori were both relieved, and they both looked at each other, agreeing to try and reason with her again.

“Sunset, you have to fight this darkness.” Dick called to her. “I don’t know what’s happening to you, but you have to fight it!”

Sunset growled, obviously not even making the slightest effort to see anything.

“Quit wasting time, and just make your move! The sooner I finish the two of you, the sooner I can take the rest of your posse on!”

The entire gang couldn’t believe what she had just said.

“Sunset, you’re talking crazy.” protested Kori.

“I told you before! The old Sunset is gone. I’ve seen a better way of things, and they don’t involve friendship, and love.

Now, make your moves before I really lose my temper!”

Pinkie felt she was going to cry, and Rainbow looked mad enough to kick over a building herself, but they both managed to keep it easy, knowing it wasn’t Sunset’s true voice speaking.

Dick and Kori knew by this point they had no choice, they had to continue dueling.

“It’s my draw!” called Dick.

He looked at what he got and was most pleased.

“I summon PERFORMAGE FLAME EATER!”

(Atk: 1200)

The little performer stood proudly next to Trick Clown and belched a small flame from his mouth.

“Now I overlay Trick Clown and Flame Eater. With these two monsters, I build the overlay network!”

He two performers leapt about, flipped about, and then vanished into the portal, creating a big burst of light.

“I Xyz Summon PERFORMAGE TRAPEZE MAGICIAN!”

His favorite monster came swinging in on its lines and bowed to everyone.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 2700)

Dick looked up at him, with that same strange expression-- as if he could see his father’s face, and the monster actually smiled back at him.

Sunset only laughed. “Are you still attached to that card because it constantly reminds you of your parents? How pathetic…!”

Dick and Kori both felt enraged.

“If anything,” Sunset continued “You should be grateful that your parents aren’t here now. I don’t think they’d love to see what a disgrace their son is.”

Even the others on the sidelines felt hurt by such a remark.

“SHUT UP!!” shouted Dick. “Don’t talk about my parents like that!”

“My husband is no disgrace!” called Kori. “Dick, and I… and all our friends are the best we can all be.”

The others all agreed.

“Are you certain of this, or are just saying it?” laughed Sunset. “You all committed crimes in the past, which is why you are here today.”

Vic and Raven looked down at the ground in a bit of shame.

Dick cringed in anger, “Let’s just move on!”

Despite his rage over the insult of his parents and honor, Dick still felt a bit uneasy for what he was about to do, but he had no choice.

“Trapeze Magician, wage a direct attack!”

His magician bowed, and swooped in on his swing, booting Sunset hard in the chest and making her growl!

Sunset LP: 7000 -----> 4300

The shocks hit her, but she still acted as if they were nothing. “Anything else you’d like to foolish attempt?” she taunted.

Dick growled, “Yes, but it’s far form foolish. It’ll guarantee good safety.

I play the Continuous Spell; BUBBLE BARRIER!”

His spell appeared and encased his magician within a bubble shield. “Now, once every turn, my magician can’t be destroyed, and I don’t take any battle damage either.

But of course, it may not even matter, because I can’t take damage that’s lower or equal to his attack points anyway.”

He then looked over at Kori, “That means you’re safe too, because we share a score.”

His wife nodded at him and readied herself. “Now it’s my turn. I draw!”

She liked what she had. “Perfect. Now I summon SATTELLARKNIGHT ALTAIR!”

(Atk: 1700)

“And now I use his ability to summon one “Tellarknight” from my graveyard, and since I only have one… I choose Capella!”

Her monsters re-appeared in a big glow of cosmic light.

(Def: 2000)

“And since Capella was summoned, I can now use its ability too—one that lets me add one extra level to all my Tellarknights.”

Her monsters gave another cosmic glow, which enveloped the other regular knights, increasing all their levels and its own from 4 to 5.

“Check it out!” cried Rainbow. “She’s got three Level 5 monsters!”

Pinkie was trembling, with fear and excitement.

Kori thrust her arm up, “I overlay Level 5 Capella, Altiar, and Sirus!”

All three of her knights vanished into the overlay network.

Kori called a chant out to her monster as it appeared in a stary stream…

“Powerful bright, and solid and true,
May this cosmic force bring defeat to you!

I Xyz Summon SATELLARKNIGHT CONSTELLAR DIAMOND!”

Her monster appeared in a luminous glow, that brightened up the dark streets even more, much to Sunset’s annoyance.

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 2900)

Vic was all overjoyed. “Way to play it, Kori!”

Raven said nothing. She just remained still and silent… as if she was still thinking of something else, which was silently disturbing her.

Kori then called to both her Xyz monsters. “Diamond… Ptolemeaus… Go! Attack Sunset directly!”

The two monsters combined their powers together, and shot a combo-beam at Sunset, nearly knocking her down from the roof!

The total damage amounted to 3650!

Sunset LP: 4300 -----> 650

“Sunset!” Cadance called out.

Everyone, even Kori and Dick were concerned… but when the smoke had clear, Sunset was still standing on the roof, and laughing wickedly.

“I must say, that was a bit impressive…” she paused “…And by “a bit” I mean “laughable.” and she burst out laughing again. “You all have much to learn about the new powers I possess.”

Nobody liked the tone of her voice, and some began to fall into worry.

While all this was happening, Sci-Twi and Karle’s duel was getting rather interesting.

Karle LP: 8400

Sci-Twi LP: 4500

Karle laughed at how pitiful Sci-Twi seemed. “Go ahead and make your move, but seeing as there’s no way you can ever win… why bother?”

“Don’t listen to her, Twilight!” Spike called. “You will beat her.” Then he muttered softly, “Because if you don’t…” he stopped right there, not wanting to even think of it.

“Even if she does win, what good will it do?” asked Terra. “Karle has no soul, so she won’t go away.”

Princess Twilight looked at her human-counterpart, unconvinced as she thought, “I’ll bet she knows something. Maybe she’s found a way…!”

Undaunted, Sci-Twi brushed her lips with her wrist. She continued to eye the green glowing jewel under Karle’s hair-bangs.

“I have to keep dueling.” she thought “The more we duel, and the more power Karle rages forth, that jewel glows brighter and faster.”

Her eyes narrowed at it.

“Give up!” shouted Karle “Admit defeat now!”

“Never!” balked Sci-Twi. “You’ve done so much damage—all because of me—and it’s time I rectified all that.

Here goes!”

She drew a third card.

The Lunar Eclipse was still in-effect, but she didn’t let it bother her one bit.

“I play POT OF GREED, so I can draw two more cards.”

Now she had four cards in hand; one of them which particularly intrigued her, but rather than go deep into thought about it, she continued her play.

“First up: I’m switching both my monsters into attack-mode!”

(Atk: 1800)

(Atk: 300)

“And now I activate Sunlight Unicorn’s ability. I look at the top card on my deck, and if it happens to be a spell--”

“…I know how it works!” growled Karle. “I faced your friend Fluttershy before-- the fool that she was.”

Sci-Twi was taken back hard by such insult, so were the others.

“…If you find an Equip-Spell, you add it to your hand, or if not, it goes to the bottom of the deck. Now hurry up and show me!”

Sci-Twi snuffed and shut her eyes as she thought, “Come on, Fluttershy. I need you to guide with this.”

She could feel Fluttershy’s spirit standing next to her, and placing her hand over Twilight’s as she flipped up the card.

“Perfect!” she cried with joy, “I have PREMATURE BURIAL.”

Karle was annoyed.

“But first up, I have a different spell to play, and that’s SPY-HERO.I send two random cards from my deck to the graveyard.”

She ditched her two cards, without even looking at them, as was the rules, but the moment they hit the graveyard and appeared on her screen, she was delighted to see what they were.

“I just sent Fluttershy’s DANDYLION to the graveyard, and that means, two Fluff Tokens appear on my field.”

The two little puffs sprouted up from the ground.

(Def: 0) x2

“Now, Spy Hero activates, and takes one of your spells from the graveyard and give it to me, and I know just which card I want too…”

Karle duel disk glowed as a single card shot out from the graveyard, and magically appeared in Sci-Twi’s hand. “Just perfect… FUSION GATE!”

She played the card immediately, warping the field once again.

“Now I can invoke its power, to Fuse together Mozarta and Elegy!”

The two monster images appeared and merged. Rarity had no chant for the monster that was coming, but Sci-Twi just made one up…

“Musical voices, high and low,
Combine into one to star in this show!

I Fusion Summon! SCHUBERTA THE MELODIOUS DIVA!”

(Atl: 2400)

The glorious monster stood tall, curtsied, and held her baton up high.

The spectators all gazed up in awe at it, and everyone thought of Rarity.

“Is that supposed to impress me?” growled Karle.

Sci-Twi adjusted her glassed, “No, it’s supposed to do more, especially when I pull off another summoning.

Level 1 Sunny Pixie Tunes with Level 4 Unicorn, and my two Level 1 tokens!”

The pixies flew up high creating the tuning rings, while the remaining monsters changed into light orbs, synchronizing together, and Twilight called Fluttershy’s chant…

“From a sacred realm, this creature rises
Her power and wisdom will bring forth surprises!

…I Synchro Summon ANCIENT FAIRY DRAGON.”

Fluttershy’s beautiful dragon spread out her lovely wings, illuminating the field.

(Atk: 2100)

“Wow! Look at her go!” exclaimed Twilight.

Even Spike was impressed. “Fusion, and Synchro at once?! What next?”

Next, Sci-Twi was suddenly bathed in a shower of tiny glowing sparkles. “Since Sunny Pixie was used to Synchro Summon a Light monster, she grants me 1000 life points.”

Sci-Twi LP: 4500 -----> 5500

“And just in time too, because now I activate the Premature Burial I just got, which requires that I pay 800 points!”

Sci-Twi LP: 5500 -----> 4700

She groaned as she was shocked all over by the point loss, but she shrugged it off and assured the spectators that she was fine.

“…It’s worth it, because now I call Sunlight Unicorn back to the field!”

(Atk: 1800)

“And now that he’s back, I get to use his ability again.”

She flipped over the top card on her deck and gasped, “Oh, no!” it wasn’t an Equip-Spell as she hoped, which meant the card went to the bottom of her deck.

“Aw, too bad!” taunted Karle “You were hoping for something special, and it didn’t happen. You see what happens when you rely too much on your friends to bail you out of a tough spot.”

She laughed at her, and the spectators were growing angry, but then they noticed Sci-Twi was grinning.

“There are still moves I can make.”

“Huh?” said Karle.

“Unicorn is still useful, especially when I summon from my hand BUJINGI BOAR!”

(Atk: 1100)

“That’s one of Applejack’s monsters.” said Terra. “Now she has two Level 4 monsters in play!”

Sci-Twi narrowed her eyes, “I overlay Level 4 Boar with Level 4 Unicorn in order to build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters vanished into the portal, and in honor of Applejack, Sci-Twi made up a chant for the summoning…

“Honest as light, and bright as day,
The creature shall make my enemies pay!

I Xyz Summon… BUJINTEI TSUKUYOMI!”

(Atk: 1800)

The three monsters all stood together.

“Unbelievable!” cried Spike.

“Fusion… Synchro… even Xyz.” murmured Terra. Seeing all this made her think strongly about her own deck.

Karle had to admit, “Not bad, but I still hardly see anything to be concerned of. You waste your time summoning these pitiful creatures that can’t even hold a candle to my Lunalights.”

Sci-Twi clenched her fists. “They’re not pitiful! These monsters are from each of my friends!”

She looked up at the three monsters, and images of each of their respective duellists seem to appear above them.

“And together, we’re going to shut you out and get rid of you once and for all!”

“Ha!” scoffed Karle. “Go ahead and try.”

“I won’t try; I’ll do!

I activate Fairy Dragon’s special ability. She destroys the Fusion Gate spell.”

The Dragon gave a huge flap of her wings, spreading strong sparkles onto the field spell, shattering it, and the sparkles then enveloped Sci-Twi herself.

“…Now, not only do I gain 1000 life points…”

Sci-Twi LP: 4700 -----> 5700

“…And now I get to activate a Field Spell of my own.”

A single card popped out from her deck.

“Activate… LUMINOUS SPARK!”

All at once, the field was bathed in a light so bright, everyone winced and covered their eyes.

The dark fog from the Lunar Eclipse effect even parted away, but it’s magic still remained in-effect.

…Gar even began to stir, but he was still too weak to awaken after the beatdown Karle had given him.

Terra didn’t notice this. She was far too mesmerized by the duel.

Sci-Twi stood tall and proud at the end of light.

“Thanks to Luminous Spark, all Light Monsters gain 500 extra attack points.”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 2900)

(Atk: 2100) -----> (Atk: 2600)

(Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 2300)

“And now I’ll activate Tsukuyomi's effect!

By using one overlay unit and discarding every card in my hand to the graveyard, I then get to draw two new cards.”

She sent the only card in her hand away and placed her hands over the deck ready to draw.

She could hear and feel Applejack calling to her. “It’s okay, Twi… I got your back.”

Sci-Twi drew her two cards, and gawked at them both so deeply that her glasses nearly fell off her face.

“What do you suppose she drew?” wondered Twilight.

“I just hope it’s good.” said Terra.

Sci-Twi peeked over the cards at Karle, who was losing her patience.

“What in blazes are you waiting for?!” she bellowed.

“Nothing at all!” shouted Sci-Twi, and she called out, “Tsukuyomi, attack Leo Dancer!”

The monster complied and leapt over to attack!

“But it’s still weaker than Leo Dancer is!” wailed Spike. Then he realized, “Wait a minute…!”

“I activate BUJINGI SINYOU(‘s) special ability.” shouted Sci-Twi, and with that, and image of the card she had just discarded glowed.

“By banishing it from the graveyard, Tsukuyomi will now gain attack points equal to Leo Dancer’s!”

“Ah!” cried Karle.

(Atk: 2300) -----> (Atk: 5800)

Sci-Twi snickered. “While you’ll only take half the damage from this attack, but it’s worth it!”

(Atk: 5800) VS (Atk: 3500)

Leo Dancer was beaten-- slashed to pieces—and Karle took 1150 points of damage, which merely blew a soft breeze at her.

Karle LP: 8400 -----> 7250

“I can’t believe this!” she growled.

“Oh, yeah! Well believe this!” yelled Sci-Twi “Schuberta, attack and destroy Panther Dancer!”

Rarity’s monster bowed, and then waved her baton, sending a magical, sonic sound stream at Panther Dancer, blowing her away.

(Atk: 2900) VS (Atk: 2800)

Karle LP: 7250 ---à 7150

“No!” shouted Karle.

“She’s totally defenseless!” cried Twilight.

“Sick her!” hollered Spike.

Sci-Twi agreed, and hollered, “Ancient Fairy Dragon, direct attack!”

The dragon complied and shot a strong light beam straight for Karle.

Karle screamed as the blast hit her hard and knocked her flat on her back!

Karle LP: 7150 ---à 5050

She furiously pounded the ground as she got back up onto her feet. “You treacherous punk!”

Sci-Twi could see the jewel on Karle’s head was pulsating really hard and fast.

“It’s working!” she thought “If I can just keep this up a little longer, it’ll all work out!”

She ended her battle phase.

“Now, I’ll activate Schuberta’s special ability, which lets me banish three cards from your graveyard, and she’ll gain 200 extra attack points for each one.”

She knew just which cards to banish, and she tossed out the three Lunalight Fusions-- Cat Dancer, Panther Dancer, and Leo Dancer.

The three monster spirits wailed as they vanished into darkness, and Schuberta grew stronger.

(Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 3500)

“Wait, why did she do that now?” wondered Twilight. “She could have banished other cards and then attack with more power.”

Terra already had the idea why. “She’s playing it super safe. She waited until all those Lunalights were in the graveyard, and that way, by banishing them, she limits what Karle can do.”

Spike agreed, noting that Karle still had her Pendulum Monsters in play. “Still, she’s got her on the ropes now. I mean, look at her…!”

Sci-Twi stood proudly with her three special monsters behind her, and the spirits of her friends faces hanging above each one-- each like a guardian angel protecting and looking out for her.

She really felt she had Karle in a bind now.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn, so Tsukuyomi’s attack power returns to 2300, but it’s also the end of your eclipse.”

“Thanks, girls,” she thought quietly. “Now I really feel like we’re all working together.”

She looked up at all the monsters and images of her friends, which only she could see, and the faces of her friends smiled down at her.

The moment, however, was broken when Karle called out, “You are doomed!”

Everyone’s features hardened, and Karle, she looked she had just been in a scrape with someone-- she was all sweaty and dirty, her long hair was a bit frizzled, and the jewel on her head was still glowing madly.

“You seriously expect me to believe that just because you summoned all these monsters, that you have this duel won? You couldn’t be more pathetic!”

Sci-Twi growled.

“Nothing will stop me in my ultimate conquest.” Karle thought, and she began to think back to all the times-- when she and Sci-Twi were one-in-the-same-- she heard Sci-Twi’s friends preaching about friendship, helping each other, support, and all that “Junk!”

“I’ll show them all who’s the greatest. Once I win this duel, I’ll be rid of this rotten kid for good, and then I can focus on my main goal: to destroy Masquerade and become the greatest duelist ever!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 34: Final Part: Incredible Defeats

EPISODE THIRTY-FOUR

The Prince Brothers had observed both duels along with their three minions.

Their generator was really glowing brightly with all the power it was absorbing, which caused the rifts in the sky to widen even more.

“Wonderful!” exclaimed Rubeus. “I can hardly remember the last time I’d seen such incredible duels of such power.”

“Hey, it’s even better.” said Loki. “Now that Sunset is fully enveloped in the darkness of her new cards. The power will grow all the faster.”

Then his features changed to concern, “I only wish my Dear Celestia was here to see this. I wonder where she is.”

He tried to use the magic to find her, but unlike keeping an eye on the others, searching for Celestia, without knowing exactly where she was, it was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

Khaos, Sapphire, and Violet, were all sulking in the corner, feeling annoyed to have been called back, and then to do nothing by standby for further orders.

“They give us all these new cards, and then they just pull us back like this.” grumbled Sapphire.

Violet huffed, “I could be down there now destroying the masked-one myself.”

Much as Khaos didn’t like the hedging around, he urged his colleagues, “Stop complaining! We sit tight and we wait, as ordered.”

Such an order was about to come.

“You three!” Loki called, “I want you to go back down and bring Celestia back.”

“What?!” snapped Violet.

“Now wait just a--” Sapphire said, but he was cut off by Khaos, “…At once.”

The other two were shocked by his stuck-up loyalty.

“Cone on, you two.” called Khaos.

“I don’t get why we should go looking for her.” grumbled Violet.

“What was that?!” snarled Loki.

Sapphire began to panic, and he changed his attitude, “We mean… uh… we’re on it.”

“And remember!” Loki ordered “No running off on any vendettas. My brother and I will not have you three putting our plans in jeopardy.

Your only task, now, is to find my Dear Celestia.”

“We understand.” replied Khaos “There won’t be any trouble,”

Violet and Sapphire complied and went off with him.

“And remember…” warned Loki “We’ll be watching you. If anything happens to ruin our plans, or if anything happens to Celestia… all three of you will suffer for it.”

The trio finally left.

“He’s really obsessed over that woman.” grumbled Violet.

“I’ll say.” agreed Sapphire.

Khaos said nothing, only wanting to serve his masters well.

Rubeus shook his head at his brother. “I wouldn’t worry about Celestia all that much.”

Loki snuffed softly, “I just can’t bear it if anything happened to her. You would understand if there was someone you loved as dearly.”

Rubeus felt hurt by such a thing, “And I supposed my brotherly love is no great matter?!”

Loki felt silly, and he apologized. “Forgive me, brother. Perhaps my obsession is getting to me.”

Rubeus nodded, “You are forgiven.” Then he thought silently, “Once this is all over, he will understand… there is more that I love that he knows.”

He went off to do some work, leaving Loki to continue watching the two duels and search for Celestia.

Loki couldn’t help but eye his brother until he was out of sight, softly tapping his finger against his robe, almost in a rather untrustworthy manner.

Celestia had found her way to the ruined remains of Jump City.

“What a dump.” she remarked. “I’ll bet even when this was all bustling, it was useless.”

She looked up at the growing rifts in the skies, and she could see loads of other cities from far and wide.

“I suppose when we take over the human world, I could have other fun with future victims.” Then she looked stiff towards the open city ruins before her “…But right now I only have one goal in mind.”

She knew Sunset and the others had to be somewhere in the city, but she still had no idea where to look. So, she just hopped along the roofs hoping to find them, or anything to lead her.

Meanwhile, Dick and Kori were still standing strong, while Sunset had hardly any life points left.

Sunset LP: 650

Dick & Kori LP: 7000

But Sunset was still laughing wickedly. “Prepare yourselves, because here I come!”

She finally drew a card now that she could finally take her turn.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 0 SUPREME KING GATE ZERO and Scale 13 SUPREME KING GATE INFINITY!”

Two strange monsters appeared-- one in the shape a of big zero, and the other was symbol of “infinity” They both took their places up high in the Pendulum Lights.

“Zero to thirteen?!” cried Dick.

“But that means there’s no limit to what monsters she can call out.” wailed Kori.

All the spectators couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Where did Sunset get these cards?” wondered Rainbow.

“I don’t think I even want to know!” whimpered Pinkie.

Sunset Snickered, and she called out to the Pendulum, but recited a new chant instead of her usual…

“Back and forth the Pendulum Swings,
And all the monsters now it brings!

…COME FORTH MY MONSTERS!”

Two shots of light rained down from above her, and her monsters appeared.

“Behold… two SUPREME KING DRAGON DARKWURM(s)!”

(Atk: 1800) x2

Two vicious looking dragons, snarled and roared at the opponents-- monsters that nobody had ever seen.

“Interesting, aren’t they?” teased Sunset. “Of course, they can’t attack because they aren’t Xyz monsters. So, I guess I’ll just have to overlay them both!”

Everyone watched in fear as the two monsters vanished into the overlay network, and Sunset chanted out to her new emerging beast.

“Shadows of fear and darkness deep,
I summon a monster to make you fear and weep!

I Xyz Summon SUPREME KING DRAGON DARK REBELLION!”

The evil dragon appeared, spreading its huge wings out and letting loose mighty roar.

(Atk: 2500)

The spectators could hardly believe their eyes.

“No way!” cried Vic “That looks like Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, but way nastier.”

“And worse,” said Raven “Thanks to Kori’s Xyz Coliseum, it’ll gain more attacks points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 2700)

Sunset glared down at her opponents, and if you think that you’re both safe thanks to your little magician over there, think again!”

Dick and Kori didn’t understand, and Sunset engaged her battle phase.

“Dark Rebellion, attack, Constellar Diamond!”

Her dragon complied and prepared to attack.

“What?!” cried Kori “But your dragon is still weaker than Constellar Diamond!”

(Atk: 2900)

“Not for long it isn’t!” protested Sunset “I know activate Dark Rebellion’s special ability!

When it battles a monster, but using an overlay unit, that monster’s attack drops down to zero!”

“Ah!” wailed Kori.

“No, way!” exclaimed Dick.

(Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 0)

“Oh, but don’t worry about your monster’s attack points, they are going to a good use—my dragon that is! Now his attack power increases by the amount of your monster’s original attack points!!”

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 5400)

The spectators all gasped in horror.

“Fifty-Four hundred!” wailed Cadance. “But that means Dick’s magician can’t defend them from the blast!”

“Oh! I can’t look!” cried Pinkie, and she ducked behind a pile of rubble.

“Now, my dragon, attack!” shouted Sunset, and her dragon unleashed a huge, dark stream of burning power from its mouth, straight for Kori’s defenseless monster.

Kori braced in fear as the impact came closer!

“I don’t think so!” shouted Dick “I activate Bubble Garnda’s Pendulum ability!”

His monster leapt up and began to blow magical bubbles over the two duelists.

“Thanks to think, all the battle damage we’ll take is halved, which reduces it all to 2700… and this allows my Trapeze Magician to defend us, because his attack-power is exactly that!”

Sunset only laughed, “You think you can stop me with just a few simply bubbles? Well, I’ll just have to burst them!

I activate from my hand, the spellBIG RETURN!”

Everyone gawked at this strange new card. “What does that do?” wondered Cadance.

Sunset snickered and replied, “What it does, is it allows me to activate Rebellion’s ability a second time!”

Everyone gasped.

“Once again, I use an overlay unit, and Rebellion will gain the original attack power your monster had!”

(Atk: 5400) -----> (Atk: 8300)

“WATCH OUT!!” shouted Pinkie, but in a huge explosion, Kori’s monster was blasted to bits.

(Atk: 8300) VS (Atk: 0

Even with half the damage, the total amount was now 4150; too much for Dick’s magician to block, and both Dick and Kori were shocked hard and scream in agony as the damage shocks enveloped them both, and the force of the explosion nearly knocked them both back hard.

Dick & Kori LP: 7000 -----> 2850

Sunset laughed in wicked triumph. “So much for your defense, now I have one final spell to play from my hand…

Activate SERIAL CLAW!

Since my dragon successfully destroyed a monster, it can now attack once more, and it also receives 500 extra attack points!”

(Atk: 8300) -----> (Atk: 8800)

“OH, NO!!” Dick and Kori both cried.

While Dick’s magician was protected by the Bubble Barrier, Kori still had her extremely weak Ptolemaues…

(Atk: 750)

…And there was nothing either of them could do to defend themselves at all.

“It’s no use!” cried Rainbow. “They’re done for!”

“Ah, man! No way!” wailed Vic.

“They can’t lose!” said Raven.

“But they will!” shouted Sunset “Dark Rebellion, attack!”

Her dragon complied, and shot its blast straight for Kori’s monster.

Kori gasped hard as the powerful shot headed straight at her.

“KORI…!!” Dick yelled as he jumped over to his wife, catching her just in time as the blast struck, destroying Kori’s monster, and enveloping them both brightly, and painfully making them both scream and howl in torment!

All their life points were wiped too.

The explosion was so bright, that it caught the attention of Celestia, who was several blocks away.

“What is that?” she wondered, but then she bet “…It must be those fools I used to call “My Friends.” And if I find them, Sunset should be near by.”

While all that was happening, Sci-Twi and Karle’s duel was becoming so intense, Terra didn’t know how much more of it she could stand. She was sweating like crazy and flicked a few threads of her hair back.

Sci-Twi LP: 5700

Karle LP: 5050

“Prepare yourself!” Karle taunted “This is the final turn of this duel. This will get you out of my way for good.”

Sci-Twi was really growing livid with her attitude. “If it weren’t for me, you’d never be here in the first place!”

“Maybe so,” agreed Karle “But now I am self-reliant, free, and powerful. I don’t need you, especially since you’re too weak to be much of anything, and I’ll show you why!

Guarded Treasure lets me draw two cards!”

She now had three cards in hand, and one of which was her trap, “Lunalight Re-incarnation Dance.”

“Excellent!

I activate the spell BURIAL FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION!”

Sci-Twi’s eyes widened! “No! That’s let’s you send all the monsters I banished back to the Graveyard.”

The images of the three monsters reappeared and vanished back into the graveyard.

“Now that they have all returned… I activate FUSION SUBSTITUTE from my graveyard!”

“What? Fusion Substitute?” remarked Sci-Twi. “I never saw you play that card…” but then she realized “Wait a minute…!”

She thought back to earlier when she played Hand Destruction, and how Karle was forced to discard the two initial cards in her hand. Once of them was Makurya the Destructor. The second card had to have been Fusion Substitute.

“For a so-called “genius” you certainly don’t pick up too well.” taunted Karle. “Now, by banishing the card, and returning Leo Dancer to the Extra Deck, I am able to draw one other cards.”

She drew a third card, and she really loved what she had gotten.

“Are you aware of what I am able to do now with Lunalight Wolf’s Pendulum Ability?”

Sci-Twi cringed.

“You should be, seeing as the card used to be yours. Now I banished Panther Dancer, Blue Cat, and Purple Butterfly out of the graveyard, so that I may once again fuse them to summon… LUNALIGHT LEO DANCER!”

(Atk: 3500)

The monster stood tall with her sword gleaming brightly.

“Oh, no! It’s back again!” cried Twilight.

“You think she’d try something different for once.” grumbled Terra.

“Oh, but I’m still not finished.” hissed Karle. “I have one final spell to activate, MONSTER REINCARNATION! With it, I shall send my Re-incarnation dance trap to the graveyard, and in exchange, I’ll add Lunalight Blue Cat back to my hand.”

Everyone could tell what was about to happen now.

Karle pointed up to Tiger and Wolf in the Pendulum Zone. “With the aid of this scale, I now Pendulum Summon my Blue Cat straight to the field!!”

In a single shot of light, the monster beamed onto the field!

(Atk: 1600)

Karle laughed wickedly. “Now that Blue Cat has appeared, her special ability will double Leo Dancer’s attack strength.”

(AtkL 3500) -----> (Atk: 7000)

Everyone gasped hard, while Sci-Twi could only look up with wide-eyes, and she was totally speechless.

“This is very bad!” cried Spike.

Karle then eyed at the two facedown cards Sci-Twi had. She thought, “If I know her, even though she knows Leo Dancer is unaffected by certain cards, she may use them to try and defend herself. I’ll need to beef up my attack force, then she’ll never be able to stop me from defeating her.”

“If you’re counting on those two face-downs to save you, I’m about to dash your last hope, with this spell… LUNAR ECLIPSE!”

“Ah! Not again!” groaned Sci-Twi.

She played the card immediately, and the field was, once again, shrouded in dark fog, though the Luminous Spark light kept things from growing too dark again.

“Oh, no!” cried Terra “That means Leo Dancer can’t be affected by any card effects at all.”

Twilight agreed and remembered seeing the creature in action, “Leo Dancer can destroy all of her monsters, and even attack twice.

Spike was worried, but he couldn’t take his eyes off the two face-downs. “…Can they really help?” he wondered. He really couldn’t say, what with the eclipse now shielding the Lunalights from harm.

As for Gar, while he was still finding his strength and couldn’t quite get up yet, he could see the duel, and while he hated to admit it to himself, “It’s a no brainer who’s going to win this duel.”

Karle’s gem was glowing so hard and fast, you’d think it was on the verge of bursting.

She taunted at Sci-Twi, “Like I implied: I am better without you! The creator is about to be schooled by her own creation!

And do you know why…?

It’s because I don’t rely on things like friends and trust to get me where I want to go.”

She recalled the battle against Gar in the tournament finals. “You were so close to victory, but you held yourself back while thinking of your friends instead of concentrating on your goals, and that lead to our humiliating defeat!”

The last bits of the flash were of Gar delivering the final blow resulting in Sci-Twi’s crushing defeat as said.

“And now look at you.” Karle continued “Here you are, fighting your weak and worthless friends, with a makeshift deck made from their cards; horribly imbalanced, and unable to hold a candle compared to my superior dueling skills.”

The spectators were growing positively furious with these insults.

“Don’t listen to her!” called Terra.

“Friendship is the most wonderful thing you can stand for.” added Twilight.

Spike said nothing because he noticed Sci-Twi standing perfectly still, with a darkened expression on her face.

Her empty fists were trembling, as if she were struggling with her inner feelings-- taking Karle’s insults to heart, the same way Gar used to taunt her.

“What’s the matter? Can’t accept the awful truth?” mocked Karle. “Well, here’s one truth you’ll have to accept!”

She engaged her battle phase, and she knew just what she had to do, and destroy the weakest monster, “Leo Dancer, attack and destroy Tsukuyomi!”

Her monster complied and leapt over with her huge sword.

“Strike now!” ordered Karle, and Leo Dancer took a huge swing.

The spectators all watched with such fear, not noticing Sci-Twi fiddling with the duel disk.

(Atk: 7000) VS (Atk: 2300)

Kapow! The attack struck, making such a powerful explosion that blew Sci-Twi back hard, knocking her over, and she screamed as the shocks hurt her.

“And don’t forget…” Karle hollered through the waves of the destruction “Leo Dancer now is able to destroy all your special summoned monsters!”

“No!!!” Sci-Twi screamed as Ancient Fairy Dragon and Schuberta were wiped out in the waves.

And to everyone, it seemed like the three spirits of Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy were all screaming and wailing as they were consumed by the waves too.

“Twilight!!” Spike cried out to her.

As the waves began to die down, Sci-Twi lay on the grown, all covered in dirt and dust. Her clothes were slightly tattered, and her hair bands hand fallen out, letting her long hair fall loose.

Her score was then shown.

Sci-Twi LP: 3350

“What’s this?!” spat Karle in utter disbelief. “How can this be? You should have lost far more life points than that.”

Sci-Twi slowly got up to her feet. The blast sure did a number on her, and she pulled back the long threads of her messy hair out of her face, revealing her wicked grin.

“Take a good look, and you’ll see…”

Next to her was a large image of a trap card.

“That… That card?!” cried Karle, unable to believe her eyes, “It’s… EMPTY FISHING!”

Spike gawked in awe, “I don’t believe it!” cried Spike.

“Why? What does that card do?” asked Terra.

Sci-Twi explained, “When Empty Fishing is played, I can target two cards on the field whose effects were negated, and then I only take half the damage from a battle.”

“What’s she’s talking about?” asked Twilight. “What cards were negated?”

Sci-Twi snickered, and then motioned at her second card, “Just before Leo Dancer had attacked, I activated FORBIDDEN SCRIPTURE.”

“Ah!” Karle gasped.

Sci-Twi explained, “When a monster attacks another monster, this spell can negate the effects of all other cards currently in play, and even though the Lunalight’s are protected from my card effects, there are two other cards that were…”

She motioned to Lunalight Tiger and Lunalight Wolf in the Pendulum Zones, and they both didn’t look so well.

“This allowed me to use Empty Fishing, since it wasn’t already active, it didn’t have it’s effect negated, and not only did it reduce my damage, but thanks to its other effect… both those Pendulum Cards are now added to my hand!”

Karle watched in horror as two magical fishing lines spouted from the card, and snatched the two monsters, thus: magically lifting the cards off her duel disk.

“My Pendulum Cards!”

Sci-Twi snuffed as she held up the cards. “You’re wrong, these cards belong to me! You’ve squandered their power for long enough!”

She looked down at her two cards with deep joy and love. “Welcome back, my friends. I know you’ll help me get the rest of my cards back.”

“Ha! Very clever!” snarled Karle, “I admit, it was rather cunning for you to take those cards from me… However,” she paused and shouted, “Did you forget that Leo Dancer wasn’t affected by your little stunt, and now that she destroyed all your monsters, you have nothing to defend with.

Now I am free to attack you again and end you for good!!”

Sci-Twi grinned, “Wrong again!”

“Huh?”

Karle then looked ahead and Tsukuyomi was still standing! “Impossible!” she snarled. “How did it survive!”

Sci-Twi held up a card, “It was all thanks to Applejack’s BUJINGI HARE. It got sent to the graveyard when I played Bujingi Fox to shield me from damage.

Since I control a Beast-Warrior monster, by banishing Hare, it shielded Tsukuyomi from being destroyed for the rest of the turn.”

The spectators could hardly believe all this, but they were far from relieved.

“It may have survived,” said Twilight “But Karle can still attack it anyway, and that will win her the duel.”

Spike was still not convinced, mainly because Sci-Twi was acting rather confident.

“Leo Dancer, I command you!” shouted Karle “Attack, and end this duel!”

Leo Dancer complied and rushed over to attack again.

The spectators all screamed in terror as the attack got closer, and closer…

“It’s now or never!” Sci-Twi said to herself, and she quickly grabbed a card out from her graveyard, and she let out a loud but brave wail!

That’s when Tsukuyomi raised it’s big shield up, and actually blocked Leo Dancer’s sword.

Karle was furious, “…It can’t be! My attack failed?!”

The spectators gawked in astoundment, while Gar softly snuffed “…I knew it.”

Sci-Twi heaved in such relief, and then she held up the card she had grabbed. “When you called out your attack, I banished GUARD MASTERfrom the graveyard. This made Tsukuyomi switch to defense mode, and just in time to take the hit for me.”

Karle was in complete and total shock. She was trembling so madly with her eyes wide, and her mouth hanging over, and the jewel on her head flashing so hard, the green glow was practically turning white!

The spectators were so overjoyed, they could hardly say anything, but Terra just stood where she was, and she and the others all gazed at Sci-Twi with pride and joy.

Sci-Twi looked down at her card and though quietly, “Thank goodness I had this thanks to Spy Hero, or I would’ve been done for.”

Then she glared at Karle and scorned, “You claim that you’re better, stronger, and smarter than me, but in the end, it won’t matter how much you say that, because in the end, I still created you, and no matter how intelligent and skilled you are… you have the exact same flaw that I have, just as everyone else has…” she paused a moment, and made sure Karle was listening carefully…

“…You… aren’t… perfect! Nobody is perfect, no matter how much they try to be, in the end they can only be the best they can be for themselves.”

She clutched her heart, “That’s something my friends helped me learn.”

She recalled her days as an anti-social loner, and how she felt alone, miserable, and what lead her to not having much of a life, until the Equestria Girls changed her ways, and even saved her life when she became Midnight Sparkle.

She also felt hurt inside, and her glasses fell over and landed softly on the ground as tears began to streak down her face.

“I turned against my friends!” she sobbed “I was so wrapped up in wanting revenge against Gar, that not only had I created a monster… I became a monster… again!”

She recalled all the time she secretly transformed in Karle, and she acted like such a jerk and a meanie to her friends. She even eliminated several of them from the tournament, which would make it hard for everyone to focus on the true goal of saving their captured friends and helping the Titans.

The spectators felt hurt along with her, especially Twilight. “The poor dear.” she murmured.

Sci-Twi wiped her tears away, and picked up her glasses, putting them back on. “…But my friends…” she paused. “They forgave me, because they still believed in me, and I… I believe in them.”

She looked down at her deck, “That’s why I built this deck using their cards and a little of my own ideas.

So, don’t you ever tell me again that friendship is foolish! Because that very friendship will now be your undoing.”

Karle growled furiously, but she had no choice but to end her turn, which made Leo Dancer’s attack drop back to 3500.

Sci-Twi stood ready and placed her hand over her next card. She then shut her eyes and concentrated hard.

“Rarity…

Fluttershy…

Applejack…

…Please, I need your help. I need to draw something really, really good so that we can win this duel. Please, help me draw it.”

Her hand suddenly felt warm, and she opened her eyes, and could see all three of her friends, placed their hands over hers.

“We’re all with you darling.” said Rarity.

“You’re our friend, Twilight, and we’ll always be there to help you.” added Fluttershy.

Applejack nodded, “Now you go on, get in there, and kick some dueling tail.”

Sci-Twi smiled most lovingly, and in a sift moment, she pulled out her card and looked at it… with a gleeful look in her eyes.

“It’s time!” she said. “I use LUNALIGHT TIGER and LUNALIGHT WOLF to set the Pendulum Scale!”

Her two monsters took their places in the lights.

“But wait…” said Terra, “She can’t be planning to Pendulum Summon. Lunalight Wolf only allows “Lunalight” monsters to be summoned.”

Spike and Twilight felt this as well.

Sci-Twi knew what she was doing.

“First I’ll switch Tsukuyomi back into attack mode!”

(Atk: 2300)

“And now I’ll use its remaining overlay unit to once again, send every card I have to the graveyard, and then I draw two cards.”

She really loved what she had drawn.

"I now summon the monster known as HONEST!"

(Atk: 1100)

"What? Honest?" said Karle in confusion. "Why in the world would you summon that?"

"You'll see..." replied Sci-Twi. "For now, I activate... CARD OF DEMISE!

“Ah! Oh, no!” cried Karle.

Sci-Twi smirked, “Now I get to draw five new cards, but I have to discard my entire hand after five turns. Not that it matters, because I plan to end this duel here and now!”

The spectators watched as she then refreshed her hand.

“Go for it, Twilight!” hollered Spike.

"I now activate Honest's special ability, which allows me to take it off the field and place back in my hand."

"So, that's why she played it." Karle grumbled in thought. "By summoning that card, it left her hand empty, and she used Card of Demise to draw even more cards."

Sci-Twi grabbed a single card in her hand. “Let's get busy!

I activate MONSTER REBORN, and it lets me revive the one monster that I discarded… SPELL CANCELLER!”

(Atk: 1800)

As soon as the monster was summoned forth, it cast a piercing gaze across the field which seemed to affect the Pendulum Cards, turning them gray.

“Spell Canceller negates the effects of all spells in play, which means now, I can use my Pendulum Scale to summon any monsters between levels 2 through 4 as I need.”

Looking up at the Pendulum, she called out her very own chant to it.

“Science is as the Pendulum swings,
The discoveries and forces that it brings.

…Engage Pendulum Summon!”

Three Shots of Light rained down from up high as her monsters appeared.

“SOPRANO THE MELODIOUS SONGSTRESS…” (Atk: 1400) -----> (Atk: 1700)

“SERENADE THE MELODIOUS DIVA…” (Def: 1900) -----> (Def: 1500)

“And the Tuner Monster… BUTEN!” (Def: 300) -----> (Def: 0)

Her field was flooded wit monsters now, but not one of them could stand up to Leo Dancer, or even Blue Cat.

…Not that Sci-Twi was even finished.

“Since Serenade was special summoned, her special ability allows me to Normal Summon a “Melodious” monster from my hand…

I choose Level 7 SHOPINA THE MELODIOUS MAESTRA, and what’s more… Serenade can be tributed as two monsters to bring her out!”

(Atk: 2300) -----> (Atk: 2800)

“And now I activate Soprano’s special ability. She allows me to Fusion Summon without using a Fusion Spell!”

The two ladies rose in the air, combining their melodic voices in harmony as they merged, and Twilight called out a chant…

“Harmonious and bright, but filled with rage,
This graceful singer will now take stage!

I Fusion Summon… BLOOM DIVA THE MELODIOUS CHOIR”

The pretty little flower appeared, bloomed wide open, and the adorable singer appeared and sang a lovely note up high where Rarity’s spirit hovered, just above her.

(Atk: 1000) -----> (Atk: 1500)

“And I’m still not done yet!” Sci-Twi called as she held up her last card “From my hand I discard NOISY GNAT!”

A strange little insect appeared after its card was tossed.

It swirled around Buten, and then actually bit it, making the monster squeal comically.

“Thanks to this, Buten’s level has been increased by 1, and just in time. Now I tune him along with Level 5 Spell Canceller!”

The two monsters went up in the air, forming the tunning rings and the light orbs, and Sci-Twi called Fluttershy’s chant.

“On wings of light, and powers so high,
This mighty creature descends from the sky.

I Synchro Summon ANCIENT SACRED WYVERN!”

The majestic creature spread its glowing wings out and let out a graceful roar, with Fluttershy’s spirit standing over it.

(Atk: 2100) -----> (Atk: 2600) ----> (Atk: 900)

Its attack had weakened due to Sci-Twi’s score being lower than Karle’s by 1700 points.

Sci-Twi LP: 3350

Karle LP: 5050

Not that Sci-Twi seemed to mind, now she had everything she needed. Almost like having all her friends with her like the promised.

Though Sci-Twi hadn’t Xyz Summoned, Applejack’s spirit was also there, hanging over Tsukuyomi!

"And finally..." Sci-Twi shouted "I activate the facedown spell I just played... SUPERMACY BERRY!"

"Oh, no!!" wailed Karle "That card allows you to regain life points!!"

Sci-Twi smirked "...A Whopping 2000 to be exact."

Sci-Twi LP: 3350 -----> 5350

"Impossible! This can't be happening!" shouted Karle.

The spectators were all filled with glee and joy and kept cheering Sci-Twi on.

“My friends are here for me now!” Sci-Twi scorned at Karle. She looked up at the three strong monsters, and they and the spirits looked down at her with proud smiles.

“And together, we’re going to get rid of you for good!”

Karle cringed, and Sci-Twi engaged her battle phase.

“Bloom Diva, attack Leo Dancer!”

Bloom Diva took in a huge breath, and she let out a mighty song note in the form of a large light wave-- Rarity’s spirit was at the head of that ray.

(Atk: 1500) VS (Atk: 3500)

Sci-Twi then explained, “Bloom Diva won’t be destroyed, and you’ll take al the damage that I would have!”

Karle gawked up in horrors as the blast-- Rarity’s spirit—smashed right into Leo Dancer, and the shockwaves blasted right at her.

Karle LP: 5050 -----> 3050

“Take that!” cheered Terra.

“Pour it on!” hollered Twilight.

Spike just let out a cheerful howl.

“Now,” Sci-Twi called “Tskuyomi, attack Blue Cat!”

The monster complied and leapt over to slash the monster.

(Atk: 2300) VS (Atk: 1600)

To everyone, it was as if Applejack’s spirit was the one doing the attacking!

Blue Cat was slashed down the middle and destroyed, while more shockwaves sped past Karle.

Karle LP: 3050 -----> 2350

“Oh, no!” Karle cried.

“Oh, yes!” sneered Sci-Twi “Now that my life points are far higher than yours are, Wyvern’s attack goes back to its original amount. It gains 500 points from the Luminous Spark and an additional 1000 for the different in our scores!"

(Atk: 2100) -----> (Atk: 3600)

"Ha!" Karle scoffed "So now your monster is stronger and able to beat Leo Dancer... go ahead. I'll only take a mere 100 points of damage. I'll still have plenty to finish you off with next turn!"

She laughed maniacally, but Sci-Twi only smirked, "No, you won't!"

"...Huh?" said Karle and then she realized, "Wait! You still have "Honest" in your hand!"

"That's right...!" hissed Sci-Twi, "And since Wyvern is a Light monster, by sending Honest to the graveyard, she'll gain the amount of attack points as Leo Dancer has, which is plenty to wipe you out!"

“NOOOOO!!” Karle cried. She knew she was about to lose the duel, big time. “YOU MAY DEFEAT ME, BUT I WILL STILL REMAIN!!”

“No, you won’t!” shouted Sci-Twi. She could see Karle’s gem so insanely bright; one last good shot would do exactly as he hoped. “FAREWELL, MY CREATION!!!”

Karle gasped, and Sci-Twi ordered “WYVERN… ATTACK!!! HONEST, I CALL UPON YOUR POWER!! INCREASE MY MONSTER'S STRENGTH!!"

(atk: 3600) -----> (Atk: 6100)

Karle screamed in terror as the monster grew to giant size!

(Atk: 6100) VS (Atk: 3500)

As the monster prepared to attack, Fluttershy’s spirit, along with Rarity and Applejack’s all huddled together, and launched in the one final assault, wiping out Leo Dancer!

Karle LP: 2350 -----> 0

The shockwaves were so intense that the gem on Karle’s head—the very source of her life force-- shattered!

(2:42)

“OOUUAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH…!!!” Karle screamed and flailed madly, as jolts of energy from the shattered gem enveloped her body.

In her flailing, Sci-Twi’s duel disk flung off her arm along with all the cards in her entire possession.

Karle’s glowing body slowly levitated into the sky where it finally exploded in a huge flash of light.

Sci-Twi, the spectators, even Gar covered their eyes as the light drew in closer, and closer enveloping them all as well.

“What’s happening?!” wailed Spike.

“I don’t know!” cried Twilight. “I’ve never seen anything like this before!”

Terra could barely see Gar near her, and she reached for him, wanting to keep him safe, all the while, Sci-Twi was running up to her friends, and she leapt over just in time to put her hand on Terra’s back…

…The light faded, and everyone was gone, except for Gar.

“What? Hey!” he groaned as he looked all around him, but he couldn’t see the others anywhere.

All that was left behind was Sci-Twi’s duel disk and all the cards that Karle had. Including Sci-Twi’s Lunalight deck.

Also, the coverings over the top half of his head were loose and on the verge of falling off!

“No!” he shouted as he desperately tried to hold them in place, but they finally fell to bits exposing half his face.

He turned looked down at a small puddle of water near his feet and could see his reflection-- his exposed face.

“No!” he wailed, as if he was looking at the face of the devil himself.

He fell to his knees, desperately folding his coat over his face, screaming like murder. “NOOOOOOO!!!”

Author's Note

DUDE!!!!

Is your blood rushing right now? I sure know mine is.

What a finish!

Episode 35: Behind the Mask/Doors.

EPISODE THIRTY-FIVE

Kori and Dick lay on the ground feeling really beat from losing to Sunset.

“We lost!” cried Kori.

Dick growled in frustration. “I can’t believe it!”

The other friends couldn’t believe it either.

“They lost the duel!” cried Rainbow.

“They’re going to get turned into cards!” wailed Pinkie.

The lightning was coming and ready to strike, but surprisingly, Sunset grabbed her special card and repelled the lightning off, sparing the couple from the consequences.

“What the--?” said Vic.

Raven blinked in confusion.

“Why did she save them?” wondered Cadance.

Sunset snickered as she lowered her card. “I can’t let you get turned into cards now, can I? Who would I duel then?”

Everyone gawked at her for what she had just said.

“That’s right…” Sunset said with a smirk. “As of now, you’re all my personal dueling slaves. I can duel any of you any time I want and as long as I want.

You’ll never have to worry about being turned into cards.”

“We’re not your slaves!” protested Raven. “And we’re not going to just duel you whenever you tell us.”

Sunset demonstrated her point by firing a blast of Malefic energy that just sped past her, blowing up a small pile of debris.

“You’re in no position to tell me what I can and cannot do. I’m the one with all the power, and I have great dueling skills as you’ve just seen, and I’m itching to try them all out as often as I please.

I live for dueling! The feeling of such power, and watching my opponents fall at my force!”

There was no doubt, she had gone completely insane with that evil that had her.

“So, which of you shall I duel next?” she wondered as she eyed at the group.

“Why not duel me?!” someone shouted.

Sunset turned, and everyone could see…

“Celestia!” cried Cadance.

She had followed the light from her finishing move during the duel, which led her to hop along the roofs and find her.

“Ha!” scoffed Sunset “You have a lot of nerve showing yourself around here, after you defeated me in our last match.”

“And you have a lot of nerve still being here after than.” protested Celestia. “I’ve come to finish what we started.”

She readied her duel disk, and Sunset looked ready herself.

When suddenly, everyone heard a loud scream coming from far away.

“NOOOOOOO…!!!”

“What’s that?” asked Kori.

Vic recognized the voice, “That’s Gar!”

This put everyone back in mind that he was out there, as were the others, and seeing Sunset was now fully distracted…

Dick hollered, “Run! Let’s go!” and everyone began to make a break while they could.

“No!” shouted Sunset, and she turned to try to use her powers, only for Celestia to use her own—blasting her feet with magical rays-- holding her in place.

“You’re not going anywhere. We have a score to settle.”

Sunset growled, but then revealed, “You can’t hold me down that easily.” and she magically broke free from bondage. “You don’t to realize that I hold the power of the greatest Malefican there ever was!”

Celestia was unmoved and tried to cast a duel beam on her to force her into a duel, which Sunset easily dodged by swerving, ducking, and leaping about. “Catch me if you can!” she taunted.

Celestia furiously chased after her.

While all the time, the friends managed to get several blocks away before stopping to watch their breath.

“I think we lost them.” said Vic.

“I don’t think it matters.” added Rainbow “They’ll just come after us again.”

She then angrily kicked a rock up the street. “I can’t believe what’s happened to them both!”

Pinkie was more sad than outraged, especially when remembering the horrible things Sunset had said about Friendship being worthless, and planning to keep everyone as her dueling targets.

None of this would end until the Princes Brothers were found and stopped for good!

“How are we supposed to find them now?” asked Cadance. “We just ran away from our big leads, and it’s too dangerous to stay near them.”

Even Dick wasn’t about to suggest going back where Sunset was waiting to pummel them all again. He and Kori were still a bit sore from losing to her.

“I can’t believe how ruthless she was.” Kori said as she thought back to Sunset’s dragon blowing her and Dick down.

“It’s worse than that.” said Pinkie “We only saw a few of her new cards in action. We don’t know what she’s really capable of doing.”

“She’s right.” agreed Vic “I mean just that Pendulum Scale of hers-- Zero to Thirteen! Who knows what monsters you can call out with that!”

Cadance then relaized, “Twilight! She doesn’t know about this!”

“Neither does Terra.” added Kori.

Everyone decided to find them and fast, and remembering hearing Gar scream, they felt it best to head off in the direction the sound came from.

“Just my luck! Raven grumbled softly “We’d have to go find that jerk!”

“You say something?” asked Rainbow.

Raven hesitated “…No. Why?”

Rainbow had suspicion, but now wasn’t the time to bother.

Meanwhile, Gar was desperately trying to get his coverings back into place so that not an inch of his face was showing.

He was still shaken from having seen his reflection.

He softly, but angrily punched a wall with his fist in disgust. Then he clutched his head still annoyed by bad memories flood through his mind.

“I’ve got to get out of this world.” he said to himself.

He looked up at the rifts in the sky and how menacing they looked, with the sights of the towns in the world coming closer to being sucked into the darkness.

He was about to head off, when he noticed Sci-Twi’s fallen duel disk, and all the cards just laying about.

He would as well just leave them all be, but having a duelists honor, he gathered them all up and pocketed them, hoping to give them back to Sci-Twi… wherever she and the others had disappeared to.

The friends found themselves wandering in a stark empty place, like some giant fortress. It was very dark, and the floor was all misty.

“Where are we?” asked Spike. “Are we still in the Malefic World?”

“How did we get here?” wondered Terra.

Twilight and Sci-Twi were both stumped.

“Maybe it had something to do with those bright lights?” suggested Twilight.

Everyone recalled when Karle was vanquished and those bright lights enveloped everyone, including Gar?

“How come he isn’t here too?” asked Terra.

“I don’t know.” replied Sci-Twi “But we need to figure out where we are and how to get out.”

Up ahead was a strong wall, with several doors in a row, and very large door in the center, bound and chained.

“I’ll bet that big door’s the way out of… wherever this is.” said Spike.

The door was so big, and didn’t seem to have any knobs, or handles, or anything to get the chains off and open it.

Sci-Twi and Twilight both wished they were able to do magic, but they weren’t.

Suddenly, Sci-Twi could see a small glow of light coming from one of the other doors. “What’s that?”

The others could see the light too, and Sci-Twi and Terra moved in front of the door, which did have a handle on it.

“Uh… do you really think you shouldn’t open that?” whimpered Spike.

Sci-Twi agreed. Nobody knew just where they were or what all the doors really were. Who knew what was behind them?

Suddenly, the door began to quiver, making Sci-Twi and Terra back away in fear. The handle began to click, and the door opened revealing a large flash of light that blinded everyone.

When they opened their eyes, they could hardly believe them.

“We’re back… in the real world.” cried Sci-Twi.

They were all standing in a jungle, and the sky above them was normal-- instead of being all dark and full of shadows, it was regular nighttime, and the stars and moon were shining beautifully.

Terra and the others were overjoyed at first until Terra looked behind her and saw everything was all stark-black and empty. “Wait, no we’re not.”

Spike pulled on his ears and growled in frustration. “So much confusion, but where are all the answers?!!”

He was about to get it when he heard a voice narrating a story…

“My life was headed down a dark path…”

Terra and Sci-Twi’s heads perked up.

“That voice…” cried Sci-Twi.

“…Gar?” wondered Terra.

Somehow, they had stepped into a world that was the story of Gar’s life, and it all started when he was five years old, all the images played as Gar’s voice narrated the story.

*Gar’s Narration*

My name is Garfield Logan, and as far as I can remember, maybe I should never have been born.

I lived with my scientist folks, Marie and Mark Logan. They were wonderful parents to me, and even took me with them to the Amazon on one of their scientific expeditions.

…That’s when things began to go downhill for me.

I was bitten by a rare green monkey, and I fell ill. My parents were only able to save me using an untested serum they had conjured from extracts from The Amazon itself.

The serum worked and cured me, but there were side-effects that mutated me into a green, pointy-eared animal-morpher.

*Narration Pause*

Spike gulped hard in shock, while Sci-Twi was astounded “That’s how he became green?”

Twilight could hardly believe this. “Poor kid.”

Terra could only continue to watch as things only got worse from then on.

*Narration Continues*

My parents soon died in a flood, a tragedy that still haunts me to this day. If only I could’ve done something, I could have saved them…

…But that’s not how life goes.

Life is something you can never always control. Sometimes you have no control of it at all. No matter how you try to make things go right, they can still let you down.

I was taken in by my foster mother, and she vowed to raise me well… or she would have had she not been killed with the farm we lived on was attacked by thieves.

I watched helplessly as my last parental figure was taken from me in an explosion, and as for me…

I was captured by the thieves and enslaved to work for them. They were horribly abusive people who beat me nonstop, hardly ever fed me, and their evil boss tried to kill me when he found out how much a kid like me with my animal powers was worth!

I would have surely lost my life had the Doom Patrol not come and saved me.

They took me in and trained me to control my powers, eventually making me their newest and youngest member, even raising me like a foster son, and how I got my nickname “Beast Boy.”

It felt rather cool at the start-- being a hero and all that, and helping to save the world, but to really be a hero was far from anything I had imagined, especially the way my so-called “Family” treated me.

To Mento, my foster dad; he only saw me as an asset, nothing more than a mere convenience-- only seeming to care for me when I was needed, or when my animal powers came in handy. Other than all that, he was pushy, grumpy, and always caring more for success of missions than being a parental figure.

The worst of his traits is when people dared to disagree with his ideas or his plans.

The rest of the Doom Patrol was in trouble, and Mento ordered me to just go on and leave them, to stop our enemy, The Brain, from escaping, but I couldn’t do that. I already lost enough people in my life; I couldn’t lose another family!

So, I saved their lives, and the bad guys got away.

Mento was furious, and he really let me have it.

“You let them get away! How could you be so foolish?!”

“Hey! I saved your lives!”

“No, you didn’t! All you did was delay our destruction! Because you didn’t stop them, the whole world could be put in danger!”

Some “father” he was. Always scolding me when I messed up, hardly showing any gratitude, and always making me feel like I should never have saved him.

I couldn’t take it anymore! I wanted a family, but not a bunch of slave drivers who really can’t understand love and appreciation.

So, I quit the team, and I struck on my own.

*Narration Pause*

The images all vanished away, and the friends found themselves back outside, and the door slammed shut.

The friends were all horribly hurt in shock.

“What a jerk!” Spike growled. “He saves their lives, and he doesn’t care in the least?”

Of course, he, like the others, couldn’t believe all the misery and suffering Gar had gone through especially Terra.

“You never told us he went through all this.” said Twilight.

Terra shook her head admitting, “I didn’t know.”

Sci-Twi was still curious wondering softly, “How and why are we seeing all this?”

Just then, the second door opened wide, and everyone was thrown into another part of the story.

And it showed Gar having spent a great deal of time on his own.

*Narration Continues*

Finding a better place proved harder than I thought. People would take one look at me and be repulsed because of my appearance.

“Eww, he’s green.”

“You look gross.”

“Get away from me, freak!”

Even when I a took a simple sip from a drinking fountain, people would look at me like I was some sort of virus.

“What’s he doing?!”

“Call the cops!”

“Get out of here!”

I didn’t know how much more I could take. I resorted to wearing my Doom Patrol mask all the time, like a secret identity, but of course, being green, made that too hard.

Then I got a little bit of luck shining my way, I met my future teammates-- Robin, Starfire, Cyborg, Raven, and after much convincing, we all agreed to form the Teen Titans of Jump City.

Finally, I had a home, and people I hoped I could call “My Friends.”

But the pain in my life was still there. Every day I couldn’t help but think back to all that I had lost, and how badly I was treated.

Most heroes have bad backgrounds and tragedies in life that make them what they are. So, they try to find ways to cope with it.

I tried to take up being the comic-relief-- telling jokes, being the funny and cool one, even a few immature pranks here and there-- all the supress the pain from my hardships.

The Titans only found me annoying, and though we all tried to be good friends, it didn’t seem that way.

I try to bring joy and smiles to people to help them forget their trouble, but they only see me as a good-for-nothing goofball who never would amount to anything.

Especially Raven…!

Always so rude and pushy, always so grumpy, and miserable. Liking it better when I’m not around.

We had a few goods times… and I even cheered her up once when her heart was broken.

In the end, she was just too mean for her own good.

-Always insulting me…

-Always giving me rude attitude…

“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I wish Beast Boy were here. He could sniff out the creature.”

Even when we throw her a nice birthday party because we love her… she just up and throws and tantrums and destroys it!

-And even resorting to smacking me, or being totally unsympathetic…

The others were hardly any better.

Like Raven, we had some good times, but they also would treat me as just an immature kid. They would hardly listen to me any time I had an idea, even if it were a good one, and they would always give me a look to keep quiet, or not say anything.

And being hero didn’t help much either…

I put my life on the line every single day, I bust myself up, and people only seem to like the other Titans better, while treating me like I’m invisible.

-No Thank you
-No kudos
-Not a single mention.

Even if I did get a little recognition, it hardly felt like much, especially if they others kept looking down on me and Raven kept smacking me and treating me like I wasn’t important.

Some life being a hero-- they only care about you when they really need you, and then they dump all over you when they don’t.

My patience still held. After all, heroes just do it because “It’s right”

Me and Cyborg, we even got into dueling. It was a great game, and we became such fanatics about it, and we were always dueling each other…

…I always got slammed.

“BOOYAH, who’s da duelinator!”

“Man, you stink at this game.”

“I’m ready to kick your butt again.”

…It wasn’t winning or losing that mattered to me, but just playing with my buddy, and feel like I was fitting in that helped.

I got a little better as I went along and got sweet new cards, but still I didn’t know if this was really going to work out.

It felt like the Titans were no different than other people I met-- either dying on me or just plain up betraying me.

*Pause*

Princess Twilight Sparkle had never seen anything like this in all her years.

“Such abuse!” she gagged. “In Equestria, I’ve seen bickering families with more dignity than this.”

Terra could shake her head in disbelief as she felt tears coming to her eyes. “I never knew what the Titans were really like.”

Then suddenly, she realized what was coming next. “Oh, no…!”

The memories then showed of when she and the Titans first met, and how she and BB began to fall in love.

*Resume*

Her name was “Terra.” She wasn’t like other girls I knew. She was fun, exciting, and way cool. She thought my jokes were funny, and for the first time in my life… someone was willing to look past my flaws and see me as a cool and understanding guy I could be.

*Pause*

A pretty song played as images of their blooming relationship went by-- all the times they were growing closer and enjoying each other’s company, a real perfect connection!

(19 You & Me)

Terra smiled lovingly at the images, especially when he taught her how to play Duel Monsters, and when he gave her the Heart-Shaped Mirror Box he had made for her, along with the “Change of Heart” card.

“Beast Boy…! It’s-- I don’t know what to say.”

“Beast Boy, you’re my definition of fun.”

…But the warm love was not to last. Nobody really had to hear the narration to know what came next…!

Terra running out on him after the misunderstanding, her alignment with Slade and breaking his heart, then turning against the Titans, only for Gar to help her regain control.

“You were the best friend I ever had.”

Then she turned herself to stone to save the city from destruction, and she was gone… for a while.

*Resume*

All the time I missed her so much. I would always think back to how much she meant to me, and how desperate I was to someday have her back in my life.

I did my best to cope with waiting. In my spare time I would secretly study gameplay-- not just for Dueling, but for all video games, board games, simple games, like chess, checkers, even tiddlywinks.

I just wanted to become a better player.

Then, when Terra finally came back… things were about to change, from bad to way worse!

*Pause*

Terra bit her finger and looked away, not wanting to see the next images. Not that it mattered, because her memories still housed those very images herself.

“Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory.”

The other friends were even more heart-broken and outraged than ever to now see the entire episode before their eyes.

Princess Twilight felt faint. Never had she seen friends not only fail but get thrown out like a sack of garbage in such a manner in her entire life.

“The guy already suffered enough in his life.” said Spike. “No wonder Gar was having nightmares and grumbling in his sleep.”

Sci-Twi was completely baffled. “Someone who lived like this would’ve likely done themselves in ages ago!”

Terra said nothing, she was weeping softly into her hands. She never knew that Gar had it so bad in his life, and all she did was add to the misery by demanding he leave her to live her own life-- caring only for herself and her own well-being.

She didn’t even care about the Heart-Shaped Mirror Box, or the Change of Heart card either.

“Gar.” She wept so softly; she couldn’t be heard “…I’m sorry. I’m so sorry!”

The door slammed shut.

Terra fell to her knees, and the two soul cards fell from her jacket collar. Her tears splashed had on the cold stone floors, nearly wetting them had Sci-Twi not scooped them up.

She looked down at the shaking, sobbing woman, and honest didn’t know what to feel for her.

That’s when the third door, on the other side of the locked gate, opened wide.

“There’s more?” asked Spike.

“How much more can there be?” added Sci-Twi.

Still quivering miserably, Terra confessed, “There’s a lot more, and it’s way worse!” She really sounded like someone who didn’t want to see the next images, but she like the others had no choice, and they were all pulled inside to the next part.

It showed that after the Things Change stuff, Beast Boy really fell hard into depression.

He did respect Terra’s wishes and stopped trying to convince her to come back to the Titans, or having a relationship with him, but it didn’t do him a bit of good.

He had never felt so hurt, so betrayed in his life.

*Resume*

How could the love of my life-- the one person I ever felt I had such a connection with-- just stab me so hard in the back that it came out through the dying remains of my already hurt heart.

Why was all this happening to me?

Why did every person I ever try to befriend, or love die on me or betray me?

Even my so called “Friends” the Titans were totally unsympathetic with me.

“You need to let go of the past.”

“I know it is hurting you, but we all must do the moving on with our lives.”

“Yo’ man, crushes come and go. You can’t let ‘em rule you.”

“…Go cry me a river!”

How could they not understand or care about what I was going through? How could they just demand I up and get over it like that?

They just never understood how it felt to be in so much pain like me.

Sure, they all had their bad backstories, but they all managed to move on and learn live in positivity, while I was always spinning deeper into darkness! I hadn’t much to move on to at this point.

Games were longer fun, the sunlight didn’t feel so bright and warm, and even life itself wasn’t worth living. Even dueling was losing its charm with me.

Every time I saw “Change of Heart” I thought of Terra, and how it was her favorite card-- and how she rejected it claiming she didn’t like dueling-- all part of her lies and desperation to forget her past.

Not that it mattered. It wasn’t as if I had anyone to duel with!

All I could ever do was go out for walks, try to clear my head, and try find my strength again, and while there were loads of people in Jump City who did duel… anyone whom I challenged, it was always the same-- just one rejection after another.

“No way!”

“Get lost, loser!”

“Don’t even think about it!”

“As if I’d duel you, freak!”

What was with them all?! Didn’t they even know I was “Beast Boy,” The Teen Titan, a hero?!

It was more like they didn’t care, and I soon fond out why…

You’re only ever a hero if people “consider” you one, and from what I found, it really hurt.

All around me stores only carried merchandise of the other four Titans, and people only seemed to look up to them more-- deeming them either cooler, or better looking than me.

Even when the Titans and I were called in action, and after we save the day, and tons of people crowd around for selfies and autographs… guess who was the only one they ignored like he was invisible...

…That’s right. No respect, no notice, not even an ounce of credit for my services or trouble!

Life just got worse and worse. Even my own so-called “Friends,” the Titans were starting to change for the worst!

-Always telling me to “Grow up” or “Move on!”
-Never listening to me when I even had good ideas.

-Vic didn’t even seem interested in playing video games or dueling with me anymore. Preferring to work on his car, or new inventions, or even study up business than had fun occasionally.

“I don’t have time. I got better things to do. It’s time to grow up and be a man.”

And Raven, constantly smacking, berating me, abusing me, being hard with me, and the others just sat there and let it her do it, even when I didn’t say or do anything.

It was like just being around them was all so annoying, even when I made simple suggestions, like a vacation in Mexico!

WHAPP!

“What was that for?”

“I just felt like it. You got a problem with that?!”

Whenever I tried to stand up for myself, they would always take her side.

“Beast Boy! Leave her alone!”

“What’s gotten into you, man?”

“You are behaving like a royal zarbnarf!”

They made me so mad I could just push them all over! It became clear now I could no longer see them as friends, but rather just teammates. Whatever good times we had now all seemed small and meaningless.

I really didn’t have much worth fighting for.

-No one in the city looked up to me, or even cared of my suffering…
-My so-called “Friends” were now more like enemies…

…And then the city itself was undergoing bad changes.

*Pause*

Sci-Twi remembered this, “All those renovations to the city just so greedy businessmen could make more of a profit, which caused consequences for others.”

She was right. She saw it all… fun places like candy stores, shopping malls, the city park, were all being replaced with office complexes, factories, and other places of hard work.

People were losing their jobs, their homes, and the other four Titans were all in on it.

*Resume*

“We’ve been offered deals.” Robin announced.

Some deals they were, deals set up by those greedy capitalists to help them break down more buildings and renovate the town all for their own profits!

I was practically the only one who could see this.

“You do not wish to join our new business?” Starfire asked. “But it is a great chance to make lots of the cash, as well as plan for our futures.”

“She’s right…” agreed Cyborg. “It’s not like we can really be heroes forever. Its time grow up, find jobs, be new people.”

“I won’t have any part of it!” I protested. “You guys think this is some opportunity, but you’ve been brainwashed by these dudes, and frankly the city doesn’t even need anymore changes like this.”

Robin merely brushed it off, thinking I was just protesting to change entirely. “Beast Boy, I know you’ve been having it hard, but you need to suck it up and get with it.

Things Change in life, it’s the way of progress, and it’s all part of growing up. Batman taught me this, and Starfire and Cyborg are right; we need to get out of the past and start thinking about our futures.”

It was official, he was lost and beyond hope.

“The city won’t have a future if you keep this up! You’re going to kill it with all these changed!”

WHAPP! Raven had swatted me again.

“No one’s interested in you’re being a crybaby just because things aren’t going your way.”

As usual, the others were on her side, and left me to wallow in my misery.

“We’ll talk when you’re ready to grow up!” growled Robin.

Oh, did I feel alone. I never felt so alone, so unwanted, so unappreciated in my life!

*Narration ends*

Another song played as images were shown of poor Gar walking miserably down the streets. (“Behind Blue Eyes”)

All around him the sights only added to his already unbearable misery…

-Happy parents with their kids…
-Couples on dates…
-Friends being great to one another…
-Even duelists having fun…

…All the joy and happiness Gar craved, but was always constantly denied of.

Then there was all the changes occurring, and most people in Jump City either didn’t seem to notice or care, not even when he tried to warn them.

“The changes are bad!”

“You’re going to lose your homes and your jobs.”

Everyone just laughed at him…

“You’re delusional, you retard!”

“You just can’t accept changes.”

“You need to learn to grow up.”

…Obviously, they didn’t realize the danger they were all in, or they hadn’t yet been affected like some, or they were just all part of the greedy changes and they didn’t care if they were ruining other peoples lives.

“Stuff happens.”

“You can’t make an omelet without breaking a few eggs.”

“Sucks to be them.”

Princess Twilight was officially ready to blow her top. “How can people be so cruel; so heartless. If they lived in Equestria, they’d be banished for things like this!”

The only person in life who ever felt close to or happy with, who ever understood me well, was Terra, and even she didn’t want anything to do with me-- like everyone else!

Even Terra herself never truly realized how insensitive the people were being, having been unaware of it at the time.

That’s when the next images showed of her and Gar talking in the park one afternoon.

She remembered that time only too well…

“I felt so guilty of telling him to stay away. I knew that I hurt him, it didn’t feel too easy for me either.”

“Well then, why did you dump him again?!” Sci-Twi almost yelled at her. She only asked in a rhetorical way, because she and the others already knew the answer, and they gave her angry looks.

Terra was so upset, she couldn’t answer them, and didn’t have to.

Even the next images showed why…

As she explained once before, she couldn’t focus on her school work, think straight, or even sleep well at night.

She even began narrating the next parts that happened herself.

“I felt I had to talk to him. I couldn’t stand this guilt-- this pain anymore. I thought maybe we could come to peace with what happened.”

The images showed just that…

She found Gar sulking in the park one day after she had just gotten off from school, and while she felt very uncomfortable, she had to go in and speak to him…

…Not that it helped, especially when she found out he had been moping ever since she dumped him.

“Beast Boy, can’t you understand? I’m doing this for both of us; try and make our lives better.”

Unamused, Gar sneered at her. “I don’t think so. You were doing it for yourself, just like you are now. You hate feeling guilty for what you did to me… to yourself… to us… and now you’re in a desperate hurry to clean your mind of it.

I want to wish you a lot of luck. I hope it takes the rest of your life!”

He walked off insisting. “I left you alone. I respect your wishes… now you respect mine, and keep away from me.

…That’s what you wanted after all.”

Then he left, leaving Terra feeling worse than ever.

Sci-Twi and the others couldn’t feel the least bit sympathetic for Terra at all.

“Could you have been any more insensitive?!” Spike balked at her.

Even Princess Twilight felt sick to her stomach, even as just a spirit trapped in a card. “It’s no wonder he scoffed at friendship and love-- it never worked with him.”

Terra’s stomach ached in shame, especially with happened next…

…The police had arrested Gar.

“What’s happening now?” asked Spike.

Terra confessed. “It was Jackie and Jillian. They called the cops on him.

They suspected I was having trouble with him, and they felt he was the reason why I wasn’t concentrating well.

Even though he quit stalking me, they saw us in the park and though he was, so they called him in, and they tossed him in jail.”

“And you just let it happen?” asked Princess Twilight in utter disbelief.

“I never wanted it to happen!” protested Terra. “But I was in panic. I couldn’t just up and tell the girls who I really was, nor could I tell the cops either.”

Spike gagged, “Oh, right… because that would mean you’d blow your cover and lose your “precious” normal life!”

The two Twilights were not pleased, especially in the next scenes showing Gar behind bars, with special handcuffs that prevented him from using his animal morphing to try and escape.

The Titans were there, looking at him angrily through the bars, and instead of trying to be helpful, only scolded him.

“I cannot believe you stalked that girl again!” sneered Robin. He still didn’t believe the girl was Terra, having never actually seen her.

“You are that obsessively insane.” said Starfire.

It was in vain that Gar tried to insist, “I didn’t stalk her. She came to me!”

“Do you have any proof of that?” asked Cyborg.

“Just find her, talk to her, she’ll confess!”

“Yeah, right…” Raven scoffed. “And just when I thought you couldn’t more pathetic!”

She refused to even read his mind, assuming like all the others he was crazy due to his behaviour lately.

“You need serious help, Beast Boy!” said Robin. Then he and the others all left into the next room to talk to the police and the Js, who made the call.

Terra was not present.

After a while, the cops and Titans had talked a lot, and the police agreed to release Gar from his cell and release him to the custody of the Titans…

Gar, finally having been pushed over the edge with all the abuse, neglect, and misery-- the second his cuffs came off, he made a break for it.

“Beast Boy!” Robin shouted, and her and the Titans gave chase.

“Wait! Stop!” called Starfire!

At the doorway to the building, Gar changed into a T-Rex and tail swatted Robin hard, knocking him clean into Starfire, then into Cyborg, and then into Raven, knocking them all down and giving him a clean chance to escape and flee Jump City.

The Titans had just gotten up and were ready to go after him, when a police car pulled up, and they had Terra with them.

The Titans were ever so surprised. This was the first time they had actually seen her since Gar had made claims, he had seen her.

Terra felt so guilty. “When I found out Jackie and Jillian got the cops involved, I ran and hid. I couldn’t let them take me in and question me.”

She looked over at Spike in his card, and he was very angry.

“You’re right-- I was trying to protect myself and hang on to my normal life, all because I didn’t know any of Gar’s trauma and stress.”

The others all shook their heads at her, unable to feel any more disappointed.

The memories had ended, and the door was shut, but Terra continued to explain…

“The police found me, and questioned me what this was all about, and since the Titans were there, they went into deep details.

I was exposed and forced to admit everything, including my history with the Titans, my past relationship with Gar, and the crimes I committed when I served Slade.

I was very lucky the police hadn’t pressed charges against me, but my normal life was history!

The Js couldn’t believe it, and instantly wanted nothing more to do with me. I was expelled from Murakami High, they found out about my history and didn’t want a former criminal in their history and placed in the Titans’ care. Not like I had much else of a choice, I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”

She wiped the tears from her eyes, and she didn’t have to go much further. They all knew the part of the story from there…

The city soon fell into decline because of the greed, and stupidity which caused people to flee, but it was far worse as Terra told them.

“The changes caused so much trouble to stocks and industries across the country. Some people were so devastated and lost so much, they even committed suicide-- like a second Great Depression!”

“Wait, what?!” snapped Sci-Twi. “The Titans never told us that.”

“Come to think of it…” added Spike “They never told us about how abusive they were to Gar at all, or any of this stuff.”

Princess Twilight didn’t know how much more of this she could take, and the number one question on her mind was the same everyone else.

Where were they, and why were they being shown all this?

Author's Note

One of Raven's quotes from THINGS CHANGE is...

I can't believe I'm gonna say this, but I wish Beast Boy were here. Maybe he could follow the scent.

It shows to me that she doesn't really look past his flaws and doesn't really see him as a trusted ally or friend, but more an annoyance.

And the way she acts so bad to him on TROUBLE IN TOKYO...

...Which really makes her bad in my view

Episode 36: Vengeful Conclusions

EPISODE THIRTY-SIX

Celestia leapt along the roofs, chasing Sunset everywhere.

Sunset even taunted her. “Run, catch me if you can!” She enjoyed this chase as if were like a game.

“I’ll get you yet!” thundered Celestia.

Suddenly, the Dark Trio dropped down in front of her.

“End of the line for you!” scolded Khaos.

Angrily Celestia demanded, “Get out of my way!”

“No can do.” said Sapphire “We’ve got orders from Prince Loki to bring you back.”

Violet agreed, “So either come quietly, or we do it the hard way.”

“You dare to order your queen around?” snarled Celestia. “You can tell Loki that I have something to take care of, and after which I will gladly return.”

“You will return with us now!” demanded Khaos. “The prince’s orders outrank yours.”

Celestia was losing patience. “If you three don’t get out of my way, I’ll just have to force out!”

“Fine by me.” hissed Violet “I could use a duel.”

“No!” snapped Khaos. “We were told to avoid trouble.”

“But she’s being so difficult.” protested Sapphire.

Khaos still insisted and motioned at his comrades. Rather than dueling Celestia, they used their combined Malefic powers to bind Celestia’s wrists and ankles.

“What are you doing!” she thundered “Release me!”

She tried to use her own powers to free herself, but three against one was too strong for her.

“You’re coming back with us, and that’s that.” insisted Sapphire.

Sunset peeked round from the corner of a building. “What’s this, a little mutiny among the high ranks?” she said to herself.

Then the felt, “I could duel any of the trio. They already can’t be affected by the lightning. Then again, I could have some more fun.”

She thought and then decided, “Why not?”

She snickered wickedly as she held her hands together, and the tips of her fingers began to glow, and that’s when the wind began to pick up.

“Hey! What’s going on?!” yelled Sapphire.

That’s when Sunset cast a full Malefic gust to blow all four of them across the city, completely separate from each other.

Sunset laughed with glee. “This will make the game just as fun. I can hunt them all down and duel as I please.”

Loki saw the whole thing, and he smashed the viewing magic through with his fist, dispelling it. “I knew I couldn’t trust those three fools to get her back here! I should go down there and find Celestia myself.”

“There’s no need for that.” said Rubeus. “We won’t have to go down there. We can get everyone to come to us.”

He looked up at a large green light that lay before him, and within it lay several yellow glows in the shape of cards.

Loki walked over and admired his brother’s work. “Fascinating.”

Rubeus nodded, “Centuries of waiting, planning, and preparing-- This shall be the greatest honor in our Malefic history.

With all this, there will be none to stand in our way.”

The cards then magically flew out from the light, and all stacked together on a small pedestal. When the light around them had faded, the cards had become real.

The brothers snickered wickedly upon looking at them.

“Shall we test them?” asked Rubeus.

“We shall indeed.” agreed Loki.

They started a duel, and being controllers of the Malefic Powers, they would make certain that whoever lost would not be turned into a card himself.

The brothers shared a good laugh which echoed in the shadows as their duel began…

Celestia had crashed landed outside the city boundaries.

She was hurt, but she was horribly outraged. “Curses! Curses!!” she thundered.

Now that she had been separated from the trio as well, their magic bindings around her had vanished.

“I’ll get those three for this, and Sunset especially!”

Her only problem was having to find them all over.

Meanwhile, Terra was on all fours, gazing horribly at the ground while tears of shame and misery dropped from her eyes. She was still horribly upset for Gar, finally understanding now why he was so hostile, such a jerk, and so miserable, and she only contributed to it with her selfish acts. The guilt just burned through her stomach like fire to paper.

The others were all understanding now of Gar’s anger, not that his attitude was justified, but they were also horribly outraged, not just at the Titans’ actions which led to all this, but because they never told them the truth.

Princess Twilight had never seen friendship fail someone so miserably before.

Sci-Twi still had one question on her mind. “What is this place, and why is it showing us all this?”

Just then, the fourth and final door at the end opened wide, revealing the final part of the story, and that was how Gar became the ruthless gamer he was.

Even Terra managed to find strength to get up and view everything as it happened.

*Gar’s Narration*

Out on my own, all alone, with nothing but my hate and my misery for company.

Using two special electrodes stored within my Doom Patrol belt-- one to shield from detection, and one to protect me from certain types of magic, as was standard-equipment-- There was no chance for the Titans or anyone to find me

…Just as well-- I was totally at the end of my ropes! I couldn’t stand it any longer! I never wanted to help anybody ever again! I didn’t think I even cared for other animals and gave up on being a vegan!

All my life I had been robbed of comforts and happiness I craved or worked hard for. I was abused, mistreated, neglected, and for no good reason at all. It was like the whole universe had something against me for even being born!

I could never trust anybody ever again. I’d be setting myself up for more hurt, more disappointment, and more of everything I ever suffered!

Life-- the world-- it all became one giant prison. Everywhere I went I could only be constantly reminded of my betrayals and losses. I hated the very sight of it, and all concepts like “Friendship”, “Love”, “Morals” they all meant nothing to me now! They were all lies, and setups!

And my face-- my reflection! I hated the very sight of it! All I could see was the face of a loser! An idiot!! A good-for-nothing failure whom people laughed at and abused!

I couldn’t stand to look at it anymore with my own eyes! I took to wearing a mask-- my Doom Patrol mask, and curling my turtleneck across my mouth so that not a speck of me was showing.

But what was I going to do now? I had no place to go, and hardly any money with me.

True, I could live in the wild-- drinking from rivers, eating grass or leaves, and burrowing underground, but it didn’t help me.

I missed getting into action and longed for better excitement in my life-- not hero work.

And my memories, all my hateful and miserable memories of all my pain still haunting me and with not much to take my mind off them or relieve them.

Then, one day, I got my lucky break.

I was wandering through another town. I even got rid of my Doom Patrol outfit, exchanging it for clothes I found in a clothing drive box on the street, including a sphere hood to hide my pointed ears.

People wouldn’t recognize me at all like this and wouldn’t be repulsed by the sight of my green skin.

I saw a dueling contest with a prize of one-hundred dollars. That would sure help a little.

And would you believe, people dressed up in costumes, and you could rent decks to use in the tournament.

I had just enough of my own money left to enter and rent cards, so I took my chance, and I won it all! I even got to keep the cards I won.

“What’s your name, son?” the promoter asked.

“Just call me “Masquerade!”

The crowds cheered for me, and I was being rewarded, and they didn’t bother ask who I really was.

Other duelists then challenged me, wanting a shot at “The Champ” not one of them defeated me, and people even bet more money against me, which I got to keep.

I was unstoppable… and it didn’t stop there.

In my spare time I would go to public libraries were I could read all I wanted for free. I continued my study into all kinds of games, and I watched videos of people playing over the internet-- Learning their moves and devising my own strategies against them.

I even took a little time to give myself a proper education-- math, physics, sciences. I wanted to be ready for any kind of game possible.

I would train and exercise in open fields for sports and athletics, as well to keep up my strength.

It wasn’t long before I became well-renowned…

I played chess in city-parks and defeated all my opponents...

I rocked at sports…

…And of course, I kept up with dueling. I entered more and more competitions, winning them all easily and gaining more money to buy myself better cards, better clothes, and check into motels to sleep in for the night.

I received offers to participate in gaming competitions world-wide, with generous cash offers. Some tournaments even invited me for exhibitions of bonus matches.

Game companies even invited me for Q&A testing of their video games and equipment.

I could barely find times to fill all these offers, and still find time to enter plain tournaments for the prize money, while all the while maintaining myself.

…I was just unbeatable!

I even got a world-permit from law officials, that no one was to question my identity or try to unmask me.

That suited me very well because my face, or even the color of my skin or hair, remained hidden as I wanted it to be. I couldn’t bear to look at myself and be reminded of my past.

I did my best to keep covered. The only time I ever took my mask off was in my motel bathrooms at night so I could wash up, and even then, I would turn out all the lights to make sure not to look into any mirrors.

…I could find myself and know what I was doing. I could wash, shave, brush my teeth.

I always had to stay in motels because I was always on the move-- travelling around the world--and couldn’t stay in permanent residence. Plus, despite my fortune, I did have to keep it steady to buy food.

I hadn’t seen my face in years, which helped me only a little.

Memories don’t simply vanish no matter how much you want them to. I would have constant nightmares of my past, or even envision the way people used to laugh at me, or even the Titans and how they betrayed…

Especially Raven and how she used to smack me mercilessly and I could still feel the pain!

And seeing people who were basking in the glories of friendship, love, joy, and all the things I was denied in life sure made me sick.

Beating them at the games not only made me feel strong, but it was a great chance to shoot all those concepts down and show people what it felt like to be a loser!

“Friendship is just stupid!”

“You think believing in your friends will help you win? How pathetic!”

“A person like you wouldn’t last ten seconds against me.”

I even got to put those who were already jerks in their places by beating them at the very games they swore to be champs in.

I didn’t care much if people didn’t like me or hated me. I just enjoyed all the revenge! I was getting revenge on the world for all the times it denied me of happiness and robbed me of my dignity.

Happiness didn’t matter to me anymore. I didn’t need it.

Love, comfort, compassion-- all useless.

All I needed was power and glory.

Yes! That’s who I was. Beast Boy, Garfield Logan, and anything I was in the past were no more!

I was… Masquerade: Enemy of all Friendship, and World Gamer extraordinaire!

*Narration Ends*

The final scenes were of Gar crushing every opponent that came his way, winning every tournament and sporting event he entered-- practically putting himself on top of the world… laughing wickedly.

The final door had shut, and the viewers were all shocked and terrified nearly beyond all words.

“He’s become a monster.” said Spike.

“More like he was made to be one.” added Princess Twilight.

Terra was far too upset to say anything, knowing she played a huge role in Gar’s decend into madness and misery.

While Sci-Twi was shocked and astounded, she suddenly had a theory of all the images everyone had just seen. “I think I know where we are.”

Twilight and Spike looked up at her curiously, and before anything else could be said…

…The chains on the large central door began to glow, and they vanished into thin air.

The door then opened wide leading into another area.

Everyone walked in, and what they saw really sent shivers up their spine.

“…It’s a big graveyard.” murmured Spike.

There were dark and nasty clouded skies, with cold breezes.

The ground was all dark and ugly, and laden with bones and skulls, and gravestones everywhere.

Terra hated the sight of graveyards, and she used to see plenty in her travels.

“What this?” she wondered as she inspected one of the stones. It’s marking read “Happiness.”

Another read “Decency.”

Then there was “Hope.”

“Love.”

“Virtues”

“Kindness”

…All kinds of aspects of morality and humanity.

“This is getting freaky.” whimpered Spike.

In the center of the graveyard was a small mausoleum, with Gar’s face on it, and his name. “Garfield Logan/Beast Boy.”

It almost related to the story they all just heard, how Gar considered that only Masquerade existed, and any other part of him was gone-- practically dead.

“I knew it!” exclaimed Sci-Twi.

“What?” asked Spike.

“What is it?” added Twilight.

Sci-Twi explained, “Think about it: We just saw images of Gar’s history, from Past to Present, and now here we are, with all these gravestones relating to parts of the moral part of being human.”

The others all happened upon the same thing, and Terra spoke up, “…We’re inside Gar’s mind.”

“…Took you long enough!” hissed a voice from above.

Everyone looked up, and saw what appeared to be Gar himself, standing atop the mausoleum, and he leapt down onto the ground, much to everyone’s shock.

Khaos, Sapphire, and Violet each landed in a different region of the city. Each of them was equally as outraged as Celestia, and now they had to find her all over again.

“That Sunset?!” growled Violet.

“Who does she think she is?” grumbled Sapphire.

Khoas brushed himself clean and flicked the dirt off his cape. Even he couldn’t deny his own outrage with Sunset. “Whether she has the power or not, I will tolerate no interference with their majesties orders!”

His comrades all had the same idea.

“Hey!” called a voice from behind.

Khaos turned round and saw the main group of friends glaring at him.

“Well, well, fancy finding you here!” said Vic.

Pinkie cracked her knuckles, “We’ve got a few things to say to you.” then she corrected herself “Maybe a few hundred things!”

“What did you guys do to Sunset?” yelled Rainbow.

Khaos then had a mighty thought, “If I hang around with these fools, and Sunset happens to come along, I can get my chance for revenge and capture all of them at the same time.

Their majesties will be most please, and who knows… Celestia may turn up as well.”

“Answer us!” demanded Dick. “What happened to Sunset?”

Khaos only laughed, “Your friend has simply inherited powers of an ancient and powerful Malefican.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cadance.

Raven then grumbled, “I smell a story.”

*Khaos Narration*

Many centuries ago, during the great war of the Malefic World against Equestria, the battles were incredibly vile.

Many would fight, and many would fall to their dooms in service to their lands.

However, there was One Malefic warrior not like the rest. His battle skills superb beyond words, his ability to outwit the enemy was astounding, and his achievements in the faces of outstanding odds nearly made him the envy of even the princes’ personal army.

His name was “Z-Arc!”

The more enemies he slayed, the stronger and stronger he became, and this motivated him to push himself beyond even his own call of duty.

He would attack opposing soldiers so mercilessly, he would hunger for more destruction, more chaos, more power!

His attacks became more brutal and savage, which also led to him wounding his own people in the line of fire.

“Can’t you see we’re on the same side?”

“We’re all fighting for the same cause!”

Z-Arc merely laughed it off. “Do you think I really care for our cause? The only thing that thrills me is the hunt, the game, the feeling of the power I gain and the destruction I cause!

Do you want to be next?”

Z-Arc was out of control-- a complete turncoat! An agent acting on his own behalf to fulfil his own power-hungry desires. He began to willfully attack anything that came his way, Friend, or Foe.

Prince Rubeus and Prince Loki would not have it, and launched a surprise attack to apprehend Z-Arc, but Z-Arc proved to be stronger than ever to keep down too long.

“You can’t detain me! I will destroy you all!!”

Finally, after much of a hard struggle, their majesties managed to overwhelm Z-Arc using a great amount of Malefic energy, which destroyed Z-Arc and sealed his evil powers away.

Unfortunately, this action led to Equestria’s advantage.

The Malefic world had used up much of its resources in defeating Z-Arc, and without their best fighters, The Malefic World was soon sealed away.

*Narration Ends*

Safe to say the group were totally shocked by this revelation, but at least part of it was all starting to make sense.

“So, this power of Z-Arc is what’s making Sunset crazy.” deduced Vic.

“How did she even inherit it in the first place?” wondered Cadance “And why Sunset herself?”

“Tell us!” demanded Dick.

“Yeah!” agreed Rainbow.

Khaos snickered wickedly. “I have no idea.”

Rainbow’s head throbbed. “Tell us, or so help me…!”

“But I just said, I don’t know.” replied Khaos. “You see, I know this about Z-Arc for a very good reason:

…I am made from the remains of Maleficans whom were defeated by that monster in the wars!”

Everyone gawked as if they couldn’t believe him.

Back in Gar’s mind…

“Um… how can we be in Gar’s mind, and he’s actually here with us?” asked Spike.

“It’s not really him.” explained Twilight. “It’s a part of him that exists in his own mind. Sort of like having an interdimensional-double.”

Sci-Twi agreed, having an extensive knowledge on the theories of the human mind.

Even though Gar’s face was hidden by the covers, they could tell he was enraged.

“I don’t know how you all got in here, but I want you out, now!”

Spike growled at him, “Hey! We didn’t choose to be here. We couldn’t help it.”

The others didn’t balk at Gar for his rudeness, and Terra, finding courage enough tried to approach him.

“Gar, please, can’t we try and work this out?”

“I am not GAR!!!” he shouted, making her back away. He then pointed at the mausoleum, “Gar is dead, as he should be! He was a weak, worthless, and miserable loser…” he paused and then pointed at Terra “…Murdered by the people Like You!”

Terra was shaking with fear and shame, while Sci-Twi felt her anger boiling.

“I am just Masquerade.” stated Gar. “I’ve made name for myself, and a success, and it’s all I ever need.”

“Enough!” snapped Princess Twilight. “Look, I understand how you must be feeling. It’s sad what happened to you in your past, but you just can’t keep doing this to yourself. You can’t keep pushing Friendship away and always act big and tough to everyone you meet.

We want to try and help you!”

Sci-Twi couldn’t believe what she was about to say, given her history with Gar, “I know how it feels to be alone and lost like you, but I also learned that everyone deserves a fair chance, and good people to call their friends.”

Spike said nothing, he just nodded his head in assured agreement.

Terra looked at him trying to show intense honesty. “Gar, I didn’t know you had it so bad, and I am really, really sorry you went through all that.

We can’t change our pasts, and we can’t forget them, but can’t we at least try…” she paused “We can try and make things better. They don’t have to be this way.”

Gar fell silent, but he was angry rather than moved. His fists quivered by his sides.

“I seem to recall begging you the same thing five years ago, and what did you say to me?”

“Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory.”

“…You told me that you wanted nothing to do with me, and you just kicked me out like a sack of garbage and demanded I just get on with my own life and leave you to yours.

That hurt, Terra; more than anything anyone ever did to me.”

Terra felt that coming a mile away, and it made her heart ache more.

“It doesn’t have to be this way.” insisted Twilight. “It’s not too late to try and make amends.”

“Yes, it is!” snapped Gar. “I already told you; I don’t need your friendship and other junk that didn’t work for me before.”

He paused, and then smirked behind his covers, “But then again, look who I’m talking to: What would you know about the hard life, the scars and burns that haunt you forever, the agonizing sting of losing things dear to you.

You don’t understand it at all, and neither do your silly Equestrian friends!

All you understand is the good life, the happy endings, and all your problems just disappear like magic.

Oh, sure, you’ve had some tastes of hardships and bad times, but how long did they last you? A few hours, a day or two at best? And yet in the end, it’s always the same—happy endings, easy goings, and not a care in the world.

Where are all your scars and burns?

Where are all your life-lasting tragedies that you can never heal?

But most of all: Where’s your heartbreak?”

A moment silence followed, and Twilight felt taken back by everything he just said, but it was pretty much all true.

“That’s what I thought!” growled Gar. “You’re all the same! Always with your heads in the clouds, and failing to realize there are just some things in the world that Friendship cannot fix, make better, or help you with…

…And that is what always will set us apart!

All my life, people have been taking from me the things I held dear, and just using me for their own convenience just to make themselves look or feel better about their own self!

Well, I’ve pulled out of that! I’m rich now. I have power, and I have a reputation. Maybe not the best kind, but it gets me along.

I’ve worked hard, and finally I have a life I’m in control of, and I’m the one doing the stomping instead of the one always being stomped.

And here you all are, telling me that I should give it all up just because YOU want me to-- just the same as always. Only thinking of yourselves and demanding how I live my life!

I was just fine out there by myself, and then you and the other Titans had the nerve to re-enter my life by showing up at the tournament, and for what? Trying to save a city that cannot be saved and doesn’t deserve it either!”

By this point, even Twilight could see Gar was truly too far gone to be reasoned with as if the name on the mausoleum was accurate and that any good hope for him was truly dead.

Then again, after all she had learned about him, she wasn’t too sure she could entirely blame him.

Gar was losing his patience. “If you won’t be persuaded by my words to leave well-enough alone, then maybe you’ll listen to me by other means!”

Sci-Twi knew where this was going. “If you’re saying you want to duel, I’m all for that.”

“No!” Terra said, snapping up right. “Please, let me.”

She stepped up closer with her duel disk and deck ready. “I’ve got to try and convince him. Maybe dueling is the best way to show him.”

Gar only snuffed. “The only thing that will happen is me being satisfied that I can finally get out of my mind and put a stop to your pathetic attempts to make up with me!”

Spike tried to protest, “Terra, don’t do this. You don’t have to duel him.” but Terra disagreed as she thought, “I must convince him I’m not heartless. Dueling may be the only way to get through to him.”

She wasn’t really worried about winning or losing, but just getting through to him, and being inside his mind, it wasn’t like losing would get her turned into a card here.

Princess Twilight agreed to this. “At this point, anything’s worth a shot.”

Sci-Twi did agree, but then she happened upon something else concerning their surrounding area.

“Terra, wait!” but it was too late.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

…The Duel was already on.

Episode 37 Part 1: Dueling Minds.

EPISODE THIRTY-SEVEN

The scores were set…

Terra LP: 8000

Gar LP: 8000

“I’ll go first.” Terra insisted, and she held up her five cards “And I summon GEM-KNIGHT IOLITE!”

(Atk: 1300)

The very sight of her monster made Gar growl, as it brought back good memories of the time he and Terra dueled as friends.

“Even good memories cause me nothing but pain!” he thought miserably. “They only serve to remind me of all the things I had but lost, and they remind me of how weak I was then.”

Terra hoped he was thinking this; that her playing her strategies would trigger good memories in his head.

Then she saw Gar pick up a card from his hand.

“Since you’ve Normal Summoned a monster, you’ve allowed me to send INTERVENTION OF FATE to the graveyard, and by doing so, I can then activate one Normal Spell from my hand,

And which better than GRACEFUL CHARITY, so I draw three cards and discard two.”

Now Terra was concerned, and so were the spectators.

“That’s just like him-- pulling off such a cheap stunt!” grumbled Spike.

Sci-Twi felt very uneasy. Normally Gar was already a strong and sneaky duelist, but this time she had a worse feeling about it.

“What’s the matter?” asked Princess Twilight.

Sci-Twi confessed, “I have a really bad feeling Terra’s in way over her head this time.”

As for Terra, she thought to herself, “He’s discarded cards, and I’ll just bet I know…

…He sent Makyura the Destructor to the Graveyard, which means he can play traps from his hand for the rest of the turn.”

Now her stomach was starting to turn. Even though her suspicions were strong, and he had done what she thought, she still had no idea of his strategy.

“What kind of traps would he play? Will he destroy my monsters? Will he summon monsters of his own?”

The more she thought, the more nervous she seemed, much to Gar’s delight.

“What’s the matter?” Gar taunted “Are you scared? It wouldn’t surprise me, you were always a nervous wreck, Terra-- always unsure of yourself, always unable to make it yourself without someone holding your hand, and when the going gets tough, you quit and run to hide.”

The spectators were angry at his continuous taunting, even if some of-- if not all-- was true.

Terra, however, took it in stride. She couldn’t deny these things, and the fact that Gar pointed them out showed that he was thinking back, which meant he had to be remembering the good times.

Still, she thought, “I can’t let him get to me. I must show him I’m not afraid… just like he taught me to be.”

“Now!” she shouted as she held up a card, “I activate the spell GEM-KNIGHT FUSION!

I’ll use it to fuse--”

“Stop right there!” shouted Gar.

“Huh?”

“Since I sent MAKURYA THE DESTRUCTOR to the graveyard, I can play this trap from my hand…

…Activate, CURSED SEAL OF THE FORBIDDEN SPELL!”

Terra gasped, and Sci-Twi growled softly.

Gar grabbed another card, “When you activate a spell, I send one spell in my hand to the graveyard, and it stops yours spell’s activation and destroys it.”

As promised, the card image faded to pale gray, and it shattered, but also leaving behind some kind of cursed fog all over Terra’s field.

“…And as a further twist,” sneered Gar “You are no longer able to activate that particular spell for the remainder of the duel!”

Terra felt a sickening lurch inside her. “No more Gem-Knight Fusion?!” she murmured in horror.

“But that’s Terra’s go-to Fusion Card!” cried Twilight.

Spike growled and barked angrily in Gar’s direction. “Why that cheap creep of a sneaker!”

Everyone then noticed Gar was trembling in anger rather than by himself with glee.

“I loathe Extra Deck monsters, especially Fusion! I may have used them in the old days, but now… all they resemble to me is how closer several monsters can work together like a team and combine their forces to win…

…Much like heroes do!”

He could only think of his days when he was part of the Titans, and all the bad times there were. It really made him feel enraged.

This was also the reason why he never used any Extra Deck monsters when dueling-- No Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz. He wouldn’t even use Pendulum Monsters due to their alignment with the Extra Deck as well.

“Finish your turn!” he demanded.

Terra could still hardly believe her best Fusion Card was no longer useful to her.

“I’ll place two cards facedown and end my turn.” that was all she could do.

“And with that, I activate CALL OF THE HAUNTED!

Now I can summon one monster from my graveyard, and I choose JINZO!”

(Atk: 2400)

Terra stepped back in fright, “No! Not Jinzo!”

Gar snickered, “Oh, yes! Hope those two face-downs of yours aren’t traps, because now they and any other trap is useless!

Even my own Call of the Haunted no longer is tied to Jinzo himself.”

The magical binding line disconnected Jinzo from the card, leaving the monster no longer affected by its negative sides.

“No!” Terra cried in thought, “I was counting on my two traps to save me. This could be harder than I thought.”

The group of friends still found Khaos’ story hard to believe.

“Stare at me all you like,” he hissed “Everything I have told you is just how it is.”

Pinkie thought hard, “Then that means Sapphire and Violet are also made of the remains of fallen Malefic warriors.”

Khaos nodded, “They would tell exactly as I have. They have no idea how Z-Arc’s power has risen either. Even still, it does not matter.

It took a vast amount of power to vanquish it the first time. Now that it’s back, doubt very much anyone could stand up to it as it is now.”

Dick’s fists were quivering with rage.

Suddenly, Khaos looked up, and the others looked up too, and they all saw someone standing on a store roof.

“Celestia!” cried Cadance.

Celestia narrowed her eyes. “So, here you all are. I was hoping to find Sunset, but it seems I wasted my time.”

She turned to head off, but Khaos quickly hopped on his flight cloud, and zoomed straight up to her. “You’re coming with me!” he called as he swooped in to magically bind her again, only for Celestia to dodge him and then hopped on her own cloud.

“Celestia, wait!” called Kori.

“Keep out of this!” Celestia balked back. “Your times will come, I assure you.” Then she and Khaos flew off into the air on another chase, and they were gone.

“Let’s go after them!” shouted Rainbow, but as she started to run, Vic grabbed her by the jacket collar. “Whoa, whoa! Stop!” he said to her “It’s no use, they’re already gone.”

He felt just as upset as she did, wanting to go after Celestia to try and save her from whatever got her too.

Pinkie growled angrily, “If only we had our powers, we could chase after them easily, and they’d lead us to where the Prince Brothers are.”

Still, the villains were already out of sight to do much now, and they still had a main priority.

“We should find Twilight and the others before they get in trouble themselves.” suggested Dick. “Let’s keep going.”

Raven rudely grumbled, “Yeah, it’s like they’re really just going to turn up in a flash.”

Everyone just kept on going and kept their eyes open for any signs of other danger.

It was Gar’s turn. “I draw!” he sneered.

Sci-Twi eyed Gar’s hand carefully still up with her suspicions.

“I’ll place one card face down, and now I will attack! Go, Jinzo!”

Jinzo blasted Terra’s monster to bits.

(Atk: 2400) VS (Atk: 1300)

The shockwaves sped past her, and she braced herself to keep on her feet.

Terra LP: 8000 -----> 6900

At least there were no Malefic shockwaves to burn her.

The spectators still felt bad for her.

“Hang tough, Terra!” called Spike.

Sci-Twi was still uncertain.

“Make your move,” growled Gar. “Then again, why bother. We both know you’re destined for the same thing you’ve always been-- Loserville!”

Rather than verbally retaliate, Terra drew her next card.

“Hey!” she said with a look of glee in her eyes. “Let’s see if this is the move of a loser.

…I activate BRILLIANT FUSION!”

Gar growled softly.

“With this spell, I send GEM-KNIGHT TOURMALINE and LAZULI from my deck to the graveyard. Then I can Fusion Summon the very Gem-Knight that I need them to make, as long as I reduce that monster’s attack to zero.”

For the first time ever, she called out a chant to her forming monster…

“I summon forth a warrior of might,
With Amber of Thunder, and Crystal so bright!

I Fusion Summon… GEM-KNIGHT PRISMAURA!”

