“Milord. He has arrived.”

“Took him long enough. Seriously, why did it take 6 days?”

“Dimensional anomalies can be imprecise to a degree. The margin of error for these specific rifts seem to be a maximum of one week’s time.”

“I see. Did he at least get the deck?”

“He did. And he has already used it to great effect.”

“… Please tell me he used the Seal, AGG.”

“Not yet.”

“Dammit, Wes. Why do you have to make things difficult?”

“He seemed more interested in testing out the effects of his Ritual Monsters. After a brief period of experimentation, he will likely use the Seal in conjunction with his Ritual Monsters.”

“I hope so. I went through all that trouble of making a cool archetype just for him!”

“He will. It is not as though he can use it in conjunction with Fusion, Synchro, or Xyz monsters.”

“Oh right, because of that restriction. … Man, we should really update that. That’s a lot of good monsters we’re missing out on.”

“With enough souls and enough Duel Energy, we can increase the efficiency of the Seal.”

“Well then get to it! What do you think I’m paying you for!?”

“You do not pay me. I am a robot.”

“… God damn you, AGG. You know what, whatever, just keep an eye on him. Now they’re both here, and they have the decks I made for them. All is going according to plan.”

“Is there anything else I can do for you, Milord?”

“Tell me… where’s Becky?”

Darkness.

That was all she could feel, all that surrounded her, and all that she could see ahead of her. To be honest, she barely even remembered how she got here – how it went so wrong. And now, as she tried to return to consciousness, there was only one thing to guide her through this darkness.

“… think-… okay?”

“Well-… before-… prob’ly-… again.”

Voices.

Very faint, but very familiar voices. Most likely hallucinations, due to the harrowing experience she just lived through, but certainly sounding real enough.

‘Yeah! And-… us-… back!’

She could easily discern each voice from the last, but the problem was she could barely hear whatever words were coming from each of them. She was sure they were aimed at her, and she was sure they were far from nice. But then again, she wouldn’t have deserved anything less…

‘… Where am I? Who are you people!?’

If she could feel her body, she was sure a chill would have ran up her spine. That one, so familiar, yet so alien at the same time, came through loud and clear. She desperately wanted to ask more, and she would have if she could, but she couldn’t.

Because as soon as she tried, she saw a light. Feeling began to return to her, as she finally opened her eyes after so long.

And the first sight she was greeted by was… a ceiling fan?

Confusion washed over the poor girl as she felt the mattress underneath her body and winced at the light from above. Where was she? The last thing she remembered was running off to the local park after a horrific night. How did she get inside?

“Ah, I see you’re awake.”

Sunset froze as she heard this unfamiliar voice, and with a cursory glance to her left, she saw the last thing she wanted to see right now: other people.

Standing next to the window was a blue-skinned girl with raspberry red eyes, looking to her innocently as she fiddled with her ponytail, formed of two completely different shades of blue to her skin. The poor girl looked like she’d been thrown into the dirt a few times, her hoodie having a few scuff marks and her jeans having a rip in the thigh. Around her neck, there was a choker, adorned with a single red crystal that left Sunset uneasy… though why, she wasn’t entirely sure.

Next to her, sitting in a chair, there was another girl, her onyx eyes focused on Sunset as if she were searching for something. This one looked to be no older than 20, with long flowing blonde hair, and a light peach skin tone, contrasted by her clothes; a black t-shirt with the words ‘Zac Brown Band’ on the front, a pair of capri jeans, and a set of black and red high-tops. Around her neck rested a necklace as well, the dark aqua crystal at the end of it making Sunset’s unease double.

She tried to move back but found herself quickly pressed up against the headboard of the bed. Looking around, it finally clicked exactly where she was. But once again, that just made her question how in the world she got into a hotel room.

“I’m sure you have a lot of questions, Miss… um…”

“Sunset Shimmer,” she answered curtly. “And yeah, I think that’s putting it mildly! Who the hell are you!?”