(Atk: 2450) -----> (Atk: 0)

The very sight of this Fusion Monster really made Gar’s blood boil. “Fusion!” he growled ever so softly, but fiercely, and more memories went through his head…

The time when he taught Terra how to Fusion Summon, and she successfully did it, earning him a hug from her.

“I did it! You said I could do it and you were right.”

The spectators were joyed that Terra got a good monster in play. "If only's attack didn't drop to zero!" groaned Twilight. "Then she could destroy Jinzo easily."

Terra smirked, “Oh, I'm not finished yet...!

Since Lazuli was set to the graveyard by an effect, I can use her power to add Tourmaline back to my hand. I remember, it has the power to destroy one monster instantly.”

Suddenly, she looked up. Her newly summoned monster didn’t look so well. It was starting to turn gray with sickness.

“What’s happening?”

“This is what!” called Gar. “I activated my facedown, MYSTICAL SPACE TYPHOON!”

“Ah!” gasped Terra.

“Yes, you should be scared, because with this I can blow your so-called “Brilliant” Fusion card away, and your monster goes with it!”

“No!!” Terra cried. She almost couldn’t bear to watch as lightning bolts struck her card’s images, destroying it and her monster as promised.

“Ha!” snapped Gar “You were planning to use Prismauru’s effect to destroy Jinzo. Too bad you didn’t think ahead.”

Terra and the spectators were horrified, and Sci-Twi looked over at Gar and said aloud “He played that so perfectly-- like he expected it to happen.”

“What are you thinking?” asked Twilight.

Sci-Twi hesitated, but then answered, “Think of it… We’re inside Gar’s mind, and that’s just an avatar of Gar that exists within the mind.”

“So?” said Spike.

“That’s just it.” replied Sci-Twi. “The avatar can generate the actual cards he needs. There’s no way he can mess up!”

Everyone’s eyes widened, and Gar then snickered admitted, “Sorry to say, it’s true. Dueling inside your mind is rather extraordinary.”

Terra stood frozen in shock and disbelief.

“So, he’s cheating!” protested Spike.

Twilight tried to add it up, “Technically he’s not, it’s just the way the mind works. Remember, he’s not the real Gar, but just an inner version of himself.”

Gar sneered, “Even if it were the real me, I’d never need to cheat to defeat the likes of you, Terra. You’ve picked a battle you can never hope to win, and the sooner I defeat you, the sooner I can get you out of my life for good!”

Those harsh words struck Terra hard in her heart, reminding her of the time Gar had let her down for betraying him.

“You said you’d be my friend no matter what, remember?”

“Slade was right; you don’t have any friends!”

Very harsh, but rightfully deserved for her actions, and now even more so for her other actions in breaking his heart back at her old school.

“Don’t listen to him, Terra.” Twilight called. “Keep trying, and give it your all.”

Terra found her third wind, and remember what she was dueling for in the first place, not to win or lose, but to help Gar see, and snap him out of his own darkness.

“I won’t give up!” she said in thought. “I owe it to myself, and to Gar when he tried to help me.”

With not much else to do, she placed a monster face-down in defense mode and ended her turn.

Gar snuffed, “It’s my turn!”

He drew a card.

Sci-Twi wondered, “What did he generate now?”

She soon got her answer as Gar called out, “Now, I activate my SHUFFLE REBORN from the graveyard, which I sent their earlier.

By banishing it, I shuffle my dead Call of the Haunted back into my deck, and then I draw one card.”

When all was done, he was holding three cards.

“Now, you’re about to see what I mean by just how superior to you I am.

I activate the spell STAR BLAST!”

He then held up a single card. “For every 500 life points I pay, I reduce this monster’s level by one star. Therefore, by paying 1000 points…”

Gar LP: 8000 -----> 7000

“This Six-Star monster becomes a Four-Star monster, meaning I can summon it right away.

Come forth TIMEATER!”

(Atk: 1900)

Everyone else didn’t like the looks of this.

“Now,” Gar called “Timeter, destroy that face-down monster!”

The creature blasted Terra’s Lapis with a powerful shockwave, blowing it to bits.

Suddenly, Terra was shocked with powerful bolts, making her wail! “What’s happening?”

Gar explained, “You don’t know? Of course, you don’t! I wouldn’t expect you to.

When Timeater destroys a monster, its special ability will force you to skip your Main Phase 1 on your next turn.”

“What?!” yelped Terra.

Sci-Twi clenched her fists. “This is very bad!”

“How bad?” asked Twilight.

“It means that on Terra’s next turn, she’ll draw, but she won’t get to play any cards until her Main Phase 2, after the Battle Phase.”

Spike growled softly, “To put it simple, he’s put a big stopper from Terra’s attacks or sneaky attempts next turn.”

Jinzo then stood tall and firm in front of Terra, and Terra quivered nervously while Gar snickered and ordered, “…Direct attack!”

Jinzo powered up and shot Terra hard with his powerful energy, knocking her flat on her back.

Terra LP: 6900 -----> 4500

“TERRA!!” the trio all cried out.

She was alright, and got back up onto her feet, while Gar sighed softly, feeling very proud, and even some of relief for just having attacked her.

“That felt good!” he whispered softly. Then he regained himself, “I end my turn with one facedown.

What are you going to do now? Continue to prove me right and show me how weak you are?”

Terra maintained her cool, and just focussed on her situation.

“If only I could activate my traps!” she thought “But I’ve got to get rid of Jinzo if I want to do that, and thanks to what’s just happened, I can’t attack this turn.

What can I do?”

She hesitated for a moment, as if she were frozen with fear and the sting of defeat.

“Poor, Terra.” said Twilight. “I’ve never seen someone in such a state.”

Spike still couldn’t believe what Terra was fighting for. “…Does she really think she can convince him to change?”

Terra then analyzed the facedown card on Gar’s field and deduced. “I’m positive that must be a Quick-Play spell. After all, he can’t use traps either, but I still don’t know what it is.”

“You’re stalling!” Gar taunted. “A perfect sign of weakness as I suspected.”

“I’ll show you!” Terra insisted, and she drew her next card with a big “Ha!”

“Remember!” Gar called “You skip right to your Main Phase 2.”

“I’m aware!” growled Terra. “I can still play cards, like this… POT OF GREED, so I draw two cards.”

She looked at her two new cards, and just stared blankly at them. “These just might work!”

Then she looked over at Gar while holding a single card, “Prepare yourself, because this card really put a sting on your memories.”

Gar didn’t seem amused.

“I activate CHANGE OF HEART!”

“What?!” snapped Gar.

“That’s Terra’s trademark card.” said Spike.

Sci-Twi agreed, and remembered the stories, “…He gave her that, not just to help her dueling, but as a gift of love.”

Gar was trembling angrily and struggling with the exact memories.

He gave it to Terra along with the Heart-Shaped Mirror Box, and then they went out on their first ever date… which then turned out to be an ambush!

Terra couldn’t tell if Gar was struggling in a good or bad way. Then again, it was struggling; there was never anything good about that.

She began to struggle herself with the exact same memories, and they hurt her, a lot.

“I know things were bad then!” she called over while trying to brave her tears of guilt, “But this card means the world to me, and I’ll use it to help both of us.

…I invoke its power to take Jinzo and place him on my field!”

“My Jinzo!” Gar shouted as his monster switched sides, enraging him even further.

“He won’t be here too much longer.” said Terra, “I already played Change of Heart, and now I’ll use another spell…

…Activate SHARE THE PAIN!”

Gar growled loudly.

“This allows me to tribute Jinzo, and it forces you to tribute one of your own monsters too, and since you only have one other monster…”

With that, both Jinzo and Timeater vanished from the field.

The spectators were filled with delight.

“Jinzo’s gone!” cried Twilight.

“Ah, yeah! Which means Terra can use her traps again!” cheered Spike.

Terra smirked, “You bet I can, and here comes one of them. I play FRAGMENT FUSION! This let’s me banish Lazuli, Lapis, and Iolite from the graveyard, allowing me to fuse them all together!”

The three monster spirits rose into the air and swirled together in a big blaze of light as Terra made up a new chant on the spot…

“Pretty as diamond, solid as stone,
I summon a warrior legend of its own!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND!”

Her strong lady warrior landed on the field. Her armor shimmered brightly and her sword gleaming as well.

(Atk: 3400)

Gar glared up at the shimmering knight, but he was still trembling furiously and hardly making a sound.

Terra was deeply concerned, but she continued with her move.

“Now I summon GEM-KNIGHT TOURMALINE.”

(Atk: 1900)

“But he won’t be staying around for long, because I’m tributing him so Lady Brilliant Diamond can use her special ability!

Now I get to call on a “Gem-Knight” Fusion monster from my Extra Deck, without bothering about it’s requirements!”

The monster leapt up high, changing into a beam of light, which flowed into the lady’s sword.

She raised the sword up high, and the tip gave off a magical glow, thus summoning the next monster.

“Come forth GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND!”

(Atk: 2900)

Her second Fusion Monster stood alongside his lady-friend, and together they both shimmered like stars in the sky due to their diamond armors.

“Wow! They’re so pretty.” sighed Twilight.

Gar still hardly moved much, which made Terra wonder if her move earlier with Change of Heart had shocked him harder than she thought, and what she was about to do next filled her with a flow of regret.

“I’m sorry to do this to you, but believe me, I’m doing it for the both of us.

From my hand I play MISCHIEF OF THE TIME GODDESS! Now the turn skips to my next battle phase!”

The spectators were wide-eyed with glee, while Gar was still furious.

Terra hesitated a moment-- trying to come to grips with herself.

“Lady Brilliant Diamond, attack him directly!”

Her lady complied, and even Terra could barely watch as her monster leapt open and slashed Gar hard across the chest making him roar in anger and pain!

Gar LP: 7000 -----> 3600

Terra didn’t know what to feel for attacking him like that. She knew it had to be done, but it almost felt totally wrong to her.

Finally, Gar looked up at her and spoke extremely deeply in his rage, “Terra…! You made a big mistake using that Change of Heart card on me!”

Terra felt her blood turning cold.

“Wow.” remarked Spike “Getting so worked up over one simple cards. This guy’s a lot more miserable than I thought.”

Twilight had to agree. “I’ve never seen anyone like this before-- so angry… so full of hatred, and lost in the dark.”

Sci-Twi shook her head in disappointment, disbelief, and even pity. Even she herself was never this anti-social.

Terra’s fist quivered, “Somehow, I’m going to get through to you, and it starts now!

Go Master Diamond!”

Her Master lunged forth…

“And don’t forget, since I have two “Gem-Knights” in the graveyard, Master Diamond gains 100 attack points for them each!”

(Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 3100)

“I think not!!” shouted Gar. “I play the trap CONFUSION CHAFF!”

“Ah!” wailed Terra.

The spectators gasped too.

Gar shouted, “Looks like your so-called “Master” is about to have a Change of Heart of his own, because this trap forces him to attack your own Lady Diamond!”

Terra watched as her Master turned round and bound straight for the Lady. The two looked ready to brawl it out.

“Looks like your monster has betrayed you.” said Gar. “You know all about betraying others!”

Terra growled, feeling more flashbacks coming back to her.

“No, I won’t let them!” she insisted. “I play the trap GEM-ENHANCEMENT!

It lets me send Lady Brilliant Diamond to the graveyard, so the attack misses!”

Lady Diamond disappeared just in the nick of time, much to Gar’s annoyance.

Terra sighed heavily in relief, as did the others.

“That was way to close!” panted Spike.

“And now,” Terra continued “Thanks to Enhancement, I can bring one “Gem-Knight” back from the grave, and who better than the one I just sent…

Lady Brilliant Diamond now returns!”

(Atk: 3400)

Gar’s fists quivered in anger again.

“And now, she gets to attack you all over!” Terra hollered, and her lady leapt up high, crashed down and slashed Gar hard again.

He roared and wailed and lost a great deal of points.

Gar LP: 3600 -----> 200

“Whoa!” Spike exclaimed. “She’s really got him on the ropes now.”

Sci-Twi was very impressed. She had never seen anyone this close to beating Gar before, even if it wasn’t the real Gar. “She’s overcome all the odds and even the mind generation.”

Both she and Princess Twilight happened on the same idea, and that maybe Terra’s determination and sincerity were true.

For now, there was nothing else Terra could do. So, she ended her turn.

She already felt sore herself for having attacked Gar that much. “Are you okay, Gar?” she called to him.

Rather than answer back, he balked loudly, “Stop CALLING ME THAT!!”

Everyone was taken back by his yelling.

“You still don’t get it, do you? Gar… is… Dead! And he’s… never… coming back!”

Terra shook her head, “I don’t believe you!”

“Believe what you will… This duel isn’t over!”

He drew a card, and it was no surprise to anyone what came next.

“I activate CARD OF DEMISE! So, now I draw five new cards, but I must discard my hand after five turns. Not that it will matter, because I’ve toyed with you for long enough!”

“Huh?” said Terra “You mean all this time you were just playing me along?!”

“I can generate any card I need to draw for any moment. I could have ended this duel any time I wanted, but maybe now you get what I’ve been really doing.

…I’ve been dragging this whole duel out to gain further opportunities to pummel you with every shot I get!”

The spectators were all livid.

“So, all this time he just wants her to suffer?!” groaned Spike. “Talk about overkill!”

The two Twilights agreed.

Gar then grabbed a card from his hand. “I now summon for FIEND MEGA CYBER!”

(Atk: 2200

“I was able to summon it because you have at least two monsters in play, but not that you will for much longer!

It’s time for some more punishment, with the spell RAIGEKI!”

“Ah!” cried Terra, and with powerful lightning bolts striking her field, both her monsters were vaporized!

“All her monsters are gone!” cried Twilight.

Gar then placed down one card, “Now then….! Go, my fiend, attack her directly!” ordered Gar.

His monster roared, and rushed over and gave Terra a huge shove, knocking her to ground again!

Terra LP: 4500 -----> 2300

“TERRA!!” the trio all cried out.

Gar laughed at what he had just done. “Oh, this feels wonderful! Each and every blow I inflict on you is well-deserved for all that you’ve done!

Your time is running out, Terra, and soon me and my cards will expose you and your so-called “Friends” up for the failures you all are!”

By this point he was shouting so loud in rage, the very graveyard they stood in rumbled.

“YOU HAVE NO BUSINESS BEING HERE… ANY OF YOU!!!

AND SOON YOU’LL FIND OUT THE HARD WAY!!!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 38: Part 2: Minds of the Matter

EPISODE THIRTY-EIGHT

“Attack now!” shouted Rubeus.

“You attack too!” called Loki. His Triple-D Kings went after a large, shadowy beast; one that his brother had created.”

In a big blaze of light, the practice duel was over, and neither brother got hurt as they used their powers to keep each other safe.

“Well done, brother.” exclaimed Loki.

Rubeus agreed, “These new cards have been tested enough. I am satisfied they will serve well to our purpose.”

The time had come, and the brothers agreed.

It was time to take their conquest to the next level and personally confront the heroes themselves.

Meanwhile, the heroes had been wandering about for a while searching for the remaining members of their group.

“I hope we find the soon.” panted Rainbow. “I’m already growing beat.”

Pinkie stomach growled. “And we haven’t eaten either.”

“And you two don’t stop yakking!” grumbled Raven, but the girls heard her and gave her a cross stare.

Everyone was starting to grow a little peckish; having consumed the last of their food supplies long ago.

“We’ve got to keep moving.” said Dick.

Vic checked his power-cell, which was still high since his charge up, but even he was starting to feel a bit tired in the knees. “I could actually use some grub myself.”

“Yeah, but it’s not like we can expect to find anything out here.” said Kori.

Looking around, she was right. All around there was a collapsed shopping mall, a crumpled restaurant or two. Not one of them was likely to have a scrap of food inside.

Suddenly, she could see, “Gar!”

He was standing by an old newsstand.

“It is him.” cried Cadance.

No surprises, everyone was non-too thrilled to find him, but they all reluctantly agreed to approach him to see if he had seen the others.

Gar didn’t even so much as turn around. He was just staring blankly at the piles of very old newspapers dating from three to five years back.

Jump City couldn’t afford to get new papers when the news business collapsed, so many articles remained behind, unsold, and untouched unless used to make fires, or paddings for clothes, and other things.

“Gar…” Dick called to him.

Gar simply held his arm up, making everyone stop dead in their tracks. “Stay back.” he hissed deeply at them.

Everyone looked around and could see nothing much to worry about.

“Why stack back?” asked Rainbow.

“Just do it!” Gar insisted.

“Uh… oooooookay.” said Pinkie.

Suddenly, Gar collapsed to his knees, clutching his head, and groaning!

“What’s wrong?” asked Cadance.

“Get away!” he simply shouted. “Don’t come near me!”

He almost looked like he was going to explode.

The reason he was in so much anguish was because of what was going on inside his mind!

Yes, he could feel the duel occurring inside, and the angrier his in-mind avatar became, the more anguish he seemed to suffer.

Gar LP: 200

Terra LP: 2300

“You don’t have a chance against me, Terra!” he balked. “Not here, not in the real world, and not anywhere.

Maybe now you understand what I’ve known all along!

YOU ARE WORTHLESS!!! And I should never have fallen in love with you ever!!”

Terra quivered with pain from each stinging blow, but rather than fly off into a raging fit or insulting him back to his face, she replied with…

“…You don’t mean that!” and she looked up at him. “I know you don’t, and the fact that you regret loving me is a sign that there’s still hope in you.”

“Ha! You’ve lost it!” scoffed Gar. “Then again, it’s not like you ever “had it” to begin with!”

The spectators didn’t know how much more of this they could take.

“I do have it!” she insisted. “I mean look at us. Here we are for the first time in five years, and we’re actually fighting a great duel.

Can’t you just put your anger aside, ever? Can’t you just duel for the thrill of things instead of turning it all into some big war.”

She finally made herself blunt. “Can’t you just have fun?”

Gar gave a quick and straight answer, “No! I don’t have fun.”

Every single one of the others gasped in horrible shock, and Gar pointed to a gravestone near the spectators, which was marked “Fun.”

“I play games and I duel to gain power, wealth, and to be the best! Not to have fun!

I used to have fun, but everyone always saw it as annoying, or pathetic, and resorted to pushing me away!

Fun only serves as another pain in my side I’m glad to have little to nothing to do with!”

“Whoa!” exclaimed Spike. “He’s even more miserable than I thought.”

Twilight felt faint for hearing someone dis fun in such a way.

Finally unable to take any more of this, Sci-Twi, “I can’t believe you!”

Everyone turned to face her way.

Gar looked her way. “Keep out of this!”

“No, I won’t! I mean look at you, you’re a horrible mess!

True: you lived a bad life, and I’m sorry that you did. Nobody deserves to be treated the way you did or denied happiness and comfort, but do you really think that you’re any better the way you are?”

Gar merely snuffed, showing no interest, but Sci-Twi continued.

“Look at her!” she said pointing at Terra. “Can’t you see how much she regrets what she did to you, and she wants to make it right again!”

“She had her chance… Five years ago!” replied Gar. “She can cry all the crocodile tears she wants. I don’t trust her, or anyone!

The only real reason she and the Titans have any respect for me now is because I’m stronger and richer than they are-- practically a threat.

They just want me to help them get their own lives back on track, for all the many times they preached to me about saving Jump City… which they caused to fall when they didn’t listen to me when I warned them.

Just like always-- they use me when I’m convenient, and they dump me when I’m no longer needed!

Well, I’m never letting it happen again!”

He turned to face Terra. “And the sooner I get you all out my head the better! So, hurry up and make your move, and quit wasting my time with more of your lies of love and apologies!”

Terra clutched her heart in pain. It was beginning to look totally hopeless that she’d be able to convince him of her sincerity.

“I can’t let it end this way.” she thought. “He didn’t give up on me. He never stopped thinking about me, even after all I did to him.”

Still it seemed that no matter how many good times she tried to remember, the bad times continued to haunt her and remind of the present and how things got to where they were, and how she and her “Things Change” played a large role in it.

Still, she managed to stand upright. “I can at least show you that I’m not some quitter, by finishing this duel.”

She placed her fingers over her next card.

“I just need one good draw, and I might be able to turn things around!”

In one swift motion she drew her card out, and her eyes widened.

“Now we’re talking!”

She gazed over at Gar, and then called. “Now I activate GEM-KNIGHT FUSION from the graveyard!”

“Hmm?” said Gar.

“But I thought she wasn’t allowed to use that card?” asked Twilight.

Sci-Twi explained, “She’s only not allowed to activate it on the field. She can still use it’s power in the graveyard.”

“That’s right!” agreed Terra. “By simply banishing Tourmaline, I can add Gem-Knight Fusion right to my hand.

You always taught me there’s more that one way to use a card.

That’s why I activate this, DOUBLE SPELL. So now, I just send Gem-Knight Fusion back to the graveyard, and I can use any spell you did… like CARD OF DEMISE!”

Gar growled.

“Now I draw five new cards as well, and each one of them is going to help me!

Like this one-- I play MONSTER REBORN, and I’ll use it to bring back Prismaura.”

Her Fusion Monster appeared back on the field, much to Gar’ annoyance.

(Atk: 2450)

“And now…” Terra called. “I’ll banish Lady Brilliant Diamond from the graveyard, so I can once again add Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand.

And now that I actually have it, I can discard it to use Prismaura’s ability. So, say goodbye to your monster!”

With a mighty use blast, her monster blew Gar’s fiend clear off the field.

“Awesome!” exclaimed Spike “Gar’s wide open now!”

The two Twilights nodded with excitement.

“And I’m not finished yet, because now I summon GEM-KNIGHT GARNET!”

(Atk: 1900)

“But it won’t be staying long, because activate the spell PARTICLE FUSION, fusing both Garnet and Prismaura!”

Gar looked up angrily as the two monsters merged, and Terra called out…

“Furious gems of fires that burn,
Grant the creature whose power I yearn!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT CITRINE!”

Her monster appeared with it’s blazing sword, and he growled behind its helmet.

(Atk: 2200)

Gar didn’t seem the least bit impressed, not even when Terra explained…

“And now, since I used Particle Fusion, it gets banished from the graveyard, and then… Citrine will gain attack points equal to Prismaura’s attack points, and that’s 2450!”

(Atk: 2200) -----> (Atk: 4650)

Twilight was nearly taken back in shock. “That’s amazing!” she cried. “That monster can take out Gar’s life points in one hit.”

Spike was snickering with glee. “You don’t know the half of. When Citrine attacks, Gar isn’t allowed to activate any card effects. He’s toast!”

Sci-Twi, however, wasn’t so sure, and her fears were confirmed when Gar laughed at Spike’s remark.

“…Am I?” he hissed “I don’t think so!”

“Huh?” said Terra!”

“You really think that by making this move, you have it all won? You’re an even bigger disgrace to dueling than I thought.”

“What are you talking about?” Terra asked, but then she saw the image of a card next to Gar.

“You were so busy grand standing; you didn’t realize that I already activated my trap card, COMPULSORY EVACUATION DEVICE!”

“Ah!”

“Oh, no!” cried Sci-Twi “That means Citrine gets sent off the field and back to the Extra Deck!”

Terra’s monster began to fade away.

“I told you; you were an amateur!” growled Gar.

Terra only smirked, “I figured you’d try a stunt like that.”

“What?!”

“I suspected you’d try a stunt like that before I attacked, and I have a back up ready.

From my hand I play DE-FUSION!”

“Impossible!” shouted Gar.

“Now I send Citrine back to the Extra Deck myself, and then… the monsters that I used to form him come back to the field. So come on back, Garnet and Prismaura!”

The two monsters reappeared!

(Atk: 2450)

(Atk: 1900)

The spectators were overjoyed again, just as she was.

Then she looked a bit uneasy for she was about to do, but she summed up her courage and entered her battle phase.

“Garnet, wipe him out!”

Her monster complied and dove straight over to strike Gar down.

“Who’s the amateur now?” Terra cheekily asked, only for Gar to reply “…You are!”

“Huh?”

“Did you really think it would be that easy to get at me? I summon BATTLE FADER!”

(Def: 0)

Terra gasped hard, so did the spectators.

“Yes, you remember him! He jumps out on the field when you try to attack me directly, and he brings the battle phase to a halt!”

With that, Terra’s monster screeched to a dead stop, and both her creatures went at ease.

“No! I was so close!” Terra wailed in thought.

Spike pulled on his ears in frustration. “I can’t stand it! Won’t anything take this guy down?!”

Gar scoffed at Terra, “Any other “Brilliant” moves you’d like to make? Not that anything you play will save you now! You rely too much on Friendship, Love, and Hope to win your duels, but I rely on skills and strength, as well as keeping my head in the game.

Now hurry up and finish your turn so I can end this duel!”

Terra still didn’t believe she was totally beaten yet. She thought deeply as she gazed down at the lone card in her hand.

“It’s not over yet. This could still be my last hope…

…BRILLIANT SPARK.

If he tries to destroy either of my Gem-Knights, this trap will make him take damage equal to the destroyed monster’s attack points, and with only 200 life points left, either one of them could qin it all for me.”

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that’s all.”

“Oh, really?” taunted Gar. “Well, finally, you and I agree on something-- that IS all!”

He drew his next card, and snickered at what it was, not that it was any surprise seeing as he generated it.

“You’re finished, Terra! You don’t know how long part of me has been waiting for this! It’s time for me to teach you for everything you’ve put me through!”

Terra cringed softly.

“I activate MONSTER REBORN! Revive Jinzo!”

(Atk: 2400)

“Oh, no! He’s back!” cried Terra.

Spike growled, “That means traps can’t be used again!”

Twilight observed, “But wait…! Jinzo can take out Garnet, but not Prismaura.”

Sci-Twi had a sickening feeling. “He’s got to be up to something huge.”

“Yes! I am!” hissed Gar. “For what I’m about to play will show you all finally and for good why my skills are superior to all of yours combined!

I tribute Battle Fader and Jinzo…. so that may summon ORGOTH THE RELENTLESS!”

The great, hulking monster roared as he held up a giant sword.

(Atk: 2500)

Everyone else felt shivers run down their spines.

Terra looked through the monster’s wicked helmet, at his glowing raging eyes. “…He’s… he’s almost like you!”

Gar looked up at Orgoth. “He’s not “almost,” he is EXACTLY like me. Relentless, powerful, big, and full of surprises.”

Three large dice blocks then appeared before Gar, and he grabbed all of them in his arms.

“What’s happening?” asked Twilight.

Sci-Twi explained, “It’s Orgoth’s ability; Gar rolls those three dice blocks, and then Orgorth will gain attack points equal to 100 times the amount rolled.”

Everyone felt a sickening feeling, while Gar snickered, and with a great big “Ha!” he tossed all three dice blocks up high, and down they all came.

“Three 6s?!” wailed Terra. “That’s unreal!”

“Believe me, it’s quite real.” insisted Gar “I’m a master gamer, and my skills are incredible… even with dice.

And now, Orgoth will gain 1800 attack points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 4300)

“Forty-Three Hundred!” wailed Terra.

“Yes, but that’s not all. Since all three of my dice came up the same, Orgoth can’t be destroyed this turn, and I also get to draw two more cards.”

He took his two cards and shouted, “Now, Orgoth, prepare for attack!”

“This is it!” thought Terra “I’ve got him for sure!”

Orgoth rushed forth with his blade at the ready, and Terra stood ready to spring her trap… only to her shock; Orgoth sped past both her monsters!

“What the--”

“Oh, and did I mention Orgoth has one other specialty?” taunted Gar “Thanks to my incredible triple dice roll, he can bypass your monsters and attack you directly!”

“No!!” Terra screamed “My trap doesn’t work on direct attacks!!”

“Terra!!” cried Sci-Twi.

“She’s finished!!” wailed Spike.

“I can’t watch!” groaned Twilight.

“ORGOTH… END THIS!!!” Gar shouted.

Orgoth gave a huge swing with his sword, slashing Terra hard and making her scream!!!

Terra LP: 2300 -----> 0

The attack was so hard and strong, it caused a massive burst of bright lights that enveloped Terra, and headed straight for the others too.

Outside, A big flash of light burst through from Gar, flying straight towards the friends. It hit the ground, and the others all appeared.

“Twilight!” cried Rainbow.

“Terra!” added Kori.

The gang ran up to their friends and expressed their greatness to see them alright, but Terra, she had a dead expression on her face, and tears of despair in her eyes.

“What’s the matter?” asked Vic.

Terra was far too crushed to answer. Even in her thoughts she was bewailing to her defeat. “I couldn’t convince him.

He won’t ever come back… to the Titans… to me…!

He’s really gone, and it’s all because of me!”

Cadance tried to approach Terra, but she felt her foot hit something on the ground.

A newspaper had been knocked off the newsstand with a very interesting front-page story from five years ago. She couldn’t help but pick it up and look at it.

Dick spoke severely to Gar. “What did you do?”

Gar got to his feet feeling much better after ejecting the others from his mind, but he paid Dick no notice.

“Answer me!”

Gar walked right past him without saying a thing and he stopped before Sci-Twi.

She glared up at his face coverings, neither of them said a thing to each other. Spike growled, and Twilight trembled softly.

Then, Gar reached into his coat and pulled out Sci-Twi’s duel disk with all her own cards and rather than just politely hand it to her, he softly slid the disk towards her, and it stopped at her feet.

Sci-Twi gawked at them. “My duel disk… My deck…?”

The others were all astounded as well.

Gar then snuffed and turned to walk up the other way, only to run into Dick. “You’re not going anywhere until we talk this out.”

Gar stood where he was, as if he was willing to fight with Dick, and Dick felt and looked the same-- ready to let the fists do the talking.

“Dick, stop!” Kori called as she ran up to her husband.

Seeing his chance, Gar began to walk off.

“Gar, wait…!” Kori called.

“Masquerade!” Gar thundered at her. “My name is “Masquerade!” And I don’t know how many times I have to tell you… “Stay away from me!” I want nothing to do with you traitorous losers!”

He looked down at Terra, “…Something she just learned the hard way!”

Raven’s head was throbbing with rage, and her lips were quivering too, but she still did her best not to show.

“Okay, now… everyone just calm-down.” said Pinkie, and she took in a huge breath and let it out, “Ahh…” and when she opened her eyes, Gar was already out of sight.

“Well, so much for him.” grumbled Rainbow. “How can that guy be such a jerk?”

“We already know…” replied Sci-Twi, and she glared rather sternly at the Titans.

“Uh… you okay, girl?” asked Vic.

Sci-Twi and two card victims looked back and forth and all the Titans.

“I think you all have some explaining to do.” said Twilight.

The Titans all fell silent, while Rainbow blinked her eyes in confusion. “Uh… someone want to fill me in here?”

Gar felt glad to be away from the group again, even more so to have Terra and the others out of his head.

But his head still ached from all those horrible memories, even the good ones, still floating through his mind.

He said to himself. “The sooner I get out of this world and away from those morons, the better! Then I don’t have to put with them, and they don’t have to put up with me!”

Suddenly, he had a strange feeling he was being watched.

“What now?”

He turned sharply and saw Violet standing up the street.

“We meet again.” she hissed at him. “I think it’s time you and I finished what we started back in the desert.”

She flicked her robe, holding her arm and her disk up ready for action, and before Gar could react, Sapphire showed up.

“Hey, what are you doing?” he hollered.

“What does it look like? I’m about to teach this scum a lesson.”

“Uh, usually I’m all for it that, but we’re supposed to be looking for Celestia, and we still have to find Khaos.”

Violet didn’t care in the least. “I’ve made up my mind…” and she glared nastily at Gar “You’re mine, and I’m not leaving until I add you… trapped in a card… to my deck!”

Gar was already annoyed with these threats, but he did know that both these creeps, like Karle, couldn’t be turned into cards if they lost, and their weak spots weren’t so well known this time.

“Look, we’ve got orders!” insisted Sapphire “So let’s get going, and we can come back later!”

“And for the last time: I’m not leaving!” thundered Violet.

Sapphire sighed, “No choice then, and I can’t believe I’m going to do this…” but he raised his duel disk and fired a duel beam at Violet.

“Hey!” she growled.

“You won’t listen to reason; I’ll just have to stop you myself.”

Violet wouldn’t accept, and she quickly surrendered the duel at once, setting herself free, and of course, the lightning didn’t strike either one of them.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” called Sapphire, and he fired another duel beam forcing violet to dodge to avoid getting hit again.

“Knock it off!” she thundered.

“No, you quit disobeying orders!” bellowed Sapphire, and he kept on shooting and shooting, and Violet kept dodging…

…Only to suddenly realize Gar was nowhere to be seen.

“Thanks a lot! He got away!”

Sapphire snuffed. “He’s not important-- not right now anyway. So come on! The sooner we finish up, the sooner we can kick some dueling butt.”

With no other choice Violet complied, and she and Sapphire flew off on their clouds.

Gar saw his chance while the two were bickering, and he took shelter in one of the buildings. He bounded his way up, up, up to the roof of a small apartment building, and he secretly watched the two fly off over the distance.

“I’ve got to follow them.” he thought, “If I stay close to those freaks, maybe I can find a way out of this place.”

Using his incredible athletic skills, he began to leap along the roofs and used his coat as gliding wings to float gently along the air to cross huge gaps and doing his best to remain unseen!

Meanwhile, Rainbow and Pinkie were positively horrified when they were explained what Sci-Twi friends had seen.

“I cannot… I absolutely cannot believe it!” growled Rainbow.

“I can’t either.” added Pinkie “…You really went into Gar’s mind?”

Sci-Twi stood with her arms folded and glaring angrily at the Titans.

“You knew Gar was grieving, and you never showed him the least bit of sympathy? You just berated him, belittled him, treated him like dirt…” she paused and glared at Raven “…And you physically abused him for such petty and minor infractions!”

Raven just folded her arms and gave her the same angry glare back, proving it was all true! The other Titans all looked deep in regret, with shameful expressions, only further confirming it.

“No wonder he ran away.” said Rainbow. “I mean some friends you turned out to be. Even I’d want to get away if my friends treated me that way.”

“We know!” replied Dick. “We realized we were a little harsh with him.” then he corrected himself, “Okay, we were really bad.”

“And that’s not nearly as bad as your aiding in the corruption and devastation that killed your city.” said Cadance.

She held up the newspaper she had taken with her, which not only showed the front-story of how the four Titans made those horrible business deals.

“Look at these stock ratings!”

Cadance pointed out chart that listed cities all over America, including one piacular city in the middle.

“Canterlot City!” exclaimed Sci-Twi.

“…And now things have officially gone too far!” added Rainbow.

Pinkie felt like choking. “The corruption would have reached our beautiful home. Businesses would go bankrupt! Industries would have closed, and people would have lost their jobs, their homes, their friends their…” she stopped when she ran out breath.

She calmed herself down and took deep breaths to regain herself, but she was still horribly livid, especially about the part where the Titan’s negligence in aiding the greed and corruption also caused breakups, family loses, and suicides!

Now she felt like crying!

Kori did too… in shame. “We didn’t know. If we did, we would never have done it.”

“Well Gar tried to warn you!” scolded Spike “And all you did was ignore him, call him crazy, and treat him like a problem even more…” he paused “…Just like you did with every single idea he came up with, even if they were good.”

He cast Raven another sour look, “…You swatted him just for suggesting Mexico as a vacation spot!”

Now Raven starting to look mad!

Sci-Twi calmed Spike down from letting his mouth fly, but she was still horribly disgusted with the Titans. “Why didn’t you tell any of us this? You all held back all this stuff since we met.”

“We didn’t want to remember it all that way.” replied Dick.

Vic nodded, “For the past five years, all of America’s been hating on us. They take one look at us and go “Keep away!” or “Greedy Guts!”

…We try and make up for our mistakes, but the people won’t let us, and who could blame them-- all the damages done, the lives ruined, and people offing themselves… and because of us!”

Kori clutched her belly; all the guilt was flowing through her nine stomachs. “We wanted to try and put it all behind us and save our people-- give them another chance at life that no one else would.”

Twilight shook her head, “As understandable and noble as that all could be,” she paused “That really doesn’t excuse you all. You made the mistakes in the first place, when they all could have been avoided, but you wouldn’t listen.

You’ve been lying to other people…

…And it cannot be denied that you are all largely responsible for the reason Gar is so mad and mean all the time. You killed his gentle soul with your negligence, and you just up and demand he suck it up, and get over things, and just come back to you because you want him to?”

She wasn’t trying to defend or justify Gar’s bad behavior. His attitude would never be on the level of any excuse, but it was highly understandable, and not entirely without justification.

Cadance felt sick to her stomach. “It seems more like you all only want him back so you can feel less guilty for what you did and use him because he’s rich and has resources to get you out of your troubles.”

“No, no! That’s not true.” Dick said, desperately trying to prove his sincerity, but in the end it was no good. It was clear that whether the Titans really cared for their former friend or teammate was questionable.

Twilight could not believe what she was about to say, “In all my years, I have never seen such horrible acts of negligence, greed, dysfunction, and above all else… Hatred.

…I don’t think even I can help work out this friendship problem.”

A long moment of silence happened. Three of the Titans, and Terra were so ashamed.

“…He deserved it.”

Everyone looked towards Raven.

“He was always annoying, bratty, goofy. How a jerk like him ever became a hero in the first place is beyond me.”

“Okay, what?” Rainbow asked. “Are you saying it’s true, and that you never really cared about him at all?”

“No!” cried Pinkie “You can’t mean that.”

“She doesn’t.” Dick assured them “She’s had her bad say of Gar from time-to-time, but in the end--” but he was cut off by Raven saying “…I mean it.”

Terra put her hand over her mouth in shock.

Raven fully confessed that she never really liked Gar since the first time she met him. “…He was always immature. Always wisecracking horrible jokes. Getting in the way.

…I was happier when he wasn’t around, why we never kicked him off the team before is an even greater mystery.

I was glad when he was gone!” she paused and looked at the others, “And yet I still had to hear about him from all of you-- how we were hard on him, and how he was right about things.”

Her every word only further incriminated herself, and proved how Gar was right, that she saw him as nothing but a worthless nobody!

“How can you say all that about him?” protested Terra.

Raven refused to answer, and she didn’t have to. It was clear that she blamed Gar for all her troubles, and everything wrong in her life.

“You guys don’t actually agree with her, do you?” Cadance asked the other Titans.

Dick, Kori, and Vic, though livid to hear what Raven truly thought of Gar.

“Well… he was annoying sometimes.” Vic admitted.

“There were times when even we thought he was too immature.” added Kori.

Then Dick finally sealed the deal, “He managed to accomplish and show us things even we thought were unbecoming of him.

…That’s not the point! He was one of us, and we know we treated him wrongly. We want to make things right!”

At this point, the Equestrians were totally unsure.

“Oh, isn’t this heartbreaking.” hissed an evil voice.

Everyone looked up and saw Sunset laughing at everyone.

Features hardened, but Sci-Twi, Terra, and the card victims couldn’t believe their eyes.

“Sunset?!” cried Spike “What the heck happened to her?”

“Well,” Pinkie said, and she drew in a deep breath making one of her long and breathless explanations. “After you left, we went looking for you four, and we ran into Khaos who told us about this evil power called Z-Arc, and how Sunset now holds the power of Z-Arc in her, and she’s totally brainwashed and wants to duel us all forever, and ever until we expire.”

She stopped and panted. “That was easy to say.”

The other four blinked in shock and confusion, while Sunset snickered, “Yes, very good. Now who’s up for a duel? I know I am.”

“Don’t duel her!” cautioned Vic “She’s got these strange new cards none of us have ever seen. She’ll clobber you!”

“He’s not kidding!” agreed Rainbow.

Sunset only armed her duel disk and snickered, “This is going to be super fun!”

Episode 39: True Hate Part 1

EPISODE THIRTY-NINE

Sunset laughed wickedly, “Maybe I should just duel you all at once! Yes, that would be worth a challenge.”

Suddenly, the Malefic sky began to go crazy-- the fog and shadows were swirling in violent circles and began rushing like a river.

“What’s this?” Sunset wondered, and while she was looking up at the sky, totally distracted, the friends, while amazed by the sky, took their chance, and made a run for it.

“Hey!” Sunset called as she saw them running. “Oh, no, you don’t! I want a duel and I’ll get it!”

She was about to set off after them when someone called out, “Why not duel me?!”

Celestia came leaping in, and shot Sunset with her duel beam, activating her duel disk.

“Now, I’ve got you!” she laughed. “Get ready to duel!”

Sunset snickered, “You’re a stubborn one, I’ll admit that, but you’ll find I’m just as stubborn too.”

With that, she used her power to terminate the duel before it could even start. Thus, the lightning was not triggered.

The two evil ladies glared and growled at each other, when suddenly they were a huge flash of green light emitting from in the sky far away.

“No! It can’t be!” cried Celestia.

Sunset snickered “What could this be?”

A large opening appeared in the clouds, and a big bright beam of green light shot through it, slamming on the ground in the outskirts of the city.

From all different areas, the heroes, Gar, the Trio-- they all could see it, and even covered their eyes from the blinding rays.

“What is that?” cried Kori.

“I don’t know, but it sure is bright!” wailed Rainbow.

Sapphire and Violet ducked behind a building.

“Is that what I think it is?” asked Sapphire.

“I believe it is…” answered a familiar voice.

“Khaos!” cried Violet.

Khaos reunited with his comrades, and looked off into the distance as the light began to grow dim and fade away.

Gar was nearby, standing on a rooftop from following the bad guys around. “Is that it?” he wondered.

The light had ceased, and there standing outside of the city was a very large and tall looking mountain that seemed to reach way up into the sky, where a dark and evil looking castle sat perched on the peak… the castle of Rubeus and Loki.

“We’ve successfully landed.” Loki said as he observed the surrounding area.

Rubeus joined his brother by his side. “What a pitiful place this city is. I can see now why it was abandoned for doom.”

Loki looked around hoping to see Celestia, but he still couldn’t spot her.

“She will come,” insisted Rubeus “They all will. How can they resist the chance to come after us?”

He then held up his new deck, “Of course, with this, and the many dangers that await them…” he paused and snickered. “…They’ll be marching straight into their doom… just in time to witness the forthcoming of our ultimate empire.”

Loki loved the sound of that, “…That is, if they can even get here in one piece.”

“That’s it!” cried Dick. “That must be where the Prince Brothers are.”

Everyone else agreed.

“Let me at them!” Pinkie shouted as she tried to take off for the mountain, but Rainbow held her back.

“Whoa! Whoa! Pinkie! I want to get those goons too, but we can just rush at that mountain like that.”

“She’s right.” agreed Kori. “The Prince Brothers must want us to go there. We’d be walking right into their hands.”

Everyone agreed, but then-- despite their initial arguments earlier, they were all still in danger, together-- Vic shrugged “Let’s do it anyway. The sooner we get there, sooner we can save Sunset and maybe get out of this place.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes at the mountain. “Looks like things haven’t changed too much over the centuries.”

Having Z-Arc’s power and knowledge, she knew the histories of the Malefic World.

Her evil grew wide, and she leapt up on her own flying cloud, only to get shot by Celestia’s duel beam again.

“…Who told you that you could leave? We have a duel to settle.”

Sunset was really growing annoyed, but then she decided “Very well, but don’t say I didn’t do you a favor by trying to back out.”

She hopped down from her cloud. “A practice duel could do me well before I face those who are truly worthy of my time.”

“Keep telling yourself that.” sneered Celestia. “As future queen of this world, I expect my subjects to be respectful.”

“Ha! I am no subject of yours, nor their majesties. I follow my own path, and soon you’ll find that out the hard way.”

Suddenly, before the duel could commence, three more beams were fired at Sunset’s disk.

“What’s this?” snapped Celestia.

Sunset turned and saw the dark trio glaring the ladies down.

“Looks like this just became a 4 on 1 duel.” said Khaos.

Celestia growled angrily. “What do you think you’re doing?!”

“Trying to keep you safe, that’s what.” replied Sapphire.

“…I’m already regretting this.” grumbled Violet.

Celestia was furious and demanded the trio leave. “I can handle this myself!”

Sunset laughed, “I have no objections. Taking all four of you on at once would be quite stimulation for me, so let’s get too it!”

Celestia knew she was trapped, and she warned the trio, “As soon as we’re through, I’ll deal with the three of you for this insubordination!”

The trio ignored her, and they all stood ready to duel.

“Now!” shouted Khaos, and together, he and his two comrades used their powers to terminate the duel.

“What?!” snapped Celestia.

“Get her!” yelled Sapphire, and the trio jumped all over her.

Celestia put up a struggle, “You’ll all be punished for this!”

POW!! Violet struck her hard in the head, knocking her unconscious, much to the men’s shock.

Violet felt it was necessary, “…She had it coming.”

The lightning was suddenly approaching, and as much as Sunset wished for Celestia to be struck and turned into a card, she used her special card to dispel it.

“Shame, I was actually looking forward to a good beatdown.”

She wasn’t all that disappointed as she looked towards the mountain; knowing that everyone was bound to be heading there.

“A perfect place for me to trap them all, and then I can get even with their majesties.”

The inner power of Z-Arc had been sealed away for a long time, but not long enough to remember his capture and his sealing.

“I’ll show those two who the most powerful Malefic Warrior is. I’ll show them all!”

Suddenly, Sunset groaned, and she held her forehead. She wasn’t suffering from any mere headache, but whatever it was, it passed quickly, and she remained as evil as ever.

Meanwhile the group was still en-route towards the mountain, when they were already starting to feel exhausted-- having been up and pushing themselves for hours without much rest or food.

It seemed like they weren’t getting any closer.

“I’d say… about another two and a half miles away.” panted Sci-Twi

Rainbow hunched over grabbing her knees. “Why’d they have to park it so far away like that?”

Pinkie took in huge panting breaths. “I’m… too tired… to say anything.”

“Yeah, that’s why you’re talking now.” remarked Raven.

Everyone gave her a stern stare.

“I hate to say it, but maybe we should try and rest.” suggested Dick. “We can’t just rush over there and be too wiped out.”

Kori agreed and noted one of the buildings they were outside from. “We can camp out in here where they won’t see us.”

“Well, it’s better than being sitting ducks out here.” agreed Vic.

Everyone headed inside.

Vic stood the first watch while everyone slept. Soon, he switched out with Raven, and she agreed to be lookout while he got some shut eye.

Really, the only reason she volunteered to go first was because she had other things on her mind.

She really hated the way the Equestrians had balked at her and her friends about Gar, and her abusing him. Still convinced she was right to do it because he was so annoying to her over the years.

“Gar!” she growled in thought while quivering with rage. “It seems no matter how hard I try to get him out of my life, he always shows up again.”

She thought back to all the times he was annoying her with his jokes, his immaturity, always breaking into her room against her wishes.

There were some good times, but to Raven they were all pointless due to Gar having more flaws in her view than virtues…

Terra began to groan softly in her sleep. She kept saying Gar’s name over and over, and trying to apologize to him and get him to come back to her.

This further infuriated Raven. “How can she still care for him? And how can the other Titans still want to make things right too?”

She then thought back to all the trouble Gar had been causing everyone since they day they ran into him…

All his insults…

His rude behavior…

…and when she herself dueled him in the finals, and he really struck her hard, and knocked her unconscious.

…By this point, she had completely snapped! “I’m going to find him, and I’m going to do what I should’ve done to him so many years ago!”

Suddenly, she looked out the doors, up above she could see a lone figure leaping along the roofs.

It was Gar, indeed, and despite it meant leaving her friends, Raven just had to go after him.

Still armed with Rarity’s duel disk and her own cards, she quietly slipped out, and dashed off.

Gar had seen the mountain appeared with the castle perched at the top, and he was convinced to head there and put an end to the Prince Brothers’ evil…

…But even he was starting to feel a little overcome with weariness, especially from chasing the dark trio for a long time and leaping about to keep tabs on them.

“Maybe I should rest a bit.” he felt. “I’ll be better off facing those punks at full-strength.”

So, he settled down at the foot of many crumpling buildings where it wouldn’t be easy for him to be spotted.

He sat down, and didn’t go to sleep, but just relaxed.

You would never tell if he was sleeping or not because of his coverings.

At the castle, while Loki was overjoyed to have Celestia back, he was very strict with her. “How dare you just galivant off like that and worry the living darkness out of me.”

Celestia sulked, “Forgive me, my love, but I couldn’t help myself. I must have my revenge against Sunset Shimmer, even if she is possessed by the power of Z-Arc.”

Loki wouldn’t hear of this anymore and cursed her duel disk with a Malefic spell.

“What are you doing?”

“I’ve successfully bonded your duel disk to your arm, so it cannot be removed. You also will be unable to leave the palace. If you try, it will block you from proceeding.”

Celestia was outraged, but her protests were in vain.

“I do this out of love.” said Loki. “I couldn’t bear the thought of losing you.”

As touching as his words were, Celestia still sulked.

“If it helps…” Loki continued “You may yet get your chance. Those fools are bound to be coming here, and we hope they do. We plan to be ready to send them all into their dooms as our empire finally comes into full view.

Does this please you?”

Celestia sighed, “…I suppose.”

Loki then magically conjured up green, smoking, drink in two wine glasses.

Celestia accepted, and they clinked the glasses together-- How they were able to drink without having any mouths was a mystery.

Suddenly, Celestia felt strange-- not because of the drink-- she just had this feeling something wasn’t quite right.

It was her good memories of her real life kicking in again, but they were so blurry she could barely see them.

“Is something wrong, dear?” asked Loki.

She shook herself back to her senses. “I am quite fine.”

Loki wasn’t totally convinced.

Raven wandered up the streets in the direction she saw Gar go. She didn’t even care if it were possible, he was farther away, she was determined to settle the score.

She ran past an alley, then she skidded to a halt and stepped back.

There he was, resting up against a building.

She silently aimed her duel disk, ready to shoot a beam at him and force him into a duel.

The beam fired, but Gar quickly dodged it.

“Amateur!” he sneered “You have to be slyer than that to hit on me.”

Furious, Raven fired more beams at him, but he skillfully dodged every single one. His skills on gaming taught him to react to the thoughts of his opponents-- what they were going to do and where they were going to shoot at.

“I’m going to get you, Gar!” Raven growled at him. She fired at him again, and she missed again.

“So, you finally admit it!” Gar sneered at her. “I often suspected you hated me from Day One, and frankly; I wondered when you would snap.”

His every word only made Raven madder, and she continued to blast at him, and he just kept on dodging her.

“I wouldn’t do this if I were you.” he warned her. “You couldn’t beat me the last time we dueled. Do you really want to risk it all now?”

“I’m not risking anything!” protested Raven “…I’m just going to get rid of you so I can finally move on with my life, and the others will thank me for it.”

Gar sighed, “Some folks just never learn.”

He continued to dodge Raven’s duel beams, which lead to a chase into the streets.

Raven, finally losing the last of her patience, shot a wild barrage of beams all over. The beams flew in all different directions and even bounced off some of the walls of the crumpling buildings.

Gar couldn’t dodge them all so easily, and he finally got hit!

Raven grinned. “Got’cha!”

Gar didn’t even pretend to be that interested in this duel. He really didn’t ask for it, nor desired it, but he had no choice but to go along with it.

“I tried to do you a favor.” he said. “But it looks like you asked for it. Just like you’ve been asking for it for a long time, before and after I slammed you in the finals.”

Raven softly touched the back of her head, “I still have the bruise of where I crashed, and now you’re going to pay for it.”

“Oh, please!” scoffed Gar “I remember all the times you gave me a bruise, just because you found me annoying.”

Raven refused to drag this out any further. “Let’s do this. The sooner I beat you, the sooner you’ll be out of my life, and everyone else’s.”

Gar shook his head pitifully at her, but he too stood ready, and he knew just which deck to use against her.

Reaching into his coat, he pulled out the very deck, and loaded it up.

“If you think I’m scared that you changed decks, you’re sorely mistaken.” hissed Raven.

“Ha!” scoffed Gar “Like I said: I tried to do you a favor by escaping. Now, let’s get it on.”

“DUEL!!”

Raven LP: 8000

Gar LP: 8000

“I’ll go first.” said Raven.

Gar was a bit perplexed, and he thought “First this time, huh? Guess she has an idea.”

Raven then thought, “He knows my monsters can only be played by card effects, and he’ll try and outsmart me, but this time I’ll outsmart him.”

“I play the spellFUTURE DESTRUCTION.”

Gar gawked at the card image and thought. “I don’t remember her having that card. Looks like she’s been training up a bit.”

Raven gave him a nasty look. “You’re so smart, you know what this does.”

Gar scoffed, “Of course I do; you now have to send cards from the top of your deck to the graveyard equal to the number of cards in your hand.”

Raven sent four cards to her graveyard, and she was very pleased with what they were.

“You know how my deck works, but this time things will be much different.”

Gar only chuckled at her.

“You won’t be laughing when I play this card… TELEKINETIC POWER WELL!

Now I get to summon as many Psychic-Type monsters.”

Gar wasn’t impressed at all.

Raven summoned her three monsters, “Behold…

PSY-FRAME ALPHA… BETA… GAMMA!”

(Def: 0) x3

Gar then snuffed. “Just don’t forget… now you take damage-- 300 points times the combined levels of all those monsters.

I see a total of three, which means you take 900 points of damage.”

“Wrong!” growled Raven “I was prepared for this! From my hand I activate the SPELL OF PAIN!”

“Ah!” cried Gar.

“All that damage is going to bounce off of me and head straight back to you!”

The burning rays of light bounced off Raven and bounded straight for Gar, and struck him hard, and he growled as the shocked burned him.

Gar LP: 8000 -----> 7100

Raven enjoyed seeing him suffer a lot.

“And if you think I’m finished, I’m not… because since I summoned a Psychic-Tuner monster, I get to summon the other monster that I sent to my graveyard…”

Her disk began to glow, and a fourth monster began to emerge.

“…Behold PSY-FRAME MULTI-THREADER!”

(Def: 2500)

Now she had four monsters on the field, as well as the lead.

“You’re going down, Gar, like you should have a long time ago.”

She angrily raised up her arm, “I tune Level 2 Gamma with level 6 Multi-Threader, which I must banish…!”

The two monsters rose high forming the tuning rings and the orbs of light. Raven hated chants, so she didn’t bother to come up with one.

“I Synchro Summon… PSY-FRAMELORD OMEGA!”

(Atk: 2800)

Gar growled softly, still holding a grudge for Synchro monsters.

“I activate Omega’s special ability!” hollered Raven “I banish him, and one random card in your hand until my next turn.”

The monster had vanished, and as he did, a blast of light shot at a card in Gar’s hand, leaving him with only four left in his hand.

“Is that the best you can do?” he asked rudely.

Raven, maintaining her cool. “No, it isn’t! Now I’ll tribute Alpha, to summon PSY-FRAME DRIVER.”

(Atk: 2500)

“I see…” hissed Gar “You plan to Synchro summon again?”

“Wow… what gave you that idea?” she snarked. “I tune Level 1 Beta with Level 6 Driver…

I now Synchro Summon PSY-FRAMELORD ZETA!”

(Atk: 2500)

“Then I’ll place two cards facedown and end my turn. See if you can top that, preacher!”

Gar stood silently, analyzing the situation. “A clever play. She knew that I knew her monsters couldn’t be summoned easily, and so she’s set things up to not only get her best monsters in play… but I’m guessing those face downs will try and stop me from doing much else against her.”

“You going to move, or what?!” snarled Raven.

“As you wish…” replied Gar “I draw!”

“Omega’s ability activates!” snapped Raven “During your standby phase, I can send my banished Multi-Threader into the graveyard.”

Her card slipped back into her graveyard.

“Everything’s working just as I planed it would.” she thought “Now I’m ready for anything he’ll throw at me.”

Suddenly, she gawked at a glowing from Gar’s field. “What’s that?” she asked.

Gar snickered “…It happens to be CARD FROM A DIFFERENT DIMENSION.”

Raven’s eyes widened.

“Since you were foolish enough to banish it out of my hand, it now returns to me, and we each now draw two cards.

Gar now had seven cards in his hand, while Raven had two.

“Looks like you overestimated me, Rae. Not that I’m surprised, you always did over-look certain things about me, and that is why it’s you who will lose to me, not the other way around.”

Raven growled, “Just move!”

“Fine then…!

I play the continuous spell SOUL ABSORPTION! Now every time a card is banished, my life points will increase by 500.”

“Ah!” cried Raven.

“I wouldn’t try banishing more cards if I were you, but then… you don’t even have to. I can do the same… with this card…GOLD SARCOPHAGUS!

Now I take one card in my deck, and I banish it, but then in two turns it returns to my hand.

…And of course, I gain 500 life points instantly.”

Gar LP: 7100 -----> 7600

Raven growled…

“Oh, don’t look so mad… yet. The real fun is yet to come.

I place a monster facedown in defense mode. Then I end with two facedowns.”

Raven was perplexed at why he didn’t attack at all. She was certain he would leap at any chance to have at her.

“It’s my move now!” she drew her card, “And now Omega returns to the field!”

(Atk: 2800)

Gar only snickered at the monster’s appearance.

Raven thought quietly, “He has only two cards in his hand. If I use Omgea’s effect and banish that Dimension Card, he’ll just get it back and we’ll both draw two cards, plus, any card that’s banished at all will boost up his life points.

I can’t do that!”

Gar had his own thoughts to think. “You can’t outwit me, Rae. I’m ready for anything. Too bad you aren’t.”

Raven still wouldn’t allow him to get away with any of this. She planned to get him out of her life for good, and nothing would stop her!

“You think you’re so smart? Well, I’ll show you!” She engaged her battle phase. “Framelord Omega, attack that puny monster.”

Her monster charged forth and powered himself up.

“Pathetic as always!” sneered Gar “I activate the trap DIMENSIONAL PRISON! Now your precious Omega is about to be banished from the field!”

“Think again!” snapped Raven “I have a trap of my own, ALTAR FOR TRIBUTE! This allows me to tribute Omega, which spares him form being banished, and then I gain life points equal to his attack points!”

Her monster quickly vanished, and then Raven was cast in a glowing light as her power went way up.

Raven LP: 8000 -----> 10,800

Gar scoffed, “Figures you would do that. You wouldn’t care who you had to hurt or sacrifice to defend your own honor.”

“Shut… up!” demanded Raven. “You would know this, because you act like it all the time!”

She then concentrated on her dueling. “Zeta, attack now!”

Her monster rushed forth, and slashed Gar’s monster to pieces!

“Why thank you. You just destroyed PETEN THE DARK CLOWN. When he goes to the graveyard, I simply banish him to summon a another Dark Clown from my deck.”

(Def: 1200)

Raven cringed softly. “It’s like my attack didn’t even work!”

“Oh, it worked alright… for me.” Sneered Gar. “Since my Peten was banished, I gain another 500 life points from Soul Absorption.”

Gar LP: 7600 -----> 8100

“Anything else you’d like to try? I’d really love to see how else I can thoroughly humiliate you, like I did in our last duel.”

Raven didn’t know how much more of his taunting she could take, but it also made her that much more determined to win the duel and shut him up for good.

“I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn.”

“Is that all?” teased Gar. “You really aren’t much of a duelist, Raven, but that’s what happens when you spend your whole life alienating yourself from others.”

Raven growled, and Gar drew his card.

“I summon one monster facedown in defense-mode, and that ends my turn.”

“What?” snapped Raven. “Are you ever going to attack any time soon?!”

“When I’m good and ready to, I’ll hit you with everything I’ve got! Mark my words! Then you’ll regret ever having challenged me.”

Raven clenched her empty fist. “The only thing I regret is having never gotten rid of you years ago when I had the chance to, but I’m going to rectify that error here and now…

I draw!”

Raven drew a rather unusual looking spell-card, and her eyes shimmered on it, but she decided not to play it just yet.

“If I play this at just the right time, it’ll help me keep him down hard, maybe even win the whole match.”

She tucked the card in her hand and tried something else.

“I play POT OF GREED, so I draw two cards.”

She now had four cards in hand.

“And now I activate my trap card, PSY-FRAME OVERLOAD.”

“I wondered when she would play that.” thought Gar.

“Now I banish Framegrar Delta from my hand, in order to rid the field of your Soul Absorption!”

She tossed her card away, and a large blast shot at the image of Gar’s card, banishing it from sight.

“I still gain life points anyway thanks to your banishing.” he told her.

Gar LP: 8100 -----> 8600

“Big deal!” sneered Raven. “It’s just a matter of time before I get to you.”

She engaged her battle phase.

“Zeta, crush that ugly dark clown!”

Her complied and rushed in…

Gar shouted, “I activate the trap CALL OF THE EARTHBOUND! It allows me to redirect your attack to my other monster!”

“Oh, no!” cried Raven, and she watched as Zeta changed directions and struck the other monster.

“What luck, you just destroyed my KRYUEL!” said Gar “And when that happens, its special ability activates.”

A coin appeared before Gar, “I simply toss this coin, and if I call it right-- which I will-- your monster will be destroyed!”

Raven cringed, and Gar skillfully tossed the coin calling it, “Heads.” and he got it right, thus destroying Zeta in a big explosion.

Raven was super annoyed, “You’re so cheap!”

“Am I?” sneered Gar “Or do you still insist that I’ve developed sharp skills and talents you believe I shouldn’t have?”

Raven didn’t answer. She just stood where she was gnashing her teeth.

“…That’s what I thought.” said Gar. “You only ever saw me as a worthless goofball who would never amount to anything, so you decided there are skills and traits I should never have or even attempt.

…So did everyone else.

Well, I proved you all wrong. Now I’m the one with all the power and the resources, you’re nothing but a thieving, city crushing disgrace!”

“Disgrace?!” growled Raven “Look in a mirror, you’ll see the disgrace! Like you’ve always been. Why you were ever born in the first place is beyond me!”

By this point Gar was really starting to lose his temper.

His gamming aura was starting to show-- actually, it was Malefic Energy emitting from his inner-darkness.

Raven was starting to glow as well with her own rage, almost the way she used to when she still had her powers.

These two were truly at their peaks of hate and wanting nothing more than to destroy one another.

“Make your move!” demanded Gar.

“Oh, I will…” hissed Raven “And it’s a big one. I activate FLASH TUNE!”

“What?!” snapped Gar.

Raven snickered, “Obviously you know about this trap, and how it let’s me tune the Synchro Monster you just destroyed, with another Framegear Beta in my hand!”

The two monsters leapt up into the air and tuned each other together, creating a big blaze of light, which quickly turned to wicked shadows, bringing forth Raven’s monster.

“I Synchro Summon THOUGHT RULER ARCHFIEND!”

(Atk: 2700)

Gar looked up at the huge, hulking creature, growling softly.

“He’s back!” Raven called “And he’s raring for revenge… especially since it’s still my battle phase.”

Gar growled and Raven ordered her Archfiend, “…Attack!”

Gar clown was easily destroyed, and the bits and pieces blew past him, much to Raven’s delight.

“You do remember, when Peten is destroyed, I banish him to summon another.”

(Def: 1200)

“Ha!” Raven scoffed “Doesn’t matter to me, because you know that when my Archfiend destroys a monster, my life points increase by the attack points your monster had.”

She gained 500 life points…

Raven LP: 10,800 -----> 11,300

…And now her score was so high, she could practically feel the power running through her body.

The darkness shrouding her intensified, much to Gar’s annoyance.

“Everything’s going just as I hoped.” Raven thought “My life points are high, my Overload trap helping me, and with my Thought Ruler in play, there’s no way I can be defeated.”

She gazed down at the special spell that was still in her hand. “And this is the final part that will seal it all. Gar’s as good as beaten, and I can finally show him up for the freak he is!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 40: True Hate Part 2

Author's Note

I really don't get why when I Copy/Paste the fic to be loaded, it never puts the STRIK-THRU

Ah, well. Not like it's used much anyway.

Episode 40: True Hate Part 2

EPISODE FORTY

Vic finally woke up. He stretched and yawned and whispered to himself. “Nothing like a little power nap.

He was still feeling rather hungry, his stomach gave a loud growl. “Shh,” he said playfully to his gut.

The others were not disturbed, but they soon would be when Vic looked towards the door and noticed Raven was gone.

“Rae?” he called softly. When he couldn’t find her anywhere, he looked outside. “Raven?”

Cadance awoke first. “Vic? What’s going on?” she asked groggily.

Vic quickly woke everyone up. “Rae’s gone! he hollered.

Pinkie yawned. “Oh, she’s gone. That’s nice.” then she lay down again, only to bolt upright. “…Gone?! RAVEN’S GONE?!”

Everyone was confused, and livid.

“She just up and took off?” asked Rainbow.

“Didn’t anybody see her?” added Kori, but of course that was a silly question. Everyone else was sleeping, and Princess Twilight and Spike were safely tucked away in Sci-Twi’s pocket, and they saw nothing.

“Maybe she was taken by a bad guy.” suggested Spike.

Dick disagreed, “Then why are we all still here? Why didn’t we hear anything that would’ve woken us all?”

Spike felt silly.

“Well, where could she have gone then?” wondered Twilight.

Terra suddenly had a sick feeling that turned her blood cold. She didn’t know how, she didn’t know why, but she had the feeling “Gar…! She’s gone after Gar!”

Everyone turned her way.

“What?” Vic asked in disbelief. “What in the world are you talking about?”

“I know, it sounds crazy, but I can’t shake off this feeling.”

The others didn’t think she was feeling straight.

“Terra… don’t just assume wild theories.” said Dick. “I get that you’ve been through a lot, but that’s no reason to jump to a conclusion you can’t prove.”

Sci-Twi felt differently, “Maybe she’s right. You heard the way Raven was badmouthing Gar. She really sounded like she had it out for him, and what other reason would she want to run off for?”

Unable to deny this, the others all began to lean in on it.

“Raven… you wouldn’t?!” Dick muttered to himself. Such actions like this would only prove how monstrous and uncaring she truly was.

“Um… guys…” Pinkie called from the door “I think we have another problem.”

“What now?” asked Rainbow, but he and the others could see Sunset standing outside in the street.

“So that’s where you’ve been hiding. Did you have a nice rest?” she taunted. “You better, because it’s time to duel.”

“Ah, man! Not more of this!” groaned Vic.

Sunset snickered, “There’s nowhere to run this time. I’m going to seal you all in so you can’t make a break for it.”

She raised her arms to cast a forcefield to trap everyone in…

…Pinkie quickly raised her arm and shot a duel beam at Sunset’s duel disk.

“Huh?” said Sunset in surprise.

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” wailed Rainbow.

While was distracted by this sudden action, Pinkie quickly shouted at the others. “Go on! Get out of here while you can!! NOW!!”

Almost terrified by her sudden reaction, the group complied and took off before Sunset snapped back to her senses.

Pinkie took in a deep breath and then focussed on her opponent.

“Oh, well.” said Sunset “At least you’re still here, which means I get a duel anyway. Let’s get it on.”

Pinkie’s insides were going crazy, she was arguing with her inner self…

“Are you out of your mind?! You saw her in action-- you can’t duel her.”

“I must! It gave the others a chance to make a break for it so they don’t have to be trapped, and besides… running away from Sunset won’t help get through to her.”

She kept looking at Sunset’s evil, snickering face, still freaked out, but determined to get through to her friend.

The rest of the group had dashed a block away when they stopped to catch a breath.

“We can’t just leave Pinkie back there!” insisted Rainbow.

Sci-Twi really hated to say what she was about to. “But if we go back there, we’ll be in danger too.”

“She’s right.” agreed Dick “I don’t think Sunset will turn her into a card, and we needed that chance to get away. We’ve got to find Raven and stop her.”

“What if we’re already too late?” wondered Terra “What if Raven already found him, and they’re dueling now?”

Her stomach began to ach with more worry, rather than hunger, but she was able to ignore it.

“Well, sorry to add worse to already bad,” said Vic “But where are we even supposed to look?”

“We could start with “Up.” suggested Kori and she pointed to up on the roofs of tall buildings. “We’ll be able to see more from up there.”

Nobody was that keen on such and idea, due to the buildings being in such poor shape.

“We don’t all have to go up, do we?” asked Cadance.

Soon, Dick and Vic were hoping along the rooftops, while the rest of the group stayed below in the streets.

“See anything?” Rainbow called up.

“No…” replied Dick, “But we’ll stay close. Raven must be here somewhere.”

Terra thought angrily, “Raven… you better not do anything to Gar, or so help me, I’ll break every psychological restraint I know and break every bone in your body!”

Meanwhile…

Both Gar and Raven were still shrouded in evil aura due to their intense anger towards each other.

Raven LP: 11,300

Gar LP: 8600

“Are you going to make a move or what?” snapped Raven. “I’d like to get rid of you sometime in the next few minutes.”

“It’s you who’s going to go down. Not me.” Gar insisted “I draw!” he had three cards in hand, but he took a moment and noted how confident Raven seemed, and thought, “She sure isn’t dueling the way she normally does. I’ll bet she’s up to something.”

He continued with his turn…

“It’s been two turns since I used Gold Sarcophagus, which means the card I banished comes back to me.”

He grabbed the lone card and held it up, “I activate MONSTER RECOVERY! Now I send Peten the Dark Clown and my entire hand back into the deck. Then I shuffle, and I draw five new cards.”

With his hand full once more, he looked down at one of the monster cards he had, which made him grin behind his covers. “Perfect! This monster will be the instrument to Raven’s ultimate downfall, but I better hedge her a long for a little longer.”

“Now I’ll summon one monster facedown in defense-mode, and I’ll place three cards facedown!”

“Three cards?!” growled Raven. “You played nearly every card in your hand.”

“Yes… very good.” taunted Gar, then he pointed to the middle of his coverings “Now guess what part of the face I’m pointing to.

…Just make your move!”

Raven growled, “Oh, I will, and it starts with using my PSY-Frame Overload trap, by banishing Psy-Framegear Epsilon in my hand, I banish your middle facedown card off the field!”

Her trap fired a magic beam and blasted Gar’s facedown off the field.

“A Breakthrough Skill? How lame!” taunted Raven.

Now it was officially her turn, “I draw!”

She glared at her card for a minute, and then balked at Gar, “It’s time!” Her insane determination made the aura around her pulsate hard and wide-- shaking some of the crumpling buildings behind her.

“Brace yourself Gar, this is going to hurt you a lot… like you deserve!”

She held the special card of hers up high and shouted, “I play the spell MIRACLE SYNCHRO FUSION!”

Gar cringed this time and exclaimed in extreme shock, “…What?!”

Raven snickered, “…You thought Synchro Summoning was all I was good at? Well, this spell lets me banish Multi-Threader and Omega from my graveyard, and then I can fuse them together to create a perfect, powerful creature that’ll help me get rid of you for good!”

Gar watched in outrage as the spirits of Raven’s monsters appeared and then merged.

Still, Raven would not chant any verse to her monster, but the aura around her flared stronger than ever.

“I Fusion Summon… ULTIMATE AXON KICKER!”

The monster appeared, almost bearing a resemblance to Thought Ruler.

(Atk: 2900)

Gar glared at the monster, growling furiously, and the dark aura around him was flaring. “Fusion…!”

Raven couldn’t help but smirk. “I know all about how much you hate Fusion, because it makes you cry like a baby. So, what better way to wipe you out of existence than with the very kind of power despise most!”

Gar was more disturbed, but now his determination to stop Raven was greater than ever.

Raven snuffed, “And now I activate another spell… PSYCHIC PATH.

All I have to do is pay up 800 life points…”

Raven LP: 11,300 -----> 10,500

Raven was shocked, but she didn’t feel much, due to her score being so high, and the aura shrouding her.

“…And now I get to add two banished monsters back to my hand-- Epsilon, and Multi-Threader!

But Epsilon will have to be banished again, so I can use PSY-Frame Overload, so I can blow another one of your facedown cards away.”

Another one of Gar’s cards was destroyed.

“A Mirror Force card?” taunted Raven “Someone’s getting a little desperate. Not that it matters, because Axon Kicker can’t be destroyed by card effects.” She paused “And worse, when it attacks a monster in defense-mode… you get hit with piercing damage!”

“I’m well-aware of all this!” growled Gar.

Raven’s features hardened, and she entered her Battle Phase, “Axon Kicker, kick his monster’s miserable can!”

Her monster complied, and fired a strong blast of energy at Gar’s monster, which flipped face-up revealing it to be, MYSTIC TOMATO…

(Atk: 2900) VS (Def: 1100)

The little veggie was crushed, and Gar took a heap of damage, and he growled as the shocks burned him.

Gar LP: 8600 -----> 6800

Raven was suddenly bathed in glowing light from her Axon Kicker.

“Since your monster was destroyed, I gain life points equal to it’s attack power. That’s 1400.”

Raven LP: 10,500 -----> 11, 900

She had so many life points, and the power was pulsating through her. She almost felt like she had her super-powers back.

“That may be…” called Gar “But when Mystic Tomato is destroyed, I am able to summon a Dark monster from my deck, and I choose to summon a second tomato.”

(Atk: 1400)

“Is that supposed to bother me?” Raven asked sarcastically. “Thought Ruler Archfiend, squash it!”

Her monster did as was told, and Gar’s second tomato was flattened…

(Atk: 2700) VS (Atk: 1400)

Gar was burned by more painful shocks…

Gar LP: 6800 -----> 5500

And Raven was bathed in more light, “Thought Ruler Archfiend boosts my score again by the attack points of the monster it just destroyed.

Raven LP: 11, 900 -----> 13,300

“So, thanks… for once!”

Gar shook off the pain from the shocks, and glared Raven’s nasty smirk.

Raven was really enjoying herself. “Oh, this feels so great!” she thought “Finally, I get to show him up for the loser he always has been, and with all the cards I have in play, there’s nothing he can do to stop me.

I only wish I could see the look on his face now.”

That’s what she hoped for, except for the fact that Gar was snickering at her, and then it turned into full-out spiteful laughing.

“Did I miss a joke?” Raven asked.

Gar stopped laughing and said, “…Do you know why no one really likes you, Raven?”

A long moment of silence followed…

“It’s because you have one of the worst kinds of attitudes. You’re always being so harsh, and mean to others, and you don’t even realize the hate you spread and the more harm you cause than help.

Look at you now. Here you are, attempting to crush me, to get rid of me, and for what, because you blame me for all the bad things and everything that’s wrong in your life.”

“Shut up!” snapped Raven.

“Oh, I admit, I cause plenty of pain myself these day, but I had a great teacher… someone who treated me more like dirt than a friend!” he definitely implied her.

“It will be a great pleasure to take you down and prove that it’s you who’s the true monster.”

He held out his arm, “Since you destroyed my tomato, I get to summon this… CHAOS NECROMANCER!”

(Atk: 0)

Raven raised an eyebrow in confusion. “A monster with zero attack points?”

Gar scoffed, “Look closer. Chaos Necromancer gains 300 attack points for every monster card in my graveyard.”

“Every monster?!” gasped Raven.

“Yes… and I currently have four.”

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 1200)

Raven was still far from impressed. “It’s still hardly strong enough to be much of a threat.”

“…So, you say, but I have a trap to play.”

“You what?!”

“Reveal… HOPE FOR ESCAPE!”

“Ah!”

Gar snickered, “For a price of 1000 life points…”

Gar LP: 5500 -----> 4500

He braced himself for the shocks that came at him.

“I can now draw one card for the difference in our scores, for every 2000 points of difference, which means I now draw four cards.”

He now had five cards in hand.

“Oh, no!” Raven groaned in thought. “This can’t be good. Now I’ve given him a chance to make one of his comebacks.

But it still doesn’t matter, both my monsters are still super strong.”

She looked down at Multi-Threader in her hand. “As long as I have this, and my life points super high, I can’t lose this at all.

Gar’s as good as beaten, as well as history!”

The aura around her flared so hard, it upset one of the buildings behind her, making it crumple and breakup even more. It was liable to fall over any second!

Sunset glared Pinkie down, but Pinkie called up to her. “Sunset, I know you’re still in there. This isn’t the real you.”

Sunset sighed, “Oh, not this junk again.”

“Please… Don’t let Z-Arc’s evil control you like this. Remember how we all used to be besties of best friends.”

Sunset reacted to that. “…Best… Friends?”

With that, small, very faded memories began to spark inside her—all the good times she shared with her friends…

…But the power of Z-Arc easily overpowered them.

“Let’s just duel… Now!” she insisted.

Pinkie LP: 8000

Sunset LP: 8000

Pinkie hung her head down. Z-Arc’s evil was far worse than she thought.

“I’m not giving up!” she thought. “I won’t let this evil hold Sunset like this.”

Suddenly, she had an idea. “Maybe if I show her my signature dueltaning… that could spark something.”

With that, she held her head up high, threw out her arms, and pretended the spotlight was on her.

“Ladies and Gentlemen...! Duel-fans of all ages! Welcome to the show of a lifetime. It’s Sunset Shimmer versus her old pal, Pinkie Pie.

Will Sunset crack a smile at the end of this show? Only time will tell.”

Sunset raised her eyebrow in confusion, and yet deep down it all seemed too familiar to her.

“Let the magic begin…” Pinkie hollered as she drew her five cards.

“I use Scale 1 PERFOMAPAL GUMGUMOUTON, and Scale 7 PERFORMAPAL MOMONCARPET!”

The two monsters took their places in the light, and the pendulum began to swing between them.

“Witness, one and all! With this scale, I can summon as many monsters between levels 2 and 6… AND HERE THE COME!”

Two shots of light rained down from the sky, and her monsters appeared.

“Introducing…

PERFOMAPAL SPALSHMAMMOTH…” (Def: 2300)

“PERFORMAPAL KALEIDOSCORP…” (Def: 2300)

The cute little monsters tooted and trumpeted like the cute performers they were, while Sunset could only continue gawking at them awkwardly.

Pinkie felt it was working, but there much she could do other than place her last card facedown.

“That’s the end for the opening act, but hold onto your seats, because our guest performer now gets her shot at the stage.

Take it away, Sunset!”

Sunset clasped her head in her hand. She looked as if she were struggling with herself and Z-Arc’s evil, much to Pinkie’s hope…

But alas…

“…Your dueling is a disgrace!”

“Huh?” said Pinkie. “But… but you always loved my dueltaning. It always made you laugh and smile.”

“Maybe it did before, and what a fool I was to ever have enjoyed it!”

Pinkie felt as if two knives had jabbed her-- one in the gut, and one in the heart.

Sunset clenched her fist, “Dueling is all about power, crushing your foes, and being unstoppable, which I will show to you right now!”

She drew her cards, and a sixth.

“The first card I’ll play is the spell TRAP BOOSTER! By sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I’m able to instantly play a trap from my hand.

I activate POWERFUL REBIRTH! It allows me to revive the monster I just sent to the graveyard…

…HALLOHALLO!”

(Atk: 800)

This monster seemed to resemble a ghostly robe with a Jack-o-lantern for a head.

“That’s a Tuner monster?” asked Pinkie “I didn’t see that card in your last duel.”

“Well, you’re seeing it now, and by the way, Powerful Rebirth also raises his attack and defense points by 100, and it gains one level.”

“It’s Level 4 now!”

“And there’s more coming than you know… because now I summon SUPREME KING DRAGON DARKWURM!”

(Atk: 1800)

Pinkie gasped. “That’s the monster from you duel with Kori and Dick!”

Sunset snickered, “I know! But here’s something you don’t know-- When Darkwurm is summoned, I am able to add SUPREME KING GATE INFINITY to my hand.

Pinkie began to sweat, and she thought nervously, “Is she planning to summon that Xyz monster she used last time?”

Her suspicions were proven wrong…!

“I now activate the spell HARMONIC SYNCHRO FUSION!”

Pinkie had never seen this card before. “Harmonic Sync-- What?!”

Sunset grinned wickedly, “I’ll explain… this special card takes both my monsters and splits them into clones of each other.”

Just like magic, the monsters did just so—hollowed, artificial shells of them appeared, giving sunset four monsters in play.

“…And now, the power of Harmonic Syncrho Fusion allows me to use these monster groups to Syncrho Summon, and Fusion Summon.”

Pinkie had never heard of anything like this before. “Can you actually do that?”

“Observe…!” called Sunset “First I tune my Level 4 Hallohallo with my Level 4 Darkwurm!”

The two monsters rushed up into the air, and Sunset called out a chant…

“Winds of darkness, billowing along,
comes forth a beast so mighty and strong!

I Synchro Summon… SUPREME KING DRAGON CLEAR WING!”

(Atk: 2500)

Pinkie gawked up at the roaring dragon and noted how familiar it seemed. “It… it looks just like Sapphire’s Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

“Wait! There’s more.” said Sunset “Now I’ll take the other monsters and conduct my Fusion Summon.”

“Ah!” cried Pinkie, and she watched as the two monsters combined, and Sunset chanted yet again…

“Poisonous fangs and venomous roar,
I summon a creature so vile and more!

I Fusion Summon… SUPREME KING DRAGON STARVING VENOM!”

(Atk: 2800)

The evil dragon spread out its wings, which dripped with slimy poison.

Pinkie was positively blown out of her mind! “I can’t believe this!” she panicked in thought, “She Synchro and Fusion Summoned at the same time.

As cool as I’d like this to be, I think I’m huge trouble!”

She was right, because just then… there was a blast of wind billowing on her side of the field, “What’s happening?!” she groaned while bracing herself.

Sunset laughed, “It’s Clear Wing’s special ability. Since he was successfully Synchro Summoned, every monster in your field is instantly destroyed!”

As promised, both Pinkie’s monsters were blown away, leaving her wide open.

“Uh, oh!” she groaned.

“Uh, oh” is right…” hissed Sunset. “I now use Scale 0 SUPREME KING GATE ZERO, and Scale 13 SUPREME KING GATE INFINITY to set the Pendulum Scale!”

“Oh, no! Not this again!”

“Yes, indeed, but don’t worry. You see, Supreme King Gate Infinity forbids me to Pendulum Summon if I control at least one monster.”

Now Pinkie was confused. “But then why set them in the scale?”

“I’ll let you worry about that when the time comes, and not before.

In the mean time, I’m activating Starving Venom’s special ability; by targeting my own Clear Wing Dragon, Starving Venom can absorb it’s special ability.”

Pinkie wasn’t sure she liked the sounds of that!

Sunset then engaged her battle phase.

“Starving Venom, attack her directly!”

The dragon roared, and opened is huge jaws unleashing a gross, and burning venomous gunk.

“Hold up!” called Pinkie “I activate the trap, PERFORMAPAL PINCH HELPER!

It activates when you declare a direct attack, and it lets me call one “Performapal” from my deck, but it won’t have its special effects.”

Her deck began to glow as a small beam of light shot out, and Pinkie even imagined a drumroll playing, with spotlights flashing and everything.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, making its way from my deck… give it up for PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES MINITUARUS!”

(Def: 1000)

The strong bull grinned and took a bow, but Sunset was far from amused.

“No worries, I’ll just attack it! Go Starving!”

The dragon prepared to attack again.

“Not going to work,” Pinkie called “I use Performapal Gumgummuton’s Pendulum Ability, which protects my star performer from being destroyed.”

The monster let out a loud bleat and pulled a magical sheet of wool over Minitaurus.

“You think that will stop me!” roared Sunset “Well here’s a reality check for you-- Starving Venom absorbed Clear Wing’s special ability; therefore: when he attacks a monster, that creature is instantly destroyed.”

“What?!” exclaimed Pinkie. She watched as the attack broke through her protective shield and destroyed her newly summoned monster.

“And what it more,” called Sunset “You now take damage equal to that monster’s original attack points!”

Pinkie was blasted by the burning winds and shockwaves, making her wail in pain as she lost 1600 points!

Pinkie LP: 8000 -----> 6400

She couldn’t believe any of this.

“And now that you’re wide open,” said Sunset “Clear Wing, attack!”

The dragon complied and unleashed its sonic wind waves straight for Pinkie.

She quickly braced herself for the impact and shouted, “Thanks to Momoncarpet’s Pendulum Ability, I only take half the damage!”

Sunset only laughed, knowing would still get hurt anyway.

The attack crashed into her, and she wailed as she was burned.

Pinkie LP: 6400 -----> 5150

Pinkie coughed out a small smoke ring while Sunset relished in the suffering she was causing. “Yes! More, more!” she demanded. “More chaos, more destruction to fuel my power and greatness!”

Pinkie shook her head in frightful denial. “No! You can’t mean that!”

This only made her laugh even more. “Poor, miserable, creature. You have no idea how much fun it is to destroy your opponents and see them squirm as they foolishly try to stand up to you.”

“Fun… in destroying and hurting people?!” Pinkie had almost forgotten how to swallow, fearing that she would surely throw-up.

Her features suddenly hardened to anger, and she bolted up onto her feet, practically seething. Her eyes were flaring, and her teeth were gnashing.

“Yes,” Sunset hissed “Give in to you anger, your hate, your darkness! Let it feed on you and give you a lust for power!”

Pinkie continued to growl, and just when it seemed the Malefic aura would take her, she broke into a beautiful, hopeful smile.

“What?!” snapped Sunset “How can you smile at a time like this?”

Still grinning, Pinkie admitted, “Because it’s how you really have fun, and that’s something I helped everyone learn every day, including you.”

“Me?” asked Sunset, and that’s when more memories began trying to surface from deep inside her again.

Still, they were too blurry-- covered by the evil shadows of Z-Arc.

Sunset growled and roared as the evil maintain its hold of her. “Stop it!” she demanded. “Quit trying to cloud me with your lies and nonsense of fun and joy!

This is a duel in which pain and suffering rule!”

Pinkie continued to smile, “No it’s not… and I’m going to keep dueling, just because it’s fun.”

Sunset was very annoyed.

Meanwhile…

The rest of the group were still no closer to finding where Raven could have run off to.

“Anything yet?” Kori called up.

Dick and Vic were growing frustrated.

“This is like looking for a needle in a haystack.” complained Dick.

Suddenly, it hit Vic like a bolt of lightning. “Ah, man! How could I be so stupid! I can use my wrist-com to sense for Raven’s energy signal.”

“Now he remembers?” groaned Rainbow.

The others were so sure if it was a smart idea anyway.

“But Vic… your power cell!” Terra called up.

“Ah, no sweat.” remarked Vic. He checked his energy meter, which was still high. “I just need one small blip, and that’s all.”

He began to scout around.

While he did, Rainbow’s insides were going crazy with worry for Pinkie dueling Sunset and all.

She quickly turned on her heal and dashed off to get back to her friend.

“Rainbow!” called Cadance.

“Where are you going?” yelled Dick.

“I’m going to get Pinkie!” Rainbow called back, and she quickly disappeared around the corner.

She had gone so fast it was already too late to get her to stop.

“Crazy kid!” Vic grumbled, but suddenly his com blinked. “I got Raven’s signal, but it’s way weak. What the heck’s going on?”

Far away, Raven and Gar were still both shrouded in malefic aura, which was why Vic had a hard time tracking them.

“Brace yourself, Raven!” Gar called as he drew his next card.

He gawked at the very card he drew. “At last!” he thought, and he compared the card he drew with the one at the end of his hand. “These two cards are exactly what I need to stop Raven for good!”

“Are you going to move, or what?!” snarled Raven. She wasn’t kidding, she really wanted him to hurry so she could relish in causing him more suffering and pain, and then finally be rid of him for good.

“You move so slowly; it’s no wonder Terra dumped you!”

Something inside of Gar snapped at that.

“What?”

“Why she’s still in love with you, I’ll never know. Frankly: I don’t want to, because love is not something you know or are even worthy of!”

Gar began to growl under his covers. Though he really had no interest in being with Terra again, it was still such an insult to have his past pains thrown at him like this.

“That’s what I thought!” sneered Raven. “I don’t know why anyone would ever love you, like you, or even welcome you into their lives… but we Titans made that mistake long ago, and I’m going to fix it by ridding our lives of your presence--” she had finally gone too far.

“Raven!” he barked at her. “…So help me, I’ll make you regret ever being born yet!”

Raven growled.

Both their auras flared, and the building behind Raven grew weaker and shakier still! It was going to come down! One more large shock was all it needed!

“HERE I COME…!!” Gar shouted!

To Be Continued…

Episode 41: True Hate Final Part

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Episode 42: Creepy Castle

EPISODE FORTY-TWO

On a typical morning in a large city, the people would just go about their business-- going to work, hanging out, or kids enjoying their summer holidays.

Some would even duel just for the fun of it.

Suddenly, the skies grew dark despite the clear and beautiful weather.

“What’s going on?”

“Look up there!”

That’s when they appeared-- the Malefic rifts in the sky.

“What are those things?”

“I don’t like the looks of them.”

These rifts opened all over the world, and grew larger by the hour, and the darkness began to spread.

Even Flash Sentry didn’t like the looks of the eerie openings in the sky and given all he had seen in the past before he knew this could only be the works of something evil and magical.

“Twilight…” he murmured thinking of Princess Twilight and the other girls. He could only hope they were all okay.

Meanwhile, Sci-Twi began to awaken. Her vision was very blurry… because her glasses had fallen off. “What happened?” she groaned softly as she felt around, finding her glasses, and putting them on…

Once she could see, she was surprised to find that she was behind bars, locked in a cell in a dungeon.

“Hey!” she cried as she ran up to the bars, and she could see that she wasn’t alone. All the others were unconscious in cells along side her own.

“Everyone, wake up!” she hollered.

Everyone slowly began to awaken.

Rainbow held her head, “What hit me?”

“Kori?” called Dick.

“I’m here!” his wife called.

Pinkie stood up and brushed the dust out of her hair, which was now hanging down in loose threads rather than all poofy.

“Is… is everyone alright?” called Vic.

“I think so.” answered Cadance. “But where are we, and how did we get here?”

She and the others suddenly remembered, and Dick then remembered too. “Raven…! She was turned into a card!”

He searched all over himself, but he couldn’t find Raven’s card anywhere.

Sci-Twi checked herself, and looked through all her pockets, but both Princess Twilight and Spike’s soul cards were missing. “Oh, no! Not again!”

Rainbow checked her pockets, but neither Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy, cards could be found. “Where did they go?!”

Cadance couldn’t find Luna or Shining Armor’s cards either.

Suddenly, Terra the idea, “The Prince Brothers! They must’ve done all this. We’re inside their castle.”

“Geez, what gave you that idea.” Gar grumbled to himself.

Indeed, the cards were now in the hands of the Prince Brothers, all eight of them.

It was the Prince Brothers that were responsible for this-- bringing everyone to the castle and imprisoning them in the dungeons deep below while they were unconscious from the teleportation smoke.

“Do you think it was wise to do this?” asked Loki.

Rubeus nodded, “It was more than feasible. Those last two duels we observed gave us an incredible amount of power.” he referred to Gar and Raven’s duel, as well as Sunset and Pinkie’s.

“Besides, I really see no need in waiting for them to storm our castle. It would be much easier if they were at full strength for what’s about to happen.”

Loki hesitated, but he did agree.

Celestia walked over and looked down at all the soul cards on the stone table. She looked at all the pictures of the “Poor, helpless fools.”

“You traitor!” Spike barked up at her. “How could you turn on your friends like this?”

“Spike, stop!” Twilight cautioned him.

“No, I won’t! Look at her! How can she be on their side? She’s turned her back on all of us—her friends! Even her own sister!”

Celestia blinked, “Sister?” Then she looked down at Luna’s card, and her inner emotions began to go crazy as her memories started coming back again.

She could see old memories of when she and Luna were kids, playing with dolls, or sports, making their way through school, college, and becoming educators-- but they were always there for each other.

“Luna?”

Spike looked up with hope in his puppy-eyes, and Twilight suddenly got the drift. “You’re trying to get her to remember the love and goodness, so she’ll snap out of it.”

Suddenly, a large hand came and slammed down on both of their cards. “That’s quite enough!” growled Loki. “I’ll not have you brainwashing my queen like this.”

“She’s not your queen!” protested Twilight. “And it’s you who brainwashed her. Don’t you see that she doesn’t really have feelings for you, nor does she share your desires for evil?!”

Celestia, snapping herself back into her evil nature grabbed Twilight’s card and threatened to throw it, “Does this look like I don’t…?”

“No!” Loki shouted, grabbing her arm stopping her. “As much as these pests annoy me too, it is important we keep them safe for our plans.”

“Indeed.” agreed Rubeus. “Speaking of plans, I wonder how Sunset is handling her situation.”

Then he thought quietly, “It was wise of us not to transport her here. She may be strong now thanks to Z-Arc’s power, but I am still not convinced she has tapped into it’s full-potential.

As soon as she has, the real fun begins.”

Sunset was more than outraged when everyone disappeared. Now she had no one to duel, yet.

“Curse those royal idiots!” she fumed at the mountain in the distance. “They always were ones to ruin a good time of enjoyment.”

She looked up at the rifts in the sky. “Soon they’ll open wide enough to engulf the world, and I’ll have all the opponents and victims I could ever dream of…!”

Her patience not withstanding, and her lust for more action, more destruction, more victory, made her decide. “I can’t wait that long. I need to duel, now!”

She looked towards the mountain again, at the palace perched atop. “Of course!” she felt “What finer way than to storm the castle. I’ll duel everyone and everything that dares come my way, and I’ll eventually reach their majesties.

Oh! It will be such a thrill to overthrow those fools like I should have done. Then I will take my rightful place as the most powerful warrior every, and every world known will be mine to rule and challenge.”

Not wasting much more time, she bound for the mountain. Rather than rely on Malefic trickery to storm the castle as she was up for a challenge to boost her strength and stealth.

Rainbow pulled and tugged on the bars of her cell all she could, but it was no use. The bars, though rusted were still good and strong. That, and her hungry stomach growling didn’t make it any easier.

“If I don’t get something eat soon, I’ll waste to nothing!” she complained.

Many of the others felt the same way, especially Kori with her nine stomachs!

Vic tried pulling on the bars, but they were too strong even for him to pull down. “I guess we’re busting out of here another way.”

He popped off one of his fingers showing a mini blowtorch which he planned to use to melt through the bars.

“Vic, don’t! Your power-cell…!” Terra cautioned.

“I’m open to other suggestions.” Vic snarked.

Gar scoffed and already had an idea to open his own cell. He removed his belt and began to use it’s long, and unusually strong buckle notch to pick the lock of his cell. “Good thing I played loads of escape rooms.” he said to himself.

Suddenly, there was a small chime ringing.

“What’s that?” wondered Cadance.

Everyone stopped what they were doing waiting for… whatever was about to happen.

Then, the central circular floor panels went down in the floor like elevator lifts, and they came back up with tables of full-dressed meals for everyone. Each meal was the same, including a bowl of warm brother with egg noodles. A rare-cooked steak, with mashed potatoes on the side. A small bowl of salad with all the trimmings. A basket with bread rolls, a gravy bowl, a tall glass of ice-water, and even pudding cups on the side.

Rainbow practically drooled at the sight of such a meal. Everyone else was confused.

“They’re feeding us?” asked Dick. Every sense in his body was quaking with bad suspicions, especially considering the last time they were all lured in by food it turned out to be a trap.

Vic gave a huge sniff, “Smells fine… maybe a little too fine!” he was feeling weak in the knees. He couldn’t resist and began to move in to take a bite.

“Vic don’t!” cautioned Terra “What if it’s another trap!” but Vic and Rainbow had already dug into the feasts.

“Soooo gooood!” Rainbow sighed.

“…And each bite only gets better!” added Vic.

Seeing as it all seemed okay, and that everyone was starving to death, they couldn’t help but dig in themselves… most of them anyway.

Pinkie didn’t touch a morsel or even go near her table. She was still looking down in the chops, remembering how she lost her duel to Sunset, but it wasn’t the loss that was eating her up, but rather how she was unable to reach out to her friend, even with her best dueltaining.

“I couldn’t do it.” She murmured softly. “I couldn’t save her, not even with my best smiles and my best friendliness.”

She almost felt like crying, but Rainbow walked up to the cell window. “Pinkie, come on… we’ll save her. I don’t know how, but we will.”

She remembered how when Sunset used to be naturally wicked, and they all band together and helped save her from herself by showing her friendship and kindness. “It worked before, and it’ll work again!”

Pinkie wasn’t so certain this time. “We’ve never faced anything like Z-Arc before. Sunset’s dueling is way brutal.”

Kori and Dick had to agree, remembering getting trounced before too. They both felt lucky not to have been turned into cards.

Sci-Twi put her eating utensils down. “Well, I’m not going to give up. I mean, even being locked up in this cell, if I had given up I wouldn’t be here in the first place.”

She recounted how she was able to overcome all odds and defeat Karle-- her own evil creation. She even remembered the rules of gamming; “One is only a true master when one can overcome themselves.”

“We’ve all been through a lot and there’s still more coming at us. So why quit now?”

Everyone seemed to be finding their confidence again, including Pinkie, but the only one who felt different was Gar. He didn’t seem the least bit willing to jump in the band-wagon, let alone even eat the food he was presented with. He just continued to pick at his cell lock.

“Gar?” Terra called softly to him. “What about you?”

“What about me?” he answered gruffly.

Even after all the trauma, all the misery, all the negativity between them, Terra was stilling willing to show mercy to Gar and trying to warm up to him. “…We could use all the help we can get.”

Gar only scoffed, “You’re all delusional! Still on this kick about friendship being your true motivation? Face it: It’s because of friendship that we’re even in this situation in the first place!”

Features began to harden.

“Look Gar!” snapped Dick “I’ve had just about enough of your grouchy, and miserable attitude towards us. We’re all in danger, and so are our friends, but unlike you, we actually care about them enough to help!”

Gar stopped picking the lock and snickered, “That’s rich coming from you, Grayson. You claim you care, but where was all this when you drove Jump City into the ground because you only thought of yourselves?”

Dick, Kori, and Vic felt guilty strikes in their stomachs.

“And don’t even start with me by saying that you’re trying to make up for it. All your efforts to this point have only made things worse… for yourselves, and the people supporting you!”

He referred to how their failures in the tournament led to the remaining populace of the decayed Jump City to banish the former superheroes; never wishing their return.

He also referred to how many of the Equestrians were fighting in the name of friendship, and yet they lost and paid the price by being turned into cards.

Even just recently, when he beat Raven and turned her into a card, it wasn’t as if he had a choice in the matter because she was the one who challenged him-- yet Dick and the others still looked more as if they were all against him for being the true monster.

“Some friendship!” he mocked. “You look at me as a monster, and then you act as if Raven did nothing wrong in her own conquest.” he paused “…Or should I just assume you sent her after me? I mean you hated my guts a long time before all this happened, why shouldn’t I believe it now.”

“How can you think that?!” sneered Kori. “We’d never support Raven in what she did, but the point is--”

She was cut off by Gar, “The point is… Friendship and Love do nothing but make you weak and hold you down!!

They look like the paths to glory and rich lives, but they are really nothing but a bunch of lies for people to use so they take advantage of you.”

“STOP IT!!” shouted Rainbow. “You may hate friendship, and while I can understand why, that’s no excuse for you to treat us this way!

You’ve done nothing but bust our chops about our skills and our ways of life ever since we first met back at the arcade. People try to be nice to you, and you bat them off like flies, and you put down everyone you defeat like some entitled bully who thinks that just because he hasn’t lost, he owns the world!

Well, here’s a reality check: You don’t rule anything, and you certainly aren’t an inspiration to look up to!!”

Still unmoved, Gar only chuckled, “You sure get worked up. I guess Friendship really is your ultimate weakness.”

The Titans growled, the Equestrians were outraged, and Gar were all showing their angers.

Only Terra finally shouted out “STOP IT!!!!!” He shouting reverbed so strongly, the entire dungeon shook, and all the chains rattled. Even the soups and the water drinks vibrated.

All eyes fell upon Terra who was panting heavily. “I can’t take it anymore-- all this fighting, all this anger, and hating each other.

It’s bad enough Raven already tried to destroy Gar… but look at the rest of you; you’re all still determined to one-up each other when we all should be working together and get out of this predicament!”

Everyone fell silent, and while they debated over whether or not to believe that Gar finally picked the lock and his cell door swung open. He pocketed a couple of bread rolls before stepping out.

“He’s free!” cried Cadance.

Rather than just take off instantly and leaving everyone behind. He stood where he was looking at everyone, and the finally he stepped before Terra’s cell and began to pick the lock. Much to her and everyone’s astoundment.

“Gar?” she said to him, but he just continued to pick the lock and didn’t say a thing. He didn’t stop until she was freed, and then he proceeded to Rainbow’s cell.

This prompted Vic to stop eating and get back to his burning through his cell bars until he was able to slip through, and then he proceeded to Dick’s cell.

Soon everyone was free thanks to both men, but hardly anyone knew what to say towards Gar.

“Don’t get the wrong idea!” he cautioned them as he put his belt back on. “I helped get you out, just like a did a few other things for you… We’re still not friends.

You’re all on your own now.”

Then he began to walk down the dark tunnel of the dungeon until he vanished into the darkness.

Terra’s heart sagged heavily again. She shut her eyes tightly supressing her growing sorrows.

Vic checked his power-cell, and he was deeply concerned. “I’m nearing fifty percent. I guess I used up more juice than I thought.”

Cadance felt worried for him and asked, “Are you going to be alright?”

“I should be, as long as I don’t push myself more.”

Everyone stood ready to venture forth.

“It’s time!” said Rainbow.

Dick agreed, “Time to confront the Prince Brothers and end this madness!”

With that, everyone headed down the dungeon hallway, arriving at a small stone stairway leading to an open door at the stop.

“Gar?” Terra called up to the door.

“HEY GAR!!” Pinkie called up, but then Rainbow covered her mouth. “Keep it down! You want to alert security?!”

“I don’t think there is any security.” said Cadance, and she had a point. There were no guards posted in or around the dungeon.

Just looking up ahead, there were at four separate corridors to take.

The castle sure seemed dark, even with the torches lining up high on the stone walls. There were large smooth columns of dark marble sticking halfway through them, and long carpets too.

Other than that, the fortress seemed all but devoid of signs of life. No guards, no servants, not even a rat or a spider. The place was so quiet, that the echoes of the winds howled along the paths.

“Ooooo…kaaaaaay.” said Vic. “Some castle.”

The Prince Brothers were well-aware of the prisoners escape as Rubeus snickered, “They’re doing just as we hoped.”

Loki chuckled, “We’ve already set everything up. It won’t matter where any of them run off to, and if they think they are safe from being turned into cards within the palace walls, they are sorely mistaken.”

Celestia tapped her finger nervously trying to keep her temper cool. “I’ve never been so bored!” she grumbled. “I’d like to head on down there and duel those fools myself.”

She looked down at her duel disk, remembering the spell cast on it. Then she remembered, “The spell only prevents me from leaving the castle.” with this in mind her eyes narrowed into an evil gaze.

Loki soon looked back to talk to his beloved, only to find she was gone. “Celestia! Blast! She’s galivanted off again! I’m going to have to be far more strict if I am to show her who master around here.”

Rubeus shook his head in dismay, but really Celestia’s wandering off was of no concern to him.

“Nothing must upset my plans. I’ve come too far now to let it all slip away.”

Rainbow looked between the four corridors. “Any idea on which way we should go?”

Nobody had a clue. Terra was more concerned on figuring which way Gar went.

“Let’s just pick a way and get moving.” suggested Vic. “We can’t just stand around here.”

Everyone agreed and headed down one of the corridors.

“Good thing we had something eat.” Sci-Twi joked.

The hallway seemed to stretch on for quite a way, until finally the group emerged in yet another intersection with more paths to take.

“Oh, great.” groaned Rainbow. “If we’re lucky we’ll find even more ways around this place.”

Suddenly, The Dark Trio... came marching in, one from each of the three other pathways.

“Well, well… looks like we have some house guests.” teased Sapphire.

The team’s features hardened.

“We’ve been waiting to see you three again.” sneered Dick.

“Well, that makes some of us.” hissed Violet.

Rainbow got straight to the point. “Where are the Prince Brothers? We’ve got a little score to settle with them.”

The trio didn’t answer, but just snickered.

“You better answer us!” demanded Pinkie.

“You want them…?” teased Khaos. “…Then catch us!” and he and the others ran off down different hallways.

“Let’s get them!” shouted Rainbow.

“Wait!” called Kori “It could be a trap!” but many of the group had already taken off down the different hallways…

Terra and Pinkie chased Violet…

Vic and chased after Sapphire on his own…

Rainbow and Dick went after Khaos…

…Leaving Kori with Sci-Twi and Cadance.

Sci-Twi palmed her forehead in frustration, but then she thought, “We may as well split-up and go after them. There’s no sense in staying here.”

The others agreed, but just as they were about to make a break for it, there was a loud crash, and the castle shook.

“What was that?” asked Cadance.

“Sounds like it came from outside the castle.” replied Kori.

Sunset had reached the mountain and had already made her way to the top where the enormous castle now lay before her.

“There’s got to be a way in!” she growled “Then again, I can just make one.”

She began to using her Malefic Magic to blast at the stone walls hoping to break them down, but she hardly made so much as a dent; the stone was very strong, and reinforced with strong Malefic alloy.

“Ha!” Sunset scoffed “I love a challenge. They can’t seriously think they can keep me out forever.