“Well, I’m Rebecca Mizuhara,” she explained, her sweet smile never leaving her face, and her tone remaining even and calm. “But everyone just calls me Becky. And this is Sonata Dusk, a lovely young girl who’s found herself in the same boat as you.”

At the mention of her name, the blue girl waved eagerly. “Hi! I’m glad you’re alive! I was starting to worry I fell asleep next to a dead girl!”

“… The ease with which you can say that is mildly concerning,” Becky said with a nervous chuckle. “But we’ll deal with that later. For now, is there anything I can get either of you?”

Sunset said nothing initially, but after feeling the dryness on her tongue, quietly asked for a bit of water. Becky was quick to deliver, giving Sunset a full glass, as well as some grape juice for Sonata.

And with drinks in hand, Becky began to speak once again.

“Now, allow me to try to explain the situation as best I can,” she told them as they drank. “I’m sure you’ve noticed that how different I look from the two of you?”

Both girls nodded.

“Well, there’s a very good reason for that. I’m fairly certain I’m from a different world than the two of you.”

To this, she’d been expecting shocked gasps, or widened eyes, or… anything, really. Why they weren’t reacting so wildly was beyond her. After all, it wasn’t every day that those words were uttered.

‘But then again… I think Wes mentioned they’re from a different world too?’ Becky questioned, trying to remember what he’d said during a discussion a few months ago. ‘Had I known this would have happened, I would have watched those movies with him…’

Though she couldn’t dwell on that now. There was work to be done.

“Anyway,” she continued. “Four days ago, I awoke in this world, and I’ve been trying to find out as much as I can about it. A few hours ago, I ran into both of you, unconscious and sprawled out near each other.”

“For realsies?” Sonata asked, finishing off her grape juice. “Wait, did you see my sisters here too?”

Becky shook her head, and Sonata visibly deflated.

“I’ve been searching for someone as well, and I’ve been trying to find any clues as to where they went. But so far, no luck. However, I have been able to determine one thing, and I believe if you two are from another world, then you’ll want to know about this.

Tell me… do either of you know how to Duel?”

That question took a few seconds to crystalize in Sunset’s mind. Did she mean…?

“Oh yeah, totally!” Sonata said cheerily. “Adagio taught me! I’m a lot better at swords though. Aria’s the one who’s good with pistols.”

At this, Becky was silent for a few seconds, as if processing that information. Finally, she smiled an amused smile.

“I’ll keep that in mind, you never know when that could come in handy,” she said. “However, that was not the type of Duel I was referring to. Have either of you heard of the card game ‘Duel Monsters’?”

It was the girls’ turn to shake their heads.

“Well, in this world it seems to be a main pastime of practically everyone,” she explained further. “Back in my world, we call it ‘Yu-Gi-Oh’, and it’s merely a hobby of my little brothers, myself, and others in our area. But here… it’s a part of their everyday life. They even make machines solely for Dueling, which they call a Duel Disk.”

Without another word, Becky pointed to the countertop behind her, and the girls got a good look at the three strange devices, each adorned in their respective colors. Each one possessed a large blade-shaped piece, on which there looked to be five little zones, meant to fit something within. And within the circular piece at the center, they saw piles of cards, probably meant for playing the game.

“Oh, so that’s what those were,” Sonata noted, looking at the one that matched her aesthetic. “Where’d you get them? Those things have got to be expensive, right?”

“I didn’t have to pay a dime. The black and gold one appeared with me when I showed up. And I found you two each with one as well.”

That certainly got Sunset’s attention.

“So, wait, we just showed up in this world with that thing materialized on our arms?” she asked skeptically. “And conveniently had a deck of cards ready to go with it? Don’t you find that just a little worrisome?”

“Of course,” Becky answered honestly, catching Sunset off guard. “However, I’m in a desperate situation, as are you, so I’m not keen to look a gift horse in the mouth.”

Sonata chuckled, while Sunset levied a bit of a glare at Becky. Right about now, she really wished she had taken Wes up on his offer.

“My point is that if you two are out of the loop, so to speak, then perhaps it would be best for me to get you caught up on how to play the game. Just in case someone here challenges you and you can’t get out of it.”

Silence was the only answer Becky got, at least initially. She was used to it sometimes, given how moody her brother had been, but this was a different kind of silence.

Eventually, one of them caved.

“So, let me see if I have this right,” Sunset said, looking Becky right in the eyes. “You, want to help us, two complete strangers, to learn a game that we’ve never played, but that apparently everyone in this new world plays?”

“Yes,” Becky answered. “And as an added note, I am glad you are receptive to the idea of being in another world. I was worried you’d think I was a crazy person.”

“… What do you get out of helping us?”

In Sunset’s mind, that was about as simple and direct a question as she could manage; she’d never liked vague or indirect questions. Becky, however, merely looked confused about it, and what’s worse, it seemed like her confusion was genuine.

“… I get to help two people who need help?” She said, almost as if she was asking more than telling. “I’m not entirely sure what you’re getting at.”

“Oh, come on, no one is THAT nice. And the way you describe it, we sound like the perfect targets to take advantage of. Why would you help us if you didn’t want something from us?”

Becky didn’t miss a beat. “Empathy, I suppose.”

Three little words, and yet they managed to pierce through Sunset’s guarded heart, if only for a second.

Empathy. Where had her own empathy been, that this word seemed so distant to her?

“Sunset, you should do it! Think of all the fun you could have!”

This time, a chill DID run up Sunset’s spine, as that familiar bubbly voice ran through her mind. She looked around the room, almost expecting the girl to have popped out from some obscure corner and reveal she’d been there the whole time. But unfortunately, she appeared to be nowhere, and judging by the looks on Becky and Sonata’s faces... Sunset was the only one who heard it.

“Something the matter, Sunset?” Becky asked, concern evident in her tone.

“N-no, it’s nothing, I just…” she shook her head, and focused on the red and yellow device on the counter. “You know what, maybe you’re right. If we’re stuck here, then I might as well make sure I know their way of fighting.”

“That’s the spirit!” Sonata said. “Who knows? It might be pretty fun to actually have to work for my wins for once. So anyway, how do we play, Becky?”

Becky smiled, and stood up, picking up her Duel Disk and handing the girls theirs.

“Follow me. They have a private Duel Arena in this place, and I reserved it for the next few hours. We’re going to see what these babies can do.”

The hotel they were staying at had several floors, and their room was on the 5th, so the trip down to floor 1 was a bit long. But when they finally got there both Sunset and Sonata were rather impressed by the Arena.

The room itself was almost as big as the gymnasium back at CHS, decorated plainly, with simple white walls and a set of bleachers over in the corner; from what Becky had told them, they could choose to allow people to watch, or reserve it for one-on-one Duels away from prying eyes.

And in the middle of it all was a raised platform, decorated with lines indicating where to stand and where the cards would appear, as well as several flashing lights, and even a giant Life Point counter hanging from the ceiling.

And as soon as they got there, Becky wasted no time, getting into the explanation.

‘Thorough’ didn’t even begin to describe it, as Becky started going into every intricacy of the game she could think of off the top of her head. She started out small, explaining the different phases of a Turn, and how it moves, but then she went to the various card types, and almost lost Sonata. It was more than a little confusing to hear about how all these different ‘spell speeds’ interacted with one another, but thankfully, Sunset kept track of it all. Then from there, she moved on to the Extra Deck and the different details of Normal and Special Summoning, as well as the different beasts they could summon in various ways.

And finally, she went into the discussion of the Battle Phase, where the monsters they’d summon would finally get a chance to do something. This part, she had Sonata’s undivided attention on, and Sunset actually was the one spacing out; she didn’t want to think about battles right now. But even so, they made it through the examples of how monsters attacking each other would cause certain results, and how the Duel was over when one player’s Life Points hit 0 or surrendered.