So, she continued to fire at the walls, which caused more tremors.

The other groups felt the quaking as well, which caused them to lose track of their target’s, and the trio managed to slip off into the darkness again.

“Ah, man!” groaned Vic. “He’s got to be around here somewhere!”

The others all felt the same. They had no intention to let the trio get away this time, not while they were so close to bringing the curtains down on the enemy for good.

Suddenly, Pinkie and Terra came to a large doorway at the end of the hallway.

“You think she went through there?” asked Terra.

“Only one way to find out.” said Pinkie, and with a mighty wail, she charged at the door, kicking it wide open… and she fell down a dirt slope, and crashed into… a tree.

“Pinkie!” hollered Terra. Then she looked up, and realized the entire room was a massive forest, with trees, shrubs, a quiet river, and a couple of small waterwalls… but still in eerie darkness.

There weren’t even any animal sounds, not even any crickets.

Pinkie got up and brushed herself clean, and was just as astounded by the surroundings.

“Wow! Who’d have thought the Malefic World had forests like this?”

Terra wasn’t so sure it was Malefic or not from all the previous experiences, but she came down the hill to join Pinkie… the door they came through was suddenly all blocked off by a wall of thick, thorn-covered vines.

“We’re trapped!” cried Terra.

“Oh, yes you are!” Violet’s voice called out, but she was nowhere to be seen. “That’s what usually happens when you just rush into action before stopping to think.”

The girl’s angers began to rise, and Pinkie began looking up, down, and every way around. “Where are you?” she asked.

Violet’s voice only snickered, followed by a rustling in the nearby shrubs.

“Aha!” gloated Pinkie, and she readied to dive into the brambles.

“Pinkie, wait!” called Terra, and at that very moment, out from the bushes. emerged large wasp-like insects buzzed angrily.

“EEEEEEK!!” squealed Pinkie.

Terra was creped out too. “Run!!”

The ladies ran through the forest with the nasty bugs on their tails.

Then there was more trouble ahead…! A giant plant-monster with teeth, tentacle and a sickening screech frightened the duo, forcing them to dash off before they were grabbed!

Finally, they emerged in a large clearing in the center of the forest, where Violet was sitting atop a throne made from a hollowed tree and covered in thorns on the sides.

She sat there laughing at the two ladies. “…Did my pets scare you that much? I’m so glad I had this room installed. It really brings out the nature of my power and appearance.”

The bugs and plants swarmed around the ladies, but Violet called them off. “Now, now, my pets, they’re mine to deal with. Their majesties did leave strict orders.”

The creatures backed down and slunk back into the forest.

“What do you want with us?” asked Pinkie.

Violet snickered as she leapt down from her throne, and the throne magically vanished.

“Duh… I want to duel. So who’s up first.”

“I AM!” both ladies insisted at the same time.

Then they looked at each other and said at the same time. “NO, I WANT THIS ONE.”

Startled that they kept repeating each other, they paused and then said again, “I WANT THIS ONE.”

They growled at each other in frustration with this speech annoyance, but Violet only laughed at how silly they looked.

“This is so amusing.” she then glared at the two. “Why don’t we make this easy-- I’ll take the both of you on together.”

The ladies gawked at her.

“Why not? After all, the sooner I take you both out, the quicker I can do what their majesties told us to do: Separate all of you, and then duel you out to ensure you’ll never interfere with our plans.”

Terra and Pinkie stood wide-eyed, finally realizing the trap they and the others had fallen for.

“You set us up?!” Pinkie roared. “I hate being set up!”

“Oh, please…” scoffed Violet “You make it so easy. You all could’ve just not followed me and my comrades, but resistance is obviously not your forte.

Now let’s get on with this.”

She readied her duel disk. “You two will share life points, a field, and everything.”

Terra sighed, “Looks like we’re in this together, Pinkie.”

Pinkie agreed. “We’ll both look out for each other, and we should be able to crush her and get out of here.”

Violet laughed. “You obviously don’t remember that I’m stronger than I was before. I would have made cards of your other comrades if it weren’t for Z-Arc’s power!”

“Z-Arc?” said Pinkie, and she was instantly reminded of her failure in dueling Sunset.

Terra cautioned “Pinkie, don’t lose focus! We can’t let her taunt us like this.”

“Oh? Like you’re one to talk…” sneered Violet “You’re still thinking of your boyfriend.”

Terra’s head jerked up, and she did think of Gar just then.

“Oh, I’m sorry… I forgot…” Violet mocked “He’s not your boyfriend. You didn’t want him, and now he’s made it clear that he doesn’t want you. How sad…”

How Violet knew all this wasn’t nearly as outrageous as how her mocking made Terra feel--outraged, frustrated, and still a bit crushed and guilty.

“Don’t you talk about Gar that way!” she growled.

“Ooh… I struck a nerve.” laughed Violet.

Both Pinkie and Terra were flaring up with seething rage, and really wanted to take Violet down hard.

“Let’s toast her!” insisted Pinkie. Terra agreed, while Violet could only snicker with evil glee, and she thought silently, “These twits still don’t get it, but they will soon enough.”

Author's Note

*Sighs* I have to put this on hold again...

Teen Titan Idol calls, but it shouldn't be too-too long. I hope!

Episode 44: Part 2: Darker Times

EPISODE FORTY-FOUR

Violet laughed at Terra and Pinkie, “Look at you two. You’re unable to do hardly anything, and whatever you do come up with will avail you naught!

I only wish I could see how the rest of your crew was working out. They’re probably all suffering just as badly by now.”

Terra and Pinkie gasped, worrying for their friends just as much.

Their fears worsened when they heard a woman’s scream echoing throughout the castle!

“It’s Kori!” cried Terra.

Deep within another corridor, Dick skid to a standstill. “Kori!”

Rainbow heard it too. “Sounds like she’s in big trouble!”

Dick felt ready to kick himself for just running off from his wife like that. “I’ve got to go back for her!” but really, he and Rainbow had been chasing after Khaos so blindly they had no idea which way to run to go back at all.

Feeling there was no time to contemplate, Dick just took off down a corridor.

“Wait!” Rainbow called, and she took off after him.

Kori had dueled with all she could, but Celestia was just too much for her.

All of Kori’s best monsters were horribly destroyed, and all her life points were wiped out, leaving her trembling on the floor.

“Kori No…!” cried Sci-Twi.

“She lost!” wailed Cadance.

Celestia laughed with glee. “That was far too easy, but a win is a win.” She then glared at Kori and insisted, “Perhaps now you understand that I am not one of you! I live for darkness and for my Prince Loki only!” she paused and grumbled “…Even if he does overly-protect me like an overbearing parent!”

Kori let out a small grunt.

Suddenly, the hallways went dark as the Malefic Lightning began to creep forth… inside the castle!

“No!!” Kori cried.

“She’s going to get turn into a card!” added Sci-Twi.

“…I don’t think so!” Cadance yelled as she leapt in and shoved Kori out of the way and letting herself be struck!

Kori and Sci-Twi watched in horrors as Cadance screamed. “GET OUT OF HERE WHILE YOU CAN!! DON’T WORRY ABOUT MEEEEEEEEEE….!!”

“CADANCE…!!!” Sci-Twi shouted.

The light was so bright, everyone covered their eyes, and when it all faded, a single card lay on the floor with Cadance’s picture on it.

Tears formed in Sci-Twi’s eyes as she fell to her knees in devastation. “Cadance… No!!”

“She saved me.” Kori muttered softly.

Celestia snuffed as she picked the card up and looked at it. “Foolish twit!” she grumbled.

Suddenly, looking at Cadance brought on more memories. Cadance was like family to her, like a step-niece. She helped her study for college, gave her tips on how to become a good teacher, which paved the way for her to become the Dean of Crystal Prep Academy, and later, Principal.

“Ah! No! No…!!” she groaned. “Why are these images still haunting me!”

Kori saw her chance, and she quickly grabbed Sci-Twi’s arm, pulling her along as they ran down the hallway.

“Hey!” shouted Celestia. “Get back here! I’m not through dueling yet!”

Before she could take off for them, Sapphire jumped in from around another corner.

“Get out of my way!”

Sapphire scoffed, “No way! You’re coming with me! Prince Loki’s been worried sick about you, and you also have another soul card we can use.”

Celestia held up Cadance’s card and merely pitched it towards Sapphire who caught it.

“Last warning:” she threatened “Get out of my way, or I’ll force you out, and as your future queen that’s an order.”

Sapphire wouldn’t budge. He stood firmly with his Malefic aura glowing. “I defy you! I still don’t see you fit to even lead a band of scouts, let alone this entire realm.”

Furious, Celestia let her own aura shine forth, and rather than duel him, she unleashed a yellow, burning wave of energy.

Sapphire countered by firing a blue wave pushing against hers.

The two forces met mid-way and were seemingly equal, but Sapphire’s power slowly began to push against Celestia’s.

“Looks like you’re a little shaken up from that little fit you had.” he mocked “Some queen you are!”

Celestia poured on as much power as she could, but as the energy got closer, she realized she’d have to make a break for it while she had the chance.

She raised her other hand and shot the wall near Sapphire. The sudden outburst of dust and rocks made him cease, and he coughed and wheezed, despite not having a visible nose or mouth.

Then he looked up and saw Celestia had taken off. “Oh, brilliant!” he groaned, and he ran off to search for her.

Loki had witnessed everything in the magic view. “I can’t stand this much longer. I should really go down after Celestia myself.”

Rubeus placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder. “You are needed here. The hour of our triumph is at hand. Once we finish, we will deal with her.”

Loki didn’t know how much more of all this standing around he could take, and Rubeus… he secretly knew his brother couldn’t and wouldn’t take much more of it either.

Back in the Forest Chamber…

Violet glared Terra and Pinkie down.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 12,500

Violet LP: 3850

“So, are you going to admit defeat?”

Boiling with rage and turning red like a beet, “NEVER!!” Pinkie shouted. Her voice echoed through the trees, and by this point she was shrouded in Malefic Aura.

“Pinkie, stop!” cried Terra. “You’ve got to calm down! You can’t duel like this!”

“Just watch me!” Pinkie sneered, “I draw!”

“Just a moment…” called Violet. “Remember my Ivy Bind Castle? Now it’s going to deal you both damage for every monster you have out.

I see three monsters, and 800 points a piece means 2400 points of damage!!”

She laughed wickedly as the vines from her castle unleashed huge vines that struck the ground and sent powerful shockwaves at Terra and Pinkie, really hurting them as their points decreased.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 12,500 -----> 10,100

“You’ll pay for that!” growled Pinkie. The darkness was glowing brighter than ever.

“My Pendulum cards may have lost their effects, but I can still Pendulum Summon…!”

There was only one creature she could summon properly with the Rivalry of the Warlords still in play.

“…Welcome back, PERFORMAPAL IGNITION EAGLE!”

(Def: 1000)

“And now I’ll tribute both it, and my Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix, and set this monster in defense mode. That ends my turn.”

Her hand was empty Now it was back to Terra.

“Okay, this is it…” she thought as she readied her draw “Whatever I get just may decide how this duel goes.

She drew her card, making it the only one in her hand.

“Oh, Ivy Bind Castle…” Violet teased “Why don’t you deal these two more damage to their life points.”

With that, the girls were struck hard again and lost another 2400 points.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 10,100 -----> 7700

The girls still had plenty of points and strength to keep dueling.

“We can’t let her keep hitting us like this!” said Pinkie.

Terra agreed, and then she looked down at the card she had drawn. “Dust Tornado?!” she thought “Oh, if only I could play this, but Ivy Bind Castle negates all our cards and their effects.”

Still, she felt she could only try and play it safe and try to protect the rest of the life points. “I’ll switch Lapis Lazuli and Prismaura into defense-mode.”

(Def: 1000)

(Def: 1400)

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that’s all.” Though she couldn’t play her trap, something inside told her it was best to set it anyway.

Her insides were really going crazy now. It was beginning to look totally hopeless for her and Pinkie.

“If we don’t win this duel, we’ll both be turned into cards, and I’ll never be able to find Gar and the others.”

“How sad.” hissed Violet. “You two have been reduced to lowly, helpless worms, just waiting for the prowl.”

The opponents were not impressed.

Violet drew her card giving her three in hand.

“Play POT OF GREED, so I may draw two cards.”

She really liked what she had drawn!

“Now I activate the special ability of PREDAPLANT CORDYCEPS, which I sent to the graveyard last turn.

By banishing it, I can now summon two “Predaplant” monsters from my graveyard, so please welcome back if you will… PREDAPLANT FLYTRAP and PREDAPLANT SPINODIONAEA!”

(Atk: 400)

(Atk: 1800)

“She’s got four monsters in play!” cried Terra.

“Oh, much worse than that.” said Violet. “By summoning Spinodionaea, it places a Predator Counter on one of your monsters and drops its level to 1.”

Terra watched as her Lady Lapis Lazuli was poisoned before her eyes.

“And that’s just for starters… In order to keep my castle in play, I must tribute a “Predaplant.” Begone, Orphys Scorpio, your sacrifice will not be in vain.

I think I’ll have some more fun now by using Flytrap’s ability to place a Predator Counter over Prismaura!”

Just as promised, the monster was poisoned, much to Terra’s horrors.

“Wait, there’s more! Observe as I activate the trap D. TRIBE! Now all the monsters I control will become Dragon-Types until the end of my turn.”

All three of her Predaplants were shrouded in fire, changing their plant-like bodies into scaley dragon-like forms.

“Dragon-Types?” said Pinkie “Wait a minute…! You mean you’re going to…?!”

Violet nodded, “If I’m to do what I need, I had to change their types, and now that I have… from my hand I activate POLYMERIZATION.”

Pinkie and Terra both cringed hard!

“I fuse Moray and Spinodionaea!”

The two creatures merged, and Violet chanted to her monster emerging…

“As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!!”

This dragon stretched its dripping claws, and gnashed its sharp pincers, letting out a huge roar!

(Atk: 2800)

“She finally summoned her big monster!” cried Terra.

“This can’t be happening!” wailed Pinkie.

“Oh, but it is.” hissed Violet “Especially since I’m going to activate Starving Venom’s special ability, now his attack power increased by the amount of one special summoned monster you have… like Prismaura.”

The dragon’s orbs glowed brightly and cast evil light upon Terra’s monster.

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 5250)

“Look at all those attack points!!” exclaimed Terra.

Pinkie could feel all her anger fading into sheer fear and worry, but then she snapped herself back to her sense. “It’s okay! All our monsters are in defense-mode, she can’t really get at all of them.”

Violet snickered, “Wrong again!” I discard PREDAPLANT SQIUD DROSERA from my hand to use its special ability.

Now my Flytrap is granted the power to attack every monster on the field with a Predator Counter on it.”

“Ah!” cried Terra. “But that means all my monsters will be wiped out automatically like before!”

“No! You can’t!!” yelled Pinkie.

Violet clenched her fist, “Just watch me… or rather watch him.

Go, Flytrap destroy those monsters!”

Her little monster leapt over to Terra’s huge monsters and destroyed them with ease leaving Terra wide open to the dragon!

She was shaking in extreme fear.

“Now that you’re wide open,” hissed Violet “Go Starving Venom! Attack her directly and weaken them both!”

“Look out!” Pinkie shouted.

Terra got struck hard and knocked off her feet in the blast.

“Terra!” cried Pinkie and then she wailed as she was shocked and burned from point loss.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 7700 -----> 2450

Terra lay flat on her back, panting heavily. Her vision was growing fuzzy in her weariness. She just barely managed to get back up onto her feet.

“Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, she was sounding less angry and more like her true self again.

Terra nodded, “Yeah, but one more hit like that, and we’re finished!”

Violet was very pleased with her actions. “I only wish I could do that to you again, but for now I’ll place a card facedown, and that ends my turn.

Now that my turn is complete, the effect of D. Tribe has worn off, so my Flytrap reverts to it’s normal Plant-Type status, and since I can only have one monster type in play, I’m afraid I’ll have to send him off.

You served me well.”

Her plant vanished.

“Did you see that?” asked Pinkie.

Terra nodded, “She doesn’t have anymore Predaplants in play. That means she won’t be able to feed her Ivy Bind Castle on her next turn.”

Violet sneakily thought, “That may be true, but until that happens, my castle will stay, and it still puts you both in an unbreakable predicament.”

Pinkie was thinking the same thing. “There’s only one way out of this.” she looked at her facedown monster.

Still, she had no other cards in her hand, and none cards in play that could work for her.

“Stay focussed now.” she thought “Not going to lose here! Can’t lose here!”

She looked down at her deck thinking angrily at it. “Don’t you dare let me down, you hear me?!”

She then reached down and pulled out a card.

Her eyes widened at it, and then she glared at Violet. “Time to put an end to you and your plants!”

“Ha!” scoffed Violet “The only thing coming to an end is your ridiculous delusion, or have you forgotten that my castle still deals you both 800 points of damage?!”

The castle attacked, and both Terra and Pinkie wailed as the pain struck them hard, and they were left with a lower score.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 2450 -----> 1650

The girls managed to keep on their feet, and Pinkie’s fury reached an all time high.

“You are going down!!!”

“Whoa! She’s really fired up now!” thought Terra.

Pinkie grabbed the monster card on her duel disk, “I reveal my monster, PERFORMAPAL SKY MAGICIAN!”

The magical monster levitated himself in the air on a magical hoop, and he took a bow for everyone to see.

(Atk: 2500)

Terra and Violet were both confused, for while the magician was indeed a Performapal, “…That… That isn’t a Pendulum Monster.” Terra pointed out. “I thought you only had Pendulum Monsters in your deck.”

Pinkie gave her a hard and serious stare which made her tremble. “Desperate times call for desperate measures, and believe me, I’m going to get us out of this bind!”

Terra couldn’t believe how uncharacteristically she was acting…

…But suddenly… the magician was ensnared in vines and held tightly.

Violet laughed, “So much for your newest monster. Now he’s ensnared by my castle, and all his powers are worthless, just like you two are.”

Rather than fly off in a rage, Pinkie grinned wickedly, “…Not all of them.”

“Huh?”

“What’s she talking about?” wondered Terra.

The answer came when Pinkie held the lone card in her hand up high. “I now tribute Sky Magician to the graveyard in order to set a monster facedown in defense-mode.

Before anyone could question why Pinkie would get rid of such a powerful monster for a small defense, a bright light burst out from Pinkie’s graveyard, making Violet groan and cover her eyes.

“What’s happening?” asked Terra, but she soon got her answer as the spirit of Sky Magician appeared.

Pinkie explained, “When Sky Magician leaves the field, his special ability activates; now I get to destroy one card on the field.”

“…My Ivy Bind Castle!!” wailed Violet, and she watched as the magician’s spirit fired a glowing blast at the card, vanquishing it, causing the castle to collapse and its binding vines shriveled away.”

“Our cards, they’re all free now!” Terra said with joy, and then she remembered her own card. “I activate DUST TORNADO!”

“You what?!” shouted Violet.

The winds began to pick up as a large twister appeared.

“This trap destroys one spell or trap you have, so say goodbye to Rivalry of the Warlords!”

At that moment, the twister blew the trap away, much to Violet’s rage. Now that it was gone, Terra and Pinkie weren’t restricted to what monsters they could play.

Terra looked over at Pinkie to give her a thumb up, but Pinkie glared at her wickedly, and the dark aura around her began to flare again. “See? It pays to switch up a bit-- not relying simply on Pendulum Cards, dropping the dueltaining, and focusing on much fun it will be to crush you for all the trouble you’ve caused us and our friends!”

Terra felt that by this point, Pinkie was totally lost.

Violet noted this too as she thought, “The darkness has completely consumed her. She really isn’t acting like the good pest she used to be.

All the energy she’s giving will serve their majesties well.”

Pinkie thrust her arm out, “I activate PENDULUM REBORN! It lets me revive PERFORMAPAL TRUMP GIRL from my Extra Deck.”

(Atk: 200)

“If you want a Fusion Fight, you got it, because Trump Girl’s ability let’s me Fusion Summon without a Fusion Spell.”

Trump Girl waved her little wand and cast magic on herself and the facedown monster.

“I now fuse Trump Girl with my PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES SEER!”

“That’s another monster I’ve never seen her play.” thought Terra.

As the two monsters combined Pinkie called up to her emerging monster…

“Strong as steel, the dragon will soar,
With iron claws and a mighty roar!

I Fusion Summon PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES METAL CLAW!”

(Atk: 3000)

Her mighty dragon stomped its huge feet, stretched out it’s shining claws and let out a big roar as it glared down Starving Venom.

“And now!” Pinkie “with Scale 4 Trump Witch and Scale 8 Odd-Eyes Unicorn… I Pendulum Summon a whole fleet of monsters!!”

Three shots of light flew out from her Extra Deck, and her monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES LIGHT PHOENIX…” (Atk: 2000)

“PERFORMAPAL IGNITION EAGLE…” (Atk: 1000)

“PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES SEER…” (Atk: 100)

Now she had an entire army of monsters looking ready for battle.

“But wait, I’m not done yet!” hollered Pinkie “I still have Trump Witch’s Pendulum Ability. She lets me Fusion Summon without a Fusion Spell!”

Trump Witch cast her playful magic on the field as Pinkie commanded, “I now Fuse Odd-Eyes Seer and Ignition Eagle…”

She then chanted…

“Watch and wonder, this monster I cast,
Its mega power will give you a blast!

I Fusion Summon… PERFORMAPAL GATLINGHOUL!”

(Atk: 4000)

Her monster growled while holding his huge canon up high.

Pinkie laughed wickedly and horribly uncharacteristically. “It’s over for you, Violet! There’s no way you can stop me now!”

Violet seemed more annoyed than concerned, but Terra was concerned about the way Pinkie was acting.

“I activate Gatlinghoul’s special ability! Since he was successfully Fusion Summoned, you take 200 points of damage for every card that’s in play.”

“You Dare?!” shouted Violet.

Pinkie snuffed and motioned all around the field. “There are currently seven cards in play, which means you lose 1400 life points instantly!”

Gatlinghoul fired many mini shots from his cannon straight at Violet. She wailed and roared painfully from being struck hard.

Violet LP: 3850 -----> 2450

Pinkie then held out her arm furiously, “And now, I’ll use Gatlinghoul’s other ability. Since he was summoned with a Pendulum Monster, I can target one monster you control and destroy it, and you take damage equal to its total attack point!”

Violet looked up at her helpless dragon.

“Ohhh…!” Terra gazed in astonishment “If this works, then Violet will take 2800 points of damage. She’ll lose the duel!”

Just as Pinkie was about activate Gatlinghoul’s effect… Violet shouted, “We’ll see who loses! I activate DE-FUSION!”

“Ah!” cried Pinkie.

“Sorry, but I’m afraid your Ghatlinghoul goes bye-bye-- back to the Extra Deck!”

“Oh, no!” Pinkie cried as her best monster vanished. “I didn’t get to use his power!”

She looked at Violet who was gawking at her as if to give her a teasing expression, which really fired Pinkie up.

“THAT’S IT!! I’m taking you down one way or another. I may have lost Gatlinghoul, but I can still beat you with the rest of my monsters!”

“No, you won’t!” hissed Violet. “I activate the trap RIDICULING WORLD!”

Pinkie’s monsters were suddenly shrouded in a strange dark fog, and their attack points suddenly increased.

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 3100)

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 2100)

Violet explained. “Ridiculing World grants each of your monsters 100 extra attack points, but of course it does come with a catch…” she paused, and then finally said “…Any of those monsters with attack power greater than their original amounts aren’t allowed to attack this turn!”

Pinkie and Terra gasped.

Pinkie looked up at her monsters unable to believe any of this. She yelled and exclaimed in outrage in her mind, “After everything I’ve gone through to summon these strong creatures, now they can’t even attack?!!”

The darkness around her began to cease as she quivered with shock and absolute devastation before finally falling to her knees.

Terra felt horrified for Pinkie. “Poor girl.” she thought “We were so close to winning this! But… really… she brought this on herself for losing her focus and letting darkness consume her.”

Pinkie looked down at her quivering hands still unable to believe this was happening!

While all that happened…

Kori and Sci-Twi had stopped in the middle of a large hallway after escaping from Celestia.

“Are you okay?” Kori asked.

Sci-Twi shook her head, “…Cadance! She’s--” she could hardly bring herself to finish her sentence, but she was too out of breath to burst into tears.

Kori felt no different than she did-- the way Cadance jumped in and spared her from being turned into a card.

She clenched her fist angrily. “We’ll get her back, even if it means we have to…” she stopped.

Sci-Twi gawked at her. “Have to… what?”

Kori didn’t answer, and she didn’t have to. Sci-Twi could read her like a textbook. “…You’re not seriously considering we beat Celestia, are you?”

“What choice do we have? We’ve tried to snap her out of it, and it isn’t working, now Cadance is gone too because we underestimate Celestia’s skills and power, and it’s not the first time either.”

Much as Sci-Twi couldn’t argue with that, and yet she protested “But… we can’t just defeat her. Then we’ll lose her too. Our best chance to save her is finding the Prince Brothers and stopping them.”

Kori agreed, “But the next time we run into Celestia, I’m not showing her any mercy!” Sci-Twi gave her a disappointed glare. “I know how you feel about this…” said Kori “But like I said… what choice do we have, and it may just be best than leaving her to remain controlled by evil creeps.”

Before Sci-Twi could speak, a small flash of light shined down before her from a very tiny window high up.

The ladies looked up and could see the light was coming from another rift opening in the skies outside as another world was about to be pulled into the darkness of the Malefic World.

“Let’s go.” said Sci-Twi and she began to dash down the halls with Kori following her.

“I sure wish I knew where we were going.” Kori grumbled.

She was the only one…!

Dick and Rainbow had run up several hallways, but it only felt like they were going around in circles. Rainbow was starting to grow tired. “Dick...!” she panted “We’re not… getting anywhere… like… this!”

Dick didn’t care, he was desperate to find Kori, hoping she was alright.

Suddenly, he saw something far up ahead-- Sci-Twi and Kori passing by, down the end of the hall.

“There!” he cried, and then he ran forth called “…Kori!!”

Suddenly, a trapdoor opened in the floor, and he fell through it. Then Rainbow, unable to stop herself in time, fell in too.

She would have kept falling had Dick not grabbed her jacket collar stopping her.

As Dick fell into the hole, he had quickly pulled out his grappling line and launched it into the creases between the stones of the pit wall.

“Hang on, Rainbow!” he called to her.

Rainbow looked down but could see nothing but a large black drop into nothingness.

Suddenly, she and Dick began to jiggle-- the hook was slowly coming loose!

Finally, it popped out and the duo were sent screaming, plunging into the darkness, and then found themselves sliding along a long tunnel like a wacky slide!

They landed with huge thuds in a small, closed space with torches lining the walls, with a very long ascension upward.

Before either one of them could say anything, they were suddenly and swiftly thrown upward, in a magical pull, sending them up, and up and up, and they finally blacked out from all the rushing!

As for Sapphire he continued to rush down the halls for Celestia. “Just you wait for me to catch you!!” he shouted.

He turned round a bend and WHAMM!!! He crashed right into Vic who was just coming round the other side.

“Dang!” Vic groaned as he rubbed his head, but then he and Sapphire took one look at each other and exclaimed “…YOU!!”

Then they each bolted upright, glaring each other down like cowboys ready to draw.

“I was wondering when I’d catch up to you!” sneered Vic. “Now, I mean it-- you take me to your masters, now!”

“Ha!” scoffed Sapphire, and he gave his robe a huge flick; a small card fell out and onto the floor.

Vic gasped at the sight of it. “Cadance…?!” He nearly fell into complete and total shock. “What did you do to her?!”

Sapphire scoffed, “Don’t look at me, Celestia’s the one who did it.”

“Celestia? She’s here?”

Sapphire then raised his duel disk. “I’ll deal with her, right after I settle a few things with you.”

Vic checked his wrist com, his power-meter was now nearing the halfway point. If he were duel now, it would drop immensely and really put himself in danger.

“What’s the matter? Too scared?” Sapphire mocked. That was the final straw which made Vic get out his duel disk and ready himself.

“I’ll show you who’s scared! I’ve been itching to get back and you punks for a while now.”

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Little did they know that Celestia was spying at them from a little further up the hall, hiding behind a column.

“One chump versus another? This ought to be fun to watch.”

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

According to Yugioh wikis, Odd-Eyes Seer came out in Japan in 2016... it could be an error, but... I hope it isn't, cuz like I said...

No using cards that came OUTSIDE the day of the airing of the last ep of Arc V

Episode 45: Part 3: Treasonous Tricks

EPISODE FORTY-FIVE

Vic and Sapphire stood ready, and the scores were set.

Sapphire LP: 8000

Vic LP: 8000

“I’m not going to let you guys thrash me and my friends around anymore.” bellowed Vic. “I’m especially not going to let you brainwash Celestia no more!”

Sapphire scoffed, “You think I even like her? I don’t even know why Prince Loki has the hots for her, but it’s not important to me.”

Vic only grew angrier, but he knew he had to stay focused.

Celestia was disgusted, “Between these bozos, I really don’t know who’s worse.”

“I’m up first!” declared Sapphire “And I summon SPEEDROID HORSE STILTS!”

(Atk: 1100)

“And since he was successfully summoned, I get to summon my faithful Tuner Monster, SPEEDROID TRI-EYED DICE!”

(Def: 1500)

“A tuner monster already?” asked Vic.

“That’s right, and now I’ll tune my level 3 dice with level 4 Horse Stilts. I’d like to start big already!”

His two monsters rose high forming the tunning rings and the glowing orbs as Sapphire called out…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

The dragon spread its huge wings and roared!

(Atk: 2500)

Vic growled, the fact that Sapphire had gotten his best ace on the field already meant his work was cut out for him.

“…And I’m just getting started.” said Sapphire “Since I have a Wind monster in play, I can play SPEEDROID TAKETOMORG!”

(Def: 1200)

“But he won’t hang around for long because I’m tributing him so I can use his special ability, which lets me summon from my Deck… my other favorite tuner, SPEEDROID RED-EYED DICE.”

(Atk: 100)

“Not another!” cried Vic!

“You bet, and also, since I summoned Taketomorg, I also get to summon this from my hand; SPEEDROID RUBBERBAND PLANE!”

(Atk: 1800)

“I Tune level 1 Red-Eyed Dice with Level 5 Rubberband Plane!”

While he had no chant to say, the Synchro Process commended again.

“I Synchro Summon… HI-SPEEDROID KENDAMA!”

(Atk: 2200)

Vic was astounded but worried. “He played two of his best Synchros in one turn!”

Sapphire snickered, “I think that’s enough for now. I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn.”

His hand was completely empty, much to Vic’s relief, at least his turn was done.

“Took you long enough. Now I… Draw!”

He looked down at all six of his cards, but he had to strategize carefully.

“He’s got his dragon and that oversized spike-thing on the field, I remember how their effects work, and I also know his Tri-Eyed Dice-- he can banish it to negate an attack from me.

And if I activate any monster effect, if it’s level 5 or higher, his dragon will wipe it out.”

Sapphire looked at him in a rather taunting way, making him angrier, but then Vic looked down at his power-meter. “I’ve got to try and end this duel quick. The longer I duel, the more power I waste, and with no way to charge my cells, I’m in big trouble.”

“Here goes! I use Scale 1 DESKBOT DOUBLE-O EIGHT and Scale 10 DESKBOT DOUBLE-O SEVEN to set the Pendulum Scale! Set yourselves up, boys!”

His two little bots took their places up in the lights, and the Pendulum began to swing between them.

“Ah, yeah, now I’m going to summon--” was all he could get out before Sapphire cut him off, “Not so fast!”

Suddenly, Sapphire began to laugh. “If you’re thinking of summoning a big Squad of monsters to use against me, you better think twice, because I’m activating the continuous trap, DRAGON’S BIND!

Let him have it, Clear Wing!”

The dragon roared and cast a sonic wave over Vic’s field. Vic braced himself from the shockwaves, and when he looked up he could see all his monster zones were sparking with jolts of electricity, and even the pendulum was halted in midair.

“Yo’, what’s going on?”

Sapphire explained, “It’s easy… as long as both Clear Wing and this trap are in play together, neither of us can special summon any monster that has less than or the same attack points as Clear Wing Synchro Dragon.”

“Say what?!” exclaimed Vic, and then he thought. “No way! I didn’t see this coming. That means I can’t bring out all my best hitters so easily, because they all have weaker points than Clear Wing does.”

“So that’s why you played your dragon right away. You knew you could use that trap to hold me down.”

Sapphire laughed. “Yeah, that’s it all right. Too bad you couldn’t figure it out before. So, what’s it going to be now… Hmmmmmm?”

Furiously, Vic declared. “I may not be able to special summon my monsters, but I can still bring them out the old-fashioned way.

I summon DESKBOT DOUBLE-O FOUR!”

(Atk: 500)

Then he engaged his battle phase.

“Now, Sport… attack that Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

His bot complied and prepared to attack.

“Yeah, right!” mocked Sapphire “I know how that bot of yours works… but it doesn’t matter, because I banish Tri-Eyed Dice from the graveyard to negate your attack.”

Vic’s bot powered down and wouldn't move. Vic couldn't even use his bot's abiility due to there being no damage step.

Vic was outraged, but he was hoping that would happen. “At least I got rid of his Tri-Eyed Dice.” he thought. “But that doesn’t make taking that bad boy down any easier.”

“I’ll throw down a facedown, and that’s it.”

The turn hadn’t gone the way he had hoped it would, but he wasn’t about to let it get to him. “I’m not going to lose this. I’m going to teach this creep a lesson once and for all about messing with me and my friends…

…Somehow.”

Meanwhile, Pinkie was down on her knees, still in shame and shock of her failure to win the duel.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 2450

Violet LP: 2450

“Pinkie! Pinkie, get up!” Terra called to her.

Violet laughed, “Looks to me like she can’t. Frankly, I can’t blame her, for I’d be the same way if I were about the lose the duel and my soul!”

Terra was starting to lose her patience.

“And as soon as I’m through with the two of you, I’ll be going after your friends; especially Gar.”

Terra’s eyes widened at the mention of his name.

“…He and I have a score to settle, and I aim to do just so!”

Finally, Terra snapped. “You leave Gar out of this! I won’t let you hurt him.”

Violet was astounded that after all this time, after all Gar had put her and all her friends through, she was still willing to defend him.

“My goodness. Somebody has an over-developed sense of passion. That, or you are just plain obsessed.

When are you going to wake up and realize that he wants nothing to do with you, the same way you chucked him out of your life.”

Terra’s stomach gave a guilty turn.

“That’s right, I know about you and your history with him.”

Terra was really finding it hard to control herself, but she didn’t want to end up like Pinkie did--cursed by the darkness.

“I will never give up on him!” she said sound a little tearful. “I know Gar is mad at me, and he has every right to be, but he once taught me never to give up, and that’s why I won’t!”

Violet snuffed, “You already gave up more than enough times in your life. You gave up on heroism, you gave up your potential romance, and you forced him to give up his own happiness.

You’re just a lying, foolish, hypocrite, who really ought to give up now while she has the chance.”

Terra had finally taken enough of her insults, and the guilt rushing through her.

She also looked up at Staving Venom, determined to take it down no matter what the odds.

“I have no cards in play, and none in my hand, but I won’t give up! I’ll let Gar’s past words guide me.”

She closed her eyes thinking of the good times she and Gar had together, how he helped her, and especially the very special card he gave her.

She drew her card, took one look at it, and then glared a Violet making her flinch in concern.

“I play the spell… CHANGE OF HEART!”

“What?!”

“Huh?” Pinkie looked up.

Terra thrust her arm forth, “This lets me take control of any opposing monster in play, and who better for me to take than Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

“No, not my dragon!” cried Violet.

Starving Venom magically teleported over to Terra, leaving Violet wide open with no other cards in play.

“Wow! I don’t believe it!” cried Pinkie.

Terra nodded proudly at her. “Dueling the way I know how, and not losing sight of myself really can pay off, and now…” she turned to face Violet “…I’m about to take you out using your own monster! There’s no escape for you this time!”

Violet looked as if she was going to break out in a panic!

“Now, Starving Venom Fusion dragon, wipe out of the rest of her life points!”

The dragon obeyed and unleashed his burning venom.

“It’s over!” shouted Terra.

“Not yet it’s not!” protested Violet, and she held up the lone card still in her hand “When you attack me directly, I get to summon PREDAPLANT SARRICENIANT!”

(Def: 600)

“No!!” cried Terra.

“I don’t believe it!” wailed Pinkie “Now she can block the attack!”

The girls were both in shock and hurt. They really thought they had it won! Terra did get a replay, but attacking the plant in defense-mode wouldn’t help.

Violet snickered, “Attack if you dare, but if you do that, you’ll activate its special ability which will destroy any monster that it battles.”

Terra took note of this, and she really pondered. “Why would she tell me that?” then she looked up at the dragon, remembering its effect. “If I destroy her plant, Starving Venom will also be destroyed, and when that happens every special summoned monster will be destroyed too.”

Her choice was obvious.

“Terra, don’t!” Pinkie hollered. “That’s exactly what she wants you to do. It’s a trap!”

Terra realized this could be too, but she had no other choice. “Sorry, Pinkie, but when my turn ends, she’ll gain Starving Venom back, and then she’ll wipe me out. I can’t let her do that.”

Pinkie suddenly realized this.

“We’re just going to have to take the chance.” Said Terra, and she ordered Starving Venom to attack!

The dragon obeyed, much to Violet’s delight, and the plant monster and the dragon were both destroyed as promised.

Violet hollered, “You just activating Starving Venom’s ability, which destroys all the other monsters in play!”

In two big blasts, Pinkie’s monsters were gone, and the waves sped past her.

“I’m sorry, Pinkie…!” Terra called “It was for the best.”

“That’s what you think!” chuckled Violet “When Predaplant Sarriceniant is destroyed, its special ability activates, and it lets me add a card with “Predap” in it’s name to my hand.”

Terra and Pinkie both cringed as Violet chose her card. “This will do my just fine; PREDAPLANT CHLAMYDOSUNDEW.”

The girls felt they were in huge trouble, and Terra felt ready to kick herself for falling for the trick, only now to realize. “It didn’t matter what we did!”

“That’s right.” teased Violet “Whether you attacked with my dragon or not, either way I was more than prepared for anything you’d dare to throw at me.”

The girls felt super struck, and the foul feeling of doom was upon them again.

Now that Terra’s turn was over, Violet drew another card.

“Ah, perfect!” she hissed. “But first I shall summon my Sundew from my hand.”

(Atk: 600)

“And then I activate his special ability, which lets me fuse himself along with this Predaplant in my hand!”

Pinkie and Terra gasped as the Fusion began to happen!

“Blossoming large with vines to snare,
I grow a plant for you to beware!

I Fusion Summon… PREDAPLANT CHIMERAFFLESIA!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her large plant spread out its tentacles and gave a huge screech, which frightened the opponents.

“This can’t be happening!” cried Pinkie.

“We’ve lost!” Terra said softly and felt tears of defeat coming to her eyes. Even her own style of proper dueling and her believing in herself just wasn’t enough.

“Farewell…” hissed Violet “Attack… destroy them!”

Pinkie and Terra could see nothing other than the monster’s evil vines straight right before them in a hellish scene… striking them both hard, they dramatically, in a slow-motion fashion, fell to the floor.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 2450 -----> 0

The girls lay flat on their backs while Violet flicked her robe victoriously.

Meanwhile, Dick and Rainbow were beginning to awaken, to find themselves in manacles, by their wrists and ankles, to a solid wall in a dark room with a misty floor, and who was standing before them but Khaos, snickering at them.

“Looks like you’re both coming around.”

After shaking off the last of their blackout, the two duelists struggled, but they couldn’t break the manacles.

“Let us down!” Rainbow demanded.

“I’m afraid I can’t do that.” hissed Khaos. “I have my orders from their majesties. We can’t have you pests roaming about the castle and causing more trouble now, can we.”

Dick was furious and desperately tried to break loose. “I’ve got to get to Kori!”

“You want to see her that badly?” teased Khaos “I’ll be more than happy to round her and all your friends up to join you here…” he paused long and narrowed his eyes, “…That is… if they haven’t already made additions to someone else’s deck by now.”

Rainbow and Dick’s eyes blazed with rage, and they both began to struggle and fuss to break free. “Just you wait!” shouted Rainbow “When I get my hands on you… I’ll…!”

Her outrage only amused Khaos. “That’s right, continue to give into he negativity, it only provides us with more power.”

That’s when Dick realized “…The rifts in the sky!”

Outside the rifts continued to grow, and more tiny holes were appearing all over as Khaos explained…

“This castle is a giant energy-absorber. It feeds on all sorts of negative energy from dark emotions. The more you and your friends concentrate on your own darkness, not only does the darkness infect you here, but it is absorbed by their majesties to further along their plan.”

The duo cringed, but it was hopeless in trying to supress their feelings. How could they?

“There’s no use in repressing.” Khaos informed them “The smallest amount of darkness you feel is more than enough, and small amounts can add up. Especially, the more humans and creatures from the other worlds having their emotions absorbed as well.”

Rainbow and Dick were more upset than ever by this, which, as Khaos warned, only made things better for his own better.

Feeling his job complete, Khaos decided to leave. “I’ll be back with the rest of your friends… or rather what’s left of them. If I even get there on time.”

Then he was gone.

Dick struggled and pulled more, but still couldn’t break free. “I’m going get them; every single one of them for this!!”

Rainbow felt the same as he did, but she couldn’t free herself either. She was really worried about her friends, and hoped they were okay.

Dick worried about his friends too, but now he was more concerned about all the other worlds that were about to be cursed!

One of those worlds happened to be and included Equestria…!

Ever since Sunset Shimmer had contacted her about the incident about Princess Twilight, Princess Celestia had been worrying sickly, especially when she deduced that the Malefic World was responsible.

Now things were growing worse as dark rifts appeared in the skies above the land, frightening the ponies and other creatures all over.

“Sister, are you seeing this?” Princess Luna asked.

Celestia nodded, “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

She also had no idea how to stop it either; seeing as the Malefic World was now stronger than it ever was before.

Vic and Sapphire continued to glare each other down. Their scores were still full, but Vic still had plenty to worry about, especially his draining battery.

Sapphire mocked him, “…You said you wanted to get back at me, but it doesn’t look like you’ll actually be doing it.

My draw! I play POT OF GREED, so I can draw two more cards.”

He loved the card he had drawn. “Now I equip Kendama with the spell BREAK DRAW!”

All at once, Kendama was bathed in a bright glow of light.

“Now, each time Kendama destroys a monster in battle, I get to draw one card, but in three turns this card will be destroyed.”

Vic showed hardly any concern.

“Nothing, eh?” asked Sapphire “Well, how about I activate Horse Stilt’s ability…

By banishing it from the graveyard, I get to send one Wind monster from my deck to the grave, and who better than… Tri-Eyed Dice!”

“Not another one!” Vic wailed in thought. “That means he’ll be able to block one of my attacks again!”

Sapphire snickered, “And while we’re at it, I got this to play too… BLOCK ATTACK! Now it turns your bot from attack to defense-mode.

(Def: 500)

“Ah, man!” cried Vic, “And your Kendama can deal me piercing damage!”

“You know it, but then again, he doesn’t need to attack. He has his own special ability; one that let’s me banish Rubberband Plane, and then you get hit with 500 points of damage.

Let him have it, Kendama!”

Kendama glowed brightly and fired a small beam from the tip of its blade, striking Vic’s shoulder.

“A’rgh!” he groaned, and then he wailed as he was jolted by the energy shocks.

Vic LP: 8000 -----> 7500

Sapphire chuckled, “I’m going to enjoy this. Kendama, attack; destroy his bot and blow out his life points!”

(Atk: 2200) VS (Def: 500)

Vic braced himself as his beloved bot was smashed to pieces, and he growled as the shocks hit him hard.

Vic LP: 7500 -----> 5800

Sapphire snuffed. “Now, thanks to Break Draw’s effect, I draw one card…

And now that you’re wide-open…! Go, Clear Wing, direct attack!”

His dragon roared and soared up high ready to strike.

“Ah, man!!” Vic exclaimed as the dragon came soaring in and rammed him hard, sending him crashing into the wall.

Celestia winced for him. “That had to hurt.”

Vic lay on the floor, shocked violently as he lost more life points.

Vic LP: 5800 -----> 3300

Vic angrily pounded his fist on the ground, and as he lifted his head up, he could see his wrist-com; his power-meter had gone down a bit after taking such a hit.

“Ah, man!” he thought. “If this keeps up, I don’t have to worry about losing the duel. I may not have enough juice left in me to finish it!”

Sapphire was laughing ruthlessly, “You might as well give up while you can, because the way I see it…

-Surrender now, and you’ll be turned into a card, just like your friends all were.
-Keep dueling, and I’ll just smash you to pieces, and you’ll still be turned into a card.

…Either way, you’re history!”

Terra and Pinkie barely found any strength to sit up, much less scoot away from Violet as she slowly and threateningly stomped towards them.

“How does it feel to fail?” she laughed at them.

The girls didn’t answer her.

“What? No last words?” Violet taunted. That’s when the lightning was starting to come in, ready to zap the girls and turn them into cards.

“Too late, but I’m sure you’ll make great cards in my deck.”

“This can’t be happening!” Pinkie murmured.

Terra could only look up at the looming energy ready to take her and think of all her friends that she let down, and especially for Gar.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash that shook the entire room. Violet nearly fell off her feet.

“What the…?!” she bellowed as she looked behind her, and that’s when the wall burst wide open in a massive blast so bright and powerful Violet braced herself as the winds blew against her.

Pinkie and Terra covered their faces with their arms, and when they all looked again, the lightning had struck, but it was heading towards the giant dust cloud rather than strike the girls.

As the dust settled, the sounds of wicked snicker were heard, and there stood Sunset in the hole she had made, holding up her special card to divert the lightning.

She looked up wickedly and teased, “Honey, I’m home!”

Terra and Pinkie’s jaws dropped, and Violet was boiling with rage.

“You!!” she bellowed. “How dare you-- I just won! I was about to turn them into cards!!”

Sunset snickered as she stepped inside. “What a shame… for you, but you didn’t really think these walls could keep me out forever, did you?”

Just one look at her made Pinkie’s nerves go through the roof; now seeing just how powerful and evil her friend had become.

Terra couldn’t believe Sunset had this much power now, but neither she nor Pinkie had a lot of strength left in them for another duel and wouldn’t have wanted to duel her anyway knowing how deadly of a duelist she was.

“We’ve got to get out of here!” she whispered to Pinkie. “Can you run?”

Pinkie nodded very softly, and both she and Terra felt their best and only chance was to head through the opening Sunset had made, especially while the two villains were distracted with each other.

“Perhaps its best you’ve come here anyway.” hissed Violet “I’ve been meaning to get even with you the first time you ruined our plans.”

Sunset snickered, “Oh, please… you wouldn’t last two minutes against me, and in any case, I have better plans-- that of my own vengeance on your masters for ruining everything for me all those centuries ago!

You have a choice: Either take me to them, or I’ll just bust right through every wall in this miserable castle.”

The two ladies angrily glared each other, when suddenly Violet saw the girls running for the hole. “Hey!” she called.

“Hurry!” Terra shouted.

The girls pushed the last of their exhausted energy to running as fast they could.

“Stop!” shouted Violet, and she charged up her Malefic energy to block them off, but Sunset blasted at her, forcing her to dodge, and causing the forest to get hit and burst into flames.

“My trees!!” Violet wailed. “I just had them the way I liked them too!”

Angrily she turned and fired a huge stream of power at Sunset, and she fired her own.

The two forces hardly seemed equal as Violet’s energy was slowly being pushed back at her.

“Still weary from your duel I see.” hissed Sunset. She poured on more power, and blasted Violet hard across the room and she slammed hard into a wall.

“Ha!” scoffed Sunset. “I’ll just have to find the princes myself, even if it means blasting this castle down brick-by-brick! At least I can smash a few duelists on the way.”

Terra and Pinkie felt so relieved to be outside where they could catch their breath and gather their strengths back.

“I can’t believe we got out of that.” panted Terra.

Pinkie was still looking more grim than tired. “It was all my fault. We lost the duel because I wasn’t good enough, no matter how I did it, and let myself get poisoned by the darkness.”

“Pinkie, you’ve got to snap out of it!” said Terra. “We’re lucky to be alive right now, but we can’t go around feeling sorry for ourselves. Sunset will go after everyone in the castle. Who knows what she’ll do to them with Z-Arc’s power.”

Pinkie realized this to. “Well, just how are we supposed to stop her?!” she yelled.

Obviously, the darkness and negativity were still going through her.

“I couldn’t beat her… two of you couldn’t beat her… I don’t know who or what can beat her.”

Terra was about to protest when the skies overhead went crazy as two more rifts appeared overhead.

“Oh, no!”

Pinkie didn’t like the looks of things either.

“All those people… They’re going to get pulled in!”

All this made Terra more than convinced that they would have to go back inside. “We’ve got to find the Prince Brothers and stop them before it’s too late.”

To Be Continued…

Episode 46: Part 4: Synchro Struggle

EPISODE FORTY-SIX

The Forest Room was burning down fast, but the fire wouldn’t spread too far since the castle mostly stone.

Sunset approached Violet, who was backing away from her in actual fear as she thought “I knew Z-Arc was supposed to be powerful, but I never guessed this much!”

Sunset snickered as she came forth. “This is your final warning: Take me to you leaders!”

“Never!” shouted Violet.

Sunset’s eyes blazed. “Very well…!” and she looked ready to zap Violet into oblivion, but she stopped. “…I’ve got a better idea. One that I’m certain will please everyone.”

“What are you talking about?”

Sunset snickered. “I’m going to hold the biggest and most grand duel I’ve ever had, where everyone will have a chance to challenge me at different times.

So, gather everyone up, and you’ll all meet me outside at the castle gate in one hour!”

“And if I don’t?” Violet dared to ask.

Sunset laughed. “Oh, you don’t want to know “Or Else.”

One hour!” she then turned and dashed back towards the opening in the wall again, laughing wickedly.

Violet was most outraged. “She wants to duel… I want to take her down!” It was easy to see what she was thinking.

“Don’t do it!” someone snapped at her.

She nearly jumped in fright and saw Khaos standing with his arms folded.

“How long have you been standing there?” Violet bellowed “Did you even bother to help me?!”

“I only just got here in time to see her leave, but I heard what she said. It matters not. Our orders are not to deal with her.”

“But you heard what she said? We’ve got to stop her!”

Khaos wouldn’t hear of it, knowing how powerful Z-Arc’s power was. “We better find Sapphire and then consult their majesties then.”

Violet reluctantly agreed, and followed along, leaving the rest of the forest to burn away, and the fire just burned itself out.

Sunset stood out in the wide-open of the mountain top. From up here she could see the entire view of the crumpling remains of Jump City, and the vast desert lands of the Malefic World with the Malefic cities far in the distances.

She snickered wickedly, “All this will soon be mine, and the worlds beyond it. There’s not a soul out there who can defeat me and my power.”

Suddenly, she felt strange again, as if she were struggling to maintain control.

“Stop!” she growled. “You… are not… going to… hold me back!”

She regained control…

…Supressing what was really Sunset’s true and good nature locked inside her, within in the shadows of her dark soul.

Poor, girl… she was beginning to feel that things were hopeless.

“How could I have let his happen?” she kept asking herself. “I was set up from day one, ever since I got those strange cards!

Now all my friends are in danger, and so is every world out there-- not just the human world, not just Equestria-- but every world!”

She was really losing her faith and her strength, and all this only made Z-Arc’s hold over her body stronger.

An evil, raspy male voice-- Z-Arc’s true voice-- snickered at her. “Don’t take it so hard. Thanks to you lending me your body, I’m about to become the most powerful being in this and any existence.”

Sunset snapped fiercely, “I didn’t lend you anything, and if I had known this would happen, why I’d--”

She was cut off by Z-Arc “It’s a little late for you to do anything about, except sit back and enjoy the fun that’s about to commence.

Your little friends, and even their enemies won’t resist a chance to confront me.”

He said no more, leaving Sunset feeling hopeless in the darkness.

Pinkie and Terra were hiding nearby amongst loads of rock formations on the flat of the peak by the castle. They could see Sunset just standing out in the open-- just standing there with her arms folded.

They had heard what she said to Violet about the Ultimate Duel.

“What are we going to do?” Pinkie asked softly.

“We’ve got to round up all the others, that’s what.” said Terra.

Pinkie mockingly scratched her head “Um… you mean… go back into that big, scary castle? Where we could get lost, end up in another hopeless duel, get turned into cards, and doom us all?!”

Terra quickly covered Pinkie’s mouth to keep her from shouting too loudly. “Look, we can’t face Sunset by ourselves. The only real chance we have of helping her is if we find all the others.”

Pinkie remained unsure of anything, given the horrible experiences she had, and her loss of confidence in her dueling.

“I’m open to other suggestions.” said Terra.

Pinkie was beaten, and then she pointed out. “How do we get back in. We can’t go the way we came-- Sunset will see us.”

Now Terra was stumped. It wasn’t as if they could just waltz in through the main gate of the castle. “There’s got to be another way in.”

She got her answer when a trapdoor opened right under her and Pinkie’s feet. The two girls screamed as they fell in…

…Which alerted Sunset. “Huh?” she grunted as she turned her head, but she saw no one in sight. The trapdoor had already shut.

“Hmm… perhaps waiting for the Ultimate Challenge wasn’t such a good idea. I should have issued the challenge right away.

Ah, well. I wonder what those fools are up to now.”

The Prince Brothers saw her through the magic view. As outraged as they were of the damages Sunset had inflicted, they made no desire to go after her and stop her.

“We didn’t plan for this Ultimate Challenge.” said Rubeus. “Still, I suppose it can’t be too much harm to our plans. It may even be beneficial.”

“How can we be certain?” asked Loki. “You know how Z-Arc operates; his power increases over time, especially with every victim he defeats. Pretty soon, his power may become too much for even you and I to bear.”

Rubeus clenched his fist in concern. “That is a possibility… but even still I have my doubts Z-Arc will succeed this time.”

Then he thought silently, “How can he succeed when there is one thing, I know, he can never stand up to.”

Vic was still in serious trouble, but he finally managed to get up onto his feet.

Vic LP: 3300

Sapphire LP: 8000

“So, you’re not going to give up?” asked Sapphire.

“No way, I’m not!” snarled Vic. “There’s way too much on the line for me to quit now!”

Sapphire could only scoff, “Nice attitude, but my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and my Kendama still have you stuck in an awful fix.

You should’ve just surrendered while you could have.”

Vic’s clenched fist trembled, but he had to be careful not to blow his top and waste more of his power-cell.

“I’ve got to get rid of his monsters, but I can’t summon too much because of Dragon’s Bind.” he thought.

He looked down at his two useless cards. “There’s got to be a way out of this.” Then he looked down at his deck and prepared to draw. “Come on, Baby… show me some love!”

He pulled out his card, and gawked at it, almost breaking out in excitement. “This may work!”

“Now then, I summon another DESKBOT DOUBLE-O FOUR!”

(Atk: 500)

“Now, let’s get busy, Double-O Four, attack Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!”

His bot complied and readied himself to attack!

The bot, once again, grew to giant size, and he launched an attack against the dragon.

“You just don’t learn.” snapped Sapphire “I can banish Tri-Eyed Dice from the graveyard and stop your attack just like that!”

Just as promised, the attack was neutralized again, sparing the dragon from destruction.

“And of course, no Damage Step means you can’t use your bot’s effect again!”

Vic didn’t seem the least bit concerned. “There, that takes care of the dice.” he thought.

“In that case, I’ll place one other card facedown, and that ends my turn.

Celestia continued to watch the two duelists, not knowing if whether to feel bored or somewhat impressed.

“It’s my draw…!” shouted Sapphire. He now had two cards in hand, but he stopped to think for a moment. “He’s playing a bit too cool. He knows my Clear Wing’s abilities, and I also know that he can power that bot of his when I declare an attack, and it’ll destroy my own monster.”

Vic just continued to gaze at him with a smug expression, which really annoyed him.

“If he thinks he’ll outsmart me, he’s got another thing coming, and I have just the card to help me too.”

“First thing’s first!” he bellowed “I activate Kendama’s ability. You know how it goes-- I banish Taketomborg from the graveyard, and you get hit with another 500 points of damage!

Blast him!”

Vic braced himself as Kendama shot him, making him growl and groan in pain.

Vic LP: 3300 -----> 2800

Sapphire snickered at him, “And now get a load of this, I play the spell SOUTHERN STARS!”

A bight light shined right on Vic’s little bot.

“Yo’, what do you think you’re doing?!” Vic demanded to know.

“Chill out, I’m just giving him a little upgrade that’s all-- a Level 10 upgrade to be exact.”

“Huh…???” Vic then saw his bot’s level had changed from 4 to 10, leaving Vic shocked beyond words.

Sapphire explained, “Southern Stars permanently changes a monster’s Level to 10.

Now what are you going to do? After all, if you try to activate his effect, now that’s he’s way over level 5, Clear Wing can negate the effect and destroy your monster.”

Vic cringed in horrors as he looked at the snarling dragon.

Sapphire spoke to his own monster. “Easy there, big boy, this is a job for Kendama. Once he destroys that bot, I get to draw another card thanks to Break Draw, then you can finish him off!”

“That’s what you think, fella.” Vic sneered in thought.

Sapphire readied himself, “Kendama, attack!”

Kendama prepared to power up and stab the bot to pieces.

“I activate Double-O Four’s ability!”

“What?!” snapped Sapphire.

“During the damage step, I can send DESKBOT DOUBLE-O NINE from my deck to the graveyard, and it’ll boost Double-O Four’s attack by 500 points multiplied by Double-O Nine’s level!

Which means, 4500 attack points come his way!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 5000)

Sapphire was furious, “Weren’t you listening to what I just said?! Your Bot is at least Level 5 now, which means I can use Clear Wing’s ability to stop your ability and destroy your bot!”

Clear Wing powered up and prepared to unleash his fury.

“You just fell for everything!” hollered Vic “I activate the trap CORKSCREW COUNTER!

When you activate a monster’s effect during a fight, this card negates your effect. Then it destroys your card and deals you 500 points of damage!”

“AAAAHHH!! NO WAY!!” cried Sapphire.

Clear Wing began to glow, and it roared painfully as he vanished in a burning stream of light.

“CLEAR WING…!!!” Sapphire shouted as his points dropped, and the Dragon’s Bind card shattered as well.

Sapphire LP: 8000 -----> 7500

Vic’s plan had worked perfectly. He knew that Sapphire would probably try and pull a stunt to change the monster’s levels to ensure that his dragon could stop it, but he didn’t expect the trap Vic had set.

He leapt up high in the air, “BOO-YAH!! Clear Wing has left the building, baby!” He paused and then pointed out to the field, “…And Kendama’s next! Since Clear Wing was stopped, my Deskbot powers up again, just in time to take the hit!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 5000)

Kendama was unable to stop, and crashed into the, now, giant, bot, which glared down at it.

“Uh, oh!” cried Sapphire.

“Let’s show ‘em!” shouted Vic, and he ordered his bot to counterattack!

(Atk: 5000) VS (Atk: 2200)

KAPOW!! Kendama was blown up hard and the waves sped past Sapphire. Unfortunately, he took no battle damage due to Double-O Four’s effect, but was on his knees after the blast, and he looked up quivering with rage.

Celestia was astounded. “Amazing!” she muttered to herself. “With just that simple card combo, he got rid of all of Sapphire’s cards, including his dragon.”

Then she felt strange again, remembering the feeling of dueling for sheer thrill, and not power and glory.

She clutched her head, still managing to shake off the feelings.

“And just like that, Cyborg’s back in action!” Vic cheered. “Now that your Dragon’s Bind is gone, I can use Double-O Four’s other ability…

Since he successfully destroyed a monster, I can summon two “Deskbot” monsters out of my graveyard or from my hand in defense-mode!”

Two flashes of light shone down, “Coming out to play it’s… DESKBOT DOBULE-O NINE, and DESKBOT DOBULE-O TWO!”

(Def: 500) x2

“When Double-O Two is special summoned, he let’s me add DESKBOT DOUBLE-O ONE to my hand, and as long as he’s in play, all my other Deskbots gain 500 additional attack and defense points.”

(Def: 500) -----> (Def: 1000)

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 1000)

“So how to you like that!” Vic hollered. “You know, it was kind of cool the way I outsmarted you and beat your strategy.”

Sapphire only stood with fire blazing in his eyes and quivering with fury. “You destroyed my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! You made a big mistake, and I’ll see to it that you pay!”

Vic’s cheer dissolved into concern. “Yo’ man… don’t get so worked up over it.”

Sapphire angrily flicked his robe. “I’ll show you worked up!

“I play the spell SPEEDRAW. Since I don’t have any cards in play, I draw two cards, and then, I send Tri-Eyed Dice from my hand to the graveyard!”

“Ugh! Not another Tri-Eyed Dice!” Vic growled in thought.

Sapphire huffed. “Now, I activate Kendama’s special ability. Since I have no cards in play, I can special summon him from the graveyard!”

In a big flash, his machine had returned.

(Atk: 2200)

“Ah, man!” groaned Vic. “Well, it’s better than Clear Wing.”

Sapphire snuffed. “I’ll place one card facedown, and that’s all.”

“Fine! My move.” said Vic, and he drew, giving him two cards. Then he thought to himself, “Just when I thought I was rid of Kendama, it shows up again… but I can’t let that rattle me.”

“First off, I’m switching all my monsters into attack mode.”

(Atk: 1000) x3

“And now… I’m allowed to do what I longed for at the start…” he pointed up to the now swinging pendulum. “…I can summon as many bots from Levels 2 through 9 as I need!

…It’s PENDULUM TIME!!”

A single beam of light shot down from above, and his monster appeared.

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O FIVE!” (Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 1000)

Now he had a full row of four bots in play, which made Sapphire cringe a bit.

“I activate Double-O Five’s ability!” hollered Vic “Since he was successfully summoned, it destroys one spell or trap in play.”

He then pointed squarely at Sapphire’s facedown card.

“Oh, no!” cried Sapphire.

“Ah yeah!” teased Vic. “Strut your stuff my bot and blow it away!”

His bot complied and fired a laser blast from its visor straight at the card.

“In that case, I’ll activate it before you destroy it!” yelled Sapphire. “Activate RE-DYCE-CLE!”

“Say what?!” snapped Vic.

Sapphire snickered, “This trap lets me summon a “Speedroid” tuner monster from the graveyard, and it’s a no-brainer, I pick Red-Eyed Dice!”

(Def: 100)

“Unfortunately, his effects are negated, but I get something else…!”

A large dice block appeared in Sapphire’s hands. “Now I get to roll this, and whatever number it comes up, that becomes my monster’s new level.”

Vic was confused by all this, but he watched as Sapphire skillfully threw the die, and it bounced all around stopped on 2.”

“Perfect!” exclaimed Sapphire. “Good thing I’m good at rolling dice, just like I was made to, because this trap now lets me Synchro Summon using both my monsters.”

Vic gasped almost in an overly dramatic scene in which his gasp was repeated three time. “…You’re joking!”

“Ha!” scoffed Sapphire “We’ll see who’s joking.

I tune level 2 Dice with level 6 Kendama!”

The Synchro Process commenced, and Sapphire called out…

“On wings of wind and shining bright,
I call on this beast to win me this fight!

I Synchro Summon, CRYSTAL WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

(Atk: 3000)

The sparkling, shining dragon let out a mighty roar, making the entire corridor shake. Vic and Celestia nearly fell off their feet.

Sapphire laughed while standing by his monster. “I told you that you’d pay for beating Clear Wing, and it’s coming your way!

There’s no way you’ll get out of this one!”

Vic looked up at the fearsome beast, remembering how it worked. “I can’t believe this!” he wailed in thought. “That dragon’s worse news than the other one.

When a monster effect activates, it can negate that effect and destroy the monster, and then if it battles a monster that’s at least level 5 or above, its attack power goes up!

And even worse, he’s got another Tri-Eyed Dice in the grave, so he’ll block my next attack! What is with this guy?!”

Sapphire thought quietly, “This is what happens when you play against a guy who stacks his deck just right. I’d almost like to see how he’ll try and make his way out of this.”

He looked down at his Double-O One in his hand.

He was thinking of a possible Synchro Summon, but he was still far concerned about Crystal Wing and all its powers.

“Hold it…!” he looked at the second card beneath the first one, and then remembered his facedown card-- the one he played at the start of the duel.

“I think I know another way to end this duel for good.”

“Here goes! I summon my main Tuner monster, Double-O One from my hand!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 1000)

“A tuner monster…?!” cried Sapphire.

Celestia watched in awe, “This is about to get interesting!”

“I guess the best way to match you is to fight Synchro-to-Synchro, and so I tune Double-O One and Nine together, to from me my ultimate machine!”

Sapphire watched as the tuning process began, and Vic called out to his monster…

“From the great big assembly line,
Check out this mechanized monster of mine!

I Synchro Summon… DESKBOT JET!”

(Atk: 500)

His mighty jet soared in magical circles before landing softly behind him, nearly taking up the entire space of the hallway.

Sapphire gawked up and the giant mechanical creation.

Vic clenched his fist. “Ah, yeah! Who’s da’ man, or should I say… “Jet” because it gains 500 extra points from Double-O Two, and 500 more points for very “Deskbot” card I have in play, including those in the Pendulum Zone!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 4000)

Sapphire growled miserably at how strong the jet had become, stronger than his dragon!

“Now, let’s party!” Vic shouted, “I use Jet’s special ability! His lasers now target Double-O Eight in the Pendulum Zone, but it also target’s your dragon there!”

Two large, green-glowing cursor marks appeared on the two monsters.

“Get ready folks, because now both these monsters are about to be destroyed!”

“No!!” shouted Sapphire “I activate Crystal Wing’s ability to negate your monster’s ability and destroy your overgrown plane there!”

“Ah!” cried Vic, and he watched as Crystal Wing’s eyes glowed brightly, and he fired a magical blast, making the Jet explode in a huge flare, shaking the entire area again!

Celestia covered her eyes as she braced herself from the violent rays.

Far, far amongst the hallways, Kori and Sci-Twi had been running about for quite a while, but they were no closer to finding any of their friends.

“Twilight… This isn’t working.” panted Kori.

Sci-Twi hated to agree. The castle just seemed to twist, turn, and go in many different directions.

Suddenly, they both felt a small tremor.

“Did you feel that?” asked Sci-Twi.

Kori nodded. “That didn’t feel like it came from outside.”

Sci-Twi looked down at her feet, keeping the feel of the tremor in her mind, and using her incredibly calculative skills, she figured which direction it came from.

“What?” asked Kori. “What’s up?”

Sci-Twi didn’t answer, and instead she got down on her knees and put her palms flat on the floor hoping for just one more shake.

Celestia watched as Vic slowly got up with his head hanging down a bit. She actually took pity on Vic for the blunder. “Poor guy, he should’ve known better than that.”

Just then, even standing far away from the duelists, she couldn’t help but notice the look on Vic’s face.

“…Is he, smiling?”

He was indeed smiling, much to Sapphire’s shock.

The smile then turned to a sinister snicker. “Got’cha! You fell for it just as I hoped you would.”

“What are you talking about?!” growled Sapphire.

Vic motioned at the card he set at the beginning of the duel. “This is what-- one doozy of a trap I call SYNCHRO SPIRITS! It lets me banish Deskbot Jet out of the graveyard…

…And then, I get to summon the two monsters I used to summon it back to the field. So Double-O One and Nine return!”

(Atk: 500) ------> (Atk: 1000)

Sapphire suddenly caught the idea. “You wouldn’t?!”

“Would he?” wondered Celestia.

“Willing and going to!” shouted Vic. “I tune both these bots together, and Synchro Summon a new DESKBOT JET!”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 4000)

Sapphire was quivering in fear now.

“Let’s try this again.” said Vic “I target Deskbot Double-O Eight and your Crystal Wing!”

Sapphire was powerless to stop the jet this time as it armed its lasers.

“Fire!” Vic shouted.

POW! POW!! The Jet fired two huge lasers, destroying the two monsters.

Sapphire couldn’t bare to watch, not just because of the brightness of the explosions, but the very sight of his dear Crystal Wing being vaporized before him!

“No! No!! How could this happen!” he wailed.

His field was totally empty, while Vic huffed. “I’ll tell you why, it’s because you duel for the wrong reasons. It’s bad enough that you duel for evil, but when you mess with my friends, especially Celestia… you’re in big trouble!!”

That struck Celestia hard, and more feelings began to come over her making her struggle with herself.

Dueling was fun…

Having friends whom she cared for was nice…

“…No!” she groaned softly “I… can’t… think like this! I’m loyal to… Loki… I’m loyal!”

While she continued to battle herself, Vic was planning to battle Sapphire down.

“There’s one less Deskbot in play, which means my Jet loses 500 attack points.”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 3500)

“However, Double-O Five now gains 500 points because there’s a face-up Deskbot in my Extra Deck!”

(Atk: 1000) -----> (Atk: 1500)

“Now, let’s get busy! Deskbot Jet, attack him directly!”

His jet armed its lasers to attack, but Sapphire still had a trick up his sleeve.

“I banish Tri-Eyed dice, and that pulls the wall over your jet’s attack!”

With that, the attack barely made it towards him, shrinking away to nothing.

Vic growled angrily. “No matter, I still got my other bots—Double-O Two, Four, and Five!

…Go get him, Bots!”

The bots complied, and combined their attacks together into one big blast, which struck sapphire hard, knocking him across the floor, and dealing him a full 3000 points of damage!

Sapphire LP: 7500 -----> 4500

“BOO-YAH!!” Vic hollered, but then felt woozy again with his power still dwindling. “… Shouldn’t have done that.”

Sapphire lay flat on the carpet, and angrily slammed his fist on the floor. “I can’t believe this!” he thought. “First he beat Clear Wing, and now Crystal Wing is down too.”

He got back up onto his feet while glaring Vic down. He was so incredibly enraged, so determined to strike him back for what he had just done, that his eyes were glowing light blue, and his body was shrouded in his Malefic aura.

Vic couldn’t help but feel a bit freaked out by the look he was getting.

“You think this is over?!” Sapphire hissed. “I’m just getting warmed up. In fact, I’m seething with rage, just like my fallen dragons are!”

The spirits of his dragons appeared behind him, roaring in wails of desire for vengeance.

Vic had never seen anyone so attached to cards like this before.

With his eyes shut tightly, Sapphire drew a single card.

He opened his eyes and looked at what he drew, and his aura flared up as if he were stoked.

“This guy is so going down!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 47: Final Part: Don't fight it-- Use it!

EPISODE FORTY-SEVEN

Terra and Pinkie awoke, after falling through the trapdoor, and found themselves back in the same dungeon where everything began.

“Oh, no! Not here again!” grumbled Terra.

Feeling incredibly tired of being ambushed, tricked, and tossed around, Pinkie fruitlessly charged at the bars and began to pull on them with all her might, to the point where she exhausted herself.

“I CAN’T TAKE IT!!” she shouted. “Every time it seems we get closer to finding the others and regrouping, we get separated again.

It’s those crazy Prince Brothers! It must be!”

Terra didn’t seem to take much notice in her babbling. She kept staring at the lock of the cell, remembering how Gar picked his and how it helped him escape.

“Gar…!” she peeped softly.

After all this time, and after all she went through, she was still thinking about him and wondering where he had gotten to.

Then again, what did she have to expect by running into him again? More hostility, more bad-mouthing, and more refusal to forgive and forget.

“No! I won’t let it be like this!” she thought. “Somehow, I’ve got to get through to him. I’ve got to make him see…!”

“Terra…?” Pinkie called to her. “TERRA…!!”

She snapped out of her trance and saw Pinkie had already opened the cell-door. “Would you believe-- it was never locked.”

Both girls were confused but didn’t bother to question and booked it out of the, still, unguarded dungeon.

“Now what?” wondered Pinkie “We’re right back where we started!”

Terra examined the corridors, but after all the running around they did and all the familiar ways, as well as all the danger they had been in-- she just couldn’t remember the ways to go.

“I should’ve paid better attention.”

“I should have too.” admitted Pinkie.

Suddenly, their ears twitched. They could hear running footsteps coming from one of the halls.

Pinkie and Terra readied themselves for whatever was coming, but it turned out to be…

“Twilight?”

“Kori?”

“Pinkie!”

“Terra!”

The two groups then wondered if maybe this was some kind of trick-- given all they had been through already.

The groups stood glaring each other down like cowgirls ready to draw, but not one of them could think of a way to prove they were the real deal.

Meanwhile,

Sapphire continued to glare Vic down with his aura still flaring and his eyes glowing.

Sapphire LP: 4500

Vic LP: 2800

Sapphire kept snickering at the single card he had drawn. “…I pass.”

“Huh?” said Vic.

Sapphire nodded. “You heard me. Go ahead and make your move… unless you’re scared.”

Vic couldn’t understand this as he thought, “He just draws one card and ends his turn like that? He’s got nothing else in play.

…He’s got to be up to something, or he wouldn’t be so full of himself.”

Suddenly, his vision began to get a little blurry. “What’s happening?” he wondered, and then he checked his wrist-com… his power-meter was now down to Twenty-Five Percent, nearing the “Danger” mark!

“Oh, no! That last turn really blew a lot of energy out of me. I’ve got to end this duel quick and then find some way to charge myself.”

With time running out, he quickly made his move.

“Now I draw…!”

Still not having any idea what to expect, he couldn’t miss his chance and immediately engaged his battle phase.

“Deskbot Jet… attack him directly and let’s bail out of this duel!”

The Jet readied its lasers, and with it’s attack so high, Sapphire was about to lose it all.

“Nice try!” Sapphire hollered, and he revealed the card he held. “I activate the ability of my SPEEDROID MENKO!

When you attack me directly, I can summon it out in attack-mode!”

(Atk: 100)

“…And doing that means all of your monsters automatically switch into defense-mode, which stops your attack!”

“ARGH!!” Vic growled, but all his monsters stood down.

(Def: 3500)

(Def: 500)

(Def: 1000) x2

Vic was careful not to break out in any fits, or it would drain his batteries more.

“I still have jet’s Special ability.

I can destroy your monster, and then I have to sacrifice Deskbot Double-O Seven from the Pendulum Zone!”

The two monsters were instantly incinerated in the Jet’s laser blasts.

Sapphire chuckled. “So what? You still can’t attack me, and now there’s one less Deskbot, so your Jet’s Attack and Defense go down by another 500 points.”

(Def: 3500) -----> (Def: 3000)

Vic remained cool and calm, and then ended his turn with one facedown.

Celestia shook her head. “Talk about a lucky break. Sapphire’s not willing to go down so easy.”

Sapphire drew his next card. “I play AURORA DRAW.Since I don’t have any other cards in my hand, I can draw more.”

He really liked what he drew and laughed.

“Wow! How lucky can I be…?” he teased. “Actually, it’s more like the spirit of my fallen dragons guiding me to avenging their falls.”

“Will you just play already?!” bellowed Vic.

“Oh, I’ll play alright… I’ll play the spell SYSTEM DOWN!

Now by simply paying 1000 life points…”

Sapphire LP: 4500 -----> 3500

“…I can banish every single Machine-Type monster you have in play and in your graveyard!”

“WHAT?!” cried Vic, and at that very moment his field was struck by a wall of shocking energy, and every single monster on his field vanished into thin air, and all the monsters in his graveyard were caught in a shocking whirlwind, also vanishing from sight.

“No!! My bots!” Vic wailed.

Sapphire laughed wickedly and his aura was flaming high. “And that’s just the starters, because I have another spell, I’d like to play… MONSTER REBORN!”

Vic’s eyes widened. “No way!”

“Oh, yes, now I can summon any monster from the graveyard, or rather my own since I just got rid of all your monsters.

It’s time for vengeance!!!”

A bright wall of sparkling winds burst out from behind him.

“Oh, no! Don’t tell me…!” shuddered Vic.

Sapphire only glared at him with his glowing eyes. “He’s back, and he’s mad, and he’s looking to get even…

…CRYSTAL WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

(Atk: 3000)

The dragon roared fiercely, and its eyes were glowing a bright blue, just like Sapphire’s eyes.

Sapphire pointed squarely at Vic, “Crystal Wing has 3000 attack points, and you have only 2800 life points left. So it’s a no-brainer what’s going to happen now.”

Vic cringed and growled.

“When you mess with my dragons, you pay a high price!” bellowed Sapphire. “Crystal Wing… attack and wipe this creep out!”

Vic looked up as the mighty dragon unleashed its fury at him.

He screamed and wailed as he was struck hard.

“YES!!” shouted Sapphire.

Celestia watched on through the brightness, with an actual sense of worry.

Back at the dungeon entrance, all four ladies felt their ears twitching to the sound of faint but familiar echoes.

“That sounds like Vic!” they all said at the same time.

At that very moment, they all gawked at one another realized they were all indeed the real-deal and not some Malefic trick.

Their smiles and joy began to light up, but Kori suddenly cut in. “Let’s move! We’ve got to get to him.”

The others agreed, and Pinkie cautioned, “And watch out, there could be more traps on the way.”

Sci-Twi calculated when and where the sound came from and lead the group down a hallway, and all four of them keep their eyes peeled for any new tricks.

On the way, stories were told.

“Cadance was turned into a card?” cried Terra!

“By Celestia…?” added Pinkie. “How could she do that?!”

Kori skid to a halt-- the others did too-- and recollected in a flashback. “…I was dueling Celestia, and she beat me, but Cadance sacrificed herself, and let the lightning take her instead of me.”

“Oh, Cadance!” Pinkie sniffled.

Terra felt sorry too, but that’s when she reminded everyone about Sunset.

“She wants to what?!” Sci-Twi asked in near-disbelief.

Sunset stood outside the castle, perfectly still and with her arms folded as the soft winds made her hair and overcoat flutter.

“She’s standing out there right now…” Terra explained, and then she checked the clock on her duel disk. “She’s going hold this Ultimate Challenge in thirty minutes.”

Kori couldn’t understand, “How does she intend to duel us all if we don’t even show up?”

“I’m sure she’ll find a way, what with Z-Arc’s power.” said Sci-Twi.

This only made it more important to find the remember members of their group and fast…

…Except, now they were all lost again.

In all these sudden revelations and stopping dead still, Sci-Twi had lost track of the direction she was following.

“Oh, great!” grumbled Pinkie. “Now what do we do…”

“We wait…” replied Sci-Twi.

The others were all confused.

Sci-Twi knew it would be dangerous to just run off and get even more lost, and also she was waiting for any other sound to help her reset her tracking.

“Come on, Vic… just give me a sound.”

The brightness of the attack faded out, and Sapphire felt very pleased with himself.

“It’s over!”

…But as the smoke from the attack faded out, he gasped as he could see Vic was still standing.

Vic LP: 2800

“Whoa! What gives! How come you didn’t lose any life points?!”

Vic looked forth at him. “I’ll tell you why… because I activated DANGER DRAW!”

Sapphire’s eyes widened.

“When you attacked me directly and if your monster’s attack is higher than my life points… I draw one card, and if it’s a trap card, then your attack is canceled out…”

Sapphire growled furiously.

“…And what do you know?” Vic continued “I can also play the very trap that I just drew, so I activate… JAR OF GREED, so I get to draw one more card, and your turn’s done!”

Sapphire didn’t know how much more of this he could take. “Just plain luck!” he growled.

Vic merely mocked him, “When you mess with my bots, you pay a high price.”

Sapphire’s turn was over, but when Vic finally looked down at the card he had drawn…! “Ah, snap! Autonomous Action Unit?!” he groaned in thought. “This would let me summon a monster from his graveyard and use it against him…

…But the problem is: He hasn’t got any monsters stronger than Crystal Wing, and even if he did, Crystal Wing still has its abilities to use on me!”

He looked up at Crystal Wing and how it was snarling at him, looking ready to finish him off next turn.

Vic’s vision suddenly began to get blurry again. His meter had now reached Twenty Percent and was blinking red for “Danger!” He had to get out of this duel, and very fast if he was to survive to talk about it!

Sapphire then laughed at him. “There’s no use in pondering. You can see that I’ve got you right where I want you. It doesn’t matter what you summon or play. My Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon is ready to put you in your place once and for all.

So, make it snappy already! I have masters to serve and a plan to carry out.”

Vic suddenly looked up, and out a tiny window at all the rifts opening in the skies above, which only further concerned him, and made him more determined to beat Sapphire down!

“What am I going to do?” he thought “I don’t even have any monsters in my graveyard to use, thanks to him, and my Pendulum Zone is empty too.”

Celestia watched Vic pondering, and she felt herself beginning to sweat a little. “What’s happening to me?” she thought. “Why am I so concerned for him? He’s nothing but a mere light-dweller, yet he’s show incredible skill in this duel. Is he really about to lose it all now?!”

More memories, clearer than ever, of how she met the Titans, before learning of their heartless and greedy actions, and how they all were kind to her, especially Vic, for thinking she was pretty.

She clenched her fist, warding off the thoughts again. “That does it!” she grumbled to herself. “There’s only one way I know to stop all this, but I better wait and see!”

Vic stared down at his deck. “One draw…” he thought. “It’s now or never. This is what it all rides on! Come on, baby…!!”

He pulled out a card, gawked at it, and his lips curled into a cheeky smirk.

“Huh?” said Sapphire, and then he noticed Vic was snickering at him. “What are you laughing at? Cut it out already!”

“Why? Are you anxious to lose now?”

Sapphire blinked in confusion. “What can you possibly have that will make me lose this duel?”

“Just this…” Vic said, “I activate the spell AUTONOMOUS ACTION UNIT!”

“Ah!” exclaimed Sapphire.

“Oh!” Celestia gasped softly.

“To activate this card, I have to pay life points-- 1500 to be exact.” and he wailed and roared as he was painfully shocked, and his power-meter got hurt hard too.

Vic LP: 2800 -----> 1300

He barely managed to keep on his feet. “…I’m taking one for the team, because now Action Unit lets me summon a monster from your graveyard and equip to this card!”

“What?! My graveyard?!” wailed Sapphire, and his duel disk glowed brightly as a huge stream of light burst from it and over to Vic’s field.

“I’ll give you two guesses for which monster I’m taking, but you’ll only need one!”

That’s when it appeared, much to Sapphire’s horror, “…My Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!!”

(Atk: 2500)

Sapphire was quivering the angriest he had all duel long. “You… took… my Clear Wing?!!”

“Now they each have a dragon!” Celestia said to herself.

The two dragons roared at one another.

“Haw-Haw!” mocked Vic “How do you like that-- the way I took your monster from you? But then again, you took all my monsters away, so I guess the best way to take you down is to use your own dragon against you.”

Sapphire continued to quiver, and he angrily thought. “This is unacceptable! It’s bad enough he beat my dragon before, but now he dares to use it against me! I can’t let this happen! I won’t let Clear Wing be the subject of this punk!”

“It’s time!” Vic hollered “Let’s go Clear Wing… attack Crystal Wing!”

Sapphire was shocked even more…

…Celestia too, “…But Clear Wing is weaker than Crystal Wing.”

Clear Wing still complied and soared straight into battle, while Vic thought, “Take the bait! Take it…!”

“I… won’t tolerate this!” shouted Sapphire. “Clear Wing is at least Level 5, and that means Crystal Wing can absorb it’s attack points!”

“I don’t think so, not this time!” shouted Vic. “I use Clear Wing’s ability. You know how it works; it is your own monster after all.”

Clear Wings eyes began to glow, “…Now he’s going to negate Crystal Wing and destroy him!”

“No!!” thundered Sapphire “…Crystal Wing uses his own ability to cancel Clear Wing’s, and it destroys him!”

Crystal Wing fired his own magic at Clear Wing, vaporizing him and sending him back to the graveyard in a big flash!

Vic covered his eyes from the brightness.

Sapphire didn’t laugh, but merely struggled with what he had just done. “Sorry about that Clear Wing, but it’s okay… now you’re safe and you can be misused anymore.”

Then he bellowed at Vic. “You have failed! You tried to use my dragon against me and look where it got you-- a whole lot of nothing… and that’s just what you are!”

Vic felt insulted.

“Yeah, you were nothing from the start, and soon you’ll be even more of nothing when I seal you in a card of your own!

Maybe that’ll teach you never to mess with me and my dragons again!”

Vic only scoffed. “…You think so?”

“Huh?”

“…I got news for you: My turn ain’t over, and I’ve still got one card left to play.” He raised his hand up high, “Check it out, the Quick-Play spell, SYNCHRO CONTROL!”

Sapphire wailed in shock.

“…Thanks to this spell, since I don’t have any Syhchro monsters in play or the graveyard, I can pay 1000 life points…”

Vic LP: 1300 -----> 300

The surge of the drain made Vic feel woozy and wobbly, but to him it was well worth it.

“…And… now!” he said groggily “…Your monster… IS MINE!!”

Sapphire watched in horrors as his dragon glowed brightly and fluttered on over to the other side of the field. “…Crystal Wing!!”

“Amazing!” cried Celestia.

“No…! No, this can’t be happening!!” whimpered Sapphire.

“Oh, it be all right!” insisted Vic “Oh, and of course because you negated Clear Wing’s effect doesn’t that mean Crystal Wing got stronger?”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 5500)

“Nooooooooo!!!” shouted Sapphire.

Vic’s plan had worked perfectly. He knew Sapphire wouldn’t resist the bone-headed moves he had made-- taking his precious Clear Wing, and then try to turn the tables on him.

It all worked out, and it was time for the final strike!

“You are… GOING DOWN!!” Vic shouted. “Crystal Wing… Bring it home, boy, and wipe him out!”

“…N-N-Noooo!!” Sapphire looked up as his precious dragon charged up and strike him with his strongest fury.

Sapphire screamed and wailed as the brightness hit him like a crashing comet, wiping out all his life points.

“Ohhhhh!!” Celestia groaned as she covered her eyes from the brightness.

The scream was so loud and the explosion so massive, Sci-Twi heard the sound and felt the vibrations.

“That’s it!” she exclaimed, and immediately calculated the direction. “Let’s go, and don’t stop for anything!”

She dashed down the hall full speed. “Twilight! Wait up!” yelled Pinkie, and she and the Titan ladies dashed off behind.

The force of the blast sent Sapphire flying off like a rocket, right past Celestia, further and further along the seemingly endless halls and crashing into a stone wall hard, far away from pretty much anyone.

Since he was soulless, there was no lightning to strike him, but he sure felt sore as well as humiliated and outraged, but most of all, he felt weary.

“Not much of a victory pose, Sapphire.” came the voice of Khaos.

Sapphire wearily looked up and saw both he and Violet looking down upon him with obvious disdainful expressions in their eyes.

“Even I didn’t blow it this badly.” sneered Violet.

Sapphire slowly got up while grumbling, “He used my own monsters…!”

“Yeah, yeah, we all know the feeling.” said Violet as she pulled him up onto his feet.

Sapphire felt his weariness fading into rage. “Where is he? I’ll get him for this!”

“Enough!” snapped Khaos. “We have no time for this. We’ve been told to report to their majesties immediately-- all… of us!”

Sapphire growled, but he went along.

Dick and Rainbow were still locked in the misty dungeon. They had been struggling and trying to break free for a while, but they were still no closer to it.

“If only I could reach my utility belt!” grumbled Dick, but he knew his weapons and tools wouldn’t help too well against the solid manacles around his wrists and ankles.

Rainbow was still struggling. “There’s got to be a way out of these.”

She pulled hard, and without warning, all the manacles just flung open, and the duo fell onto the floor.

They were more surprised than hurt.

“What just happened?” asked Rainbow “Are they just letting us go?”

“I don’t know.” replied Dick. “They wouldn’t just let us go like that. Just like they wouldn’t have let us run loose in the castle so easily.”

They both felt glad to be free at least and decided it best to escape while they could, still fearing for the rest of the group and hoping they were all still okay.

Rainbow pointed far off to the end of the dungeon, “Look, there’s a doorway over there.”

Dick nodded, and while he felt suspicious that it was unguarded and wide open, “Let’s move, but watch out…! There may be more traps out there.”

He and Rainbow raced outside, but not one of them knew just where in the castle they were. They just hoped they could find the others before something else really big happened.

Vic was panting softly as he leaned with his hand up against the wall. That was one of the hardest duels he had ever fought.

“I can’t believe I really won that!” he thought wearily.

He saw something small on the floor… Cadance’s soul card.

He managed to pick it up, but he still felt pretty wiped out because his energy had now dropped below twenty, and his blurs were becoming more frequent and messier than ever. Soon his cell would drain completely, and he’d just collapse.

He was already beginning to regret dueling Sapphire, but that wasn’t his concern anymore.

“I’ve got to get a recharge… somehow.” he said to himself. “Maybe I can find something to make into a makeshift generator… or… something…”

He looked around, but all he could find were the carpets on the floor, surrounded by solid stone walls and the torches themselves-- not much to make anything from.

As he continued to walk softly along, he could see someone up ahead.

“Who’s that?” he wondered. His far-sight was still a bit blurry, but he soon made out who it was… when a duel beam was fired at his duel disk.

“What the--”

Celestia stepped forth snickering. “Now it’s my turn to duel.”

Vic was surprised to see her. “Celestia! What do you think you’re doing?!”

“The one thing that can save me, and that’s to take you down!”

Vic was most surprised. “How can taking me down save you?”

Celestia broke out yelling, “Because I’m sick and tired of all of you poisoning me and putting all these nonsensical thoughts in my mind! I can’t make them stop!”

Vic could already tell what she was getting at, and he thought to himself, “The evil brainwashing must be wearing off. She’s remembering who she really is.”

Right now, Celestia only seemed to be filled with fury and determination. “I’m tired of you light-dwellers and I’m sick of your tricks. The sooner I take you all down, the sooner you’ll all be out of my life, and I can concentrate what’s important.

So, get ready for the duel of your life! It’ll be your last one!”

Loki saw everything through the magic view. “That’s it! I don’t care if it does help us; I’m not letting her defy me anymore!”

He readied to leave and go after his so-called queen.

Before Rubeus could protest, Loki got in his face, “…Do not try and stop me!”

Then he left through the chamber doors.

Rubeus was not pleased. “His obsession has officially gone too far.” he grumbled to himself, then he seemed calmer. “…Just as I hoped he’d be.”

“Your highness…” Khaos spoke from behind as he stood with his comrades.

“Ah, good… you’re all here.”

“Well, that’s what you said, isn’t it?” Sapphire asked “Sorry, I didn’t get the memo.”
He stopped talking when Violet gave him a small nudge in the back.

“Where is Prince Loki?” she then asked.

Rubeus looked towards the main chamber entrance, “He is fine, I assure you.”

Khaos then cleared his throat, “Sire, are you aware of the situation at hand concerning Z-Arc?”

Rubeus nodded, “…If Z-Arc wishes a challenge, I welcome it.”

The Trio wasn’t the least bit concerned about what he had just said.

“Your highness, dare I ask…?” Violet said, but she didn’t say another word, for Rubeus gave her a strong look, and he nodded at the trio.

They bowed to him. “We exist only to serve the cause, my lord.” said Khaos.

Episode 48: Having a Breakdown

EPISODE FORTY-EIGHT

The scores were already set…

Celestia LP: 8000

Vic LP: 8000

“No!” Vic insisted. “I’m not doing this. I won’t duel you.”

Celestia scoffed as she drew her first cards, “Like you have a choice…! The duel is already on, so be a man, and face me!

I’ll even start us off for you, it doesn’t matter to me.

…I’ll summon a monster facedown in defense-mode, and I’ll place one card facedown, and end my turn.

So, are you going to duel me, or do I just assume you surrender?”

“I guess I have no choice.” Vic said to himself, and he drew himself a hand of cards.

He held them up, but his weariness made them a little hard to see. “Ah, man!” he thought. “I got to keep it together. I can’t let her win!

But then again if I win… she’ll get carded, just I will if I lose!”

Celestia stood where she was clenching her empty fist angrily. “Well, what are you waiting for!”

Vic snapped to his senses. “You want a duel, well take this… I summon DESKBOT DOUBLE-O THREE!”

(Atk: 500)

“When this little fella is Normal Summoned, I get to play a “Deskbot” straight from my deck…

…I choose DESKBOT DOUBLE-O EIGHT!”

(Atk: 500)

His bots stood together looking strong and sturdy, but Vic did all he could to hide his weary wobbling.

“What’s wrong?” mocked Celestia. “Summoning those two wimps take it out of you?”

Vic could hardly be furious at her. “They’re not weak!” he scolded. “You used to have better respect for all duelists, remember?”

Celestia growled, “Shut up! Don’t try to plant more lies in my mind! Respect is for losers, plain and simple.

Now, hurry up and finish your turn!”

Vic couldn’t believe her attitude at all, but he carried on with his move with all the strength he could find. “Now I activate Double-O Three’s ability, which boosts his own attack points by 500 for each “Deskbot” I have out.”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 1500)

“Now attack!”

His bot complied and charged forth and blasted down Celestia’s monster, but she didn’t seem the least bit concerned. “I was hoping you’d do that, because when WITCH OF THE BLACK FOREST is destroyed, she lets me add a monster with no more than 1500 defense points to my hand…

…Like my DOUBLE-C CRITICAL EYE.”

Vic felt the nerve to kick himself for falling for such a trick. “Dang!” he thought angrily. “Now she’s got her ace-monster in hand, but not to worry, I know how it works-- She can use it to Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz summon with my monsters, but she can’t it use it unless all my monsters have the right type or level, and I’ve got plenty to watch out for that.”

Now that Celestia was defenseless, he called out to her, “I hate to do this to you, but you leave me now choice!

Double-O Eight attacks you directly!”

His monster rushed in…!

“A predictably and pathetic play!” growled Celestia. “I activate INSTANT SHUTTER!”

“Instant-- What?” Vic had never seen this card before.

“This trap activates when you try and attack me directly. It morphs into a perfect copy of your monster and summons itself to protect me.”

In almost no time, in a magical poof, there stood another Deskbot, just like Vic’s, only it seemed darker in color.

(Def: 500)

“I can’t believe this!” wailed Vic.

Since his attack would do nothing as the point-values were evenly matched, he was forced to call his own Deskbot back.

“I got to admit, that’s pretty clever.” he said to her with a small smile, which made her blink in confusion.

“Now I’ll throw down a facedown and I end my turn, which means your clone-bot there is destroyed!”

Right as soon as the clone vanished, Vic had another blurry spell. His mechanical eye was even warning him about his dwindling energy supply.

“Hold it together, man! Hold it together!”

“Look at you; you can barely stand up.” balked Celestia. “Taking you down will be easier than I thought.

“I Draw… and I play the spell PAINFUL CHOICE! You remember how this works; I show you five cards from my deck, and you pick one for me to keep, and the rest get tossed out.”

Vic clenched his fist softly as Celestia selected her cards, then the five images appeared over her head.

FILM MAGICIAN…

LEVEL AWARD…

CRITICAL TUNING…

RAIGEKI…

CARD OF SANCTITY…

Vic gazed at all the cards, knowing every one of them was likely to be bad news, knowing Celestia already had her Critical Eye in her hand.

He thought to himself, “I think I know which one to let her keep, but all those other cards… why would she risk sending them all to the graveyard just like that?”

He had no time to over-ponder it, and he pointed at the first card, which was Film Magician. “…You keep that one.”

Celestia snickered as she added the magician to her hand and sent the four spells to the graveyard.

“You did exactly what I needed you to do.”

Vic blinked in confusion.

“…I activate the spellLIFE TRANSFORMATION!”

This was another card Vic had never seen before.

“In order to play this, I have to send my entire hand to the graveyard.” She discarded all four of her remaining cards, including her Critical Eye and her Film Magician.

“Now…” Celestia shouted as she threw her arm up high “…I can target four spells in the graveyard and set them facedown on my field.”

Vic’s eyes widened, “Four spells?!” he exclaimed “…You mean the four I just made you send away?!”

The four cards then appeared before Celestia facedown.

“You loser! I knew you’d let me pick my Film Magician, and now thanks to you I’m ready to strike back.

…Especially when I activate CARD OF SANCTITY! Now we both draw until we each hold six cards!”

“Ah, man! This cannot be good.” Vic murmured. At least he was able to draw two new cards, but as he looked at them, they were hard to make out with his failing vision.

The blue glowing from his robotic armor were starting to fade out a little, indicating he was dangerously low on power.

Celestia noted how he was still standing despite his condition, like a top contender.

“What is with him?” she wondered in thought. “There’s no way he can win this, and he still refusing to back down.”

…Refusing to back down. That brought on more flashes in her head of all the strong determination everyone had shown before, and even she herself did in the tournament, when she dueled all her opponents, which helped her get to the finals to help her friends.

…Her friends?!

“No!” she thundered as she held her head angrily. “Stop it! Get out of my head!”

Vic could see she was struggling with her good memories again, which was more than enough proof that her goodness was still in her.

“Don’t fight it!” he called to her. “Keep remembering! You can beat the darkness that’s controlling you!”

Celestia still managed to maintain her evil stance. “I’m not brainwashed, but when I’m finished with you, you’re going to be all washed up.”

Vic felt frustrated, but hardly had the energy to show it much.

“On with the duel!” Celestia bellowed “And I activate RAIGEKI, with it’s thunder force on the field, it’ll destroy all your monsters!”

“Ah, nuts!” cried Vic.

The thunder roared, and lightning began to strike from above Vic’s field... forcing him to quickly reach for his duel disk.

KAPOW!! The lightning struck the field, the light was rather blinding, but Vic hardly had enough energy in him to scream loudly.

“So there!” snapped Celestia, but when the light faded out, she couldn’t believe her eyes—Double-O Three was still standing, and with extra attack points.

(Atk: 1500)

“What’s the big idea?!”

Vic managed a small smirk, “Well first: I used Double-O Three’s effect to boost his attack power, and as for why he’s still here… well that’s all thanks to my OVERTRAINING trap card…!

It keeps him from being destroyed in battle or by card effects this turn, but he gets destroyed at the end of my next turn.

So, while you did destroy Double-O Eight, you won’t get past Three so easily.”

Celestia growled, but then scoffed. “So, you saved one lousy monster, that doesn’t mean a thing!

From my hand, I activate MONSTER REBORN! I use it to revive my Double-C Critical Eye!”

(Atk: 1400)

Vic suddenly had a sick feeling, “Oh, no! Don’t tell me!”

Celestia snickered, “I activate my facedown spellLEVEL AWARD,and with it, I can change the level of your monster from 3 to 5.”

“No!” cried Vic.

“Yes! Now I activate my facedown, CRITICAL TUNING! It changes your monster’s level back to 3, and then it becomes a perfect clone of it!

And since I have Critical Eye, I can negate its effects, and then Synchro Summon using both these monsters with Critical Eye acting as a tuner monster!”

Vic watched as the tuning process began, and Celestia called out…

“Forged from the earthly depths below,
I forge a mighty beast for you to know!

I Synchro SummonTRIPLE-C ROCK BLASTER OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 2200)

Vic glared up at the nasty weapon, and how it was arming itself for action.

Celestia snuffed and said, “Now I activate Rock Blaster’s ability, he targets your monster and blows 1000 of its attack points away!”

POW! The blast was fired, and the helpless bot was struck hard.

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 500)

Vic moaned angrily.

“And now…!” Celestia called as she engaged her battle phase. “Rock Blaster attack…!

Oh, and I should remind you; when Rock Blaster attack, he gains 200 attack points for the level of every Earth monster in play.”

Vic calculated it up quickly. “The total level is 9!”

Celestia chuckled, “That means he gains 1800 attack points!”

(Atk: 2200) -----> (Atk: 4000)

The blaster charged up, and fired its massive blast at Vic’s weak little bot…

(Atk: 4000) VS (Atk: 500)

Celestia warned him, “Your monster isn’t destroyed, but you’ll still take a load of damage!”

Vic was shocked hard by the damage waves, which did make him scream in pain, and go down on his knees.

Vic LP: 8000 -----> 4500

While several corridors away, Sci-Twi and the other ladies all heard the sound. “We’re almost there!” cried Sci-Twi.

“Oh, Vic… please be okay!” begged Kori.

Terra and Pinkie prayed his was okay too.

Vic was starting to see darkness now-- incoming, fading out into black.

“Gotta… keep… standing!” he groaned. He just barely managed to get back onto his feet, but the fading was still coming, in and out, and in and out.

“Give up yet?” asked Celestia.

“Not… a chance!” he replied wearily. “I’m not giving up on you, just like your sister wouldn’t!”

“My sister…?”

More flashes appeared, of her and Luna, and how Luna sacrificed herself and was turned into a card, sparing Celestia from such a fate.

By this time, it was becoming harder and harder to maintain her evil stance. “I can’t believe this!” she growled. “I won’t believe me! My sister was a fool to do that, and you’re a fool to remind me of her!

Just shut up!”

Vic said nothing, figuring he really shook her up.

“I place five cards facedown and end my turn, which means my blaster is now destroyed!”

Her monster was gone, her hand was empty, and now Vic was up.

“Here… I… come!” he said while struggling to take a card, giving him seven in his hand.

He had to hold his cards close up to his face to make out what he had, and while he had an impressive hand, part of him was still concerned to use it…

…But he had no choice!

“I use Scale 1 DESKBOT DOUBLE O SIX and Scale 10 DESKBOT DOUBLE-O FIVE to set the Pendulum Scale!”

The bots took their places in the lights, and Vic called out… “It’s PENDULUM TIME!” which took out a load of his breath.

Nonetheless, he summoned three monsters--two from his hand, and one from the Extra Deck.

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O TWO…” (Atk: 500

“DESKBOT DOUBLE O SEVEN…” (Atk: 500)

“DESKBOT DOUBLE-O EIGHT…” (Atk: 500)

He managed to keep himself awake as he continued his move, “Double-O Two let’s me add DESKBOT DOUBLE-O ONE to my hand, and just in time for me to play him!”

(Atk: 500)

Now he had a full field of five Deskbots in play, but he was panting hard to catch his breath for what he wanted to do next.

“Level 1 O-One tunes with Double-O Two and Double-O Seven!

From the great big assembly line,
Check out this... mechanized monster of mine!

I Synchro Summon… DESKBOT JET!”

(Atk: 500)

His Jet soared round and landed behind. Vic felt so weak and tired, his head ached a bit, and the Jet’s engines revving made it worse.

“He gets… 500 points for each “Deskbot” card I have out, and I’ve got five!”

(Atk: 500) ------> (Atk: 3000)

“But he’s going to gain a little more, thanks to Double-O three’s ability, he’ll gain another 500 points.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 5500)

“Fifty-Five Hundred Points?!!” wailed Celestia. “That’s enough to wipe out more than half my life points!”

“You… bet’cha!” Vic said groggy.

He hated himself for what he was about to do, but it had to be done. “Deskbot Jet… direct attack!”

His jet powered up, ready to fire.

“Nice try…” Celestia mocked. “I activate my trap, PINPOINT GUARD! It let’s me revive Critical Eye from the graveyard.”

(Def: 1000)

“And what’s more, it can’t be destroyed this turn. So, your attack isn’t going to work!”

“That’s what you think!” snapped Vic.

“Huh?

“I’ll just have Jet redirect his attack to your Critical Eye activate from my hand the spell AFTERSHOCK!”

“What’s that?”

Vic managed a small grin. “…It’s bad news for you, you see, when my Deskbot Jet attacks your defense monster you still take damage!”

“Ah!”

There was nothing she could do, and the Jet fired, blasting hard at her indestructible Critical Eye, but the force of the blast passed right through it, and struck her, shocking her hard and making her scream.

(Atk: 5000) VS (Def: 1000)

A blast that hard cost her half of her life points, and shocks to really burn.

Celestia LP: 8000 -----> 4000

Vic was panting stressfully to keep himself awake, while Celestia lay on the ground, smoldering with smoke. “You’ll pay for this!” she growled. “I won’t lose! I can’t lose! I’m the Malefic Queen!”

“No, you’re not!” Vic called. “You’re not evil, you’re one of the good guys, and I know you know this.”

He placed the last card in his hand facedown, and right then he had an idea.

He reached behind him and pulled out another card-- Cadance’s soul card. “Check this out…!” and he tossed it at her.

She caught it and looked at it.

She remembered how Cadance sacrificed herself to save Kori, the same way Shining Armor did when she defeated Sunset.

“They sacrificed themselves to save the others.”

Vic nodded warily, “That’s what friends do, for each other! Remember?”

Celestia’s entire body gave a small glow, pulsating in and out, in and out, as if they evil were about to wear off!

Then it stopped!

“The sooner I beat you, the sooner I can get away from all these ridiculous feelings!”

“But they aren’t!” protested Vic “It’s the way you really feel. It’s the real you! You’ve got to believe in the good in you again.”