“There are a lot of weird little niche things as well to the game,” she concluded, playing with one of her blonde locks. “But that’s the general idea. Other than that, just read your cards and know what they do, and you should be fine.”

Becky stood up and activated her Duel Disk.

“However, there’s only so much that saying can do. The best teacher is experience, after all. So, how would one of you like to Duel me?”

“I dunno, seems like a lot to keep track of,” said Sonata, looking at her Duel Disk. “We usually have Adagio keep track of everything. She insists on it.”

“Well, I won’t force you if you’re not comfortable,” Becky answered, before looking to the other girl. “What about you, Sunset?”

The redhead in question was a bit hesitant, but finally answered. “I mean, I guess you make a good point, so maybe? But I really don’t even know what’s in my deck.”

“You’ll learn, sweetie. I don’t expect you to be the next Yugi Muto right off the bat.”

“… Who?”

“I’ll explain later. For now, let’s just have a bit of fun and show you the ropes. And if we make some mistakes, well, that’s all part of the learning process.”

DUEL!

Becky Mizuhara (4000 LP)

Vs

Sunset Shimmer (4000 LP)

The two girls took their positions across from one another, readying their Duel Disks for the battle at hand. Because she was apparently the expert, Sunset decided to give the first move to Becky; and for the added benefit that this would give her time to read her cards.

“Alright then, let’s get this going,” Becky said, holding up a card. “First, I summon my Chaos Flame Watcher!”

The first monster appeared in a burst of fire, revealing a small, dark-skinned humanoid with flowing white hair. He sat down, staring intently at Sunset.

(1200/1200)

“When Watcher is summoned, I place a Flame Counter on him; more on those when it becomes relevant. For now, I set two cards face-down and end my turn.”

[Turn End, Hand: 2]

[Turn 2, Sunset, Hand: 5]

The first thing Sunset did was draw a card, as she’d been told she was supposed to. Finally, she got a chance to actually look at the cards in her hand, and when she did, a sense of dread came over her. It was like she could feel something coming from them, but she wasn’t able to put her finger on exactly what it was.

‘But I can see they at least have a clear theme,’ she noted, reading the card names. ‘Kind of ironic, really, getting a deck like this… Oh well, this one ought to work.’

“For my first move, I’ll activate the Continuous Spell, Harmony’s Reincarnation! Its effect will go off on my second Standby Phase after activation. Next, I Normal Summon my Harmony Soul – Honesty!”

In the middle monster zone, Sunset’s first creature materialized, appearing as an orange ball of electricity initially. However, a second or two later and it reshaped itself into a vaguely humanoid form, with long hair, an obviously female physique, and a shape similar to-

‘… A hat. Not just any hat.’

An emerald green glow took form where the eyes would be, as the thunder monster looked back to Sunset. She gave her a thumbs up, and the redhead felt her breath hitch in her throat.

(1800/2000)

“W-when Honesty’s summoned,” Sunset continued, trying to retain an air of calm. “I can add another Harmony monster from my deck to my hand! I’ll add… um…”

Looking through her deck, she was extremely grateful that the card artworks were nothing more than various Cutie Marks with balls of electricity behind them. Part of her couldn’t bear the idea of them looking at her, even in such a form.

“I’ll add Harmony Soul – Loyalty to my hand!”

“Awesome! You won’t regret this, Shimmer!”

It took a moment for that to fully register, but when it did, she had to summon every ounce of willpower she had just to keep the horror off her face. Had she really not been hallucinating earlier? Were they… were they really here, talking to her?

‘But how? I was alone when that portal opened,’ she thought, trying to make sense of it. ‘Unless… they followed me. They came after me because their little ‘Princess’ demanded I be watched…’

She wanted to question exactly why they were supposedly turned into cards, but the more practical part of her mind repressed that urge. She could get the answer to that question once she had her bearings completely.

“Okay, so because I control a Harmony monster, I can Special Summon my ‘Harmony Soul - Loyalty’ from my hand!”

Right next to where Honesty stood, another orb of energy appeared, this one cyan, before bursting into a shape very similar to CHS’ star athlete. The main difference, however, was that on her back materialized a pair of prismatic wings, like those of an angel or pegasus, gently switching between the colors of the rainbow.

(2000/1000)

“That’s a good combo, Sunset,” Becky told her. “And your monsters are very beautiful.”

“Maybe to you…” she mumbled, before returning to the battle. “Now, I’m going to enter the Battle Phase. I attack your Chaos Flame Watcher with my Harmony Soul – Honesty.”

“By removing the Flame Counter from my Chaos Flame Watcher, I can protect him from being destroyed by this battle.”

Sunset felt a little grin appear. “Nice try, but I have two monsters that can attack. Loyalty will attack after Honesty has finished.”

The two thunder monsters nodded, as the Flame Counter next to Watcher’s head vanished, covering him in a bright aura. First to move was Honesty, pushing off the ground with immense force, and landing a powerful kick that dissipated the protection of Watcher in an instant. Once the attack was done, Loyalty closed the distance, moving faster than any of them could have predicted, and cutting Watcher in half with her rainbow-colored wings.

(Becky’s LP: 4000 – 600 = 3400 – 800 = 2600)

“With that, I’ll set a card, and end my turn.”

[Turn End, Hand: 3]

[Turn 3, Becky, Hand: 2]

Becky drew for turn, and the card she saw had her thinking immediately. She knew she could use this, but not right now. Now, it was time to play the long game.

A game she knew almost as well as Duel Monsters.

“To start, I Normal Summon my Chaos Flame Spark!”

Another burst of flame revealed a small being, clearly just a flicker of fire given life, from which, two bursts of its mass were taken and placed upon both Honesty and Loyalty.

(1000/1000)

“When it’s summoned,” Becky explained, “I can place a Flame Counter on each monster on your side of the field. Then, because there’s a monster on the field with a Flame Counter on it, I can Special Summon my Chaos Flame Cinder, and use its effect to place a Flame Counter on Spark!”

Next to where Spark was appeared a small piece of burning residue, barely still alight, and little more than the remnants of the fire that once burned. Yet even so, it managed to summon forth a Flame Counter, which went right to where Spark was.

(800/800)

“Gotta say, your monsters are kind of wimpy,” Sunset told her, not really seeing the point behind summoning all these little guys. “You said you didn’t have an Extra Deck with you, so why are they such small fries?”

To this, Becky grinned. “There’s more than one way to make a monster strong, Sunset. Sometimes, all it takes is a little patience and a little planning. I now activate The Flame of Chaos! With this Spell Card, I can place a Flame Counter on one monster from my field and one from yours! So, I place one on Cinder and one on Loyalty, bringing the total Flame Counters up to 5!”

Suddenly, the flames overwhelmed Loyalty and Honesty, causing them to fall to their knees.

“And here’s the fun part. While The Flame of Chaos is on the field, every Flame Counter increases my monsters’ Attack by 200, while decreasing your monsters’ Attack by that same amount!”

(Loyalty: 2000 – 1000 = 1000)

(Honesty: 1800 – 1000 = 800)

(Spark: 1000 + 1000 = 2000)

(Cinder: 800 + 1000 = 1800)

With one simple card, the tables had turned, and hard for Sunset. Becky called for an attack from her ‘Chaos Flame Spark’ which ignited Honesty in an instant. Sunset felt a scream run through her head, making her blood chill so much she was worried she’d freeze from the inside out.

(Sunset’s LP: 4000 – 1200 = 2800)

“Next, I’ll attack with my Chaos Flame Cinder!”

“I activate Harmony Mirror Force!” Countered Sunset, revealing the trap card. “When a monster I control is attacked, I can negate the attack, switch all your monsters to Defense Mode, and negate their effects until the next Standby Phase!”

The attack stopped dead in its tracks, and Cinder returned to its position on the field, now bearing the light blue aura that signified Defense Position, alongside Spark.