“STOP IT!!” Celestia bellowed “I won’t turn my back on Prince Loki!”

Vic was growing more and more weary. “I end my turn, and as I said before… Double-O Three is destroyed because of Overtraining!”

His bot bust into nothing.

“His effect also wears off, and since I have one less “Deskbot” card out, Jet gets weaker.”

(Atk: 5000) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“But there is one thing you should know… Double-O Eight gains 500 attacks points for every “Deskbot” I have in the graveyard, and there’s currently four.”

(Atk: 500) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“It’s your move.”

“About time!” sneered Celestia. “I draw!”

Her hand was shaking, and she was sweating too.

“What’s wrong with me?” she wondered “I have all that I need to take this dummy out! So why do I feel like this is… wrong?”

The more she tried to ignore the feelings, the stronger they became. So, she tried distract herself by dueling.

“I activate the trap ELEMENT CONVERSION!This let’s me change the attributes of all the monsters in play for the rest of the turn…

…I choose to make them all Wind!”

Vic had a feeling he knew what was coming.

“From my hand I activate MONTAGE FUSION! It snaps a picture of your Double-O Eight there and clones itself into him.”

In a snap like a camera, a second Double-O Eight was formed.

“And now…” shouted Celestia “I’m allowed to use it and Critical Eye to Fusion Summon!”

The monsters merged, and Celestia called out…

“Swift as the howling winds will blow,
I call on a creature to smite all I know!

I Fusion Summon TRIPLE-C SONIC HALBERD OF BATTLE!”

(Atk: 3000)

The magical scepter appeared, shrouded in a shield of strong gales.

Celestia laughed wickedly. “You don’t have a chance against me now. My Halberd can’t be destroyed this turn, and it’s allowed to attack twice in one turn.”

Vic was so tired he could barely manage a soft moan.

Celestia engaged her battle phase. “Halberd, attack Double-O Eight!”

The scepter waved around in circles and shot a blast straight at Vic’s monster.

Ever so weary, Vic managed to reach his duel disk. “…I… play a… trap… ENERGY DRAIN!”

“Ah!” Celestia gasped.

Vic didn’t smirk, but he did manage to explain, “This gives Double-O Eight an extra 200 attack points for each and every card you have in play.”

He couldn’t see too well, but remembering how Celestia had played, he knew she still had four cards in play—Halberd, and three other facedowns.

“…That means… Dobule-O Eight gets an extra 800 points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3300)

Halberd’s attack was getting in closer!

“I have a trap too!” protested Celestia “ActivatePHOTO FRAME!”

“What’s… that…?” Vic wearily asked.

Celestia snickered, “This trap copies the effect of a card you just used. So now I get to use your Energy Drain card, so my Halberd gains attack points for all your cards.”

Vic could hardly believe, or even hear her. He was about ready to drop. His mechanical eye was warning him of his inevitable shut down!

Celestia, not taking notice of this, hollered, “You have five cards in play, so my Halberd now gain’s 1000 points!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 4000)

The attack continued, and Double-O Eight was totaled.

(Atk: 4000) VS (Atk: 3300)

The shocks were so painful, and Vic felt so weak, he barely could make a sound.

Vic LP: 4500 -----> 3800

He was down on one knee, and Celestia wasn’t through.

She even snuffed, “Look how pathetic you are, but that’s what you get for being a fool, trying to convince me of friendship and nonsense.

Well, I’m about to shut your friendship out for good, especially now that you have one less Deskbot out, so now your overgrown plane there loses more attack points!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1500)

“But I’ve got even worse news: I activate CALL OF THE HAUNTED, and I’ll use it to bring back an old friend of mine…

…Triple-C Rock Blaster of Battle!”

(Atk: 2200)

“And you remember what it does-- it targets your monster and blows 1000 attack points off, making your jet nothing more than a paper plane!”

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 500)

Even in his weakened-state, Vic knew he was finished. Celestia could attack with her Halberd again, and then use Rock Blaster to wipe out any life points he’d have left.

Celestia saw this too. “You’re going down! It’s all over! Any last words?”

“Just this…” Vic said softly and, pushing all the strength he had left in him, he lifted his head up, and gave her a weak smile. “…Good Game.”

“Huh…?”

“You played well…

You’re an awesome duelist… that’s why… you’ve always been special… to every… one.”

That was the last push she needed. Celestia remembered everything as every memory of all the good times, all her friends, her loved ones, flowed by her clear as glass.

At the end of it all, she saw only her true self, not as a Malefican, but as Celestia.

“Ohhh….!!” She wailed as she was enveloped in strong light. All the evil wore off, and she reverted to her normal self…

…Just in time to see Vic keel over forward.

“Vic!” she cried as she ran over to him, dropping all her cards everywhere, and the dueling images vanished.

At that very moment, Sci-Twi and the others came round the corner just in time to see it happen.

“Celestia! She’s normal.” cried Pinkie, but her stomach, like the others, turned at the sight they saw.

“Vic!” cried Kori and Terra.

Celestia held him in her arms. “Vic, no! Please… I’m so sorry, it’s not over, we can find a way out of this.”

Vic’s voice was so low and soft he could hardly be heard. “It’s… too late. My cell’s history. I can’t finish… the duel, So… you… win. …I’m a goner.”

Nothing Celestia could say or do could stop the oncoming lightning ready to claim its victim.

“You… keep… strong now!” Vic said, and with the very last of his strength, he shoved her off hard just as the lightning struck him, and he couldn’t even scream.

“VIC!!” the others all shouted.

The light had faded, and Vic’s duel disk, his cards, were all scattered along the floor, and a lone card-- his soul card-- softly floated down onto the carpet.

“Oh, no!” Tears came to Terra’s eyes.

“We’re too late.” Sci-Twi peeped tearfully.

Easily, Celestia felt the worst as she scooped up Vic’s card, and her tears of shame splashed on down on it.

“Vic…! I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it! I really didn’t!” She paused and reflected upon all her evil deeds, which made her hurt worse. “Cadance… Sunset… Shining Armor! What have I done?!”

The other ladies walked up to the sad woman to comfort her. She couldn’t help what happened—she was only brainwashed.

But as they neared her…

“…What a tearful sight you are.” hissed a sinister voice.

The ladies all looked up and saw Loki, standing in the very hall, snickering wickedly.

“It’s you!” growled Kori.

Pinkie quivered with rage, and her eyes turned fiery red! The others all felt the same.

Loki glared at Celestia. “So, you’ve returned to normal. Perhaps it is a dark sign-- you are unworthy of being my queen after all.”

Celestia bolted upright. “I am NOT your queen! I never was, you monster! You and your brother will pay for everything you’ve done!”

Loki only laughed, “That’s a good one, but I’m afraid that neither of you can actually carry out such a threat.”

“Do the math!” protested Sci-Twi “There’s five of us, and only one of you, and you add up our extreme rage and determination, we will stop you!”

Loki glared wickedly at the ladies, and they glared back hard at him. It really looked as if the flames were going to be thrown…

…When suddenly, all the ladies just vanished out of sight, while a strong forcefield shrouded Loki.

“What?!” he exclaimed in shock.

He remained alone in the hall, and try as he did, he couldn’t seem to dispel the barrier around him, but he had a strong hunch who was behind this!

Dick and Rainbow were running through the castle, when they suddenly began to glow, and before they could yelp or say anything, they, too, had vanished.

Right just a way from where they were, someone was hiding in the shadows and saw them vanish, but he himself remained untouched.

The group all re-appeared outside the castle, all landing in one big pile on top of each other.

“Kori?”

“Dick!”

“Pinkie? Twilight? Celestia…?!”

“Rainbow!!” the other three Equestrians exclaimed.

The group straightened themselves out and got up onto their feet. Kori threw her arms around Dick, nearly crushing him.

“Glad to see you too, hon…!” he groaned.

Rainbow hugged Pinkie and Sci-Twi, but was surprised to see Celestia, and looking normal.

“It’s okay.” Pinkie said, “She’s back to her old self again.”

Celestia nodded, but then she looked a bit sad again.

“Where’s Vic, and Cadance?” asked Rainbow.

“Uh… I think we have a bigger problem right now.” Terra whimpered.

Everyone looked in the direction she was facing, and there stood Sunset, chuckling sinisterly.

She looked up, her evil eyes were glowing with an eerie light. “…It is time!”

Author's Note

Gosh... Riley Akaba's deck is incredibly hard to work with.

I really hope they reprint the cards if they ever make them real

Episode 49: Part 1: The Ultimate Challenge

Author's Note

Well, this is going to be the longest, and biggest duel I've ever written in all the years I've made Yugioh fiction.

It's not going to be easy (I have to come up with tons of scenarios and strategies. Write them, and rewrite them to make sure they work before loading.)

Well, it's off to a start.

Episode 49: Part 1: The Ultimate Challenge

EPISODE FORTY-NINE

Sunset glared everyone down, still snickering wickedly. “Welcome, everyone. Welcome to what is truly to be… The Ultimate Challenge!”

“What’s she talking about?” asked Rainbow.

“Well…” Pinkie said, and she took in a huge breath and spouted out quickly. “Terra and I were dueling against Violet, and we both lost, and we would’ve been turned into cards had Sunset not burst in on time to stop the lightning, and so we booked it outside, and we heard Sunset saying “Mwa, ha, ha, I’m going to hold a great big challenge.”

She stopped and heaved a sigh of relief, leaving everyone else nearly flabbergast, but it did explain why they were all here now.

“Wait… where’s Vic?” asked Dick.

Celestia cringed hard. Her eyes were hurt tight, trying to hide her shame.

Kori then whispered sadly into her husband’s ears.

“…No! Vic.”

“No way!” cried Rainbow. “Cadance too?”

Sci-Twi Nodded sadly.

Celestia’s fingers curled, clasping a few bits of dirt on the ground.

“What a pity.” mocked Sunset. “But that’s what happens when you play in the big leagues, but don’t feel bad. You’ll all be joining him soon enough… as soon as I wipe you all out in a duel to end all duels.”

Sci-Twi stepped forth, “Look, Sunset… we don’t want to have to do this.”

Sunset’s features hardened. “The name is “Z-Arc!” Your friend is nothing more than a mere prisoner inside of me while I use her body to reign overall.”

Deep inside, Sunset was so lost deep in the shadows, she couldn’t see or hear much going on outside.

“You let her go, right now!” shouted Celestia.

Sunset, or rather Z-Arc only laughed. “…But I can’t do that, can I? Now that I final have a body I to house my spirit and power, I am free to carry out my evil will, and very soon that will shall be fulfilled.”

Z-Arc pointed up at the rifts in the dark skies, and how they were ever expanding towards the major cities and towns.

“Very soon, all the people of your world, Equestria, and the many worlds beyond shall become part of the whole darkness that is Malefic, only they shall be ruled by me! Not those pitiful excuses of a pair of royal boneheads!” she referred to the Prince Brothers.

Z-Arc began to reminisce all those centuries ago, when he reigned supreme as the strongest Malefic Warrior, but it was all taken from him the day he was ambushed and sealed away.

“Fortunately, nothing stays the way it is forever. I spent what seemed like an eternity regathering my strength and power, but with no body it was hardly of any use…

…But like I said: There is always a way.

I was fascinated by the incredible powers contained within the game of Duel Monsters, and seeing as the brothers were using it to regain their power, I could do the same to restore myself.

…Alas, the Prince Brothers were not so dumb as I thought. They intercepted my spirit and sealed me inside this card.” Z-Arc held up the magical card that nobody knew what it was.

“Unreal!” Kori exclaimed softly.

“All that power contained inside one little card?” added Rainbow. Then she remembered, “…Sunset was given that card!”

“So, it was you who did it?” asked Sci-Twi. “You were setting Sunset up since day one!”

“No…” replied Z-Arc. “As great as my power was, I could not stop the Prince Brothers keeping me contained. I couldn’t move about myself.”

Z-arc paused, and then said “…I think it’s perfectly clear what happened now.”

The gang all exchanged extremely shocked expressions. “It was the Prince Brothers-- they gave Sunset the strange cards.” said Sunset.

Dick pondered and deduced. “They wanted Sunset to unlock the cards and slowly release Z-Arc. But that still doesn’t make any sense.”

Kori agreed and asked, “Why would they want to release Z-Arc if he was a traitor?”

Z-Arc snickered, “Well, whatever… I’m back now, and I think we’ve done enough of this yakking. It’s time to begin! The more I duel, the stronger my power becomes. I’ll need it if I’m going to rule all worlds.”

“Is that the only reason you duel?” asked Celestia. “Simply to gain power and dominance?”

Z-Arc laughed. “You used to be a Malefican. Don’t tell me you’ve already forgotten…”

Celestia took great offense.

“I can never have too much power, and besides… to me there’s no greater thrill that crushing my enemies and seeing them squirm.

It’s a thirst that never seems to be quenched.”

The others all remembered hearing Z-Arc’s story from Khaos-- how Z-Arc was so blood-thirsty, power hungry and ruthless!

“How can someone be so incredibly wretched?” Sci-Twi wondered.

“Now, let’s begin!” Z-Arc magically unleashed a wave of Malefic energy across the mountain peak, surrounding the area like a giant arena around the group.

“What’s happening?” asked Terra.

“I just want to make sure that no one interferes with my little game.” replied Z-Arc. “Now here’s how things are going to go.

This isn’t going to be like most duels you’ve had before.

I will be dueling each and every one of you-- but only two at a time, and when the first two of you are knocked out, the next victim will join, but my dueling status will remain as it is--everything from my life points, to monsters, and other cards while the newbies start fresh.”

Nobody liked the way this was going. It was already starting to sound like a rigged duel.

“Oh, and by the way…” Z-Arc continued “The next player or players that enter the duel will be subjected to starting with only half their life points. Think of it as an intrusion penalty.”

“Okay, time out here!” snapped Rainbow. “You’re going way over the line here with all these conditions!”

“On the contrary…” protested Z-Arc. “…My terms and conditions are very fair. You all want the chance to get at me anyway.”

The three Titans looked willing and ready to duel, while the four Equestrians weren’t so sure.

“I say we do it.” said Dick. “This may just be our last chance to get Sunset back.”

“Yeah… um… one thing though…” Rainbow pointed “We’ve seen Z-Arc duel, and it’s always been super tough.”

“She’s not kidding.” Pinkie said softly. “I still have a few shocks and bruises.”

The entire gang was aware of Z-Arc’s power and the risks of dueling now.

“…At least we know what to expect.” said Kori. “And if we’re all watching and we’re all going to be dueling, it’ll give us an edge.”

“Yeah, as in some of us sit on the sidelines, while others suffer miserably!” grumbled Rainbow.

“There’s no other way.” insisted Terra.

Sci-Twi didn’t have to do any calculations to determine, “Even if we know all this, it still may not be enough, but then again… even I think we should do it. It just may help us weaken Z-Arc down.”

Celestia stood upright with a look of fire in her eyes. “I will make you pay!” she insisted. “You, and the brothers will pay for everything you’ve done to me, to my friends, and my family!”

Z-Arc glared at her wickedly. “Have I my first challenger then?”

Celestia didn’t have to verbally answer.

“Wait!” said Dick. “I can’t let you do it alone. So, I’ll duel with you.”

“But Dick--!” Kori tried to protest, but couldn’t get a word more out, her husband had grabbed her and pulled her into a deep kiss, silencing her, much to the awe of everyone else.

When they separated, he said to her, “…Be strong now in case I don’t make it.”

Kori couldn’t find it in her to protest.

Dick had already stood by Celestia, and they both nodded at each other, agreeing to have each other’s backs.

“Let’s get it on, Z-Arc!” hollered Dick.

Z-Arc’s evil eyes glowed. “That’s what I like to see… a pair of fools just begging to be crushed!”

The duel disks were all set and ready, and cards were drawn.

The dueling barrier began to glow wildly, and the skies overhead swirled with the surge.

Up in the castle keep, Rubeus could feel the dark forces stirring. “It’s happening!” he cried to himself.

He looked down at his hands. “Thankfully, my own powers have kept me safe up here. I’d hate to be down there with the rest of them.

Either way, this ought to be quite the entertainment.”

He kept his magic view tuned in to the duels about to take place, but also, he kept his eye on his brother who was still trapped by the barrier in the hallway-- which also had protected him from Z-Arc’s teleporting but had not yet ceased and just kept him bound where he was.

Try as he would, his own Malefic magic couldn’t seem to break it.

Loki was looking quite furious.

Behind Rubeus, the soul cards were still facedown on the table, but Princess Twilight and Spike were still quite alert. Though they could not see what was happening outside, inside it was another story…!

Being trapped inside the cards, it was like being trapped in a prison cell surrounded by dark, shadowy fog, just like the Malefic world. That’s all you could see, in an endless expansion of nothingness.

They weren’t side-by-side with each other, as each dimensional hold was different, but since their cards were close together, they were able to hear one another.

The shadows were stirring like crazy, almost like having an earthquake.

“Twilight!” Spike hollered.

“I know, I feel it too.” Twilight called back. “Whatever’s happening out there can’t be good.”

Spike pulled on his ears in frustration. “I wish I wasn’t trapped in here so I could help the others.”

Twilight felt the same, but really, even if they were free, what could they possibly do? Twilight didn’t know how to duel, her magic would be useless, and Spike was too small to really do much now.

The darkness continued to shift around, and suddenly…

…There was a soft glow coming from behind the two prisoners in their respective prisons.

“What’s that?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“Are you seeing that too?” asked Spike.

They both decided to follow the glow.

The ran down the endless flow of darkness, the glowing hardly seemed to get nearer at all, but they continued to press on.

Meanwhile, Celestia and Dick stood ready with their cards drawn and their duel disks ready.

“This is it.” Dick said to himself. “This may be our very last chance to stop Z-Arc.” He looked over at Celestia. “…You ready?”

She nodded at him, and then turned back to glare at Z-Arc who was snickering wickedly. “Let the Ultimate Challenge commence!”

The scores were set, and since it was the first move of a battle royale, Z-Arc was allowed to draw on the first turn.

“Here I Come!” Z-Arc called as he drew a card.

Z-Arc LP: 8000

Dick LP: 8000

Celestia LP: 8000

The rest of the gang kept well back from the dueling-- staying behind several rock piles.

“First turn honor is mine!” insisted Z-Arc “And I shall activate the spell FUTURE FUSION! So, now on my next turn, I will send the correct monsters to the graveyard, but more on that later.

“And now I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 0 SUPREME KING GATE ZERO, and Scale 13 SUPREME GATE INFINITY!”

Celestia and Dick grumbled as the two monsters went up into the light.

“Those guys again?!” Kori groaned. “How does Z-Arc always manage to get them so easily?”

Rainbow remained calm “It’s alright, we’ve seen them in action before. We know everything about them now.”

Z-Arc overheard her and thought, “Show’s what you know. I plan to unleash everything I can possibly show, including some things you’ve not seen before.”

Z-Arc then looked up at the swinging Pendulum. “Normally, I would Pendulum Summon, but I have something far different in mind.

I set a monster facedown in defense-mode. Then I shall place one card facedown and end my turn. That’s more than enough for me. So, let’s see what you two losers have.”

Z-Arc only had one card left, and was gazing down at it while thinking, “This will be the key to my ultimate strategy.”

The opponents and the sideliners were all confused.

“I thought for sure Z-Arc would Pendulum summon.” said Terra.

Pinkie felt her insides vibrating with her Pinkie Sense tingling. “Oh, I don’t like the feel of this.”

“What do you suppose, Z-Arc is up to?” Celestia asked.

“I don’t know,” replied Dick “But I’m not just going to sit around and wait.

It’s my turn!”

He drew a card…

“I’ll use Scale 3 PERFORMAGE BONUS DEALERand Scale 5 PERFORMAGE MAGIC TACTICIAN to set my pendulum scale!”

His two performers took their places in the light and bowed, and already Dick was starting reminisce of his tragic past in the circus, but he continued forth.

“I can now summon as many level 4 monsters as I want.

…PENDULUM POWER, GO!!”

Three shots of light beamed down from above and his monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAGE TRICK CLOWN…” (Def: 1200)

“PERFORMAGE WATER DANCER…” (Def: 1400)

“PERFORMAGE BALL BALLANCER…” (Def: 1800)

The three performers juggled, flipped, and danced around before standing tall and proud.

Dick then pointed upward, “And thanks to Bonus Dealer’s Pendulum Ability; since I summoned at least three “Performage” monsters from my hand, I can draw two cards.”

He liked what he had, and he really felt himself getting pumped up. “I know what I have to do now.” he thought, and then reminisced deeply about his parents. “…Mom… Dad… I need you to lend me all the strength you have.”

He then thrust his arm out. “I Overlay Level 4 Ball Balancer and Water Dancer in order to build the Overlay Network!”

His two monsters vanished into the portal, and in a bug burst of light, his Dick’s favorite monster came swinging in on its bar, and he didn’t even chant to it.

“I Xyz Summon PERFORMAGE TRAPEZE MAGICIAN.”

(Atk: 2500)

He looked up at the Magician’s face, seeing his father standing tall and smiling at him, which made him hurt a little inside.

“Dick…” Kori sighed under her breath. She felt hurt for him every time he slipped off like this.

Dick continued with his turn.

“I tribute Trick Clown in order to summon PERFORMAGE WIND DRAINER!”

(Atk: 2100)

“And now I activate Trick Clown’s ability from the graveyard. I can pay 1000 life points to summon it back to the field, but it’s attack and defense will be reduces to zero!”

He paid his points, and he was shocked and burned by the waves, much to the sideliners pain as well.

Dick LP: 8000 -----> 7000

The clown then jumped back onto the field.

(Def: 0)

“And now it’s time for my grand performance!” Dick declared, “I activate the spell STAR LIGHT, STAR BRIGHT!

Since I have two monsters with the same amount of defense points, I can change their levels to match that of Wind Drainer.”

Since both monsters had zero defense-points, Dick changed their levels to 5.

“Time for overlay number two! Go monsters!”

The portal appeared again, and Dick’s other best monster appeared swinging in gracefully.

“I Xyz SummonPERFORMAGE TRAPEZE HIGH MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 2700)

Both his magicians were now side-by-side, and what a proud sighting they were. Dick saw both his parents’ faces on them, but he kept strong.

“I’ll place one card facedown and end my turn.

His hand was now empty, and he was still cringing a bit with his magicians up.

Z-Arc couldn’t help but laugh. “Still feeling such a strong connection to your monsters? You’ve got an overdeveloped sense of insecurity. It’s just so amusing.”

Dick clenched his fist. “You just feel lucky that I’m now allowed to attack on my first turn!”

Celestia stood ready. “I’m up now, and here I come!”

She drew a card.

She still had all the evil cards and wished she had her regular deck.

“I’ll just have to make do, and I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 FOUCAULT’S CANNON, and Scale 7 ARCHFIEND ECCENTRICK!”

Once her monsters were set, she stood ready.

“I can summon monsters between levels 3 and 4… and I know just the ones…!!”

A single light shot down from above.

“FILM MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 0)

“DOUBLE-C CRITICAL EYE…” (Def: 1000)

It was a good thing she remembered how all the cards worked, but just the same it was also a huge shame; being reminded of all the horrible things she did.

She let out an angry grunt, “I’ll make you all sorry your princes ever gave me these cards.

I place three cards facedown, and now…” she thrust her arm up high “I activate Archfiend Eccentrick’s Pendulum ability. I can destroy both it, and your Supreme King Gate Zero!”

The two cards glowed brightly and shattered, making Z-Arc growl.

‘But that’s not all,” hollered Celestia “I end my turn, which means I can use Foucault Cannon’s ability and destroy Gate Infinity!

Fire!”

The mighty cannon blasted the other Pendulum monster off the field.

“Ah, yeah!” Rainbow cheered, and then she spat at Z-Arc “Take that, you freak show!”

Dick gave Celestia a thumb up, “Great job. You destroyed the Pendulum Scale. That should slow Z-Arc down.”

Celestia smiled in agreement, but the moment was broken by Z-Arc laughing loud and manically. “You two are such fools! You don’t realize what you’ve just done-- you’ve sealed your fates and secured my victory.”

The opponents were confused.

“What’s going on?” wondered Terra.

“I think we’re about to find out.” whimpered Sci-Twi

Z-Arc held up the single card. “When you destroyed my cards, you’ve allowed to play this.

I call forth the master of Time and Space! The manipulator of all the is, was, and shall be, and the very card that will assure my victory.

…I call forth… ASTROGRAPH SORCERER!”

A large, dark sparkling vortex appeared, whirling above Z-Arc, and in a great big burst of light, the single, most mysterious monster appeared.

(Atk: 2500)

A magician whose clothes were dark and sparkling with starlight like the very void of space itself, and everyone just gazed it with mixed expressions of awe and fear.

“What is that?” asked Pinkie.

“I’ve… I’ve never seen this card before.” cried Sci-Twi.

Z-Arc laughed. “Of course, you haven’t, I’ve created a whole legion of special cards that you’ve never seen before, and if you think he’s impressive now, just wait until he uses his power.”

The magician raised his staff up high, and its tip glowed like the stars.

“What’s happening?” Dick groaned as he covered his eyes from the brightness.

Celestia braced herself as well, and Z-Arc explained. “When Astrograph Sorcerer is successfully summoned, I can target My Supreme King Gate Zero that was destroyed this turn, and this allows to me to add a new one from my deck to my hand.”

“No way! Z-Arc got it back!” wailed Rainbow.

Z-Arc laughed. “And I’m just getting started. Now, I draw!

And of course, my Future Fusion uses its power, allowing me to send the necessary materials in my Deck to the graveyard for an appropriate Fusion Summon on my next turn.

Behold, the four monsters I will use…!”

Four cards shot out from the Deck, swirled round and around overhead, and the four monster spirits were revealed.

“There they are…!

DOUBLE IRIS MAGICIAN…

PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN…

WHITE WING MAGICIAN…

BLACK FANG MAGICIAN!”

All four of these cards were not only new and unheard of to the others, but each and every one of them was glowing with a different colored light regarding the summoning auras…!

Green for Pendulum…

Purple for Fusion…

Blue for Synchro…

Dark for Xyz!

Celestia and Dick kept gawking at the cards, and Z-Arc explained, “As you may have figured out, these magicians hold special secret powers, allowing them to be treated each as a different kind of dragon card-- each resembling the four summoning methods.”

Still speechless, the opponents and the sideliners watched as the spirits of the four magicians vanished into the graveyard.

“They’re gone!” cried Celestia.

Dick was wondering, “What kind of monster can you Fusion Summon with all those?” but he didn’t want to take any chances.

Once the Main Phase began, he called out, “Whatever it is your up to, I’m going to use a special trick of my own-- Trapeze High Magician’s ability that is.

By using one overlay unit, he encases himself in a magical barrier. So, now, he cannot be destroyed up to three times for the rest of this turn.”

“Clever move.” thought Celestia. “And of course, with his Trapeze Magician still around, he’s protected his life points as well, because he can’t take any damage less than or equal to its own attack points.”

Z-Arc chuckled, “If you really believe that is supposed to scare me, you both have another thing coming.

“What are you talking about?” asked Celestia.

Z-Arc replied, “I mean that I don’t have to wait until my next turn to call up my new monster.” Then Z-Arc called out, “Astrograph Sorcerer, I command you—decipher the laws of all creation, unlock the forces of time and space and bring me… THE ULTIMATE POWER!!”

The Sorcerer worked his magic-- raising his magical staff up high…

The Four Magicians appeared again, and all seeped into the tip of his staff. He himself then transformed into a small orb of light, which then floated towards Z-Arc-- seeping itself into the mystery card Z-Arc held up!

The ground began to quake, and the darkness to swirl the most violently it ever had before… and Z-Arc turned into a swirl of shadows as well and began to expand up into the sky!

The opponents, the sideliners… everyone wailed and groaned in all the eeriness.

“What’s happening?!” exclaimed Kori.

Rainbow peeked her eyes open just a little, “…I think Z-Arc is… transforming?”

Rubeus could feel the tremors himself, and he didn’t like the feel of it one bit. “…This is it!” he felt. “The greatest power in all the Malefic Forces is being reborn!”

Z-Arc’s evil laugh became deeper and more wicked as he continued to take shape, and finally appeared as what had to be the biggest and scariest looking dragon anyone had ever seen.

It was at least five times the size of Exodia. It had black and green streaked scales, with large and very jagged wings and protective armored rings around its body, and long horns expanding to the length of flagpoles.

Atop the monster’s massive head appeared Z-Arc-- having had merged with this monster, now serving as both the creature and the duelist.

“Behold, I am renewed!” Z-Arc bellowed “Centuries of planning, gathering of power, I am now the strongest being of all.

…I am… SUPREME KING Z-ARC!”

(Atk: 4000)

He-- now officially confirmed a male using a female’s body-- let out a might roar that shook the skies and stirred up the winds.

Pinkie nearly felt like fainting.

Sci-Twi’s glasses slipped off her face and she barely brought herself to catch them. “It’s… It’s just so… Unbelievable!”

Celestia was sweating like crazy. “Am I seeing what I think I’m seeing?!”

“I can’t believe this!” cried Dick. “That’s what the Mystery Card really is-- a form of Z-Arc?!”

Z-Arc laughed, “No, not exactly. As I told you, I have been renewed. By combining the Malefic Forces with the power of Duel Monsters, I have become far greater than I ever was before…!

…But don’t just take my spoken words for it, allow me to demonstrate my new, awesome powers… by destroying every card you both have in play!”

“What?!” cried Celestia.

“All our cards?!” wailed Dick.

Z-Arc’s evil wings began to glow brightly. “Prepare for the big blast!” he hollered.

“I don’t think so!” shouted Dick “I activate the trap, BOTTOMLESS TRAP HOLE! Since you summoned a monster with more than 1500 attack points, it now gets destroyed and banished!”

The trap’s aura bound straight for Z-Arc, but he only snickered, and the dragon’s massive eyes glowed brightly, dispelling the aura.

“Hey! What happened?” wailed Dick.

“The trap didn’t work!” cried Celestia.

“Of course, it didn’t work.” sneered Z-Arc. “You didn’t think it would be that easy to defeat me. I am Supreme King Z-Arc. Your card effects can neither target nor destroy me!”

The opponents gasped.

“…But on the other hand, I can still destroy you!!”

The dragon unleashed a massive wave of chaotic destruction destroying all the other cards on the opponents’ fields.

The blast was so powerful, the sideliners ducked behind the rocks to avoid the shockwaves.

“That’s a lot of power!” cried Pinkie.

The shockwaves had ceased. Trapeze High Magician was still in play, but Dick looked mad and hurt because his other magician was destroyed, reminding him of the deaths of his parents.

“So there!” sneered Z-Arc, but then he noticed that two of Celestia’s face-down cards were revealed.

“Pinpoint Gaurd,” and “Dimension Wall?” Then the cards reset themselves facedown again. “What’s going on? I destroyed those cards.”

Celestia shook her head. “No, you didn’t, and it was all thanks to a trap I played of my own… the FAKE TRAP to be precise. Thanks to it, my other traps were spared from your assault.

You’re not the only one full of sneaky surprises you know.”

“She’s right.” agreed Dick “As for me, since you destroyed my Trapeze Magician, I get to call a “Performage” Monster from my deck to the field.

I play… PREFORMAGE REVERSAL DANCER”

(Def: 100)

Dick was grinning by this point. “Looks like your attempt to destroy our cards didn’t work too well.”

Z-Arc barely felt insulted at all and said, “Well, as clever as that is, I am far from amused.

Let me show you both what real cards can do. I summon SUPREME KING DRAGON DARKWURM!”

(Atk: 1800)

“You’ve seen how this works, because he was successful summoned, I can now add a Supreme King Gate Infinity from my deck to my hand, and now that I have both Infinity and Zero, I set the Pendulum Scale once more!”

The two monsters had returned, only now, they were both glowing with eerie shadows.

“Is anyone else seeing this?” asked Terra. Everyone nodded.

Z-Arc explained. “You are about to witness the true power of the gates now that they are played in combination with myself!

To begin with-- while I may not be able to pendulum summon while I have a monster in play, Gate Infinity let’s me target your Trapeze High Magician, and then I gain life points equal to its attack points.”

“Ah!” Dick gasped in shock, and then he and everyone watched as the magic gate absorbed energy from the monster, which caused Z-Arc to glow brightly.

Z-Arc LP: 8000 -----> 10,700

“He just boosted his life points way high!” wailed Kori.

“This can’t be good!” Sci-Twi grumbled.

“Oh, but it sure feels good.” Z-Arc mocked. “While I’m at it, I’ll flip summon this, which another Darkwurm!”

(Atk: 1800)

“He’s got two of them now!” cried Celestia.

“I bet I know what’s coming…!” added Dick.

Z-Arc snickered “You are quite correct; I plan to overlay both these creatures!”

The two monsters rushed up and vanished into the portal, and Z-Arc called out the same chant to the same emerging beast…!

“Shadows of fear and darkness deep,
I summon a monster to make you fear and weep!

I Xyz Summon SUPREME KING DRAGON DARK REBELLION!”

The evil dragon appeared, spreading its huge wings out and letting loose mighty roar.

(Atk: 2500)

Everyone gawked up in fear at the sight of it, remembering how dangerous and powerful it was the last time they saw it.

Dick and Kori remembered the last time they went up against it and lost badly.

Kori clenched her fist, and secretly hoped that Dick and Celestia could try to stop it this time, but there was still the matter of Z-Arc himself.

“Time for a little battle action.” declared Z-Arc. “Dark Rebellion, attack Trapeze High Magician.”

The dragon prepared for the assault-- opening its huge jaws to build up power.

“And you do remember his ability, don’t you? By using one overlay unit; he steals all of your monster’s attack points, leaving you with none at all.”

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 0)

“No!!” cried Dick.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5200)

“Whoa! Watch out!!” cried Rainbow.

“Dick’s monster won’t be destroyed…!” added Pinkie “… But his life points will take a huge hit!”

“And that’s not all…!” said Z-Arc “I activate my trap CARD OF LAST WILL! Since my monster’s attack now changed, I can now draw five new cards, but it really doesn’t matter, because your life points are about to be incinerated!”

Dick fearfully gasped as the dragon fired its attack, and the big, burning wave of energy came straight for him. Then his features hardened and he shouted, “I activate Reversal Dancer’s ability: When the attack or defense points of your monster changes, I can target one “Performage” monster I control, and it gains attack points Equal to the amount of the change.

That means my Magician gains all his attack points right back.”

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2700)

“Big deal!” sneered Z-Arc. “It’s not as if you can stop my attack, or any damage that comes your way.”

The dragon unleashed its power, which headed straight for the magician.

“Hold it!” snapped Celestia “Did you forget about my trap? … DIMENSION WALL!

I activated it when you declared your attack. So, now, instead of Dick taking damage, you’ll take all the damage he would have!”

Z-Arc didn’t seem the least bit worried as the blast struck the magician hard, but the energy bounced off him, and headed straight back towards Z-Arc.

“Whoo-hoo! Z-Arc’s about to get fried by his own attack!” Pinkie cheered.

Everyone else looked just as joyful…

…But Z-Arc was grinning, which Dick and Celestia noticed.

“Wait a minute, what’s happening?” Celestia asked, as she and Dick watched as Supreme King Gate Zero absorbed all the energy from the attack, sparing Z-Arc from harm.

“Oh, did I not mention…” Z-Arc teased “As long as I am around, Gate Zero will protect my life points so I can’t take any damage from anything at all.”

The opponents and the sideliners were choked up enough to gag in fits of rage.

“So, no matter what they do… they can’t hurt him?” growled Rainbow. “Come on! You can’t do all this it’s… it’s just…GAH!!!”

Z-Arc only laughed. “You see what happens when you accept a challenge you are badly unprepared for? It leads you nowhere but into the pits of doom.

…I have sent many to their demise in my day, and soon all of you will join those many.”

Dick and Celestia both cringed in anger.

“Wow! Z-Arc’s not kidding around.” muttered Terra.

Sci-Twi shook her head in disbelief at Z-Arc’s dueling, “He spent so much time planning and preparing. Who knows what other tricks he’s got?”

Z-Arc glared at Dick, “And now it’s my turn to unleash my own power on you!”

“Yeah? Go ahead.” said Dick “My Magician still won’t be destroyed, and since he has all his attack points back, I’ll only take 1300 points of damage.”

Z-Arc grinned wickedly. “What makes you think it’s your magician I’m attacking? I’m going for Reversal Dancer.”

“What?” Dick asked in confusion.

“Supreme King Z-Arc… I order you to attack!”

The mighty dragon’s eyes glowed wide, and it opened its huge jaws and unleashed a big blast of power that struck the little Performage monster, wiping it out into dust.

The destructive waves sped past Dick, but he, of course, took no damage.

“That doesn’t make sense.” said Kori. “Why would he go for Reversal Dancer?”

“Wait! Something’s happening!” cried Sci-Twi.

Z-Arc’s Extra Deck gave a big bursting glow. He explained, “When Supreme King Z-Arc successfully destroys a monster, I can summon forth a “Supreme King Dragon” from my Extra Deck!”

The opponents gasped.

Then, without chanting, Z-Arc simply called upon his creature “Behold, my Syncrho Monster… SUPREME KING DRAGON CLEAR WING!”

(Atk: 2500)

The dragon roared and spread out it’s huge, waving wings.

“He played a Synchro monster… without Synchro summoning!” wailed Celestia.

Pinkie trembled at the sight of the dragon. “That’s one of the monsters that beat me.”

“I remember seeing it too.” said Rainbow, and she recalled how she caught Pinkie in her arms after she got blasted in her previous duel with Z-Arc.

“Pinkie, how tough is that monster?” Terra asked.

“Real bad!” whimpered Pinkie. “Any monster it battles gets instantly destroyed, and then the duelist takes damage equal to that monster’s attack points.”

The others all cringed.

“Well, that’s just all we needed,” grumbled Rainbow.

“Maybe,” said Sci-Twi “But look, that dragon’s attack power is weaker than Dick’s magician, and the magician still can’t be destroyed by card effects.”

“Yeah, but what about Celestia?” Kori pointed out.

She still had no monsters in play, which Z-Arc noted.

“Clear Wing, wage a direct attack!”

The dragon powered up and prepared to unleash its fury.

“Well, that seems pointless.” said Celestia. “You know I still have my other trap.

Go, PINPOINT GUARD! I choose to revive my Double-C Critical Eye!”

(Def: 1000)

“And thanks to Pinpoint Guard, Critical Eye cannot be destroyed for the rest of this turn. Your attack and your monster’s powers will do nothing!”

Z-Arc was forced to cancel the attack.

“Great move!” Dick called to her.

She smiled at him, but Z-Arc scoffed, “You must think you’re clever-- both of you…

But I’m just barely warmed up. There’s plenty more destruction to dish out, and power for me to gain.

But for now, I’ll place two cards facedown and end my turn, which means Dark Rebellion’s attack points return to normal.”

(Atk: 5200) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“It doesn’t matter to me. Nothing the two of you can possibly attempt will stop my monsters and me from attaining true power and dominance overall.”

Dick held up his fist at Z-Arc. “We’re still in this duel, and now we know what you’re capable of doing.”

Celestia agreed. “We’ll find some way to bring you down, Z-Arc.”

Then she thought, “Though that might be easier said than done. We can’t destroy him with our card effects, and he doesn’t take any damage either.”

Dick was thinking the exact same stuff. “With those two dragons in play, it’s going to be hard to bring Z-Arc down, but we can’t give up. Sunset’s counting on us, and so is the entire universe.”

The sidelines gazed fearfully at the duelists.

“It’s like their frozen in shock.” said Terra. “Maybe they can’t figure out what to do next.”

“No! They can’t! They mustn’t! They’ve gotta do something!!” Pinkie shrieked in panic.

Rainbow picked at her ear. “Sure, like that’s going to do any good.” Really, she felt just as frustrated with Z-Arc’s already strong standings.

She thought softly.

“They can’t damage his life points. He’s got three incredibly powerful dragons in play, and who knows what else he’s got hiding.

How can we all possibly beat this evil creep?”

To Be Continued…

Episode 50: Part 2: False Protection

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Episode 51: Part 3: Overloading Darkness

EPISODE FIFTY-ONE

Twilight and Spike were still within the shadows, but before them lay endless amounts of clear spheres, containing people inside of them, and even other Maleficans. All remained silent and still contained within. Nobody moved or made a single sound, they just remained where they were as if they were frozen in time.

“This is incredible!” Twilight exclaimed softly.

“Freaky” is more like it.” corrected Spike, and as they continued to explore, Spike deduced, “This must be where the Malefic World takes you when you lose your soul.”

Twilight agreed. “But why weren’t we sent here like this?”

Spike could only guess, “We were captured differently-- we didn’t lose our souls in duels.” Then he realized. “Scratch that. Still makes no sense.”

Suddenly, he and Twilight happened upon bubbles containing familiar faces-- that of their fallen friends.

“Rarity!” Spike cried as he pressed his paws up against the sphere. It felt cold and hard like a solid glass, but Rarity remained as dormant inside as anyone else was in their own.

Twilight knocked on Applejack’s sphere, and already deduced that, whatever the spheres were made of, couldn’t be broken so easily.

“It’s no good, Spike. I don’t see how to get them out. Even if we did get them out, we still have no way to escape this prison.”

Spike thought of only one way for sure. “The Prince Brothers have to be stopped; that’s the only way we’ll get out this.”

Back at the castle grounds, the sideliners dashed up to their fallen comrades.

They had not been turned into cards due to Z-Arc’s barrier staving off the Malefic Lightning.

“What fun would it be if I got rid of you all just like that.” he joked. “It’s much more fun to hold these duels with an audience watching anyway.”

The others took no notice and tended to their friends.

“Dick…! Dick… are you okay?” Kori asked with deep worry.

Her husband looked up at her. “Kori… we failed.” he said weakly.

“I’m so sorry.” Celestia added. “We just couldn’t do it.”

“Don’t be sorry.” said Rainbow. “You held in strong, and you showed us all Z-Arc’s moves. Now we know what we’re up against.”

“Ha!” scoffed Z-Arc “You understand nothing! My dragons and I are capable of much more than you think…

…Or perhaps you’d like to be my next victim in this challenge?”

Feeling her blood raging, Rainbow bolted upright with fury blazing in her eyes. “Bring it on!”

Z-Arc enjoyed the anger and negative emotions Rainbow was showing as he thought, “All this hatred only further fuels my dueling energy, and with each of these fools that I defeat, I only get stronger.”

“Wait, Rainbow…” hollered Terra “You can’t take Z-Arc on by yourself.”

“I’m open to welcome company.” said Rainbow.

Terra wasn’t so sure. Z-Arc’s monsters and other cards were all still in play-- just as he told the group they would be.

Z-Arc still liked the idea. “The more the merrier. It means I can defeat the rest of you a whole lot faster and be closer to my ultimate conquest.”

Feeling insulted by Z-Arc’s smug, Terra decided. “You want a piece of me, bring it on!”

Kori, Pinkie, and Sci-Twi helped Celestia and Dick on their feet and took them to the sides out of the way.

“You two, please be careful!” said Kori.

Rainbow gave a cocky smile, “By the time we’re done with him, it’s Z-Arc who will wish he was careful.”

Terra nodded in agreement.

Z-Arc snickered, “You pathetic twits. You’ve already seen how I devastated your friends, and the same is about to happen to you too.”

“Stop it!” thundered Terra. “Your mind tricks won’t work on us.”

“Oh…? Then why do I sense extreme doubt, especially in yourself? You lost a duel prior to my entrance and were nearly turned into a card because your dueling skills didn’t amount to much.”

Terra held herself strong, until Z-Arc hit it home, “…It’s no wonder your boyfriend rejected you!”

Terra’s eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat at the reference to Gar.

“Don’t you talk about him that way!” she demanded.

Z-Arc grinned, “Did I strike up a nerve?”

Terra did all she could to hide the angry tears coming to her eyes.

Rainbow couldn’t believe Terra’s attitude. She thought, “After all this time, she still thinks about Gar, even after all the horrible ways he acted towards us all? She’s either super for him or super nuts!”

Terra wiped her eyes and readied herself. “Let’s just duel!”

“I’m all for that.” agreed Rainbow.

The two of them readied their duel disks and drew their cards, only then to be suddenly shocked and burned by energy shocks, and their life points were reduced by half.

Terra LP: 8000 -----> 4000

Rainbow LP: 8000 -----> 4000

“Hey, what gives!” snapped Rainbow.

“Weren’t you listening?” Z-Arc called. “I told you; this duel just keeps going from it’s previous ending, but whoever enters the duel after which starts out with half their life points.

You agreed to it.”

“Like you gave us much of a choice!” growled Rainbow. “Now I’m coming for--”

“Wait!” hollered Terra. “…I want first dibs.”

Judging from the blazing fury in her eyes, Rainbow didn’t dare question her and let her go.

“I’ll show this creep what happens when you insult my friends.” Terra thought.

“Now, I draw!

And the first card I’ll play is POT OF GREED so I can draw two more cards.”

Now she had a full hand of seven cards, which made her eyes shimmer with strong determination.

“Now I’ll play another spell, and it’s my best one… CHANGE OF HEART!”

“Ah!” cried Z-Arc.

“With this spell, I can control any one of your dragons that I choose, and I’ll take your Fusion monster. Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom, come to me!”

The dragon was brainwashed by the powerful rays of the card and flew over to join Terra’s side.

“Whoa! Wicked play!” exclaimed Rainbow.

Z-Arc didn’t look very pleased at all.

Terra then said, “And I’m far from finished, because now I play the spell GEM-KNIGHT FUSION!

I now fuse GEM-KNIGHT GARNET with GEM-KNIGHT LAZULI!”

As the two monsters appeared and merged, Terra chanted out…

“Furious gems of fires that burn,
Grant me the creature whose power I yearn!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT CITRINE!”

Her monster appeared in a burst of flames, clutching its flaming sword.

(Def: 1950)

“And I’m just getting warmed up…” Terra declared. “Since I used Lazuli to Fusion Summon, I can use her ability to add Garnet back to my hand.

But that’s not all… Now, by banishing Lazuli from the graveyard, I can add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand as well.

Just in time for me to play it again. This time I’ll fuse my Garnet with GEM-KNIGHT SAPPHIRE!”

Once again, the monsters merged, and Terra called out a chant to her new monster.

“Sparkling as the waters majestic glow,
This super gem’s power will ebb and flow!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT AQUAMARINE!”

(Def: 2600)

This new monster’s armor shimmered like flowing waterfalls and carried with it a huge shield with a blade built into it.

The sideliners were incredibly astonished.

“Would you look at that?!” cried Pinkie.

“…Terra’s already got three Fusion monsters in play.” added Kori.

She overheard them, “Oh, I’m not done with Fusion yet, I still have this to play… BRILLIANT FUSION!

Now by sending select monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I get to call on another monster.

So, I’ll send GEM-KNIGHT CRYSTAL and GEM-KNIGHT ALEXANDRITE, along with another Lazuli to the graveyard to unlock a creature of great power and destruction!

Pretty as diamond, solid as stone,
I summon a warrior legend of its own!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT LADY BRILLIANT DIAMOND!”

(Def: 0)

While the monster’s attack had to be reduced to Zero, Rainbow was really impressed with Terra’s dueling. “Four Fusion monsters in just one turn?” she said to herself. “This is unreal!”

“And there’s more to come.” said Terra. “I just used another Lazuli, which means I add Crystal from the Graveyard to my hand.

But also, just like before, I banish that Lazuli in order to add Gem-Fusion Back to my hand.”

She paused a minute to think to herself. “So far, so good. Everything’s falling perfectly into place.

…If this all works, I just may be able to help us all, and I can show that I’m not such a weak duelist.”

She shut her eyes and took in a deep breath.

“I activate Lady Diamond’s special ability: By tributing Aquamarine, I get to call on a “Gem-Knight” from my Extra Deck, completely ignoring the requirements to summon it.”

Her monster vanished in a splashing wave of water, and the waves formed into the new monster she was calling.

“I call on… GEM-KNIGHT MASTER DIAMOND!”

(Atk: 2900)

Her master stood by his lady, and the two other monsters by their sides making a great Fusion force.

“That’s quite a posse you’ve got there.” commented Z-Arc. “Perhaps I underestimated your skills.”

“You bet you have!” snapped Terra “And I should mention something… since Aquamarine was just sent to the graveyard, I can target one card on your field and send it back to your hand.”

“What?!” snapped Z-Arc.

Of all the choices, Terra knew just the card to send away. “I choose to send the Wall of Revealing Light Away!

“No!” growled Z-Arc, but the majestic glow of the wall had ceased as the card returned to his hand.

“Great move!” cheered Rainbow.

“Well, so much for that.” said Kori “At least now she’ll be able to attack.”

Pinkie agreed, then pointed out, “But Z-Arc still has his dragons. How can she get them all?”

Sci-Twi gazed at Terra’s field, and, remembering the cards she was holding, she gasped in realization. “…I think I know what she’s doing.”

Terra gave a small smirk.

“I now activate the effect of your own Starving Venom Dragon; I’ll target my Citrine, so he’ll gain its special power. Now when it attacks, you won’t be allowed to activate any card effects until the battle is over.

But why stop there, when I can do so much more, by activating Gem-Knight Fusion a third time!”

“What? Again?!” bellowed Z-Arc.

“Yes, again! I fuse my Citrine with Lady Brilliant Diamond for one last Fusion calling.

As the mighty rock stands study and strong,
This creature unearths to right every wrong!

I Fusion Summon GEM-KNIGHT ZIRCONIA!”

(Atk: 2950)

This big study monster had no effect, but it looked tough enough-- maybe to at least topple mountains, but Z-Arc’s dragons were a different matter as they growled and roared at it.

“What good can you possible get from playing that creature?” Z-Arc had to ask, but then he realized. “…Wait a minute!”

Terra smirked, “You guessed it…! Because now I get to use Master Diamond’s effect, I can banish Citrine from the graveyard so Master Diamond will also gain his special ability. So now when Master Diamond attacks, you’ll be powerless to use any cards against him!”

Z-Arc’s eyes widened, and Terra engaged her battle phase.

“Starving Venom, attack Clear Wing!”

(Atk: 2800) VS (Atk: 2500)

Z-Arc watched as the two dragons clashed, but he was unable to activate any cards as promised, and his Synchro Monster was vanquished.

“So, you struck down my dragon!” growled Z-Arc. “I still take no damage. Supreme King Gate Zero sees to that.”

“At least your dragon’s gone, and now I’m going for your other dragons! Master Diamond, attack Dark Rebellion!”

Her Master rushed forth with his shining sword at the ready and struck Dark Rebellion down.

(Atk: 2900) VS (Atk: 2500)

The dragon’s shattered remains flew past Z-Arc, but he still took no damage.

Celestia, though still weary, marveled at what she had seen. “That’s two of Z-Arc’s dragons down.”

“She’s really on fire now.” agreed Dick. “She’s even doing better than we did.”

“And it’s still not over yet.” hollered Terra. “Go Zirconia… attack Odd-Eyes!”

(Atk: 2950) VS (Atk: 2500)

Odd-Eyes got shot hard by the monster’s powerful ray cannon. He roared and wailed as he burned away to the Extra Deck, leaving Z-Arc furious, despite still not being damaged.

“That’s three dragons down!” cried Sci-Twi.

Terra ended her battle phase.

“Is that all?” Z-Arc rudely asked.

“Why no, it isn’t!” replied Terra. “I still have Gem-Knight Crystal in my hand, and I need to tribute two monsters in order to summon him.”

Z-Arc’s eyes widened.

“…So, I’ll tribute my Zirconia and your Starving Venom Dragon to bring him out, facedown in defense-mode!”

“She did it!” Rainbow exclaimed. “She got rid of all of Z-Arc’s dragons!”

Terra was panting in disbelief. “…I did it! I guess I don’t know my own strengths.”

She breathed a sigh of slight relief.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that ends my turn.

This means Master Diamond gets his own ability back, which means that for every “Gem” monster in my graveyard, Master Diamond gains another 100 attack points, and there happens to be six!”

(Atk: 2900) -----> (Atk: 3500)

“That was some turn.” said Pinkie.

“She played that out perfectly.” added Sci-Twi. “With all Z-Arc’s dragons gone, she’s set things up perfect for Rainbow.

They may have a chance.”

“Let’s hope they do.” said Dick.

Z-Arc was growling angrily, but he thought silently, “Celebrate now while you can. My dragons may be gone now, but they shall return! No one keeps me in the dark forever.”

Terra looked over at Rainbow. “It’s up to you now. Good luck.”

Rainbow nodded. “That was some awesome dueling. Now, leave Supreme King Z-Arc to me.

I draw!

I summon RAIDRAPTOR – VANISHING LANIUS!”

(Atk: 1300)

“And when I successfully summon it, I can summon another feathered friend to join us. Here comes RAIDRAPTOR - SINGING LANIUS!”

(Atk: 100)

“But why stop at two? Since I have at least one “Raidraptor” in play, I’m allowed to summon RAIDRAPTOR – FUZZY LANIUS!”

(Def: 1500)

Her three feathered friends huddled together, cawing, and flapping about.

Rainbow was proud at the very sight of them all.

“Now I activate the spell RAPTOR – SANCTUARY.Since I have at least three “Raidraptors” in play, I can draw two more cards from my deck.

And now… I overlay all three of these Raptors in order to build the Overlay Network!

From the shadows comes a force so great,
It’ll crush everything at a fantastic rate!

I Xyz Summon RAIDRAPTOR - RISE FALCON!”

(Atk: 100)

He large beast cawed and screeched with its sharp wings extending far.

Z-Arc was confused. “Only 100 attack points?” then he burst out laughing. “Come on! You call that threatening?”

Rainbow was grinning at him, “It’s more threatening than you know, especially when I use his special ability. By using one overlay unit, Rise Falcon gains the attack points of one special summoned monster on the opposing field.”

“Your monster can’t target me!” thundered Z-Arc “No card can target Supreme King Z-Arc!”

The great dragon roared thunderously.

“Yeah… um…I know all that.” said Rainbow. “…That’s why I’m not going after you.”

“Huh?”

Rainbow then pointed over at Terra’s side of the field. “She’s got a monster I can use, and it counts as an opposing field. So, Rise Falcon is going to absorb Master Diamond’s attack strength!”

“Argh…!!”

(Atk: 100) -----> (Atk: 3600)

The falcon had become so strong, it was now enveloped in blazing flames which brightened the entire area like a small sun.

Z-Arc moaned as he covered his eyes.

“You think you can save yourself by a few flames?” he barked. “Your monster is still no match for me.”

Rainbow wasn’t the least bit deterred. “Oh, I know… which is why I’m NOT finished.

See, since I just sent Fuzzy Lanius to the graveyard, I can add another Fuzzy Lanius from my deck to my hand.

And now, I’m going to give Rise Falcon a little boost, with the spell… RAPTOR’S ULTIMATE MACE!

Now his attack get’s a big 1000-point boost, so now it’s you who’s the weaker one, Z-Arc!”

“Ah!” cried Z-Arc.

(Atk: 3600) -----> (Atk: 4600)

Rise Flacon blazed brighter and stronger than before.

“Would you look at that!” cried Pinkie. “Rainbow’s monster is really going to roast Z-Arc alive!”

The other sideliners held onto every single hope they had.

“You’re going down, Z-Arc!” Rainbow hollered, and then she called. “Sunset, if you can hear me, we’re coming to get you.

Rise Falcon… attack Supreme King Z-Arc!”

Her flaming falcon screeched loudly and dove straight for the enemy.

“Sorry to clip your feathers…” sneered Z-Arc “…But I play the trap ATTACK GUIDANCE ARMOR!”

“What the--?”

A large armor-vest appeared and attached itself to Terra’s Master Diamond!

“What’s going on?” Terra asked.

Z-Arc glared at her an explained, “Any monster that is wearing this cursed armor will become the new target of the current attack.”

Terra and Rainbow gasped, and Rise Falcon braked to a halt in mid-flight, then it immediately changed direction and headed for Terra’s monster, much to her horror!

“Look out, Terra!” Kori shouted, but Terra could only brace herself for the big slam about to happen.

“No!!” Rainbow shouted, but even she was unable to stop her own monster!

(Atk: 4600) VS (Atk: 3500)

Master Diamond stood strong to take the hit, and he was easily wiped out, causing Terra to take damage and get burned for it.

Terra LP: 4000 -----> 2900

Rainbow was positively horrified at what had just happened.

Terra was still standing, but she was smoldering from such a flaming hit like that.

The sideliners looked on with horrified expressions of their own.

Z-Arc simply snuffed.

Rainbow stammered nervously, “Terra… I… I…!” she couldn’t find the words she was looking for.

Terra was in shock and horror, not at Rainbow but more at Z-Arc. “He had that trap all the time, and he never used it when I attacked him? He could have saved his dragons.”

Rainbow now just realized this as well, and judging from Z-Arc’s smug face, it was crystal clear. “…You set us up! You tricked us!! You let Terra destroy all your dragons on purpose!”

Z-Arc snickered wickedly. “I admit it, but you also have to admit it was your own cockiness and unstable emotions that made it easier to manipulate you both.”

Sci-Twi gasped, “Of course!”

Everyone gawked at her, wanting an explanation.

“Don’t you see? While Z-Arc could have used that trap during Terra’s turn, he saved it because he knew Rainbow would try and summon a stronger monster, and he’d have nothing left to defend himself with.

…He played on Terra and Rainbow’s emotions and let them think they were winning to distract them so they wouldn’t suspect a thing!”

Terra was starting to feel weak in the knees as she thought, “So, when I took Z-Arc’s dragons down, he was just letting me get away with it on purpose? It wasn’t my dueling skills that were really doing anything, but just me helping set us up?!”

Her confidence was all starting to wither away, and she remembered her last two duels against Gar and Violet, and how she just couldn’t win.

Their insults and their mocking her just echoed in her head, including Z-Arc’s.

“Soon, you’ll be exposed for the failure you are!”

“You’re just a lying, foolish, hypocrite, who will never amount to anything.”

“No wonder Gar shunned you. It’s clear that you are truly worthless!”

…Terra wailed as she fell to her knees clutching her head in shame, hate, fear, and misery!

“Terra!” called Rainbow, “Don’t listen to this creep!” but Terra looked as if she could hardly hear her. Her emotions were just so overwhelming!

Z-Arc only stretched out his arms as he glowed with darkness he had been absorbing from the negativity. “Oh, yes!” he exclaimed. “…Such darkness, such hate! It’s delicious, and every morsel of it makes me bigger and stronger than ever!”

He meant that literally, for while he spoke such evil words, Supreme King Z-Arc was expanding and growing, becoming larger than he was before. So large, that he back away to make room for himself.

“Terra, snap out of it!” Kori yelled at her.

“You can’t give in to the darkness!” added Sci-Twi. “Don’t let Z-Arc get to you like this!”

Dick saw Terra and how she was struggling so hard with herself. “Poor girl… she really got hit hard this time. It’s going to take a lot for her to snap out of it.”

Rainbow couldn’t control her anger and glared furiously at Z-Arc. “You’re going to pay for this!”

“Me… Pay?” teased Z-Arc. “Really, just keep being angry, it’s a nice little mint for me to feed on.”

Rainbow gave an angry grunt. “I’ll place two cards facedown for now, and that ends my turn. Rise Falcon’s attack points go back down again.”

(Atk: 4600) -----> (Atk: 1100)

She then thought, “I’m not letting this creep get away with all this! He’s got worse coming for him when my next turn comes!”

Meanwhile, the darkness around the captives was swirling violently like a hurricane had just hit.

“What’s happening?” asked Spike.

“I don’t know!” replied Twilight. “Something really big must be going on in the Malefic World.”

This made them both worry for their friends outside and wonder what was going to happen to themselves as well as all the captives inside.

Rubeus’ energy reactor was going crazy! It was gathering up so much power, the light was growing too bright for him to be too near it.

“I’ve never seen such intense force!” he bellowed to himself. Despite the vast amounts of power and energy it was giving him, he couldn’t risk an overload, for fear of endangering himself, his castle, or his master plan.

…So, he shut the reactor down, and the brightness faded away to nothing, and all was quiet in the throne room.

He sighed in relief and looked through his magic views. The rifts in the sky were continuously expanding, but it was Z-Arc whom he was more concerned with.

“I knew Z-Arc had been gaining strength and power, but it seems I have clearly underestimated him.”

He had seen how well Z-Arc had been dueling, and all power he was extracting.

“Perhaps I have made a grave error in judgment.” Rubeus felt. “…If so… I may very well have doomed all worlds, including my own!”

“It’s my turn now!” hissed Z-Arc “I draw!”

He had a full hand of eight cards.

“The first card I will activate is the spell POT OF AVARICE, and with it I shall send my three Supreme Dragons back to the Extra Deck, one Darkwurm and Rainbow Kuriboh back to my Main Deck…

…Then I shall draw two more cards, giving me nine in total.”

He grinned wickedly at what he had drawn, which made Rainbow sweat, and Terra quiver.

“And now, I will once again use Supreme King Gate Infinity’s pendulum ability, I will boost my life points by the total attack power of Rise Falcon!

Z-Arc LP: 8700 -----> 9800

Pinkie felt like pulling her hair. “They just keep going up, and up! How will we ever get them down to Zero?!”

Sci-Twi observed Z-Arc’s field. “As long as he has Supreme King Z-Arc and those two gates in play, it’s not looking good for us.”

Z-Arc continued his move.

“I don’t like it when monsters try to hide from me. I prefer they were out in the open for me to strike, so I activate the spell STOP DEFENSE!”

“Oh, no!” cried Terra. “My Crystal’s been turned into Attack Mode!”

(Atk: 2450)

Z-Arc snuffed, “Now that that has been settled, I summon forth the Tuner monster HALLOHALLO!”

(Atk: 800)

“A Tuner?!” cried Terra.

Rainbow cringed angrily, fearing what was coming.

“And next I activate my trap, POWERFUL REBIRTH! This allows me to summon the Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm in my graveyard, but it shall gain 100 attack and defense points plus its level shall increase by 1, making it 5.

Return, my monster!”

(Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 1900)

“And now the stage is set for me to play my spell… HARMONIC SYNCHRO FUSION!

With this, I can take both my monsters and then summon one Synchro and one Fusion monster from my Extra Deck.”

The opponents gasped in total disbelief, as did the sideliners.

“Syncrho and Fusion at the same time?!” exclaimed Kori.

Even Sci-Twi could hardly believe this. “…That’s impossible!”

“No, it’s not!” cried Pinkie “He did the same thing with me. It’s going to happen!”

Z-Arc narrowed his eyes and declared, “First I shall tune Level 3 Hallohallo with Level 5 Darkwurm!”

As this was a proper Synchro Summong, Z-Arc chanted out as the process happened and the monster reformed itself.

“Winds of darkness, billowing along,
comes forth a beast so mighty and strong!

I Synchro Summon… SUPREME KING DRAGON CLEAR WING!”

The mighty dragon had returned and was looking fiercer than ever now that it was properly Synchro Summoned, and it let out a huge roar.

(Atk: 2500)

“Oh, no! It’s back again!” cried Terra.

“And I’m not finished!” bellowed Z-Arc. “Now I use the spell’s second function for my next summoning!

Poisonous fangs and venomous roar,
I summon a creature so vile and more!

I Fusion Summon… SUPREME KING DRAGON STARVING VENOM!”

(Atk: 2800)

The dragon roared and spread its venom-dripping claws.

“You have GOT to be kidding me?!” shouted Rainbow.

The sideliners were complete shocked.

“A double summoning?!” cried Dick. “I’ve never seen anything like it!”

Sci-Twi felt like a scientist having just stumbled upon a huge discovery. “It’s incredible! Just… absolutely… incre--” she couldn’t finish, she was all choked up!

Z-Arc was laughing with wicked glee. “I have even worse news for you… Since Clear Wing was successfully Synchro Summon, all face-up monsters you both control will be annihilated!”

The opponents gasped in horror, as the dragon charged up and gave a huge flap of its wings, sending out a massive gust of wind bound for the opposing fields!

Rainbow quickly reached for her duel disks and hit something just as the winds struck!

Rainbow and Terra barely stood their grounds as the winds blew past them, and even reached the sideliners.

“What a blow!” groaned Pinkie.

Z-Arc was grinning wickedly at what he had done, but as he observed his opponents’ fields. “What’s this…? Your monsters are still standing?! How?”

Even Terra was confused, but Rainbow then revealed, “I’ll tell you why, it’s all thanks to my trap card, XYZ-BLOCK.”

Z-Arc’s eyes widened, and Tera blinked once.

Rainbow explained, “When you activated your Clear Wing’s effect, this trap let Rise Falcon use one of it’s overlay unit, so your effect is negated, and your monster now gets blown to bits!”

“Argh!!” Z-Arc grunted as his Synchro Dragon glowed in burning lights was vanquished.

“Wow!” cried Terra. “Talk about a close call!”

Rainbow looked over at her and gave her a thumb up. “Now, get up, and let’s finish this creep off.”

Finding some of her confidence returning, Terra stood tall and strong, but Z-Arc was far from impressed.

“So, you managed to avoid my dragon’s wrath, big deal!

Have you not learned anything yet? Beat one of my strategies and I have others, like my Starving Venom’s special ability.

It now can copy the effect of any monster in play or in my graveyard, so I’ll just have him absorb my own powers.

The fusion dragon glowed brightly as it absorbed the power of Supreme King Z-Arc.

“This isn’t good!” said Rainbow.

Z-Arc turned and eyed at Terra and her Crystal, which made her shiver nervously.

“…Starving Venom, attack!”

Terra gasped as the huge, hulking dragon powered-up and fired it’s massive blast straight at her Crystal.

“Terra!!” Rainbow shouted.

KAPOW!! The Blast struck hard…

(Atk: 2800) VS (Atk: 2450)

Crystal was wiped out, and Terra was burned with damage which made her scream in pain!

Terra LP: 2900 -----> 2450

She was shaking in her knees trying to maintain her stance.

“Terra!” Dick shouted weakly.

“Oh, my!” peeped Celestia.

“Are you okay?” Rainbow asked, but it was Z-Arc who answered “…Of course she’s not okay. She’s as weak as a helpless pup like she always was.”

Terra cringed with emotional stress at that blow.

“And if you think I’m finished, you are quite mistaken!” sneered Z-Arc. “Starving Venom absorbed my powers, and since it successfully destroyed a monster, I summon one of my dragons from my Extra Deck.

…Return now, Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes!”

(Atk: 2500)

“Not him again!” wailed Rainbow.

Z-Arc snickered, “Oh, yes. Now that he has returned, when my Pendulum monsters attack other monsters, you’ll receive double the damage, and who better to attack your monster than myselkf!

Go, Supreme King Z-Arc!”

The dragon roared and prepared to attack!

Kori panicked, “Rainbow’s life points will be all gone if this attack hits!”

The other sideliners cringed in fear, except for Sci-Twi...

“Rainbow…!!” Terra screamed as the attack got closer and closer!!

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

Harmonic Synchro Fusion has officially been made into a real card (And a very sweet one too)

But at least it was still used in the anime, so I can still use it without violating my card boundary that I set up.

Episode 52: Part 3: Crushed Confidence

EPISODE FIFTY-TWO

“Say goodbye!!” bellowed Z-Arc as his attack soared in, and Rainbow braced herself for the impact!

KAPOW!! A massive explosion which destroyed Rise Falcon. The force was so strong that it blew Rainbow back hard and rocked the entire mountain peak, making the castle shake as well.

Rubeus felt the tremors and covered his eyes from the brightness coming from the magic views.

Even Twilight and Spike felt the darkness give a violent shift.

“Now what?!” cried Spike.

“That felt like a whole mountain just exploded.” said Twilight. She began to fear of what really happened, and if her friends were okay.

“No!! Rainbow!!” shouted Terra.

When the smoke had cleared, Rainbow was flat on her back, covered in dust.

Z-Arc was very pleased at the start, until…

“HA-HA…!!” Rainbow leapt up onto her feet, holding a card up high in the air, and she hadn’t lost a single life point!

Rainbow LP: 4000

“WHAAAAAAAAAAAT…?!!” Thundered Z-Arc. “This is impossible! You shouldn’t still be standing after my attack!”

Rainbow smirked and said, “Yeah? Well, I am still standing, and it was all thanks to my Raptor’s Ultimate Mace!

I knew you wouldn’t be able to resist attacking Rise Falcon, and I was hoping you would.

Since Rise Faclon was equipped with the mace, and your monster was stronger, I was able to add RANK-UP-MAGIC SKIP FORCE to my hand, and in addition to that, I took no damage from the battle!”

Z-Arc growled, and Terra could hardly believe what a quick move Rainbow made.

Pinkie fell over backwards panting heavily. “I can’t… take much… more of these close calls!!”

Sci-Twi gazed on at Rainbow. “She played that out cleverly. She played on Z-Arc’s ego and lust for a strong victory, and Z-Arc didn’t think twice before attacking.”

Rainbow flicked her thumb across her mouth, “Now, I activate my facedown, RANK-UP-MAGIC DOOM DOUBLE FORCE!

It lets me revive Rise Falcon from the graveyard, and then I get use it to summon one Xyz Monster that has double the rank as Rise Falcon has!”

Rise Falcon returned, and then it gave a big screech as it flew up high into the portal in the sky.

“GO, RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!!” Rainbow shouted, and she called out as her monster approached…

“Soaring from high in the sonic breeze,
Comes a creature to win with ease!

I Xyz Summon… RAIDRAPTOR – SATELLITE CANNON FALCON!”

The mighty bird spread out it’s huge wings and thrust out it’s powerful cannon guns as it let out a huge screech!

(Atk: 3000)

The sideliners all gazed in awe at the sight of the monster.

“I am supposed to be frightened?” asked Z-Arc.

“You bet you are!” sneered Rainbow “Especially considering Falcon’s special ability wipes out all spells and traps you have in play, and that includes your two Pendulum Cards!

…Go, Falcon!”

The creature cawed, and fired powerful blasts from its guns, wiping out Z-Arc’s cards!

“Alright!!” cheered Terra.

“Way to go!” cried Kori. “Z-Arc lost his pendulum cards! So, he’s now vulnerable to damage, and he can’t raise his life points anymore.”

The others were all relieved to see this as well, and Pinkie managed to get back up onto her feet with a huge grin on her face.

Z-Arc, however, instead of growling or wailing in outrage, was laughing wickedly!

“Um… did I miss a joke?” asked Rainbow.

Z-Arc then hollered, “You just never learn; getting rid of my cards isn’t as easy as you’d like to think.” That’s when he revealed he had a Supreme King Gate Zero in his hand.

“What the--?!” yelled Rainbow.

“No! How did he get that?” wondered Terra.

Then they both looked at Z-Arc’s field and saw Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm.

(Atk: 1800)

“You see…?” hissed Z-Arc. “While I couldn’t wipe you out, I still destroyed your monster, which enabled me to summon Darkwurm from my Extra Deck, and when he is summoned, I added Gate Zero from my deck to my hand.”

The opponents growled in frustration.

“Hey, don’t look so angry. It’s not my fault that you don’t pay attention very well to your surroundings. Maybe if you did, you’d all learn not to be so careless and fall into such obvious traps…

…But you love to learn your lessons the hard way, just like you Titans did when you destroyed your own city and ruined your lives!”

The Titans all cringed at such a reminder.

“And you foolish Equestrians…” sneered Z-Arc “You stupidly have your heads in the clouds believing that Friendship, Kindness, and Trust is the path to true power, when all it does is blind you to your surroundings!”

Now the Equestrians were feeling upset.

“Shut up!!” shouted Rainbow. “We wouldn’t expect you to know anything about Friendship and things, because you’ve spent so much time in the dark and gaining power to learn it!”

“Oh?” said Z-Arc. “Then why am I all strong and mighty?

I’ve successfully taken over your friend’s body, and she’s forever lost in the darkness!”

Everyone suddenly remembered about Sunset!

Z-Arc snickered, “She’s all hopeless, miserable, and defeated, which is exactly what you all will be soon.

Now, on with this battle!

I may not be able to destroy your Cannon Falcon, but your friend is still defenseless!

Go, Odd-Eyes! Attack Terra directly!”

Odd-Eyes gave out a roar and was ready to wipe out all of Terra’s life points.

(Atk: 2500)

Terra LP: 2450

“Fire!!” shouted Z-Arc, and the attack was launched.

“…I’ll stop you!” yelled Terra “I play the trap, CALL OF THE HAUNTED!”

“Ah!”

“With this, I’ll resummon Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond to block your monster’s attack!”

(Atk: 3400)

Z-Arc was forced to cancel his attack. “You lucked out, this time!”

“Luck had nothing to do with it!” protested Terra. “It all worked out because I’m not willing to let you win and get the better of us.”

She looked over at Rainbow who nodded at her.

Terra then clutched her heart, “I’ve made lots of mistakes in the past, and I can’t stop regretting them, but at least I can work hard to try and make things right again!”

“Ha!” scoffed Z-Arc. “Just because you try to make up does not mean you will be forgiven. You were exiled from your hometown for your crimes, no one cares whether you and your friends live or perish, and what about Gar? Your precious boy toy still wants nothing to do with you!”

Terra stood strong and held herself steady to not let it get to her, but it was so hard knowing what Z-Arc said was seemingly true.

“Well now… Where was I?” hissed Z-Arc. “Ahh, yes…! I was about to show you both up by once again setting the Pendulum Scale with Gate Zero and Gate Infinity!”

The monsters reappeared in the light.

“Not again!” wailed Pinkie.

“Now he’s protected again!” added Kori.

“Oh, I’m more than protected,” insisted Z-Arc “I am unstoppable. Especially since I can use Infinity’s ability to absorb life points by the amount of Cannon Falcon’s attack power!”

Z-Arc LP: 9800 -----> 12, 800

Dick softly pounding the ground with his fist. “How can he just keep boosting his life points like that!”

“There has to be a way to stop him for good.” said Celestia.

Z-Arc chuckled. “If there is, just try it. In the meantime, I’ll lay four cards facedown, and end my turn!

So, go on… show me that I’m wrong. Try and strike me down with more falsehoods of friendship and stupidity!”

“We WILL show you!” shouted Rainbow. “Come on, Terra, you can do it! Get it in gear, girl!”

Terra was still struggling with the tipping balances of her woes and strengths, but she knew she couldn’t give up now, and reached for her deck.

“Now I draw…!”

She pulled out a single card, and she could only hope what she had in mind would help her.

“First, I’ll banish Gem-Knight Ruby from my graveyard to add Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand.

Now I summon GEM-ARMADILLO!”

(Atk: 1700)

“When it’s summoned, I can add GEM-KNIGHT OBSIDIAN to my hand.

Just in time, because I activate GEM-KNIGHT FUSION, and I’ll use it to Fuse Obsidian and Armadillo, so I can fusion summon another GEM-KNIGHT ZIRCONIA!”

(Atk: 2900)

“And since I just sent Obsidian from my hand to the graveyard, his ability let’s me summon Sapphire from the graveyard.”

(Def: 2100)

“But he won’t be around for very long, because I’m going to banish Obsidian from the graveyard to, once again, add Gem-Knight Fusion to my hand, so I can activate it once again!

Zirconia, merge with Sapphire!”

The monsters merged, and Terra called out her chant…

“I summon a creature of earthly waves,
That flushes out all in the path of it’s raves!

I Fusion Summon… GEM-KNIGHT AMETHYST!”

(Atk: 1950)

Her monster stood clutching its weapons, and its dark cape fluttering in the breeze.

“What is the point of this summoning?” Z-Arc asked.

“You really want to know…?” teased Terra. “Well, I’ll show you. I’m going to tribute him right now to use Lady Brilliant Diamond’s ability-- I can summon one “Gem-Knight” from my Extra Deck without worry about any requirements.

So, I now summon… GEM-KNIGHT PRISMAURA!”

(Atk: 2450)

Her monster had appeared, but Z-Arc’s field suddenly began to rumble.

“What’s happening?!” he demanded.

With a smug grin Terra explained, “It’s Amethyst’s special ability; when it’s sent to the graveyard, all your facedown spell and traps will be destroyed!”

Z-Arc gasped.

“How do you like those apples?!” Rainbow taunted.

A large, magical tidal wave of dark water was headed straight for Z-Arc’s field, ready to wash all three face-downs away—back to your hand!

The sideliners all watched with great anticipation…

…But suddenly, the wave faded off into nothing and never struck Z-Arc’s field.

“What happened?” wailed Pinkie. “Why weren’t those cards destroyed?”

Sci-Twi noticed a card that was activated. “Look there…!”

Z-Arc was laughing maniacally, “Nice try, but not good enough, thanks to my spell, CALLED BY THE GRAVE!

This allowed me to banish your Amethyst from the graveyard, thus negating its effect. So, my cards remain untouched.”

Rainbow growled. “Another cheap shot?!”

“And speaking of which…” Z-Arc called “Allow me to re-acquaint you with one of my cards--WALL OF REVEALING LIGHT!”

“No, not that again!” shouted Terra, but the field was already bathed in the magical sparkles like before.

Z-Arc then held out his arms offering up his energy. “I’ll pay up 5000 of life points…”

Z-Arc LP: 12, 800 -----> 7800

“…And now, neither of you shall be able to attack me with any monster that doesn’t exceed that very amount I just paid.”

Terra’s fist quivered. “I won’t let you-- not this time! I’ll take my Gem-Knight Fusion back by banishing Sapphire from the graveyard.

Now that I have it, I can discard it to activate Prismaura’s effect, which destroys your wall!”

The wall was destroyed in a sparkling flash, dispelling the light magic it had cast.

“Looks like you won’t be able to stop us from attacking you now.”

Z-Arc growled, but Rainbow was thinking, “Something’s not right here. That was way too easy. Z-Arc had the Wall all along, and he knew that we knew that.”

Then it dawned on her-- Z-Arc’s one-remaining facedown card! “It’s a setup!”

She was too late to warn Terra, who already engaged her battle phase.

“Lady Brilliant Diamond, attack Odd-Eyes!”

Her lady charged forth.

(Atk: 3400) VS (Atk: 2500)

With one swing from the Lady’s sword, Odd-Eyes was struck down easily, but Z-Arc took no damage as usual.

“And now I’ll get your Darkwurm!” thundered Terra. “Prismaura, attack!”

(Atk: 2450) VS (Atk: 1800)

Another successful attack and destroyed monster, but no success in damaging Z-Arc… who was now laughing.

“What’s so funny?” asked Terra.

Z-Arc glared at her, and his eyes gave an evil glow. “…Just at how pitifully pathetic you are. You may have gotten ride of my monster’s, so I’ll have to return the favor…

I activate the Continuous Trap,SUPREME FACEOFF!”

The sideliners gawked at the card in perplexed, just like the duelists.

“What does that do?” wondered Kori.

“Whatever it is, it can’t be good.” whimpered Pinkie.

Z-Arc snickered and explained, “As long as this card is in play, and I control a “Supreme King” monster, like me… I can make this battle a little more interesting, by having your monster attack again!”

“ATTACK AGAIN?!!” exclaimed the duelists.

Z-Arc then called out, “Now your Prismaura will attack again, and its attack is quite obvious!”

“No!!” Terra shouted, but her monster was out of control and charged straight at Supreme King Z-Arc!

And because it was weaker, it didn’t stand a chance.

(Atk: 2450) VS (Atk: 4000)

Supreme King Z-Arc counter-attacked, and the Gem-Knight was blown into ashes, and the burning waves hurt Terra hard.

Terra LP: 2450 -----> 900

She was knocked on her bottom from the force of the attack!

“Terra!” cried Rainbow. Then she thought angrily, “I knew it! Z-Arc led us straight into this plot! The Wall of Revealing Light was just bait!”

Z-Arc laughed, “That was far too easy, and what is more, since I destroyed a monster, I am, once again able to summon Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm from my deck!”

(Def: 1200)

“And, as you know, I now get to add a Supreme King Gate Infinity to my hand as well!”

Terra didn’t bother to try and get up. She continued to gawk up at the all-powered mad-being and his evil dragon, and how it outsmarted her and now had her completely cornered.

She had no choice but to end her turn.

“Terra…?” Rainbow called over to her, but Terra didn’t respond. She was completely overwhelmed by her fear and woe!

“Poor, Terra!” cried Pinkie.

“It’s no good,” added Sci-Twi “She’s completely lost her confidence. I don’t think she can help herself even if she wants to.”

While Terra just sat there struggling with her thoughts and emotions, Rainbow balked at Z-Arc, “You’re going to pay for this!”

Z-Arc chuckled, “That’s what they all said, and they were all proven to be sorely mistaken.”

“Well, I won’t be! I’ll take you down myself!

It’s my turn…!” she drew a card, giving her four in hand, and then she thought, “There’s only one monster I can play that can get us out of this fix, but first I need to get rid of Z-Arc’s last facedown. I’m not going to let him catch me by surprise!”

“First, I’ll summon RAIDRAPTOR – MIMICRY LANIUS!”

(Atk: 1100)

“And now--”

Before she could finish, Z-Arc cut in, “Just a moment. I have a little card to play as well… MAXX C to be precise.”

Rainbow gasped. “Not that!”

“Oh, no! Not Maxx C?!” cried Celestia.

Everyone remembered when Celestia used that card on Sunset. Now every time Rainbow would special summon monsters, Z-Arc would draw one additional card, and Rainbow was all about special summoning!

Rainbow stood where she was puzzled and nearly dazed, much to Z-Arc’s amusement.

“What are you going to do now? You can’t summon a bunch of your monsters without helping me gain more cards.

Of course, if you don’t do anything, it makes it easier for me to wipe you out next turn anyway.

Either way, you don’t have a chance.”

He burst out laughing manically, which only made Rainbow furious.

She stepped forth, “As I was saying: Since I control a “Raidraptor” I’m allowed to summon Fuzzy Lanius from my hand! Ha!”

(Def: 1500)

Her two birds flapped together, floating side-by-side.

“Hmm, interesting…” Z-Arc hissed as he drew a card, which now gave him two in hand.

“There’s nothing interesting about it.” protested Rainbow. “So, what if I’m about to make you draw a bunch of cards. With the strategy I have, you’ll see that it’s all for nothing!”

“I’d like to see that.”

“Oh, you will, because I now overlay Mimicry Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius in order to build the Overlay Network!”

He two monsters flapped up and soared through the portal forming the new monsters for Rainbow to chant to…

“Strong as wind blows, and gales that rise,
I summon this creature before your eyes!

I Xyz Summon RAIDRAPTOR – FORCE STRIX!”

(Def: 2000)

“And for every other Winged-Beast I have in play, Force Strix will gain 500 extra attack and defense-points!”

(Def: 2000) -----> (Def: 2500)

“Now I’m going to use his ability: By using an overlay unit, I get to add RAIDRAPTOR AVENGE VULTURE to my hand…

But that’s not all…! I can banish Mimicry Lanius from the graveyard… I can add another card with “Raidraptor” in its name from my deck to my hand, and what better than the equip spell… RAIDRAPTOR – EVASION!”

Right now, I have a different spell to play. RANK-UP-MAGIC SKIP FORCE!

Now I can use my Force Strix to Xyz Summon one “Raidraptor” that is two Ranks higher than it is.”

Force Strix flew up high and vanished into the portal with a bright burst of light.

“GO, RANK-UP-XYZ EVOLUTION!

Screeching strong from a burning path,
I summon a creature of fearsome wrath!

I Xyz Summon… RAIDRAPTOR – REVOLUTION FALCON!”

(Atk: 2000)

The mighty bird spread out its wings and gave a mighty battle cry like a fierce bird of war!

Rainbow’s eyes blazed with fire as she felt her confidence as a skilled gamer and athlete flaring up around her like magical aura.

“…If you think I’m finished, you’ve got another thing coming. I now activate RANK-UP-MAGIC ASTRAL FORCE!

With this, I can use Satelite Canon Falcon to summon another Raidraptor that’s also two ranks higher!

Once again… GO, RANK-UP-XYZ EVOLUTION!

“Blazing winds and hurricanes roar,
This mighty creature will stop you and more!

…RAIDRAPTOR – ULTIMATE FALCON!”

(Atk: 3500)

Her large monster gleamed in the shadows and didn’t even let out a caw.

Z-arc glared up at the glowing falcon furiously while the sideliners were gazing in awe.

“I can’t believe Rainbow did all that.” said Kori. “And I call myself an Xyz user?!”

Dick agreed with his wife. “It’s incredible.”

“…But is it enough to beat Z-Arc?” wondered Celestia. “I mean look at his hand.”

Thanks to Maxx C and Rainbow’s multi-summons, Z-Arc had drawn four cards, giving him a full hand of five!

“With what I have planned, he can have a million cards and it won’t do him any good.” thought Rainbow.

She then looked over at Terra, who was still so lost in her distraught and misery that she didn’t even look up to see Rainbow’s entire move.

She heard it all, but she was convinced that it would not hold up against Z-Arc after everything that had happened.

This made Rainbow even more determined to take Z-Arc down and snap Terra out of her funk.

“It’s go-time!” Rainbow declared. “I activate Ultimate Falcon’s ability!”

…While she continued to declare, Z-Arc made a move for his duel disk…!

“…By using one overlay unit, the attack points of all your monsters is reduced by 1000 for the rest of this turn, and that includes Supreme King Z-Arc!”

Z-Arc and Starving Venom both growled and wailed in anger as his monsters were shrouded in glowing aura cast on them by the falcon.

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 1800)

“I don’t believe it!” cried Pinkie. “She actually made Z-Arc weaker!”

The others were all astounded too.

“And now that he’s weaker, it’s the perfect time to attack him!” added Celestia.

Rainbow smirked “And that’s just what I plan to do, especially since thanks to Ultimate Falcon-- Z-Arc isn’t allowed to activate any other card effects for the rest of the turn.”

Z-Arc growled softly.

“But then again,” Rainbow continued “I still have Revolution Falcon. Since it was summoned using an Xyz Monster, in addition to its own effect, it gains this power: It can target one monster and destroy it, and you take damage equal to half its attack power!

Your Darkwurm is history!”

The falcon let out a massive screech towards the dragon.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but that will not work!” hissed Z-Arc. “My Supreme Faceoff trap has another hidden specialty.

Once per turn, any of my “Supreme King” monsters cannot be destroyed in battle or by the effects of cards. So, my Darkwurm stays put!”

Rainbow growled as she watched the falcon’s power fade away, and the dragon just growled at it.

“What? But I thought Ultimate Falcon stopped Z-Arc from playing card effects for the rest of the turn?” asked Pinkie.

Sci-Twi shook her head. “It stops Z-Arc from activating effects, but that effect by Supreme Faceoff is a continuous one. It can’t be blocked.”

“Super!” grumbled Celestia. “But at least it was only once each turn. This gives Rainbow the opening she need.”

Rainbow’s anger suddenly changed into a smug grin. “She’s right. You’re wide open for my attack now Z-Arc. There’s no escape for you this time!”

“Try me!” hissed Z-Arc.

Rainbow and Z-Arc both glared at each other with narrowing eyes.

The sideliners were all numb with anxiety, but Terra still told herself that it wasn’t going to work!

Rainbow entered her battle phase.

“Revolution Falcon, attack Supreme King Z-Arc!”

The Falcon cawed, flared up and began to charge towards the huge dragon!

“And by the way…” Rainbow called “When Revolution Falcon attacks you, it drops all your attack points to zero!”

Z-Arc glowed again, and he roared and wailed, and all his attack points were drained to Zero!

“Whoooooo-hooooo!” Pinkie cried for joy! “Z-Arc has no attack points anymore!”

“This is it!” murmured Kori.

“Come on…!” Dick grumbled anxiously.

The two monsters collided, and………………….

………. Nothing!

“He’s… still standing?!” wailed Rainbow.

“What’s going on?” wondered Kori. “Rainbow was attacking Z-Arc, not his life points!”

“How did Z-Arc even do this?” asked Dick. “I thought he couldn’t play any card effects this turn?”

Sic-Twi then gasped, “Unless…!”

Z-Arc confirmed this, “…Unless I played a card before Ultimate Falcon’s effect carried out.”

“Ah…!”

“You were so certain that both your feathered freaks there would do me in, but what you didn’t count on was my using a trap in chaining to your Falcon’s effect.

…And thanks to WABOKU, my monsters cannot be beaten in battle, even if you have all the falcons in the world!”

WHAMM!! Something inside of Rainbow struck her as hard as Terra felt, and Z-Arc continued to balk, “When will you wake up and realize there is nothing you can throw at me that am I not prepared for?

I can never be beaten!”

Rainbow cringed so hard that she burned up inside. “No! I can’t… believe that…! There must be a way!”

Every so shakily, she managed to place one card facedown leaving only one left in her hand, and her turn was over.

Ultimate Falcon then glowed brightly, casting more light onto Z-Arc’s monsters. Starving Venom lost another 1000 attack points.

(Atk: 1800) ------> (Atk: 800)

“I knew it!” Terra muttered to herself, and she barely managed to look up at Z-Arc. “He really is unstoppable!”

Rainbow was shaking with a mix of anger and shock. “I was close! So very close!” she thought.

The sideliners were all in upset for the duelists. Nobody said a thing… they just kept gawking at the duelists feeling sorry and worried for them.

Z-Arc only huffed. “Now it’s my turn. I draw!”

He had six cards in hand.

“I activate the spell BOOK OF MOON, and I’ll use it to flip myself facedown to defense-mode!”

With that, Z-Arc and his entire dragon faded away as the card flipped facedown.

“What would Z-Arc do that to himself for?” wondered Dick, but then he realized as did the others.

Z-Arc did just so. He flipped himself faceup again and sighed almost heavenly.

(Atk: 4000)

“It feels great to have my strength back, but I’m still not satisfied. Let’s see how I can make things even worse for you both.

I’ll start by boosting my life points with Supreme King Gate Infinity absorbing Lady Brilliant Diamond’s attack strength.”

Z-Arc LP: 7800 -----> 11,200

“This is nuts!” cried Pinkie.

“How many life points can he possibly have?!” groaned Kori.

“Ha!” scoffed Z-Arc “My life points aren’t the main concern. It’s theirs!” he pointed at Rainbow and Terra.

For now, I’ll summon… SUPREME KING DRAGON DARKWURM!”

(Atk: 1800)

“Oh, no!” cried Rainbow.

“Oh, yes…” hissed Z-Arc. “I have two level four Dark Pendulum Monsters, which I now overlay, to once again Xyz Summon my faithful SUPREME KING DRAGON DARK REBELLION!”

(Atk: 2500)

“No! He got his Xyz Dragon back again!” cried Pinkie.

The other sideliners were all cringing with worry.

“And there’s more!” hissed Z-Arc. “My Starving Venom may be weak, but he still has his own ability, which lets him absorb the specialty of my Clear Wing dragon in the graveyard.”

The evil beast absorbed the power and began to glow with Clear Wing’s aura.

“But why just copy it, when we can have the real thing join us, with the help of MONSTER REBORN! Return my Synchro Dragon!”

(Atk: 2500)

With nearly all the dragons now being in play again, Rainbow’s arm felt heavy as she let it flop down in defeat. “I don’t believe it…” she murmured softly. “I just can’t believe this!”

There was nothing-- absolutely nothing she or Terra could do to stop Z-Arc now.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and now… Say “farewell!” You two have had it!” bellowed Z-Arc. Starving Venom, attack Revolution Falcon!”

The weak, but glowing Fusion Dragon soared up and bound straight at Rainbow’s monster, which forced Rainbow’s hand.

“Uh… I-I-I play RAIDRAPTOR -EVASION!” she said fearfully. “Now I… just send an overlay unit from Revolution Falcon back to my hand and negate your dragon’s attack!”

Starving Venom stopped, but Z-Arc only chuckled. “What a shame, your trap stopped one attack, but it won’t stop another.”

He paused and turned his attention towards Terra “I’ll destroy you first!”

Terra looked up, exposing her shameful and fearful eyes. She still couldn’t speak or even get up to run-- not that she had anywhere to run to.

“Dark Rebellion, attack, and use your special ability to steal all of Lady Brilliant Diamond’s attack points!”

One overlay unit vanished, and the power change succeeded…

(Atk: 3400) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5900)

Kori began to rush towards the duel zone.

“Kori!!” Dick called, but he was too weak to run after his wife.

Pinkie then rushed over too.

“Not you too!” called Celestia.

“Attack now!” shouted Z-Arc, and his super powerful dragon blasted Terra’s weak Lady to bits, wiping out all of Terra’s life points in a massive explosion that sent her flying off backwards, right into Kori’s arms with a crash.

“Terra!!” shouted Rainbow.

“That’s one down.” hissed Z-Arc. “Now it’s your turn to fall, and I think I’ll go ahead and use Dark Rebellion’s special ability.

You remember… During the battle, I can send him back to my Extra Deck…”

The dragon vanished before it could finish its attack.

“…And now I get to summon two face-up “Supreme King Dragon” monsters from my Extra Deck.

So now I’ll bring back one of my Darkwurms…”

(Atk: 1800)

“And also, my ever-faithful SUPREME KING DRAGON ODD-EYES!”

(Atk: 2500)

His mighty Pendulum Dragon let out a hard and furious roar, and Z-Arc laughed loudly. “Now that my Odd-Eyes has returned, my Pendulum Monsters can deal you all double the damage when they attack your monsters!”

Rainbow finally gave in to the same crushing emotions that Terra had felt.

“… It really is over.”

The sideliners were all silent, no longer worrying since it was official, but feeling crushed just the same.

“Clear Wing, attack Revolution Falcon!”

The dragon unleashed its fury at Rainbow’s still-weakened monster, but not that attack points mattered…!

Thanks to Clear Wing’s specialty, the Falcon was instantly incinerated, and the burning waves blasted 2000 points away from Rainbow, making her wail and growl in agony!

Rainbow LP: 4000 -----> 2000

“Now it’s my turn…” hissed Z-Arc “Supreme King Z-Arc, destroy Ultimate Falcon!”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 3500)

Rainbow was pushed back hard again…!

Rainbow LP: 2000 -----> 1000

“And now, Supreme King Odd-Eyes, finish her off!!”

Rainbow looked up just as the dragon unleashed its attack right for her, and she would have been slammed hard had Pinkie Pie not leapt in and pulled her out of the way-- just like when Rainbow did for her!

KAPOW!! There was a big explosion. The force sent the girls back hard, and Rainbow still lost the last of her life points.

“Pinkie!” called Kori “Are you alright?”

Pinkie didn’t answer at first, but she was fine despite the crash, and she helped Rainbow up onto her feet.

Rainbow was nearly speechless at her friend, but still upset over the loss to really say anything.

Then she remembered, “Terra!” and she dashed over to Kori.

“Hey, wait up!” Pinkie called.

Terra lay in Kori’s arms, still horribly upset over this failure.

“We couldn’t beat him.” she sobbed. “There was just nothing we could do.”

She sounded like a woman who wanted nothing more than for her life to be ended. She really felt weak, worthless, and given all that happened to her now and prior to all these events, it was pretty much justified.

Kori didn’t know what to say to her, neither did Pinkie, or especially Rainbow.

She turned to look up at the evil beast, who was laughing at everyone.

“Well now… who’s going to be next?” Z-Arc asked. “I’m still very hungry for more victims!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 53: Part 4: Weak Awakening

EPISODE FIFTY-THREE

The rifts were opening wider than ever, finally reaching the grounds of the major cities in the other worlds.

The people still had no idea what it was, but it now became apparent there was nowhere to run or hide from it.

Some of the people were even relenting in curiosity and began to march straight into the darkness itself.

“What is this?”

“Where did it come from?”

“Why is it here?”

“What’s happening to us?”

The people were marching through the darkness almost like mesmerized zombies, and strangely, they were all transparent-- like ghosts.

They didn’t just march along the grounds, but even through the air, passing right by the castle where everyone could see them.

“Either I got hit harder than I thought,” said Rainbow “…Or we’re all really seeing this!”

Everyone else saw the people passing by, and Z-Arc was most amused.

“Already my new subjects are beginning to cross-over into the darkness.”

Pinkie waved at the people passing by and called to them, “Hey! Hello? I’m over here! You-Hoo!”

Z-Arc snickered, “The Malefic World still hasn’t fully taken over yet. These puny humans can neither see nor hear us, but very soon they will be completely consumed, and they will serve me well if they hope to survive.”

Everyone felt sick to hear him say such things.

Z-Arc was envisioning it all. “I will be the single, most powerful ruler any world has to offer, with the largest and deadliest army at my feet.

There won’t be a single soul in this or any other world that would even think of opposing me ever again!”

Dick, Celestia, Terra, and Rainbow were all feeling down in the dumps for failing to stop the evil warmonger.

Kori was trembling with boiling rage. She gently set Terra down, and then stood upright to balk at Z-Arc.

“You can’t do this! I won’t let you!”

“Kori…” Dick called weakly.

Kori then began to march straight towards the Duel Zone where Z-Arc and his forces were still standing strong.

“Wait…!” called Pinkie, but Kori wouldn’t.

“Well, well…” Z-Arc chuckled “You dare stand up to me by yourself? I would say you’re brave, but that would be a lie.”

Kori remained undeterred and looked ready to take on an entire army…

…But the others weren’t keen on letting her duel Z-Arc alone, yet most of them were all beat and tired out.

Terra especially. She was still so lost in defeat and misery that—while her eyes were open-- she couldn’t see anything before, but just darkness and despair.

“Terra?” Pinkie called to her.

No response.

Terra could barely hear her, nor did she have the nerve to speak a single word.

Rainbow, though weary from her beatdown managed to limp over to her and waved her hand in front of her face.

“She’s lost.”

Terra was still able to walk-- like a zombie-- if someone led her along. Rainbow slowly guided her back to Sci-Twi and the others.

“Take it easy now.” Sci-Twi said.

Rainbow sat down letting out a huge and painful sigh, “I never thought it was possible to get hit that hard.”

Terra still said nothing.

“Hey, where’s Pinkie?” asked Sci-Twi.

Everyone blinked wearily, but then turned towards Z-Arc, and they all saw Pinkie standing beside Kori.

Even Kori was surprised.

“Pinkie?” she asked in confusion.

Pinkie never could have looked more serious, and she insisted, “I’m going to duel with you… for Sunset.”

Z-Arc shrugged “Oh, please. We’re going there again? When you will realize… there is no hope for your friend.

She’s lost!

…A prisoner of the darkness within me! Every second she remains there, she’s becoming more and more enveloped, until she eventually becomes part of the eternal darkness herself.”

“No!!” yelled Pinkie. “Sunset’s our friend! She’d never just give up like that!”

“That’s rich coming from you!” scoffed Z-Arc “A while ago, you had all but given up yourself. You finally were starting to realize that your way of dueling with smiles and fun is foolish… just like friendship and believing in your own skills when all seems hopeless.

You’re just a big phony like the rest of your posse.

Only when you embrace the darkness and the power it brings, will be able to attain true greatness!

Just look at me! I’ve already defeated several of your friends, and they couldn’t hold a candle to my might, and the same will happen to the two of you!”

Kori snuffed, “We’ll see about that.” then she turned to face Pinkie. “You sure you’re up for this?”

Pinkie nodded with a small, brave smile.

“All right, let’s do this!”

The two stood ready and drew their cards… and almost immediately, they were shocked and burned by Z-Arc’s life point ruling-- reducing them to half the amount.

Kori LP: 8000 -----> 4000

Pinkie LP: 8000 -----> 4000

The two managed to stay standing, and Kori decided to go first.

“I draw!” she shouted. “And for my first card, it’s SATELLARKNIGHT VEGA!”

(Atk: 1200)

“His appearance allows me to summon another monster from my hand, and I choose SATELLLARKNIGHT PROCYON!”

(Atk: 1300)

“Since Procyon was special summoned, I can send SATELLARKNIGHT CAPELLA from my deck to the graveyard… and I get to draw another card.

Now, I take Level 4 Vega and Procyon and build the Overlay Network!”

The two bright monsters vanished into the portal, and Kori made up a new chant for her emerging monster.

“Reaching from the darkness of space,
A mighty creature lands in this place!

I Xyz Summon DARKTELLARKNIGHT BATLAMYUS!”

(Atk: 2600)

With her monster’s appearance, the entire Duel Zone was shrouded in a veil of shadows, making it darker than ever.

Kori gave a small grin, “As long as this monster is in play, all monsters on the field become Dark Types.”

Z-Arc blinked in confusion. “My monsters are already Dark Types, so what good does summoning that do?” then he gasped and realized “…Unless!”

“…Unless I want to use his special ability!” replied Kori. “By using one overlay unit, and discarding one card from my hand… I can call on another Xyz Monster that’s finally going to put you down for good, Z-Arc!”

Z-Arc growled, while Pinkie was intrigued.

Kori then shouted “GO, RANK-UP-XYZ EVOLUTION!!”

In a huge flash of light, the darkness parted-- much to Z-Arc’s annoyance from the brightness-- and Kori called out…

“The stars that shine, and guide me to right,
I summon a creature to shed all its light!

I Xyz Summon STELLARKNIGHT TRIVERR!”

(Def: 2500)

Pinkie’s smile widened at the sight of the monster, as did the sideliners…

“Perfect…” Dick said with a weak smile. “Z-Arc’s in for it now!”

Kori thrust her arm up high and declared, “When Triverr is successfully Xyz Summoned, all other cards on the field will now be sent back to the player’s hand…

…ALL OF THEM!!”

“AAAAAAAHHH!! IMPOSSIBLE” Z-Arc shouted.

The ground began to rumble, and all the dragons, including Supreme King Z-Arc seemed frightened.

Bight lights appeared below all Z-Arc’s cards. “No! I won’t let you!” he wailed.

“You don’t have a choice!” said Kori. “You’re leaving this field Z-Arc, and once you’re gone, it’ll be that much easier for us to finish you!”

Z-Arc’s features hardened. “You’d like to think that, but it won’t happen, I play the trap LOST WIND!”

“What?!”

“No way!” cried Pinkie.

Z-Arc’s evil grin was showing again "You may rely on the light, but I harness the wind, which will now negate your monster’s effects and cut it’s attack power in half!”

“Oh, no!” cried Kori, but she watched as her monster was struck hard by swirling winds extinguishing its light, and the poor creature sagged down, looking all bent and out of shape.

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1250)

“No!” cried Pinkie. “I thought we actually had him that time!”

Z-Arc laughed “You will never have me cornered! NEVER!!”

Kori was trembling in total disbelief that her plan failed.

“It’s not over yet.” she thought as she gazed down at two other cards in her hand. “Part of me expected Z-Arc would pull a fast one, but I’ve got a couple of things that can still put him down!”

“I’ll place two cards facedown and end my turn.”

The sideliners were all feeling crushed again.

“I can’t believe this!” groaned Rainbow. “It’s like Z-Arc is reading our minds-- like he knows everything we try to throw at him and he’s all prepared for it.”

Sci-Twi nodded, “It’s only logical. He’s controlling Sunset’s body, and Sunset’s watched us all duel before, so it’s natural he’d know all our moves and strategies.

If we could just disconnect him from Sunset, it may help.”

“But how?” asked Celestia “We’ve already tried, but you heard Z-Arc, Sunset’s lost too far in the darkness to be reached, and Z-Arc only grows stronger the more he duels.”

Sci-Twi had already noted this. In fact, since the entire challenge began, she had been observing all Z-Arc’s moves carefully, attempting to learn of any weaknesses that could lead to a defeat.

Now it was Pinkie’s turn, and because Kori’s move failed, and she didn’t know what she was planning, she was starting to feel a little shaky again.

“Poor Kori…” she thought. “She almost got rid of Z-Arc’s cards, but it wasn’t good enough, and now it’s up to me to do it.”

She looked up at Z-Arc, who was snickering like someone who really needed to be smacked down.

Behind him, the parade of people continued to go by, and every second that passed, more and more humans were being sucked into the Malefic World, still unaware of all the horrors happening around them, and that it was all going to get worse in near future.

As Pinkie continued to stare at Z-Arc’s evil face, she suddenly remembered that it wasn’t his face she was looking at, but Sunset’s face. Though it was modified, and eviler, and creepy looking, it was still Sunset!

Suddenly, something strange happened…!

Pinkie was gazing so hard, and so deep and thoughtfully, she was seeing past the darkness of Z-Arc and could see…

“…Sunset?”

It was her! She was kneeling in the darkness with a frozen look of emptiness on her face. She looked so silent, so miserable, so lost.

She then faded away into the blackness, but Pinkie’s eyes were still wide-open to the full truth now.

“WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!!” thundered Z-Arc. “Are you going to duel or just stare at me like some Freak-Show?!”

“Pinkie, what are you doing?” Kori called to her.

…But Pinkie suddenly smiled. “There is still hope!”

“What?” snapped Z-Arc.

Pinkie then explained to Kori and her friends, “I saw her-- Sunset. She’s still in there.”