“Very good, Sunset,” Becky commended. “You’re a quick study! Very well, I end my turn.”

[Turn End, Hand: 1]

[Turn 4, Sunset, Hand: 3]

“I draw! … And with that, one Standby Phase has passed for ‘Harmony’s Reincarnation’! And now, I’ll activate Monster Reb-”

“WAIT, DON’T DO THAT!”

Sunset stopped once again, this time extremely reluctantly, as she saw ‘Harmony Soul – Loyalty’ looking back to her, her red ‘eyes’ revealing her determination.

“Don’t waste that! I’ve got an awesome power that can get AJ back! Trust me, Shimmer!”

Those last three words were the LAST thing Sunset wanted to hear, especially given she was still grappling with the idea that they were here in the first place, but upon rereading the card text, she saw that indeed, it was possible to bring Honesty back without much issue.

And with an added benefit over the Spell Card in question.

“Actually, scratch that,” she corrected herself. “I use the effect of my Harmony Soul – Loyalty! Once per turn, I can return a Harmony monster from my field or grave to my hand! So, I’ll add Honesty back to my hand, and immediately Normal Summon her!”

(1800 – 800 = 1000/2000)

“And once again, because of her effect, I can add Harmony Soul – Kindness to my hand! And next… I’ll play Mystical Space Typhoon!”

The whirlwind shot out from the Spell Card itself and attempted to overtake ‘The Flame of Chaos’. Sunset smiled, eager to see that card leave the field. But unfortunately, that hope would be dashed quickly, as Becky activated another effect:

“By transferring the Flame Counter on Cinder to the Flame of Chaos,” she explained, watching as the effect played out in front of her. “I can protect that card from being destroyed!”

“Ah, damn,” Sunset said, watching her card fizzle out, but smiling, to even her own surprise. “I’ll get it next time. Mark my words!”

Part of her couldn’t help but be amused by her own choice of words. She could hardly believe how into it she was getting. Despite every worrying thought that was in her mind, this was actually… nice, to be able to unwind, to forget her troubles and just play a game with someone else.

“Now, I have two moves to make,” Sunset told her, revealing two cards. “First, by revealing Harmony Soul – Generosity in my hand, I can increase the attack of all Harmony monsters by 800!”

From on high, Sunset’s third ‘Harmony Soul’ monster appeared, a beautiful flash of white lightning, materializing and taking the hands of the other two thunder monsters. In an instant, a shimmering purple energy covered the two, before melding into their bodies, symbolizing the attack boost.

(Honesty: 1000 + 800 = 1800)

(Loyalty: 1200 + 800 = 2000)

“Next, I’ll play Monster Reborn to take YOUR Chaos Flame Watcher and make it mine!”

(1200 + 800 = 2000/1200)

“Well, would you look at that, looks like that Flame of Chaos affects Chaos Flame monsters on my side of the field too.”

To that, Becky nodded. “Indeed. And speaking of which… I activate Fuel for the Fire! With this card, I can add a Flame Counter on to each monster I control, and then, I can choose to move ALL Flame Counters onto the Flame of Chaos!”

Suddenly, every Flame Counter on the field moved away from the monsters they had been attached to and congregated around the Spell Card in question.

(Watcher’s ATK: 2000 + 400 = 2400)

To say Sunset was baffled by this play was an understatement. That was 400 more attack for Chaos Flame Watcher, and because Becky’s own monsters were in Defense Mode, they didn’t get the benefits. Hell, it wasn’t even enough of an attack drop on her Harmony monsters to keep her from losing her monsters. So why would she make this move when it seemed like there was no clear benefit?

‘She has to be planning something. From what I’ve seen, Becky doesn’t seem stupid. She’s certainly no-’

For the umpteenth time since waking up, Sunset had to stop herself, as a pang of guilt ran through her heart. She was about to stay that she wasn’t as stupid as… honestly, she wasn’t even sure who she was going to go with, but the fact that she was going with anyone disgusted her right now.