The others thought she was going crazy, but Pinkie insisted, “If I could see her, that means she can be reached, and the best way to reach her would be to remind her of what’s really important…” she paused. “That we’re her friends, and if there’s one thing that friends have it’s lots, and lots of fun and joy!”

Z-Arc was really growing impatient. “Enough! There is no fun or joy! There is only power, pain, suffering! Only darkness will rule over all!”

Pinkie never lost her smile. “We’ll see about that. Get ready, ‘cause it’s SHOWTIME!!”

Everyone hadn’t seen Pinkie act like this in a long time.

“She’s really doing this now?” Rainbow asked.

“She’s trying to get through to Sunset.” said Celestia. “I just hope it works.”

Pinkie stood tall as if she were bathed under spotlights, and she announced loud and clear. “Ladies and Gentlemen… Duel Fans of all ages! Prepare for what is truly going to be the most spectacular dueling performance ever, and all of this is dedicated to a very special friend, whom I know can hear me.

…This performance is made to help you pick yourself up and re-discover all that you left behind.”

Deep inside, Sunset still didn’t even flicker or make a sound. She just remained as she was, silent and still.

“Here goes…” Pinkie hollered as she drew her card.

“For my opening act: I’ll activate the spell GRACEFUL CHARITY, so I draw three cards and then discard two.

And now, hold onto your seats, because I’m going to set the Pendulum Scale 1 PERFORMAPAL MONKEYBOARD, and Scale 6 PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES SYNCHRON.”

Her two monsters to their positions and waved to the crowds before taking a bow as the pendulum swung in between them.

“And that’s just for starters.” said Pinkie. “Monkeyboard has a little trick of his own to show; one that lets me add PERFORMAPAL WHIM WITCH to my hand, and that’s just what I need to take this show to the next level.”

She then pointed straight up to the swinging pendulum and declared. “I can now summon monsters between levels 2 and 5…

…HERE THEY COME!!”

Two shots of light rained down from up high as her two monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAPAL WHIM WITCH…” (Def: 800)

“PERFORMAPAL PENDULUM SORCERER…” (Def: 600)

The two monsters twirled and tipped their hats in greeting.

Pinkie looked up at Z-Arc hoping to see some sign that Sunset was responding, but nothing was happening other than Z-Arc being fully annoyed.

“Is this it?” he scoffed “Is this your big move? What a waste of time and effort.”

Pinkie never stopped smiling and said, “… Of course it’s not the end. We’re far from the final curtain.

Now watch, as a dazzle you with the help of Pendulum Sorcerer’s special ability: Watch as his magical wonders makes the monsters in my Pendulum Zones disappear.”

The two cards vanished in big puffs!

“And in a flash… I can add two “Performapal” monsters to my hand, I choose PERFORMAPAL GONGATO, and PERFORMAPAL SILVER CLAW…

…And I’ll use them both to reset my Pendulum Scale! Take your places, fellas.”

Once the monsters were set in the light, Pinkie grabbed a single card from her hand.

“And now, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. It’s time for me to introduce the star performer in this show.

Drum roll please…!”

Drummerilla, though he was never played, seemed to magically appear in spirit, pounding on his chest, giving Pinkie just what she asked as the spotlight shone on her.

“With the help of Performapal Whim Witch, she counts as two tributes when I summon a high-level Pendulum monster.

So, farewell witch, and now… please give a warm welcome to PERFORMAPAL LAUGH MAKER!”

(Atk: 2500)

This new monster appeared in a dazzling golden light, with loads of sparkling confetti falling around him as he took a gracious bow.

“Wow! Look at that monster!” murmured Kori.

The light was so luminous, it made Z-Arc groan, but the sideliners all gazed in awe.

“That’s one of the coolest monsters I’ve ever seen Pinkie play.” said Dick.

“But what good is it?” asked Rainbow. “It is strong, but hardly enough to beat all of Z-Arc’s monsters.”

Sci-Twi disagreed and said, “Don’t judge a monster by how it first appears. I see what Pinkie’s doing.”

Pinkie gave her hair a playful flick, but as she looked up at Z-Arc, she still could see no sign that Sunset had even blinked or stirred.

“This is it.” she thought as she gazed down at her hand “I’m counting on this to at least do something for Sunset.”

She grabbed the card she was looking at and held up high.

“Attention, Sunset Shimmer-- our special guest of honor. This next move is, by far, the most inspiring thing I could ever play, because whenever I do… I think of you, me, and all our friends and all the good times we have.”

“Will you just play that blasted card already?!” yelled Z-Arc. “All these speeches are giving me a migraine!”

“Well, someone sure is anxious.” teased Pinkie. “Fine then. I activate the spell SMILE WORLD!”

The magical colors, smiley faces, flowers-- all blossomed all over like sparkling fireworks, much to Z-Arc’s annoyance.

“Stop! Stop it!!” he wailed “I can’t stand the brightness and colors!!”

Kori’s face lit up with all the colors surrounding her. “It’s magical.”

The sideliners all felt the same, except for Terra, who still hardly even flinched.

“Terra, come on! You’ve got to see all this!” Rainbow called her trying to snap her out of it, but to no avail.

The brightness and magic of the card’s effect actually shed a small bit of light on the darkness within Z-Arc…

…Sunset gave a small blink.

“What’s………… going………… on?” she peeped ever so slow and softly.

“Isn’t this just wonderful, folks?” Pinkie hollered. “Thanks to the effects of Smile World, every monster in play will now receive 100 attack points for every monster that are in play.

How many do we have? I have two, Kori has one, and Z-Arc has five—making a total of eight monsters, which means all will now receive 800 attack points.”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 4800)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3300) x3

(Atk: 1800) -----> (Atk: 2600)

(Atk: 1250) -----> (Atk: 2050)

(Atk: 800) -----> (Atk: 1600)

Pinkie then addressed everyone, “Now, you may all be thinking, “Has she gone mad? She just made all the monsters stronger; including Z-Arc’s!”

Well, you’re right, but it was all for good reason.

You see… I have Silver Claw’s pendulum ability, which grants all my “Performapal” monsters 300 extra attack points; like Laugh Maker, and the more points he gets… the more laughs he spreads.”

(Atk: 3300) -----> (Atk: 3600)

Indeed, the monster was glowing brighter than ever, and chuckling like a real happy-go-lucky man, which made Pinkie feel overjoyed.

“And now, watch him work his stuff!

Smile Sorcerer, attack Supreme King Z-Arc!”

“What?!” snapped Z-Arc.

“But he’s still weaker than Z-Arc is!” said Kori.

Pinkie gave a small smirk, “Not for long he isn’t, not when he shows his amazing new trick.

When Smile Sorcerer attacks, he gains 1000 extra attack points for every monster I don’t control whose attack points are higher than their original.”

Z-Arc gasped, “That means, your monster gets even stronger now!”

(Atk: 3300) -----> (Atk: 8300)

“Eighty-three hundred points!!” cried Kori. “That’s incredible!”

The sideliners were all choked up too.

“Pinkie played it perfectly.” said Sci-Twi, “She knew that powering up all the other monsters would give her the boost she needed.”

Smile Sorcerer looked ready to strike!

“Take a bow, Z-Arc; you’re finished!” Pinkie shouted.

Z-Arc only gave a wicked grin. “Are you sure…?”

“Huh?”

“Have you forgotten about my Supreme Faceoff trap? It prevents me from being destroyed in battle!”

“Oh, no!” gasped Pinkie.”

“We completely forgot about that!” added Kori.

The two watched as Laugh Maker collided into Z-Arc-- striking him hard-- but the attack did nothing, and Z-Arc, once again, took no damage!

“What was Pinkie thinking?!” groaned Rainbow. “Why would she attack when Z-Arc always had that trap still in play?”

Dick had a theory, “Either she’s lost it, or that’s just what she wanted to do.”

…That’s when Pinkie was showing off her smile again. “Silly! I knew the trap was always there, and I was ready for it.”

“You what?” snapped Z-Arc.

“Supreme Faceoff only works once per turn, and now’s the perfect time for this performer to pull a trick from under her sleeve…!

From my hand, I play the spell, PENDULUM CLIMAX!”

Kori gazed at the card wondering, “What does that do?”

Pinkie took a bow and replied, “I’m glad that you asked. Pendulum Climax let’s me target a Pendulum Monster I have that battled this turn. Then I tribute Pendulum Sorcerer, and this is where it gets very interesting.

…Just watch!”

Pinkie sent her monster’s card to her Extra Deck, and the spirit of her Pendulum Sorcerer flew straight towards Z-Arc and vanishing into his duel disk.

“What is the meaning of this?” he demanded to know, and almost instantly the sorcerer popped out again holding one of Z-Arc’s monsters. “My Darkwurm!”

The card was tossed over to Pinkie’s field, landing right next to her.

Pinkie gave her a hair another flick. “…That’s the surprise-- I got to take one monster from my opponent’s graveyard that has the same level as Pendulum Sorcerer.

It equips that monster onto Laugh Maker, and Laugh Maker then gains attack points equal to that monster’s attack power!”

(Atk: 8300) -----> (Atk: 10,100)

“Over ten thousand!!” shouted Kori.

“That’s right.” Pinkie gloated, “Oh, and I also saved the best part of it for last; Pendulum Climax allowed Laugh Maker to attack again!”

Z-Arc’s eyes widened in shock.

The sideliners all felt hope was returning, and Pinkie ordered, “Laugh Maker, let’s do this again. Help me set my friend free by attacking Supreme King Z-Arc!”

Laugh Maker rushed towards Z-Arc again, ready for the big strike down…!

“Sorry,” hissed Z-Arc “But now I’ll pull a little trick of my own and play… COMMAND SILENCER!”

“What is that?” wondered Pinkie, but she got her answer when a large tiki-like statue appeared and let off extremely high screech waves, which made the duelists, and the sideliners all cover their ears!

“AAAH!! THAT NOISE!!” shouted Celestia.

“MAKE IT STOP!!” shouted Rainbow.

The sounds finally snapped Terra out of her depression, and she held her ears wailing, “TURN IT OFF!!”

Even Sunset could hear it, but due to being so deep inside of Z-Arc, the sound wasn’t as strong.

She managed to stand up on her feet wondering, “What is going on?”

The noise had ceased, and Z-Arc was feeling very pleased. “Sorry, but thanks to my Command Silencer, your attack was canceled out, putting a stopper in your pathetic performance of smiles and gayly nonsense.”

Pinkie was shocked and appalled.

“I can’t believe it!” cried Kori “He protected himself again!”

Sci-Twi noted this especially from the sidelines-- narrowing her eyes in anger or observance.

“And as a little magic trick of my own…” teased Z-Arc. “…Command Silencer also allows me to draw one card from my deck. So, thank you… for helping me out! You really do put on a great show.”

Pinkie’s smile was gone, replaced with shock and horror that, once again, she failed to bring Z-Arc down.

“What’s the matter?” Z-Arc teased “The pain of failure taking it’s time to show you up for the loser you are?! I told you that all this entertaining and friendship is a waste of time!

You may have acted confident but look where all it got you-- absolutely nowhere! You’ll never rescue your friend, let alone stop me, the great Supreme King Z-Arc! Ruler of all worlds!!”

He laughed loud and strong, which really hurt Pinkie inside.

The sideliners couldn’t stand his laugh even more than the sonic shriek they had just heard, but only Terra understood how Pinkie was probably feeling.

“Z-Arc!” she murmured as she gazed over at him and remembering how she lost to him as well. “…He’s just too much. There’s just no way around him!”

Z-Arc continued to bask in his gloating glory and continued to boast to the two duelists. “Face it, Friendship has failed, and so have you!”

Kori clenched her fist and stood up ready to read him out, but it was Pinkie who beat her to it.

“…NEVER!!” she shouted. “I said I wouldn’t give up on Sunset, and I mean it. I wouldn’t be surprised if something were happening right now thanks to what I just did.”

She didn’t know how right she was…

Sunset was still standing in the darkness with nothing to see around her but long, endless blackness. The slight glow from Pinkie’s card effects had already faded away.

“I thought I saw-- or heard something.” she said to herself. “The last thing I remember, Z-Arc and I were arguing and…”

She finally remembered where she was. “I’m trapped inside Z-Arc!”

Z-Arc felt nothing strange at all, believing that as long as Sunset was trapped inside of him, nothing else mattered. It wasn’t as if she could escape.

Pinkie then looked up at him with hard features, much to his surprise. “Are you still insisting on pushing forth? Part of me really hopes you are.”

Pinkie snuffed and said, “Of course I’m continuing.

I activate SHUFFLE REBORN from my graveyard! By banishing it, and by returning Gongato to my deck, I get to draw one card!”

“And I really hope it’s a good one.”

She drew her card and set it facedown.

“I end my turn, which means Smile World’s effect wears off, and all the monsters’ return to their regular attack strengths, but at least Smile Sorcerer keeps his own powerups.”

(Atk: 4600)

Z-Arc only chuckled. “Even with that power, it won’t help you in the long run.

It’s my turn. I draw!”

Now he had three cards in hand, and he grinned at them.

“I activate the spell NIBELUNG’S TREASURE!This allows me to activate NIBELUNG RINGfrom my Deck, and I can equip it onto your own Xyz Monster!”

A magical ring from out of nowhere fitted itself around the neck of Trivver.

“Hey, what is this?” Kori asked.

Z-Arc glared at her and replied, “It’s simply a two-way gift. Your monster gets a nice nifty ring, around its neck…

…But it does come with a catch.” he paused. “The ring makes it so your monster cannot attack, cannot be tributed, cannot change it’s battle position, or use its effects!”

Kori’s green eyes bulged wide, and she stuttered and stammered in complete shock. “Th-- that’s… I-I-I… You…!”

Pinkie was all choked up herself. “…But then, what’s the big benefit?”

Z-Arc snickered and replied, “It’s simple: Nibelung’s Treasure now let’s me draw five new cards!”

Kori and Pinkie gasped as Z-Arc drew cards, now giving him a total of seven in hand!

The duelists could hardly believe how Z-Arc could keep all this up-- all this defending himself, keeping his cards and options in check-- it was enough to drive them crazy if they didn’t find a way to beat him.

“Now then…” hissed Z-Arc “I activate Supreme King Gate Infinity’s Pendulum ability, so now I gain life points equal to Laugh Maker’s attack points.

It’s a good thing you boosted them up so high.”

Z-Arc LP: 11,200 -----> 15,800

“Would you look at all those life points!!” wailed Rainbow.

“How high can they possibly get?!” growled Dick.

Terra shook her head in shame, misery, and complete loss, but was far too devastated to find anything to say about Z-Arc’s ever-growing strength.

Z-Arc then looked back and forth between his two opponents and stopped at Pinkie’s Laugh Maker.

“It’s time for me to have the last laugh, but before I do, I activate Starving Venom’s ability, so I may once again have it copy the effects of my Clear Wing dragon!”

The two nasty dragons were glowing in the same colored-aura, now Z-Arc had two monsters in which to use on both his opponent.

“Oh, no, you don’t…” Kori thought. “I’ve got a little surprise waiting for you.” and she reached for her tap screen.

Z-Arc then engaged his Battle Phase. “Time to fall…!” Z-Arc hollered, but just as he was about to call out his attack, the entire field began to warp and transform.

“What’s happening?!” he bellowed. “What is all this?!”

Kori gave a smirk, “It’s me putting a huge stopper in your plans, Z-Arc, and it’s all thanks to my trap card, METAVERSE!”

“Whaa-aaat?!”

“Ah…!” Pinkie hollered with glee.

Kori nodded at her and explained, “Metaverse allowed me to take a Field Spell in my deck and automatically activate it, and what better than… XYZ COLISEUM!”

Z-Arc growled furiously, and for good reason.

“This is perfect!” cried Pinkie. “Now only Xyz Monsters are allowed to attack, so Clear Wing and Starving Venom can’t do a thing.”

Kori agreed, “It also means that Supreme King Z-Arc and Odd-Eyes are stuck too. Z-Arc won’t be able to attack us at all this turn.”

“Wrong again…!” sneered Z-Arc. “You may have stopped me from attacking with my other monsters, but I’m about to, once again, slip through your trickery… but using Odd-Eyes’ special ability!”

“Huh?” cried Pinkie.

“It has another ability?!” added Kori.

“It does indeed,” declared Z-Arc “Once, during the Battle Phase, I can return Odd-Eyes to the Extra Deck, and then I am able to summon forth Supreme King Dragon Darkwurm!”

(Atk: 1800)

The two Darkwurms floated together.

“He’s got two of them again!” cried Pinkie.

“No way…” added Kori. “He can’t…! He wouldn’t…!”

“…Can… and Will!” insisted Z-Arc “From my hand, I activate TRAP BOOSTER! Now by sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, I can activate any trap from my hand… and the card I choose is WONDER XYZ! Now I can Overlay my two Darkwurms, and once again I Xyz Summon…

…SUPREME KING DRAGON DARK REBELLION!”

(Atk: 2500)

“I don’t believe this! He Xyz Summoned during battle!” cried Celestia.

“That means he CAN attack now!” added Terra.

“Does this guy EVER run out of options?!” grumbled Dick.

Sci-Twi clenched her fists tight in frustration, but she didn’t say a thing.

Z-Arc gave his long hair a flick. “What do you expect when facing the greatest, most powerful duelist ever?

…And if I’m not mistaken, Xyz Coliseum makes both our Xyz Monsters an additional 200 attack points.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 2700) x2

“Then again, I don’t really need it when I unleash my attack,” shouted Z-Arc. “Go Xyz Dragon… and power yourself up by dropping Triver’s attack to 0, and his attack increases by your monster’s original attack points.!”

(Atk: 1250) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 5200)

Kori gasped in horrors as the mighty beast headed straight for her.

“Kori!!” Dick called.

“She’ll never survive this if it hits!” wailed Sci-Twi.

To Be Continued…

Episode 54: Part 5: Breaking the Damage

EPISODE FIFTY-FOUR

The big blast was heading right for Kori’s monster, ready to wipe both it and Kori out.

Kori braced herself for her impending doom…!

“No!!” called Pinkie “I activate PERFORMAPAL SIGNAL! Now I get to draw one card and it gets sent straight to the graveyard, and if that card just so happens to be a monster, then your attack is negated!”

Z-Arc cringed, and Kori was going crazy hoping for a miracle, but not nearly as much as Pinkie was as she laid her fingers on her next card…

Her teeth were chattering, and she was sweating up a storm as she pulled it out…

…Her smile returned-- just crept across her face like a shooting star.

“I drew PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES DISSOLVER!”

Z-Arc growled as Pinkie discarded, and Dark Rebellion’s attack faded into nothing, sparing Kori from doom, making her sigh in huge relief.

Dick shut his eyes feeling tears of joy coming form behind his mask, but he did his best not to shed them.

“Humph!” grunted Z-Arc and he had no choice but to end his Battle Phase, but as he was about to…

“Just a moment…!” called Kori “I activate the Continuous trap, STERLLAR NOVA WAVE!

As long as this trap remains in play, during either my Main Phase or my opponent’s battle phase, I can summon one “Tellarknight” from my hand…

…I choose SATELLARKNIGHT DENEB!”

(Def: 1000)

“And since he was summoned, he let’s me add another SATELLARKNIGHT VEGA from my deck to my hand!”

Kori then turned to face Pinkie very thankfully.

Z-Arc scoffed, “You must think you’re so clever, well I’ve got news for you… you’re not!

I place one card facedown, and I end my turn. So, Dark Rebellion’s attack shrink back to 2500.

…Now go!”

He really sounded insulted for being blocked the way he was.

“Z-Arc really looks shaken up a bit.” Sci-Twi noted.

“Yeah? Well, it serves him right.” said Rainbow. “It’s about time he knew what it was like to be on the receiving end.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. Look at him. He’s acting a little strange.”

The others couldn’t see it much, but Sci-Twi still had her theory as she thought, “Z-Arc has been dueling for a long time now. Even though he claims it makes him stronger, dueling still really takes it out you.

Then again, maybe there’s something else going on.”

Kori still felt totally relieved that she survived, and now it was her turn, but she was contemplating deeply…

“I may have survived the last round, but Z-Arc is stronger than ever, and even with my Xyz Colosseum, as long as Z-Arc has Dark Rebellion out, that still puts us in danger!”

She looked up at Z-Arc, then at all his fierce dragons. Then she looked down at her deck.

“Well… here’s hoping for something!”

She drew hew next card, and that’s when the ring around her monster shot a small beam of light at her deck.

“What’s happening?”

Z-Arc pointed at her and explained, “It’s just another specialty of Nibelung’s Ring, it allows you to draw one extra card. So, draw again!”

Kori was confused.

“Why would he let you draw more cards?” wondered Pinkie.

Z-Arc had that same evil smirk on his face, which worried the duelists.

Nevertheless, Kori drew again, and at that very second, her card began to glow.

“Uh, oh…” teased Z-Arc. “You just drew a monster, now the effect of Nibelung’s Ring forces you to send one card in your hand to the graveyard!”

“What?!” snapped Kori, but she had no choice, and she tossed a different monster out of her hand. “I have plenty of other cards I can use… like this one…!

I summon SATELLARKNIGHT VEGA that I got last turn!”

(Atk: 1200)

“And by summoning him, I also get to summon SATELLARKNIGHT UNUKALIHAI!”

(Def: 1000)

“When its summoned, I can send TELLARKNIGHT ALTAIR from my deck to the graveyard….

But now…!” she paused while holding up one of her two remaining cards.

“This is the card that’s going to help bring you down, Z-Arc.

…The spell TELLARKNIGHT GENESIS!”

A big glow of light shone from Kori’s field.

“You’re in for it now, Z-Arc! Because with the power of this spell, I can now destroy as many spell and trap cards equal to the number of “Tellarknight” cards other than the spell!”

Z-Arc growled, while Pinkie’s eyes lit up.

“You’ve got four monsters in play. That means you can destroy four cards!”

Kori nodded, “It’s time!” and she thrust her arms out for the attack to commence, and the light swarmed over Z-Arc’s field, making growl and wail angrily as his two Gate cards were destroyed.

“All right!!” Pinkie cheered as she leapt about going, “Take that, Z-Arc! That’s what we do!”

The sideliners were all giddy with glee.

“Finally! Z-Arc lost his Pendulum Cards!” said Rainbow.

Sci-Twi agreed, “Now he can’t protect himself, or raise his life points anymore.”

The dust over Z-Arc’s field had cleared, to reveal Z-Arc was snickering, because Supreme Faceoff was still in play.

“What’s going on?” asked Kori “That card should’ve been destroyed.”

Z-Arc hollered at her, “It wasn’t destroyed thanks to a special card I played called TRAP REBORN!

It may have cost me half of my life points…”

Z-Arc LP: 15,800 -----> 7900

“…But it was worth it, because it allowed me to banish one trap card in the graveyard and then use it’s effects for myself, like the FAKE TRAP which shielded my Supreme Faceoff from being destroyed.”

“Fake Trap?” Pinkie asked in confusion “We didn’t play that card.”

Kori suddenly remembered, “…But Celestia did!”

The sideliners overheard, and Celestia looked down at her deck. “How did Z-Arc get my card?”

“Oh, of course!” cried Sci-Twi. “Don’t you see? This is all one continuous duel-- it just picks up from where the previous duelists left off.”

Dick understood, “That means every card every duelist ever played is still technically in the graveyard, meaning anyone has access to it.”

Rainbow felt like fainting. “That means Z-Arc can help himself to all the cards ever used! GAAA-AAAH! Does this guy ever run out of options?!”

“Well, it’s not all bad.” replied Celestia. “At least Z-Arc’s Pendulum Zone is empty.”

Terra did not feel enthusiastic. “Knowing Z-Arc, it won’t stay empty forever.”

Kori clenched her fist. “I’m still not beaten yet.” she thought. “I still have a chance to deal Z-Arc some damage, and then Pinkie could deal him more on her next turn…” then she looked at her field spell “…Except Pinkie doesn’t have any Xyz Monsters, she won’t be able to attack unless Xyz Coliseum is gone.”

“Do I sense an end of your turn?” asked Z-Arc. “Your monster can’t attack me with Nibelung’s Ring attached to it.”

Kori stomped her foot, “This isn’t the end of anything except you!” she growled. “I have plenty of monsters that I can still use.

I now overlay Level 4 Deneb and Level 4 Unukalihai in order to build the Overlay Network!

Brightness shining from in the sky,
This creature descends from way up high!

I Xyz Summon SATELLARKNIGHT DELETROS!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 2700)

While Kori wasn’t watching, Z-Arc sneakily fiddled with his duel disk, and to keep her distracted he scoffed, “So, you have another Xyz monster now. I doubt his presence will be of any use.”

“That’s where you’re wrong!” insisted Kori. “You remember my dueling style, so you know of his special ability: it lets me use one overlay unit, and then I am able to target one card on the field and destroy it!”

Z-Arc clenched his fist, and Kori set her eyes on Supreme King Clear Wing.

“Say goodbye!” yelled Kori, but instead of the dragon being destroyed, nothing happened.

Instead, Kori’s monster looked pale and its attack was reduced!

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 1550)

Pinkie was confused, until she saw, “Kori, look!”

Z-Arc had activated his Lost Wind card again!

“What?!” cried Kori. “But you already used that before, and you didn’t have anything that could play it.”

Z-Arc waved his finger while clicking his tongue in a taunting manner. “Your observations, like your dueling skills, are incredible dim…

When you Xyz Summoned, I was able to set Lost Wind facedown from my graveyard, and this allowed me to, once again, use its special powers to negate your monster’s effect and cut its original attack power in half.”

Kori couldn’t believe Z-Arc had outsmarted her again!

“Oh, how shameful.” Z-Arc teased, “But if it helps you-- though it doesn’t-- Lost Wind is now banished, so I won’t be using it again.

It still leaves you with nothing left to do against me.”

Rather than fly off into a fit of Rage, Kori smirked. “You did just what I thought you’d do.”

“Huh?”

“I had a feeling you’d try and pull something sneaky like that, so I was ready for it with another strategy.”

“And just what are you talking about?”

“Your ring may hold my monster down, but it can’t stop me from doing this…!” she held up her last card. “I play the spell XYZ GIFT!

Since I have at least two Xyz Monsters, I can use one overlay unit from Triver and Deletros, and draw two more cards.

…I just hope they’re good enough to help me.”

She drew her cards, and her green eyes gave a sparkling shimmer, meaning she got something good.

“I activate the spell RE-XYZ!

It lets me target one Xyz Monster in my graveyard, and then I can Xyz Summon it by using two monsters with the correct levels that also in the grave.

So I’ll Overlay TellarKnight’s Denbeb, and Vega, in order to once again Xyz Summon DARKTELLARKNIGHT BATLAMYUS!”

(Atk: 2600)

Once again, thanks to her monster’s presence, the field was shrouded in dark fog.

“I revived him for a special reason.” said Kori, “It’s so I can use his special ability. I use one overlay unit, and discard the only card I’m holding…

…Which allows me to use Batlymus to summon an even better monster!

GO, RANK-UP-XYZ EVOLUTION!”

The monster rose into the sky, shattering the ring around its neck, and a big burst of light came from the portal as the monster emerged.

Kori chanted to it…

“Powerful bright, and solid and true,
May this cosmic force bring defeat to you!

I Xyz Summon SATELLARKNIGHT CONSTELLAR DIAMOND!”

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 2900)

“ARGH! Not Constellar Diamond!” wailed Z-Arc.

Kori smirked, “I see you remember him. That means you also know about his special power-- that prevents your Dark Monsters from using their special abilities or it will destroy them.”

Z-Arc was furious.

Kori engaged her battle phase. “Let’s see you escape from this one!

Delteros, attack and destroy Supreme King Dragon Starving Venom!”

Despite being weaker, the monster complied and was about to strike down the Fusion Dragon.

“Go ahead, try!” sneered Z-Arc “I still have Supreme Faceoff, and you know it protects my dragon from being destroyed by battle.”

“Perhaps, but without your gates, you’ll finally take some damage!” Kori pointed out.

(Atk: 1550) VS (Atk: 800)

The dragon was struck hard, and it roared in pain, and Z-Arc was given a slight spark of energy drain making him growl softly.

Z-Arc LP: 7900 -----> 7150

The sideliners were astounded.

“She did it!” cried Dick. “Kori actually damaged Z-Arc!”

“Yeah, but it wasn’t really all that much.” said Rainbow.

Z-Arc barely felt a tickle. “That’s it? You went through all that to deal me a paltry 750 points of damage? My life points are still far higher than yours.”

“Not for much longer they won’t be!” said Kori, and she turned her attention towards Dark Rebellion.

“Oh, no!” cried Z-Arc.

Kori grinned and ordered, “Constellar Diamond, attack!”

As the monster charged, Z-Arc realized he couldn’t use Rebellion’s effect, and his Xyz Monster was doomed…

…Or rather it would have been!

“Sorry, but I’m going to have to stop you,” he said as he reached into his hand and revealed one of his cards, “Recognize this?”

“Ah!” cried Kori.

“It’s RAINBOW KURIBOH!” wailed Pinkie.

“Correct!” shouted Z-Arc “And thanks to this little fella, your monster isn’t allowed to attack anymore, which spares My Xyz Monster from destruction.”

Kori shook her head in total disbelief as her monster was immobilized. Now she had two monsters that couldn’t attack, or do much, and she also had two monsters with weak attack points and wide in the open for Z-Arc’s next turn.

“Kori.” Dick murmured very worried for his wife.

With no moves left, Kori had no choice. “I end my turn.”

Z-Arc snickered.

Now it was over to Pinkie, and she was at a huge drawback.

“What am I going to do?” she thought. “I don’t have any Xyz Monsters, so I won’t be able to attack at all, and just when Z-Arc is vulnerable too.”

That’s when she had a mighty thought. “Wait…! He is still vulnerable, even if I don’t attack him.”

She looked at her field, and while she had a couple of good cards in play, it wasn’t good enough.

“It’s all down to what I draw. Whatever it is, it better not let me down.

Here goes…!”

She slowly pulled her card out and peeked at it…!

Then her eyes lit up. “Well, what do you know?”

She then stood in the center with the spotlight shining on her again and put on her show act again.

“Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for Act Two of this astounding performance, and just like before, I dedicate this performance to my friend, Sunset Shimmer!”

“Oh, not this again?” groaned Z-Arc.

Deep inside of him, Sunset swore she heard a faint voice calling her name.

“That sounded like… Pinkie Pie.”

She still couldn’t see a thing in all the darkness around her, and she knew why… She was still doubting herself due to all the trouble Z-Arc had caused using her body and dueling skills.

“So much evil! So much destruction! All my friends getting hurt, and it’s all my fault… because I let all this happen from day one since I accepted those new cards.”

She could feel herself sinking into despair again making her want to go back down on her knees.

As long as she remained weak and Z-Arc strong, things wouldn’t be changing anytime soon.

Pinkie couldn’t see Sunset now, no matter how hard she wanted to, but she still knew what she had to do.

“And now, I’ll set Scale 1 PERFORMAPAL U GO GOLEM into the Pendulum Zone, so my scale is set once again.

This allows me to call upon monsters between levels 2 and 4.

…HERE THEY COME!”

Three shots of light rained down as her monsters appeared.

“PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES SYNCHRON…” (Def: 600)

“PERFORMAPAL WHIM WITCH…” (Def: 800)

“PERFORMAPAL PENDULUM SORCERER…” (Def: 800)

The three monsters stood alongside Laugh Maker, all standing in spotlights, and everyone took a great bow like the performers they were.

“And now that the cast is all here,” Pinkie announced “Let’s get this show going, “I activate Pendulum Sorcerer’s special ability.

Since he was special summon, I get to destroy two cards I control, and I choose Darkwurm and Laugh Maker!”

Kori was most surprised as she saw the monsters vanish. “But Laugh Maker was your strongest monster.”

Pinkie maintained herself and carried on with her show. “It’s sad that I had to see Laugh Maker go, but the nice cherry on top is that I now get to add two “Performapal” monsters from my deck to my hand, and I pick these two…

PERFORMAPAL TRUMP WITCH, and PERFORMAPAL MINITAURUS!”

Now Z-Arc was confused, “What good can adding those two monsters to your hand do you? You can’t even summon them, and even if you could, they are useless anyway.”

That’s when a bright glow of light shined on Pinkie’s field.

“What’s this now?”

Pinkie chuckled, “Oh, silly me. When I said “Cherry on top” I didn’t mean just one, but two. You see, when Laugh Maker is destroyed while his attack points are higher than his original, I get to summon one monster from my graveyard, and who better than… wait for it…

…PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES DISSOLVER!”

(Def: 2600)

“But why stop there when I can do more.

It’s your turn Odd-Eyes Synchron! Show them your style by inviting Minitaurus to join us on stage.”

(Def: 1600)

“Now that our lucky fan has been chosen, it’s time for a little combining, because I tune Level 2 Odd-Eyes Synchron with Level 4 Minitaurus.”

The monsters leapt up high forming the tuning rings and the light orbs, and Pinkie hollered a new chant

“Sparkling and lovely before your eyes,
I summon a creature of great surprise.

I Synchro Summon… METAPHYS HORUS!”

(Atk: 2300)

Her gleaming monster spread its glowing wings out, which bedazzled the sideliners, but Z-Arc only growled angrily. “I remember this annoying creature; because it was summoned using a Pendulum Monster, I now have to give you one of my own monsters.”

Pinkie smirked, “Glad to see you remember. So, which is the luck monster of yours that will be invited to join us?”

Growling, Z-Arc answered, “Take my Synchro Monster!”

Clear Wing flew over to Pinkie’s side of the field.

“Glad you could join us. Of course, It’s not allowed to attack this turn, and it can’t attack anyway because it isn’t an Xyz Monster.

…But hold on to your seats because this show’s about to heat up.”

Z-Arc didn’t know how much more of this he could take as he thought, “How much longer is this nonsense going to continue!”

Pinkie pointed upward, “Since my Pendulum Zone is now empty, I better fill it up, and who better to than PERFORMAPAL TRUMP WITCH!”

The cute little monster took her place in the light and made a playful curtsey.

“Hey there, Trump Witch,” Pinkie called up to her “Why don’t you show the crowd what you do best and help me Fusion Summon without a Fusion Spell!”

Trump Witch raised her little wand up, sprinkling magical shapes and sparkling shapes.

“I now fuse Pendulum Sorcerer with my newly acquired Clear Wing Dragon.”

Z-Arc cringed as he watched his prized Synchro Monster vanish, and Pinkie summoned her next creature.

“Watch and wonder, this monster I cast,
Its mega power will give you a blast!

I Fusion Summon… PERFORMAPAL GATLINGHOUL!”

(Atk: 2900)

Pinkie’s best monster growled as he held up his big gun!

“Oh, no!!” cried Z-Arc

“Oh, yes!” hollered Pinkie, and she raised her arms out. “Ladies and Gentlemen, hope you all love fireworks, because you’re about to see tons of them!

When Gatlingghoul is Fusion Summoned, Z-Arc gets hit with 200 points of damage for every card on the field!”

Sci-Twi calculated the field stats. “…There are fifteen cards in play. That means Z-Arc is going to take a full 3000 points of damage!”

The sideliners would have jumped for joy were they not so weak and tired.

“And that’s not all…” hollered Pinkie “I also have U Go Golem’s Pendulum Effect to use. Since a Fusion Monster was summoned to my field, he let’s me add one “Performapal” in my graveyard to my hand, and I just so happen to have one…

…PERFORMAPAL CHANGERAFFE!”

She never thought she’d have such a fine use for it.

Go Gatlinghoul!” Pinkie shouted, and her monster unleashed his fury, sending powerful shots at Z-Arc that struck him like fireworks, making him scream in anguish!

Z-Arc LP: 7150 -----> 4150

“Ah, yeah! We’re showing off now!” cheered Pinkie. “But Gatlinghoul isn’t finished yet! Now he has his other effect to perform.

Since he was Fusion Summoned using a Pendulum Monster, that means I can now destroy your Supreme King Dragon Dark Rebellion, and you’ll take damage equal to its original attack points!”

“No!!” shouted Z-Arc.

“Go, Gatlinghoul!”

The monster tipped his hat and fired a huge blast from his gun, which struck the Xyz Dragon hard and blew it up in a massive explosion that burned Z-Arc even more as he lost another 2500 points!

Z-Arc LP: 4150 -----> 1650

Inside of him, Sunset could feel tremors like an earthquake rocking her about, snapping her back to her senses once more.

“Hey! What’s going on?!”

She barely managed to keep herself from toppling over.

She wasn’t the only one to feel it…

The Malefic Darkness was going crazy as Z-Arc took damage, and Rubeus could feel the surge. “Amazing!” he exclaimed softly. “Z-Arc has finally been weakened! Perhaps I was mistaken of being mistaken before.”

He left the magic view and walked back towards the inactivate generator snickering, “Perhaps now I can afford to restart things up.”

Using his magic, he restarted the generator to absorb more power.

He could even see more people from the outside worlds entering the Malefic World. They were still transparent and still unaware of their predicament.

Rubeus then looked concerned instead of pleased.

Meanwhile, Twilight and Spike were growing deeply concerned after wandering along the pool of souls, and how the darkness around them continued to stir.

Spike continued to try, fruitlessly, to claw and smash at Rarity’s sphere. Being a soul, he never grew exhausted nor did his claws wear out, but it was just no good.

“Ugh! There’s got to be a way for us to get everyone out of here.” he groaned.

Twilight felt the same as he did. “If we could only have some sign of hope, even a tiny spark of light would do.”

Pinkie was panting heavily, completely unable to believe what she had just done.

“You okay, Pinkie?” asked Kori.

Finally catching her breath, Pinkie gave a soft smile and thumb up.

As for Z-Arc, he recovered from his horrible attack and looked mad enough to bit through solid rock and was panting furiously.

Pinkie couldn’t help but taunt him. “What’s the matter, Z-Arc? Is it too much for you to crack a smile or have some real fun?”

“You!!” Z-Arc bellowed “I promise you… you will soon be regretting what you have done.”

Pinkie could only sigh. “Guess you’re the type that never learns, but hopefully that can change.

It’s a been a great show so far, and now I have one final move to make, and that is to summon PERFORMAPAL CHANGERAFFE!”

(Atk: 100)

“Don’t be fooled by her low-level stat, when she’s summoned to the field, her special ability let’s me target your Starving Venom Dragon over there… and watch what happens.”

The cute little giraffe leapt up in front of the snarling dragon, took a playful bow, and then…

…She began to tap-dance in mid-air.

Z-Arc, Kori, all the sideliners were a bit perplexed by the show, until… the dragon started glowing, and looked as if he were enjoying the little show.

“My dragon!” shouted Z-Arc, and he balked at Pinkie. “What have you done?”

Pinkie grinned and replied, “You got to admit, Changeraffe knows how to entertain a crowd. Even your big, scary dragon can’t help but admire her, and as long as Changeraffe sticks around your dragon can’t attack or use its effects.”

“Ah!” gasped Z-Arc.

Kori’s eyes lit up. “Pinkie! Great move! That means Z-Arc won’t be able to use its special ability next turn!”

Pinkie gave a big bow. “I end my turn. Thank you all for your wonderful support.”

Inside her mind, she was freaking out. “I can’t believe I really did all that!”

The sideliners were all astounded.

“Wow! Pinkie really cut Z-Arc down to size.” said Celesita.

Terra was starting to feel just a little less miserable now, feeling maybe there was some hope to stopping Z-Arc after all.

Suddenly, she noticed, “Hey, look…!”

Everyone then saw the barrier field Z-Arc had placed around the entire area was starting to flicker-- light a dimming lightbulb running out of power.

“Is it getting weaker?” asked Dick.

Sci-Twi was all giddy inside. “I knew it! Z-Arc may gain power when he duels, but now that he’s finally taken damage, his power has weakened as well.”

Rainbow caught on. “It’s like his greatest strength is also his greatest weakness.”

Z-Arc’s anger further confirmed this.

“This is unacceptable!” he growled in thought. “I can’t be defeated! I won’t be defeated, especially not by a band of puny mortals!

I’ve worked too long and hard for my triumph, and no one is going to take it from me!”

Inside of him, Sunset felt dizzy from all the shaking about.

“What was all that about?” she wondered, but she immediately set those wonders aside when something happened before her eyes.

She was starting to see through the darkness as Z-Arc grew weaker. She could see outside; she could see the duel and everything.

“Pinkie? Kori?”

The darkness was still too thick for her to see far beyond where the others were resting by the castle.

“Hey!” she called “Hey out there!”

…But no one could hear her; not so long as Z-Arc was still in control of things, which made it all the more important for him to fall in battle.

Sunset felt so useless, being unable to do anything while she was trapped inside. She had no card, no duel disk, not even any magic or strength to fight the darkness away.

All she could do was stand where she was and observe the duel progress and hope that her friends had it in them to pull through.

To Be Continued…

Episode 55: Part 6: Scientifically Showing

EPISODE FIFTY-FIVE

The one place Z-Arc forgot to shroud with his blockade barrier was the large hole in the wall of the castle, and from inside the opening, someone was watching through the shadows ever since the duel began.

Everyone else was far too distracted to notice.

The scores stood…

Z-Arc LP: 1650

Kori LP: 4000

Pinkie LP: 4000

While Z-Arc was down for the count, the duel still wasn’t over.

The rifts were still opening, and more people and other creatures were entering the Malefic World.

“Look at all this!” cried Rainbow.

Sci-Twi clenched her fists in a mix of anger and concern. “If we don’t finish this duel soon, it might be too late to do anything about it.”

Dick cringed angrily at the thought, “It’s bad enough the Titans and I couldn’t save Jump City—because of our actions-- now this too. We can’t let Z-Arc rule, but we’ve never faced anyone so strong and devious!”

Celestia was looking towards the duel and hoping with all her might that Pinkie and Kori to win.

“Well now…” hissed Z-Arc “I’ve got some serious ground to make,” he paused and balked at his opponents “…As well as a couple of weak and inferior duelists to eliminate!”

“Huuuuuuuuuh?!!” said Pinkie, and she asked while picking her ear in a befuddled “Inferior and Weak?” Uuuummmm… Didn’t I just go ahead and break you to pieces on my last turn?”

Kori didn’t like the way Z-Arc was acting so smug either.

Z-Arc only scoffed, “Ha! Shows what you know…”

He drew his next card, giving him three in hand, and then he revealed one of them. “I activate the spell POT OF GREED, but I’ll also chain it with this… SERIAL SPELL!

When I play a normal spell, by discarding every card in my hand, I can duplicate the effects of that spell. So, now I draw four cards instead of two!”

With his hand now refreshed, Kori and Pinkie felt worried, much to Z-Arc’s delight.

“Now I’ll set two of these cards facedown, and then I’ll play the spell AMAZING PENDULUM!”

“Uh, oh!” gasped Pinkie. “That allows him to add two Pendulum Cards to his hand from the Extra Deck!”

Kori cringed in shocked. “No way!”

“…Way!” Z-Arc hissed as he held up his cards “SUPREME KING GATE ZERO, and SUPREME KING DRAGON ODD-EYES!”

The monsters were placed in the light much to everyone else’s confusion.

“Why did he take out Odd-Eyes?” wondered Dick.

“You’d think he would take Supreme King Gate Infinity.” added Celestia.

Sci-Twi narrowed her eyes. “I get it. It’s because Gate Infinity doesn’t let him Pendulum Summon while he has monsters in play.”

Rainbow took a good look at the scales. “But it’s only a 0 to 4 scale. He can’t summon much with that.”

Z-Arc overheard. “Of course, I can’t, which is why I’m using PENDULUM SHIFT, so I can change Odd-Eyes’ Pendulum Scale from 4 to 10!”

“Oh, no!!” everyone cried in shock.

Z-Arc snickered, and then burst out laughing maniacally. “It’s been a while, but now…

“Back and forth the Pendulum Swings,
And all the monsters now it brings!

…COME FORTH MY MONSTERS!”

Three shots of light rained down as three monsters appeared from the Extra Deck

“SUPREME KING GATE ZERO…” (Def: 0)

“SUPREME KING GATE ININIFTY…” (Atk: 0)

“HALLOHALLO…” (Def: 600)

“His field is all full again!” cried Pinkie.

“It’s okay!” said Kori. “Remember, he can’t attack without an Xyz Monster.” She paused and looked at her Constellar Diamond. “…And as long as I’ve got him in play with plenty of overlay units.

but Z-Arc disagreed, “Not for much longer.”

The duelist sweat nervously at that.

“…From my graveyard I activate the trap WINGS OF MISDIRECTION!”

“What?!” snapped Pinkie. “Where did that card come from. I never saw it played.”

Kori then realized, “He sent it to the graveyard when he played his Trap Booster!”

“Very good…” mocked Z-Arc. “Yes, the trap is in my graveyard, and now, by banishing it, along with my summoned Gate Zero and HalloHallo, I will now give myself an 800 attack-point boost.”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 4800)

As Z-Arc powered his monster up, the ground began to tremble again. Kori and Pinkie did their best to stay standing, and then…

…Every monster and every other card they have in play was shrouded by magical winds, turning them all pale and dim. Changeraffe even stopped her cute little dancing.

“Our cards!” wailed Kori.

“They’re all powered-out!” shouted Pinkie.

“That’s right.” hissed Z-Arc. “For the remainder of this turn, all your cards lose their abilities and they cannot be activated either, which means not only am I allowed to attack again, but my Starving Venom is no longer mesmerized!”

Starving Venom rose high and growled angrily like its old, fearsome self again!

“Oh, boy! He sure looks angry!” whimpered Pinkie.

“I’ll let you worry about him in a moment.” hissed Z-Arc, “Now that all your cards are useless against me, I activate Supreme King Gate Infinity’s ability, which destroys Odd-Eyes and itself!”

The two cards exploded, but then the empty Pendulum Zone glowed brightly.

“…And now, Gate Infinity is placed in my Pendulum Zone once more, which means I can use it to increase my life points by Gatlinghoul’s attack strength!”

Z-Arc LP: 1650 -----> 4550

Rainbow ruffled her hair. “This cannot be happening?!” she growled. “Z-Arc’s making a complete comeback!

He’s boosted his life points…

He’s summoned so many monsters…

He can’t take damage!

…What next?!”

Then she felt ready to kick herself for asking that, because Z-Arc already had something planned.

“I have another spell to play… DOPPELGANGER!”

Sci-Twi gasped in horrors. “No! Not that?!”

“Why? What does that do?” asked Celestia.

Trembling nervously, Sci-Twi answered, “It lets Z-Arc copy one card in the opponent’s graveyard and use its power!”

“…Any card?!” whimpered Terra. “I think I know what he’s going for!”

A cartoonish, yet evil and nasty looking cat-like creature appeared and gave a nasty snicker. Then, without warning it slipped into the ground, and came back with a single card stolen from the graveyard!”

“That card?!” cried Kori “It’s my RE-XYZ!”

“Thank you for letting me use it!” teased Z-Arc. “Now I am able to bring back an old friend, by overlaying two of my Supreme King Dragon Darkwurms in the graveyard…

…Welcome back, SUPREME KING DRAGON DARK REBELLION!”

(Atk: 2500)

Kori and Pinkie were trembling nervously at the sight of the huge, hulking beast.

“And while we’re at it…” chuckled Z-Arc. “Now that Starving Venom is no longer trapped by your miserable performing freak show, he’s free to copy Rebellion Dragon’s special power, and just in time for battle!”

The battle phase was engaged.

“Now I use Starving Venom’s power to send him back to the Extra Deck, and in doing so, I can invite Supreme King Dragon Odd-Eyes to join us on the field!”

(Atk: 2500)

Odd-Eyes roared, and that was the final shot-- Kori and Pinkie knew they were finished!

They both fell to their knees in fear and shame.

“We’ve lost!” cried Kori. “Now that Odd-Eyes is here, we’ll receive double the damage from the pendulum monsters!”

“No!” Pinkie said with a sniffle. “…But we were so close.” She couldn’t fight back her tears anymore. “…Sunset!”

Sunset could still see through the darkness from within Z-Arc.

She pounded her hands on what felt like a solid wall. “No!! PINKIE PIE…!!!”

Pinkie’s ears then gave a soft twitch. “…Sunset?!”

Z-Arc called to his monsters, “Odd-Eyes, take out Performapal Changeraffe, while I destroy Deletros!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 100)

(Atk: 4800) -----> (Atk: 1550)

At double the damage each, Kori and Pinkie were going to be wiped out for sure!

“Kori!!” Dick yelled as he tried to get up and rush down to save his wife, only for him to collapse in his, still, weakened state.

Rainbow was already down while trying to rush over and help Pinkie Pie before she got slammed, but she was still too beat to make it in time.

Sci-Twi was the only one who could do anything, but she couldn’t save both duelists at once.

“I don’t know what to do!” she wailed.

“ATTACK!!” bellowed Z-Arc.

Kori snapped to her senses and bolted up on her feet, realizing the danger she was in. “Pinkie, run!” she shouted.

The dragons fired their power, but Pinkie stood where she was still mesmerized from hearing what sounded like Sunset’s voice calling to her.

Kori quick dashed back and grabbed her by the arm. She pulled her away just as the huge blasts struck, creating huge explosions!

KAPOW!! The force sent the two duelists crashing across the field as their life points were all wiped out!

“NO--------!!!!” Sunset wailed.

Pinkie still swore she could hear the screams, even while crashing about.

“Kori!!” shouted Dick.

“Pinkie!” exclaimed Rainbow.

Sci-Twi finally rushed down to her friends. “Are you both okay?!” she asked desperately.

Kori lay on her stomach panting painfully while Pinkie was flat on her back, she was panting softer and still had a perplexed look on her face.

“There goes another two.” laughed Z-Arc. “Will no one else dare to face me?”

Sci-Twi glared at him furiously.

“Sunset…!” Pinkie murmured groggily. “I… heard… Sunset! She’s inside.”

Sci-Twi blinked in confusion and believed Pinkie was delirious from the wipeout.

She even looked at Z-Arc and she couldn’t see Sunset at all.

While inside, Sunset pounded hard calling to her. “I’m here! I’M HERE!!! HELP ME!!”

It was no good, Sci-Twi heard nothing. Even Pinkie was no longer able to hear Sunset’s calls, not in her weakened and battered state, and yet she still insisted. “We’ve got… to save her…!”

The other sideliners were rapidly losing hope.

“Z-Arc!” growled Celestia. “We’ve got to stop him, somehow.”

“We can’t!” cried Terra. “He’s too strong. We all stood up to him, and he still beat us all. We failed.”

Rainbow crunched a few bits of dirt in her fist trying hard not to admit it herself. “…It can’t be over. It just can’t be!”

“…It’s not!” insisted Sci-Twi. “I’m still standing. I’ll duel!”

“You can’t!” insisted Kori. “You can’t face Z-Arc by yourself. He’ll cream you!”

Her argument was already more than shot down by the fact that everyone else was weak and beaten and could barely stand.

“I’ll be alright.” said Sci-Twi. “I’ve been observing Z-Arc and the way he duels, and I think I just may be able to outwit him.”

Z-Arc, having overheard, scoffed. “Ha! I don’t what’s funnier-- that you think you have it all figured out, or that you wish to face me yourself with no help.

…But if you insist on being foolish, I’ll gladly take you on as the final challenger. Once I defeat you, I’ll have proven conclusively that I am truly the strongest duelist, and that I’ll be ready to take on the princes.”

He paused and motioned to all his monsters, “And once I and my mighty dragons have de-throned the so-called “Rulers” will my reign begin!

Just look around you…!”

He motioned at all the people walking along the air, entering through the rifts. The rifts were now nearing the major cities and about to bring all the buildings and homes into the darkness like Jump City’s remains.

Sci-Twi’s fists quivered, and she balked, “I won’t let it happen!”

Arming herself with Applejack’s duel disk, she stood ready, and then she called out. “Sunset… I don’t know if you can hear me or not, but if you are in there, I want you to know… I’m doing this for you!”

Sunset could hear her.

“Twilight…”

She then thought back to when Sci-Twi was a stranger to everyone-- an odd-ball out, skeptical, and weary about friendship, and so desperate and nervous to learn the truth that she became Midnight Sparkle.

Sci-Twi thought all back to this as well, and how Sunset and the girls helped her to accept the joys of friendship after they saved her from the magic…

…And yet she repaid them all by creating Karle, in attempt to help her defeat Gar in revenge, and in the process, she was mean and pushy to her friends--albeit: against her control-- and put them all in constant danger!

Sci-Twi fought back her tears of shame. “I can never undo what I did, and no matter what good I do, it will never shake off these bad feelings…

…But I’m not going to let it stop me from trying!”

Sunset felt lighter, than she had been since this whole adventure began when Princess Twilight was captured.

“Princess Twilight!” she realized. “That’s right, we’re fighting to save her too.”

Sci-Twi readied the duel disk, drew her cards… and she suffered the shockwaves of the point-halving.

Sci-Twi LP: 8000 -----> 4000

She withstood the burning shocks and maintained her stance. “It’ll take more than that to keep me down!

Now let’s do this!”

She drew her six cards.

“First I’ll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 BUJUN HIRUKO, and Scale 5 LUNALIGHT TIGER!”

As the monsters took their places in the light, the sideliners were ever surprised.

“She’s still got Applejack’s card?” wondered Terra. “She must still be using the deck she had when she beat Karle—with Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy’s cards combined with her own.”

The others remembered Sci-Twi telling them all about this.

Sci-Twi looked up at the swinging pendulum. “It may seem weak, but it’ll work just find for me, I can summon all the level 4 monsters that I need!

“Science is as the Pendulum swings,
The discoveries and forces that it brings.

…Engage Pendulum Summon!”

Two shots of light rained down from above.

“LUNALIGHT BLUE CAT…” (Atk: 1600)

“BUJINGI YAMATO…” (Atk: 1800)

Four cards already played, and already Sci-Twi had three monsters in play.

“What are you thinking playing all those?” Z-Arc laughed, “They all look like they’re ready to take on my dragons like throwing a toothpick at a brick wall.”

Sci-Twi didn’t bother to balk back, and instead smirked. “I’ll show you what I was planning by summoning this… LUNALIGHT WHITE RABBIT!”

(Atk: 800)

“Huh?” said Z-Arc.

Sci-Twi held out her arm. “I use White Rabbit’s special ability, I can send as many spell and trap cards on the field back to the players hands, up to the number of “Lunalight” cards I have in play, and I have three!”

Z-Arc cringed, “So now. I’ll send Hiruko back to my hand, and your two facedown cards!”

White Rabbit bounced up high and unleashed her white waves all over the field.

“Ha! You think it’s that’s simple?” sneered Z-Arc “I activate THREATENING ROAR!”

Sci-Twi growled in sudden shock, and then she was blasted by the airwaves of a loud roaring.

“Oh, no!” groaned Celestia. “Now, she won’t be allowed to attack this turn!”

Rainbow glared at Z-Arc from afar and growled, “…That creep!”

Z-Arc laughed wickedly. “Looks like your so-called “calculations” have let you down. I have you right where I need you, and there’s no way you can outtake me and my dragons now!”

Still grinning, Sci-Twi said, “Don’t be so sure.”

“Huh?”

“I had a feeling you’d try a stunt like that, because all through the duel you’ve been protecting yourself and finding ways to refresh your resources.

…So, naturally, you’d use a trap like that against me.”

Z-Arc was beginning to feel insulted while the sideliners were amazed at how cool and calm Sci-Twi was taking all this.

“Now, for me to continue…” she said. “I overlay Level 4 Blue Cat with Level 4 Yamato, in order to build the Overlay Network!”

As the two monsters went into the portal, Sci-Twi could feel the spirit of Applejack behind her with her hands on her should, leading her all her strength.

Sci-Twi called out Applejack’s chant…

“Basked in the glowing light of day,
There’s a great, grand creature coming my way!

I Xyz Summon BUJINTEI KAGUTSUCHI!”

(Atk: 2500)

The gallant warrior creature stood with it’s armor glistening, and its weapons at the ready.

Sunset saw the card too and remembered, “Applejack…!”

A mix of memories played by, of all the good times they had together at school, working on the farm, horseback riding, and of course there was dueling.

Sunset then remembered how she accidently forced herself to duel Applejack, defeated her, and turned her into card, even though Applejack took it with pride and honor for having a good duel with her friend.

She cringed hard in shame of the bad things, but she remembered how much all her friends were still trying to help save her and the world…

…And she had to do her best to keep believing in them too.

“Now,” hollered Sci-Twi “I activate Kagutsuchi’s ability. By using one overlay unit, I send the top five cards on my deck straight to the graveyard, and for each “Bujin” card that gets sent, his attack rises by 100.”

Sadly, only one of the five cards she sent was a Bujin card --BUJINGI BOAR-- which only raised the monster’s attack to 2600.

“Oh, how tragic.” mocked Z-Arc. “Even had you received the cards you needed you still cannot attack me this turn anyway. Ha!”

Sci-Twi adjusted her glasses and insisted. “You just watch me!

I, activate the spell POT OF GREED, so I draw two more cards.”

She looked down at what she had drawn, and she was very pleased. She thought, “Everything’s going just as I hoped. By observing Z-Arc’s playing style I was able to restack this deck into something I know can’t fail.

…At least I hope it can’t.”

She grabbed one of her cards, “I play one of Applejack’s cards, PAINFUL CHOICE! So now I’ll reveal five cards from my deck, and you pick one of them for me to add to my hand while the rest get sent straight to the graveyard.”

She chose just the cards she needed…

BUJINGI SINYOU…

BUJINGI HARE…

CRYSTAL ROSE…

LUNALIGHT PERFUME…

BREAKTHROUGH SKILL…

Z-Arc looked back and forth at the holo-images shown, and he thought, “She seems to have selected a fine lot, but if she thinks she can outsmart me, she has another thing coming.”

He then pointed at one of the images. “You may keep that one-- Bujingi Hare!”

“Very well…” said Sci-Twi and she sent the remaining cards to her graveyard.

Z-Arc thought to himself, “I know that monster’s power, it prevents her Xyz Monster from being destroyed once per turn, but only while it is in the graveyard, and even still, the damage my monsters can inflict will surely bring about her end.”

Sci-Twi held up her last card. She held it up and her glasses gave a shimmer. “…I now play the spell ONE DAY OF PEACE!”

“What?!” snapped Z-Arc, and much to his annoyance, the field was shrouded in a glow of soft light.

Sci-Twi smiled. “Now we each draw one card, and neither of us can be damaged by anything until the start of my next turn.”

Z-Arc was trembling in shock.

“You see…” Sci-Twi mocked him. “You stopped me from attacking this turn, but come next turn, you won’t be able to do much to me either.

The tables are turning on you, Z-Arc. I will rescue Sunset, and make you regret ever laying a finger on me and my friends!”

The two duelists glared at each other with flames in their eyes-- one duelist was raging, while the other was of determination.

The sideliners could hardly believe this.

“Look at them!” said Celestia. “This round only started and it’s as if they’re already pushing each other to their limits.”

“I’m just relieved,” said Terra. “…At least Twilight can’t take damage next turn.”

“Maybe,” agreed Dick. “But who knows what other things Z-Arc can pull off.

Rainbow clenched more dirt in her hand, while Kori and Pinkie continued to lay on the ground watching with anxiety.

“This has gone on long enough!” bellowed Z-Arc. “You may have bought yourself another turn, but now it’s my draw!”

While Z-Arc had three cards in hand, at that moment just above him, appeared a strong guillotine, which came down on his cards and chopped them.

“Oh, no!” he bellowed.

“Ha!” said Sci-Twi. “You see, Z-Arc. It’s been five turns since you used Card of Demise, which means you lost every card you were holding.

Maybe you should pay attention to your surroundings and happenings more often.”

Z-Arc was outraged while the sideliners only felt a slight bit of relief.

“Well, at least his hand is empty.” said Dick.

“Yeah, but he’s still got his dragons, and they’re way tough.” added Terra.

Z-Arc pointed this out as well. “You may have discarded my hand, but I still have the advantage over you, especially when I use Gate Infinity to power my life points by the amount Kagutsuchi’s attack points.”

Z-Arc LP: 4550 -----> 7150

“Will someone ever stop his life points rising!” groaned Kori.

Pinkie was aggravated too. “And worse, even he takes no damage this turn from anything.”

“Oh, you think too small.” hissed Z-Arc, and then he eyed at Sci-Twi. “I may not be able to damage you, but with my dragons, I will still devastate your pathetic, spineless, excuse of creatures.”

He engaged his Battle Phase.

“First my Odd-Eyes will destroy your White Rabbit!”

The poor little rabbit was roasted to bits by the dragon’s wrath, and while the resulting explosions sped past Sci-Twi, she didn’t take any damage as promised and was not burned at all.

“Now,” yelled Z-Arc “I myself will eliminate Kagutsuchi! Here I come!”

Supreme King Z-Arc prepared to attack.

“No!” shouted Sci-Twi “I use Kagutsuchi’s remaining overlay unit, which protects him from being destroyed!”

The attack struck; the flames were massively intense! The winds from the blast pushed Sci-Twi back, dragging her boots on the dirt, but with no damage, she remained standing.

“Clever!” hissed Z-Arc “But I still have one dragon remaining! Dark Rebellion will now obliterate your monster, especially when it uses an overlay unit to steal all its attack points!”

(Atk: 2600) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5100)

The blast headed straight for the monster, and it was all out of Overlay Units.

“I can’t protect it anymore.” thought Sci-Twi. “Sorry, Applejack.”

The spirit of her friend just continued to smile as if to say, “It ain’t nothing to worry about. I was glad to help.”

KAPOW!! The blast finally knocked Sci-Twi off her feet, but that was about it.

“Are you alright?” Pinkie called to her.

Sci-Twi got back up and nodded softly.

“…For now, you are.” hissed Z-Arc. “Now take your turn. I promise it will be your last!”

“I actually agree with you.” said Sci-Twi. “Before this next turn is done, you’ll be finished for good Z-Arc.”

“Wishful thinking.” Z-Arc scoffed in thought. “If there’s one thing that battling has taught me, always keep something sneaky up your sleeve,” he looked down at his duel disk, “…Or in this case, buried for just such a use.”

Sci-Twi pulled her next card out. “Here goes…!”

She knew what she had to do as she eyed Supreme King Z-Arc. She thought quietly. “Once I bring him down, the rest will be easy pickings.

Without Supreme King Z-Arc, Supreme King Gate Zero won’t be able to shield him from taking damage, and then his other dragons will fall.

I’ve got everything I need to make it happen, and he’s got nothing to defend himself with now.”

She held out her arms. “I activate the effect of Rarity’s CRYSTAL ROSE in the graveyard.”

The spirit of Rarity appeared in her eyes before her and cast her glowing eyes upon the ground.

Sci-Twi smiled at her friend’s spirit, and then she said, “By banishing one Fusion Monster from the graveyard let’s me summon the rose straight to the field, and it’s a darn good thing there are plenty of Fusion Monsters from previous players.”

All of Terra’s and Pinkie’s monsters were buried deep inside, which let Sci-Twi banish Gatlinghoul just for what she needed.

The rose sprouted up with its sparkling glory.

(Def: 500)

“Now that it’s here,” said Sci-Twi “I’ll use its other ability and send MOTZARTA, THE MELODIOUS MAESTRA from my deck to the graveyard, and Crystal Rose then copies her name and form!”

With a sparkling glow, the beautiful rose cast an image of Rarity’s monster up above it.

“Next, I once again set Bujin Hiruko back in the Pendulum Scale, so that I may once again summon as many level 4 monsters as I need.

Engage Pendulum Summon!”

Two shots light hit the field, and her monster appeared.

“SOPRANO THE MELODIOUS SONGSTRESS…” (Atk: 2300)

“BUJINGI HARE…” (Atk: 1700)

The two monsters stood together, gleaming in the light.

“When Soproano is special summoned, I can use her ability to bring this to my hand from the graveyard…

…CANNON THE MELODIOUS DIVA!”

Sci-Twi had sent quite a few cards to her graveyard on her last turn, which was why she was taking such pride in her plan.

“Thanks to Cannon’s ability; since I already have a “Melodious” monster in play, I can summon her instantly!”

(Def: 2000)

“But she won’t be staying too long because I’m using her and Hare to build the overlay network again!

Honest as light, and bright as day,
This creature shall make my enemies pay!

I Xyz Summon… BUJINTEI TSUKUYOMI!”

(Atk: 1800)

The monster stood, glowing as brightly as the daylight.

“And now I’ll use his special ability! By using one overlay unit, and discarding my entire hand to the graveyard, I draw two more cards!”

She drew, and she liked the two cards well. “Nice…!

“Now, I activate LUNALIGHT PERFUME from my graveyard! By banishing it and discarding one card from my hand, I get to add this to my hand… LUNALIGHT BLACKSHEEP!

But it won’t stay in my hand for long, because I now send it straight to the graveyard to activate its power, which lets me add LUNALIGHT WOLF that I just discarded to my hand.”

The sideliners were very impressed.

“Look at her go!” said Rainbow “She’s like a demon dueling.”

Terra agreed. “This is just like when she dueled Karle; she never let anything hold her back, and it helped her to win.”

“I just hope she wins this.” murmured Celestia.

Sci-Twi continued, “Now I use Hiruko’s Pendulum Ability…

By banishing it, I can target Tsukuyomi, and then use it to Xyz Summon a different monster from the Extra Deck, and I know just the one I want.”

The process happened. The monster leapt up high into the portal, and Sci-Twi made up her own chant for the emerging monster…

“A creature comes forth with strength and more,
To grant me power and victory galore!

I Xyz Summon BUJINTEI SUSANOWO.”

(Atk: 2500)

“This can’t be!” cried Z-Arc.

“Oh, it be!” said Sci-Twi. “Planning and strategizing works well with time, but also having good friends to guide you along the way.

Speaking of friends, let me bring out another monster to join the party by using Soprano’s special ability. She let’s me Fusion Summon without a Fusion Spell.

Now, go Soprano and fuse yourself with Crystal Rose!”

The beautiful singer let out a long and beautiful note as the fusion began.

“Harmonious and bright, but filled with rage,
This graceful singer will now take stage!

I Fusion Summon… BLOOM DIVA THE MELODIOUS CHOIR”

(Atk: 1000)

The cute singer appeared in a blooming flower and let her voice ring loud and clear with sensational note.

Sci-Twi smiled brighter than ever in the glow of her friend’s monsters.

Sunset saw it from inside Z-Arc and was ever-so astounded by her dueling.

“I’ve never seen anyone duel like this before, not even me.”

She knew that this had to be the result of Sci-Twi’s determination, and support from some of their friends-- using their cards and all.

“Moving on!” Sci-Twi called “Now I set Lunalight Wolf into the Pendulum Scale!”

Now the scale had two Lunalights in play.

“I activate Lunalight Tiger’s Pendulum Abbility, I can summon one “Lunalight” from the graveyard, but it won’t have its effects.

…I play LUNALIGHT BLUE CAT!”

(Atk: 1600)

“And now I have another card to play…” she held up her last card and slammed it onto her disk, “…I summon FAIRY ARCHER!”

(Atk: 1400)

This was one of Fluttershy’s cards, and the moment it was played did the spirit of Fluttershy appear before Sci-Twi’s eyes, putting all three of them in view at the same time to her.

“Are you finished yet!” groaned Z-Arc. “I’m getting a little tired of this waiting!”

“Sorry to tell you, but I’m not finished by a long shot.” said Sci-Twi. “I now activate the effect of BUTEN from the graveyard, which happens to be another one of Fluttershy’s cards.

By banishing it, it casts a magical glow on my fairy, so it’s now treated as a Tuner Monster!”

“A Tuner?!” yelped Z-Arc.

“That’s right, and now… I tune level 3 Archer with Level 4 Blue Cat!”

Fluttershy’s spirit guided the two monsters through the process, and Sci-Twi called out her chant…

“From a sacred realm, this creature rises,
Her power and wisdom will bring forth surprises!

…I Synchro Summon ANCIENT FAIRY DRAGON.”

(Atk: 2100)

Fluttershy’s dragon let out a mystical roar with her eyes glowing brightly, with her owner’s spirit floating next to her, and all three monsters stood with their owner’s spirits near them.

Z-Arc was astounded, and so were all the sideliners.

“What a play!” cried Pinkie.

“So, astounding!” added Celestia.

Sunset gawked in awe at the sight of it all. “Pendulum… Fusion… Synchro… Xyz…!”

She was feeling her old dueling rush returning to her. She shut her eyes, and she could see…

Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon…

Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon…

Odd-Eyes Meteorburst Dragon…

Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon…

All the dragons of the four summoning powers; each of them glowed in the proper colored aura of each summon form.

She shut her eyes and could feel the dragons trying to reconnect with her-- to give her more strength.

Sci-Twi herself was very astounded by all that she had done, and she still had a few things left to do.

“I may have a lot of monsters in play, but I plan to add one more, and it’s all thanks to Lunalight Wolf’s Pendulum Ability.

Now I can Fusion Summon by banishing monsters from my graveyard, and I know just the ones.

I banish Lunalight Black Sheep and Blue Cat along with… KING OF THE SWAMP!”

“What?!” snapped Z-Arc.

“His effect to substitute still works in the graveyard, and now that he’s taken on the form of LUNALIGHT PANTHER DANCER, he’s going to help me bring out the Big Stuff!”

The three monster spirits appeared and vanished into the darkness, and Sci-Twi called out…

“Sharp as blades, and dark and deep,
I summon this beast to make you weep!

I Fusion Summon, LUNALIGHT LEO DANCER!”

(Atk: 3500)

Her most powerful monster stood tall with her dress fluttering, and her sword sharp and strong.

Nobody-- not Sci-Twi, not Z-Arc, nor any of the sideliners could believe how much more intense this was becoming.

Sci-Twi was panting and sweating horribly while running out of steam.

“Now I banish FUSION SUBSTITUTE from my graveyard!”

“Not more!” sighed Z-Arc. He was starting to wish he had setup a time-limit on turns.

“When Fusion Substitute is banished, I can send one Fusion Monster in the graveyard to my Extra Deck… even if it isn’t my own card. The graveyard is still wide-open.”

She sent one of Terra’s cards away.

“Now I get to draw one card, and I’m really hoping it’s the one I want!”

She looked down at her deck. Her arm was trembling as a mixed result of exhaustion and fear of the next draw.

She slowly laid her fingers on the top card, and slowly pulled it out.

She looked at it, and then gazed fiercely at Z-Arc, which made him blink nervously.

“I now equip the spell MEGAMORPH on Leo Dancer!”

Z-Arc growled while Sci-Twi gloated, “Since my life points are far lower than yours, this spell doubles Leo Dancer’s attack points.”

(Atk: 3500) -----> (Atk: 7000)

“No!!” wailed Z-Arc.

“Seven-thousand points!” cried Pinkie.

“That makes Leo Dancer the most powerful monster in play!” added Kori.

The other sideliners felt this was probably it.

“I think she’s finally going to do it!” said Rainbow.

The others agreed and figured out Sci-Twi’s strategy.

Sci-Twi would attack Supreme King Z-Arc with Susanowo, and by banishing Sinyou from the graveyard, it would gain 4000 attack points-- the same as Z-Arc’s attack strength.

Even if Z-Arc were to use Supreme Faceoff to protect himself, Leo Dancer could attack twice in one turn, and Z-Arc wouldn’t be able to defend himself from an attack from her.

Supreme King Z-Arc would be destroyed, and then Leo Dancer would then use her other effect to destroy all special summoned monsters. Even Dark Rebellion wouldn’t be able to use his summoning power-- all monsters would be wiped out!

Z-Arc would be left wide open, allowing Leo Dancer to attack again, and all of Sci-Twi’s remaining monsters to attack him directly, and without Supreme King Z-Arc, Supreme King Gate Zero would not defend Z-Arc’s life points!

He’d be all wiped out, and the duel would finally be over!

Never had anyone hoped with all their might that this would pull through, all their lives, and the fate of all worlds depended on it.

“It’s time!” Sci-Twi shouted, and she engaged her battle phase.

“We’re coming, Sunset!!”

The monsters all roared and hollered as they charged forth to strike the enemy down.

To Be Continued…

Author's Note

BABY!!!!

Sci-Twi sure had quite the play there. My blood was going WILD with anxiety!

I think that is the most intensive, most-creative, and most astonishing Main Phase One I've made in my entire years of Yugioh writing.

WHEW!!

Episode 56: Final Part: The End of Z-Arc!

EPISODE FIFTY-SIX

“For Sunset!!” Sci-Twi yelled as her monsters lunged forth towards Z-Arc’s roaring dragons.

Everyone watched with the most extreme anxiety!

“ATTACK… NOW!!” shouted Sci-Twi.

Z-Arc let out a loud growl and then, like magic, he was shrouded in an electrical field, blocking the monsters from reaching him.

“Ah!!” gasped Sci-Twi.

“What’s happening?!” cried Kori.

“Why did they stop?” wondered Pinkie.

Z-Arc burst out laughing, “Did you really think that I had no other cards in play, that you could beat me so easily?”

Sci-Twi looked up nervously.

Z-Arc took a single card out from his duel disk, revealing it. “Looks like you made a serious error in all your calculations.”

“That card!!” cried Sci-Twi. “It’s… It’s… ELECTRO-MAGNETIC TURTLE!! NO!!!

The sideliners all gasped in horror.

Inside, Sunset suddenly felt something seriously wrong strike her, dispelling the images of her dragons. “What’s happening?”

One look outside told her everything. “…Oh, No! It can’t be!”

Snickering, Z-Arc explained. “I drew Electromagnetic Turtle when you played One Day of Peace, and then I was forced to discard it because of Card of Demise… just what I needed.

All I had to do was banish him from the graveyard, and-- well… you’re the dueling smarty.”

Sci-Twi was totally livid, stunned, and horribly crushed. “…It ended the battle phase, and my monsters can’t attack!”

“Which means, all your efforts, all your observations, all your planning have severely flopped.” added Z-Arc. “It was amusing to watch you get all powered-up, I’ll admit, but the best part was just now, and seeing you fall miserably, just like the rest of your worthless friends.”

The sideliners all felt that one. It sure hurt, but Sci-Twi felt the most pain, almost to the point of falling to her knees in shame.

“How could this happen?” she thought. “I was so close! I almost had him! How could I be so careless?!!”

“No! Twilight!!” Sunset called as she banged on the solid surface, but still she could not be heard.

“This is bad! Now Z-Arc has a chance to make another comeback!”

Sci-Twi had no choice but to end her turn, and she was still quivering in shock and anguish from her failure to win it all.

“You seem a bit tense.” teased Z-Arc. “Allow me to put you out of your misery!

I draw!”

He pulled out a single card.

“Oh, look. How lucky can one person be? I drew another CARD OF DEMISE!”

Sci-Twi cringed.

“Now I get to draw five new cards, as long as I discard my entire hand after five turns, but this duel is about over anyway.”

He picked up a full fresh hand, much to everyone’s horrors.

“Now then…” he teased “Which of these lovely cards should I unleash?

How about this one… SOUL RELEASE!”

“Ah!!” cried Sci-Twi.

“With this, I am able to banish five cards from either graveyard, so let’s see here…”

He took a good look at Sci-Twi’s graveyard and banished so many cards, including Applejack’s Bujingi Boar, anything to prevent Sci-Twi from trying anything funny to defend herself.

“Now, that that’s been taken care of…” hissed Z-Arc. “Supreme King Gate Infinity will once again boost by life points, and I choose Kagutsuchi’s attack points!”

Z-Arc LP: 7150 -----> 9750

“Now that feels rejuvenating, but I’ll even do more…

I’ll place two cards facedown, and then… I activate the spell DRAGON’S MIRROR!I am now able to banish the two Darkwurms in my graveyard and use them to Fusion Summon!”

“Oh, no!” cried Pinkie.

“Not again!” added Kori.

The spirits of the two monsters up and vanished. Z-Arc laughed and declared, “Welcome back to the field… SUPREME KING DRAGON STARVING VENOM!”

(Atk: 2800)

The dragon let out a venomous roar!

“He got his Fusion Dragon back!” growled Dick.

“What next?!” groaned Rainbow.

“I’ll show you all!” bellowed Z-Arc “I activate the spell PREMATURE BURIAL!

By paying up a mere 800 life points…”

Z-Arc LP: 9750 -----> 8950

“I can now summon one monster from my graveyard and equip this card to it, and I think you all know who the lucky pick will be.”

Nobody had to say a thing, they were able to guess just as the mighty creature appeared and roared.

“…And there it is, once more… SUPREME KING DRAGON CLEAR WING!”

(Atk: 2500)

All five dragons huddled together, each looking fierce and strong, while Sci-Twi felt the same slice in her heart that everyone else felt at this point.

“There’s nothing I can do! I can’t stop them!!”

“Of course, you can’t!” taunted Z-Arc “But they can, and they will… END YOU!! Especially when Starving Venom uses his power to copy your Bloom Diva’s power!”

The poor little singer was struck hard by the dragon’s gaze, and the dragon began to glow with her sanitating light.

Sci-Twi felt her heart completely shattered by that blow, and Z-Arc engaged his battle phase.

“Starving Venom, attack Leo Dancer now!”

Sci-Twi gave one final cringe as the attack engaged.

(Atk: 2800) VS (Atk: 7000)

“Starving Venom now uses the power of your bloom Diva. Though my dragon is clearly weaker, he isn’t destroyed, and you take all the damage I would have.

Surely, a math whiz like you can calculate the difference.”

The difference was 4200, enough to wipe all her life points out!

KAPOW!! The attack struck, and Sci-Twi was pushed back, screaming, in the resulting explosion.

“TWILIGHT…!!!” everyone screamed!

There was poor Sci-Twi, flat on her back, her glasses were knocked off and scratched, and she was covered in dirt and dust.

“No, Twilight!” cried Sunset.

She angrily pounded on the solid surface yelling, “Let me out of here!!”

For all her pounding and shouting, it still did her no good, and she collapsed to her knees with tears in her eyes again.

“This can’t be happening!” she sobbed. “It’s all my fault! I’m so sorry!”

All the duelists felt as crushed as she did.

“We’ve failed!” murmured Dick.

“It’s all over?” questioned Rainbow. “No! No, it can’t be!”

“We tried so hard.” sobbed Terra.

“Now the world… all worlds… are doomed.” added Celestia.

Kori miserably crunched up some dirt in her hand, while Pinkie lay flat on her back with tears in her eyes. “Sunset.”

Sci-Twi felt the most hurt of all as she just lay there in shame and misery while contemplating. “How could I have let this happen? I let everyone down!”

Rubeus saw everything from the magic view, and he shook his head in dismay.

“Z-Arc has won.” he said to himself.

He felt rather ashamed of the duelists.

“They may have tried their best, but in the end, it was all for naught.”

He then walked off to prepare himself for Z-Arc’s impending approach to him.

Z-Arc was laughing manically with his dragons surrounding him. “It’s over!” he gloated. “These puny runts have all proven to be worthless opponents, which I’m sure the rest of those in all the other worlds will be.

The worlds are now mine… all mine to control, to raid, and to rule with power and strength beyond all imagination.”

He prepared to de-activate his duel disk, ending the duel officially… when suddenly… a duel beam fired at him starting up yet another challenge.

“What?!”

The sideliners were all confused, until they all turned and looked up.

There he stood with his overcoat fluttering in the breeze and his duel disk at the ready, and under his face-coverings he had a look of determination and anger in his eyes.

“It’s not over! You’re facing me now.”

“Gar!” cried Terra.

“Him?” asked Rainbow,

The others were all astounded and confused, while Z-Arc was livid.

“You!” he growled. “I had completely forgotten.” then his lips curled into a sinister smirk. “Oh, well. I suppose a bonus round won’t hurt… me anyway.”

Gar was not impressed as he stepped forward. “Look, I may not get what this is all for, and I may not get what you are, but if this is some kind of a sick game to you, then you’re messing with the wrong guy…

…Because I Never Lose!”

Z-Arc growled, but then snickered. “You’ve got quite the attitude-- I like that, but I doubt that you’ll do any better than the rest of your little friends did.”

Gar only scoffed, “Never mind these losers! They couldn’t duel their way out of a paper sack. That’s why they lost to you.”

The others all felt livid at his insult, and before they could respond to him, he glared down, particularly at Sci-Twi.

“Your dueling was abysmal-- mediocre at best!” he paused and looked across at the others “…That goes for all of you!”

“Hey! We tried out best!” protested Rainbow.

Still unimpressed, Gar scoffed, “If that’s your best, it’s no wonder you all had such trouble. You all could have ended up in so much more trouble right from the start.”

Nobody knew what he was talking about.

“When you escaped the dungeons, didn’t you happen to notice how all the halls were seemingly deserted? There were no guards and no servants.

That’s because I crushed them all as I went along my way.”

Everyone gasped softly.

“You beat that many?!” Dick asked in total shock.

In a flashback, it showed Gar effortlessly crashing his way through every single challenge that came his way!

Every duelist that faced him fell in defeat and were turned into cards…

Every trap in the castle, he easily evaded with his excessive gamming and athletic skills…

“I survived all those perils because I keep focused on what needs to be done, unlike the rest of you… still always with “Friendship” and “Devotion” and other stupidity that brought you where you are now!

I’ve been seeing all of you from different areas in the castle, and you all did nothing but make fools of yourselves.

You kept on being challenged by Khaos, Sapphire, and Violet, demanding they reveal information for you.

Why would they bother tell you anything even if you had won your duels?”

Everyone seemed to realize this as if for the first time.

“Yeah, well what about you!” growled Rainbow “You dueled them just the same as we did.”

“Maybe so…” protested Gar, “But unlike like you, I knew what I was doing. Rather than just demanding answers, I kept my wits about me and my eyes open for any clue that could lead me to the solution.

You all don’t seem to realize what a dead-end duel you were fighting.

Even if you had managed to beat Z-Arc in the duel, he won’t go down that easily.”

Sci-Twi gasped in realization. “Of course… Z-Arc can still use Supreme King Z-Arc to manipulate the Malefic Lightning so it will never strike him.”

Everyone had completely perplexed expressions on their faces-- all this time they were so wrapped up in beating Z-Arc, they weren’t thinking of everything and had forgotten important details.

Gar huffed and said, “But where you all flopped, I’ll succeed and take this nut down!”

Z-Arc didn’t know whether to laugh or feel outraged. “You seem so confident. It’s no wonder your reputation exceeds you, but I’d like to see you prove it.

Take your half damage and prove to me!”

Gar’s life points were halved…

Gar LP: 8000 -----> 4000

He remained standing, hardly flinching at all.

“Let’s do this!” he shouted. “I draw…!

And I play POT OF GREED, so I can draw two extra cards.”

The sideliners watched in extreme concern.

“I can’t believe I’m going to say this,” said Rainbow “But I actually hope Gar doesn’t lose this.”

Everyone hoped the same, especially Terra, but not simply for it being the last chance to save Sunset and all the worlds, but she was still thinking for herself. Even after all his insults, insistences, and demanding she stay out of his life, she still had a tiny bit of hope left that they could reconcile their relationship and start over.

…Though that was not likely to happen at all.

“I now engage my battle phase!” said Gar, which confused everyone, even Z-Arc.

“What’s he talking about?” asked Celestia.

“He hasn’t even put a single card into play.” added Rainbow.

Z-Arc laughed hysterically. “Seriously? You call your battle phase and yet you have nothing to battle with? What can you possibly hope to achieve with such a ridiculous ideal?”

Gar remained cool as ever, and he snickered under his coverings, “I’ll show you, as I now end my battle phase…

…Since I have no cards in play, I can activate EVENLY MATCHED!”

“Huh?!” Z-Arc said with wide-eyes.

“What’s that card do?” wondered Pinkie.

Gar explained, “Evenly Matched can only be played at the end of battle phase, and if my opponent controls more cards than I have.

Also, if I have no other cards in play myself, I was able to play it straight from my hand, which makes it even better, because…” he paused and then bellowed at Z-Arc “You are now forced to banish cards on your field until you control the same number of cards as I have!”

“AAAAAAAAHHHH!! IT CAN’T BE!!!!” Z-Arc roared in terror.

Since Gar only had one card in play, Z-Arc would have to banished all but one of his own cards, and he couldn’t stop it this time, not even with his two face-downs, which were only cards designed to protect himself from further attacks and such.

Z-Arc and his dragon let out a huge, angry roar, but Z-Arc was forced to comply and sent nearly everything on his field away so that only Supreme King Z-Arc was left.

This left everyone astounded.

“He did it!” Pinkie said in disbelief. “He actually got rid of all of Z-Arc’s dragons.”

Even Sunset was astounded.

Z-Arc could hardly believe it. “My dragons! All my precious dragons! You’ll pay for this!”

“Oh, yeah!” sneered Gar, “Just you wait, I saved this for next. I’m going to get rid of your Supreme King Z-Arc now… once and for all!”

“You can’t!” snapped Z-Arc. “Even without all my other cards, you have no monsters or cards that can destroy me!”

Gar chuckled, “I said I was going to “Get rid of you.” I didn’t say “Destroy.” There’s more than one way to get rid of a monster, you know.”

Now Z-Arc felt a bit worried, and Gar finally revealed a single card in his hand. “That… That monster! It can’t be!!”

“It is…” replied Gar. “It’s a special creature called VOLCANIC QUEEN, and I must summon her on your side of the field by tributing one monster you control… that means your Supreme King Z-Arc!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!” Z-Arc wailed as he felt the tribute force shrouding him.

His dragon roared in anguish as it faded away into the darkness. “You can’t! You won’t destroy my most-powerful form!!”

When all was done, Supreme King Z-Arc was gone, forcing Z-Arc to revert to his ordinary human shape on the ground.

Gar could only remark at him, “…I just did.”

The sideliners were totally astounded.

“So not only did he get rid of the dragons, but he also brought down Supreme King Z-Arc?” squealed Pinkie.

“Absolutely incredible!” admitted Sci-Twi.

Gar ignored their comments.

“I’ll place three cards facedown, and that ends my turn.”

Inside, the darkness was starting to weaken, and Sunset was able to see a lot more clearly through the viewpoint.

“Whoa!” she exclaimed. “I guess now that Supreme King Z-Arc is gone, the darkness isn’t as deadly anymore.”

Pinkie tilted her head up, looked straight at Z-Arc-- right at his chest and swore she could see. “Sunset?” and she called to all the others. “Look! It’s Sunset!”

The others looked on…

“I can see her!” cried Kori.

“So can I!” hollered Rainbow.

Sunset waved to everyone and shouted with all her might, but she still could not be heard.

“Idiots!” Z-Arc bellowed as he covered his chest with his coat. “There is nothing you can do to get her back.”

“Just you wait!” balked Celestia. “We will get our friend back.”

Terra agreed, “Gar’s going to take you down, and then we’ll--” she stopped when Gar turned his head to face everyone, as if he were glaring at them furiously-- which he was.

“I’m not doing this for you, or for Sunset.” He motioned at the hoards of transparent people, “…I’m certainly not doing it for any of them either!

I’m only doing this so I can hurry up and get out of this world.”

Though Sunset could not be heard, she was able to hear outside the view, and she still could not believe how horrid Gar was acting, but then again, she remembered his reasons why.

“Gar, how can you still act like this?” asked Dick. “Can’t you just put your hate aside for even one moment. The worlds and all the people are in danger, and all you can think about is yourself?!”

Gar scoffed, “That’s rich coming from you, Grayson. You and the other Titans always told me to think of others, and that’s what I tried to do every day, and how did you repay me for it?

You treated me like dirt, just like everyone else…

You didn’t care whether I did anything right or wrong, just like everyone else…

…And just like everyone else in the world, you all kept taking from me the things I held dear--always robbing me of my dreams, my hopes, and smashing my feelings to pieces just to further benefit yourselves without any care about how I may feel.”

He then glared over at Terra, and she could feel his angry stare behind his covers throw a chill up her spine.

“…You especially know this, Terra-- you and your whole “Things Change” stunt!”

Terra felt upset.

“And then things went too far when the Titans teamed up with greedy grabbers and doomed the city, despite my warnings and just trying to help people avoid danger! At least had some sense to leave before it happened.”

The Titans all felt a mix of guilt, anger, and aggravation, with Gar’s constant insults, no matter how true they were.

“But can’t you see?” Rainbow called to him “Can’t you see that all worlds are in danger now because of all this?”

“Duh!” sneered Gar “I have eyes, I can see things, but that still doesn’t change things between us. I’m not dueling directly for the sake of the people, and it wouldn’t matter if I was.

What matters most is defeating Z-Arc. If I somehow help to save the worlds… Whatever!”

“Oh, Gar…!” Terra peeped miserably under her breath.

Z-Arc scoffed. “Not so sorry to rain on your little speech, but you haven’t won just yet, and it’s my turn!”

He drew his card. “Since I have no other cards in my hand, I activate AURORA DRAW,and draw two new cards.”

Both his draws were not that useful.

But it was completely worthless. “What can I do now? I’ve lost everything I have! All my precious dragons are gone.” he said in thought, and then he looked at the Volcano Queen, and her high attack points.

(Atk: 2500)

“I suppose I could attack with her, but because he willingly gave me this monster, he must want me to.” He paused. “Yes, I’m certain those three facedown cards are traps set out to stop me!

But then again, if I don’t do something, the longer I hold onto Volcanic Queen, the worse it is. For every turn I fail to tribute a monster, I’ll suffer 1000 points of damage!

That’s it, I’m going for it!”

He called to Gar. “I’ll place one card facedown, and now… and…” he paused “I’ll activate RUSH RECKLESSLY, which will boost the Volcanic Queen’s attack by 700 points for this turn!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3200)

“You will now regret having given me this card. Volcanic Queen, direct attack!”

The queen complied and she unleashed a barrage of fire waves at Gar…

…And he did nothing at all to stop them. He just took the hit, painfully, but he still stood standing.

Gar LP: 4000 -----> 800

“What?!” snapped Z-Arc. “You didn’t stop the attack?!”

Gar said nothing, nor gave any expression other his calm and unimpressed sneer.

The sideliners were just as confused as well.

“Well?” said Gar. “Are you finished yet?”

Z-Arc growled, feeling insulted. “I end my turn, and since I have no monsters to tribute, I’ll take 1000 points of damage!”

Volcanic Queen turned to face him, and her blazing eyes, ready to cast him a small veil of flames.

“A mere 1000 points of damage will not hurt me.”

“Oh, I’m afraid you’ll be taking more than that!” sneered Gar.

“What?”

“I activate the trap LIFE EQUALIZER!”

“Oh, no!”

“Since your life points are more than 8000 points higher than mine, both our life points now become 3000!”

Z-Arc LP: 8950 -----> 3000

Gar LP: 800 -----> 3000

Z-Arc wailed in humiliation and outrage.

This huge loss of points made the battier fade off even more, and inside of him, Sunset could see even more clearly.

“Z-Arc… he’s getting weaker!”

Sci-Twi noted this as well. “He’s been dueling too much. The more damage he takes, the weaker he gets.”

Gar snickered, “And like you said: Volcanic Queen is about to burn you with another 1000 points of damage!”

The queen unleashed her fiery wrath, shrouding Z-Arc in flames, which really hurt him to due to his weakened state.

Z-Arc LP: 3000 -----> 2000

Sunset felt nothing while trapped inside, but the darkness around her was weakening even more.

The solid surface she pounded out before was starting to feel softer, like she could push her way through it.

“No!” Z-Arc bellowed as he could feel her starting to break free. “I won’t let you escape me!”

He did everything he could to pour on more power to keep her trapped within him.

“Come on, Sunset! Fight it!” Rainbow called to her.

“Don’t let him overpower you!” added Celestia.

Gar, not caring much for all the drama, bellowed. “It’s all over for you now, Z-Arc.”

He drew his card.

“I summon DARKLORE NURSE REFICULE!”

(Atk: 1400)

“As long as she remains in play, any attempt for you to regain life points will change so that you take damage instead.

Just the thing for me to activate this trap… THE PATHS OF DESTINY!”

“AAAAAAAAHHH… IT CAN’T BE!!” shouted Z-Arc.

“Ah! Of course!” cried Sci-Twi. “Z-Arc’s history!”

“What are you talking about?” asked Pinkie.

Sci-Twi explained. “The Paths of Destiny forces each player to flip a coin. If it lands “Heads” that player gains 2000 life points, but if it’s “Tails” they lose 2000 points.”

Everyone began to realize…

“Gar just said his monster makes it so gaining life points turns into damage instead.” said Kori. “That means Z-Arc can’t win either Heads or Tails.”

“…With only 2000 life points remaining…” added Dick. “…He’s history!”

Everyone’s faces bustled with joy at the impending fall of the evil warrior, until Z-Arc shouted “…It’s not over! I won’t let this happen! I play my trap, BARREL BEHIND THE DOOR!”

“Ah!” growled Gar. “That card makes all the effect damage go back to me!”

Z-Arc smirked “Glad to see you realize that. Looks like your plan to defeat me is about to go up in flames.”

“No, it won’t! snapped Gar. “I’m a skilled gamer, so I can’t lose this coin toss.”

Both he and Z-Arc tossed their magic coins that appeared before them. They both landed heads, which mean Gar would gain 2000 life points, but thanks to Z-Arc he lost the same amount, so his points remained at 3000.

“No!” cried Terra. “Z-Arc’s still in this duel!”

“He almost had him!” added Celestia.

Gar, rather than bewailing his loss, was laughing softly. “…I still have him beat!”

“Excuse me?!” snapped Z-Arc.

“I knew you probably had something that would try to negate me, you always seem to have something up your sleeve, but so have I.

I activate the trap REMOVE BRAINWASHING!”

“No!!” shouted Z-Arc.

“Since Volcanic Queen originally belonged to me, this trap brings her over to my side of the field and leaving you completely defenseless!

She may have lost the 700 points you gave her earlier, but she still has more than enough points to wipe you out and end this duel for good!"

(Atk: 2500)

"Go, Volcanic Queen, attack his life points directly!”

The queen complied and leapt up into the air, ready to come crashing down in a flaming stream of destruction.

“Come on, Gar!” Terra hoped.

Sunset only continued to push herself against the weakening darkness in attempt to break free.

“…Sorry, not going to happen!” bellowed Z-Arc. “From my graveyard I activate the trap SPIRITUAL SWORDS OF REVEALING LIGHT!”

“Ah!” gasped Gar.

“When I banish this trap, it prevents your monsters from making any direct attacks this turn, so even your queen is forced to stop in her royal tracks!”

The queen crashed right into a magical wall of light which prevented her from going any further, and she was forced to stand down, much to Gar’s anger.

“Hey, no fair!” complained Rainbow. “Where did he get that trap from? I never saw him use it.”

Sci-Twi concluded, “Card of Demise…! Z-Arc was holding three cards when he was forced to discard to the graveyard.”

Z-Arc snickered. “I find it so amazing when you all think you have me cornered, when you haven’t at all.”

Then he mocked Gar, “And you, a so-called dueling champion-- even with all your skills, you were unable to beat me anymore than your precious friends were.

You’re just a big a failure as they all are!”

Gar’s fist trembled.

The others could hardly believe this at all!

“Even Gar couldn’t beat him.” cried Terra. “It really is hopeless.”

Everyone else was inclined to agree, but Gar thought differently…

“It’s not over yet.” He paused and gazed down at the two cards in his hand. “I was hoping it wouldn’t have to come to this, but it looks like I may not have any other choice.”

He flicked his coat, showing he had no intention to give up.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and… Since I now control Volcanic Queen, I can tribute my Darklord Nurse, and my queen now deals you 1000 points of damage!”

Z-Arc growled, and then he roared as he was painfully burned in the flames.

Z-Arc LP: 2000 -----> 1000

His duel barrier had nearly dispelled entirely, and Sunset continued to fight her way out from the inside.

“Z-Arc only has 1000 life points left.” said Pinkie.

“I can’t believe how close Gar was to beating him.” added Kori.

Close was not close enough. Everyone felt their hopes about to dashed again.

“It’s my turn now.” hissed Z-Arc and he drew his card. “I must admit, despite your impending doom, you did put up a far better struggle than any of the others did…

…But now, it all ends here. I activate MAGICIAN MANIPULATION!

This spell can only be played if it is the only card I hold, and then I am able to draw one card for every card you have in play.”

Gar let out a small growl.

“I see that you currently have three cards in play, which means I draw three cards from my deck.”

He chuckled at what he had drawn, “And now your ultimate end is nigh. Behold the cards I have drawn.”

He revealed his entire hand…

MIRACLE DIG…

BATTLE FUSION…

CHRONOGRAPH SORCERER…

Gar recognized the first two spells, and he knew what they did, but the last card, “…I’ve never seen that monster before.”

None of the others had either, not even Sci-Twi. This suggested that it was another super, special card Z-Arc had created himself.

“You’ll all see soon enough.” hissed Z-Arc. “Right now, since I have no monsters in play, I’m able to summon SUPREME KING DRAGON DARKWURM from my graveyard!”

(Atk: 1800)

“Unfortunately, I have no other monsters to add to my hand, since they’re all gone, but I don’t need to, because what I have planned will serve just as well!

I now play the spell MIRACLE DIG! Since I have at least five banished monsters, three of them will now be sent back to my graveyard!”

The sideliners were confused.

“He can’t be trying to bring back his dragons, can he?” asked Rainbow.

“He can’t.” replied Dick. “They were all banished facedown, and you can’t return facedown banished monsters like that.”

Celestia suddenly remembered, “He’s not going for his dragons. Remember what he did at the start of the duel?”

Everyone caught on, and Z-Arc confirmed this by saying, “Yes, I plan to bring back a few of my other friends.

PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN…

WHITE WING MAGICIAN…

BLACK FANG MAGICIAN…

…They’re now back in my graveyard.”

Gar growled in anger, “I see…! I know what you’re up to now!”

Z-Arc hissed, “Oh, do you? Then I’ll just skip right to it and let it happen!

I tribute Darkwurm to summon CHRONOGRAPH SORCERER!”

(Atk: 2000)

Though none of the others had seen the card before, they all began to happen upon the same sickening feeling.

“Don’t tell me…!” whimpered Kori.

“Can that card do what I think it will?!” wailed Pinkie.

“…Oh, yes it can.” replied Z-Arc. “Just like Astrograph Sorcerer, I created this card to serve as a little brother for him.

He has the power banish himself, along with my Darkwurm-- which is a Pendulum Dragon-- and my three other Magicians in the graveyard-- whose powers are that of Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz Dragons!”

“No Way!!” thundered Gar.

Z-Arc only laughed manically loud as he was once again shrouded in the strongest, deadliest aura.

“No! Not again?!” Sunset wailed from inside.

All the sideliners gawked in horrors with her as the mighty beast had returned.

“Once again, I am… SUPREME KING Z-ARC!”

(Atk: 4000)

The mighty dragon let out a huge roar!

“No! This is impossible!” cried Terra.

“How could he have summoned him again?!” wondered Dick. “Face-up Pendulum Monsters can be resummoned in such ways once done like that… Unless!”

“…Unless I carried a spare.” hissed Z-Arc. “I figure, what better way to end this duel than myself.

After all, we all know how much you loathe Fusion Monsters.” He paused and motioned over at Terra. “They remind you too much of your girlfriend over there; how she broke your heart and left you out in the cold just to live her own life!”

Gar felt his blood boiling! Terra’s stomach ached with guilt and misery! They both felt their horrible memories coming back to get at them.

Ever so deeply, Gar said, “At least I succeeded where she and the others failed! I made a life and a success for myself, and no one… absolutely no one… is going to take it from me!”

“Ha!” scoffed Z-Arc. “I’m afraid you’re mistaken. I… will take it from you, especially I just summoned myself, my Supreme Power will now destroy every card you have in play!”

The dragon’s eyes glowed brightly, and it cast a huge beam towards Gar’s field.

“WATCH OUT!!” Terra hollered.

The beam got closer, and closer, “I don’t think so! I activate SWALLOW FLIP!”

“What?!” snarled Z-Arc.

“This trap works when you use a monster’s effect from one that was just special summoned, even your Supreme King Z-Arc. Swallow Flip now negates your effect, so my cards aren’t going anywhere!”

The magic beams were reduced to nothing, enraging Z-Arc, but then he snuffed, “No worries of that, I can still destroy you, or do you forget that Supreme King Z-Arc can’t be targeted or destroyed by card effects…

Or I say, just your effects?”

With that he engaged his battle phase, “Here I come!” he thundered “Supreme King Z-Arc attack, and while I’m at it… I’ll boost my power with BATTLE FUSION!

This will increase my attack by the amount of your Volcanic Queen!”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 6500)

“Oh, no!” cried Twilight. “If this attack hits, Gar will take 4000 points of damage!”

Pinkie felt a bad chill go up her spine. “But’s he’s only got 3000 life points!”

“He’ll lose the duel!” cried Kori. “And we’ll all be next!”

Sunset could see, and she pounded on the surface. “Do something, Gar!” she called to him.

The mighty dragon had powered up, “Attack!” yelled Z-Arc, and the big energy blast headed straight for him, crashing onto his field, and blasting the Volcanic Queen into ashes.

Gar wailed as the bright, burning waves enveloped him, and everyone else shut their eyes tight in horrors and disbelief while Z-Arc laughed wickedly.

“GAR!!” Terra screamed. She pushed and struggled to get up and get over to him, but she was still weak and tired from her loss.

Tears began to flow down her face. “No… Gar…!!”

Everyone felt just crushed, even Rainbow; and she couldn’t believe it. “No way… he lost?”

Suddenly, as the smoke cleared, Dick swore he could see something. “Hey, look!” he hollered.

Everyone looked up and saw.

“No way!” cried Kori.

“He’s still standing!” added Celestia.

Gar LP: 3000

Gar stomped his foot and gave his coat a large flick. His coverings had loosened a lot in the blast and were just barely hanging on, exposing small parts of his face.

Z-Arc could not believe his eyes. “You… You survived?! How?! How is this possible? That attack should have finished you!”

Gar gave a nasty smirk. “Well, I’m not finished, and it’s all thanks to this!” he pointed at the card image next to him.

“Ah!!” exclaimed Z-Arc. “That card! Impossible!”

“No, it isn’t.” insisted Gar. “Just as you attacked me, I activate DAMAGE POT, and it prevented me from taking any damage from your strike!”

Z-Arc growled, while Sunset breathed a huge sigh in relief. “I thought he was finished for sure.” she said to herself, but suddenly… she remembered something else about the trap he had just played. “Wait a minute…!”

She felt cold and shivery at what she came to realize. “…He wouldn’t!”

Sci-Twi felt the same thing. “No! Gar, don’t!!”

“What is it?” asked Pinkie.

Sci-Twi explained, “Damage Pot protected his life points, but it has another effect.” she paused and nervously said “…When that card leaves the field, both players will take damage equal to the amount of points Gar would have taken when it was activated!”

Everyone felt their stomachs turn. Even Z-Arc felt a sickening pain. “You wouldn’t dare!” he bellowed at Gar.

Gar drew his next card, “…Just you watch!”

He held his drawn card up high, “I activate REMOVE TRAP!”

“NOOOOOOO!!!” shouted Z-Arc. “YOU CAN’T!! YOU’LL DESTROY US BOTH!!”

“Gar, please, don’t!” shouted Terra.

Gar turned to glare at her, and in his last moments, he didn’t care much, and pulled off the remains of his covers exposing his full, angry face at her, which made her feel like she was staring Death itself in the face.

“Don’t act like you care!” he hissed at her.

She felt that blow hard, and did it hurt. It hurt nearly everyone.

Gar clenched his fists lamenting, “All my life everyone’s had something against me, like I should never have even been born! I was hated then, I know I’m hated now, and some have ever tried to do away with me themselves!”

He referred to times when the Titans left him out of “Important things” due to his showing incomprehension, or never truly trusting him as a worthy ally.

Raven especially hated him, having admitted so and even trying to duel him and destroy him herself.

People he saved never showing a bit of thanks or good interest or concern in his well-being or feelings.

“Still…” he hissed “I can prove myself by doing something the rest of you couldn’t-- Take Z-Arc down! There’s no other way!”

Z-Arc cringed.

“No!” shouted Sunset, and she began to pound away at the solid surface again. “There’s got to… be… a way… out of here!”

“Now…!” Gar shouted. “I use Remove Trap to rid the field of Damage Pot, and that causes you and I to take 4000 points of damage, Z-Arc!”

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!” screamed Z-Arc, but it was no use.

Two extremely powerful blasts fired from above and struck the two duelists hard.

Gar LP: 3000 -----> 0

Z-Arc LP: 1000 -----> 0

The blast was so massive that the light shot right up clear into the sky, forcing everyone cover their eyes from the brightness.

From inside the trembling castle, “It’s over!” Rubeus wailed. “Z-Arc has been defeated!”

The light had ceased, and Z-Arc was no longer in his dragon form, but on his knees smoldering with smoke.

His shield around the duel zone had totally vanished with his defeat, and from using up loads and loads of power for so long, thus leaving himself and Gar exposed to the Malefic Lightning, which was now coming for them both!

“No!!” Z-Arc growled, but he immediately saw his ticket to safety-- his Supreme King Z-Arc card lying on the ground just a few feet away from him.

“I will survive yet!” he roared, but as soon as he made a reach for it…

WHAMM! Gar tackled him hard and pinned him down, refusing to let him take the card!

“Let me go!” demanded Z-Arc.

“Not a chance!” protested Gar. “I’m taking you down! When lightning strikes, it’ll take us both, and all your evil will be swallowed into the darkness!”

“Gar!!” shouted Terra. Finally finding the right amount of strength, she managed to get up onto her feet, and tried to make a break for him, but she still couldn’t move very fast and would not reach him in time.

Sunset pounded and rushed against the solid surface with all her might, only to stop as the lightning approached, causing her to duck down in fear!

“YOU’RE INSANE!!” shouted Z-Arc.

Gar laughed and said, “Yeah, maybe I am, but the difference is… I was pushed to be insane by the people around me. You… You were obsessed with power and kept wanting more and more of it, and you became the monster that you are.

I may have my own obsession with power, but at least I know what to do with it… just like I’m taking you down with me.

Like I said before… I… NEVER… LOSE!!!”

Z-Arc let out one final, enormous wailing roar as the lightning struck him and Gar!

“NO---------!!!!” Terra screamed as she braced herself from the brightness.

Sunset screamed as she could feel everything around her fading into bright white!

Author's Note

*Panting heavily*

Whew! What a duel!

Episode 57: Part 1: Malefic Malice

Author's Note

It's hard to make long duels that last several chapters.

Always best to wait a make sure you have it perfectly set, so that way you don't have to go back and make any changes

Episode 57: Part 1: Malefic Malice

EPISODE FIFTY-SEVEN

Twilight and Spike were blinded by a sudden glow of light that just popped in out of nowhere.

“Now what’s happening?” Spike groaned, but he got his answer when the light had faded, and a new sphere appeared containing another soul.

Twilight took one look at who it was, and she couldn’t believe her eyes; neither could Spike.

“It’s Gar?” Spike asked. “Did he actually lose a duel?”

Twilight couldn’t believe that. The way he dueled he would never lose a duel.

“Um… Twilight.” Spike called. “Why is it suddenly getting even darker?”

Twilight looked up and realized it was getting darker; so dark, she could barely see her hand before her face.

Then Spike and Twilight both looked up, and what they saw scared them out of their wits…!

An evil, black aura was high up overhead, with sinister, glowing eyes.

“Why hello there.” he hissed at them.

It was Z-Arc, or rather what was left of his dark spirit when he was defeated.

“I may have lost the battle, but this isn’t the end of me, it’s just minor setback. I rose from the depths once before, and I will do it again!”

His monstrous eyes glowed brightly, and the darkness above him began to swirl.

In almost an instant, Spike and Twilight were encased in spheres of their own.

“Hey!” shouted Twilight.

“Let us out of here, you creep!” thundered Spike.

Z-Arc snickered, “Don’t worry, you’ll all be free… eventually.”

Twilight and Spike wondered what he meant by “you’ll all be free.”

Back at the mountain peak, all the duellists were finally finding the strength to get up after resting from their beatdown for so long.

Terra was on her knees, still in total shock from what she just saw.

The smoke from the last attack was beginning to settle.

Rainbow looked ahead and could see someone lying on the ground where Z-Arc and Gar were last standing.

“Who’s that there?” she asked.

“Is it Z-Arc?” asked Celestia.

“It couldn’t be…!” said Dick.

The young girl let out a soft moan as she slowly sat up. Then she looked round at all her friends.

“Sunset!” cried Sci-Twi.

“It’s her!” shrieked Pinkie.

Sunset’s eyes lit up as she finally realized, “I’m back!” she cried for joy, and the next thing she knew, she was sharing warm hugs with her Equestrian friends.

Pinkie sniffled and burst into tears. “WE MISSED YOU!!!” she yelled and put more squeeze into her hug, nearly choking everyone.

Dick and Kori were pleased to see her back and safe as well, until something else caught their eye…!

“…Are you okay?” asked Rainbow. “I mean, you’re not still Z-Arc, are you?”

“Rainbow!” snapped Celestia, but really everyone wanted to know.

Sunset felt herself all over. The body was hers; the clothes were hers. She had her duel disk back, and she quickly checked her cards.

It was her own deck again, only with several new cards including the four new magicians, while all Z-Arc’s cards were gone, including the Supreme King Z-Arc card itself.

Sci-Twi theorized, “When Z-Arc was beaten, all his magic went away with him, including all the cards he made.

They were just too evil to exist.”

Sunset’s features began to sadden. “…Evil that I unleashed.”

She thought back to all the horrible things Z-Arc had been doing, even if she was sealed within him for a long time and couldn’t see it, she sure felt it-- all the pain, all the suffering, all the damage inflicted on her friends.

Rainbow immediately stepped up and placed her hand hard on Sunset’s shoulder, almost hitting her and telling her, “…Snap out of it. It wasn’t your fault at all. So don’t go into one of those “woe is me” acts.”

The others were surprised at her, but she did have a point.

“But…” Sunset tried to protest.

“No buts!” sneered Rainbow. “Z-Arc’s gone, and that’s all there is to it, and more important than that, we’ve got our friend back, and we’re together again.

So, pick yourself up and let’s put an end to all this! Let’s go take down the Prince Brothers once and for all!”

Sunset blinked twice and seeing the seriousness in all her Equestrian friends, she felt her confidence coming back, and took Rainbow’s hand to help onto her feet.

“Welcome back.” said Sci-Twi.

The mood was suddenly broken when Celestia noticed, “…Look!”

Everyone could see Dick and Kori over by Terra, who was still on her knees and looking bluer than a rainy day.

In her hand she clutched a single card she found on the ground-- Gar’s soul card.

Her tears were falling, a few splashed on it, but not simply because he was turned into a card, but once again it was becoming crystal clear that he did not forgive her and was not willing to even try.

True: he did beat Z-Arc and saved Sunset, as well as the rest of the group, but his anger, his hate, and the things he said!

“Don’t act like you care! Nothing will change between us!

I’ve always been hated and mistreated, and everyone always wanted me gone!”

The fact he was willing to sacrifice himself just to keep away from her more; that hurt, a lot!

Out from her duel disk, her Change of Heart card slipped and fell on the ground, almost like her own sagged and broken heart.

“Don’t do this to me!” she cried softly to herself. “Don’t break my heart like this!”

Dick was furious. “Darn you, Gar!” he grumbled under his breath, and he proceeded to berate him with more insults, “…Overgrown, stuck-up, egotistical--” until Kori nudged him hard.

“Stop it!” she growled.

Her husband was shocked, but then he realized and remembered all his attitude likes that were largely part of Gar’s descend into hatred.

Sunset didn’t know whether to have pity on them or felt they deserved it.

All three of them did try and help save her, but they still had their own problems, their own difficulties, which ran far deeper than anything she had ever seen-- perhaps even beyond any friendship problem she and her friends could help if no one was willing to try and change.

…Still, this was no time to be bewailing.

“Let’s go!” she said while pointing at the castle. “It’s time to make the Prince Brothers pay for everything they’ve done!”

The Equestrians all agreed, Kori and Dick turned and nodded with them, but Terra was still down and out of it.

“Terra…?” said Dick.

After a moment or two, Terra wiped her eyes, picked up her fallen card and stood up. “…I’m okay. Let’s do this.”

She looked down at Gar’s card, and thought to herself, “He may have broken my heart, and I broke his many times… but he doesn’t deserve this. No one does.”

Her desire to help people and do good was nothing short of outstanding.

Suddenly, a ray of light shone directly on Sunset.

“Hey!” she cried, and she was suddenly lifted bodily up into the air, towards the tallest tower of the castle.

“SUNSET!!” the Equestrians all shouted.

“Not again!” groaned Dick.

The two groups huddled together as one.

“I’m getting really tired of these surprises!” growled Rainbow, but right at that moment, just like before, a trapdoor had opened, and the group all fell through it.

“…ME AND MY BIG MOUTH!!!” Rainbow’s voice echoed.

Sunset groaned and growled, demanding to be let go… and she was. She landed with a small thud on the stone floor in a dark chamber.

“Ow!” she rubbed her bottom. “I can’t take much more of this sudden transporting.”

“Welcome. Sunset Shimmer.” hissed a voice from the shadows.

“That voice…!” gasped Sunset.

That’s when torched through the chamber lit up, and Sunset found herself in the castle’s main sanctum…

…And there, standing at the other end of a large, round platform, stood Rubeus, snickering at her, which made her features hardened.

“It has been a while, hasn’t it.” he hissed.

“You!!” Sunset roared as she sprung onto her feet. She was also surprised to see he was alone without Loki. “Where’s your brother?”

“At the moment, that is none of your concern.”

He would not tell her that Loki was still trapped in that forcefield in the hallway, deep within in the castle, and he had been there ever since before Z-Arc’s mega duel began.

He wasn’t all alone; the trio had been standing by watching him.

“…This stinks!” groaned Sapphire. “We missed the Ultimate Challenge just to play babysitter to a guy who can’t even more. I’m starved for some action.”

“Well, get in line.” snuffed Violet. “Thanks to Z-Arc I wouldn’t be able to get my revenge on Gar anymore.”

“The reason we are here…” hissed Khaos “…Is to prevent a great disaster from occurring, and the time has nearly arrived. Now that Z-Arc has been defeated, Prince Rubeus is ready to put the final part of the plan into motion.”

Rubeus glared at Sunset from afar, “I’m very impressed that you and your friends have made it this far, you’ve even managed to do the unthinkable-- you defeated Z-Arc; the most devious of all Maleficans.”

“Yeah, after you sicked him on me!” growled Sunset. “You gave me all those mystery cards knowing it would gain power to unleash Z-Arc back into the world!

That’s why you forced me to enter the Friendship Cup Tournament. You knew my Equestrian magic combined with my dueling would unlock it all just to do your dirty work!

Well, the joke’s on you! We beat Z-Arc, and now we’re going to beat you and stop all this madness!”

Rubeus snickered. “Is that so? How do you know for certain you defeated Z-Arc?”

“Huh?”

“You may have stopped Z-Arc, but stopping someone isn’t the same as ending them.”

Sunset felt her stomach turn.

“Are you saying… Z-Arc is still alive?”

Rubeus remained silent for a moment, and then he answered, “He very well may be. After all, he managed to return once after being defeated, and I’m certain he will rise again.

…Just look at me, I am on the verge of restoring The Malefic World to its proper glory.

It has been centuries since my world was defeated by Equestria, and all its dark power sealed away, forcing my brother and I to refuge in the world you resided in…

But nothing is strong enough to last forever. Even the greatest of friendships can falter. Whom was once your friend can later become your deadly enemy. It’s always how it goes.

Therefore, The Malefic World is no exception. If even a single speck of it remains, there is always the chance for it to revive.”

He paused, narrowing his eyes at Sunset, and then shouted, “…Especially Now!!”

He raised his arms up, and the entire chamber trembled and shook as if an avalanche was coming. Sunset barely managed to keep on her feet.

From the very back of the room, the large generator with its glowing center took rose high.

“What is that?” wondered Sunset.

Rubeus explained, “This device is the result of centuries of planning, constructing, and powering.

It absorbs the negativity that people can’t help but feel and converts into the very power we Maleficans fed off.

By combining it with the energy from Duel Monsters, things accelerated immensely, for Duel Monsters has always been a game of incredible power. Even if the opponents play simply for pure fun and enjoyment, they still exhibited stressful feelings, using up precious energy while plotting their strategies. How could they help themselves, there’s no way around it.

Even the simplest of thoughts can drain even the strongest of beings.”

He paused and laughed, “And then, I found you and your friends, and realizing the Equestrian energies you had, you’d be the perfect instruments to further accelerate the plans.

Having the Titans join, and knowing their superpowers and strong emotions. It felt like it was my birthday every day-- Such power, such emotions, such energy… it was wonderful!”

He didn’t have to go further; Sunset already knew the rest… and she was completely livid.

Then suddenly, she heard a voice calling to her…

“Sunset, Help!”

“…That sounds like Pinkie!”

It was…!

All of Sunset’s friends-- The Equestrians, and the Titans-- were shown to be encased in magical tubes with solid, unbreakable, surfaces.

“Help!”

“Get us out of here!”

Rainbow and Dick furious knocked and kicked at the solid surface, but it was no good.

“What are you doing to them?” Sunset demanded to know.

“Isn’t it obvious?” teased Rubeus. “Their energies will slowly be drained and added to the machine’s power, which will be the final, really big burst it needs to fully absorb every world into the darkness.”

He then referenced to outside, at the vast amounts of people entering the Malefic World. “Already, the people are about to undergo a startling transformation.

All the goodness, all the light, all the love they feel will begin to seep away, until only the darkness within remains.

They will become pure Maleficans, and together, The Malefic World shall be restored, repopulated, and dominate the entire universe, with everyone bowing to me-- their ultimate ruler!”

Having heard enough of the evil man’s intentions and plots, Sunset shouted at him, “I won’t let you do this!” and in a fit of rage, she rushed past him towards the machine, intending to ram it, smash it, or whatever she could do to stop it…!

…A very foolish move! An invisible barrier surrounding the massive device pushed her right back, sending her sailing through the air, past Rubeus again, and she bounced and rolled along the floor, right back to where she stood before.

“SUNSET!!” the prisoners all shouted.

She wasn’t hurt… much… as she struggled to get up while clutching her sore arm.

Rubeus laughed at her. “You really think a device as powerful as this can be shut down that easily? I’m disappointed in your lack of judgment.”

Sunset growled. “If I can’t take down the machine itself, then I’ll have to do the next best thing-- I’ll take you down instead! If I take you down, it’ll break whatever evil you’ve done.”

Rubeus flicked his robe, exposing his left arm, which sickly began to mutate into the shape of a duel disk.

“Now we’re starting to get somewhere.” he taunted her. He then held up his right hand, and in a magical glow, a deck appeared in his hand.

Though she couldn’t see the cards, because they just materialized out of nowhere, Sunset had a bad feeling about them.

“You seem concerned.” hissed Rubeus. “You should be. This deck is unlike anything you have ever seen, but I’ll let you worry about its secrets momentarily.”

He stuffed it into his disk arm while thinking, “This is it. This is truly it. By the time this duel is over, once and for all, the fates will be determined, and we’ll see if my theory has been correct all along.

All the challenges that Sunset Shimmer has tackled to this point were all the pieces falling into place. Let’s see if she can overtake this last one!”

Sunset loaded up her restored deck while thinking to herself. “I sure hope I know what I’m doing. I haven’t had much of a chance to look over all my new cards yet, let alone try them in a duel…

But I can’t let that get to me. Ever since this whole Malefic Nightmare began, it’s all come down to this. I’ve got to take down Rubeus and stop his machine.

It’s the only way to rescue my friends and save the universe from the darkness!”

She thought back to the very first day, school was out for summer, and Princess Twilight had come for her usual visit.

Back then, dueling was just fun. Nothing was on the line, and winning or losing didn’t matter, but when the Prince Brothers appeared and took Twilight’s soul, the game was on…!

Then there was the tournament, and all the hardships and struggles to make it to the finals, which were most likely setup by the brothers to allow Sunset and friends to lend their powers to them for their evil plots.

Along the way, Spike had his soul taken too.

The Finals were even harder-- having to face each other.

Then they were all sucked into the Malefic World where the stakes were higher than ever-- losing a duel meant losing your soul inside a card.

So many of the others were lost, and then Z-Arc took over Sunset’s body, and the evil mad warrior terrorized everyone.

“It’s time to make up for all that!” thought Sunset. “I just hope I’m not in over my head.”

Meanwhile…

All the captured souls were beginning to look a little pale inside their spheres, and Twilight and Spike noticed their own colors starting to fade.

“Twilight!” cried Spike. “What’s going on?”

Twilight had only one theory, “Our energy is being drained away.” Then she looked up and realized, “…It’s you!”

Z-Arc laughed. “The energy all these souls, I will feast on it all, and my next rebirth shall begin. I’ll become even stronger than I was before.”

“No, don’t!” shouted Twilight. “If you drain these souls of all their energy, they’ll be gone forever!”

Spike shuddered at such a thought happening to him, but Z-Arc merely shrugged it, “…Things happen. If you want power, you’ve got to make sacrifices.

But look at it this way; you’re sacrificing your energies to power the future, ultimate ruler of all things. I’ll make sure to mention you here and there.”

Twilight and Spike were so worried, if their stomachs could still feel, they would feel turned inside out.

Neither one of them could see any way out of this one!

Sunset and Rubeus stood ready to go at it.

“I’m ready when you are!” Sunset declared.

“Then let the duel commence!”

Rubeus LP: 8000

Sunset LP: 8000

“I shall begin!” hissed Rubeus, “And to start us off, I activate the field spell MALEFIC WORLD!”

Sunset was most surprised, “Malefic World? As in this Malefic World?”

A large burst of light emitted from the card image, spreading magic all over the chamber and transforming it all into a perfect replica of the world outside.

The shadowy skies…

The spatial-coated, rundown buildings…

The massive stretches of desert beyond…

…All of it!

“You made a card out of your very world?” asked Sunset.

Rubeus motioned at his cards, “This deck was specifically designed by me. The cards I have created are infused with the very Malefic energy that surrounds us.

I could only use so much energy, so I had to ensure that every card was made-- how shall I word it…” he paused. “…A little fair, just for your sake. After all, what fun would it be if I simply crushed you so quickly when the longer, we duel the more energy you and your friends will surrender.”

Sunset looked up at her friends.

“Just duel, Sunset!” called Celestia.

“Don’t let him freak you out.” added Dick. “You’re the only hope we have.”

Rubeus snickered, “Quite the load of confidence they have in you, but never mind. Let’s get back to business.

With Malefic World field spell in play, instead of drawing during my Draw Phase, I may choose three different “Malefic” cards from my deck, and then you will pick one that is to be added my hand…

…But this is just the beginning.

Now, I shall send the CYBER END DRAGON from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, and by doing I am able to summon MALEFIC CYBER END DRAGON from my hand.

Rise my mighty beast!”

The ground rumbled as the huge, hulking, three-headed machine monster appeared, and growled at Sunset.

(Atk: 4000)

Sunset could only gawk in horrors.

“He’s already got a monster with 4000 attack points in play?!” she wailed, and that wasn’t the only thing concerning her. She had seen Cyber End Dragon before in her many duels, but this was completely new version of it.

It was darker and covered in black metal plating.

“You’re beginning to see now.” said Rubeus. “Just as the Malefic World itself drains all the light from humans, it now does the same to my monsters.

By getting rid of their pure, light forms, I can give birth to their darker, evil counterparts to serve me in this duel.”

Sunset grew angry, “This is just nuts! You would poison anything or anyone to get what you want.”

“Yes, very good…” remarked Rubeus. “Now that we’ve established that, I’ll end my turn with a facedown.

Now let’s see if you’re truly capable of thwarting me and my forces, but we both know that’s a longshot at best.”

Sunset struggled with her thoughts. “This is so not good. The duel just started, and I’m already facing down a huge, hulking beast I hardly know anything about, and who knows what else this deck of his can do?

Well, I won’t be able to anything just sitting here like this. I have to duel only my best.”

She drew her card.

“It’s time to give these new cards of mine a go…!

I’ll use Scale 1 WHITE WING MAGICIAN and Scale 8 BLACK FANG MAGICIAN to set the Pendulum Scale!”

Her two new magicians took their places in the light and the magic Pendulum swing between them.

The two looked down at Sunset and nodded at her, as if to say, “We shall serve you well.”

Sunset nodded thankfully at them.

“With this, I’m allowed to summon as many monsters between levels 2 and 7 as I need!

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light rained down as her monsters appeared.

“DRAGONCALLER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2400)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

It felt wonderful for her to see her two monsters again, especially Odd-Eyes… but suddenly…

…Odd-Eyes gave a huge roar, causing dark aura to emit from his body, the two magicians in the Pendulum Zones were glowing too.

Sunset then felt the pain strike her. “What’s happening?!” she wailed while clutching her chest.

The prisoners saw this as well, and Sci-Twi deduced. “It must be Z-Arc. She still has little bits of his aura within her!”

“Maybe that’s why Odd-Eyes is going crazy too.” said Kori. “Z-Arc made an evil version of it. Maybe all of Sunset’s card are affected by it too.”

Rubeus glared at Sunset and explained, “You see what I said: Z-Arc isn’t completely gone. He used your knowledge of dueling and your cards to revive himself. So he left a little bit of his power infused.

The more you use your cards, the stronger power you just may give to Z-Arc, which only further increases the odds that he’ll revive again.”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Ah, come on!” groaned Rainbow. “You mean the more Sunset duels, the more power she’ll give to Z-Arc.”

Pinkie pulled on her hair in frustration! “And I thought we were rid of that creep for good!”

As for Terra, she looked at her hand and gasped. “My hand! It’s fading! I can see through it!”

Dick looked at his hand, “Mine too!”

Everyone was starting to fade just a little as their energies were being drained, much to Rubeus’ delight. “Honestly, it’s like no one pays attention to me. Each passing second, your energies are being absorbed into the machine, and soon you’ll be nothing but faded memories.”

The prisoners all felt sickening chills, while Sunset was growing even more nervous and frightened.

“So, if I keep dueling, I may resurrect Z-Arc, but if I don’t beat Rubeus and fast, I’ll lose my friends!

…Worse than that: the longer I stall, the more the worlds are being cursed by the darkness!

What am I going to do?!”

“Good question.” hissed Rubeus. “Duel, or don’t duel… either way, I’m quite literally holding all the cards here, and there’s not a thing you can do.”

To Be Continued…

Episode 58: Part 2: Worrisome Cards

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Episode 59: Part 3: Last of Friends

EPISODE FIFTY-NINE

Rubeus roared as he was thrown back hard by the attack waves from Odd-Eyes.

Rubeus LP: 5000 -----> 2500

The prisoners would have cheered and jumped for joy; were they not so weary they could barely keep awake, but they were happy for Sunset.

Sunset was pleased too, though she was panting heavily in exhaustion.

The dark aura around her seemed dim down a little. “What’s happening?” she wondered. “I don’t feel Z-Arc’s power on me as much.”

Meanwhile, a tiny speck of light appeared within the darkness.

“What’s this?!” bellowed Z-Arc.

Twilight and Spike saw the speck of light.

“Not more!” groaned Spike. “I don’t know how many more surprises I can take.”

“No, wait!” said Twilight. She noted how Z-Arc didn’t like the looks of the speck that appeared, which meant it wasn’t his doing.

“That light, you don’t think it could be…” she stopped there and said nothing else.

Spike’s hopes began to rise, feeling the same way she did, and Z-Arc’s fury only confirmed their hopes.

“This is impossible!” he thundered. “How can this be happening?”

“So, it is a way out!” shouted Twilight.

“Twilight…?” said a familiar voice in the sphere next to her.

Twilight and Spike turned to see Applejack was starting to awaken in her sphere.

“Applejack!” cried Twilight. “I can’t believe it!”

Rarity stirred awake as well. “Oh, my!” she groaned. “What in the world is happening?”

Spike’s eyes filled with tears, “Rarity! You’re awake!”

“Spike?”

Soon more of their friends began to awaken-- the Equestrians at least, but Raven and Vic had not awakened, nor had Gar, nor any of the other souls.

As glad as the Equestrians were to see each other, the same question they all had, Luna asked it first. “Where are we, and what is happening?”

“We’re in bring trouble, that’s what.” replied Spike, and he pointed upward at the evil force of Z-Arc still attempting to absorb the souls.

“Oh, my goodness!” wailed Fluttershy. “He can’t do this to us! What did we ever do to him?”

“I don’t think he cares that much.” said Shining Armor.

Cadance looked across at the speck of light. “Whatever that thing is, it better hurry and save us!”

“…Yeah, but look at it,” said Spike. “It’s either far away, or way too tiny for even my paw to fit through. Let alone all these souls.”

Z-Arc himself, despite being an energy force, couldn’t fit through the tiny speck, and he didn’t dare for that speck was pure light, which he could not stand.

“You will never be freed!” he bellowed at his prisoners. “You are all going to become one with the mighty Z-Arc. Your souls are mine to absorb! Mine to harness! I’ll not give up my chance to resurrect again!”

Twilight and Spike saw some souls begin to slowly upward towards the darkness that was Z-Arc.

“No!!” cried Twilight.

“Yes!” hollered Z-Arc. “Absorb them all! Absorb the souls and allow me to grow strong enough to resurrect once more!”

“This can’t be happening!” shrieked Rarity. “I’m too young and beautiful to vanish forever!!”

All her screams and wails did not help a bit.

It was only a matter of time before the vast pool of souls would be absorbed and gone.

Rubeus slowly sat upright, and as outraged as he was, he gave Sunset a small compliment. “Very impressive. You braved danger to come at me with your stronger cards.”

Sunset stood puzzled and confused.

“…But don’t think for one instant that this it where it ends!

I activate Malefic Stardust Dragon’s ability; since he used his effect this turn; he now returns to the field.”

(Atk: 2500)

“Oh, perfect!” Sunset grumbled.

“You see…?” taunted Rubeus. “Darkness can never truly be dispelled.

“Instead of drawing, I will use Malefic World to obtain a card, and by taking three copies of the same card, I’ll simply add it to my hand.

Behold the Tuner monster… MALEFIC PARALLEL GEAR!”

(Atk: 0)

“A Tuner Monster?!” cried Sunset. “That means you can normally Synchro summon.”

“I can do more than that,” scoffed Rubeus. “I’m going to smash you and all your hopes to pieces.

I tune level 2 Parallel Gear with Level 8 Malefic Stardust, to open a portal to a whole new world of darkness unimaginable!”

The two monsters began the tuning process using dark tuning rings and dark orbs instead of light, and Rubeus called out his own special chant.

“Darkness creeps with this monster’s might,
To aid in evil and extinguish the light!

I Synchro Summon… MALEFIC PARADOX DRAGON!”

(Atk: 4000)

Such a mighty and fearsome looking beast with dark scales, and sharp teeth.

“That is one huge monster!” cried Sunset, and she screamed as the dragon roared sending the gales billowing past her.

Rubeus snickered. “You think he’s scary now, wait until you see his ability-- one that allows me to summon a Synchro Monster from my graveyard, even if it hasn’t been properly Synchro Summoned.”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “You mean…?!”

“I do…!” hissed Rubeus. “Come forth STARDUST DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

The mighty Synchro Dragon appeared, and though it was not shrouded in any darkness, Sunset could not deny that it was still a powerful threat.

“Not… Star… Dust!” Kori peeped softly. She remembered how powerful it was when she faced it.

“Sunset really has… her… work cut out… for her.” groaned Dick.

Everyone was too tired and weak to show too much worrying, when really, they were scared out of their wits more for Sunset than their own predicament.

“Your friends aren’t looking so hot up there.” hissed Rubeus.

Sunset’s insides were shaking with worry.

“…Oh, but don’t look so grim about it.” Rubeus said to her. “Soon, you’ll all be together-- lost in the darkness, forever!”

Then he pointed up at Sunset’s two dragons.

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 300)

“Their attack points!” Sunset wailed. “What have you done?!”

Rubeus chuckled and explained, “It’s not what I’ve done, it’s Malefic Paradox Dragon’s other special ability.

If I so happen to have another Synchro Monster in play, which I do, then all your monsters lose attack points equal to the amount of said Synchro Monster.

Stardust Dragon has 2500 attack points. So, all your monsters just lost 2500 of their attack points, leaving them weak as used matchstick.”

Sunset cringed. “This is not good! My monsters are too weak to withstand any attack from those dragons!”

“Which means, your world as you know it is about to end, while my new world is about to begin!”

Sunset cringed as Rubeus engaged battle.

“Stardust Dragon, attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!”

The mighty dragon opened its huge jaws, powering up its dark energy to blast Odd-Eyes.

“Sorry to break this to you,” called Sunset “But your world isn’t beginning, not while I’m around.

I activate Odd-Eyes Absolute’s ability. By using one overlay unit, he stops your dragon from attacking me.”

Stardust powered down.

“That really doesn’t matter.” snarled Rubeus “You stopped one of my dragons, but I have another one!

Malefic Paradox Dragon is stronger and about to finish what Stardust began.

Attack!”

“You walked right into it!” snapped Sunset. “I activate the trap SHARP PENDULUM STRIKE!”

“WHAT?!” shouted Rubeus.

“This trap can only be played if I have no cards in my hand, and only one Pendulum Monster on my field.

Now I get to destroy one of your monsters, and who better than the one that’s trying to end me! So long Paradox Dragon!”

Powerful energy rays shrouded Paradox Dragon, ready to swallow it up into the darkness.

Rubeus’ fist quivered. “I’ll save my Paradox Dragon with Stardust’s ability. You remember, all I do is send it to the graveyard, and your trap is negated and destroyed!”

Surely enough, Sunset’s card powered down and shattered, but Sunset was grinning rather than scowling.

Rubeus knew why…!

“Without Stardust in play, all your monsters regain their full attack strength.”

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2400)

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2500)

(Atk: 300) -----> (Atk: 2800)

Paradox Dragon still unleashed its dark waves at Odd-Eyes.

(Atk: 4000) VS (Atk: 2500)

“I may not be able to stop the attack,” said Sunset. “But at least I’ll have some life points to spare, and just to be safer, I’ll use Timestar Magician’s ability…

Now I send NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN to my graveyard to spare Odd-Eyes from being destroyed.”

The attack struck hard and sped past Odd-Eyes, hitting Sunset, and blowing her back hard.

Sunset LP: 2000 -----> 500

Sunset lay flat on her back, sore and weary.

“Talk about a close one.” she thought. “I just barely managed to hang in there that turn.”

She slowly managed to find strength enough to get back up again. Her eyes were blurry from the loss of energy as well as the small bits of darkness still shrouding her, but she was still able to make things out ahead of her…!

Rubeus stood tall with his arms folded, while the prisoners still saw everything.

“Way to… go… Sunset!” Rainbow said softly, but then she finally passed out from weariness.

“Rainbow…” Sci-Twi peeped, but then she too was out.

All the others had passed out too, and Sunset watched.

“No! Guys!”

Her friends did not answer, for they had vanished completely into nothing.

“Too late!” Rubeus laughed. “Your friends had lost the last of their energy and have been absorbed into the machine!

You’ve lost them, forever!”

Tears came to Sunset’s eyes, and she furiously clutched her head screaming! “NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!”

Her scream was so loud, Twilight swore she could hear it from her sphere.

“Sunset?”

The others heard the scream as well, it came from the direction of the tiny light speck.

“That was her all right.” said Applejack.

Fluttershy didn’t like the sound of the scream. “Something really awful must be happening.”

“You mean something other than our fate?” whimpered Shining Armor.

Z-Arc could feel the negativity increasing his power. “More! Give me more! More darkness, more grief, more negativity!

…I LOVE IT!!”

“He’s growing stronger!” shrieked Rarity. “WE’RE DOOMED!!”

Her friends couldn’t bear her wailing anymore. Even Spike covered his ears.

“Will you dial it down!” thundered Applejack. “Screaming your lungs out ain’t going to help us.”

Twilight suddenly had an idea. “…Maybe it can.”

“What do you mean?” asked Cadance.

“I mean, if we just heard Sunset now, maybe it’s possible for her to hear us too. We can let her know that we’re all still here.”

Everyone caught on.

“That is the craziest idea I have ever heard.” said Luna. “…It may just work.”

A moment of silence followed, but the friends agreed.

“We may as well try it.” said Spike, and he looked up at Z-Arc. “After all, we’ve got only got everything to lose.”

Twilight led everyone. “Altogether now… SUN-SET, SUN-SET, SUN-SET!!”

Soon all the Equestrians were cheering on, repeating Sunset’s name over and over…

…But Sunset could not hear them!

Either it was because they were loud enough to reach her from beyond the dimensions, or Sunset was still shrouded in Z-Arc’s growing aura and lost in her sorrows.

…Or maybe all of it!

She was on her knees clutching her head in tears and emotional pain beyond words.

“They can’t be gone!” she muttered to herself. “I won’t lose them! Not again!”

Rather than taunting her, Rubeus remained silent. He just continued glaring at her with seemingly no care at all for what he had just done.

Then he just continued with his turn.

“Well now, I’ll place one card facedown, and to help things further, I play the spell MAGIC REFLECTOR.

This handy spell places magical spell counter over Malefic World. Now, the next time you try to destroy it, the counter will take the hit instead.

Now, I end my turn, which means my Stardust Dragon will now return to the field to further assist me in my onslaught.”

(Atk: 2500)

“And you know what this means. Now that Stardust has returned to the field, all your monsters get weaker again.”

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 0)

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 300)

“Look at your monsters now. They’re weak, and feeble, just like your friends were.”

Sunset finally looked up. Her eyes blazing with rage as she slowly got onto her feet, which made the dark aura around her blaze even greater.

“You will pay!” she growled. “For what you did to my friends… I SWEAR… I will make you pay!!!”

She drew her next card with a fearsome roar, making the aura blaze more!

“Her rage is reaching its peak.” thought Rubeus. “Perhaps things are about to get interesting!”

Sunset gazed down at her card.

That’s when the ground began to rumble, and Sunset said. “Timebreaker Magician now returns to the field, and so does your monster!”

(Atk: 1400) -----> (Atk: 0)

Her poor magician lost all his attack points and looked weak and tired, while Malefic Cyber End Dragon growled fiercely.

(Atk: 4000)

“So, I now have three monsters.” chuckled Rubeus. “I suppose I should thank for that, but you’re hardly in the mood for such things, are you?”

Sunset clenched her free fist. “The only thing I’m in the mood for is taking you down!”

I activate Timestar Magician’s ability! By using his last overlay unit, I can add XIANGKE MAGICIAN to my hand!”

Rather than try to destroy Malefic World again-- she knew it would be pointless-- Sunset had a new plan in mind.

“You want me to give you my all? Well, guess what… you’re about to get it.

I tribute Odd-Eyes Absolute Dragon, and Timebreaker Magcian, so I can call upon Level 7 XIANGKE MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 0)

“Why summon him?” asked Rubeus. “He just lost all of his attack points.” But then he realized. “Wait a minute…!”

That’s when Sunset’s Extra deck began to glow. “When Absolute Dragon is sent to the graveyard, I get to summon a special monster from my Extra Deck, and I choose…

…The Fusion monster ODD-EYES VORTEX DRAGON!”

(Def: 3000)

The dragon spread out it’s glowing wings and gave a nasty growled.

“Oh, no!” cried Rubeus. “You still managed to summon a Fusion Monster even with my Non-Fusion Area trap still in play.”

Sunset, blazing and furious as ever growled. “No matter how many cards you play, or how many tricks you pull, nothing will stop me from avenging my friends!!”

The room shook with her shouting, and then surprisingly, the dark aura didn’t seem so dark any longer-- from evil black to a charcoal dark.

Rubeus and Sunset were both surprised.

In the darkness, the light speck widened now showing itself in the form of a far-off wormhole.

“What’s this?!” gasped Z-Arc, and he began to feel strange as his pull on the souls began to slow down.

The prisoners were astounded.

“It’s growing?” cried Shining Armor.

“Maybe it’s because our calling is reaching to Sunset?” wondered Cadance.

“I don’t know…” replied Twilight. “Everyone, keep calling! We’ve got to let Sunset know.”

The friends all kept chanting Sunset’s name over and over with all their strengths.

The speck did not grow any bigger…

…And Sunset still could not hear anyone.

She was more preoccupied with the coloring of the aura around her. “I get it!” she theorized. “It’s my determination to help my friends. The more I feel, the more confident I get… the more I push the darkness away.

Yeah, I bet that’s it. The Malefic World feeds on darkness and negativity, so I can turn the tables on it!”

Rubeus only growled angrily.

“Now!” shouted Sunset “I activate Vortex Dragon’s effect. Since he was successfully summoned, he can return one monster you control back to your hand.”

She eyed at both the stronger monsters. “Nah, I have a better idea. I’ll get rid of… Stardust Dragon!”

“My Synchro Monster!” shouted Rubeus, and with that, Stardust vanished back to his Extra Deck.

Sunset smirked. “With Stardust gone, all my monsters gain their normal attack points back.”

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2500) x2

(Atk: 0) -----> (Atk: 2400)

“For all the good it will do them!” sneered Rubeus. “Even with their full power back, those monsters still pale in comparison to my dragons!”

“I know they do.” replied Sunset. “But I’m still far from finished, because now I… Pendulum Summon!”

She only had enough room to summon a single creature from her Extra Deck, and she knew just whom she wanted. “Welcome back, Timebreaker Magician!”

(Atk: 1400)

“But you won’t be staying around for very long, because I need you to lend me your power again.

Now banish yourself along with Malefic Cyber End Dragon again!

“No!!” shouted Rubeus, but he watched as his monster vanished once again with Sunset’s magician.

“Without Cyber Dragon, you won’t be able to pierce my life points!

And now… I actbate Nobledragon Magician’s ability from my graveyard!”

“You what?!” snapped Rubeus.

“You heard me! Now, by reducing Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon’s level to 4, my tuner monster summons himself to the field.”

(Def: 1400)

With the appearance of her magician, the aura became a touch brighter the more Sunset’s focus stayed strong.

“I tune Level 3 Nobledragon Magician with Level 4 Odd-Eyes!

On flaming wings, and claws that seer,
My mighty beast shall now appear!

I Synchro Summon ODD-EYES METEORBURST DRAGON.”

(Def: 2000)

The aura was now a dark gray shade around the dragon and around Sunset.

Sunset felt stronger with very passing moment, but she never forgot the reason she was fighting now.

“I activate Meteorburt’s ability, which allows me to summon a monster down from my Pendulum Zone.

Welcome to the field DRAGONPIT MAGICIAN.

(Def: 2700)

“Everything is just as I need to make my ultimate comeback.” she thought. “Everything that goes on now is going to take a little bit of luck.

I just hope I’m not risking it too far.”

“Now I’ll place one card facedown, and finally, I’ll switch Timestar into defense mode.”

(Def: 1200)

“…I end my turn.”

“Huh?” Rubeus was most confused. “You mean that’s it? That’s all you’re going to do for this big comeback of yours?”

Sunset said nothing, trying to conceal that she was risking everything she had down to luck.

“If things don’t go the way I hope, I’ll lose the duel. Then, I won’t be able to try and help the others, and worse… all the worlds will be doomed.

Please…! Please work!”

Rubeus had his own theories. “She must be up to something. She played all her monsters in defense mode, but then again, her Xiangke Magician is still in attack-mode.

One blast from my Paradox Dragon will destroy it and wipe her out forever, but perhaps that’s exactly what she wants me to do.”

He eyed at Sunset’s facedown card. “Yes, that could be exactly it. If I attack her magician, she’ll use that card to defend herself somehow.

…I know just what to do now.”

He readied himself.

“It’s my turn, and this time, I choose to draw normally.

“Then I play the card I just drew-- GRACEFUL CHAIRTY. Now I draw three cards and send two away.”

When he was finished, he still had only one card in play, but it was good enough for him, for what he had drawn really brought out the evil in his eyes.

“Now the time has come for me to make a comeback. I activate the spell MALEFIC DIVIDE.

With this, I am able to summon one “Malefic” monster in my graveyard, as long I banish it at the end of the turn.”

Sunset gasped, “You want your Rainbow Dragon back!”

Rubeus nodded and shouted out. “Welcome back… Malefic Rainbow Dragon!”

(Atk: 4000)

The evil dragon roared loud, with its evil wings spread out wide.

“My dragon will serve me better than all your monsters will, for I’m going to use his special ability.”

“What ability?” asked Sunset.

Rubeus snickered, “You see… if I happen to banish all the Malefic Monsters in my graveyard, then each and every card that is currently in play shall be returned to our decks!”

“…Every card?!” wailed Sunset.

“…Every card!” sneered Rubeus.

Sunset growled, “I won’t let that happen, not while I have Vortex Dragon and its special ability.

I can take Nobledragon Magician in my Extra Deck, and shuffle him into my Main Deck, and with that, your dragon’s effect is negated, and your monster is destroyed!”

Rainbow Dragon vanished back into the graveyard, and Sunset sighed heavily in relief. “That was a close one.”

…But Rubeus laughed at her. “You fool, you fell straight into my hand like I knew you would.

I knew you couldn’t resist negating my Rainbow Dragon, and now that you have, I am able to activate my facedown card, MALEFIC SELECTOR!”

“Another spell?!” cried Sunset.

“Oh, yes, indeed.” hissed Rubeus. “This spell forces me to banish Malefic Rainbow Dragon and Malefic Parallel Gear from my graveyard.

However, in exchange, I am now able to add two “Malefic” cards form my deck straight to my hand.”

Sunset didn’t like the sound of that.

Rubeus took his two cards and revealed them to her. “I’ve taken a second Malefic Selector, and the trap MALEFIC CLAWSTREAM.

I’ll bet you’re anxious to see how this card works.”

Sunset felt worried, having never seen this card before and having no idea how it worked.

“Well, for now I shall set it facedown and let you continue to think about it. In the meantime, I’ll play MALEFIC SELECTOR once more. Now by banishing Malefic Stardust Dragon, and a Second Malefic Parallel Gear I had just discarded, I add two more cards to my hand.

Behold… MALEFIC BLUE-EYES WHITE DRAGON and MALEFIC RED-EYES BLACK DRAGON!”

Sunset was nothing short of shocked. “Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes? Those are two of the most well-known monsters in the dueling world!”

“Good to see your memory is sharp.” said Rubeus. “Now by sending the original Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes from my deck to the graveyard, I summon both these dark versions of them to the field!”

(Atk: 3000)

(Atk: 2400)

The two fierce dragons stood next to Paradox Dragon, giving Rubeus three strong monsters!

“This is bad!” cried Sunset.

Rubeus engaged his battle phase.

“Prepare to lose your precious creatures!” he bellowed. “Malefic Paradox Dragon, destroy Odd-Eyes Vortex Dragon!”

In a mighty, thunderous blast, Sunset’s dragon was wiped out.

“And now for your second dragon!” shouted Rubeus. “Red-Eyes, attack Meteorburst Dragon!”

Another dragon attacked, and another dragon had fallen.

“Oh, no!” cried Sunset.

Rubeus now felt content with himself. “She has made no effort to defend herself. Then I am in the clear. I shall finish her off finally and forever.”

“This is where it all ends!” he hollered. “Blue-Eyes, I command you… destroy Xiangke Magician and wipe out all of Sunset’s life points!”

With only 500 points left, Sunset was sure to lose.

“Not so fast!” she yelled. “I activate my trap PENDULUM SWITCH!”

“What?!”

“Now I can save Xiangke Magician by having him step off the field and into the Pendulum Zone where you can’t strike him down.”

The magician leapt up and out of the way of the attack just in the nick of time.

“Looks like you fell right into my own hand.” Sunset gloated. “I knew you couldn’t resist attacking my magician, and I just managed to hang in with a little bit of luck.”

“Luck?!” snapped Rubeus. “You hoped for all this to happen?”

Sunset nodded, “You did everything I hoped you would, so I still get to stay in this match. I told you, I’m going to avenge my friends, and put you in your place for all that you’ve put us through!

That is a promise!”

By now, the aura around her body was becoming brighter, and stronger with her growing determination.

Rubeus then balked. “I’ll show you how empty that promise is!

Blue-Eyes, destroy Timestar Magician!”

The magician was destroyed, leaving Sunset with nothing but her Dragonpit Magician still defending her.

She was still safe for now all thanks to her strokes of luck, as well as her playing skills, but she still felt hurt for seeing the last of her friends just vanish like that!

Were they still alive?

Were they anywhere around?

…Or were they really gone!

The very thought of it made her feel uneasy.

This caused the aura around her to darken again, and the more she kept slipping into despair and worry, the darker it became.

“They can’t be gone! They just can’t be!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 60: Final Part: Astounding Conclusion

EPISODE SIXTY

As Sunset continued to gain confidence and determination in her dueling. The wormhole continued to grow, and grow, much to Z-Arc’s anger.

The prisoners were delighted and kept on chanting Sunset’s name.

“Come on, keep it up!” hollered Twilight.

“I don’t know how much more of this I can go on.” said Spike.

The others all felt the same. Chanting Sunset’s name over and over, didn’t weaken them, as they were just souls, but it was getting rather tiresome.

Suddenly, the portal stopped expanding.

“What’s happened?” asked Fluttershy.

“It’s stopped growing.”

Z-Arc snickered. “I can feel…! Yes, your friend is losing confidence again. She’s slowly slipping into darkness again, which suits me all the better.”

Hearing this made everyone feel cold with worry. Now they knew for sure that the portal was caused by Sunset’s connection to her friends, but if she was feeling down and letting the darkness get her, it only helped Z-Arc.

“Poor, Sunset.” said Fluttershy.

Rarity clenched her fists, “All this darkness, all this horrible feeling. We can’t let this happen! ME MUSTN’T!!”

“Keep calling to her!” called Twilight. “It may be our only chance.”

“But how do we know if we’re even reaching to her?” asked Spike. “How do we even know we’re the ones helping expand the portal?”

Z-Arc laughed and said, “I’d be less concerned with that, and more with what’s coming your way.”

He was beginning to find his strength again to slowly absorb all the soul-spheres into himself.

“You haven’t won, Z-Arc! Not yet!” shouted Twilight. “Come on, everyone! Keep chanting!”

…And so, they did. They kept chanting Sunset’s name.

“Everyone, all together! Give it all you got!” Twilight called, and all together, everyone shouted.

“SUNSET!!!”

Combined, their voices reached farther than ever.

…And Sunset finally heard them.

“What was that?” she wondered.

Rubeus heard the voices to. “It can’t be!”

The voices kept chanting, and Twilight called out.

“Sunset! Don’t give up! Keep fighting!”

Sunset knew she wasn’t going crazy. “It’s them! It’s my friends! They’re still alive, and they’re calling to me.”

She was beginning to feel strength returning to her, and she called out, “Twilight Sparkle, can you hear me?”

Twilight’s ears twitched.

“I can hear her!” cried Shining Armor.

“Me too!” added Cadance.

Luna looked down at the wormhole. “Look! It’s expanding!”

The portal was now brighter than ever and expanding wide open.

“No!!” shouted Z-Arc. “This can’t happen! Not now! I’m so close to reviving again!”

The darkness of the realm began to swirl violently, as if the forces of the light against darkness were conflicting with each other resulting in a dimensional instability.

“I don’t think this place is too happy with us.” whimpered Applejack.

“That’s because we’ve poisoned it.” cried Spike.

Fluttershy began to panic. “If this realm collapses, what’ll happen to us?!”

Rarity gasped the biggest and longest gasp she had ever done! “Oh, no! No, no, no, no!! It’s too horrible!! WE’LL CEASE TO EXIST!!

WE’VE GOT TO ESCAPE!!”

At that very second, the portal began to suck all the spheres towards it like a black hole.

“Yee-Haw! We’re outta here!” cheered Applejack.

Everyone’s smiles widened at the taste of sweet freedom coming their way.

“…Oh, no, you don’t!” bellowed Z-Arc.

As he himself was not like the rest of the souls, he wouldn’t be able to escape through the portal of light. It would damage him so severely it would wipe him out, and while he hadn’t enough strength to revive himself, he decided to do the only thing he could.

Pouring on all the power he could from the darkness of the realm itself, he managed to create a vacuum of equal force against the portal, halting the spheres in place.

“Oh, no!” cried Twilight.

Z-Arc laughed at the helpless souls below. “If I go, you’re all going with me!”

“We’re not going anywhere!” cried Shining Armor.

Unless the portal somehow became stronger, all the sous would be doomed no matter what.

“Sunset!” hollered Twilight. “…If you can hear me, you’re our only hope. Lend us all your strength!”

Sunset heard every word, and now her determination was at all time high making the aura around her change from dark to bright.

“I will, Twilight. I’ll give it my all!

I’ll beat Rubeus, and together, we’ll all win this!”

Rubeus could hardly believe his eyes, and his ears.

“It’s happening.” he thought. “This is really all happening. Somehow, the power of their friendship is overpowering the Malefic Energies.

They have not disappointed me, but they have yet to make it past me and my monster army.”

Rubeus LP: 2000

Sunset LP: 500

Sunset noted how calm he seemed. He didn’t bother to say anything to her about her friends, or insult them, or give one of his gloats or anything.

“What is with this guy?” thought Sunset. “He torments me and my friends, he plots all this evil, but then he does questionable things, like trying to revive Z-Arc when he knows how deadly that creep is.

Then he traps my friends, and pressures me to duel with all my cards despite the dangers involved.”

A mighty thought suddenly occurred to her. “No way! It can’t be…!”

She eyed Rubeus with the thought still in her mind, and Rubeus finally shouted, “What are you waiting for? You said you were going to duel to save your friends, well duel already… prove how “Worthy” you are!”

The way he was talking, many would think he was really crossing a line, but Sunset’s theory was nearly confirmed.

“I don’t believe this! It’s too crazy!” It can’t be true, after all he’s done…!”

There was only one way for her to truly confirm everything, and that was to keep dueling and defeat him.

“Here goes! I draw!”

She gazed at her card with a slight twinkle in her eye.

“Timebreaker Magician now returns to my field!”

(Atk: 1400)

“You forget…?” hollered Rubeus, “My Malefic Cyber End Dragon also returns to the field.”

(Atk: 4000)

“Now I have more monsters to destroy you with, while you only have two weak magicians.”

“We’ll see about that!” sneered Sunset. “I banish Fusion Substitute from my graveyard. Now by returning Vortex Dragon to my Extra Deck, I get to draw one more card.”

She placed her fingers on her deck, hoping for the perfect draw. She took her card.

“Yes!”

Then she focused more on the field. “I activate my Pendulum Switch trap card, which allows me to bring White Wing Magician out of the Pendulum Zone and onto my field.”

(Def: 1400)

“I was afraid of using it before, but I’m not now. We’re going win this duel together and save my friends and the world.

I tune level 4 White Wing Magician with Level 3 Timebreaker Magician!”

“Another Synchro Summon?” wailed Rubeus.

The two monsters tuned together, and Sunset called a new chant.

“Brightest magician, wonderous and bright,
Lend me your power in this magical fight!

I Synchro Summon ARCANITE MAGICIAN!”

(Def: 1800)

Her oldest monster appeared and flicked its cape back hard.

Strangely, the bright aura around Sunset did not strengthen like before, hinting she was probably at maximum power, or she had to more and win the duel.

She remained focussed on her task.

“When Arcanite Magician is Synchro Summoned, he gains two spell counters which boost his attack points, but I have a better idea in mind.

See if I use these spell counters, I can destroy two cards on your field.”

“Ah!!” exclaimed Rubeus. “You’re going after my Malefic World card again!”

“Glad to see you figured that out.” said Sunset. “Your field spell still is protected with it’s spell counter, but Arcanite Magician can hit it twice, and when Malefic World goes, all your monsters go too.”

Rubeus then smirked, “Nothing’s going anywhere, not yet! I play my trap MALEFIC CLAW STREAM!”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Now, since I have at least one “Malefic” monster in play, I can destroy one monster you control. So, your magician and its spell counters now vanish!”

“No!!” cried Sunset, but indeed, her magician was vanquished before her eyes.

Rubeus laughed. “When will you ever realize that Malefic World is not so easy to conquer? There is nothing you can do to stop its power, or its revival.”

“You’re wrong!” snapped Sunset. “There’s plenty I can do. I was actually hoping you’d use that trap so I could see what it does, and now that it’s gone, I’m in the clear to put the next part of my plan in action.”

“What next part?”

“You’ll see.” said Sunset. “I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 8 XIANSHENG MAGICIAN. So now the Pendulum can really get swinging!

I can now summon as many monsters between levels 4 and level 7 as I need!

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light fired down from the Extra Deck.

“TIMEBREAKER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1400)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Her monsters all stood next to Dragonpit Magician, proud, tall, sneering, and roaring.

“But I’m far from finished!” said Sunset. “I activate the spell MONSTER REBORN, so now I can revive my Arcanite Magician!”

(Atk: 1800)

Now her field was full of five monsters, which confused Rubeus. “That’s an interesting force you have, but you don’t really expect to defeat my monsters with all those weaklings.”

Sunset smirked, “Just you wait, and you’ll see. We’re about to crush you and obtain victory from the jaws of defeat.

After all, since I Pendulum Summoned Timebreaker, I get to use him as a Tuner Monster.”

Rubeus’ eyes widened. “Are you saying…?”

“I’m not saying, I’m making it happen!

Level 3 Timebreaker tunes with Level 7 Arcanite.”

Power so strong, glowing bright,
I summon a monster of awesome might!

…I Synchro Summon NIRVANA HIGH PALADIN!”

(Atk: 3300)

Her strongest Syncrho Monster stood tall holding his magical lance up high.

“Bet you’re sorry you gave me this card now.” Sunset taunted. “Now his special ability activates. Since I Syncrho Summoned him using a Pendulum Summoned Tuner Monster, I get to add one card in my graveyard back to my hand.

I choose the spell POT OF GREED, so now I can use it and draw another two cards.”

She liked the cards she had drawn very much!

“Time for me to get rid of all your monsters at once, with the help of this spell… RAIGEKI!”

“AAAAAAHH!!” yelled Rubeus.

Bolts of lightning began flashing above his field and struck all around his monsters, vaporizing them all to bits.

“All my precious Malefic Monsters!” shouted Rubeus. “You’ve destroyed them all!”

Sunset nodded, and she felt her confidence really starting to peak…

…This caused the wormhole’s force to increase as well, slowly pulling all the soul spheres towards it, millimetre-by-millimetre.

Z-Arc maintained his hold to keep spheres with him just long enough for the realm to collapse with everyone in it.

“Come on, Sunset!” Twilight called. “Keep fighting!”

Now that Rubeus’ field was completely empty, Sunset was ready to wipe him out.

“It’s over!” she shouted.

“I agree…” Rubeus suddenly said “…It’s over for you!”

The ground began shaking violently forcing sunset to struggle in keeping her balance.

“Whoa! What’s going on?!”

Rubeus snickered, “When you destroyed my Malefic Monsters, you unleashed something incredibly deadly.

Now, all I have to do is pay half of my life points…”

Rubeus LP: 2000 -----> 1000

“…I cans summon from my graveyard the biggest, and most-powerful creature I ever have created!”

“From the graveyard?” wondered Sunset. “Ah, wait a minute…!” she remembered Rubeus discarding two cards with Graceful Charity.

Large bursts of dark energy erupted from Rubeus’ field, covering him out of sight. The darkness swirled round and merged taking the shape of what had to be the biggest and deadliest monster Sunset had ever seen-- other than Z-Arc.

From atop the large creature, Rubeus sat and declared, “Behold… the mighty MALEFIC TRUTH DRAGON!”

(Atk: 5000)

The dragon was so massively large, it nearly took up half the chamber. It’s wings just barely brushing against the walls of the castle.

The creature gave such roar, making the entire castle shake!

Sunset was so wide-eyed and mesmerized by the size and power of the huge creature, she had nearly forgotten where she was, how to move, or even breathe!

“That monster…!” she thought. “I’ve never seen anything like it! It’s way stronger than any of my monsters!”

The dragon roared at her again. She groaned as the winds blew past her.

The worst of it was, with her confidence draining, the wormhole began to weaken, giving Z-Arc the advantage once more.

“Oh, no!” cried Spike.

“Oh, yes!” laughed Z-Arc. “Looks like you’ll all be staying around with me. We can spend an eternity and bits of nothingness wandering the emptiness TOGETHER!!”

“No! It can’t end like this! It can’t!” cried Rarity.

The darkness was really going crazy. The realm wouldn’t survive the instability much longer!

“What’s Sunset worried about now?” wondered Shining Armor.

“Whatever it is, it must be bad!” cried Cadance.

Luna clenched her fists trying to remain brave. “There is still time, which means we still have a chance.”

“You haven’t a chance now!” Rubeus’ thundered. “Even your best monsters aren’t able to defat me and my Truth Dragon, and I should know, seeing as I gave you all those cards and watched how you’ve been using them a long time.

You unlocked their hidden powers and harnessed their resourcefulness, but you haven’t come close to mastering the full power they show you…

…Which is what shall be your ultimate downfall! Now finish your turn so my dragon may finish you!”

Still nearly completely mesmerized by the dragon’s size and the danger she was in. Sunset couldn’t even feel herself setting the last card in her hand facedown.

Her turn was over.

Rubeus snuffed. “Now it’s my turn, and I shall invoke Malefic World’s power to take three cards, and this time you will have to choose since they are each different.”

Sunset finally snapped out of her trance.

“Uh… I choose the middle card.”

“Very well…” said Rubeus, and he shuffled the other cards back into his deck.

“Allow me to show you the card you choose.

It’s another MALEFIC CYBER END DRAGON.”

Sunset’s eyes widened.

“Now all I do is send the regular Cyber EndDragon in my Extra Deck to the graveyard, and Malefic Stardust emerges!”

(Atk: 4000)

“Two monsters now?!” cried Sunset.

“Oh, I wouldn’t worry about both, seeing as I only need my Truth Dragon. One blast from this monster, and your life points will be no more.”

Sunset cringed nervously.

“Oh, and I should mention one other thing…” hissed Rubeus. “When Malefic Truth Dragon destroys a monster, then all the face-up monsters you control will also be destroyed.

I’m going to wipeout out and everything you have in one final blast!”

He engaged his battle phase, while Sunset was sweating big bullets down her face.

He glared deeply at her and hissed deeply, “Farewell, you big disappointment! You’re not the duelist I thought you were!”

Hearing those words, “…You big disappointment…! You’re not the duelist I thought you were.”

At last, it was all confirmed!

“I can’t believe it!” Sunset thought. “It’s just so… unbelievably… incredible!”

Now knowing the truth, she reached for her duel disk just as Rubeus shouted, “Malefic Truth Dragon, attack Nirvana High Paladin!”

His mighty dragon charged up and delivered the biggest, most-deadliest blast right at Sunset’s monster!

(Atk: 5000) -----> (Atk: 3300)

The blast connected, vaporizing not just the paladin, but all of Sunset’s monsters in a mighty white stream of destruction which sped right at Sunset, knocking her up into the drafts…

…Yet Sunset was slightly smiling.

All that was left was a cloud of dust all over Sunset’s field.

Rubeus snuffed, believing he had won the duel, when suddenly…

…The dust clouds all parted by Sunset’s, who was bathed in pure white, flaring aura.

Sunset LP: 3800

“What?!” snapped Rubeus. “But… But this is impossible! You should’ve lost the duel! How can you have more life points instead of less?!”

Sunset snickered, “I survived thanks to the trap I played… ENCHANTED JAVELIN.”

“Ah!!”

Sunset explained, “Just as you attacked me with your Truth Dragon, this trap boosted my life points by the same points as your dragon had. So, I got a big 5000-point boost just in time to save me from losing the duel.”

Sunset LP: 500 -----> 5500 -----> 3800

Rubeus was totally flabbergasted. “So, you survived, but as you recall, I still have my Cyber End Dragon, and he’s strong enough to wipe out the rest of your life points!

Go!!”

The mighty machine prepared to attack, only for Sunset to inform, “And as you recall, I still have my Pendulum Switch, and I’ll use it to bring down Xiansheng Magician to defend me!”

(Def: 1500)

The attacked continued and struck the magician out, and the piercing waves headed straight for Sunset.

(Atk: 4000) VS (Def: 1500)

Sunset shouted as the burning waves burned past her. “My magician didn’t survive, but I’m not beat yet!!”

Sunset LP: 3800 -----> 1300

Sunset barely managed to hang in and stay on her feet, but her bright aura protected her.

“No!!” cried Rubeus. Then he calmed down instantly. “So, you survived after all, and you get to have one last turn. Not that it will help you, for both my monsters are still strong enough to stop you no matter what stunt you may try and pull.”

“No!” thought Sunset. “There’s still one chance… One Hope…”

She thought ever so deeply of all her friends who were counting on her.

“Please… my friends… I need you to lend me all your strength. Help me to save you, and together we can end this nightmare for good!”

Her friends were hoping she would still help them out, and in the new few seconds too!

Sunset lay her fingers on her next card, with her eyes still shut-- focusing on all her hope-- and she pulled it out.

“YES!!” she shouted when she saw what it was. “It’s time to end this duel!”

“Hmm?” said Rubeus. “What could you have possibly drawn that can do all that?”

“I’ll show you…” replied Sunset “But first I’ll use Pendulum Switch one last time, so Xiangke Magician comes onto the field.”

(Atk: 2500)

“And now, the card that will win it all for m… the spell GIANT TRUNADE!”

Rubeus gasped!

“This sends all spells and traps on the field back to the owner’s hands, including your Malefic World card!”

“AAAAAHHHH!!”

With a mighty gust of winds, Sunset retrieved her trap while Rubeus was forced to take back his field spell, and the spell counter on it was useless!

Slowly, the buildings, the desert, the evil skies… were all plunged into darkness and were gone. Thus, the room reverted to normal, thought the floor and the walls were scratched and damaged from all the explosions and forces during the duel.

“My Malefic World, it’s gone!!” cried Rubeus “And without Malefic World, all my Malefic monsters are destroyed!”

Both his powerful dragons were swallowed up by the darkness leaving him completely wide open!

Sunset’s aura was now the brightest it could ever be as she felt the energy flowing through her.

With that, the wormhole went to full blast and pulled all the spheres into it an alarming speed.

“WE’RE FREE!!” Twilight squealed as she and all the others vanished into the light, leaving the darkness to collapse and take Z-Arc with it.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!”

As all this happened, Sunset ordered, “Xiangke Magician, attack his life points, now!!”

The magician shot Rubeus hard, knocking him down in a bright wave of light.

Rubeus LP: 1000 -----> 0

But rather than wailing in anguish or screaming in defeat, Rubeus was smiling proudly as he fell over flat on his back…

…And Sunset could see his grin.

As for the energy machine, it was going crazy, and spewing out little orbs of energy, which were more souls being converted, which flew through the castle walls and out through the portals.

With the machine now malfunctioning, the rifts in the sky began to close while all the spirits of all the people who entered the Malefic World were now transported back to their own home-worlds.

“Hey!”

“What just happened?”

“I have no idea.”

“I just had their weirdest dream.”

“It’s like I saw… something…?”

Not a single person seemed to realize or remember anything that just happened, and then just went about their business.

As for the souls of Twilight and all the other Equestrians, they appeared right there in the chamber, fully in body, soul, and everything.

“We’re free!” cried Applejack.

Fluttershy felt herself all over to see if she was solid, and she was. “I don’t believe it!” she cried.

“We’re all back!” sobbed Rarity.

They jumped all over each other hugging and crying with joy.

Everyone then looked back and saw Princess Twilight herself stepping forth. She flexed her fingers and flicked back her hair.

Everyone’s eyes filled with tears, especially Sunset’s to see they were alright.

Twilight’s smile was just to die for. “You did it!” she sobbed.

Sunset shook her head, “No… We all did it.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. The combined power of their friendship, their hopes, and strong will to overthrow the darkness really pulled through.

Spike then looked around, “Hey, where’s Twilight?” he referred to Sci-Twi.

“Where is my sister?” asked Luna.

The Equestrians had returned to normal, but those who were in the tubes in the back had not returned, as for Vic, Raven, and Gar, while their bodies were in the room, they were still unconscious.

“What’s going?” said Shining Armor. “Where’s my sister? Where’s Twily?!”

“And why haven’t the others returned yet either?” wondered Sunset.

“…I can answer that for you.” said Rubeus, and he was seen calmly and quietly approaching everyone.

“YOU!!” growled Shining Armor.

“GET HIM!!” shouted Applejack.

All the Equestrians, even Twilight wanted to rush him. Spike ran ahead of everyone and leapt up to bite Rubeus on his flat face…

“No!” Sunset shouted as she leapt in the way, catching Spike in her arms, shielding Rubeus.

Everyone came to a halt in shock and confusion.

“Whatever are you doing?!” asked Rarity.

“It’s okay.” said Sunset. “…He’s on our side.”

The entire room went silent, and everyone stared at her with wide eyes.

“Uh… our side?” asked Cadance. “As in… “Not the bad guy.”

Rubeus stepped forth softly, “It is true. Everything I have done up to this point was for the greater of good.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold your horses!” scoffed Applejack. “You put us through mindless torture, trapped our friends in cards, used their energies for world dominations… AND YOU CALL THAT GREATER OF GOOD?!!”

Her voice echoed along the walls.

Rubeus looked sorry. “I realize that I have done many horrible things, but if you bear with me and allow me to explain, perhaps you will understand better.

You see, I needed your help.”

Another wave of confusion struck everyone.

“What do you mean?” asked Twilight. “I thought you wanted to raise the Malefic World and reclaim your glory.”

Rubeus went into a deep tale of his past…

“There was a time when I wanted that.”

Episode 62: Part 1: Rise of the High Kings

EPISODE SIXTY-TWO

Because the rifts were still in the skies, the people, and other creatures of all the other worlds could still see them in the skies.

“What are those things again?” some of them wondered.

“I don’t know.”

“They look kind of strange.”

None of them remembered the danger they were in, or ever having entered the Malefic World, and while the rifts were still scary, nobody knew what to make of them.

While in Equestria, it was a different story. Princess Celestia recognized the rifts ever since they had appeared, and she hated the very looks of them.

She herself and many Equestrians were lucky enough not to have been taken into the darkness, but they were not safe yet.

One of the guards reported to her, “Your majesty. It’s confirmed: the rifts have receded, but we cannot explain exactly why or how.”

“I bet I can…” replied Celestia, but she said it to herself while looking up at the rifts and thinking, “Be strong, Sunset Shimmer.”

Because she didn’t have the power or ability to stand up to the Malefic Darkness like she did once before, all she could do was pray and hope.

Sunset and Loki readied their duel disks.

“I’m ready when you are!” growled Sunset.

“Give me your best shot.” Hissed Loki.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Sunset LP: 8000

Loki LP: 8000

The prisoners could only watch in their barriers with their stomachs turning with anxiety.

“This is it.” murmured Twilight. That was all she said, and the others all felt the same way.

“I’ll go first.” said Sunset “And I activate the spell ONE DAY OF PEACE! Now we each draw one card, and then, until my next turn, neither of us takes any damage.”

She ended her turn immediately.

“Hmm, interesting.” said Loki. “You’ve decided to play it safe.”

The prisoners immediately caught on to what Sunset was doing.

“Smart move.” said Applejack. “This way she can force Loki to do his worst, and it won’t cost her the duel.”

Fluttershy agreed, “And on her next turn, she’ll have a better chance at fighting back.”

Sunset thought to herself, “I don’t know just what new cards Loki said he has, but now I can find out without worrying about losing.”

“Well, now,” hissed Loki “It’s my turn, and I draw!”

He had a full hand of seven cards, which made him grin wickedly.

“Since you’re obviously wondering what sort of cards I have, I’ll be pleased to show you.

I’ll start by setting the pendulum scale with Scale 2 DOUBLE-D SCHRODINGER~~,~~ and Scale 8DOUBLE-D SAVANT DIRAC!”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “I’ve never seen those cards before.”

“Of course, you haven’t.” replied Loki “But now you shall witness the power I shall wield with them, for I can now summon monsters between levels 3 and 7 as I need.

…Monsters Emerge!”

Three shots of light rained down from up high as his monsters appeared.

“DOUBLE-D VICE TYPHON…” (Atk: 2300)

“Two DOUBLE-D PROUD ORGE(s)…” (Atk: 2300) x2

The four monsters all stood tall and proud, growling, and snarling at Sunset—monsters she had never seen before.

“Don’t bother gawking at them,” said Loki “They won’t be hanging around for very long, and I’ll show you why.

From my hand, I summon the Tunner Monster DOUBLE-D NIGHTHOWL!”

(Atk: 300)

Everyone recognized that monster.

“Oh, no!” cried Rarity. “Please tell me he’s not going to do what I think he shall!”

“…He is.” peeped Spike.

“You’re correct,” Loki called to everyone. “I now Tune Level 3 Nighthowl with Level 7 Dice Typhon!

Cutting through the winds in a blinding path,
You’ll feel the pain of this monarch’s wrath.

I Synchro Summon… TRIPLE-D GUST HIGH KING ALEXANDER!”

(Atk: 3000)

Sunset gasped in awe at the sight of this monster. “I’ve faced Gust King before, but this monster’s twice his size!” she wailed.

“That’s because he’s new and improved.” explained Loki. “And he isn’t my only new creature, watch now as I Overlay my two King Ogres in order to build the Overlay Network!”

The two monsters vanished into the portal, and Loki called out his chant…

“Make way of the waters, make way of the sea,
This monarch appears to give service to me!

I Xyz Summon… TRIPLE-D WAVE HIGH KING CAESAR!”

(Atk: 2800)

This new monster-- Sunset gazed at it comparing it to the original Wave King Caesar. “It’s incredible!” she cried.

“It’s more than that,” said Loki. “It’s the beginning of your downfall, especially when I activate Vice Tphyon’s ability.

Since it was sent to my graveyard this turn, I can banish it along with Nighthowl in order to Fusion Summon a great terror to join my forces!”

“No way!” exclaimed Sunset.

Loki then called out his chant as his two monsters spirits merged, creating a big blaze of fire…

“Fearsome flames, and heat so true,
This monarch appears to incinerate you!

I Fusion Summon… TRIPLE-D FLAME HIGH KING GENGHIS!”

(Atk: 2800)

Sunset gawked at the three menacing monarchs glaring back at her.

The prisoners were just as flabbergast as she was.

“Look at those things!” cried Shining Armor.

“He’s upgraded all three of his monsters into larger versions of themselves!” added Cadance.

Applejack was more amazed by Loki’s ability to get them all in play at once. “Pendulum… Fusion… Synchro… Xyz! He’s still a summoning mastermind!”

Twilight had to agree, and she thought, “It’s a good thing we don’t have guys like him in Equestria, at least not anymore. With this kind of summoning power, who knows how many creatures would trek across the lands!”

Sunset shook herself out of her trance, but she was still highly shocked and astounded by these three monsters.

“Those monsters may be tough, but there’s nothing they can do to me this turn; not while One Day of Peace is still in effect.”

“True…” agreed Loki “But I’m not the least bit concerned, because you don’t know how these new monsters of mine really work.”

He pointed up at his Gust King, “Since I have at least three “Triple-D” monsters out, Gust King now gains 3000 attack points, doubling his mighty power.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 6000)

“Six thousand?!” wailed Sunset. “That’s totally nuts!”

“There’s really nothing nuts about it, at least compared to what I’m going to do now.”

He held up his last card, “I now activate the spellDARK CONTRACT WITH EXCLUSIVITY!”

“What is that?” asked Sunset.

Loki snickered, “Just another special card I’ve created, and one that will seriously put your plans, your hopes, and your so-called victory in the trash where they belong.

You see, as long as this legally binding spell is in play, I am no longer able to summon monsters from my Extra Deck… however, like all of my contracts, it has a benefit.

Since I control a Fusion, Syncrho, and Xyz monster, you are forbidden from summoning monsters using any of those specific summoning methods!”

Sunset’s heart skipped a beat, and she felt her blood turning cold. “That means… I can’t Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz Summon anything!”

“That’s not fair!” whined Rarity. “He’s all but destroyed Sunset’s Extra Deck!”

Fluttershy whimpered, “Oh…! How is Sunset supposed to win now when she can’t gain access to her best cards?”

“I think that’s the least of her problems.” said Spike. “She’s still got those three kings to deal with. I mean look at those brutes.”

The three kings, as menacing as they looked, didn’t stop Sunset from willing to duel.

“You may have stopped me from Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz summoning, but I’m not all that lost yet.

The only way to find out what your kings are made of is for me to directly engage them, and that’s just what I’ll do.

I draw!”

She had six cards in her hand, and she was ready to give it her all.

“I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN, and Scale 8 BLACK FANG MAGICIAN!”

The new magicians took their places in the light and nodded proudly at Sunset to show their support.

“With this, I can summon as many monsters between Levels 2 and 7 as I need.

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monster!”

A single shot of light fired down onto the field. “Make way for TIMEBREAKER MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 1400)

Loki didn’t seem the least bit surprised. “I see. You summoned Timebreaker all alone because by doing so, his attack strength doubles.”

(Atk: 1400) -----> (Atk: 2800)

“Looks like you caught on fast.” remarked Sunset “And next, I summon DOUBLE IRIS MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 1500)

“Black Fang Magician, use your Pendulum Ability. He can destroy himself, and then cut the power of your King Caeser in half!”

Loki growled as the magician worked his magic. POW!! He exploded, leaving behing a dark magical fog, which enveloped King Caesar.

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 1400)

“Perfect!” cried Sunset. “Now that my Pendulum Scale is vacant, I’ll set Scale 8 HARMONIZING MAGICIAN there.”

With her magician taking its place in the light, Sunset’s field gave a small glow.

“Time to really make some magic shine! Thanks to Harmonizing Magician’s Pendulum Effect, all my monsters will gain 100 extra attack points for every face up “Magician” monster in my Extra Deck.

There may be only one right now, but that’s all I need.”

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 1600)

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 2900)

“Let’s see your Kings get out of this one now.” taunted Sunset, and she engaged her battle phase.

“Timebreaker destroy that Flame King!”

The magician complied, and aimed his wand up, sending a huge blast towards the hulking king!

“And while I’m at it,” Sunset hollered, “I get to use Purple Poison Magician’s Pendulum Ability!

Whenever my Dark Spellcaster monster attacks, Purple Poison will boost that monster’s attack by 1200 points, but that’s not the only thing that will happen…

Purple Poison Magician will destroy himself, and when that happens, I can destroy one other face-up card on the field.”

The prisoners were all giddy with glee, believing Sunset’s strategy was really going give her a big edge!

But Loki simply snuffed, “So, you intend you get rid of two of my monsters, is it? Well, I’m afraid that will not work.”

“Huh?” cried Sunset.

“I activate High King Genghis’ special ability.”

“Huh? What’s going on?!” cried Sunset, and she saw a veil of flames encircling Purple Poison Magician in the light.

Loki explained, “Once per turn, if a Spell or Trap effect is used, my Flame King uses his mighty fire to put a stop to the card’s effect. So, your plan just, literally, backfired on you.”

Sunset could hardly believe her eyes, nor could the prisoners.

“Ah, come on!” groaned Spike. “She had it all set up, and he goes and puts her plan out with a little firecracker?!”

“This guy sure ain’t messin’ around this time.” said Applejack.

Twilight agreed, but then she said “Well, at least Sunset can still destroy the Flame King!”

She was right, Timebreaker’s attack was still in motion and ready to strike.

The attack collided and blew Genghis into ashes.

“Yeah! That’s one down!” Sunset cheered, but Loki then called to her, “I wouldn’t be celebrating if I were you, because now I am able to use Schrodinger’s pendulum ability.

…When my monster is attacked, he can summon himself onto the field, and any damage I would have taken is reduced to zero!”

Sunset gasped, and saw the monster leap out onto the field…

(Def: 2400)

And formed a powerful barrier around Loki, shielding him from damage.

Sunset clenched her fist. “Pretty slick, but I’m not finished just yet.”

Loki then cut her off, “…And neither am I!Since a “Double-D” monster was summoned to my field, High King Alexander’s special ability allows me to resurrect a fallen comrade from my graveyard.

Return to me… Triple-D Flame High King Genghis!!”

(Atk: 2800)

Sunset was trembling in fear!

“He brought it back again!” cried Shining Armor.

Cadance whimpered, “…And he sure looks angry!”

Flame King was broiling with his flaming aura.

Fluttershy squeaking nervously and curled up while trembling.

Loki would have smirked had he a visible mouth, and he called to Sunset. “Are you going to stand there all shocked, or are you going to try anything else?

Though, you can probably tell, whatever you try will be nothing short of foolish.”

Sunset refused to believe that. “I won’t give up! I have to keep going forward just like I promised.

Double Iris Magician, attack King Cesar!”

The magician leapt up high, and with one slash from his smaller sword, his struck down the weakened king with ease.

“A bold attempt, but it will only help me more than it helps you.” said Loki. “Schrondinger’s special ability now activates, shielding my life points from any battle damage I would take for this one battle.”

The magical barrier did just as he said, blocking the attack rays from reaching him.

“Maybe so, but your monster still gets destroyed!” insisted Sunset, and she was right, King Cesar was vanquished.

“…Yes, so he is.” replied Loki. “… And because Cesar was destroyed, I am now able to move one “Dark Contract” card from my deck to my hand!”

“No way!” cried Sunset.

“Yes, way!” protested Loki, “And I choose the binding spell, DARK CONTRACT WITH THE GATE!”

Sunset began to panic in her mind. “I can’t believe he’s doing this! It’s like nothing I throw at him can do anything!”

She then looked up and noticed Gust King’s attack power going down.

(Atk: 6000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“How unfortunate for me.” said Loki. “Now that I no longer have a third “Triple-D” monster, my Gust King lost his power bonus.” He didn’t seem the least bit concerned with all this and glared at Sunset. “What are you going to do now?”

Sunset didn’t know whether to feel intimidated or insulted, but she had some serious thinking to do and very little time.

“I could still use Timebreaker’s effect. Then I can banish him and one of the other monsters off the field until my next turn, but Timebreaker’s my best monster. I’d hate to give him up just like that.

Plus, what if on his next turn he pulls another fast one and summons another monster. I’d be in big trouble then too.”

She was mixed between whether what to do.

The prisoners could feel her frustration.

Rarity was fanning herself with her hand, “I can barely take this much longer. Sunset, you must do something!”

In a quick, stressful snap, Sunset hit her duel disk, “I activate Timebreaker’s effect. I banish him and Flame King Gengis until my next turn!”

She was almost totally shocked by her actions, even after the two monsters vanished.

Loki said nothing. He just stood there with his eyes still glaring at her.

“Well, that’s something.” said Spike. “She got rid of two monsters.”

“Yes.” agreed Luna, “But that Gust King is still a menace to behold. It will take much to bring it down.”

“Plus, don’t forget,” Shining Armor pointed out, “If Loki summons two more Triple-D’s, its attack will rise again.”

“Well, let’s just hope that doesn’t happen.” murmured Cadance.

Sunset had no other options. “I end with a facedown.”

Loki snickered. “It’s my draw.”

He like his next card.

“And now, it’s time I activated Dark Contract with the Gate.

I’m certain you remember this card. It will cause me to take 1000 points of damage on my next turn, but the good side is that I am able to add DOUBLE-D SAVANT GALILEI to my hand, and just in time to…!

I activate its special ability, which allows me to discard it and send my Dark Contract with Exclusivity back to my hand.”

Sunset growled softly, realizing why he did that.

“I know what you’re thinking…” hissed Loki “And you are quite right, now that my contract is gone, I can summon monsters from my Extra Deck this turn, but firstly I have another monster to play…

I summon DOUBLE-D SAVANT KEPLER!”

(Atk: 0)

“When he is summoned, his special ability now activates, allowing me to add to my hand DARK CONTRACT WITH THE SWAMP KING!”

“Not that?!” cried Sunset “That let’s you Fusion Summon.”

Loki snickered, “Glad to see that you remember that.” He played his card at once, “And also, since I plan on summoning a “Double-D” monster, I am allowed to banish Kepler along with one of the Proud Ogres in my graveyard.

Now, go my monsters!”

The monsters merged, and Loki called out a chant to them.

“Raging in flames, and strong as steel,
This monarch rises in flaming appeal!

“I Fusion Summon… TRIPLE-D FLAME KING GENGHIS!”

(Atk: 2000)

Sunset gawked in fear. “It’s the original Flame King!”

“Indeed.” hissed Loki. “He may not be as strong as High Flame King Genghis, but he is still very useful.

Since I summoned a “Double-D” monster, Gust High King Alexander will now resurrect a monster that is still in my graveyard.

Rise, once again, Triple-D Wave High King Cesar!”

(Atk: 2800)

His huge, hulking Xyz Monster flexed its muscles and growled fiercely.

“But why stop there? Now Flame King Genghis can resurrect another “Double-D” monster from the graveyard.

Come forth, DOUBLE-D PROUD OGRE!”

(Atk: 2300)

Everyone gawked in horrors at the sight of his field.

“Would you look at all that?!” cried Shining Armor. “He’s got Five monsters in play!”

“Not just that…” added Cadance, “He has one monster of each summoning force.”

Everyone looked between the monsters…

One Fusion, One Synchro, One Xyz, and Two Pendulum monsters!

Sunset looked at all the monsters. “This… This is impossible!” she cried.

“Come now, you can’t deny what exists before you.” hissed Loki. “I have now singly succeeded in bringing forth at least one creature of each and every summoning power, which means, now is the perfect time for me to re-activate Dark Contract with Exclusivity!”

Sunset felt her heart skip a beat.

“Now that I have Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum monsters on my field, you’re not allowed to summon any type of these monsters from your Extra Deck.”

Sunset looked down at her duel disk screen; her Extra Deck had a large red X flashing over it, indicating it was no longer in use for her.

“All my best monsters!” she cried. “I can’t summon any of them now!”

Loki laughed. “Not that it really matters in any case. Now that I have three “Triple-D” monsters, Gust High King Alexander will once again receive 3000 attack points.”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 6000)

“This is bad!” cried Spike. “This is really bad!”

Twilight didn’t have to be even an average player to understand. “With all those monsters, and all those attack points. Sunset will get creamed.”

“No! It can’t end like this!” said Luna. “There must be something she can do!!”

Sunset was sweating bullets.

“It’s time!” hissed Loki, and he engaged his battle phase.

“Gust High King Alexander, annihilate Double Iris Magician!”

The mighty monarch prepared to strike, and with his massive power, Sunset was likely to take a huge slamming of damage… had she not acted quickly.

“I activate the trap TIME PENDULUMGRAPH!”

“Huh? When did you get that card?” asked Loki.

Sunset gave a smirk, “Like Rubeus said: the dueling energy combined with the magic allowed me to get some new cards in my deck.

Now, this trap let’s me destroy Purple Poison Magician, and then I can destroy one card you control, so your Gust King is about to be dethroned!”

In a strong whirlwind, Gust King was enveloped by the force and destroyed before he could finish his attack.

“No! My Gust King!” cried Loki.

The prisoners were overjoyed!

“She did it!” cried Rarity, and she let out a huge heave of relief. “I can’t begin to think how close that was!”

“Oh, but… but…” Fluttershy whimpered while motioning at all the other monsters.

“I’m not so worried.” said Sunset “After all, I can use Purple Poison Magician’s effect. Since it was destroyed, I can destroy one other face up card, so say goodbye to Proud Ogre!”

The growling ogre fell, which Sunset deemed a wise move in her mind. “It’s better I destroy him than the others, because if I do, Loki will add another Dark Contract to his hand. I can’t let him strengthen his forces anymore!”

Loki scoffed, “Very impressive, but even with all you’ve done, I still have enough power to corner you.

Flame King Genghis, attack Double Iris Magician!”

There was nothing Sunset could do this time.

(Atk: 2000) VS (Atk: 1600)

Her magician was struck down!

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 7600

The damage was small, but Sunset still got shocked a bit, and she wasn’t the only one…!

Each and everyone of the prisoners felt the same slight shock as she did.

“Hey!” snapped Spike.

“What was that?” asked Luna.

Sunset didn’t notice as she was distracted by her cards. “When Double Iris is destroyed, I get to add one “Pendulumgraph” card from my deck to my hand. So, I’ll take… STAR PENDULUMGRAPH.”

Loki snickered as if it all meant nothing to him, and then he ordered, “Now, King Ceasar, wage a direct attack!”

The mighty king leapt over and took a big swing with his massive sword, slashing Sunset hard, making her scream and wail as the shocks and burning sapped at her energy.

Sunset LP: 7600 -----> 4800

The prisoners were all shocked and burned just like she was, making them all scream and wail too.

“What’s happening?!” shouted Applejack.

“It’s hurts! It hurts!!” cried Fluttershy.

“Cadance!!”

“Shining Armor!!”

“No!!” cried Sunset “What are you doing to them?!”

The burning stopped, and all the prisoners fell onto their knees trying to catch their breaths.

Loki laughed, “What’s wrong? I thought you were very close to your friends, and that you always “stick together” and “share” all things?

Well, I figured that in this duel you can all share the pain! The more damage you suffer, the more your friends will suffer with you.”

Sunset’s stomach gave a turn, and so did the prisoners.

“You mean, every time Sunset takes a hit, we’ll get hurt too?!” whimpered Fluttershy.

Applejack was furious and growled towards Loki, “That’s just like him, always wanting to pull off something dirty!”

Then suddenly, she noticed, “My hand!” it along with her arm was becoming transparent-- fading away, as were her and her feet and shins. She could no longer see her boots.

The others were all the same-- unable to see their hands and feet, but they still could feel their physical presence.

“No!” cried Sunset. “This is just like before when I dueled Rubeus. He’s sapping everyone’s life energy! The more damage I take, the more they’ll all fade into the darkness!”

Loki, feeling proud of this setup and adding the extra pain and suffering, remarked, “My brother sure has missed out on a lot by going soft and weak. That’s what happens when you allow yourself to be corrupted and mislead.”

Sunset angrily glared at him, but before she could say anything, something caught her attention out of the corner of her eye.

Despite its damage, the energy machine was revving up again. It was giving off its eerie glowing, and with it, the rifts in the sky were slowly starting to expand again.

“Excellent.” hissed Loki. “Your life energies as well as your negative emotions help me to re-start everything.

All worlds will once again be transported into the darkness, and soon I will take my place as the Ultimate Supreme Ruler, of the single, darkest, evilest world in all existence!”

“That’s not going to happen, you hear me?!” insisted Sunset.

“I hear you, but I don’t believe you.” sneered Loki. “Once I defeat you, you and your friends will be nothing but faded memories.

Your energies will be fully transferred into the darkness, and that also goes for your friends who have already been vanquished, and Rubeus as well!”

Chills ran down everyone’s spines.

Sunset finally realized, “If I lose this duel, then my friends and I will all disappear, but the more I duel-- if I keep losing life points-- my friends will all suffer anyway.”

Loki could tell her thoughts. “Perhaps now you’ve finally realized… you’ve picked a battle you have no chance of winning, and just trying would be foolish enough because you’d be putting your precious friends in danger.

I quite literally have all the cards now, and there’s nothing you can possibly do that will stop me.

Your fates are entirely sealed, and my monsters are ready to take everything you know and love away!!”

His monsters growled and sneered behind him, glaring down at Sunset.

To Be Continued…

Episode 63: Part 2: Long Live the Super Kings

EPISODE SIXTY-THREE

The rifts were still slowly expanding the longer the duel continued.

Sunset LP: 4800

Loki LP: 8000

“That machine!” cried Twilight. “There’s got to be a way to stop it.”

She pounded her invisible hands against the barrier that held her, but to no avail. The energy was too strong.

Rarity was fretting at the sight of her fading body. “Look at me! I’m like some decrepit spirit!”

Sunset hated to see all her friends whimpering in fear. She would be too if she were in the same state as they were.

Easily, Spike looked the worst of all. Because his was smaller than everyone else, he was faded down to just his head and his tail… making him whimper.

“Spike!” cried Sunset.

“Poor, little mongrel.” taunted Loki. “Looks like he can barely hang onto himself. I wonder, should you lose anymore life points, will he vanish completely?”

Sunset didn’t know how much more of this she could take! Every single second things were growing worse!

“He’s completely overwhelming me with all this dark magic!” she thought, but then she suddenly remembered, “Magic? Wait a second, I complete forgot, I have my own power here—the dueling aura that I developed, it’s the one thing strong enough to combat the Malefic Magic.”

She looked down at her body, which wasn’t glowing at all or shrouded in any aura.

“I have to keep dueling to get it working, but that’ll still put my friends in danger.”

She had no choice.

“I hate to have to put them through more suffering, but hopefully… just hopefully… I can generate enough aura to save everyone and put an end to this nightmare for good.”

She put her foot down strong. “This duel’s still on, Loki. I may have lost to you and your monsters in the past, but that’s not going to happen this time.

I draw…!!”

She now had two cards.

“Timebreaker Magician now comes back to the field, and he brings your High King Genghis back with him.”

The two monsters reappeared.

Because Flame King was only brought back to the field, he was not properly summoned, so Loki was not able to call on any other monsters.

Sunset’s little magician also grew slightly stronger in attack.

(Atk: 1400) -----> (Atk: 1600)

(Atk: 2800)

“Ha!” scoffed Loki. “Even though your Harmonizing Magician powers your monster up, there’s still very little you can do with it.”

“Oh, really?” sneered Sunset. “We’ll just see about that.

I use Timebreaker’s ability again, which sends him and your High Flame King off the field once more.”

After the monsters vanished, Sunset held up one of her cards. “Now that Flame King is gone again, I’m free to play all the spells I need, and I’ll start with GRACEFUL CHARITY, so I can draw three cards, and then I have to discard two.”

She still only had two cards when she was finished, but she grinned.

“And guess what… one of those cards that I just discarded was CARD OF COMPENSATION! Since I discarded it, I get to draw another two cards.”

Now she had four cards in hand, and with them she had a perfect plan in mind to get back on track, and it also ignited her dueling aura-- her body was softly shrouded in light, much to Loki’s annoyance.

“First, I’ll use Scale 1 DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN so I can set the Pendulum Scale.”

The magician leapt up into the light and waved over to the other magician on the opposite end.

“And now, I’ll use Dragonpulse Magician’s Pendulum Ability, by sending DRAGONPIT MAGICIAN in my hand to the graveyard, I can destroy one other monster you control, and I choose to blast away your Savant Schrodinger!”

“Oh, no!” cried Loki, and he watched as his monster was struck and destroyed.

“Yeah! That’s how I like it.” cheered Sunset “Now I activate my spell, STAR PENDULUMGRAPH!

With this in play, all of my “Magician” monsters will be protected from any of your spell effects, but that’s not all I did…!

Now that you no longer have any Pendulum Monsters in play, I’m allowed to Pendulum Summon monsters from my extra deck!”

She pointed upward, “And thanks to my scale up there, that’s just what I’ll do.

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Three shots of light rained down as her monsters appeared.

“BLACK FANG MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1700)

“DOUBLE IRIS MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1500)

“PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1200)

The three magicians all stood together, glowing magically with their own respective dueling auras.

“Look at those guys!” cried Cadance. “It’s like they’re all banding together in a big magical force.”

“Yeah, but still.” pointed out Shining Armor. “None of those guys can stand up to those big brutes over there, and Sunset just killed their power bonus too because she has no more Pendulum monsters in her graveyard.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure of that.” said Twilight. Having paying attention to Sunset’s cards, “…I see what she can do.”

“I activate my trap again, Go, Time Pendulumgraph! I can send Purple Poison Magician away to destroy one card on your field… say goodbye to your King Ceasar!”

“Ah!” cried Loki.

The monster exploded before his eyes, sending the shockwaves roaring past him.

“And that’s not all that’s going down,” said Sunset “When Purple Poison Magician is destroyed, I get to destroy one additional card so say goodbye to Flame King Genghis!”

The Flame King was shrouded in purple darkness and swallowed up whole.

“Yee-Haw! She’s destroying all his monsters right and left!” cheered Applejack.

Loki then snuffed. “You have destroyed my two kings, but by destroying Cesar, I now add another DARK CONTRACT WITH THE GATE to my hand.”

“It doesn’t matter to me!” protested Sunset “I’m going to add a card to my hand too, all thanks to my Star Pendulumgraph.

Since a “Magician” left my field, I’m allowed to add one “Magician” Pendulum Monster to my hand, and I choose… NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN!

Just in time too, because I’m summoning my Tunner monster right now!”

(Atk: 700)

“And now, because you haven’t any monsters on the field at all, your Dark Contract with Exclusivity can’t hold me back, which means I can really get rumbling and do some serious summoning!

I tune Level 3 Nobledragon Magician with Level 4 Black Fang Magician!”

Because of the conditions, Nobledragon Magician was forced to the bottom of the Main Deck, but the summoning still happened as Sunset called out to it.

“On flaming wings, and claws that seer,
My mighty beast shall now appear!

I Synchro Summon ODD-EYES METEORBURST DRAGON.”

(Atk: 2500)

With her fiery dragon’s appearance, her dueling aura increased in brightness to the awe of the prisoners. However, it was nowhere near powerful enough to do anything. So, she continued dueling.

“When Meteorburst is summoned, he invites a friend in the Pendulum Zone to join us on the field. So, make way for Dragonpulse Magician!”

(Atk: 1800)

“And now, I overlay him along with Double Iris Magician in order to build the Overlay Network!

Unlocking the mysteries of time and space,
I call forth a creature to this place!

I Xyz Summon TIMESTAR MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 2400)

Her two monsters stood together looking fierce and strong.

“That’s quite a summoning you made there.” said Loki “But if you’re through now, I’d like to continue so I may crush you myself!”

“Actually, I’m not finished yet.” sneered Sunset “I use Timestar’s special ability. By using one overlay unit, I get to add WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN to my hand.

Now I’ll set Wisdome-Eye in the Pendulum Zone, which allows me to use his Pendulum Ability.

He destroys himself, and I get to replace him with WHITE WING MAGICIAN!”

Sunset then held up her Duel Disk, gloating, “Thanks to the moves I just made, I now have three face-up Pendulum “Magician” cards in my Extra Deck, and thanks to Harmonizing Magician, both my monsters will gain 100 attack points for each of them.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 2800)

(Atk: 2400) -----> (Atk: 2700)

Sunset’s aura was glowing brightly now with her strength high and her confidence really flowing.

“This is awesome!” Spike cried for joy while wagging his visible tail.

“With all that power, Sunset’s about to really let him have it!” said Luna.

Sunset engaged her battle phase.

“This is for tormenting me and my friends! Odd-Eyes, Timestar…! Double-Direct attack!”

Timestar leapt up upon the mighty dragon, and the two combined their magical and fiery energies together in one thunderous strike straight for Loki.

Loki braced himself as he was struck extremely hard and pushed back several inches.

Loki LP: 8000 -----> 2500

“Oh, my!” cried Rarity.

“Oh!” Fluttershy moaned while holding her invisible hands over her mouth.

Everyone else gazed in awe and shock at how much damage Sunset had done. Even Sunset was amazed, but her aura was still flowing well, though she still couldn’t feel enough power to do anything.

Loki was panting hard, but rather than fly into outrage, he simply burst out laughing evilly.

“What’s that creep laughing about?” wondered Shining Armor.

“Well done…” Loki hissed “…I never expected you to strike me with that much damage. You should really savor this moment because I assure you…

…It will not be happening… AGAIN!!”

Sunset growled softly, and she placed her last card facedown, “I end my turn!”

“It is now my turn!” Loki bellowed as he drew a single card.

“Just a moment!” Sunset called out. “Your contract cards are still in play, which means now you have to pay for them; 1000 life points for two cards, which means you’re about to lose 2000 more life points.”

The contracts began to glow with dark aura.

“Sorry to disappoint you, but that’s not going to happen!” said Loki. “I activate Savant Dirac’s Pendulum Ability.

He summons himself to the field, and when he does, I take no effect damage for the rest of the turn.”

(Def: 1600)

The moment his monster appeared on the field, it absorbed all the darkness from the contracts, leaving Loki unharmed.

“I can’t believe this!” cried Sunset.

“But I do.” sneered Loki. “And I also believe it what else is about to occur. I use the effect of Dark Contract with The Gate to add DOUBLE-D ORTHROS to my hand, and I will immediately set him in the Pendulum Zone!”

Sunset gawked at the monster, which she had never seen before, and had no idea what it did.

She then gazed at her Time Pendulumgraph trap and thought. “I suppose I could activate it, but then Loki just may bring out something even more dangerous.

I’d better wait for now.”

Loki’s eyes gave a sinister shine. “I now activate Orthros’ Pendulum Effect, it allows me to destroy my Dark Contract with Exclusivity, and then I am able to destroy your Time Pendulumgraph card as well!”

“Ah!!” cried Sunset.

Both cards were destroyed.

“But that trap was helping Sunset!” cried Fluttershy.

“It’s worse than that!” whimpered Rarity. “Without Exclusivity, Loki is no longer forbidden to summon cards from his Extra Deck.”

“Correct she is…” hissed Loki “And to start off with my plan I activate the second Dark Contract with the gate that is in my hand!”

Doing this left him with only a single card left.

“And now I invoke the power of POT OF GREED so I may draw another two cards.”

He then held up one of the cards he had draw, “Looks like you aren’t the only one lucky enough to keep draw cards, for I just drew ALLURE OF DARKNESS, which permits me to draw yet another two cards. However, if I should fail to banish a Dark monster from my hand… I will be forced to discard my entire hand to the graveyard.”

“What?!” snapped Sunset. “You’d risk this duel all on this draw?”

“Who’s risking anything? I know that my deck will not let me down.”

He drew his two cards. “Excellent, I can now banish DOUBLE-D SAVANT NEWTON, and keep all my cards safe.”

“First, I shall use my new Gate Contract to add TRIPLE-D DOOM KING ARMAGEDDON to my hand.”

Sunset remembered that monster, never forgetting how much trouble it caused her in previous duels.

Loki then warned her, “And now, prepare yourself, because at this point, I will no longer be holding back with you.”

“What? You mean you’ve only been going east on me all this time.”

“Yes, and now, I plan to take this battle of ours to even greater heights than ever before, and it all starts with Dark Contract with the Swamp King.

You remember how this works, now by banishing Flame King Genghis and Gust High King Alexander from my graveyard, I am able to Fusion Summon a beast of incredible terror—one that I’m certain will be familiar to you!”

Sunset’s eyes widened. “You mean…?!”

“I do…!” sneered Loki, and he called out a chant.

“Darkness shrouds and curses the land,
as this might monarch makes his stand!

I Fusion Summon… TRIPLE-D SUPER DOOM KING PURPLE ARMAGEDDON!”

(Atk: 3500)

Sunset’s mouth hung open in shock at the sight of this huge, hulking creature.

She thought back to how she dueled against it once before and suffered horrible defeat.

“That monster…! It’s a total beast!” she whimpered.

The prisoners were all inclined to agreed.

Rarity felt faint, but she remained on her feet, due to having hardly any space to move about inside the barrier.

Loki snickered, “Yes, Purple Armageddon is rather intimidating, but I can’t just leave him here on the field alone, I plan to summon more of his kind.”

“What do you mean?” asked Sunset.

Loki grabbed one of his cards, “I’ll show you by activating the spell TRIPLE-D SYNCHRO!”

“Synchro?!” cried Sunset.

“Yes, and a very powerful one. Since I already have Doom King Armageddon in my hand, I can use him to Synchro Summon instantly, by simply using my spell card as a level 2 Tuner Monster!”

Fluttershy could hardly believe her eyes. “I’ve never heard of such a Synchro before!

Twilight growled, “He created these cards, so he’s being cheap again to keep Sunset off her game!”

Loki cleared his throat, telling everyone to pipe down while he initiated his summon.

“The shadows grow as the light will die,
For this monarch’s reign shall rule on high!

I Synchro Summon… bow down before TRIPLE-D SUPER DOOM KING BRIGHT ARMAGEDDON!”

(Atk: 3500)

This new monster looked just as deadly as the other, with strong armor and flowing energy sparks coursing along its body. It was also a Pendulum Monster, just like Purple King.

Sunset was shaking in fear, causing her dueling aura to weaken.

“Sunset!” cried Twilight, but really, she didn’t know what else to say to her. She, herself, was just as frightened at the sight of those hulking kings!

“Fusion, and Synchro?!” cried Luna. “What next?”

Loki grabbed another card from his hand, “I now activate another new spell card known as TRIPLE-D XYZ!”

“Xyz?!” cried Sunset “This can’t be!”

“I assure you; it is!” sneered Loki. “With Triple-D Xyz, I can revive Doom King Armageddon from my graveyard. Return, my great beast!”

(Atk: 3000)

“But he shan’t be staying for very long, because thanks to my spell, I am able to Xyz Summon simply by using just my Doom King alone!”

“Xyz Summon with only one monster?!” cried Applejack. “I’ve only ever seen Rainbow Dash do that.”

“Well, you’re about to see it done again!” insisted Loki, “But this time, I will bring forth a creature of the most supreme kind.

I build the overlay network with my one Doom King!

Fiercest monarch, come forth with flare,
and bring froth darkness and despair!

I Xyz Summon… witness and behold… TRIPLE-D SUPER DOOM KING DARK ARMAGEDDON!”

(Atk: 3500)

Three powerful Super Kings, all glared Sunset down with their evil gazes, and their wicked energy-flows coursing through them.

Sunset’s aura had almost completely died out with all the fear striking through her.

The prisoners were all as speechless and terrified as she was…

…While in the Prison Realm, the darkness began to swirl violently.

Rubeus felt very uneasy.

“No!” he cried softly. “It can’t be!”

“What? What is it?” asked Sci-Twi.

“I feel a great force coming from the darkness. Loki has unleashed a great force of incredible power by harnessing the energy gathered!”

“Well, what is it exactly?” Dick demanded to know.

“I am uncertain, but it is incredibly dangerous. I have never felt a force like since Z-Arc!”

“Are you saying that Sunset is losing?” asked Rainbow. “Are we all doomed?”

Rubeus could not answer.

The Equestrians and the Titans all began to fret, while Gar just sat in his sphere, still emotionless, still uncaring what happened or not.

“Like I told these losers…” he thought “Friendship has nothing to do when it comes to dueling. You either win, or you lose.”

Terra said nothing to him, still completely horrified to see how much he didn’t seem to care.

“Stare into the face of defeat!” Loki shouted. “My Kings are completely unstoppable, and they’re all raring to end you!

Dark King Armageddon uses his special ability, allowing him to attach Orthros to him as an overlay unit!

And just in time, because now I use that overlay unit to another of Dark Armageddon’s power, which allows me to target and destroy monsters you control up to the number of Pendulum Monsters that I control!”

The prisoners all gasped.

“He’s got three monsters in play!” cried Shining Armor.

“And they’re all Pendulum Monsters!” added Cadance.

Rarity gasped, and pulled her hair with her invisible hands, “But Sunset only has two monsters in play! They’ll both be destroyed, and she’ll be left wide-open to those vicious creatures!”

But Sunset insisted, “Oh, no I won’t; not while I have White Wing Magician’s pendulum ability!

Whenever one a Dark Spellcaster monster I have is being targeted by a card effect, White Wing Magician destroys herself, and she negates the effect!”

The Magician leapt down from the Pendulum Zone and put up a magical barrier, shielding her two monsters from destruction.

“And now, because my “Magician” left the field, Star Pendulumgraph let’s me add OAFDRAGON MAGICIAN to my hand.

And as a bonus, I now have another “Magician” face-up in my Extra Deck, so now my monsters all gain an extra 100 attack points!”

(Atk: 2800) -----> (Atk: 2900)

(Atk: 2700) -----> (Atk: 2800)

The prisoners were slightly relieved that Sunset was safe.

“She ain’t out of the woods yet.” said Applejack, and she was right.

“That was very clever,” chuckled Loki, “But unfortunately for you, Purple Armageddon now uses his special ability!

Once per turn, I can destroy one monster you have.

You protected your Timestar Magician once, that doesn’t mean you will again!”

The wicked King gave his huge wings a large flap, sending a gale of shocking winds towards the magician, destroying it in a big crash!

“Timestar!” cried Sunset.

“Gone, and soon to be forgotten, just like you!” sneered Loki. “…When you monster is successfully destroyed, you take damage equal to half of it’s original attack-strength!”

Sunset gasped, and then she screamed and wailed as the electrical currents burned her.

Sunset LP: 4800 -----> 3600

All the prisoners were attacked as well by the shockwaves, causing more and more of their bodies to fade away.

Their stomachs could no longer be seen, but it was Spike who had it the worst.

“Help me!!” he howled. Very little of him was left now, nothing more than one eye, and half his mouth.

“No! Spike!!” cried Sunset.

Loki snickered, “Looks like one of your friends is about to lose himself to the darkness… for a second time I may add.”

Everyone cringed in fear.

“But don’t despair. Soon, you’ll all be in the same fate, for nothing will stop my Kings from winning this duel.

After all, Bright Armageddon protects all my monsters from being targeted by card effects, while Dark Armageddon prevents my Pendulum monsters being destroyed by card effects.

So, the truth is, there is quite literally nothing you can do to stop my Kings at all.”

Sunset stood nearly frozen where she was, and her dueling aura had completely gone out.

“That’s not fair!” whined Rarity. “How could you create such powerful cards with unfair advantages?!”

Loki laughed, “Such ignorance. Wouldn’t you be willing to do just about anything you could if it meant to achieve your goals? No, of course not.

You all believe in friendship, harmony, and your bonds together. You’re never willing to make sacrifices, even when the choice is not yours to decide.

That’s where we differ. Look at all the sacrifices I’ve had to make.”

He referred to all the Malefic Soldiers from his army in the past. During the war on Equestria, he sent hundreds of Malefic Soldiers into battle, and if they were defeated, he simply sent out more.

“That’s just sick!” spat Sunset. “You sent your loyal followers into certain death, not caring at all about their well-being or their lives!”

“It’s war, what do you expect?!” sneered Loki. “Then again, you yourselves didn’t seem to care much for hunting down the Malefic Soldiers yourselves.”

All the monsters the duelists had faced, defeated, and sent plunging into darkness.

“That’s the way it goes-- Attack or BE attacked, but unlike you, I have no qualms with the sacrifices I make, and I never let sentiments get in the way of what’s truly important.

Unlike, Rubeus, he allowed himself to be poisoned by your world and the friendship it had. Well, he’s no longer a threat to me, and now the time has come for me to be rid of the rest of you as well!

Do give my regards to my brother when you see him… in the darkness!”

He engaged in battle phase!

“Purple Armageddon, attack and destroy Odd-Eyes Meteorburst!”

The mighty strong king powered up; the energy bolts sparked and flared up behind him, and he fired a massive blast towards Sunset’s field.

(Atk: 3500) VS (Atk: 2900)

Her mighty dragon was roasted into dust causing more burning shockwaves to strike her hard.

Sunset LP: 3600 -----> 3000

The burning struck the prisoners as well, and Spike let out a finally howl as the last bits of him vanished into the darkness, and his prison barrier vanished as proof he was gone.

“NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!” Sunset shouted.

Everyone gazed in tearful horrors.

“Spike, No!!” cried Twilight.

“He’s gone!” wept Fluttershy.

“No! No… he… can’t be!! Not again?!” sobbed Rarity.

Applejack cringed tightly, while shaking in anger and sadness with her eyes shut tight fighting her tears.

The adults were equally as hurt and tearful, while all Loki could do was snicker, “…There goes one of you, and the rest are about to follow!”

Sunset turned back to face him while shaking furiously. “You!!” she balked. “…You’re going to pay for this! I PROMISE YOU!!”

“Really?” sneered Loki“You sound so determined, and yet there’s nothing you can do. I still have two kings remaining, and they’re ready to destroy you!

Bright King Armageddon, attack her directly and bring me her life energy!”

His King charged up, ready for the Final Blow!

“I activate the trap COUNTER GATE!”

“Ah!!”

“This trap activates whenever you call a direct attack and stops it! Even your almighty King is forced to obey this rule!”

She was right. The trap did not specifically target a monster, and Bright Armageddon was forced to power down and back off, much to Loki’s anger.

Sunset wiped the tears from her eyes to concentrate. “My trap has one other effect. Now I get to draw one card, and if that card is a monster, I can summon it to my field.”

Through her sadness and devastation, she still managed to reach for her deck, hoping with all her might to draw something good!

She pulled out her card, and gawked at it…

“I drew ACROBATIC MAGICIAN! Come on out!!”

(Atk: 800) -----> (Atk: 1200)

Loki was outraged. Now Sunset would be able to survive for another turn.

“So, you outwitted me!” he growled “I suppose I should commend you for it,” he paused “…Then again, I could also punish you for it.

After all, you may survive this next attack, but I doubt the same will be for the rest of your crew over there.”

Sunset gasped and gawked back at her remaining friends.

“Dark King Armageddon, attack now!”

The King complied, and with thundering rage, he vanquished Sunset’s magician.

(Atk: 3500) VS (Atk: 1200)

Sunset LP: 3000 -----> 700

Sunset screamed and wailed in the hard burning waves, but not from the pain of the energy drain, but rather from watching her friends suffering and screaming as well as they faded away just like as Spike did.

Applejack… Fluttershy… Rarity! They all vanished, followed by the three adults, and all of their prison barriers vanished, leaving only Twilight behind as the power was not enough to take all of her away-- leaving behind only her two eyes…

…Her horribly, devastated, tear-filled eyes. “They’re gone!! All of them!!” she sobbed.

Sunset, overly crushed by what she had witness-- in spite of her weariness—she pounded the ground with her fists and let out a devastation wail!

“D’AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAUUUUUUUGHH!!!”

To Be Continued…

Episode 64: Final Part: Lucky Faith

EPISODE SIXTY-FOUR

Loki was still laughing wickedly over the devastation while Sunset was down on her knees feeling weak, numb, and horribly crushed having lost her friends… again!

Twilight, her eyes were the only thing left visible of her-- she was still present-- had collapsed onto her invisible knees as her tears splashed on the solid rock floor.

“Excellent!” chuckled Loki. “All this darkness, all these negative emotions! I LOVE IT!!”

By that, he meant how the generator was harnessing all this power and accelerating the expansion of the rifts in the sky.

The people and other creatures of all the other worlds were beginning to panic again as the rifts grew larger, but they were still hopeless and powerless to do anything about them.

“What’s going to happen to us?”

“Are we going to die?”

“I got so much to live for!”

Princess Celestia and Luna could barely keep the whole of the Equestrian Empire calm.

All the ponies and other creatures were running amok in panic, forcing the two monarchs to order everyone to remain in their homes until further notice.

“Sister. We cannot keep this up much longer.” cried Luna. “Everyone is growing restless. We may very well have to increase the containment.”

By, “Increase” she meant the sisters would go around putting up forcefields and barriers to keep the people locked inside, maybe even detain those were insane and attempting to have fits of wild, erratic behavior.

She looked up at the skies, at the rifts, thinking, “I fear that soon there will be no place for anyone to hide.

Please, Sunset Shimmer. You can do this! You can save us all!”

In the Prison Darkness…

The, already, captured prisoners were nearly blinded by bright lights that just shined out of nowhere.

When the lights had faded, all the other friends had appeared, locked in prison spheres of there own.

“Oh, no! Not this place again?!” wailed Spike.

“Spike!” cried Sci-Twi.

Spike’s ears gave a leap as he turned and looked at the sphere next to him to see his beloved friend.

“Luna!” cried Celestia.

Her sister felt like shedding tears of joy!

Though the friends all would be glad to see each other, this was nothing to truly be joyous about.

“It’s getting worse!” cried Rubeus. “I fear that brother is nearing the peak of his triumph.”

Everyone hated to hear that.

“You mean, it’s over?” asked Pinkie. “We’re all… doo-- doo--!” she was too scared to finish the word.

Dick growled and bellowed, “No! I can’t believe that! I won’t believe it!”

Kori wanted to believe him, but seeing how everyone was suddenly just trapped with the rest of them. “What can we possibly believe at this point? We can’t see what’s happening! We don’t know what the outcome will be!”

Her fretting only struck more painful fear in everyone.

“So, that’s it!” grumbled Rainbow. “After everything we’ve been through, after all the duels we won…! It all means nothing?”

Rubeus assured her, “No, not yet it isn’t.”

Everyone turned to face him, and that’s when some of them noticed, and it was Applejack who spoke first. “Where’s Princess Twilight? She was fading along with the lot of us.”

Terra’s eyes lit up, “Is it possible?”

“Yes, it is.” confirmed Rubeus. “Princess Twilight must not yet be completely consumed by the darkness, which can only mean that Sunset Shimmer has not yet succumbed to defeat.”

Fluttershy then remember, “Oh, that’s right… Sunset still had a few life points left when we all came here.”

Raven glared angrily at her and sarcastically remarked, “And you didn’t tell us this until now?”

Shining Armor snapped at her, “Hey, cut her a break! We were all panicking and being tortured!”

“At least we know there’s hope now.” said Cadance.

Vic crossed his fingers, “So let’s all get hoping then!”

“Yes! Oh, yes! Hope we must!” whimpered Rarity.

Gar remained silent as ever, still unable to believe everyone still putting their faith in blind hope.

Even Rubeus was hoping with all his might that Sunset could pull things off. “Come on, Sunset.” he said in thought. “You have the power! You have the resources; through everything you’ve been through.

You can… you will… you must defeat my brother! All our futures depend on it.”

He hung his head low, feeling the weight of the shame for all the things he had done which led to all this.

Sunset was still on her knees, aching with emotional pain and misery, while Loki mocked her.

“Look at you! On your knees and at the brink of defeat. I really don’t see any point in you continuing at all.

You have little life points left, very little resources, no way to stop my Super Kings. Your friends are all but gone, and your Princess is soon to follow, and nothing will stop the Malefic World from conquering all and reigning supreme.”

Sunset and Twilight both glared at him.

“Why not make it easier on yourself and just surrender?” suggested Loki. “You can spare yourself more pain, more humiliation, and at least you can be reunited with your friends one last time.”

Sunset’s thoughts were a mix of worry and confusion. “What if he’s right?” She stopped to gaze at the hulking Super Kings. “Maybe surrendering is the right thing to do.”

Immediately, she snapped to herself. “Wait! What am I thinking? I can’t give up now! That’s what he wants me to do. Plus, I’d be letting down everyone.

My friends…

The World…

All other worlds…

…And even Princess Twilight.”

She looked over at Twilight’s prison, and she could barely see her in her near-vanished state.

Twilight gazed back at her with her, still, visible eyes. She had no words of encouragement, due to her overly developed fear of things, and seeing no way out…

…But Sunset knew she would tell her to keep on going, no matter how dire the situation.

Sunset even remembered what Rubeus had told her…

“I am more than convinced that you are the chosen one. With your newly skills and understanding, you will save us all.”

Remembering the seriousness and confidence in his voice, she felt her strength reigniting, and she bolted upright onto her feet, much to Loki’s surprise.

“This duel’s not over, Loki.” she spat at him. “I still have life points, I still have cards, but most importantly… I still have my faith. Faith in myself, faith in my friends no matter where they are!”

“Oh, please!” groaned Loki “Are we going to go through all this again? Friendship has failed you. There’s no way you can win this duel now.”

“You’re wrong!” sneered Sunset. “I haven’t failed yet, and I will save my friends. Starting right now!”

Sunset LP: 700

Loki LP: 2500

Her Pendulum Zone began to glow.

“What’s this?” asked Loki.

Sunset replied, “It’s Acrobatic Magician’s special ability. When he’s destroyed in battle, he reappears in my Pendulum Zone, so the Pendulum Scale is set once again.”

Loki was somewhat astounded as he thought, “I can’t believe, after all this, she still refuses to back down. It’ll only make it that much satisfying when I deliver the final blow next turn.”

“Very well,” he then said, and he held up the last card in his hand. “To complete my turn, I activate the spell EMERGENCY PROVISIONS! It allows me to send all three of my contract cards to the graveyard, and in exchange, I gain 1000 life points for each one.”

Loki LP: 2500 -----> 5500

Sunset growled softly.

“Oh, great!” groaned Twilight. “Now his life points are higher again, and he won’t take any damage from his contracts next turn.”

This still did not discourage Sunset.

“It’s my turn, and I… draw!!”

The field began to glow. “Timebreaker Magician returns now, along with Flame High King Genghis.”

(Atk: 1400)

(Atk: 2800)

“And this time, Flame King is here to stay.” insisted Loki. “Thanks to Bright Armageddon, my monsters cannot be targeted by any effects you cast, and even with you Magician’s power bonus, it isn’t nearly strong enough to take me on.”

(Atk: 1400) -----> (Atk: 1800)

“That may be so,” agreed Sunset, “But Timebreaker won’t be sitting this one out all by himself.

Since my Pendulum Zone is already made, Scale 2 Acrobatic Magician and Scale 8 Harmonizing Magician let me summon as many monsters between Levels 3 through 7 as I need.”

She called up to the swinging pendulum!

“As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Four mighty blazes of light rained out from her hand and Extra Deck and her monsters appeared.

“WHITE WING MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1600)

“PURPLE POSION MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1200)

“DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1800)

“OAFDRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 2100)

She now had a full field of five magicians in play, each one of them glowing and shimmering with magic.

“Amazing!” cried Twilight.

This also helped reignite Sunset’s dueling aura.

“This is it!” she balked. “The beginning of the end for you, Loki!”

Loki chuckled and protested, “On the contrary, it’s the end for you, because I activate Bright Armageddon’s special ability!”

“What?!”

“Another Ability!” cried Twilight.

The mighty King began to glow and shocked up Sunset’s field with powerful currents that hit all her monsters.

“What are you doing?!” she asked.

Loki explained, “Thanks to Bright Armageddon, whenever you summon another monster, his power forces you to choose one Pendulum Monster, then all your remaining monsters will lose their effects.”

Sunset gasped.

Twilight couldn’t believe her invisible ears.

“Like I said…” said Loki “It is you who is about be ended. Now, hurry up and choose a monster so we can get on with this.”

Thought outraged, Sunset already had an idea. “I’ll pick Oafdragon Magician. I need to use his power.

Since he was summoned, I get to add Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from the graveyard to my hand.”

“Odd-Eyes?” asked Loki. “I never sent that card to the graveyard.”

“No, but I did when I used Graceful Charity. Now he’s back in my hand, and just in time too, because it’s time for me to really let my magic and skill shine on through.”

Her aura was slightly glowing brighter.

“I banish Level 4 White Wing Magician so I may tune her with Level 3 Timebreaker Magician!”

The winds began to pick up, billow all over the dueling arena, making Loki feel a bit uneasy.

“What is she doing?!” he wondered, but he got his answer as Sunset called out…

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

Sapphire’s dragon spread out its wings and gave a roar, but something about it seemed different. It didn’t seem as evil, or as vicious as before-- not now that it was under Sunset’s control.

Twilight couldn’t stop starring in awe at it.

“I don’t believe this!” cried Loki.

“Oh, you better!” said Sunset. “It’s about time this dragon was used for the better of things. Speaking of “Better…” since a Pendulum Magician left my field, Star Pendulumgraph activates, letting me add a card to my hand again!”

“I think not!” sneered Loki. “Thanks to my Flame High King Genghis, your spell is negated!”

Flame King gave a huge thrust with his sword and shrouded the card in flames.

“And don’t forget about Bright King Armageddon. Since you summoned another monster, his special ability forces you to pick another Pendulum Monster, and all your other monsters lose their effects!”

Bright King powered up, ready for the charge…

“Not going to happen this time!” insisted Sunset. “I use Clear Wing’s special ability. When a Level 5 or above monster uses its effect, Clear Wing cancels it out and destroys that monster!”

Clear Wing soared up high and gave a huge flap with his wings, canceling out Bright King’s energy.

“You may have stopped Bright King’s effect…” shouted Loki “But thanks to Dark Armageddon, he isn’t destroyed.”

Dark King shielded Bright King with a veils of shadow energy, and finally, at the end of the chain, Sunset’s Pendulumgraph card was destroyed.

Sunset wasn’t worried at all. Her aura was still glowing, and her smile ever growing.

“You did everything I hoped you would.”

“Hmm?”

“With your Flame King in play, it was hard for me to use any cards, but now the wave is perfectly clear for me, so I can activate the spell WAVERING EYES!

This destroys both cards in my Pendulum Zone!”

In a rush of billowing gales, both her magicians were gone.

“I know it seems crazy of me to do so, but since I destroyed two cards, I get to use two effects from his card, and one of which is I get to hit you with 500 points of damage!”

Loki growled and then braced himself as a magical pulse shot out from the card image and struck him in the chest.

Loki LP: 5500 -----> 5000

“And now for the second effect…” said Sunset “I get to add one Pendulum Monster from my deck to my hand, and I know just the one I want.”

She grabbed the very card…

“Here it is… Scale 12 PERFORMAPAL FIVE-RAINBOW MAGICIAN!”

“Huh?!”

“A Performapal?” muttered Twilight.

Normally, it was Pinkie who was into those types of monsters.

“It’s still a “Magician”, and that’s good enough for me.” said Sunset. “Now I’ll place him in my Pendulum Scale, and that will be all!”

“What?” said Loki in disbelief. “That’s all you’re going to do, place a single monster in the Pendulum Zone? You must be running low on options.”

Sunset only smirked, “Actually my options are still fairly with me. You see Five-Rainbow Magician prevents me from Pendulum Summoning from my Extra Deck anyway.”

Loki and Twilight blinked in confusion.

“Yeah, I know it seems a bit of a drag, but that’s not his only effect.”

Sunset snapped her fingers, signaling the magician to work his magic.

The magician bowed, and thrust his hands forth, spreading magical, rainbow-colored waves across the arena.

“ARGH! What is all this?!” bellowed Loki.

Twilight was astounded by the colors, and then she noticed, “What’s happening to all the monsters?”

Every single monster on the field was enveloped by the rainbow light, and all their attack points were drained to Zero, even the Super Kings.

Sunset explained, “Five Rainbow Magician has cursed the field with his powerful spectrum stream, it causes all our monsters to lose all their attack points.

They also have their effects negated, and as a final trick, they’re also not allowed to attack!”

Loki’s eyes widened. basically, all the monsters on the field were totally useless.

“This… is how you propose to defeat me?” asked Loki. “What sort of plan is this? You can’t even attack my monsters yourself now.”

Sunset waved her finger before him. “I wasn’t finished explaining yet. You see, Five-Rainbow’s effect is powerful, but there is one way to escape it.”

She paused, and the others were both intrigued to hear.

“…His magic affected by the number of spells or traps we have set on the field. The both of us currently have no spells or traps set, so our monsters will stay as they are.

However, the second one of us sets a card, our monsters will be unlocked and gain all their points and powers back.”

Loki narrowed his eyes.

“And what’s even more,” Sunset continued “…The first player to have four or more cards set, all the monsters they control will have their attack strengths doubled!”

Loki was incredibly intrigued by now. “I see. So basically, the first player to set even one card may well win this duel.

You have officially impressed me… however… don’t you realize what a dangerous risk you’ve just put yourself in?!

With my turn coming up, if I draw a single spell or trap card, this duel is over, and you lose it all because you were relying on pure dumb luck to decide your fate.”

Twilight felt very uneasy. She thought to herself, “I hate to admit it, but he’s right. How can Sunset put herself at risk like this?”

Sunset stood her ground. “There is no risk, this is faith. I know things will go well for me, because I still believe in myself, and the love and joy I feel for my friends, combined with my determination to save them… I know things will work out in the end.”

Loki was disgusted by her preaching.

Now she was finished.

“This is it!” she thought as she gazed at Loki’s deck. She concentrated hard with all her might, letting her faith consume her.

“This fool is out of her mind.” thought Loki. “Then again, could she truly be onto something?

There’s only one way to know for certain.”

He drew his next card, and he gasped at it. “No! DOUBLE-D NECRO SLIME?! This card is completely useless to me right now. I don’t even have any space to play it.”

Sunset could tell by his stunned silence, “…I guess you didn’t get a good card.”

Loki was insulted. “You lucked out this time, however, I will switch all my monsters into defense mode to keep myself protected.”

(Def: 3000) x3

(Def: 2400)

“It’s fortunate that your Magician does not affect my monster’s defense points.

Now make your move!”

Twilight let out a huge sigh of relief and she thought. “I don’t know how much more of this I can take!”

Sunset readied herself, “It’s my move. Come on Deck…! Show me some love…”

She pulled her card out, and her eyes gave a shimmer.

“I’ll place one card facedown, and that means, my monsters are unlocked from Rainbow-Five’s effect.”

The light around her monsters had vanished, and they all were beginning to look strong and powerful again. Sadly, not one of them was powerful enough to really take down Loki’s Super Kings.

“I could go after his weaker cards, but that would leave room for him to play other monsters. I can’t let him do that.”

“Get ready because I’m about to unleash yet another familiar face.

I overlay Level 4 Dragon Pulse Magician, with Level 4 Purple Poison Magician in order to build the Overlay Network!

Cloaked in shadows and ready for the purge,
I call on the most dangerous of dragons to emerge.

I Xyz Summon DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2500)

Khaos’ dark dragon gave a big roar, almost if it felt wonderful to be out again after a long time, but for the moment, there was little to nothing he could do, even with his attack power strong and his effects still intact, not while Loki’s monsters remained powerless.

“I end my turn.”

Twilight then shrieked, “Sunset, you forgot to put all your monsters into defense-mode!”

Sunset remained cool and calm.

“Now it is my move.” said Loki “I draw…” but much to his chagrin, he drew another useless monster card. “This is impossible!”

His turn was already over.

“My draw…!” shouted Sunset. “I play POT OF GREED, so I draw two more cards.”

She now had three cards in hand.

“I play one of these cards facedown, that gives me two cards. Then I’ll end my turn.

Just three more cards to go, and I’ll have everything I need to really win this!”

Loki was really getting mad, and he gazed down furiously at his deck. “Now…!” he growled as he drew his card. “ARGH!” He drew yet another monster that he could not play and was of no use to him. “I have GOT to be dreaming! How is this possible?!”

“My draw…!” said Sunset.

She now had three cards in hand. “I activate PENDULUM HALT! Since I have at least three face-up monsters in my Extra Deck, I get to draw two more cards.

“Now I’ll play one of them, Scale 1 STARGAZER MAGICIAN, I set you into the Pendulum Scale.”

With the two magicians now in the light, the pendulum began to swing about.

Sunset held up a single card from her hand, “I may not be able to Pendulum Summon from Extra Deck, but I can still summon from my hand.

…BEHOLD MY MONSTER!”

A single shot of light rained down as her monster appeared. “…ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her mighty dragon roared strongly, much to Loki’s anger. He couldn’t Bright Armageddon to do much of anything.

“And now,” hollered Sunset “I’m going to complete this dragon party of mine by activating DRAGON’S MIRROR, now I can call on a Fusion monster simply by banishing the right monsters from my graveyard!”

“No! Don’t tell me…?!” cried Loki.

“I fuse Black Fang Magician and Timestar Magician, so I can bring forth a third friend to this party!

As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2800)

Violet’s dragon snarled and sneered with his venom-laced fangs and claws as it joined the other three dragons.

One dragon from each of the four summoning methods, side-by-side, and each of them glowed with their respective colored auras from each summoning power.

All four of those powers seemed to give Sunset more strength for having unlocked and mastering each skill.

While Odd-Eyes belonged to Sunset, the other three dragons-- while their original owners had none, Sunset believed she could feel the spirits of Violet, Sapphire and Khaos looking at her and offering their strength.

“The time has come!” sneered Sunset “With the aid of these three mighty dragons, your reign of terror will finally end.”

Loki was starting to look afraid.

“I activate Starving Venom’s special ability. He can target one level 5 or above monster you control and absorb all it’s special powers, and I choose Purple Armageddon!”

The dragon extended huge tentacles from its body, sapping the weakened king, and absorbing all his powers.

“What would you do that for?” asked Loki. “Purple King Armageddon can only affect monsters that are in attack mode!” Then suddenly he suddenly realized, “…Wait!”

Sunset grinned, and with her aura flaring brightly she declared, “Clear Wing Synchro Dragon uses his special ability, and destroys Starving Venom!”

“Aah!!”

Loki watched as one dragon destroyed the other just like that.

“When Clear Wing Syncrho Dragon destroys a monster by his own effect, he gains the attack points of the monster he just defeated.”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5300)

“And now, from my hand, I activate the quick-play spell MIRACLE OF DRACONIAN WRATH!

Since a Dragon was destroyed, I’m allowed to take two spells or traps from my deck and set them directly on my field!”

“…Then you’ll have four cards!!” cried Loki. “This can’t be happening!”

The minute Sunset set her two cards in play, Five-Rainbow Magician cast a big stream of white light onto her side of the field.

“Now that I have four cards set, all my monsters now have their attack points doubled!!”

(Atk: 5300) -----> (Atk: 10,600)

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 5000) x2

(Atk: 2100) -----> (Atk: 4200)

The monsters all grew to enormous sizes with their strong attack strengths, much to Loki’s ever-growing fear.

“I don’t believe this!” cried Twilight, and then she gawked at Sunset; her dueling aura was at full power now and glowing ever so brightly.

“No!!” cried Loki. “Tell me… Tell me how you did all this! How can you have been so lucky?!!”

“I already told you, it isn’t luck, it’s the faith that I have-- in myself, in my friends, and in my determination to shut down your little project forever.”

She turned away from him and faced the machine at the far end of the arena.

“No, you can’t!!” shouted Loki.

Sunset focused her power as strong as she could, ready to blast the machine to bits.

“I’ll stop you!” shouted Loki, and he powered-up himself with dark, Malefic Aura. “You forget, I have power in this world too, so take this!”

He fired a large dark stream of power straight for her, forcing Sunset to fight back by sending a powerful stream of light power right back.

The two forces met at halfway and seemed perfectly equal.

Twilight never felt she had ever seen such a power struggle, and she herself had been through plenty herself.

Within the Prison Realm, the darkness was shaking violently.

“What now?!” groaned Rainbow.

“Is this it?” asked Terra “Is this really the end?!”

Rubeus had never seen the darkness behave quite like this before. “It seems disturbed, as if it is struggling against something.”

Right away he deduced “…Sunset!”

The struggle continued, neither Sunset nor Loki were willing to give up and yet neither of them seemed to be able to gain the upper hand.

“I’m going to crush you yet!!” shouted Loki.

“No… You… Won’t!!” bellowed Sunset. She already knew the perfect way to tip things in her favor. “Did you forget about Starving Venom Fusion Dragon?”

The dragon’s spirit appeared behind her. It’s raging eyes pierced through the forces.

“Oh, no!” cried Loki.

“…Afraid so…! Since he got destroyed, he now obliterates all your monsters in one, foul swoop!

GO!!”

The dragon’s spirit roared, and it stormed Loki’s field, and since Loki’s monsters were still trapped by the rainbow magic, they were powerless to defend themselves!

All five monsters went up in massive explosions, which shook Loki’s field, and sent the strong, burning waves billowing straight at him, pushing him back and wrecking his concentration, allowing Sunset’s power to strike him hard!

“Bullseye!!” cheered Twilight.

With Loki down, Sunset quickly turned back to face the machine, and with a thunderous roar, she fired her energy at it, smashing through any barriers or protection surrounding it, and knocking it clean off the floating arena.

BA-KOOOOOOOM!!

The machine exploded, and its energy powers ceased, causing all the rifts in the sky to close completely.

Loki was so incredibly shocked and devastated, he couldn’t even scream in outrage! All that work for all those centuries, all the planning, waiting… all just went up before his eyes.

Twilight’s barrier had vanished, and she magically regained her body back from the darkness.

In the Prison Realm, a bright light shone from above, just like the first wormhole did, and all the prison spheres were immediately being pulled towards like being caught in a wind tunnel.

The entire Malefic World began to quake and rumble.

The cities began to topple over…

Mountains crumpled away…

The sands and mists in the deserts and plains swirled like tornados…

The duel-platform began to sway and tumble as it lost power, and it’s lift. It slowly began to descend back down towards the exploding world below it.

Sunset was only focussed only on, the now, fearful, washed-up Prince Loki.

The fallen prince looked all around at the collapsing world around him. “No! No!! This can’t be happening! I’ve worked too long and hard to lose it all now!”

Sunset, still glowing put her foot down in front of her, and of all the things to declare, she sneered very deeply at him “…You… Lose!!”

She looked up at Odd-Eyes and allowed him to have the honor of finally ending this nightmare once and for all.

“Odd-Eyes… attack him directly and wipe him out!!”

Her mighty dragon roared, and fired his massive wrath at the evil creature, striking him the hardest ever, making him scream and wail as he was consumed by the force!

Loki LP: 5000 -----> 0

Twilight began to run towards her friends, “SUN… SET…!!”

The brightness from Sunset’s aura became far too bright for her to get any nearer, and she found herself being enveloped into it was well.

Sunset gave the mightiest, most powerful scream she had ever screamed letting her magical aura expand and flare way, way out into the collapsing Malefic World!

Everything faded away into bright white, consumed by Sunset’s energy!

Episode 65: All is... sort of well...

EPISODE SIXTY-FIVE

Sunset’s eyes slowly peeked open, and the first thing she could see was Spike’s face looking straight at her.

“She’s waking up.” he said behind him.

Sunset rubbed her eyes to find she was lying in a bed, in her old suite onboard the Prince Brothers’ airship.

All her friends surrounded her, including Princess Twilight.

“What happened?” she asked. Then she bolted upright, “…The Malefic World!”

Rainbow and Applejack held her down. “Easy there…” Applejack said. “It’s okay. We’re all home again.”

Sunset could see out the porthole near her bed. The ship was in flight, high in the air in the human world the humans all called home.

Her duel disk and her deck lay on the nightstand beside her bed. Everyone else had not only their souls and bodies restored, but all their decks were normal, and their duel disks were returned safely.

On a big TV monitor at the side of the room, the ship was in contact with the Titans, whom were all onboard their flying high-tech RV, which was outside and flying directly alongside the ship.

“Well, all right!” cheered Vic. “The whole gang’s together again.”

“I’m glad to see everyone is alright.” added Kori.

Even Raven was somewhat grateful, though she still had a sour sneer on her face and refused to let her feelings show.

Sunset felt herself all over, and remembered defeating Loki just as everything went completely chaotic.

“What happened?” she asked.

The door to her room opened, and in came Rubeus-- in his human form. He was also smiling thankfully and said, “You did just as I hoped you would. Well done, Sunset.”

Now it all made sense. The Malefic World was gone forever, and it’s evil would never again be a threat to any other world.

“I’m very glad to see that you all made it out safely too. Thanks to all of you, the darkness is no more, and I am finally free to live out my life the way I wish to-- as a good-hearted human.”

Then he looked a remorseful, “I realize you still may not forgive me for all the trouble I put you all through, but it was the only way.”

The others all agreed, it would take a long time to truly forgive him, but for now they agreed not to be hostile and give him some benefits.

“Hey, what about Jump City?” asked Rainbow.

The Titans wanted to know especially since it was still trapped in the Malefic World.

“Relax, everyone.” said Rubeus. “The remains of Jump City have been destroyed. The once great metropolis is no more.”

He held up a small laptop, which showed images of the now barren area where the crumpling city had once stood.

It was all just flat empty lands by the seaside, with no ruins, no leftover debris, or any indication that there ever was a city there.

“My goodness!!” cried Rarity “An entire city… gone… like that?”

“What happened to all the people?” Terra asked.

Rubeus held up his hand, “They, too, have been taken care of, or did you never once notice why none of the people from your city were present along with the buildings?”

Everyone did wonder why only the buildings of Jump City got sucked into the Malefic World with none of the people.

Rubeus had a lot of explaining to do regarding the circumstances of their return to the real world when the Malefic World collapsed.

“I had magically removed everyone from the cities remains-- transporting them all to other random cities across the country. Therefore, no one was present when all the buildings were plunged into darkness.”

He went on explaining that,

As soon a hr was free from the Prison Darkness, his own powers were restored, and with Loki’s power vanquished by Sunset, he was free to send everyone back to the human, back to a certain point…

…The point to right at the end of the last duel of the Friendship Cup Finals-- when Sunset had defeated Rainbow Dash.

“You mean, we’ve been sent back in time?” asked Cadance.

Rubeus nodded.

Shining Armor looked out the porthole, and the world seemed all right.

“So, if we traveled back in time…” he said while trying to make sense of all things, but it was Sci-Twi who figured it out. “…It means that to the people, nothing funny every happened, and it’s only been a few seconds after Sunset and Rainbow’s duel ended.

Therefore, by a shifting time flux, and proper coordination, triangulating the passages, we arrived at a period in which the current happenings are secretive illusions.”

Everyone gawked at her for such a long and nerdy explanation, forcing her to rephrase. “…It means that apart from all of us, nobody will remember any of these events ever happening, because to them it never happened in the first place.”

Pinkie scratched her head and rolled her eyes around. “That makes total sense.” she said with a forced grin.

Rainbow felt her head aching and she remarked, “Yeah, really does.”

Rubeus cleared his throat. “The point is, we have returned to exactly where we all were before the adventure happened, but using my powers, I managed to keep the fewest of exceptions.

Jump City is no more…

The people are quite safe, they have all been given a chance to start over in a new place, and yet they will have little to no recollection of what happened at all. To them, everything just…” he snapped his fingers “…Happened just like that without question…

…And trust me when I say it is for the best.”

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a single card, with Loki’s picture on it. Everyone gawked in surprise.

“He was turned into a card!” cried Vic.

Raven snuffed, “Well, it’s time he knew what it felt like anyway.”

“I actually wondered what happened to him.” said Celestia.

Fluttershy swallowed hard and asked, “You’re not going to leave him trapped in that card forever, are you?”

“Oh, no... That would be too harsh.” replied Rubeus. He looked down sternly at the card, “But we are going to have a long and very serious talk about loyalty, and hopefully he can learn to appreciate the world as it is.

For now, he shall remain where he is, which brings me to my next point.” He paused and looked at everyone, including the Titans. “I would appreciate it graciously if you would keep all this to yourselves and never mention it to another living soul.

I just wish to live my life in peace, and the last I’m certain anyone wishes is for all this to start over again.”

This was something everyone immediately agreed to.

Sunset climbed out of bed and approached him. “I’m proud of you. You’re really taking a new step in life.”

“I second that.” agreed Twilight. “Sure… you did a lot of evil things, and it will be hard to view them in retrospect, but when I return to Equestria I will inform Princess Celestia of your intentions and actions, I’m sure she can be persuaded too.”

Rubeus nodded thankfully.

The Titans, however, didn’t know what to really think.

“So, that’s it.” said Vic. “No more Jump City. It’s gone.”

Kori felt a cold turn in her many stomachs. “Oh!” she groaned as she clutched herself tight.

Dick supported his wife and sat her down on the sofa.

“Why so grim?” asked Pinkie.

“Yeah, the city and your people are safe now.” added Applejack.

Dick spoke up, “But it was our home, and how it’s gone. It just doesn’t feel too right.”

The Equestrians were totally shocked.

“You guys said you were trying to save your city.” said Shining Armor “And now you’re saying what just happened isn’t good enough?”

“That’s not what we said at all.” grumbled Raven.

“…Sure, sounded like it to me.” Rainbow said with a souring glare on her face.

“Hey, cut us a break, will ya?” snapped Vic. He quickly calmed himself, not wanting to make it worse. “It was still our home, and now where are we supposed to go?”

That was still a huge problem. The Titans were still well-despised by a vast majority of the country’s populace for dooming Jump City in the first place, and endangering many other cities, countries, and lives beyond that-- including Canterlot City.

“We tried to restore our reputation.” said Kori. “We did our best to make things right again and fix up the city.”

Sci-Twi shook her head. “You were trying to accomplish the impossible. I did all the math; it would cost fortunes upon fortunes to fix the city. It would likely take two-hundred years at the least to that city right again.”

Rubeus agreed, “Your city was beyond hope, even for my power. What happened to it and the people is for the best. It is no longer a crumpling mess, and the people are no longer struggling through poverty.

Perhaps someday, people will return to the place where the city once stood and start anew, but as for reputations, that is something the people, and you, must workout for themselves, and no amount of magic can change it.”

The Titans tried their best to accept and understand, but it was hard for them, especially with their egos and pride still disillusioning them.

Sunset was extremely disappointed in them, so was Princess Twilight. She could see and admit that at this point the Titans were beyond hope of helping-- too self-centered and arrogant to help themselves.

Suddenly, Terra looked around, and she broke the silence asking, “Where’s Gar? I need to talk with him.”

Everyone looked all around the room.

“Where is Gar anyway?” Sunset wondered aloud, and that’s when he stepped in through the door angrily insisting, “My name is not Gar!”

Everyone gawked at him. His outfit was fully restored, including his sphere hood and his regular mask. Once again, his entire face was completely hidden, and the two electrodes under his mask were also restored rendering him impervious to detection, electronic equipment, and certain types of magic.

“Yep… he’s back alright.” grumbled Spike.

He had been standing out in the hallway listening to the drama going on, but that was hardly his concern.

“What do you want?” Sunset asked.

Gar gazed at her through his mask and stated, “You and I have a little unfinished business to take care of. The last round of the Friendship Cup Finals.”

Sunset was almost confused, but Rubeus confirmed, “Yes, the best course is to pick up where we left off. The final round of the dueling tournament will conclude this afternoon in Canterlot City, where we are bound.

All prizes are still to be awarded including the One-Million-dollar cash prize.”

A lot of the girls’ eyes lit up with dollar signs and making a “Cha-ching” sound!

“Don’t get your hopes up.” said Gar. “That prize is as good as mine.”

Then he turned to leave.

“Gar, wait…!” Terra begged, but he wouldn’t stop.

Rainbow then used her quick speed to zip in the way of the door blocking Gar from leaving.

“Get out of my way.” he hissed.

Rainbow refused, and she balked at him. “How can you still be such a creep, when we all saved your life?!”

“She has quite the point!” insisted Rarity. “If it wasn’t for all of us you wouldn’t be here now. For that matter, none of us would be here.”

Gar snuffed and he pointed at Sunset “She was the one who saved us all.”

Sunset felt almost shocked to hear him say that. It was as if he really did understand her efforts and struggles.

Gar then said something else that shocked everyone beyond words. “…Maybe I should be grateful.”

Sunset was completely speechless.

“…But I won’t!”

Moods soured again.

“But you just said--” was all Twilight could say before Gar cut her off. “I said I probably should be grateful, but that doesn’t mean I’m obligated to, especially seeing as nothing has changed between us.

I don’t like you people, and I am especially getting fed up with all this preaching of friendship and other so-called “positive” aspects you have on life.

Friendship had nothing to do with everything that happened, it was all just luck and twists of fate.”

The way he was talking, Terra felt every hard word he said piercing her already hurt heart, while all the other Titans were really growing annoyed.

Raven then got an idea, and she silently used her powers to give Vic a tiny little spark to his leg getting his attention and motioning for him to talk privately with her.

“Are you crazy?” Vic sneered softly so as not to be overheard.

“Do I look crazy?” sneered Raven, when really, by this point, she’d be certified. “I say we do it and teach him a lesson once and for all.”

Vic was so uneasy about all this. While he agreed, Gar was a jerk and could be taken down a peg or too, “… This ain’t the way to do it, and it won’t make us look any better. You already tried to take him down, and it flopped miserably.”

Raven was undeterred and assured him, “I can just as easily do it myself in my own way. At least with your help it’ll be done faster.”

The more Vic thought it over, the more tempting it was, which only made his conscience argue with him harder.

“What’s it going to be?” Raven asked.

Terra looked as if she was going to pass out from grief. “Gar, please…” she begged trying not to sound too tearful and desperate. “It doesn’t have to be this way.”

Gar ignored her.

Princess Twilight wanted to speak up, but she wasn’t sure of what to say, knowing how stubborn Gar was and how hopeless the Titans were.

Sunset felt the same way, and she decided, “I’ll see you on the dueling field.”

Gar nodded and then proceeded to leave again, but Rainbow was still blocking him.

“Let him go.” said Sunset.

Furious as she was, Rainbow stepped aside while still glaring at him with a look to fight, but she knew it wouldn’t be the right thing to try, nor would she succeed anyway.

Gar left and headed back to his suite while thinking, “These guys just don’t get it. Things are better this way, especially for me.

I cannot and I will not ever be tempted by friendship again, not after it cost me.

I gave people all the friendship I could spare, and it brought me nothing by pain, shame, misery, and humiliation, and now I finally have better control of things.

I’ll show these kids once and for all just how wrong they are.”

Upon entering his room, he found himself clenching his fist, as if he were struggling with his conscience of being so ungrateful, but he was quite to brush it off.

“What a jerk!” grumbled Shining Armor.

“I can’t believe he’s so… dark… and heartless.” agreed Cadance.

Suddenly, they all heard a loud thud, followed by Dick shouting, “Terra!”

She had fainted-- finally overwhelmed by her grief.

Kori found enough strength to help Dick lift her up and place her on one of the bunk beds.

“Oh, the poor dear.” cried Rarity. She still was able to find just a little sympathy for Terra--just… a little.

Fluttershy felt the same as she did, hurt to see such a broken-hearted woman, even if she did bring all grief on herself!

“Is she alright?” she asked.

Vic scanned her with his wrist-com. “She’s got a little fever. It’s not too serious.”

He quickly dampened a cloth with cool water and placed it over Terra’s forehead.

Dick was growing furious. His fists were clenched and shaking as he softy and furiously murmured Gar’s name under his breath.

Raven could sense his anger, and it only made her more than convinced ever to put her plan into action.

Vic looked at her, and he was starting to feel the same way, and not a soul knew what they were up to.

With Terra resting, and not much to do but wait until landing, the titans logged offline to tend to her while the Equestrians partook in the lunch Rubeus had prepared in the banquet hall.

Pinkie scarfed like crazy, and so did Applejack, and Rainbow.

“Really, what atrocious manners!” scolded Luna.

“Give it a break.” Rainbow protested with her mouth full. “We’ve hardly had any food for a long time and we’re starving!”

Pinkie gave a small belch, and then Applejack gave an even bigger one.

Suddenly, it was Celestia who gave the biggest belch of all from the scarfing she had done. “Excuse me.”

Luna shrugged and joined in the food.

Sunset sat by herself at a table in the corner hardly touching her food.

Twilight and Sci-Twi sat with her.

“Are you okay?” asked Sci-Twi.

Sunset only nodded.

“You know, you don’t really have to do this.” said Twilight. “You don’t have to face Gar in the tournament. You’ve done all you need to do.

You saved me, you saved the world, and you stopped the Malefic World for good.”

Sunset wouldn’t back down. “I know I don’t have to, but I just want to. It’s not really to get back at Gar…” she paused and realized. “Okay, maybe it is. I just have something to prove to him now.”

The two Twilight’s sighed, and Princess Twilight informed her, “Sunset, I know I don’t need to say this but… we can’t change him.

Gar has made it clear that he doesn’t believe in friendship, and further pressuring him only makes it worse.”

Sunset was aware, but she still intended to duel, especially with her deck still having all the new cards she had, including the three extra dragons-- just another one of Rubeus’ little loopholes in the time change.

“It’s not that I’m trying to change him.” said Sunset. “I’m trying to stand up to him. I want to show him that he can’t intimidate me, and that friendship is worth fighting for.”

She paused and gave Twilight a strong look, “…Just like you taught me that.”

Twilight couldn’t help but smile sheepishly.

Sci-Twi chuckled, and she said to Sunset, “Whatever you decide, we’re all with you all the way.”

Sunset smiled, and she looked back down at her deck again.

Before long, the airship had landed in Canterlot City, atop Rubeus’ High-Rise headquarters.

Down below, crowds of people were cheering excitedly, and the news crews were covering the story live.

“This is Tracey Flash coming to you live from downtown Canterlot City, where we are about to witness the exciting conclusion of the Friendship Cup Duel Monsters Tournament.”

The shot changed, showing images of the two duelists.

“Sunset Shimmer, a resident student of Canterlot high will duke it out with the master pro-gamer, Masquerade.

Only one duelist will walk away with that One-Million Dollar cash prize and be celebrated as a world-champion duelist.

Most of our fans, however, seem skeptical about who to root for, seeing as Masquerade has a rather unfathomable reputation, but there’s always a first.

Sunset Shimmer must be an exceptional duelist to have made it this far, but can she steal the crown and overthrow her opponent, only time will tell.

For now, let’s head on up to the roof where my colleague, Press Release, is interviewing the brains behind the whole brew-ha, Rubeus Prince.”

The scene changed, and Rubeus was on camera with Press Release.

“Mr. Prince…” the reporter asked, “Can we ask what your thoughts are on this big event you’ve hosted?”

Rubeus politely answered, while keeping his secret, “There is no doubt in my mind, hosting the dueling tournament was a great idea. The publicity alone has given my company great attention and our donations have increased immensely.

I look very forward to seeing these final two duelists give it all they’ve got, as a test of their character as well as dueling skills.”

Press then asked, “But what about your brother, Loki? We have not seen or heard from him. Is everything alright?”

Rubeus remained calm, thankful that his time warp helped everyone forget the adventure, and he simply lied, “My brother was called away. There was some big and important business that required immediate attention.

He shall return… eventually… but I can assure you, that were he here, he would probably learn something from all this as well.”

He softly clutched his brother’s soul card in his pocket. Thankfully, nobody knew about it.

“Ah, here come the two duelists now.”

Sunset and Gar had already exited the airship and were walking along towards the center of the roof where the duel would take place.

The TV cameras were broadcasting live feed all over the world. All the big cities across the globe can watch on large public screens, on their computers, and cellphones.

The rest of the Equestrians were given permission by Rubeus to watch the duel from the sidelines on the roof-- the best seats in the house, and much better than sitting amongst the vast crowds in the streets below.

The Titans had parked their RV in the massive parking lot below-- also with Rubeus’ authority-- and they could see the duel happening on the big screen across the street.

Terra was still unconscious, but her fever had gone down, and her vital signs were normal. She just needed sleep after such a heartbreaking shock.

The Titans had gone out onto the roof to watch the duel.

“This is it.” said Dick. “The absolute final duel.”

Kori was excited and stressed to be watching it, and Dick held his wife’s hand. “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I hope Gar loses.”

Her husband agreed, “If Sunset wins, maybe we can persuade her to let us have some of the million dollars, then we can all try and make a new life for ourselves.”

He also thought nastily, “Plus, it’ll neat to see Gar fall and lose everything he has for a change.”

Raven gave Vic a small look motioning for them to head inside and put their little plan into action.

“I’m going to go check on Terra.” said Vic, excusing himself.

“I need to use the bathroom.” said Raven.

Dick and Kori were fa too preoccupied to even question them as they headed inside.

Once at the computers, Vic began to type up files loaded with information which he intended to unleash to the internet.

Little did they know that Terra was slowly starting to awaken. Her eyes creeped open, and while her vision was still blurry, she thought she could make out Vic and Raven’s shapes, but she was still too weak and tired to make a sound or really get up, so she fell asleep again.

Once the files were ready, all that was left was to hit “Upload.”

Part of Vic still felt a bit horrible doing this, and he struggled to press the button. “I still don’t think is too right.”

Raven just walked right up to the board and hit the button herself. “This is justice. The whole world will thank us for it, and Gar won’t have much else to go or do anymore.”

The upload started at 1%, and ever so slowly began to upload.

“Why is it taking so long?” Raven asked.

Vic checked the connections and systems and concluded, “Everyone’s using the net across the world to watch the duel, that and these files are huge, and we’re sending them to all kinds of internet sites, it’ll take a while, even for my systems. We’ll just have to let it roll on its own.”

Raven struggled to control her impatience. “Fine, as long as it works.”

With nothing left to do, they headed back up onto the roof while the download barely reached 5% and slowly climbed.

Meanwhile, Sunset and Gar approached each other, and were required to give a saluting bow to each other.

“And now…” the referee announced, “Sunset Shimmer… Masquerade… cut and shuffle your opponent’s decks.”

Gar reached into his coat and pulled out a golden deck pack.

The crowds below gasped!

“That’s his Ultimate Deck!”

“He only takes that out for special occasions.”

“He must think this girl’s really tough.”

Sunset almost felt frightened to be shuffling these cards, not knowing what they were.

“Do you think she’s okay?” asked Fluttershy.

“Of course, she isn’t.” replied Rarity “Why if I were facing him, I would… I would…” she couldn’t find the words to finish.

Applejack wasn’t convinced. “Sunset can do this. She’s been through so much; she may even win this on her first move.”

The others were not as enthusiastic as she was.

“Um, Applejack…” Shining Armor said, “I hate to sound discouraging, but you do know who she’s facing.”

Cadance agreed, “Gar is so tough, he just never loses.”

“What?” snapped Rainbow. “…Sure he’s lost before. Remember that duel we had for the semi-finals?”

Sci-Twi, remembering it all, shook her head. “Rainbow, he lost that match on purpose. It doesn’t count.”

Rainbow felt silly, and then she tried another excuse. “What about when he dueled Z-Arc. It was a Draw, so he technically didn’t win that duel either.”

Celestia disagreed, “While a Draw is technically not a win, it isn’t quite a loss either. I’m afraid that doesn’t work either.”

Rainbow could only sulk in embarrassment.

“Ah, come on!” said Pinkie. “Why are we all droopy for. This is just an ordinary duel. There’s nothing much on the line.

So, let’s relax, enjoy the show, and have fun. WHOO!!”

The crowds below were cheering and all enjoying themselves as well.

The Equestrians knew Pinkie was right, and they promised to try.

The two duelists finished shuffling and passed the decks back to each other.

“Let’s get this over with.” said Gar, and he turned to head to the far side of the dueling ring.

Sunset said nothing as she walked over to her spot on the other side, but she did think to herself, “Stay focused. Remember what you’re dueling for—to show that Friendship is still worth fighting for.”

Episode 66: The Final Face-off: Part 1

Author's Note

At long last, since Yu-Gi-Oh E-Quest first began May 7, 2019...

After all these years, I've finally reached the LAST DUEL!!

Episode 66: The Final Face-off: Part 1

EPISODE SIXTY-SIX

The two duelists stood at opposite ends of the ring. The soft breeze made his coat and her long hair flutter.

“I’ve been waiting for this, for quite a while.” Gar hissed at Sunset. “Ever since I first met you Equestrians, you’ve done nothing but make me sick with all your preaching about friendship.

Now I’m going to put you in your place once and for all, and make you think twice about the outlooks of life.”

Rather than fly off into a huge preach of her own, Sunset smirked and said, “It’ll be a great pleasure for me to prove you wrong.”

This was going to be a duel to remember!

“Begin the duel!” the referee shouted.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Gar LP: 8000

Sunset LP: 8000

“Masquerade shall begin.” the referee declared.

Gar snickered, “With pleasure, and I summon one monster facedown in defense-mode, and then I’ll set two cards facedown and end my turn.

Now, go ahead and make your move, unless you need to confide in your “friends” first.”

Sunset felt enraged, and the Equestrians felt insulted.

“Why that rotten--” was all Spike could say before Sci-Twi picked him up and placed him in her lap, to stop him from speaking too loudly and alerting unknowing people.

“Come on, Sunset!” hollered Rainbow. “You can do this. Just knock this creep’s block off.”

“Yeah!” cheered Pinkie. “Just think, if you beat him, then you’ll be the world champion gamer. I’ll have to throw you the biggest party ever!”

Sunset remained calm and focused.

“It’s my draw…

And the first card I’ll use is, RED MEDICINE,, which grants me 500 life points."

Sunset LP: 8000 -----> 8500

Sunset then thought, "I need to be as prepared as I possibly can be. I just hope I know what I'm doing."

She continued, "Now I play POT OF GREED, so I draw two cards, giving me six once again.

Now that my hand is refreshed, I'll do more drawing with GRACEFUL CHARITY! So I draw three cards, and then discard two.”

She liked what she had drawn, and she knew immediately which cards to discard.

“I’ll use Scale 1 STARGAZER MAGICIAN and Scale 8 TIMEGAZER MAGICIAN to set the Pendulum Scale!”

The two magicians rose into the light, and the pendulum began to swing between them.

“I’m allowed to summon as many monsters between Levels 2 and 7 as I need.

“As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Two shots of light rained down as her monsters appeared.

“HARMONIZING MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 0)

“ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON…” (Atk: 2500)

Sunset held out her hand, “When Harmonizing Magician is Pendulum Summoned from my hand, I get to summon one Pendulum “Magician” from my deck.”

Her field began to glow as her new monster appeared. “Make way for DRAGONPULSE MAGICIAN!”

(Def: 900)

“Now I overlay him and my Harmonizing Magician in order to build the overlay network!

Cloaked in shadows and ready for the purge,
I call on the most dangerous of dragons to emerge.

I Xyz Summon DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2500)

The crowds were growing tense at the sight of her two dragons.

“But hold on, I’m not finished yet.” she insisted “Next, I activate the spell DRAGON’S MIRROR!”

Gar growled softly.

“…This lets me banish ACROBATIC MAGICIAN and WISDOM-EYE MAGICIAN out of the graveyard in order to use them to Fusion Summon.”

Gar still loathed and despised Fusion with a passion, and watched as the two magicians nodded and leapt up into the air and began to merge.

“As the plant doth sprout, its venom shall drool,
This creature I summon shall roar and rule!

I Fusion Summon STARVING VENOM FUSION DRAGON!!”

(Atk: 2800)

Three dragons were now in play and standing side-by-side.

“Wow! She’s on a role!” cried Rainbow. “She’s got a Pendulum, Fusion, and Xyz Monster out.”

Rarity fanned herself with her hand. “I’m already sweating a storm here. What else could she do next.”

She got her answer when Sunset held up her last card “Since I have Odd-Eyes in play, I can reduce him to Level 4 in order to summon NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN!”

(Atk: 700)

“Hmmm…” said Gar as he gazed at the little Tuner Monster.

Sunset then held her arm way up high, “I Tune Level 3 Nobledragon Magician with Level 4 Odd-Eyes! Let’s bring out the last creature.

“Clear as the wind and swift as lightning,
I call upon a beast that is most frightening!

I Syncrho Summon CLEAR WING SYNCHRO DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

The three mighty dragons hovered side-by-side behind her. Even though they were no longer in the Malefic World, and no dueling aura was shown, it was still a stunning sight to behold.

The crowds were going wild.

“I thought those dragons weren’t even released to the public yet.”

“How did she get them in her deck?”

“Ah, man!” cried Vic. “She just played all the dragons we all fought before!”

“I have to admit, that is kind of impressive.” remarked Raven.

Dick and Kori gawked in astoundment, and Kori nearly crushed her husband’s hand making him beg for mercy.

“Look at those monsters!” cried Luna. “I’ve never seen dueling like this before.”

Rubeus was impressed the most as he thought, “Sunset has nothing on the line anymore, and yet her skills are still top-notched. She has done well to be able to duel like this.”

Gar was the only one unimpressed by the summoning. “Is this the part where I’m supposed to feel outclassed?”

Sunset sneered at him, “You're entitled to feel however you like, but the real reason I summoned all these dragons was to show you how far I’ve come, because I keep believing in myself and my friends.”

She looked up and between her three dragons, and then reflected on her connection between them, her friends, and herself. “I wouldn’t be the great duelist I am now were it not for all the challenges I’ve faced.

My friends were always there for me, challenging me, and pushing me to be the best I could be, and thanks to them, I’ve mastered summoning and called on these three dragons.”

Her friends were all touched to hear her say such a thing.

“So, you’re still dueling on behalf of friendship?” said Gar. “…Just as pathetic as ever.”

Sunset growled at him, so did the Equestrians.

“Allow me to prove you wrong,” Gar shouted, “I activate my facedown card DEMISE OF THE LAND!

You let me play this card when you summoned your monsters, and now I’m allowed to activate one Field Spell from my deck, and I have the perfect one that will help me shut you and your friends up for good!

I activate THE SEAL OF ORICHALCOS!”

“The Seal of What?!” cried Sunset.

The entire field rumbled as a magical green circle of light emerged, enveloping the entire arena.

Gar let out a furious roar as if he was absorbing the seal’s power as a holographic image of seal appeared at the top of his mask.

“Unreal!” cried Sci-Twi. “I can’t believe he actually has that card!”

“Why?” asked Twilight “What does it do?”

Sci-Twi hesitated before saying, “I’m sorry, I can’t tell any of you.”

“What are you talking about?” asked Rainbow. “I thought you were the card expert?”

Sci-Twi shook her head, “You don’t understand, I made a promise to Sunset before the duel began.”

In a flashback, as everyone disembarked the airship, Sunset had pulled Sci-Twi to the sides to ask a favor.

“I want to try and win this duel all by myself.

I’ve got a bad feeling that Gar’s going to try and pull so slick strategies on me, and maybe even use cards I’ve never seen before.

So, please… don’t do any blabbing, okay?”

“But Sunset…!”

“No buts! I want to prove to Gar that Friendship is worth fighting for, but I want to do that in my own way; simply showing that having faith in myself and my friends is all I need rather than my friends whispering at me or giving me advice from the sidelines.

I know it sounds crazy, but this is how I want it.”

The friends were all shocked, except for Princess Twilight. She said, “If you made her that promise, you may as well keep it.”

“But that still doesn’t explain what that card does.” complained Rarity.

Everyone wanted answers, and Gar gave them. “This is the most powerful, most-deadliest Field Spell in the entire dueling world. So rare that they don’t even sell it in shops.

This card is only awarded to duelists who compete in the strongest of tournaments and prove they know how to play this card properly.

It’s just one of the many cards I keep in my Master Deck, and it’s not often that I use it.

As for what it does… well one of its great powers is that all my monsters will receive 500 extra attack points. Sounds neat, eh?”

Sunset was confused and thought to herself, “Five-hundred attack points? But his monster is in defense-mode, so if I attack it and it flips up, that won’t matter a bit if it gains any attack points.”

Then she realized, “Unless this is all part of a tricky setup.”

Gar was thinking quietly to himself as well. “Thanks to my seal, I have her right where I want her. Whether she attacks or not, I’m ready for her dragons.”

Even Sci-Twi was thinking silently, “Sunset better be careful. That seal has a few more special powers.”

She wanted to warn Sunset about the card… but kept her promise to her and stayed quiet.

Sunset had no other choice. “I can’t just stand here like this. I have to go for it. If I expose Gar’s strategy, I’ll be able to figure out ways to battle against it.

I’ve got to trust in myself and in my dragons to win this.”

She engaged her Battle Phase.

“Dark Rebellion, you’re up first. Attack that facedown card!”

The dragon complied and it rushed forth crushing the monster.

“You just destroyed GIANT RAT!” shouted Gar. “When Giant Rat is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I am then able to summon an Earth Monster from my Deck, with 1500 attack points or less.

I choose to play HARDEN ARMED DRAGON!”

(Atk: 1500)

“And thanks to the seal I played, he gains an additional 500 attack points.”

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 2000)

“He’s still weaker than my other dragons.” said Sunset, but before she could declare an attack, Gar shouted at her, “I wasn’t finished. I now activate the trap FLAT LEVEL 4!

Since you destroyed my monster in battle, this trap allows us each to summon a Level 4 monster from our decks.”

“That’s weird.” thought Sunset. “Why would he allow me to summon a monster as well? It just gives me even more to use against him.”

Sci-Twi quivered nervously as she thought, “I see what Gar is up to.”

Sunset quickly chose a monster to play. “I summon Level 4 PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN!”

(Def: 2100)

“Is that all?” mocked Gar “Well, I summon forth SNIPE HUNTER!”

(Atk: 1500) -----> (Atk: 2000)

Suddenly, the two monsters on Gar’s field were shrouded by faint barriers created by the seal.

“What’s that?” asked Sunset.

Gar snickered, “Just another little power of the Seal. If I happen to control at least two monsters, then you are forbidden to try and make any attacks on the monster who has the lowest attack points.”

“Uh… but both your monsters have the same attack points.”

“Correct, which means, you are no longer able to attack either one of them.”

Sunset gasped in shock.

The Equestrians couldn’t believe this.

“No way!” cried Applejack. “He can’t do that… Can he?”

Sci-Twi nodded regretfully.

“Great! Just great!” growled Spike. “Now Sunset can’t attack anymore this turn.”

He was right. Sunset was totally out of moves and she had no other option.

“I end my turn.”

The Titans watched with mixed emotions.

“Come on, Sunset. Don’t give up.” Dick murmured.

“At least she still has the upper hand.” said Kori.

Gar snuffed and said, “Looks like Friendship is already starting to fail you, as usual!”

He drew his next card.

“Time for me to show you how not relying on friendship is far greater.

I activate Snipe Hunter’s special ability. By discarding one card from my hand, I get to roll a dice block.”

A magical die appeared and landed in Gar’s hands, and at the same time, a large cursor symbol appeared on Purple Poison Magician as Snipe Hunter took aim at it.

“If I should roll anything other than a 1 or 6, your magician will be blasted to pieces!”

“Oh, no!” cried Sunset; knowing Gar’s extreme gaming skills, there was no way he could miss this.

“But before I actually roll, I have another surprise for you!” he hissed, and that’s when Timegazer Magician glowed and was sent off the field and back into Sunset’s hand.

“What happened?” she asked. “Why is Timegazer back in my hand?”

Gar snickered and revealed a card from his graveyard. “This is the card that I just discarded, TACKLE CRUSADER. Whenever it’s sent to the graveyard, its special ability allows me to return a spell or trap card on the field to your hand.”

Sunset cringed; this was getting worse by the second.

“Now then, here we go!” Gar shouted as he skillfully threw the large dice block, and no surprises, it stopped on 3. “Snipe Hunter, destroy that so-called “Magician!”

The monster fired a missile from his large gun, blowing the magician to ashes, leaving behind a large dark cloud of poison.

“Now you’ve done it!” Sunset sneered “When Purple Poison is destroyed, I can destroy one card you control.” She pointed straight at the Field Spell itself.

Sci-Twi immediately smacked her forehead in shame.

“Say goodbye to your seal!” Sunset shouted, and the cloud was launched on the card image enveloping it, to which Gar snickered, “Don’t be so sure.”

“Huh?”

Sunset then saw the cloud was vanquished in a burst of light coming from the seal. The card was not destroyed.

“It’s still there?” cried Pinkie.

“What’s going on?” asked Fluttershy.

Shining Armor looked at Sci-Twi, and the way she was clutching her drooped head and shaking it. “No, don’t tell me…!”

His sister nodded shamefully.

Gar laughed wickedly. “That was foolish! The Seal of Orichalcos can’t be defeated that easily. Once each turn, if you try to destroy it, the seal will simply defend itself.

How do you like that?”

Sunset growled in outrage. “That seal just keeps showing more and more power. Maybe I shouldn’t have told Twilight to keep quiet, but then again that would look like cheating anyways.

I’m going to find a way to take Gar down on my own.”

Gar then grabbed another one of his cards, “And now, prepare yourself to be completely crippled.

I tribute Snipe Hunter and Harden Armed Dragon to summon… VANITY’S RULER!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 3000)

“Empowered by the seal, not only is my Ruler stronger than any of your monsters, but as long as he remains out, you can special summon no creatures of any sort!”

Sunset’s eyes widened, and her heart skipped two beats! “No way! This can’t be happening!”

The Equestrians and the Titans couldn’t believe this.

Gar felt very pleased with himself. “It pays not only to study cards and how they work, but to know your opponent and how they work with their cards.

One of your most tragic flaws is that you rely so heavily on all sorts of special summoning, but now that I’ve disabled it. You and your monsters are no longer any threat to me. Not that you ever were a threat in the first place.”

Sunset felt insulted, but she also knew he had a point. Even with her new cards, her deck hadn’t changed all that much, whereas Gar continued to rotate and alter his decks every time.

She was starting to feel like a mouse that just walked straight into the cat’s trap.

Gar then engaged his battle phase. “Vanity’s Ruler, destroy Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

The Ruler complied…

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2800)

The dragon didn’t have a chance and was vanquished.

Sunset LP: 8500 -----> 8300

While losing life points no longer hurt like before, Sunset was feeling more cornered already, while Gar felt satisfied in beating a Fusion Monster, especially since Starving Venom could not use its ability to destroy the ruler since it was not special summoned.

“I end my turn with two facedown cards.”

Then he thought to himself. “I’m going to pick you apart, bit-by-bit, and maybe then you’ll see how friendship is worthless!”

Sunset clenched her fists, didn’t know if she was more angry, frustrated, or worried about her situation.

“Poor Sunset.” said Cadance. “I’ve never seen her like this, or much anyone for that.”

“How is she supposed to get out of this?” wondered Shining Armor.

“She’ll find a way.” said Rainbow. “She’s been through way tougher situations than this.”

The others wanted to believe and support that, but given the situation, and whom Sunset was facing, it was hard to gauge.

“Come on, Sunset.” thought Twilight. “Don’t give up yet. Your friends are all here, and you have their support.”

The people in the crowds were astounded.

“That’s Masquerade for you.”

“No one gets past him.”

“He really is the world’s greatest gamer.”

The Titans watched everything.

“Man, Gar’s really on a roll here.” said Vic. “It’s no wonder everyone thinks he’s the greatest.”

“Not for much longer.” Raven thought, remembering the computer files down inside, which were still taking time to upload.

Sunset had plenty to worry about now.

“As long as that Vanity’s Ruler is in play, I can’t special summon anything.” she thought. “I have to hurry and find a way to take it out and fast, and I already have just the thing for it.”

“Here I come!” she shouted as she drew her next card.

“I activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon’s special ability. By using both of its overlay units, he’ll cut the attack points of Vanity’s Ruler in half and transfer those attack points to his own.”

The units were used, but just as the mighty dragon powered up to work its power, Gar shouted, “Hold on, I have a trap… MEMORY LOSS!

Sorry, but your dragon’s got a clear case of amnesia. His effect is canceled, and now he’s forced to change to defense-mode.”

“No!!” cried Sunset, but her dragon had already powered down and curled down to the ground.

(Def: 2000)

The Equestrians were outraged.

“I can’t believe this guy!” growled Rainbow. “He always has an answer for everything we try, just like Z-Arc did!”

Applejack wasn’t so sure. “I don’t know, that seemed a little too easy. Sunset should’ve known he’d have a trap to back himself up.”

The others were starting to wonder, but it was Fluttershy who spoke. “Maybe Sunset wanted it to happen?”

These suspicions were confirmed when Sunset smirked and said, “I thought you’d try that, and I was hoping you would.”

“Hmm?”

“I got you to use up your trap on Dark Rebellion so I could get at you with another little trick I have.

I play the spell PENDULUM CALL. Now by sending Timegazer Magician in my hand to the graveyard, I can add two “Magician” Pendulum Monsters from my deck to my hand, and I know just which ones too.

I pick TIMEBREAKER MAGICIAN and OAFDRAGON MAGICIAN!”

Gar gave a small grumble!

“Now I’ll set Scale 2 Oafdragon Magician into the Pendulum Scale!”

The magician took his place, but the pendulum did not appear due to Sunset’s inability to special summon.

“I don’t intend to Pendulum Summon anyway.” Sunset gloated. “I’ll use Oafdragon Magician’s Pendulum Ability, allowing me to add Purple Poison Magician back to my hand, and just in time for me to summon it normally!”

(Atk: 1200)

Gar could already sense Sunset’s plan, and Sunset engaged her battle face.

“Go Purple Poison, attack Vanity’s Ruler!”

“What?!” snapped Rarity.

“But Purple Poison is weaker than Vanity’s Ruler!” added Spike. “What is she thinking?”

Celestia caught onto to Sunset’s plan. “Don’t you see?” she asked as the attack continued.

Vanity’s Ruler, being stronger, was forced to counterattack.

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 1200)

The magician was bashed to bits…

Sunset LP: 8300 -----> 6500

…Leaving its dark cloud behind again, as Celestia pointed out. “Sunset wanted her magician to be destroyed to activate its special ability again.”

Luna gawked in awe. “I see, and by doing so, she is now allowed to destroy one of the opposing cards.”

All the others now felt hope returning, except for Sci-Twi. “Sunset! What were you thinking?!” she wailed in thought.

Sunset, not realizing a thing at all, declared, “I may not be able to destroy the seal, so I’ll do the next best thing and destroy your Ruler!”

The cloud made its way towards the monster ready to ensnare him…

But Gar snickered wickedly, confusing Sunset, and then she gasped as the cloud was magically vanquished without doing anything!

“No way!” cried Sunset. “How come he wasn’t destroyed? Is this another little trick of you seal?”

Gar chuckled and explained, “The Seal had nothing to do with this, you twit…!

If you were any smarter and observant-- which you obviously aren’t-- I tributed two monsters to summon my ruler to the field. One of them was Hardened Armed Dragon!”

Sunset gawked at the monster spirit that appeared above Vanity’s Ruler, and Gar continued to explain. “When Hardened Armed Dragon is tributed to summon a monster that’s at least Level 7 or higher, it protects that monster using its powerful spirit.

Vanity’s Ruler cannot be destroyed by any card effects.”

Now Sunset was shaking is fear and disbelief, much to Gar’s enjoyment.

“That’s right.” taunted Gar. “I’ve managed to make a monster that is virtually indestructible. There’s not much you can do to get rid of him.”

The Equestrians were all horrified for Sunset.

“She can’t mess with that thing with any card effects!” cried Applejack.

“And it’s way too strong for her to beat in battle too.” added Rainbow.

“…There’s got to be something she can do! ANYTHING!!” wailed Pinkie.

Sunset wished there was something she could do as well, but all she did was look down at Timebreaker still in her hand. “With only this left in my hand, I can’t play much else this turn. I guess I have no other choice but to play it safe.”

“I’ll switch Clear Wing into defense mode and call it a turn.”

(Def: 2000)

“I should’ve played Timebreaker instead!” she scolded herself, “But knowing Gar, he would’ve been prepared for that as well. He knows my strategies too well and he uses that to his advantage.”

“Look at you, back into a wall.” Gar scolded. “You’ve got no one to blame for this but your overbearing belief in friendship and faith!”

“Can it!” snarled Sunset. “You can say all the nasty things about friendship you want, but I’ll never back down, and I’ll never stop fighting for it either!”

Twilight felt proud to hear her say such things, but Gar protested, “Oh, we’ll see how well you cling to that.

My draw!”

He looked at the single card he had drawn.

“I activate the spell CARD OF SANCTITY! Now we both must draw until we each hold six cards in hand.

And in case you were wondering… it doesn’t matter to me if you drew cards as well, because what I’m about to play is a strategy that will lock you down completely, and it all starts with this…

I play the spell COST DOWN!

Now by discarding one card in my hand I reduce the level of all monsters in my hand by 2 for the duration of this turn.”

He grabbed a single card, “That means that this 6-Star monster is now a 4-Star monster, meaning I can summon it straightaway without making a tribute.

…Here comes HORUS THE BLACK FLAME DRAGON LEVEL 6!”

(Atk: 2300) -----> (Atk: 2800)

Sunset didn’t need much help analyzing this card. She knew exactly what it could do, and it made her stomach turn.

Gar snickered, and then engaged his battle phase.

“Go my monsters, destroy those pathetic, puny dragons!”

Sunset braced herself, and in a flash scene-- like an artist’s sketch-- Gar’s monsters devastated her dragons while he laughed at her fate leaving her with nothing to defend herself with.

“Sunset!!” cried Shining Armor.

“She’s completely wide open!” added Cadance.

Gar overheard everyone. “And it’s about to get far worse. I’ll place three cards facedown, and now I end my turn, which activates Black Flame’s special ability.

Since it successfully destroyed a monster, I’m able to send it to the graveyard in order to summon a far worse creature in its place!”

The dragon was enveloped in a veil of flames.

The flames were bright enough to force Sunset to cover her eyes, as did the Equestrians, and the camera crew broadcasting the duel.

The crowds gazed in awe; some of the people wondered what was coming now.

“Is it safe to look now?” wailed Kori.

The brightness faded, and she and the other Titans looked at the big screen from afar.

“Look at that!” cried Dick.

A larger, stronger, fiercer dragon had appeared where the other dragon once stood.

Gar declared, “And there it is… HORUS THE BLACK FLAME DRAGON LEVEL 8!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 3500)

The dragon gave a mighty roar which frightened Sunset even more. “No… Not him!”

“I see you know this card,” hissed Gar “And you know that as long as he’s out, I can choose to negate spells when they are played any time I wish.”

The Equestrians were horrified.

“That means, Sunset can’t use her spells now either!” cried Applejack. “But Gar is able to use his own spells any time he chooses.”

“That is just… not fair!” whined Pinkie. “How is she supposed to win if she can’t special summon or use spells?”

“That’s just it-- She won’t!” sneered Gar. “Without the ability to special summon or use any spells, her deck is all but completely locked out.”

As he laughed evilly, Sunset thought quietly and fearfully, “He’s right! I can’t special summon any of my monsters, and now all my spells will be useless!

I hate to admit this but, I think Gar’s won. How can I possibly beat him?”

To Be Continued…

Episode 67: The Final Face Off: Part 2

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Episode 68: The Final Faceoff: Part 3

EPISODE SIXTY-EIGHT

“This duel is over!!” Sunset declared as her dragon neared Gar’s monster.

Gar then let out a fearsome roar, and at the same time an electromagnetic field shrouded the entire rooftop.

“What’s going on?” cried Sunset, and then she gasped as she saw her dragon being enveloped in shockwaves and didn’t finish its attack.

“No! It can’t be…!” cried Sunset.

Gar laughed loudly and wickedly. “The only thing that ended is your pathetic little show!”

He held up a single card that made Sunset nearly faint in shock.

“That’s right…” hissed Gar. “I sent ELECTROMAGNETIC TURTLE to my graveyard when I used Hand Destruction.

Then, by banishing it from the graveyard, the battle phase ended, and your so-called “Dragon” was forced to stand down.”

Sunset was quivering in shock that she had been outsmarted yet again!

The Equestrians were equally as stunned as she was.

“No way!” cried Rainbow. “She had him! She had him beat, and he saved himself again!”

Pinkie was biting on her fingers so hard she couldn’t even feel them… not at first.

Twilight was just as astounded by Gar’s resistance and defensive tactics. “He really doesn’t want to lose this duel.” she thought “He’s really determined to prove to Sunset that friendship is worthless.”

Even though his face was covered and without her magic, she could feel the extreme levels of hate and darkness radiating from within him.

Gar laughed again. “You think you have me all figured out…” then his voice hardened to anger, “…You could not be more wrong! Now hurry up and finish your turn so I can get my money, leave here, and get as far away from you people as I can!”

Slowy, Sunset’s feature began to harden.

“Sunset?” said Fluttershy.

She looked very angry, enough to erupt like a volcano, but she closed her eyes and calmed herself. “I won’t succumb to my anger.” she thought. “No matter what it takes, I stand for friendship and faith, and I always will.”

“This duel is still on!”

Sunset LP: 4000

Gar LP: 7000

“I must admit, the way you kept blocking all my attacks and summonings was pretty clever. I can somewhat respect your playing skills.”

Gar felt more disgusted than thankful, being complimented by her.

“…But that doesn’t mean I’m out of it. I still have my other monsters. White Wing Magician, and Timebreaker Magician, which I tune together!”

Gar growled.

The monsters rose high, and Sunset called her chant.

“Brightest magician, wonderous and bright,
Lend me your power in this magical fight!

I Synchro Summon ARCANITE MAGICIAN!”

(Def: 1800)

“Oh, no! Not him!” groaned Gar.

“That’s right, and since he was Syncrho Summoned, he gets two magical Spell Counters, and then by using each one, he destroys two cards you control, like your dragon and your field spell!”

Gar gasped in extreme anger, “My precious seal…!”

With its effect negated, the spell could not defend itself, and both it and his dragon were destroyed.

“Ah, yeah!!” cried Shining Armor. “Way to play it to him!”

Cadance was confused, “Why didn’t she destroy Vanity’s Ruler?”

“Because it’s still protected by Hardened Armed Dragon.” explained Celestia. Then she looked concerned, “And when the turn ends, it’ll gain all its powers back, meaning Sunset won’t be able to special summon anymore on her next turn.”

Spike growled under Sci-Twi’s seat, but he was careful not to speak out.

Sunset realized this as well, but she was still not finished her turn yet.

“From my graveyard, I banish FUSION SUBSTITUTE. Now by returning Starving Venom Fusion Dragon to my Extra Deck, I get to draw one card.”

She placed her fingers over her deck, concentrating hard, and pulled her card out.

She gazed over at Gar…

“I’ll place both cards in my hand facedown and end my turn, which means Wings of Misdirection wears off, and your Vanity’s Ruler gains his abilities back.”

Vanity’s Ruler glowed brightly again with his magical sparkles.

“And Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon’s attack returns to normal too.”

(Atk: 4000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

The Titans were all sweating hard on the roof of the RV.

“That’s one of the strongest turns I’ve ever seen.” said Dick.

Kori agreed, “I’ve never seen so many cards played all at once. It’s as if Sunset and Gar are really pushing themselves to the very limits of their skills.”

Vic was more nervous about the computer upload. Part of him really was thinking of going down inside and canceling it, but one look at Raven’s angry face and knowing how much she wanted it, it made him unsure of what to do.

Suddenly, Raven could sense something-- or rather someone unfamiliar down inside the RV.

“You okay?” asked Vic.

“I’m fine.” she answered in a rude tone. “I’m just going to use the rest room.” and she melded herself through the roof.

Sci-Twi had been working stressfully and was sweating up a storm.

“…It’s at 80%!” cried Terra.

“I’m working! I’m working!” said Sci-Twi, and then suddenly, “I think I’ve got it.”

She put in the correct encryption codes which activated the abort options: “Would you like to abort?”

“You did it!” cried Terra. “Just click “Yes.”

Sci-Twi moved the mouse ready to click, when suddenly she was shrouded in dark aura preventing her from moving her body at all.

Terra turned round and saw Raven, glaring angrily at them both. “I thought I smelled something funny.”

“You!” Terra roared, but Raven suddenly cursed her in her aura as well.

“The uploads!” Terra growled.

“Are almost done…” Raven hissed.

“Why are you doing this?!” Sci-Twi asked.

“Why shouldn’t I? He deserves it after all.

Honestly why no one else ever bothered to do this before is beyond me. Now his career will be ruined, and he’ll be a washed-up little punk like he always has been.”

Sci-Twi was completely livid with Raven and how she was acting, and Terra, she never thought she would, but she finally growled at her, “…You’re a real monster!”

“Am I?” Raven scoffed, “Or am I doing something that everyone will thank me for!”

“All this does is show how heartless you are!” balked Sci-Twi. “It also shows that Gar’s right, that you only care about yourself no matter who you have to hurt!”

Raven denied this, “I’m hurting someone who deserves to be hurt so he can stop hurting others.”

“That doesn’t make it right or justify you!”

Raven ignored her, and she planned to hold them both until the upload was complete.

Terra was powerless to do anything, as there were no rocks or Earth for her to weld inside the RV.

Sci-Twi knew what she had to do. She concentrated hard, focusing that she was doing this for the good of people, and she was helping Terra for the better.

Her body began to glow with her magical aura which countered Raven’s grip and blasted her right into the wall, releasing the two girls.

The other Titans felt the impact on the roof.

“What’s going on?” snapped Kori.

“Let’s move!” shouted Dick.

The trio got up and leapt off the roof to rush in through the open door.

Raven and Sci-Twi were both flaring in their auras.

“You want a piece of me?!” Raven growled.

Sci-Twi growled angrily looking ready to strike while Terra hid behind the console.

Raven raised her arm to fire a shot, when the other Titans burst in, and Dick tackled her to the floor. “Stop this!”

“What’s going on in here?” Kori asked, but then she saw the computer and the upload. “What the--”

Vic excused himself past her quickly and reached to hit the “Yes” key to abort the upload and delete the files.

Right as his finger was about to press the key, the files already vanished, and a “Files Deleted” Window showed.

“Huh?”

“No!” shouted Raven. She would have burst in a fit of rage had Dick not given her a small karate-chop, knocking her unconscious.

“All right, what’s going on here?” Dick demanded to know.

Meanwhile, it was Gar’s turn.

“Stand back, I draw!”

He now had three cards in hand.

“This should be familiar to you-- I play GRACEFUL CHARITY, so now I draw three cards and discard two.”

What he drew next made him go silent in a sinister way.

“Prepare yourself…!” he hissed.

A shiver went down Sunset’s back, but then she quickly held out her hand saying, “I will prepare, thanks to PENDULUM BACK.

Thanks to this trap, since I have a Scale 1 to 10 Pendulum Scale, I’m allowed to add Purple Poison Magician to my hand, along with Black Fang Magician that I discarded from Hand Destruction.”

Gar wasn’t the least bit impressed. “It matters not. What I’m about to unleash will assure my victory, and you’ll see just how much friendship is not worth fighting for!

I activate the spell HEAVY STORM!”

“AAAAAAHHH!!” cried Sunset.

“Say goodbye to all your spells and traps, including your Pendulum Cards!”

All three of Sunset’s remaining cards were destroyed, including her facedown Mirror Force card!

“No!” cried Pinkie. “Sunset worked so hard to get all those cards out!”

Gar then grabbed one of the two remaining cards in his hand and held it up high. “Now, from my graveyard, I banish Chaos Hunter, and another Vanity’s Ruler I recently discarded.”

The field began to quake forcing Sunset to keep steady on her feet.

The spectators and the news crew all fought to maintain balance as well.

That’s when a bright light burst from the ground by Gar and his monster began to appear.

“Is that what I think it is?!” cried Rainbow.

“It couldn’t be!” whimpered Rarity.

“What? What is that?” asked Twilight.

With an evil snicker, Gar called out, “Behold… BLACK LUSTER SOLDIER – ENVOY OF THE BEGINNING!”

(Atk: 3000)

The bright and shining knight stood gleaming in the sunlight with his weapons and armor poised.

Rarity felt like she was staring at a handsome prince, while everyone else was astounded.

“I’ve heard of this monster, but I didn’t think I’d ever see it!” remarked Shining Armor.

“What do you mean?” asked Cadance.

Her husband explained, “Twily told me that this kind of card is so rare and powerful, just like The Seal of Orichalcos.

It’s so powerful and rare that they only award them to champion duelists in the biggest of tournaments.”

“It must be rare!” remarked Luna. “It was just summoned by banishing two monsters.”

Spike kept wondering where Sci-Twi was. “She’s missing out on all this!” he grumbled softly.

Sunset continued to gawk at the incredible monster, almost unable to believe it was here, and looking ready to bring her down.

“Stare into the face of defeat!” declared Gar, and he engaged his battle phase.

“Vanity’s Ruler, destroy Arcanite Magician!”

The two monsters clashed, and Sunset lost her Magician, leaving her with only Odd-Eyes.

“Now what?” wondered Fluttershy. “Odd-Eyes and the soldier have the same attack points.”

“I’m not so sure of that!” cried Applejack, and she pointed at the field.

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 2500)

“My dragon just got weaker!” cried Sunset. Then she noticed a monster’s spirit clinging onto her Odd-Eyes.

Gar laughed, “Took you long enough to see ARCHFIEND OF GILFER.

When I discarded him to the graveyard, his ability activated. He attached himself to your dragon weaken its attack power by 500 points.”

Sunset growled.

Gar then called, “Black Luster Soldier… slay that dragon!”

His soldier leapt up high and came down hard with a swing of his mighty blade.

(Atk: 3000) VS (Atk: 2500)

The dragon exploded, and its shattered remains sped past Sunset.

Sunset LP: 4000 -----> 3500

She looked up from the attack, and saw the soldier was still standing right before.

“Oh, and about my soldier…” hissed Gar, “When he successfully destroys a monster in battle, he can attack once more… and he’s coming straight for you! Let’s see your friendship get you out of this!”

Sunset braced herself, and then felt the shockwaves of the attack slash her hard and knock her flat onto her back!

Sunset LP: 3500 -----> 500

“SUNSET!!” her friends all shouted.

She managed to get up, not feeling too sore, but she was in huge trouble now.

Pinkie began to panic like crazy. “She’s going to lose the duel! SHE’S GOING TO LOSE THE DUEL!!”

She kept on screaming and getting louder until applejack grabbed her and shook her vigorously going, “Will you settle down!” which Pinkie did. “Panicking ain’t going to do a thing you know?”

Really, she, just like the rest, couldn’t help but want to panic over Sunset’s situation.

This was the largest corner she had been backed into all duel long.

“This can’t be how it ends for me!” she thought softly.

The soldier and the ruler glared fiercely at Sunset with Gar standing between them with his arms folded.

“Look at you!” he scolded. “Even with your new cards. you’re predictable, and pathetic… always putting so much focus on friendship and faith that you lose sight of what happens around you.”

Sunset bolted upright onto her feet. “Look… I get it! You had a hard life, and you had to go through terrible things again, and again, and again, but why can’t you just show a little gratitude here and there?”

Gar protested, “And by “gratitude” you mean “Why can I not be more like you?”

I’ve told you enough times, that never worked for me before. Showing I care, trying to be kind to others-- it brought me nothing but pain, despair, and endless amounts of suffering!

Starting now will make no difference. It will not show that I have morals. It will not win me any points, and it certainly won’t change the way things are.

Why should it?”

Sunset felt stunned that he would say such things.

He then held up his duel disk motioning at his deck. “My Master Deck is more than just power. It’s very special, unlike any other I have… because it was built with cards that reflect me and how I got to be where I am.”

He referred to how monsters such as Vanity’s Ruler, Black Flame Dragon, Chaos Hunter-- all represented the forces of humanity using its powers to shun him, hurt him, and take advantage of him.

Heavy Storm would always come along and blow away all hopes he had for a better life.

Traps like “Ghost of a Grudge” were reminders of how the memories and experiences would never stop haunting him, no matter how hard he tried.

“And then… there’s “Change of Heart!” he growled. “The one card of all cards that really reflects me and the most-painful experience of my life…”

He referred to his problems with Terra!

“I use these cards because I’ve changed all that now. I’ve turned the tables, and it is I who uses these cards on the people the same way they did on me!

And these cards are exactly what I will use to put you, and others I cannot stand in your proper place, and prove to you that I don’t need friendship or good faith to keep on my feet!

Now make your move so I can end you… once and for all!!”

Sunset didn’t know what to feel-- sympathetic, disgusted, outraged?

Her friends could not be more upset with Gar, and yet a little bit for him as well, Especially Twilight.

“I’ve never known someone to despise friendship with such a vengeance.” she thought. “I can’t blame him of course-- I’d probably feel the same way he does if I lived the way he did and if I was treated just the same.

She still didn’t make her move, and instead she called him out. “So, people helping you means nothing?”

Gar remained silent.

“…Saving your life meant nothing to you as well because you feel insulted that friendship helped.”

She had to be careful what more she would say, remembering her promise to Rubeus not to reveal the Malefic Adventure.

“Deep down I know you’re not as heartless as you let on, but you’re too caught up in your own bitterness to realize or do anything about it.”

Gar was really getting angry under his mask. No matter how much he hated it, he would always have to face the fact that Sunset did save his life, even if he didn’t ask or want her to.

“For the last time: Make… your… move!”

Even the referee was losing patience and cautioned Sunset, “If you do not take your turn, you will be disqualified.”

Sunset clenched her empty fist.

“What can Sunset hope to do to pull anything off?” asked Rarity.

“You’ve got a point, Rarity.” agreed Applejack. “Only 500 life points left. She can’t special summon, and the two monsters in her hand won’t exactly help her unless she does something really big.”

Fluttershy was so scared she had nearly forgotten how to breathe. “One draw… One card… that’s all she has!”

Sunset looked down at her deck feeling the same way.

Slowly, she placed her fingers on her card while thinking hard. “I stand for Friendship, and I stand for faith. Please… let this draw help me.”

She pulled it out quickly and slowly turned it over to see what it was. “This just may do!”

A song began to play in the background as she felt newfound hope and power coursing through her. “She’s Got the Power!”

“First thing’s first. I’ll use Scale 1 PURPLE POISON MAGICIAN and Scale 8 BLACKFANG MAGICIAN to set the Pendulum Scale.”

The two magicians went up into the light.

“What good will that do you?” asked Gar. “You know you can’t summon monsters.”

Sunset grined and said, “I can’t right now… so I’ll have to change that.”

“What?”

“From my graveyard, I banish BREAKTHROUGH SKILL!”

“Ah!”

“By banishing this trap, your Vanity’s Ruler loses all his abilities for this turn!”

The ruler was shrouded by energy waves, turning him pale and making him seem weaker.

The Equestrians were overjoyed.

“Without Vanity’s Ruler working…” exclaimed Pinkie.

“…That means Sunset can Pendulum Summon now!” added Rarity.

“Yee-Haw! Give it him, girl!”

“Yay.” Fluttershy squeaked.

The magic pendulum was already swinging, and Sunset called out, “Thanks to this scale, I’m allowed to summon as many monsters between Levels 2 and 7 as I need.

As the pendulum swings from forth to back
My monsters come forth… to launch an attack!

…Behold my monsters!”

Three shots of light spouted out from the Extra Deck, and her monsters appeared.

“TIMEBREAKER MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 1400)

“NOBLEDRAGON MAGICIAN…” (Atk: 700)

“And let’s give a warm welcome to… ODD-EYES REBELLION DRAGON!”

(Atk: 3000)

Her three monsters stood together, all in a perfect formation which awed the crowds.

“My monsters also are like a reflection of me.” Sunset boasted. “They represent how far I’ve come, how much I’ve changed, and they also serve me as reminder of how things were and how I use them for better.

Like Black Fang Magician! I’ll use his Pendulum Ability to destroy himself, but he also cuts the attack power of your soldier in half!”

(Atk: 3000) -----> (Atk: 1500)

“Why you little brat!” growled Gar.

“You think you’re angry now?” teased Sunset, and she held up her last card, “Well you’ll be really mad when I play MONSTER REBORN!”

“Oh, no!” cried Gar.

“Oh, yes! Now I can bring back any monster in the graveyard, and I choose to revive Arcanite Magician!”

(Def: 1800)

Gar was confused and he asked, “Why in the world would you want to summon him?”

Sunset snickered, “You’re a master gamer, aren’t you? Then the answer should be obvious enough.

After all, since I Pendulum Summoned Timebreaker, I’m allowed to treat him as a Tuner Monster, for something extra special!”

Gar’s eyes bulged behind his mask, and all the spectators gazed with anxiety.

“Now!” shouted Sunset. “Level 3 Timebreaker Magician Tunes with Level 7 Arcanite Magician!

Power so strong, glowing bright,
I summon a monster of awesome might!

…I Synchro Summon NIRVANA HIGH PALADIN!”

(Atk: 3300)

“Ah!!”

Gar could not believe his eyes, remembering this monster all too well.

The crowds went wild with cheers, but none as high as Sunset’s friends.

“Ah, yeah! That’s the way to summon!” shouted Rainbow.

“That’s her best Sycnrho Monster ever!” cried Fluttershy.

Spike howled happily as Twilight gazed in wonder at the creature.

Sunset clenched both her fists, feeling strong amounts of energy flowing through her.

“When Nivana is summoned, I can add Monster Reborn back to my hand, and I’ll play it right away so I can invite one final friend to join me in taking you down.

My best friend of all my cards—the one… the only… ODD-EYES PENDULUM DRAGON!”

(Atk: 2500)

Her great beast roared proudly as is stood right next to her. Sunset would have stroked him lovingly… were it not the fact he was just a hologram.

“Odd-Eyes, thanks for being here.” Sunset thought. “You and I have been through a lot together, and I’m glad to have you with me now to stand for everything we fight for.”

The dragon’s big eyes shimmered at her, as if he could feel her thoughts.

“This is impossible!” Gar growled in thought while quivering angrily. “How could she have managed to do all this!

Friendship had nothing to do with it…

…It was all just plain dumb luck again! That’s what it is!”

The Equestrians were all cheering for Sunset, chanting her name over and over.

Even those in the crowds below were chanting her name.

“It’s time!” shouted sunset, and she engaged her battle phase.

“Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon, destroy Black Luster Soldier!”

(Atk: 2500) -----> (Atk: 1500)

The soldier raised his shield up high, but it was no match against the dragon’s fiery wrath—he was destroyed!

“And thanks to Odd-Eyes’ ability, you now take double the damage!”

Gar roared as the bright flames sped past him.

Gar LP: 7000 -----> 5000

“WOO-HOO!!” Shining Armor shouted while backflipping, and nearly leaping off the edge of the building had his wife not caught him.

“Try to control yourself!”

Sunset then aimed at Vanity’s Ruler. “You’re next! Nirvana High Paladin, go get him!

And while you’re at it, I’ll have Purple Poison Magician give you a 1200 attack points boost!”

(Atk: 3300) -----> (Atk: 4500)

“No!!” shouted Gar as he saw the huge knight come down hard on his ruler; slicing him clean down the middle!

(Atk: 4500) VS (Atk: 2500)

The ruler was finally vanquished, and the burning waves sped past Gar again, forcing him to hold onto his mask tightly.

Gar LP: 5000 -----> 3000

“Nirvana High isn’t finished yet!” shouted Sunset “When he successfully destroys a monster, then your life points are automatically halved!”

The monsters cast a huge light beam that slammed into Gar, knocking him off his feet and down hard on his back.

Gar LP: 3000 -----> 1500

His mask stayed on tightly, but he furiously pounded the ground with his fist and then got back up onto his feet.

People in the crowd were going crazy!

“I can’t believe it!”

“She’s going to do!”

“This is really it!”

The Equestrians were so excited they felt they were going to explode.

“Only 1500 life points left!” Rarity cried.

“And Sunset still has Rebellion Dragon.” added Fluttershy.

“With 3000 points, she’s got it won!” exclaimed Applejack.

“Ah, yeah! Finish him off, Sunset!” Rainbow hollered while Pinkie leapt about and shaking pompons that dumped confetti everywhere.

Sunset glared at Gar with more pride and dignity than fury. “Perhaps now you’ll understand and have more respect for friendship.

Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon, attack his life points and end this duel!”

“ARGH!!!” Gar yelled as he saw the dragon power up and ready to strike him.

Sunset shouted at him, “By the Forces of Fusion… Syncrho… Xyz… and Pendulum… and by the might of Friendship and Faith… YOU LOSE!!”

To Be Continued…

Final Episode: The Final Face Off: Final Part

FINAL EPISODE

The mighty dragon unleashed its bright, fiery wrath, straight at Gar.

“YOU LOSE!!” Sunset shouted at him.

The blast came nearer and nearer, and everyone watched with extreme stress, ready for the impact.

“I don’t lose… NOT YET!!!” Gar shouted as he held up the single card in his hand, causing a bright flash to rise, nearly blinding everyone, and canceling out the dragon’s attack.

“What is that?!!” Sunset yelled. Then she could see a bright and beautiful monster floating in the light, like some sort of mystical god.

Gar then laughed loud and wickedly. “Behold… You are bearing witness to the power of the one card in the entire dueling universe that is more like me than any other…

…GODDESS OF SWEET REVENGE!!!”

The beautiful creature winked at Sunset with a very sinister glare.

Everyone felt as transfixed as she did at the sight of this monster.

Gar then explained, “Since I had no other cards in play and no other cards in my hand, my Goddess now lends me her power… and destroys EVERY SINGLE CARD YOU HAVE OUT!!”

“What?! NO!!!” screamed Sunset, but it was no use.

The Goddess raised her huge weapon up, and she spoke, “Feel the wrath of vengeance!”

She then vanquished all of Sunset’s cards in a bright blast of winds and light. “NO!! THIS CAN’T BE HAPPENING!! I HAD IT WON!!!”

“Well, you don’t now!” taunted Gar.

The wrath ceased and the field was completely empty.

Pinkie dropped her pompons and fell to her knees in extreme shock. “I can’t believe it!” she sobbed softly.

“She was close! So close!” Rarity sobbed with her.

Even Twilight was struck with shock and misery at what happened.

Suddenly, there was a small glow on Gar’s field.

“What’s happening now?” groaned Rainbow.

Gar snickered, “My Goddess has one other special ability; she lets me summon one monster from my deck, and I choose to play RED LAMP!

(Atk: 900)

“I only have one wish right now, and that’s to defeat you, and because my lamp was special summoned…” he paused and glared deeply at Sunset, “…You lose 600 life points!

…Game Over!”

Sunset gasped, and the lamp blew a small puff of smoke at her taking away everything she had left.

Sunset LP: 500 -----> 0

All she could do was fall to her knees with her eyes wide open, and a defeated look on her face.

Everyone gawked at her, some of the Equestrians had tears in their eyes.

“Sunset!” Twilight peeped softly as a single tear slipped down and splashed by her feet.

“She… she lost!” Spike cried ever so softly.

The referee then made it official. “The Winner and Champion of the Friendship Cup Tournament… Masquerade!”

Gar just stood where he was. Even as the cameras focused on him.

The crowds were totally silent below, and their mouths and eyes were wide-open.

Finally, someone began to applaud. Then the other people next to him, and others, and more, until everyone was cheering thunderously.

They weren’t cheering exactly because Gar had won the duel, but because of how exciting everything was.

“That was intense!”

“Best duel ever!”

“No one’s ever come that close to beating Masquerade before!”

“That girl rocks!”

Sunset stood, wiping the tears of defeat from her eyes, listening to all the applause.

Her friends were all confused like she was, until they finally understood.

Tracey Flash then approached Sunset wanting to know, “Sunset Shimmer, you may have lost, but that’s one of the most outstanding duels anyone has ever seen.

You came so close to beating Masquerade-- closer than pretty much anyone has.

How are you feeling?”

Sunset was highly baffled. “Um… I… feel a little tired?”

Gar gawked at Sunset from afar, almost as if he didn’t know what exactly to say or do about her, for he had been reflecting on quite a few things.

Suddenly, Sci-Twi burst out onto the roof in a panic. “Guys!” she called. “Terra’s run away!”

Everyone gasped, even Gar was surprised to hear.

After managing to fight their way past the paparazzi and the crowds, the gang made it out of the building-- except for Gar who stayed behind to collect his prizes.

They were all now standing by the road in the city park, far away from the crowds, and Sci-Twi explained everything.

“…We spent so much time arguing, nobody noticed.” She held up a note that Terra managed to write. It read…

Titans…

I can no longer take all this…

It’s bad enough we’re all homeless, and it’s worse so that all the world hates us and won’t give us much help, but the biggest issue is that we bring all this upon ourselves by acting worse.

Dick and Kori, you just want Sunset to give you the money…

Raven, you tried to wash Gar up, not to mention kill him…

As for me, I can’t bear this anymore, my heart is already hurt, and not just by Gar’s rejections, by the fact that my so-called “friends” and “family” have become so greedy, so self-centered, they’ve become worse than the monsters on the cards.

Goodbye, and this time forever! Don’t bother trying to find me.

…Terra!

Pinkie felt like crying at such a thing. “This is just too much!” she sobbed.

Sunset was furious at the other Titans. Especially at Raven for the stunt she pulled. “I cannot believe you would stoop so low!” she scolded.

Raven didn’t look the least bit remorseful, proving how much she didn’t care.

“And you three…!” Sunset scolded the other Titans.

“Hey, we didn’t know about the stunt.” protested Dick.

“If we had, we would have stopped it.” added Kori.

The Equestrians all had no idea if they could believe it or not.

“At least my conscience broke through.” said Vic. “I didn’t want to go through with it.”

“Yet you still did anyway.” growled Rainbow. “You could’ve still said “No.” and you could’ve stopped Raven by locking the computer.”

Vic cringed with guilt.

“And simply wanting the money if Sunset had won it?” asked Fluttershy. “We would have all shared it with you, because that what friends do.”

“We weren’t going to demand it.” said Dick. “We were going to persuade you. We’re desperate, and we’re homeless.”

Princess Twilight shook her head pitifully, “That still does not excuse the fact you were still thinking only for yourselves.

Haven’t you learned anything from your history?”

She referred to how all their selfish and narcissistic ways put the whole country in danger, doomed Jump City, and ruined many people’s lives, as well as their own.

“At least we tried to do good!” cried Kori. “We aborted the upload.”

“Actually, I did…” protested Vic.

“…No, you didn’t.” called a familiar voice.

Everyone turned round and they were all surprised to see Gar standing by the road.

“What’s he doing here?” Shining Armor hissed angrily.

“Shh…!” said Cadance.

Gar stopped before, but he gazed at Sunset in particular.

He softly approached her. Sunset stiffened, ready to balk at him if he tried to act mean again, but to her surprise, he handed her an envelope.

“Consider yourself repaid.”

Sunset opened the envelop to find a check inside for half a-million dollars-- half of the prize money he had won.

The Equestrians were completely speechless.

Then Gar turned to face the Titans, and he pitched a second envelope with another check for the rest of the money at Dick.

…Even Raven was speechless and shocked at this gesture.

“You’ll need it…” he sneered at them “…And all the luck in the world.”

Then he turned and started to head back towards the road.

“Wait…!” called Celestia. “Where are you going?”

“Anywhere that’s away from you people. My business is finished here. I’ve got other places to be.”

“But why give your money away?” asked Luna.

“Because, I already have plenty of money to burn, and I can easily make it all back.

Besides, I’ve won something even better than money or a title… I’ve won ultimate revenge.”

He looked back and forth at everyone.

He had finally gotten back at the Titans for all their years of mistreating him. They were homeless, hated-- pretty much having had lost everything.

“You all got exactly what you deserved.”

The Titans didn’t know what to say.

Then he gazed at the Equestrians, feeling proud that he was able to show that Friendship really isn’t everything, and it could not always work. “If Sunset’s loss to me doesn’t knock any sense into any of you, I don’t know what will.”

Rarity stepped forth in fury. “So that’s it?!” she balked. “You just up and leave in such a manner?”

“Don’t you even care that Terra’s run away?” added Applejack.

Gar snuffed. “The Titans can easily find her.”

“No, we can’t.” snapped Vic. “I’ve already tried my scanners. I think she did just what you did-- shielded herself from being traced.”

“Oh, well.” Gar said slyly. “Goodbye.” and he began to walk off again, but Sunset ran out in front of him.

“You really think you can keep on going like this?” she asked. “You think that by always being mean, and wallowing in darkness and despair is a healthy way to live?”

“Bah!” sneered Gah “I’ve done great up to now, and I will continue to.”

“Keep telling yourself that!” called Raven. “I may not have exposed you, but that doesn’t mean I won’t try again, or anyone will.”

“Raven!” snapped Dick. The Equestrians were really having their fill with her bad attitude.

Gar, however, only laughed in amusement. “You really think I can be exposed that easily?”

Raven was starting turn red with rage, but she kept calm.

Gar then explained, “Don’t you think many before having tried pulling the same stunts as you--always spying on me, trying to see my face, or learn of my identity?

In the end, they never succeed.

I’m the world’s greatest gamer, and I have a price on my head-- protected by the government.”

He paused and saw everyone gawking at him in disbelief.

“That’s right.” said Gar. “A special computer program is designed on the internet to stop any and all uploads of anybody who even thinks of trying to expose my identity.”

Sci-Twi and Vic gasped.

“You got to be kidding?” Raven asked in shock. “You mean the files would never have uploaded?”

Vic now understood. “That explains why the upload was canceled and the files were deleted before I even hit the keys.”

Sci-Twi was nearly baffled. “So, I never had to try to do anything.”

“That’s right.” hissed Gar. “You didn’t save me, and you never had to, and I would think twice if you tried to go around mentioning me to people.

The Law of my demanded privacy would not take kindly to that.”

This was just too much for anyone to bear. It was as if Gar was completely untouchable, not just in games and sports, but in public as well.

“Here’s the thing.” Gar said “…I’ve won. You all lost. So, take your consolation prizes, and whatever you have left of your so-called “dignity” and get out of my life!”

He then turned to face Sunset one last time. “Like I said, my giving you this money and repaying you changes nothing.”

Sunset finally accepted defeat, and she said nothing back to him.

The winds were starting to pick up as a private helijet flew overhead and dropped down a long rope ladder.

“He actually has his own transport?” Rainbow asked in disbelief. “It’s official… this is majorly unfair!”

Gar grabbed onto the ladder, and the crew winched him up.

“So long!” he called back in a mocking voice.

The helijet began to fly away, and Dick couldn’t help but shout out to him, “WE’LL MEET AGAIN!! I WON’T FORGET YOU FOR THIS!!”

The helijet was already miles away and disappeared behind the clouds.

Dick furiously kicked a rock, sending it sailing across the fields.

Then he saw all the Equestrians gawking at him with extreme disappointment. “What are you looking at?” but then he realized he had gone too far. “Look, I’m sorry. I just… well… I…”

The Equestrians all turned their backs on him.

“Please, don’t do this to us.” begged Kori.

“I thought we were all friends here?” asked Vic, but nobody responded to him.

“Sunset, come on…” Dick said, in a desperate attempt, but she walked straight up to him, and handed him her check giving him the full million-- just like he wanted.

“Titans…” she said severely. “I think it’s time for you all to go… Now!”

Then she backed away towards her real friends, who all shared her wishes, finally turning her back on the Titans.

Seeing as they were completely defeated, and that the girls wouldn’t budge, “Let’s go.” Dick said to his team.

“Dick…?” said Kori. “Where will we go? What will we do?”

Dick looked down at the two checks. “We’ll just have to see what happens and where things take us.”

Kori heeded her husbands wishes and followed him into the RV, followed by Vic. “So long…” he said sadly. “It was fun while it lasted.”

Raven was the last to board, but she couldn’t help but turn back to sneer at everyone. “You Equestria Girls are all phonies! We thought there wasn’t any friendship problem you couldn’t solve, and that you never gave up.

I guess we were wrong about you.”

Princess Twilight turned to face the pitiful woman and protested softly. “We can’t help you. No one can help you… until you’re willing to help yourself and make a proper change.”

Raven clenched her fists, but then went inside.

The engines charged up, and the RV took off into the skies and was gone.

Sunset’s heart really ached, and her eyes filled with tears.

Everyone felt just as hurt to tell the Titans off like that. They were heartless jerks who needed a long time to consider themselves, but there still friends for a time and all a great team.

Rubeus, who had shown up out of nowhere, had witnessed everything.

“Well done, ladies…” he said to the girls. “It was hard, but you did the right thing.”

Sunset was inclined to agree.

“Let’s go home.” Spike suggested.

That was the best, and only idea, everyone could agree to.

A few days had passed, and everyone rested up and shook their woes away.

Princess Twilight headed back to Equestria immediately. She promised to speak to Princess Celestia about Rubeus and see to it that he was let off easy.

Rubeus went back to running his company and being a well-to-do human being as he promised.

He also had his talks with Loki, which always seemed to turn into brotherly squabbles, and with Loki still refusing to budge, resulting in him remaining imprisoned until a time he could get over himself and accept humanity like Rubeus.

As for Sunset, she really became worldly known as The Girl who almost beat Masquerade.

Many duelists in the city were fascinated by her, and were always inviting her to clubs, parties, vlog-casts, and others just wanted to a chance to duel her…

But Sunset refused every one of them claiming “It’s no big deal.”

Her deck and her duel disk were safely stored in a storage box in her closet at home. She and all her friends had quite enough of dueling for a while and wanted to take a much-needed hiatus from it all.

Sunset felt accomplished anyway. She had finally mastered the four summoning powers.

Sci-Twi no longer lived in Gar’s shadow, feeling that when she defeated Karle for good, she overcame an opponent greater-- her own self.

Also, Summer Vacation was only a few days in, and it was time to have some fun and forget their troubles, like hitting the beaches!

Surfing… Swimming… Suntanning… Picnicking… Volleyball… and of course Snacking and Dancing… and all the fun you could want.

As Sunset lay back in her beach chair, she couldn’t help but look up at the skies.

Sci-Twi joined her. “You still thinking about the Titans?” she asked.

Sunset nodded, “All the time. I know it’s not my business to worry about them, but I can’t help it.”

Sci-Twi put a comforting hand on her shoulder, “Don’t let it eat you. Everything has its limits… which, sadly, includes friendship.”

Sunset sighed but agreed.

“…We can’t ever forget our pasts, because if we do, we’ll never learn from them, but we can put them aside for a time and enjoy the good times.”

Sunset smiled, but the moment was interrupted when a beachball hit her.

“Hey, you two!” Applejack called “Shake a leg and join us!”

The girls dashed off for more fun.

Sometime later…

In a city far, far away…

A newspaper van threw out a stack of papers to be collected.

The front page had a double feature.

One was a story of how the Titans didn't get very far with all the money they had made, and were now reported living in seclusion, cut off from society and fending for themselves. They were still very much hated by the majority of humanity.

"Serves them right." the people would say.

"A fitting punishment for what they did."

The other was the story of a big dueling contest and exhibition being held in that very city, where duelists could come and challenge the Legendary Masquerade for a chance at Five-Thousand dollars, while Masquerade was already paid a handsome sum for attending.

At the tournament, Gar successfully defeated every single opponent that came his way, but he showed better sportsmanship due to these people not being like Equestria Girls-- believing too much in faith and friendship.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…” the announcer hollered “Once again: The reigning, undefeated master gamer… Masquerade!”

The crowds went wild with cheers and applause.

The announcer then called, “For Five Thousand dollars… Is there no duelist out there who can take out this thunder of the gods?”

The arena went dark, with one spotlight in the center ring, and the other shining on a new challenger.

The people gasped, and even Gar couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

His next challenger was a tall, thin woman, wearing an outfit almost identical to his in every way, just different colors, and a shorter coat.

She even wore a sphere, and a mask of her own covering every inch of face. Nobody knew who she was.

“Ladies and Gentlemen…” called the announcer “Daring all odds and fighting for her money and newest reputation.

Here she is… the amazing… MASQUEREEN!”

The crowds cheered, but many hissed at her, calling her bad names.

“Copycat!”

“Wannabe!”

“There’s only one Masquerade.”

She ignored it all as she made her way to the dueling arena, where Gar was still in total disbelief.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” he said to himself.

“Shall we duel?” she hissed at him in a deep, but familiar voice. Then she held up her deck to shuffle, and Gar could see the bottom card was Change of Heart.

Rather than fly off into a snit, Gar simply slammed his deck down and declared, “Show me what you’ve got.”

Author's Note

Finally...

After all these years (May 7, 2019 to September 14, 2023) I've reached the end. It's over. (It felt so good to kick these characters asses) to me... THIS is a feeling of accomplishment and pride... and much better than having a life.

Thank you (The kind, understanding and respectable people) for sticking with me through this all.

The absolute biggest sets of fics I've ever made.

Now I can finally get back to Starfleet Magic and Friendship is Failure.

Until the next time people... *Draws a Card*

Intro: Re-Run

RE-RUN

It all began at the start of Summer Vaccation. Canterlot High was closing up, and The Equestria Girls were deeply getting involved in the game of Duel Monsters, some had been playing for far longer than others, like Sunset Shimmer…

…Her goal was to assemble a deck that would allow her to conduct use of all four of the known Extra Summoning techniques-- Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and-- her favorite-- Pendulum.

She and the girls were unaware that they were being observed by two businessmen, The Prince Brothers… Rubeus and Loki, who were soon revealed to be far more than they seemed.

Their plans for a good summer were soon put on serious hold, especially when after Princess Twilight Sparkle came for a visit from Equestria.

While at a slumber party, two mysterious and evil beings managed to infiltrate the girls’ nightmares, forcing Sunset into a duel she could not win and defeated her, and then demanding she participate in the upcoming Friendship Cup Duel Monsters tournament…

…And when she refused, the two creeps forced her hand by extratcing Princess Twilight’s soul and imprisoning it within a card, thus blackmailing Sunset to enter the tournament to save her friend.

Her friends offered to enter as well to assist her in her quest, despite the fact that some of the girls were amateur players.

The tournament was held at a Theme Park called “Magic Land” which was built by none other than the Prince Brothers, whom were revealed to be the ones behind Twilight’s kidnapping and organizing the Friendship Cup, where they seemed to observe and favor The Equestria Girls and their dueling style… preferably Sunset, for she had been given a gift the night before the tournament, a gift containing blank dueling cards that slowly revealed themselves and aided her throughout the tournament.

Whatever The Brothers were up to, it couldn’t have been good, especially when they took another turn for the worst in capturing Doggie Spike’s soul to add further pressure.

Throughout the tournament, the girls had more than enough pressure worrying about Twilight, but having to stay focussed and making it through the tournament rounds was torture, having to content with tricky challenges, unexpected surprises, and other rival duelists.

One of the worst dueling rivals was Masquerade… a masked duelist and worldwide master pro-gamer with a very cold and callous attitude towards the girls.

“What are you laughing at?” asked Rainbow Dash.

“Just that you talk like such a little kid.” chuckled Masquerade.

He walked away after Rarity had lost a duel, and his only remark…

“How Pathetic…!”

“I’ve got nothing nice to say to a loser.”

He felt the girls were weak duelists, as well as inferior people in contrast to himself because of their overly-beliefs in friendship and kindness, but it seemed no matter how hard the girls would try, there was just no reasoning with the grouchy duelist, and to add insult to injury, every duel or game the girls would challenge him to always resulted in their defeat due to his excessive skills as a master gamer.

“Just as I thought; you are but lambs trying to fight a lion.”

“Friendship is useless and a complete waste of my time.”

“Unlike you little girls, I keep my focus on the game! Friendship does nothing but hold you back!”

“Another perfect example of just how strong and smart you AREN’T!”

It was plain to see that Masquerade, alone, was going to be a lot to handle, but then there was this other duelist by the name of Karle Plight, whom was just as cold and nasty as Masquerade was. She was just as mean to the girls and would go to incredible lengths to insult and bring them down in her own conquest to duel and defeat Masquerade herself.

Along the way, the girls met up and allied themselves with the former world-renowned superheroes, The Teen Titans, whom had grown into young adults and called themselves simply “The Titans.”

They had come to participate in the tournament hoping to win the prize of one-million dollars, which they needed in hopes of saving the remains of an ailing and decrepit Jump City, which had fallen into serious decline over the years due to the effects of bad overdevelopment, corruption, and greed. As a result, many stocks and businesses were affected worldwide, and many people were losing their jobs, their homes, and their very ways of life.

The entire world, infuriated by the recklessness and crimes, had renounced any efforts in saving the city.

“This isn’t my mess, and I refuse to clean it up.”

“These people dug their own graves. I’ll save my money for those who really need it, other than greedy folks that abuse power.”

“You brought this on yourselves!”

“Why should we help you? You’ll just abuse the power like you did before.”

“You forced me and my family to run out of town!”

Even the President of the United States was not willing to lift a finger to assist the greedy and rotten people of Jump City.

“Though it is against my basic and moral principles, the fact remains: the people of Jump City turned whole lives upside down, destroyed environments, and endangered many people more for the sake of greed and stupidity.

We shall leave Jump City as it stands, as a reminder of the mistakes people have made, and while it is true, the march of progress must continue forth, there is such a thing as going too far and being consumed by baffling urges such as greed and power.”

As a result, many had fled the crumpling city, but many more remaining were unable to venture forth due to lack of supplies, strength, or even plans and those who would take them in. They lived in poverty, misery, and shame from their crimes or getting involved in them.

Now teamed up together, and joined by Principal Celestia, some of the Titans and the girls, including Sunset, managed to qualify for the Friendship Cup Finals, alongside with Masquerade and Karle.

The Finals were held on the Prince Brother’s personal airship, and all of the girls who hadn’t qualified, were given guest passes to attend and observe the tournament, much to their growing suspicions of the Prince Brothers’ plot…

…It had been revealed earlier, by Princess Celestia herself, that The Prince Brothers were in fact evil denizens of a foreboding realm known as “The Malefic World,” which had been sealed away long, long ago after waring with Equestria for dominance and power, and The Brothers had escaped to the Human World, plotting their attempt to reawaken their lost world…

…By harnessing the properties of Duel Energy emitted from pure concentration while dueling, and Equestrian magic, which the girls were chock-full of.

As the tournament progressed, Masquerade seemed to have it out badly for the Titans, and gave Raven a serious beat-down, eliminating her from the finals.

Loki Prince had also grown affectionate for Principal Celestia, and made attempts to win her over-- sending her flowers that emitted a strong poison that began to infect her.

The most shocking discovery was that Human Twilight Sparkle had been posing as Karle all the time-- leaving a robot-duplicate in her usual place to deceive her friends. Having been humiliated by Masquerade years prior to the tournament, her mission to defeat him and exact vengeance resulted in crushing failure!

“I remember you now… You’re that nerdy kid I taught a lesson to at the Math-a-thon three years ago in Japan.”

Twilight looked up at him miserably as he continued to taunt her.

“How incredibly amazing: You’ve spent all this time studying, planning, chasing me down to exact your revenge, and you even went to such lengths to deceive your friends, pretending to be someone else, only to be on your knees in despair and failure once more?

I guess I wasn’t wrong about you…

…You really are the saddest and weakest opponent I’ve ever had!”

The Titans had also come to a horrible discovery that the people of their former hometown no longer cared for them, and had since exiled them from ever returning to Jump City again.

The worst of it all was when it came time for the final duel, when Sunset would duel Masquerade for the Friendship Cup Crown…

…Despite knowledge of the Brothers and their plot, the girls and the Titans were ultimately unable to stop the villains from achieving their goal.

Having harnessed enough power, the Prince Brothers revealed their true, monstrous forms, and opened a powerful vortex dragging in everyone into its depths, including Twilight’s family-- Shining Armor, Principal Cadance-- and even Celestia’s sister, Vice Principal Luna.

Where are they going, and what will become of them all?

Now is the time to continue…!

Episode 10: Part 1: Restless, Reckless, Raging

EPISODE TEN

Karle laughed manically as she glared everyone down.

“Karle?!” exclaimed Applejack, and she looked back and forth between Karle and Sci-Twi. “How in the hayfields is this possible?”

“How is she here?” asked Spike.

Sci-Twi could hardly believe it herself, though her suspicions were finally confirmed. “I knew there had to be some reason she knew how to use my deck.”

Karle snickered, “Very good; now if only you could duel as well as you deduce things like that.”

“Hey!” snapped Shining Armor, and he would have rushed over to shove her had Cadance not held him back.

“Don’t do it!”

“Yes, you’d be wise not to.” threatened Karle.

Then she went on with an explanation everyone wanted…

After Sci-Twi was defeated by Gar in the semi-finals of the tournament, she abandoned her transformer ring in her suite on the airship, as well as her deck and duel disk.

Somehow, when the ship was being pulled into the Malefic World, the magical energies seeping through found their way to the discarded ring, and combined with the evil energies contained within, Karle was given an actual life force to emerge as a living avatar.

“So the Malefic World did this.” said Shining Armor.

“That also explains why she didn’t lose her soul,” added Sci-Twi. “You can’t lose what you don’t have.”

Spike and Applejack were both flabbergasted while trying to make sense of all this, while Karle just chuckled at everyone.

“You can all duel me all you like, but even if I lose the duel, I’ll still remain to duel another day. I never get tired, never get hungry; it’s cool being artificial.” She paused and glared at Swi-Twi “…Especially now that I don’t have YOU to hold me back and mess things up anymore!”

Sci-Twi winced in a mix of fear and anger, and Karle brought up everything again-- because she and Sci-Twi used to share a body and mind, she had her memories too.

“You couldn’t handle it-- when Masquerade defeated you after the Math-a-thon, and you spent many sleepless nights haunted by your loss and working up ways to find him and get revenge…

…So you created me, you turned against your friends, and when all said and done… you cast me aside, and you failed again!”

Sci-Twi was quivering with rage and humiliation, remembering the Rainbow Dark Dragon attacking her and wiping out everything she had worked hard for…

…And of course Gar hammered it into her hard, “You really are the weakest opponent I’ve ever had.”

Shining Armor put his hand on his sister’s shoulder saying “Don’t listen to her!” but, really, how could she not when everything said was true?

Karle snickered and held up the duel disk with the deck in it, “Now I’m finally free of your miserable mercy, and I’ve stripped you of the powers you have squandered and misused.

These are all mine now, and you’ll never be getting them back, a weakling like you should never have access to such things in the first place.”

Tear were flowing down Sci-Twi’s infuriated face.

“Okay… now you’ve gone too far!” snarled Shining Armor, and before Cadance or anyone could grab him, he had already begun to rush over bent on beating the nasty lady out.

Karle just stood where she was, waiting for him to get closer. Then, she flicked her fingers pitching a teen pellet at his forehead, stunning him enough for her to grab him by the arm and judo-flip him over onto his back.

“Bro…!” cried Sci-Twi, and she and the others dashed up to him. Applejack and Terra were furious and looked ready to attack Karle themselves.

Applejack finally got a hold of herself and held Terra back as well. “No… she’s not worth it. Besides, we don’t know what else she’s capable of.”

Cadance and Sci-Twi helped Shining Armor upright.

His back ached from hitting the sandy grounds so hard, and he looked up at Karle’s nasty, grinning face.

“…Just what I’d expect from a bunch of spineless wimps.” she sneered.

She then turned to head off.

“Wait!” snarled Terra “Why did you surrender the duel when you could’ve beaten me?”

Karle gave Terra a hard stare which sent a chill up her spine. “Why else? You want to find Masquerade, and so do I. It’s simple as that. I keep my eye on you, Masquerade is bound to appear.

Then, when I find him, I’ll duel him… and get rid of him for good!”

Terra’s heart skipped a beat, and the others all thought they were staring at a would-be serial killer.

“Gar…!” Terra muttered under her breath.

“I’ll be watching all of you…” Karle said as she back away into the darkness, “And don’t try and get in my way; you know you can’t stop me as easily.”

She stopped and gazed at Sci-Twi one last time. “And thank you… for giving me a life of my own.”

She laughed wickedly as she continued to back away into the shadows, and was gone.

“Yeah, that’s it; run like a coward!” Spike barked at her. “You’re lucky I’m trapped in this card!!”

“Spike, stop it!” scolded Cadance.

Spike sulked.

Shining Armor was very livid, but he felt more worried for his sister than himself. “Twily… are you okay?”

With an extremely shameful, teary look on her face, Sci-Twi shook her head. “No… No, I’m not.

I’ve created a living monster!”

Much as Applejack could understand her friend’s misery, she spoke severely to her. “Well don’t you go feeling sorry for yourself now. It’s not going to help things. We’ve got to find the others more than ever now and warn them.

Can you imagine if they run into Karle and duel her?”

Terra bolted upright with worry, especially for Gar-- wherever he was.

She knew as much as Gar was a jerk-- and she secretly couldn’t blame him for it—at least she felt he didn’t deserve any horrible fates.

“Let’s go!” she said firmly.

“Go where?” asked Cadance. “We have no idea where any of the others could be?”

Terra didn’t want to just sit around in one place, figuring the sooner they got moving the sooner they would run into Garfield or the other groups wherever they were.

…So she kept on going and yelled at the other, “Come on…!”

“Poor gal.” grumbled Applejack.

Nevertheless, she and the others began to chase after her, trekking deeper into the shadows of the Malefic World.

The Prince Brothers had been observing Karle rather closely from within their lair. They had seen her trounce many of their warriors, which still gathered them vast amounts of energy for their plan, and yet they were deeply intrigued upon discovering she couldn’t be turned into a card.

They watched the footage twice of when she surrendered her duel to Terra, the lightning struck her, and she was still standing.

“Interesting…” mused Rubeus. “Not only is she impervious to our soul-extracting lightning, but she feels no pain during a duel; like a tree that simply cannot be chopped down no matter how much you hack it.”

Loki agreed, “It’s pleasing that she is able to gather us more power, but she still could be interpreted as a threat, especially if she challenges duelists we don’t want her meddling with.”

Naturally he referred to Celestia in particular, but his brother was just as concerned about Sunset as well.

“Perhaps it would be best if we stimulated her more.” Rubeus suggested “And in the meantime, we carry on with our own project: making Sunset Shimmer unlock the great power she possesses.”

Back with Sunset’s group, she and the other ladies were exhausted from working the makeshift charger for Vic, and after all that time, they had barely charged his batteries past the halfway mark.

Vic felt really bad for the ladies and practically begged them to stop and rest. “I’ll be okay.” he assured them. “I’m high enough to keep going for a while. My battery only drains fast if I over-exert myself. As long as I don’t’ duel or battle bad guys I’ll be fine.”

The ladies were relieved and sat to rest. Some of them even felt like drifting off to sleep.

“How long have we been here?” wondered Luna, and she checked her watch and realized that by this point, it would nearly be sundown.

“Maybe we should all nap for a while. We’ve been working and running.” suggested Celestia.

“Sounds good to me.” said Raven, and she sat down in a quiet dark corner, leaning her back up against the wall, and went into a meditative state.

Sunset was practically fighting to stay awake at this time. “I can’t. How can I sleep when our friends are still out there? And what if other bad guys come after us?”

“Sunset…” said Princess Twilight “I understand how you feel, believe me,” she referenced to all her restless and sleepless times for overworking or worrying, or just plain being unable to bring herself to quit. “…But you need rest. How can you concentrate if you’re weary and weak?”

“She’s right, Sunset.” agreed Celestia. She began to fold up her blue blazer to use as a pillow, and she yawned. “We’re not trying to be inconsiderate, but we stand a better chance if we rest up.”

Then she drifted off to sleep along with the others, leaving only Twilight and Sunset awake.

“Go to sleep, Sunset.” insisted Twilight. “Don’t worry if there’s danger. I’ll be watching. I don’t need to sleep while I’m stuck in here.”

Unable to fight it anymore, Sunset let out a tiny yawn. Then she made herself comfortable and dozed off to sleep, with Twilight’s card tucked into her jacket collar to let her see everything at the entrance to the building.

Twilight really felt bad still being trapped in her card, wishing she was free and could do more to help.

“I wonder how the others are holding out right now?” she wondered.

Far, far away, Gar had dueled and defeated a ton of Maleficans, and even he himself was starting to feel bushed. Even the most powerful of gamers needed to know when to stop and rest sometimes.

He sat up against a solid wall of a tall mountain and was deeply asleep.

Suddenly, he began to cringe and groan; having a nightmare…!

He was plain-old Beast Boy, and wearing his old hero uniform, and he was wandering through what Jump City used to look like-- nothing but businesses, workplaces, and any other place that was dull and bland without any traces of fun.

Then, as he turned around, a big pale hand would belt him across the face, and he landed in the middle of a big circle made up of shadowy silhouettes of people. They would laugh at him and insult him miserably.

“Look at the green-freak.”

“What a loser.”

“Why was he even born?”

“He’s no hero, he’s a zero.”

Then that same woman with the pale hand would smack him again, and again, and knock him into another area, where he landed in the shadows of someone very familiar… but did not come into view to anyone else.

She would angrily point at him and say, “Get out of my life. I want nothing to do with you. Grow up, and learn to let go of the past!”

Then she would toss to him a single dueling card-- “Change of Heart” and then leave him surrounded by people laughing at him, taunting him, and sent him spinning in darkness.

Then that pale hand would reach up to hit him one last time…

…Snapping him wide-awake in shock.

There he sat, panting stressfully while getting a hold of himself.

Then, he curled his fingers, clenching the sand in his glove.

“Why did they have to come…” he grumbled “They’ll pay! They’ll all pay!” He sounded like a man with a lust for bloody vengeance.

Now that he was up and about, and still feeling rather enraged, he decided to go off and find more Maleficans to duel-- his way of letting off steam, as well as carrying on his mission to find the Princes Brothers himself.

Far off, in the hollowed out rock, Pinkie, Fluttershy and Rainbow had fallen asleep themselves.

Earlier, Pinkie and Rainbow were horrified to learn what had happened to Rarity.

Pinkie had cried softly, and Rainbow lost her temper and angrily kicked the sand around; even sent a small rock across the plains like a soccer ball.

“Those monsters will pay for this! Just let me at them!”

Of course, she like the others couldn’t fight staying awake for too long after all they had been through and decided to rest, while Dick and Kori took turns watching out for danger.

Dick stood outside the hollow looking around for signs of anything in particular, and practically fighting to stay awake after all he had been through.

Kori softly came up to him, and whispered. “I can take over now.”

Her husband refused, “No, no, I’m okay.” but then he yawned softly, earning him a playful stare from his wife. “Okay, but I’m sitting up here.”

He sat down outside the edge.

“I’m still sorry for what happened to Rarity.”

Kori shook her head, “Don’t be. It wasn’t your fault.” Then she looked a little sad as she looked at Rarity’s card, and then she thought of the creature that defeated her. “Violet’s still out there somewhere. Who knows how many others like her are out there too?”

Dick agreed, and he couldn’t begin to think of what other kinds of duels everyone could wind up getting into.

Trouble was quickly looming in towards Sunset’s camp area.

A slick and evil looking shadow was slowly approaching the building accompanied by a sinister snicker.

“So this is where she is?” the dude hissed, “Hope she’s having a good rest, because she’s in for a nasty wake-up call.”

Sunset was beginning to dream too… but was it really a dream?

There she was in that shadowy place again, with those strange, monstrous eyes glowing at her, followed by a soft growl.

“It’s you again…” Sunset called. “Who are you? What are you?”

The creature, whatever it was, did not respond or give any indications of any kind and just kept its glowing eyes staring at her.

“Won’t you please tell me, or at least show me?” Sunset practically begged, but the creature still did not budge.

Suddenly, a small glow of light emitted from Sunset’s pocket. She reached inside and pulled out, “My dueling deck…?”

Was this a clue? Did this creature in the shadows have some sort of connection in her cards?

Before she could continue observing, the creature’s eyes began to fade into the shadows again, followed by the sound of Princess Twilight calling to her.

“Sunset…! Wake up!!”

Everything faded into white as the voice got louder…

…and she finally snapped awake.

All the others were awake too from Twilight’s shouting, and they didn’t have to question why…

Someone was standing right at the entrance to the building; a strange creep wearing a malefic robe, but wearing blue crystal-like armor, and his dark hair was short and neatly combed.

“Only thirty seconds to wake up?” he asked smugly “Your wake-up systems need improvement, I could’ve beaten you by now.”

Everyone could tell this guy meant trouble.

“And just who are you supposed to be?” Raven asked.

The guy rubbed his hair casually. “Oh, totally forgot my manners. The name’s “Sapphire” dueling dynamo!

But, of course, you haven’t heard of me, since I haven’t been around so much. So I’ll come straight to the point,” he paused and motioned at Sunset “Get ready, cuz me and you are going to duke it out in a duel.”

Everyone else gawked at Sunset, and Sunset pointed at herself, “You want to duel against me?”

“Um… yeah… that’s what I just said.” replied Sapphire “It’s what the bosses want me to do, and that’s why I’m here.”

“The bosses?” snapped Celestia “You mean you work for the Prince Brothers.”

Had he any facial features, Sapphire would have given her a very annoyed expression. “Yeah… that’s right.” then he pointed to the middle of his face “Now guess what would be right here if I had one.”

Both sisters gave angry looks at him.

“Yo’ don’t you talk to her like that!” spat Vic, and he tried to get up, but remembered he was still hooked to the generator, and yanking himself from it too quickly would break it.

Sunset began to ponder, “This guy doesn’t seem like a regular Malefican, but why does he want to duel me specifically?”

Then she had a thought. “Wait! If he was really sent here by the Prince Brothers to duel me, he may know things we don’t… like where the rest of the gang is, and even where the Prince Brothers are based at.

But then again, even if I do duel against him and win, he’ll get turned into a card, and we’ll never get what we want out of him.”

Sapphire was losing his patience and sighed in boredom, “Well, this is getting nowhere.” and he held up his duel disk, ready to cast the Malefic Magic to force Sunset into dueling him

“No!” Celestia snapped as she leapt up, and shoved Sunset out of the way just as the magic was fired… and struck her own duel disk.

“Oh!”

“Sister!” cried Luna.

“Ah, man… she got hit!” wailed Vic “That means she’s got to duel him.”

“Ah! Oh, no…!” groaned Sapphire. “I wanted to duel Sunset, not you!”

Sunset was most surprised that Celestia did what she did. “Why did you do that?” she asked.

“He must want to duel you for something dreadful. So I don’t think you should duel him.”

Sunset had been so busy pondering the possibilities, she hadn’t thought of that.

Sapphire knew he was stuck. With both duel disks activated, the duel was official, and he couldn’t back down now, and he also remembered orders from Prince Loki, not to duel against Celestia.

Loki was observing everything from the lair, and he was outraged.

“What does he think he’s doing?!” he growled “If he duels against Celestia and she loses…!”

Rubeus placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “Calm yourself… perhaps this may not be such a disaster. We can use this opportunity to observe Celestia’s dueling, and who knows… she may not lose.”

Loki calmed down, and agreed with his brother, but he still didn’t like the thought of Celestia losing, or even getting hurt before he could make her his queen.

Rubeus was just relieved that his brother wasn’t complaining anymore.

Celestia stood ready to duel as she drew her first cards, but deep down her insides were starting to churn. “Come on, Celestia… you’ve got to get your game on here. Losing is not an option.”

While Sapphire was thinking “Just great-- my first actual duel, and already it could be a big mistake. Still, might as well see what she’s made of.”

The others could do nothing except watch from the sidelines.

Sunset watched with severe anxiety, but then she noticed out of the top of her eye… something seemed to be moving way up in the building rafters.

“Huh?”

“What is it?” asked Luna.

“I thought I saw some--”

“I saw it too.” said Raven “Maybe someone else is up there spying on us.”

Vic suggested the girls go and see. “We can’t have more baddies dropping in on us.”

“I will stay here.” Luna said, staying close to Vic, and to be there for her sister.

“Come on…” Sunset said to Raven.

Raven rolled her eyes, but followed her to the stairs and bounding their way up.

Sapphire had a good idea who was up there. “Probably came because I bungled things up.” he thought. “I can’t worry about that now…”

He and Celestia stood ready.

“LET’S DUEL!!”

Celestia LP: 8000

Sapphire LP: 8000

“I’ll go first…” said Celestia, and she drew her first five cards.

“I’ll play INSTANT FUSION! By paying 1000 of my life points…”

Celestia LP: 8000 ----->

“…This spell allows me to call a Fusion Monster from my Extra Deck Instantly, without any requirements.”

Her Extra Deck glowed brightly, and her monster just leapt out onto the field.

“I Fusion Summon MUDDRAGON OF THE SWAMP!”

(Atk: 1900)

Vic and Luna were impressed.

“Fusion summoning already?” asked Vic “She’s got something planned.”

Luna nodded in agreement, but hoped her sister knew what she was doing.

“Now I’ll place one card facedown, and that ends my turn. Muddragon.”

Sapphire snuffed. “Really, that’s all? Okay then… here goes.”

He drew his card.

“Perfect! Stand back, here comes the speed…!

Since I have no monster in play, I’m allowed to summon this… SPEEDROID TERRORTOP.”

His monster appeared, and seemed to resemble that of a child’s toy top, but with electrified energy sparking around it.

(Atk: 1200)

“What kind of a monster is that?” asked Celestia.

“Oh, you’ll see…” chuckled Sapphire “Right now, I’ll kick things into gear and summon SPEEDROID HORSE STILS!”

(Atk: 1100)

Yet another monster that seemed to resemble a simple toy, but charged with electrical currents.

“And when this tall guy is summoned, he lets me summon one “Speedroid” from my hand, so here comes, the Tuner Monster, SPEEDROID GUM PRIZE.”

(Atk: 100)

The three monsters all stood together, with the electrify charging between them.

“He summoned three monsters all at once!” cried Luna.

“It’s worse than that!” added Vic “He’s got a tuner in play.”

Celestia growled softly, “That means you Synchro Summon.”

Sapphire sighed, “Yeah… that’s right… I CAN Synchro Summon. Sheesh! You guys seem good at guessing the obvious.”

The trio felt insulted.

“Here we go!” hollered Sapphire “Level 1 Gum Prize tunes with my Level 3 Terrortop!”

The two monsters changed into orbs and the green Synchro Ring.

“I feel the need for Speed, so I rev it up with this creation. I Synchro Summon HI-SPEEDROID PUZZLE!”

(Atk: 1300)

“And what’s more, I can now activate Gum Prize’s ability from the graveyard; since I used him to Synchro Summon, I send the top card on my deck to the graveyard…”

He flicked his top card, and grinned at it. “Sweetness…! It’s my good pal, SPEEDROID TRI-EYED DICE, and that means trouble for you.”

“What sort of trouble?” asked Celestia.

Sapphire chuckled as he sent his card away. “Thanks to Gum Prize’s ability, because the I just ditched was a “Speedroid” monster, my Puzzle now grows stronger by 1000 points.”

(Atk: 1300) -----> (Atk: 2300)

Luna and Vic shuddered.

“Now it’s even stronger!” cried Luna “And Celestia is wide open!”

“No joke…” teased Sapphire “Now, let’s get it on! Puzzle, make a direct attack!”

His monster complied and leapt over to Celestia’s field, ready to blast her hard.

Celestia then shouted, “I activate the trap PINPOINT GUARD!”

“Whoa! What?”

“This allows me to summon Muddragon back to the field to defend me, and it cannot be destroyed for the rest of the turn.”

(Def: 1600)

Sapphire growled, and Luna and Vic sighed in relief.

“You got lucky.” Sapphire said as he placed a card facedown, “But don’t think this is over. I got plenty of surprises waiting for you.”

Celestia realized this and thought, “I plan to be ready for them, but how can I when I’ve never seen cards like his before.

That’s just like the Maleficans, to introduce a whole bunch of cards nobody has seen before so we can’t strategize against them.”

Meanwhile, Sunset and Raven had scaled the long flights of stairs, and could still see the shadow making its way up higher.

“I think it’s heading for the roof.” said Sunset.

“What gave you that idea?” remarked Raven.

Twilight was still growing concerned. “This has to be a trap. I know it is.”

Soon, Raven and sunset made it out onto the roof of the building where they could see the creature.

A Malefican, wearing a dark robe like Sapphire wore, but with he had spiky, dark purple hair that stuck up in all directions, and he wore dark armor, with small tattered cape in the back.

He seemed incredibly sinister and mysterious, that even Raven got chills looking at him.

“We meet at last.” he hissed. “I am Khaos, servant of the Malefic rulers.”

He didn’t need to say much more. Sunset was able to figure him out; that he came to duel her, obviously because Sapphire failed to effectively rope her into battle.

“Look, I’m getting really tired of all these crazy games you guys keep playing on me and my friends.”

Khaos shook his head at her, “These are far more than simple games as you know; this is conquest, and dueling is the key that unlocks it for us.

My other college, Violet has already dispatched with one of your friends.”

Sunset gasped, Raven’s blood churned, and Twilight blinked in shock.

“You mean, one of my friends lost to one of you guys?” Sunset asked.

“You lie…!” bellowed Twilight.

Khaos gave them all a hard stare. “…Do I?”

Sunset and Twilight suddenly realized he had to be telling the truth, or nothing else would explain the sickening feelings they felt within them a while ago.

Sunset barked loudly, “Who… Which of my friends did you guys hurt?! ANSWER ME!!”

Khaos liked her anger and hate, and then he told her flat out “…The one you call “Rarity.”

The three ladies all felt stunned with pain and anguish.

“Rarity’s gone?” asked Raven.

Tears began to come to Sunset’s eyes. “No…! She can’t be…!” but she knew now there could be no questioning it as she thought, “That means… she’s been turned into a card, and she’s lost her soul!”

She could only begin to picture the images of Rarity’s face slapped on a card.

Her tears were starting to flow now, but she was in such trauma she could hardly sob. “Rarity…!”

Twilight lay stunned and sore within her card, feeling crushed at the loss of her friend too.

Khaos remarked with sarcasm “Quite a pity for one so fair, but we only do as we were created for.”

“What does that mean?!” bellowed Twilight.

“Quite simple: My colleagues and I were created by their highness, Rubeus and Loki-- and our objective is simple-- to duel and harness more power, as well as to dispose of the weak filth that dares to oppose our Princes and their pursuit to revive this lost world.”

Sunset’s sadness faded into rage as she looked up with a blaze in her eyes.

She grabbed Twilight’s card and quickly pitched it to Raven.

“What?” said Raven.

“Sunset!” called Twilight, but Sunset had already made up her mind. “You guys took Rarity from us, and you plan to do even more of this horrible stuff! I can’t allow this!

…Let’s duel1”

Khaos was astounded. He didn’t even have to force her to play against him, and he could only laugh wickedly as he stood ready to go.

To Be Continued…

Episode 29: Work up, Perk Up, Jerk Up

EPISODE TWENTY-NINE

Loki was positively outraged as he re-watched the images of Shining Armor stepping in to get zapped by the lightning, and turned into a card.

“I can’t believe it!” he growled. “I mean how close can we come to finally being rid of that pest, Sunset.”

What really aggravated him was that Celestia had dueled so hard, and nearly lost; now it was all wasted time and effort.

“…Calm yourself, brother!” said Rubeus. “It wasn’t a total loss. We still managed to secure a vast amount of power.” he motioned over at the generator which was glowing so brightly, you’d almost need to wear shades to get close to it.

Loki sighed, “I suppose so.”

He thought about it deeply, “…And come to think of it, now we know for certain that Celestia is practically unfathomable. If she could defeat Sunset Shimmer, then the others should be easy pickings.”

“Agreed.” said Rubeus “And they still have no idea of what else is out there waiting for them either.” he referred to The Trio being out there, with new cards.

Shining Armor’s card lay before Sci-Twi’s knee on the ground as she and Cadance were lost in their sobbing sorrows.

Princess Twilight had tears flowing down her face too. “I’m so sorry…” she peeped softly.

Spike said nothing. He just remained silent, still, and looked disheartened inside his card.

“I can’t believe it!” cried Pinkie. “I can’t believe he did that!”

Rainbow bowed her head with her eyes shut tight, and her clenched fists were shaking.

The Titans all felt just as crushed, even Raven did.

“Why did he do that?” asked Kori.

“He did it for his friends.” replied Dick. “He wanted to spare them both from losing their souls.”

The sadness was interrupted by a huge roar from Celestia. She looked mighty outraged.

“How dare he?!” she growled. “How dare that fool get in my way. I was so close to destroying Sunset for good!”

“That fool was your adopted nephew-in-law!” shouted Terra. “Aren’t you even the least bit upset about it?”

“Obviously… she isn’t.” said Raven.

Vic was really feeling upset inside. Such a beautiful woman, going so evil like this was almost too much for him to bear.

Then he looked at the other end of the field where Sunset was supposed to be.

“…She’s gone!”

Everyone looked, even Sci-Twi and Cadance looked up, and Sunset was indeed missing from where she lay on the ground after the duel ended.

Her duel disk and her cards were all missing too. All that remained was a small silhouette of Sunset’s body in the sand, but no footprints to indicate she had run off anywhere.

“Whaaaaaat?!” thundered Celestia.

She began to have an idea of where to start looking for Sunset, and she quickly hopped on a travel cloud of her own.

“We’ll meet again, duelists!” she hollered as she flew away in a raging fit.

The group didn’t know what to really think about her.

She was still Celestia, yet she was evil now, but for now they had so much more to consider, like figuring out what happened to Sunset.

Sunset found herself standing in a strange place.

“Where am I?” she wondered. “Last thing I remember, I was dueling Celestia… and then all went blank.”

She hardly remembered much or even how the duel ended.

“I remember… I was dueling so hard, and then I--” she remembered how she felt she was slipping away badly, and the rest was a total blank.

She looked all around her and realized she was once again in that strange dark realm, only much of it was now lit up.

She was still surrounded by long darkness, but the misty floor was now more visible. She found herself standing on dark tiles, like a cathedral.

Large stone columns surrounded all ways like a perfect ring. Each had a flame lit at the top like a big torch, and in between every other section of columns were statures, each resembling one of Sunset’s dragons.

“What is all this?” she wondered. “I never saw all this before.”

Then, ahead of her, lay a small stairway leading to a large altar. Standing atop it were three large other statues.

The largest one in the center seemed to represent that of a strange looking sorcerer.

To each of his sides were two stone carvings of monsters; one representing the large Zero, and the other representing the mark of Infinity.

Sunset gazed at all in all in the deepest of awe.

“Sunset…!” Rainbow shouted out. Her voice echoed all over the lands, but there was no answer.

“SUNSET SHIMMER…!” Pinkie yelled. Her voice echoed harder than Rainbow’s.

Raven picked her ear. “Yeah… um… Not working.”

“Maybe she was spirited away by some kind of magic.” suggested Vic. “We all were once. Remember when we were all separated?”

Everyone remembered that, being caught in those strong winds that blew them in different ways across the land.

Pinkie rubbed her bottom. “I still have a bruise from my crash-landing.”

Terra then asked to Sci-Twi, “What should we do, Twi--” she stopped when she noticed both Sci-Twi and Cadance were still lost in despair.

Princess Twilight and Spike had no idea what to say or do.

Kori walked over to the despairing ladies and placed her hand on their shoulders.

“We’ll get him back. That’s a promise.”

Sci-Twi rubbed her eyes from under her glasses, and slowly got up onto her feet.

Cadance was still down on her knees as she softly grabbed her husband’s soul card off the ground.

“Come on, Cadance.” Sci-Twi said while holding her hand out to her. “It won’t help to sit here and cry about it. We’ve got to find where the Brothers are. Find them, and we’ll get my brother back, as well as the others.”

Cadance wanted to believe that, but after everything that had just happened, and now Sunset disappearing as well, she honestly didn’t know what to think.

“So much has been happening, and it just keeps getting worse instead of better.”

It was impossible to argue with her there.

“I just don’t think I can bear it anymore. If we keep going, what’s to say more of us will end up like my husband-- turned into a card… or even worse!” she referred to Celestia being evil, and Sunset disappearing without explanation.

“Are you saying we should just give up?” asked Spike. “Let me tell you something; even though I’m trapped in this card, I never gave up hope, and I know the rest of you didn’t give up either. So why do it now?”

“He’s right.” agreed Twilight “Remember, it’s not just your friends that are at stake, but the whole world that we all know, and other worlds beyond that, including my own world of Equestria.”

Cadance still didn’t feel sure, and that’s when Vic came along. “Look, there’s one way to get us moving along.” And he swiftly scooped her up, carrying her over his shoulder.

“Hey, what the--”

“Let’s go.” Vic said to the others, and they all agreed with him. There was no sense in sitting around beating the bush.

They all started walking with Cadance still seeming unimpressed.

“I think I know what’s really eating you.” said Kori. “You feel helpless because you haven’t been able to do much to help out.”

Cadance didn’t respond, and everyone took her stunned silence as a “Yes.” What else was there to believe? Cadance wasn’t even a duelist, and ever since all the trouble and danger started, all she really had done was sit on the sidelines and cheer on or worry for her friends.

It never felt like enough.

“Aw, don’t go around beating yourself like that.” said Pinkie. “True, you don’t duel, you don’t battle, you’ve never leapt in the face of danger to save lives before…” she quickly stopped before she said something to make Cadance feel worse.

“The point is…” said Rainbow. “You’re just as important to us as any other, and we’re not willing to give up.”

The others all nodded in agreement.

Vic set Cadance down on her own feet.

“Come on, girl. I know it’s rough, but that’s what being a hero all is about. It comes with a few, seemingly hopeless times, but you can sit around and mope about it and let the bad guys win or you can use it to push you to strive up and keep going until you find a way to win.”

Cadance looked down at her husband’s card again, and remembered that while he, too, was no duelist or fighter, he still put himself in danger to save Sunset-- even though she was now gone too.

“I’ll try.” she said. “But I really don’t like this.”

“You think we do?” said Raven.

Cadance felt good enough to keep on going anyway, which was a good start, and Princess Twilight was pleased in this boost of friendship to fuel the courage and determination.

Sci-Twi had also gained a new inspiration and courage herself.

She approached Terra and asked to be given Applejack’s duel disk.

“What?” asked Terra.

“That’s right. No more sidelines for me either. It’s time I got back in the game.”

“But wait, you don’t have your deck with you.” Rainbow pointed out.

Sci-Twi was well-aware as she attached the disk round her risk. “There’s three other decks though.” she referred to Rarity, Applejack, and Fluttershy’s decks; each one stacked differently and followed one of three of the summoning methods-- Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz.

“Somehow, I should be able to combine all this, and some of the cards we’ve found to make myself a new, and temporary deck.”

That was settled, but still… everyone couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Sunset.

Celestia burst into to the Brothers’ main chamber bellowing. “Where is she? What happened to Sunset Shimmer?”

Loki and Rubeus had been trying their hardest, but they could no longer locate Sunset anywhere in the entire Malefic World.

“Calmness, my pet.” said Loki. “We know exactly what has happened to Sunset Shimmer.”

Celestia practically raced over, nearly tripping over her robes. “Where is she?! Tell me! I have a score to settle with her, and I shall not rest until she is a measly card sitting in my deck.”

“Silence!” snapped Rubeus. “I realize how much of an outrage this is for you, but this is actually a better opportunity for us.

In the meantime, there is still much to be done.”

He looked back towards the generator. “The time has come to begin our ultimate conquest; to plunge all worlds into the total darkness and wipe out all light and love there is.”

He motioned for his brother to join him by his side.

“Excuse me, darling.” Loki said excusing himself from Celestia.

Celestia was still brooding, still wanting to know exactly where Sunset was and to finish her off for good.

That’s when she had another memory attack, and her images were becoming clearer and clearer.

There she was smiling, laughing, and having fun with all her friends on school picnics, and summer vacations in the past.

“Why does this keep happening to me?!” she groaned in thought. “I’ve got to stop these memories from plaguing me.”

Loki was able to see out of the corner of his eye that she was struggling.

“Celestia, are you alright?” he asked, pretending to be concerned, when really he knew what was going on. “Somehow her good memories are resurfacing. I cannot let her slip away from me. She is mine, and mine alone!”

He looked her deeply in the eyes, with his own eyes glowing with an eerie green light, strengthening the curse upon her.

When all was done, Celestia felt much better. All her good memories were all fogged up again, and she felt really wicked and nasty.

“…My apologies, O’, my Prince.”

Loki snickered as he softly held her chin in his hand, “You are most forgiven.”

They gazed deep into each other’s eyes, until Rubeus cleared his throat calling his brother back to him.

“Please excuse me, again.”

Celestia, though feeling nasty and evil again, was still determined to find Sunset and settle the score for good.

As for the brothers, they both stood before the massive generator.

They nodded at one another, and then raised their arms up high, infusing some of their own magic with the energy itself.

A great earthquake began to shake the lair…

The entire realm outside trembled, and the group felt it.

“What’s happening now?” asked Rainbow.

“…Feel’s like the whole world is rupturing.” said Vic, and he used his wrist-com to measure the vibrations.

He also took a glimpse at his life-force battery… it wasn’t looking too good.

“This ain’t no ordinary quake.” He scanned a little more, and pointed to a far off hill-sight. “…Over there, that’s where it’s the strongest.”

“Let’s go!” said Dick.

They all started running for the hills, and along the way, the tremors began to cease, and all was soon quiet again.

“What do you think’s happened now?” asked Kori.

“Whatever it is, we’ll find out soon.” said Rainbow.

While all this was going on, Sunset had made her way to the altar, before the statue of the sorcerer.

She thought it was an incredible work of art, but she still had no idea what it or any of the statues were for, or why she was even here to begin with.

Suddenly, her mystery card began to glow in her hand.

“How did I get this?” she wondered. “Dick got rid of it; that much I remember.”

The card seemed to be glowing near the statue of the sorcerer. He was holding a magical staff in one hand, but his other hand was completely blank, and poised as if he were holding a card in his fingers.

Sunset was nearly unsure, but something told her to place the card right there.

Once she placed the card in the statue’s fingers, the card began to glow brighter than ever, prompting her to step back several paces in fear.

Suddenly, the entire statue began to glow, as well as the two statues next to it.

Sunset began to fret, “Oh, no…! What have I done?!”

The light suddenly began so bright, she was forced to put her hand up over her eyes.

When the light dimmed down, she looked on ahead, and saw the sorcerer had come to life.

“Wow!” Sunset murmured.

She had never seen a creature quite like the sorcerer; all dark and sparkly, resembling the very cosmos itself.

Then, right before him appeared four new monster cards. All were Magicians, and all were Pendulum types.

With a wave of his mighty staff, he levitated the cards right before Sunset.

“Are you giving me these?”

The sorcerer did not speak, but he nodded at her.

Sunset viewed all her new cards with excitement, but just as she wondered why the sorcerer gave them to her, the entire place began to rumble and quake.

“Whoa! Now what’s up?” wondered Sunset.

The sorcerer began to look concerned as he gazed around him, followed by the sounds of sinister laughter.

“I know that sound!” cried Sunset. “It’s the same voice that’s been calling to me.”

That’s when she remembered, and saw the large eyes of the creature in the darkness behind the sorcerer.

“Look out!” she shouted.

The sorcerer turned round, but before he could do anything, he was zapped and bound by red, magical beams, which fired from the two statues beside him-- the Zero and the Infinity symbols.

“No, stop!!”

The creature only laughed and then called to her “You have done well to make it this far, and now the power can finally be unlocked.”

“What are you talking about? What power?”

The monster’s huge eyes began to glow, and he shot Sunset’s deck in her duel disk with a strong, glowing beam.

“Hey!” Sunset wailed.

All the dragon statues began to hiss smoke out of their nostrils, and their eyes were glowing an evil aura of the respective colors of each summoning power.

Sunset tried to run, but the beam was holding her down, and to make matters worse, every card in her deck began to fly out, flowing in circles around her.

“What’s happening?” Sunset shouted.

The sorcerer himself was suddenly changed into a card himself, and the mystery card that he held was sailing through the darkness, flying right in between the large creature’s eyes.

“No!!” wailed Sunset.

The creature only laughed, “Yes… my power is now yours, and you will serve me well!!”

Sunset screamed and wailed as everything around her started spinning in darkness, and the creature infused itself into the mystery card itself, and all went dark.

The group had finally reached the hills after running the whole way, and they were feeling pooped, especially when they made it all the way up to the top, but what they saw before them snapped them into complete and total shock!

“Am I seeing things?!” Rainbow asked in total disbelief.

Pinkie rubbed her eyes and tapped her head to make sure she was hallucinating. “Nope, I see it too.”

All the others could hardly believe what they were seeing.

“It can’t be there. It just can’t be!” said Kori.

“…But it is.” added Dick.

Down below in what would have been another vast landscape of shadowy desert and plains were the vast ruins of a large metropolis, and not just any city.

“…It’s Jump City.” murmured Raven.

“How can you tell it’s Jump City?” asked Cadance.

The Titans all pointed up ahead towards a lone area where the rotted remains of the fallen Titan’s Tower lay in ruin.

All the buildings were still just as dilapidated, just as crumpling as ever, and while the roads were no longer full of cracks and potholes, they were still laden with fallen lampposts, chunks of debris, and smashed cars and oil drums.

The very sight of it brought tears of shame to Kori’s eyes.

Vic and Dick were cringing angrily, trying to supress memories and guilt, but to no avail.

Raven and Terra didn’t even try to hold it back.

The Equestrians felt bad for the Titans; seeing the city like this and how they were largely responsible for it all, as well as causing their exile by the people, couldn’t be easy to deal with.

…Unbeknownst to the Equestrians, The Titans’ guilt ran far deeper and for other reasons as well.

“How did it all get here?” wondered Twilight.

Spike looked up into the air, “…I think that could be how.”

Everyone looked up and saw eerie green swirling portals slowly opening in the skies. On the other side of each were different cities all over the Human World.

The portals were still very small, but it was believed they would only get bigger, and bigger, and eventually swallow more cities, and spread darkness across the rest of the world too.

The streets all seemed totally deserted too. There wasn’t a sign of any of people anywhere.

“The Prince Brothers!” growled Raven. “Maybe they already turned all the people into cards.”

The very idea turned everyone’s stomachs, especially given that most of the survivors in Jump city weren’t even duelists and never picked up a card in their lives.

“They would do that? Just turn innocent people in cards without mercy?!” exclaimed Terra.

“Yeah, they would.” agreed Spike. “Look at me and Princess Twilight; we don’t duel.”

Twilight agreed, and the feeling was still just as sickening. “We’ve got to find those brothers and stop them once and for all.”

Everyone agreed, but they still had no idea where to start.

Meanwhile, deep in the city, there was at least one person wandering the streets...

Gar couldn’t believe his own eyes when the city suddenly appeared while he was wandering on his own, and you can bet his insides were going crazy.

“Of all the cities in the world…” he grumbled softly. “Why… why did it have to be here?! I never wanted to set foot in this miserable place again!”

Even with the city in its crumpling state, and no people about the memories still shot through him like burning knives.

He began to hear people laughing at him again…

He felt somebody slapping him in the face, or throwing things at him…

These were only starters.

“MASQUERADE!!” shouted a familiar voice.

He looked up just in time to see none other than Karle leaping down from a rooftop, and aiming her duel disk at him. “You’re mine!!”

She fired her duel beam at him, which he dodged by leaping backwards.

He quickly began to run through the streets.

“You’re not getting away from me this time!” growled Karle, and she began to chase after him.

Gar still hated the fact he was running away from a duel, but the fact that he knew of the situation if he tried to duel someone that couldn’t go down like others could, it was best to avoid her until he could devise a plan that would work.

He dashed up the street with Karle gaining on him.

She fired more beams at him in attempt to force him into a challenge.

“Dodge all you like, punk; you can’t avoid me forever!”

She fired another shot at him, but he leapt up onto a wrecked car, bouncing off of it and grabbing on to a strong flag pole to swing himself up higher onto a rooftop.

Karle, using her strong athletic skills, leapt up along un-evened ledges in walls to get to the same height as he was.

Far off, the group was still looking all over and through the crumpling city, when Terra saw a tiny flash of light in the distance.

“What’s that?” she wondered.

She paced forward.

“Terra?” said Dick.

“What’s up, girl?” asked Vic.

Terra looked as hard as she could, and even from far away, with loads of darkness in the distance, she saw another flash of light like an explosion, which helped her see just enough…

“Gar…!” she exclaimed. “It’s him!”

Everyone looked on ahead, and saw more explosions caused by missed beams, and they saw who was chasing him.

“It’s Karle!” wailed Rainbow.

Sci-Twi’s blood began to rage. “She must be trying to duel him again.”

Both Pinkie and Kori were seething with Rage too, remembering that Karle defeated Fluttershy.

Even though the duel had ended in a draw, the Malefic Lightning was still willing to take those who did not win the duel.

“I have no soul, therefore: even if I lose, I can never be beaten.”

“What are we just standing here for?! Let’s go!” shouted Rainbow.

She began to rush down the hill towards the city.

“Wait up!” Pinkie hollered as she chased after her.

“Let’s move!” said Dick.

Terra and Sci-Twi wanted nothing more than to find Gar and Karle especially, but Raven wasn’t so sure she wanted to see him after the way he treated everyone the last time, or other times, or especially how he bashed her hard in the tournament.

The group reached an intersection. “Wait a minute!” called Cadance, and everyone skid to a halt. “Does anyone have even the slightest idea where we’re going?”

From where they stood, the city was still massive, and Gar and Karle were clearly on the other side of town.

“Let’s try and get higher.” suggested Dick. “We’ll be able to see better from a rooftop.”

The others agreed, but suddenly from out of nowhere…

“Surprise, kiddos….” Sapphire called as he leapt through a broken shop window.

Violet came leaping down from a small roof. “Hiiiiiii…!” she playfully cooed.

Khaos mere walked in from down a road. “Well, well… we meet again.”

Features began to harden as the friends glared at the trio glaring at them.

Meanwhile, Karle had lost sight of Gar. “Come out, come out, wherever you are.” she called. “You won’t escape me!”

Gar had done well in avoiding her, and he quietly crept into a wrecked building hoping to take refuge to make a plan.

However, as he gazed down the hall and noticed many broken school lockers, fallen down doors, banged up desks, and even old faded posters.

“No…!” he peeped softly, but there was no denying it; this was the Murakami School-- what was left of it.

The very place Terra broke his heart so severely.

He was actually standing in the very hall where it happened.

He looked down by his foot and saw a single, ratty old necktie from a student uniform.

He picked it up, and he remembered those awful words Terra told him...

“Things Change, Beast Boy! The girl you want me to be is just a memory.”

Kicking him out of her life, demanding he stay away just to live her own life the way she wanted without a single regard of how it would affect him.

All he could do was respect her wishes and leave her-- run out of the school exit with a heart aching and burning, and dreams shattering into the brightness he ran into.

The exit was now blocked by bits of debris.

Gar’s hand was quaking furiously as he threw the tie away, and he almost felt weak in the knees.

“She really broke me that day!” he said to himself. “…Worse than any way anyone ever did to me before, and I’ll never forget what happened after that!

I can never forget it, but I can let it fuel me, and keep me focussed to crush all that stands in my way.”

He stood silent and still for a moment.

“Here you are!” Karle shouted from down the hall, snapping him out of his trance.

She began to rush towards him readying the duel beam to fire.

The exit was still blocked, but the windows next to him were not. Gar quickly leapt up and smashed through the shattering glass.

The blast missed again, but began to bounce and ricochet off the solid lockers in the hall.

Karle was growing angry and leapt through the window herself to see Gar was already running across the street.

The blast she had fired burst through another window, and bounced off a dented flagpole, beaming straight at Gar.

He slowly turned round and jumped out of the way just barely missing the shot as it hit the broken building next to him, causing chunks of debris to come crashing down.

Gar landed safely on his feet, only to, finally, be hit by another duel beam.

“No!!” he shouted.

He turned and looked at Karle’s nasty grinning face. “You’re all mine!”

Episode 43: Part 1: Slipping into Darkness

EPISODE FORTY-THREE

The scores stood…

Violet LP: 8000

Pinkie & Terra LP: 8000

All three duelists drew their first cards, and both Pinkie and Terra looked really fired up and ready to go.

“What? No witty remarks before we start?” Violet mocked, and then she gazed at Pinkie. “No circus-time? No big show? No smiles?

Perhaps you finally get the predicament that you’re both in. You’re destined to lose it all, and that goes the same for the rest of your crews… and given that you were already losers from the start, well…” she paused and snickered, which really irked the others.

“We’ll show you who the losers are!” growled Terra.

Pinkie nodded with angry fire in her eyes.

“Ah, well.” teased Violet “Guess you’ll both have to learn the hard way. So, let’s get on with it!”

She couldn’t draw any cards, but felt she didn’t have to, since not any player was allowed to attack until everyone had one turn.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn.”

The others were confused.

“She didn’t play a single monster.” said Terra. “That’s not like her.”

Pinkie thought carefully as she gazed at the two facedown cards. “I bet I know what she’s up to-- she loves to find ways to get her strongest Fusion Monsters out.”

She paused and felt she could see through the two cards. “Yeah, I’ll bet one of those cards is Super Polymerization, and the other is a card that helps her use our monsters to her advantage.”

Violet snickered at the way the ladies were gawking at her, which further irked Pinkie.

“I’m all for smiles, but not cheek!” growled Pinkie. “I’ll set one monster facedown in defense mode, and then I’ll set two cards facedown.”

Terra, who was also suspicious of Violet’s facedown cards, felt Pinkie playing it nice and safe, and given her recent defeat by Gar’s conscience she felt it best to do the same.

“I’ll also place one monster in defense mode, and one card facedown. That ends my turn.”

The two partners nodded at one another, feeling they had Violet outwitted.

“As long as our monsters are facedown, she can’t try any of her tricks.” thought Terra.

Pinkie softly gnashed her teeth under her shut mouth.

“Well, that was certainly a bore.” said Violet, “You really think you can hide from me? You’re cute, but foolish.”

She drew her card, and at that moment Pinkie hollered, “I activate the trap HEAVY STORM DUSTER! Now I get to destroy those two facedown cards of yours!”

Violet growled as the winds began to pick up, ruffling the leaves on the trees all around, a strong blast bolted straight for her card images.

“A bold attempt, but it won’t work!” sneered Violet “I activate my trap CEASEFIRE! Now it forces all your monsters to flip from face-down to face-up!”

Pinkie and Terra gasped, and in a magical wave, their monsters were revealed.

PERFORMAPAL CAMELUMP (Def: 1800)

GEM-KNIGHT LAPIS (Def: 100)

Suddenly, the ladies watched as Violet’s cards were still destroyed in the winds, and one of them was indeed Super Polymerization.

“Aha!” balked Pinkie “So I was right. You were planning to use our monsters against us. Too bad it won’t work anymore.”

Terra noted Pinkie behaving so uncharacteristically. The way she was snarling and glaring like a savage beast ready to attack.

Violet only laughed, “You think you outsmarted me? I’d ask you to “Think again” but we all know thinking is not something either of you do well.”

Now Terra was growing furious. “What do you mean?” she demanded to know.

Violet answered, “I know you two are well-acquainted with my dueling-style, but that only makes it easier for me, not for you. That’s why I set this whole thing with my face-downs up.”

The ladies both gasped, and Violet snickered. “Like you said: It helps to know how your opponent acts, and speaking of acts, here’s one you’re both familiar with… I summon PREDAPLANT SPINODIONAEA!”

(Atk: 1800)

The dumpy little plant sprouted up from the ground and snarled with its drooling venom.

“And now I activate its special ability which places one Predator Counter on that overgrown tortoise of yours!”

The plant shrieked as it shot a huge seed at Pinkie’s monster, poisoning it and reducing its level to 1.

“Oh, no!” cried Pinkie.

“This is not good!” murmured Terra.

Violet then entered her Battle Phase. “Spinodionaea, attack and destroy Lapis at once!”

Her monster complied and leapt right over to Terra’s field and chomped her helpless creature down.

“Lapis, No..!” cried Terra.

“Poor, thing.” Mocked Violet “But her defeat is my gain! I activate Spinodionaea’s other ability. Since it destroyed a monster with a level lower than its own, I can now call a “Predaplant” out from my deck.

I choose… PREDAPLANT FLYTRAP!”

(Atk: 400)

“Why summon that?” wondered Pinkie. “I thought for sure she’d try to Fusion Summon those big monsters of hers.”

She was about to get her answer when Violet called out “Flytrap, attack Camelump!”

“Huh?”

“But Camelump’s defense is higher than the attack.” Terra pointed out.

Violet snickered as she watched her dumpy little plant shoot its seeds at Pinkie’s monster, and then… the camel was blown into a pile of goop!

“Hey! What happened?” cried Pinkie.

Violet answered, “What happened was Flytrap’s ability-- whenever it battles a monster with a lower level than his own, that monster is automatically destroyed, and then his own level increases by the level of the monster it battled…

So it becomes Level 5!”

Pinkie and Terra felt outraged, but Violet only snuffed, “It’s not my fault you’re both unprepared. You’ve never seen all monsters in action before because you’re too busy worrying about how and when I’ll summon my bigger monsters.”

“So then, you’re not going to Fusion Summon?” asked Terra.

Violet snickered, “You see, right there… just as I told you. So rather than pound you two into dirt so quickly, I think it’ll be far more amusing to let you worry about when and how I’ll decide to use my monsters.”

She placed two cards facedown ending her turn. “Go ahead, that is if you have the courage to face what deadliness the forest has to offer.”

Pinkie was furious as she thought “She’s just been toying with us?! I can’t believe this!”

She was slipping more and more into her own darkness than ever, which the others could see.

Terra was more nervous than angry. “If she keeps toying with us like this, we’ll probably never get out of here, which means we won’t be able to find Gar or the others.

We can’t let her hold us back!”

“Toying around with these two is working better than I hoped it would.” Violet thought “the more darkness and negativity they feel, the more power is transferred magically to their majesties, which speeds their plan along.”

Indeed, up on the main chamber, the Prince Brothers were most pleased with all the power they were absorbing.

The brothers merely stood side-by-side without saying a thing but just marveling at the brightness of the generators and the energy being absorbed.

All the while, Loki was still wondering of Celestia and where she was.

Celestia was wandering through the castle, searching for the prisoners, and anxious for a few warmup duels before confronting Sunset.

“They’ve got to be around here somewhere.” she grumbled to herself. “When I become queen, I’ll have to lessen the many halls in this place.”

Suddenly, she stopped at the sound of distant voices.

“This way!”

“Hurry up!”

She quickly ducked behind a large column as Sci-Twi, Kori, and Cadance came running in down the hall.

The three ladies stopped.

“I feel like I’ve been for a hundred years.” panted Cadance.

Sci-Twi agreed, “We’re no closer to finding the others, the Prince Brothers, or even a way out for that.”

Kori rubbed her eyes, and then she noticed a strange shadow on the floor from around one of the columns.

“We’re not alone here.” she softly warned the others and then motioned at the shadow.

The three ladies huddled together, and Sci-Twi motioned at the long carpet leading deep down the corridor-- how the end of it was within their reach and the person who was there was standing on it.

Sci-Twi grabbed the carpet and gave it a huge yank, tripping the person out into view.

Celestia landed with a huge thud out in the open. The ladies were ever surprised it was her.

“You’ll all pay for that!” she growled as she rubbed her backside.

Kori glared furiously at her, “You traitor! Maybe it’s you who should pay!”

“Ha! That’s a good one-- coming from someone who betrayed her hometown and country, and you have the nerve to call me “Traitor!”

Kori looked ready to rush her.

“Stop!” begged Cadance, and both she and Sci-Twi stepped in front of her.

“She’s still Celestia, and we have to help her remember who she is.” insisted Sci-Twi, making Kori realize she was right.

“Seriously? This again?!” groaned Celestia. “You need to get this straight-- I’m NOT one of you! I never was, and frankly, who would want to be?”

The ladies all reserved their pain from that blow.

“No! You ARE one of us.” said Sci-Twi. She reached into her pocket and pulled out a single card. “Remember this…?” she said as she tossed it to her.

Celestia caught it and gawked deeply at it.

It was the CELESTIA field spell-- Sci-Twi had found it during the many travels along the Malefic World and all the opponents beaten.

“This card…” Celestia muttered. All at once she groaned and clutched her head as more faded memories came to her…

How she discovered this card, and it inspired her to start dueling like her students did.

More images of her dueling flashed through her mind.

“No! Stop it!!” she shouted, and she angrily broke the card in half and threw it’s remains away, but she was still struggling and holding her head.

The three ladies felt they were really making a breakthrough.

Sci-Twi thought to herself, “It seems that every little memory we jog, her mind become clearer--it’s fighting off the evil.”

In all her throes and flailing, Celestia managed to activate her duel disk, and shot a duel beam at Kori.

“Oh, no!” cried Kori.

Celestia finally snapped back upright, laughing. “Nice try, but like I said, you’re going to pay for that stunt you just pulled.”

Cadance and Sci-Twi were horrified.

“And you two will be next.”

Kori knew there was no way out of it this time. She’d have to duel now that it was on, but now it was harder than ever.

“Kori, No!” begged Cadance.

“I have no choice.” but really, she already could see the full problem. Sunset wasn’t around to fix things when someone lost. Either she or Celestia’s souls were both on the line.

“You two better get out of here while you can.” said Kori.

“What? No! We’re not leaving you!” protested Sci-Twi. “We can’t leave Celestia either. We must keep trying to help her.”

Celestia snuffed, “Let’s just get on with this. Then I won’t have to listen to your whining and nonsense so much.”

Kori stood as ready as she could be.

Meanwhile, Pinkie was really getting fired up.

Violet LP: 8000

Pinkie & Terra LP: 8000

“I draw!” she roared, and she pulled out her card with such force, her hair began to lose its normal poofy state and was starting to look frizzy.

“All right, I activate the spell ROLL OF FATE!”

Her magic dice block appeared. “I roll this, and then I draw as many cards as the numbers I roll, as long as I banish the same number of cards after.”

She grabbed the die and glared at it angrily, remembering how it let her down in last duel against Sunset.

“Don’t let me down this time!” she growled at it, and she gave it a huge throw with a mighty scream.

The die bounced along and finally stopped on 5.

“Wow!! PERFECT!!” she cheered, and then laughed wickedly like an evil, angry, person, which really freaked Terra out.

Pinkie then drew five cards with a flare, and then quickly removed five more from her deck.

“That’s ten cards just like that!” thought Terra “She’s lost a great deal of her cards playing like that. This really isn’t the way Pinkie likes to duel.”

Pinkie snickered at her very full hand of seven cards.

“This is what I call a great hand to Bring Down the House!” She looked over at Violet. “Hope you’re ready for a real smackdown.

I’m setting the Pendulum Scale with Scale 4 PERFORMA PAL TRUMP WITCH and Scale 8 PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES UNICORN!”

Her monsters took their places in the light.

“Now we’ll see who the loser is! I can summon as many monsters between Levels 5 and 7 as I need… RIGHT NOW!!”

Despite it not being her normal Pendulum Calling, she still summoned two monsters from her hand.

“PERFORMAPAL ODD-EYES LIGHT PHOENIX…” (Atk: 2000)

“PERFORMAPAL IGNITION EAGLE…” (Atk: 1000)

“And now from my hand I play PERFORMAPAL TRUMP GIRL!”

(Atk: 200)

“Perfect!” Pinkie thought. “Now I’ve got everything that I need. I can use Trump Girl’s ability to Fusion Summon, and then with my facedown, “Pendulum Reborn”, I’ll summon one monster out of my Extra Deck, and then I can use Trump Witch's Pendulum ability to Fusion Summon again.

If Violet won’t bring out her best monsters, then I’ll just bring out mine. I’ll show her I’m not chump.”

Violet burst out laughing almost like an evil hyena.

“What’s so funny?!” Pinkie asked angrily.

Violet glared at her, which sent a shiver up Terra’s spine.

“…What’s so funny is you think that by playing all those monsters, you have it made, but you don’t! I activate the continuous trap RIVALRY OF THE WARLORDS!”

The ground began to rumble, and all of Pinkie’s monsters were shrouded in a dark light.

“What’s happening?” wondered Terra.

Violet answered, “As long as this trap is in play each player can only control one Type of monster, which means you’ll have to send every other type away.”

“WHAAA-AAAAT!!” Pinkie exclaimed with her eyes bugling wide.

“No way!” cried Terra.

Violet snickered, “As you can see, my two Plant-Type monsters can remain, but all three of your circus pals aren’t the same, so you’ll have to chose one type to keep.

Make your choice!”

Pinkie couldn’t believe this. “My plan is ruined!” she groaned “Now I won’t be able to Fusion Summon anything. What can I do?”

Terra saw Pinkie struggling and was very worried for her. “Pinkie’s so lost in her darkness and hate that she’s not focusing, and now she’s played right into Violet’s hand. She can’t duel like this.”

She paused and gazed at Violet’s trap. “Worse than that, I have to figure out how I can duel against that thing.”

Meanwhile, Pinkie made her choice. “I’ll Keep Ignition Eagle and Light Phoenix, since they’re both Winged-Beast.”

Trumpgirl looked back at Pinkie nervously as she began to fade away. Even though she was a Pendulum Monster, she still was being sent to the Extra Deck.

Pinkie seemed more concerned about what to do next than notice her monster’s fearful face.

“I can still take out your monsters!” she growled. “Light Phoenix, attack Spinodionaea!”

Her mighty monster took a small bow like the performer he was, cawed loudly, and took off straight for Violet’s monster with his wings blazing.

“And while I’m at it, Odd-Eyes Unicorn will use its Pendulum Ability. Now Light Phoenix’s attack strength increases by the amount of Ignition Eagle’s attack points. That’s 1000!”

(Atk: 2000) -----> (Atk: 3000)

The Phoenix was blazing brighter than before as it swooped in.

Violet scoffed, “You never learn, do you! I activate the continuous trap DARK SEED PLANTER!”

“Dark Seed-- What?! Wailed Terra, and she and Pinkie watched as the field was shrouded in a dark fog, making the area darker and creepier than before.

“What’s going on?” asked Pinkie, but then she saw her monsters were all enveloped in a dark aura and looked rather pale.

Violet snickered and said, “As long as this handy trap is in play, all monsters the two of you control will become Dark-Attributed.”

Terra and Pinkie gawked at one another and then back. “What good does that even do you?” asked Terra.

Violet flicked her hair and held out her arm, “Because…” she paused long and hard and then shouted “…When you target one of my Dark monsters for an attack, the trap let’s me negate that attack!!”

“Ah!!” Pinkie cried, and she watched as her Phoenix slammed into a dark wall of darkness, blocking it from proceeding any further.

“No!” Pinkie shouted “What’s the matter with you monsters! WE’VE GOT TO BEAT HER SOMEHOW!!”

Her shouting shook the darkness and even made all the trees nearby shake.

“Pinkie, stop!” called Terra. “What’s happening to you?”

Pinkie growled while shaking madly, “I… refuse… to lose again!! That’s what!”

Terra whimpered softly.

“Can’t you see…?” Pinkie continued “We both lost recently, but we were lucky we didn’t get turned into cards. This time we will be! We can’t lose this! We’ve GOT to win this!”

As much as Terra knew Pinkie was right, “This isn’t the way, Pinkie, you’re not dueling like yourself. You’re letting the darkness get to you, and it makes you crazy, remember?”

Pinkie suddenly did remember the Malefic Effects, but it was hard to focus, especially remembering her duel with Sunset, and how Sunset mocked her…

“So much for your precious dueltaning! Like I said: It’s more fun to crush your enemy and see them wallow in pain and defeat!”

“My dueltaining didn’t work then, it’s hardly worked at all. I can’t let myself lose focus again.”

“But, Pinkie--” wailed Terra, but Pinkie wouldn’t listen.

“I’ll place two cards facedown, and that ends my turn..”

Pinkie then gave Terra a hard stare, “Make your move, and you better not be distracted.”

Terra felt heart-struck, while Violet was amused. “Looks like your friend has completely turned over a new leaf. She’s become stricken with darkness and hate, just like I know you’ll soon be too.”

“Stop it!” snapped Terra. “I may be angry, but I’m not giving in.” she paused and remembered “I’ve done that too much in my life already…”

She referred to how she gave into her weaknesses and desperations; not trusting Gar, or the other Titans, aligning herself with Slade, and always feeling lost and alone.

The pain was starting to get to her just like it did Pinkie.

“No!” she thought as she clutched her head, “I can’t think like this. I mustn’t let the darkness get to me!”

She opened her eyes and glared at Violet and did her best to not let the evil creep get to her.

Instead, she looked down at her hand.

“I can only control one type of monster.” she said in her mind. “Well, a lot of my monsters are Rock-Type…

…But whatever I summon will become a Dark type, and it won’t be able to attack.”

She then placed her fingers over her next card hoping to get something good. “Draw!

I play POT OF GREED, so I draw two more cards.”

She looked down at one of the new cards she drew.

“Gem-Knight Fusion…?” She pondered and then looked at Pinkie’s field. “Wait a minute! Pinkie I are dueling together, just like Dick and Kori did. That means I can use cards on her field too.”

She had a plan. “I think it’s time I took a whack at Pendulum Summoning, and here I go!”

The others were most surprised as she summoned a single monster from her hand. “I play Level 7 GEM-KNIGHT CRYSTAL!”

(Atk: 2450)

“She did it! She actually Pendulum Summoned!” murmured Pinkie, but Terra was far from finished.

“Now I activate my trap, GEM-ENHANCEMENT! So now I’ll tribute my Crystal in order to summon one “Gem-Knight” from my graveyard, and I choose LADY LAPIS.”

(Def: 100)

Violet was a bit confused. “You summon a very strong monster, and then you toss it to summon a weakling? You must really be losing it.”

Terra only smirked, “I’m not losing anything, I’m gaining…”

“Huh?”

“I activate the spell GEM-KNIGHT FUSION! Now I’ll fuse my Lady Lapis with GEM-KNIGHT OBSIDIAN in my hand!”

The two monsters began to merge, and Terra finally called up a chant for her monster…

“Forging from deep in the dark of the Earth,
This creature rises to prove her worth!

I Fusion Summon… GEM-KNIGHT LADY LAPIS LAZULI!”

(Atk: 2400)

Her monster stood with its dark robes waving in the air, much to Pinkie’s delight and Violet’s annoyance.

“And also…” Terra hollered “When Gem-Knight Obsidian is sent from my hand to the graveyard, I can special summon a Normal “Gem-Knight” from the grave…

…Return, Gem-Knight Crystal!”

In a massive burst of earth, her monster re-emerged.

(Atk: 2450)

“And now I activate Lapis Lazuli’s special ability. I send Gem-Knight Topaz from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, and now you’ll take 500 points of damage for every special summoned monster in play.”

Violet growled at what was coming her way now!

“There are currently five special-summoned monsters, which means you take 2500 points of damage!”

Her lady thrust her arms forth, sending a magical bombardment of boulders like a rock storm hurling straight at Violet pelting her violently.

Violet LP: 8000 -----> 5500

“Yeah!” cheered Pinkie. “Serves you right too.”

Then she thought quietly, “We may not be able to attack, but Terra found a way to break through the defenses and cause damage anyway.”

Terra was feeling rather pleased with herself.

“I’m still not finished. I know activate Gem-Knight Fusion’s power from the graveyard. By banishing Obsidian, I can add this spell back to my hand.

Then, from my hand I summon GEM-KNIGHT AMBER… facedown in defense-mode.”

Violet growled. Though Amber was a Pyro-Type instead of a Rock, Rivalry of the Warlords couldn’t’ affect monsters that were facedown.

“Now’s my chance.” Pinkie hollered “I’m playing a trap that’ll help us both. Reveal, GIFT OF THE MYSTICAL ELF!”

The magical mage appeared, and she cast a bright glow on Terra and Pinkie, which felt rather soothing.

“Nothing like a 300 life-point boost for every monster in play.”

Terra smiled with joy. Since there were seven monsters in play, their life points were boosted 2100.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 8000 -----> 10,100

Violet scoffed, “Am I supposed to be impressed?”

Terra then smirked and said, “You will be when I make this move…!” She pointed up at Pinkie’s Pendulum Zone. “Since we both, that means I get to use Trump Witch’s Pendulum Ability, which lets me Fusion Summon without a Fusion Spell.”

Pinkie’s monster curtsied and waved her playful wand spilling her magic on Terra’s monsters.

Crystal and Amber began to fuse together, and Terra called out to the emerging creature…

“I summon forth a warrior of might,
With Amber of Thunder, and Crystal so bright!

I Fusion Summon… GEM-KNIGHT PRISMAURA!”

(Atk: 2450)

Her monster stood with his armor and weapons sparking with electrical currents.

“Two Fusion monsters in one turn?!” exclaimed Violet. “This is insane!”

Terra put her foot down hard, “Wait until I activate Pismaura’s ability. I discard Gem-Knight Fusion. Now I get to destroy one card in your field, like your Dark Seed Planter!”

“Ah!” cried Violet, but she watched as a big bolt of lightning pierced through the darkness and struck her trap, vaporizing it.

With the trap’s downfall, the dark fog lifted, causing all the monsters to revert to their normal attributes.

“Perfect!” wailed Pinkie “That means you can’t block our attacks any longer!”

Violet was most furious, and Terra entered her battle phase.

“Prismaura, attack Predaplant Flytrap!”

Her knight raised his sword high, and with a huge swing he sent another bolt of lightning straight at the helpless plant.

(Atk: 2450) VS (Atk: 400)

The blast-waves hit Violet hard…

Violet LP: 5500 -----> 3450

Then Terra called out “Your turn Lazuli, attack Spinodionaea!”

Her lady buried the plant in an avalanche of boulders making the ground quake near Violet.

(Atk: 2400) VS (Atk: 1800)

Violet LP: 3450 -----> 2850

Violet nearly fell off her feet.

Terra sighed heavily in relief that her plan had worked. Now Violet’s field was nearly bare, and she only had one card in her hand, making her seemingly not much of a threat.

“I end with a facedown.” which was her last card.

“We’ve got you now!” bellowed Pinkie. She was huffing and puffing with seething determination, as if she were enjoying all this mindless attacking. “On our next turns we’ll finish you off, and then we’re out of here.”

Rather than balk at her, Violet burst out laughing. “Really? On your next turns? You really think you have it won just because you’ve got me backed into a corner.”

Terra didn’t like the way she sounded so confident.

Violet then motioned all around, “Like I said, those who don’t have what it takes to brave the dangers of the forest are doomed to fall!”

She quickly drew her card and snickered wickedly. “And this card is just the perfect way to show you what I mean!

I activate the spell MAGICAL SKY MIRROR!”

The opponents gasped.

“I remember thar card, Celestia had it!” said Terra.

Pinkie felt a sickening turn in her stomach, “…You didn’t?!”

Violet glared at her, “Her old deck wasn’t all-that full of bad cards, I couldn’t help but help myself, especially now that I get to activate a spell that was played on your last turn, Pinkie!”

Pinkie’s eyes widened and she exclaimed, “My Roll of Fate…!!”

“That’s right. Let’s see how it’ll do for me…!”

The die appeared and Violet gave it a huge roll. It stopped on 6. “Well, isn’t that nice. Now I get to draw six cards, and then banish another six.”

When she was done, she had seven cards in hand, and she chuckled at the sight of them.

“She’s got a full hand now!” thought Terra “I better spring my card.”

“I activate the trap TRI-AND-GUESS!”

“What?!” snapped Violet.

Pinkie had a hunch where this was going.

“Since we all have Extra Decks, I simply call out a type of Extra Deck monster,” said Terra “I choose “Fusion.”

Violet growled. Everyone had Fusion monsters in their Extra Deck, but it was Terra who had the most.

“Since I have the most… our life points now go up by another 3000.”

Pinkie & Terra LP: 10,100 -----> 13,100

The girls felt tough and rejuvenated.

“This is perfect.” thought Pinkie, “With our life points so high, there’s no way Violet can get at us so easily.”

“I hope I did the right thing.” Terra thought. “If we don’t keep our heads in this game, we may not be able to win this, and that means we’re done for!”

Violet only snuffed, “So you have a lot of life points. Don’t think for one minute this means you are unbeatable, especially when you see what devastations I am about to unleash!”

“Bring it on!” bellowed Pinkie.

“Very well. I summon PREDAPLANT OPHRYS SCORPIO!”

(Atk: 1200)

“And when it’s successfully summoned, I send one monster in my hand to the graveyard, and then I summon one “Predaplant” from my deck, and who better than…

…PREDAPLANT MORAY NEPENTHES!”

(Atk: 1600)

“She just summoned two plant monsters, just like that?!” wailed Terra.

Pinkie clenched her empty fist.

“And that’s not all…” chuckled Violet “From now on, this handy spell will also be in play. Behold the power of… IVY BIND CASTLE!”

The ground shook as strong roots burst up behind her, forming a giant structure completely made of evil-looking plants.

Once the structure was fully formed, it unleashed a barrage of vines, ensnaring all the opposing monsters, binding them tightly, and even Pinkie’s Pendulum Cards were ensnared.

“Our monsters?!” cried Pinkie “What’s this all about?”

Violet explained, “As long as my castle remains in play, all your cards lose their effects, and all monsters you control aren’t allowed to attack either.”

The girls gawked in horror at their trapped monsters.

“That means everything we have doesn’t work!” Pinkie wailed in thought. “Our Spells, our Traps, our monsters-- they’re all useless!”

“Oh, it’s such a sorry sight to see your monsters suffer, isn’t it?” mocked Violet “Well then, allow me to put them out of their misery.

Moray, attack Ignition Eagle!”

Her plant complied, and it spewed out hordes of seed-like bullets at Pinkie’s monster.

(Atk: 1600) VS (Atk: 1000)

“Ignition Eagle!” Pinkie shouted as her monster was vanquished to pieces! Then both she and Terra felt slight shocks from the burning waves with the damage they took.

Pinkie & Terra LP: 13,100 -----> 12,500

“Good thing our life points are so high.” murmured Terra.

Violet laughed at them and said, “If you thought I was through, you’ve got another thing coming!

You see, when Moray successfully destroys a monster in battle, it draws in that monster and equips it onto itself!”

The plant extended its vines, ensnaring Pinkie’s monster as promised, and dragged it over to the other side of the field.

“Why you--" Pinkie thundered, but Violet quickly interjected “Oh, don’t worry, he won’t be staying here for long, because now I’m going to destroy it, and that increases my life points by its original attack points!”

With that, Ignition Eagle was crushed under the pressure and destroyed; sent to Pinkie’s Extra Deck, while leftover spores in the air were absorbed into Violet.

Violet LP: 2850 -----> 3850

“She’s gained her points back!” cried Terra. “What are we going to do?!”

“There’s not much you can do!” sneered Violet. She ended her turn with two face-downs.

“Now, I wonder… what’s the point of even bothering to keep dueling? I have you both exactly where I want you now-- you can’t summon much, and whatever you do summon will be ensnared by my castle.

Oh, and I should mention… that at the start of your next turns, my castle will deal you 800 points of damage for every monster you control.”

The girls gasped hard!

“That’s… that’s just--” Pinkie couldn’t find the right words to say.

“We’re in big trouble now!” whimpered Terra.

Violet could only laugh at them both, like a huge overlord looming over helpless little ants.

To Be Continued…

Episode 61: How Friendship Changed

EPISODE SIXTY-ONE

While a good part of Rubeus’ story was already well-known, he was prepared to tell the Equestrians everything-- the whole truth.

He recalled to the past, many centuries ago when he and Loki arrived in the Human World where the Equestria Girls and friends lived.

*Rubeus’ POV*

After the great war against Equestria, my brother and I were all washed up, weak, tired, and our powers were nearly totally vanquished, causing us to take on the appearance of ordinary humans.

Our outrage was beyond imagination. Everything we ever knew, everything we had, everything we hoped to achieve was all gone-- locked away in the darkness.

We roamed the world, scavenging for whatever we could find to sustain ourselves.

Loki and I would take time and practice our combat skills to help defend ourselves and keep in shape. This helped us to ward off marauders and other scoundrels who would attempt to rob us of what little we had.

It rather fascinated us, as we won battle after glorious battle, we discovered that the people and the animals of this world also exhibited vast amounts of hated, anger, dark emotions.

We realized our ultimate blessing-- a key to restoring our vanquish.

The more we fed off the negative emotions, the stronger we would become, and as time passed, we grew stronger, richer. All the enemies we defeated that came our way and using their treasures to sustain ourselves.

Not a soul suspected that we were not being of this world.

Still, we knew that we would require more than just mere emotional energy to unlock the sealed Malefic World and regain our true forms.

As the world began to modernize into the twenty-first century, Loki and I passed off as successful businessmen, with the vast fortune we accumulated over the ages.

We would search and we would observe the evolution of technologies, athletics, science, and arts, but none of which provided us with the correct amounts of power we needed.

Then, several years ago, we found our answer… the game of Duel Monsters!

Seeing people duel, and the vast amounts of power they put into their thoughts, their strategies, and the stress of losing or struggling to obtain victory.

This was what we needed most, so we began to acquire new powers, by combining Malefic Magic with Duel Energy.

As fate would have it, our years, and years of observing duelists all over eventually led us to Canterlot City, and that’s when we discovered you girls and your connections to Equestria.

You all exhibited great skills with your day-to-day lives, and your Equestrian powers to stave off evil threats.

And you… Sunset Shimmer, being naturally from Equestria. Your energies were the highest ever, and your dueling skills were beyond words of incredible.”

*POV Pause*

Sunset was astounded. “You knew I was the one who could help you?” she asked.

“You were spying on me and my friends, and you saw all the battles we fought, all the duels we had, and all the good times we shared?”

She and the others felt rather violated of their privacy, but then again who didn’t even notice them in times of darkness, especially Sunset’s evil times herself.

“Wait, that don’t make sense.” said Applejack. “How does this make you on our side?”

“I am getting that…” replied Rubeus, and he continued his story.

*POV Resume*

Though our plans to use you Equestria Girls in our plans began to come along smoothly…

…Something very mysterious happened to me.

We had setup our amusement park, “Magic Land.” An ideal place to hold our dueling tournament to lure you all in.

…But by the time came to set our plan into action, it was longer my wish to do so, for I had grown to love this world, and the people in it.

Over the centuries, while my brother and I looked out only for our own ambitions, we did have several moments in which others would offer us help and assistance.

Becoming businessmen means trusting those around you, the people would just show up out nowhere offering us kind hands, and opportunities to expand.

Then there were just simple deeds…

When I found a lost teddy bear sitting in the office hallway by a little girl on a tour, the little girl was so happy to have her toy back.

“Thank you, Mister.”

Something about that child smiling at me and thanking me sparked something. I never felt such emotions before.

At first, I merely brushed them off as I was still dedicated to my Malefic nature, but the more good deeds I saw people doing and how happy in made them, I soon found myself doing good deeds by chance, and making more people happy, especially children and their families.

Even the businesses I worked in made people happy and comfortable, and I felt my Malefic darkness fading away, being replaced by something I had never known-- the joys of friendship and helping others with kindness. It was much different than darkness and warfare.

Then one day, I knew it had happened-- I had changed. I was so successful in business, in life, and seeing all the smiles and joy I gave to other people… I could never go back to the way I once was.

*POV Ends*

The Equestrians were simply touched by the story.

“You felt the joys of friendship change your life.” said Twilight, and both she and Sunset looked at each other remembering how friendship changed their lives to.

Rubeus admitted, “I no longer have the desire to destroy and conquer. I wish to continue my good work, and to build more happiness and joy for others.

…But alas: Changing how I felt was one thing, changing my connections and my origin is quite another.”

He looked down at his vile hands and claws, and he hated the way they looked all pale and vicious.

“I began to hatch a secret plan of my own; to vanquish the Malefic World for good. I wanted it all to be gone so that its evil would never be a threat to anyone ever again, and I could cut all ties to my previous life forever.”

He paused and looked at Sunset, “You and your friends were the key to making my dream come true. If Equestrian magic defeated us once, it could help me vanquish the darkness forever.”

Sunset was astounded, but she had to ask. “…Well, if it was that important to you, why didn’t you just ask. We would have helped you.”

“Because you were not properly ready.

You see… just as we had combined Malefic Magic with Duel Energy, this made our forces strong. Therefore, your dueling skills would have to improved immensely.

I wish that I could have told you all this from the beginning, but this was the only true way to help you unlock your full-potential, and I also had to be certain that you and your friends could truly help me.

When you declined to join the Friendship Cup Tournament, I was forced to take Princess Twilight as prisoner, knowing you would have no choice but to attend.

I gave you all those cards, Sunset, as ways of further enhancing your dueling and testing your skills and your heart.

Through all the challenges you braved, you grew to be quite the duelist, but even then, you were not ready.

The real test was lying in wait!”

“You mean, here, in the Malefic World itself?” asked Sunset.

“Yes…

You were all placed in a situation where things were dire than ever, and the stakes were far higher.

You braved the dangers that awaited you, however, the real test of all was Z-Arc. Knowing the menace, he was and how dangerous his revival would be, you all banded together through even the darkest of times and defeated him.

This proved to me that your friendship with each other, and the determination you exhibit were exactly what I needed.

…And now that you successfully defeated me in our duel, I am more than convinced now than ever.”

He paused and looked remorseful again. “I realize the horror and dangers I have put you all in, and I am probably undeserving of any forgiveness, but you must understand now why it had to be done. There was no other way.”

He looked at Sunset again.

“You have proven yourself to be a worthy duelist, Sunset Shimmer. Your skills are strong, your friendship is true, and I know you can help me fulfill this ambition.”

Sunset, like all the others were totally perplexed. Many of them didn’t know what to think of any of it at all. Rubeus was right, he had put them all through a rough ride.

“Think we should trust him?” whispered Fluttershy.

Applejack narrowed her eyes. “If only my magic would work here in this world, I could tell if he’s being honest. He could still be lying.”

“He’s not lying!” insisted Sunset.

Twilight stood by her. “I agree. I can tell when someone believes in friendship.”

While they had not officially forgiven him for all the trouble he caused, they were at least willing to help Rubeus stop the Malefic World forever.

Twilight and Sunset both looked at all their friends as if to ask who else was in with them.

The others were all still highly skeptical, and Rubeus said nothing, not wanting to make him seem desperate or whiny.

“Wait a moment!” said Shining Armor. “You may have explained your actions, but you haven’t told us where the rest of our friends are.”

“Or why the Titans are still unconscious.” added Cadance.

Everyone wanted these answers, but just as Rubeus was about to explain, he was cast in a magical barrier which held him in place, shocking him violently.

Everyone gasped in shock, and then they heard sinister snickering coming from the end of the chamber.

It was Loki, and he sneered, “I can see I wasn’t wrong about you, brother! You really have gone soft and weak.”

“Loki!” thundered Rubeus. “How did you escape? I locked you in a barrier in the hallways.”

Spike’s eyes widened. “He did what now?” All the others were surprised to hear of this too.

Rather than answer at first, Loki tossed three burned out and damaged cards at the floor, and Sunset recognized them.

“Starving Venom Fusion Dragon…?

Clear Wing Synchro Dragon…?

Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon…?

Those cards belong to Violet, Sapphire, and Khaos.”

“Correction:” hissed Loki “They DID belong to those fools. They’re nothing more than vanquished losers, lost among the darkness they came from.”

He recalled back to the hallway.

“You honestly thought you could hold me in containment Rubeus? Well, you did for a while, but not indefinitely.

While my Malefic Powers were disabled, I still had my Duel Energy, which took time to build up against such a barrier you had cast on me using the energy we had obtained over the ages.

The barrier began to weaken, but those three fools you had guard me rose to their task of keeping me at bay.

I was still able to duel them while contained, and as I expected, all three of them posed me no threat.”

He recalled several powerful explosions-- he and his monsters crushed the trio and their dragons like swatting flies.

Crushing each of them weakened the barrier around him, and while Rubeus was dueling Sunset, his own power with the barrier was waving.

“I finally managed to escape, and I cast the trio back into oblivion!”

Violet, Sapphire and Khaos were seen in a flashback, screaming in horror as their existence was wiped out, leaving only their charred dragon cards.

“You monster!” growled Luna. “Those three were loyal to you from the beginning, and you destroy them just like that?!”

Loki only laughed. “Those three were nothing more than pawns of darkness, made only to serve our cause, but it seems they were just as big turncoats as my foolish brother-- ordered to keep watch of me and prevent me from interfering so that you all could gain up on me at once.”

Everyone gasped in shock, and this fully confirmed that Rubeus was really their ally.

“It’s all true!” Rubeus admitted, and he looked at Sunset. “Unlike me, my brother was not turned by the power of friendship, I could tell. He and I would never think the same again.”

Loki scoffed, “I will never bow to the foolishness that is Friendship. I won’t be weak like my brother is, and it’s a good thing that I suspected his betrayal for a long, long time.”

Sunset narrowed her eyes angrily at him…

…But then, suddenly, the machine in the back of the chamber began to rev up again.

“I thought that thing was out of action?” cried Spike.

Loki snickered, “…It’s only damaged, it’s not busted.” He held up his glowing fist, “You all forget, I can control it as well as my so-called “brother.” Speaking of whom…!”

Rubeus had a feeling he knew what was coming next. “No! Don’t, Loki!”

“Like you can stop me?” hissed Loki. “You’re still fatigued from your duel. There’s nothing you can do… except FALL TO MY POWER!!”

With a bright flash, and a loud scream, Rubeus was consumed in the light, and he was too weak to fight back.

Everyone else covered their eyes from the brightness, and when they looked again, Rubeus was gone!

“What have you done with him?” Sunset demanded.

Loki simply held up a soul card with his brother’s picture on it, which made everyone gasp.

“But… but how?!” cried Twilight. “The realm was destroyed!”

“…You simple-minded, idiot!” chuckled Loki. “What anything that falls can easily be built up again, especially pure darkness, which can never be truly vanquished!

My brother is now settling quietly in his new prison where he can’t cause many more grief…” he paused, and then magically held up more soul cards of all the others, including Raven, Vic, and Gar, “…Just like these captives.”

“So that’s what happened to our friends!” cried Fluttershy.

Everyone just livid to see all their friends trapped again.

“Celestia!” cried Luna as she saw her sister’s soul card.

Spike and Shining Armor took one look at Sci-Twi’s soul card, and they both snapped with rage.

“Why you--” growled Shining Armor, and he charged forth to rush Loki. Spike angrily barked and growled, breaking out of Sunset’s grip, and dashed to attack…

…Very foolish of them, as Loki zapped them both, casting them in barriers, holding them in place where they stood.

Lokin turned and then zapped the remaining friends in barrier, before eyeing at Twilight and Sunset.

“Look out!” Twilight shouted, and she pushed Sunset out of the way just in time before Loki zapped her into a barrier as well.

“No! Not again!” cried Sunset.

Loki laughed, “I think I’m going to like ruling this world, solo, without anyone holding me back.

It’ll take some time to restore the machine to full power, but at least I now have plenty of souls to get me on the way.”

He then recalled during Sunset’s duel with Rubeus…

“It’s a good thing I managed to salvage whatever of the souls I could take before they all escaped, or I’d have to start from scratch.”

Sunset was furious and she bolted up onto to her feet. “You let them go, or so help me, I’ll…”

“You’ll what…?” sneered Loki. “I think I’ve had enough of your prattling as well. Let’s see how you like being trapped by my power!”

He tried to zap her into a barrier of her own, but the bright aura appeared around her body deflected the magic off her.

“Urgh! As I thought, your dueling energy is too high!” growled Loki. “I guess I’ll just have to dispose of you the old-fashioned way by dueling you down to size.

And unlike my foolish brother, I won’t lose to you.”

“Fine by me!” agreed Sunset. “I think I understand now. Rubeus wanted to change for the better, but he knew that you opposed the idea of embracing friendship and harmony.

So, the only way to truly put a stop to all this is for me to defeat you, Loki! That’s what Rubeus was testing me for, and now I’m going to do it!”

Loki snickered as he pocketed his soul card collection. “You really shouldn’t make promises that you cannot keep.

I’ve already dueled you in the past, and each time, you lost to me.

True: You may have new cards now, and your skills have increased immensely…” he paused for a moment, “…But you’re not the only that has.”

Sunset blinked once. “You mean, you have new cards too?”

“Of course. My brother created his very own cards, after all, and I did the same. Just like him, I also could only use so much power to make such new cards with limited strengths, but it should serve me quite well nonetheless.”

He then spread out his arms casting magic everywhere throughout the chamber.

The entire room began to quake, and the roof began to vanish while the entire floor of the room began to rise high into the dark skies.

“Whoa! Aren’t we going up a little high?!” whimpered Cadance.

Fluttershy’s stomach turned, “I don’t like high places-- not this high anyway!”

Loki snickered, “I just want this duel to have quite the background, and it’s better than risking the castle being anymore damaged in all the pummeling I’m about to deliver.”

Sunset then noticed in the sky, “The rifts! They’re still there!”

While the holes in the sky had shrunken after Rubeus’ defeat, they had not closed completely. This was because the generator was still operating.

“Like I said,” hissed Loki “The darkness has not been completely vanquished. This duel will be the first step into restarting my conquest for world domination.

The more we duel, the more the energy will fuel the machine, and the rifts will begin to expand once more, absorbing all the world and all the people into the darkness once more.”

Sunset winced in horror. “Then that means everything will start all over again!”

Meanwhile, in the newly creating holding darkness, all the captured souls were awakening to realize their predicament.

“Where are we?” asked Sci-Twi.

“I don’t think I like this.” whimpered Pinkie.

Dick looked all around, “Kori? Kori!”

“I’m here!” his wife answered in the sphere next to his. They were relieved to see each other but frustrated that they couldn’t reach one another.

Vic, Raven, and Gar had finally awakened too.

“Ah, man!” Vic groaned. “Either I’m going crazy or we’re in deep trouble.”

“What gave you that impression?” Raven sarcastically snarked.

Terra was frightened, but next to her she saw Gar in a sphere of his own. He was awake, and his face was still uncovered, but he sat with his arms folded with his eyes barely open, still miserable as ever.

Suddenly, Rubeus thundered, “No!! Loki, I’ll make him pay for this!”

Everyone was surprised to see him trapped like the rest of them.

“Looks like Sunset taught you a lesson!” Rainbow balked at him. “Serves you right for what you did to us!”

“Now, hold on a minute…!” said Rubeus. He could see he would have to re-explain himself, and so he retold the story.

“You expect us to believe all this?” snapped Celestia.

It was no surprise that not any of the others believed him, which Rubeus understood and saw coming.

“Whether you believe me or not, the point is there is but one hope for us all, and that is Sunset Shimmer. She must defeat Loki. Only then will everything be fine again.”

“Really? What makes you say that?” asked Dick.

“Because, the machine is built with a counter-mechanism I had secretly installed, and it is the one sure thing my brother does not know of.

Since both he and I are controller of the machine, if we both are defeated, then the machine will automatically reserve everything that has happened. It will return us all to the world we all came from, and it will seem as if nothing ever happened.”

Nobody believed him, except for Sci-Twi.

“I think he’s telling the truth.”

The others all gawked at her with shocked expressions, and Sci-Twi explained, “I’ve seen the looks in people’s eyes like that before. I used to give it myself when I tried to explain to others who didn’t believe me.”

She wasn’t completely convinced though, and asked, “How do we know we can really trust you?”

“I’m afraid I can’t do much now to convince you,” replied Rubeus, “But I assure you, we will soon all be free, and that will show you that I am telling the truth.”

“How do you know we’ll be free?” asked Rainbow. “How do you know Sunset will get us out of this?”

“Because I have seen her dueling, and she has the skills and will to defeat my brother. I am confident that she will win.”

Gar could only scoff. “You’re delusional! You’re just gambling that she’ll win, just like you gambled with everything else.”

Rubeus looked insulted, but Pinkie spoke severely to Gar. “How can you still be so insensitive at a time like this?!”

Vic agreed, “In case you didn’t notice, you’re stuck here with the rest of us too. So, drop the whole high horse, or Mr. Big Shot act.”

Undaunted, Gar said, “I’m just telling you like it is. When are you all going to wake up and realize that all this Friendship, Confidence, and Faith is nothing but a load of nonsense?”

He then went into deeper detail.

“When you duel, there is no magic potion, or incantation, or some voodoo that let’s you draw exactly what you need at the last minute of a dire situation. It’s all just plain dumb luck.

The cards are stacked the way they are no matter what you feel. You’ll draw what’s on top whether it’s what you need or not, but it’s not fate, it’s just the deck and how it’s stacked and handled by the duelist.”

As mush as everyone wanted to argue with him about that, it was undeniably true, even Rubeus was forced to admit.

“There were times when I was unconvinced of the success of the mission, and many things did rely on risk and chance.” he paused. He also remembered but did not tell that if Sunset hadn’t beaten him, he’d have to subject himself to the rising of the Malefic World after all and forget his love for the human world.

“Well at least Friendship and faith does something!” Dick sneered at Gar. “Like giving us the strength to keep on going forward and continue even when it seems hopeless.”

Kori agreed with her husband and added, “We don’t see you doing that stuff, mainly because we know you don’t care about friendship and stuff.”

“I used to,” replied Gar, “But it was never good enough, and not only have I proven it, but do did all of you.”

He referred to his days with the Titans. “I tried to be a good friend to you and the people, and all I got was a mountain of ridicule, disrespect, and punishment for it.

So, much for friendship being the key to happiness and comfort.”

Then there was the dueling tournament, and the Malefic Battles. “You all kept striving forth with your faith, and while it may have given you strength to keep on going, it didn’t matter in the end-- you still lost!

Especially when it came to Z-Arc. You all tried, and tried with all your faiths and hopes together, but Z-Arc clobbered you all like a giant stepping on an ant-colony.

You all collapsed too easily from the stress and bleakness that you rely on someone else, or something else to hold out their hand and pick you up when you’re down.

I’ve learned to stop relying on things like that, and that’s how I was able to stop Z-Arc myself.”

Raven crossly glared at Gar and scolded him, “Yeah, and look where you ended up-- right here because you’re so full of rage and hatred.”

“The fact is, I still beat Z-Arc, and you’re not one to talk about rage!” sneered Gar. “You tried to dispose of me through your hatred of me. The Malefic World and its curses had nothing to with your will. You did it all yourself, and you ended up paying a much-deserved price for it.”

The Equestrians all realized this, and it really put Raven in a bad spot.

Raven looked seething enough to chew through her sphere and attack him, which only confirmed her bad attitude and unjustified behavior from before.

“All I’m saying is,” said Gar. “…You all really need to stop relying on just blind faith and hope that things will go okay.

Maybe Sunset can set us free… but consider all the possibilities including the bad. I know I have. That’s why I’m embracing my fate if it’s meant to be.”

Terra had never Gar so serious before, the fact that he was willing to accept non-existence instead of believing in escape.

“You really have no faith in any of this?”

Gar said nothing and ignored her; just sat in his sphere with his arms folded and his eyes shut tight.

Celestia shook her head at the angry young man. “I guess some people are just too stubborn to turn back.”

Rubeus could feel Gar’s darkness, “When an individual carries a belly full of hate and mistrust, especially when their gentle spirit has been broken, it can be down-near impossible to ever convince them to change.”

Still, there was little any of them could do for now, except hope Sunset would win, and that Rubeus was truly their ally.

Sunset stood ready, but her insides were going crazy.

“This is it.” she thought. “One final duel, one last chance to finally put an end to this dark nightmare.”

“Sunset, take him down!” hollered Applejack.

“We believe in you.” added Fluttershy.

“Of course, we do, darling.” agreed Rarity.

The adults all gave her a thumb-up, and Twilight gazed at her with a proud and hopeful expression.

Sunset could feel their faith coming at her, and while it did pour on the pressure for her to win, something magical began to happen on the floor.

The three charred dragon cards were glowing and floated up towards Sunset. She watched in awe as the cards were magically restored before her eyes.

“Take the cards.” a voice called to her.

The images of Khaos, Sapphire, and Violet appeared.

“You three!” growled Loki, and then he thought. “I’ll bet my brother is behind this.”

“We were given orders by Prince Rubeus.” said Violet.

“Yeah, if anything was to… like… happen to us, you… you know… get our cards.” added Sapphire.

“We realize we have had our resentments towards one another,” said Khaos, “But these are the wishes of Prince Rubeus, and of us. For the three of us are no longer exist after our defeat.

Take our cards, and use them to fulfil your destiny, and make Prince Rubeus proud.”

The spirits vanished, never to be seen again.

“Don’t do it!” urged Shining Armor.

“You can’t put those cards in your deck.” wailed Cadance.

“Maybe… she should.” considered Spike.

Sunset kept gawking at the three dragons, and remembering their powers, she figured, “These cards could really boost my chances at winning even more, but should I really trust the trio.

I still have a hard time believing in all this.”

Loki called to her, “Even with those cards in your deck, you’ll never defeat me. So, either drop them or use them, but let’s get going already.”

With that, Sunset put the three cards into her Extra Deck.

“What are you doing?” cried Rarity. “Those cards are pure evil! They’ve caused us all nothing but despair since the first day.”

“I don’t think so.” said Twilight, “A card is just like magic. It doesn’t have to be evil; it all depends on who uses it, and while I still don’t understand this game as well as the rest of you, I’m sure Sunset will use those dragons well.”

Sunset took one last look at her extra deck, and then she glared over at Loki. “I’m ready when you are.”

Loki could only snicker.