‘Honestly, the only stupid person in that whole thing was me… what was I thinking?’

“Sunset…?”

“Sunset!”

The sound of the two resonating voices was enough to pull her from her thoughts, as she realized now that all eyes were on her. Becky’s, Sonata’s, even her monsters. This only made her feel worse.

She had been having fun, but now here she was letting her emotions get in the way.

“Hey, you okay?” asked Sonata, having gone from excited to worried. “You look like Aria whenever she says something she regrets.”

“I’m fine…”

“Are you sure?” Becky asked, concern laced in her voice. “We can always finish this la-”

“I SAID I’M FINE!”

Stunned silence was their only answer, and Sunset knew she had just made it worse. As if she couldn’t feel any worse, now she was taking it out on others.

“I’m sorry...”

“Hey, don’t worry about it,” Becky told her, her voice having taken on a new tone – akin to a mother consoling a child. “I understand, you’ve got a lot on your mind. I won’t force you to talk about it before you’re ready. Or at all if you’re never ready.”

“… Thank you. C-can we just keep going?”

Becky nodded. “Continue your move. I’ve now got 6 Flame Counters on the field.”

“Okay…” after taking a deep breath and letting her mood even back out, Sunset made her move. “Since they’re in Defense Mode, you’ll take no damage from the first two attacks. So, I’ll have Honesty and Loyalty destroy your Chaos Flame monsters. Then, I’ll attack you directly with Chaos Flame Watcher.”

The two Harmony Souls moved in perfect synch, obliterating both pyro monsters effortlessly, and leaving the field open for Watcher to strike. With a simple snap of his fingers, a burst of flame rushed toward Becky, and hit her head on.

(Becky’s LP: 2600 – 2400 = 200)

“And with that, I end my turn.”

[Turn End, Hand: 3]

[Turn 5, Becky, Hand: 1]

“I draw!”

Looking to her hand, Becky saw a card that she recognized – one that had been in the binder in her car. How it got in her deck was beyond her, but then again, how she got this deck was beyond her, so…

‘I suppose it wouldn’t hurt to play it,’ she mused. ‘I mean, this clearly isn’t the anime, given who I’m dueling. What’s the worst that could happen?’

“And from my hand, I’ll activate the Seal of Orichalcos!”

The moment this simple Spell was placed within the Field Zone, Becky felt a surge of emotion run through her, more malevolent than anything she’d ever felt. She grit her teeth as she clutched at her head in agony. The Seal appeared beneath her feet, its circumference extending to just outside of where Sunset and her were Dueling, and glowed with a malevolent aura that both displaced Equestrians could feel.

“Okay, this is getting WAY too weird for me!” Sonata protested. “I thought humans didn’t have magic!”

“They’re not supposed to!” Sunset answered, desperately looking to Becky for an explanation. “What’s going on!?”

“Ggh… Sunset! I-I’ve made a terrible mistake!” Becky answered through the pain. “I need you to promise me you’ll fight with everything you’ve got from here on out! If you… If you DON’T…!”

Silence.

Sudden, chilling silence, as Becky slowly took her hands off her head, and looked back up to the two girls. Her expression was neutral, terrifyingly so, as the symbol emblazoned itself onto her forehead, and her necklace gave off an eerie glow. She opened her eyes, those same black orbs now sporting a reddish tint, and gave the girls a smirk.

“If you don’t…” she continued. “Then your soul is forfeit.”

“Becky… what does that spell do?” Sunset asked, hesitant to know the answer. “What did you just play?”

“An ancient power known as the Orichalcos,” she explained. “Once it is played… only one of us can leave this Duel alive. The loser shall have their soul taken and used to fuel the Orichalcos’ power.”

To say Sunset was shaken by that explanation would have been the understatement of the century. Those two sentences chilled her to her core, as she looked to the girl who’d been so nice to her and saw what this ‘Orichalcos’ had done to her. A strange cocktail of emotions mixed in the redhead’s mind, causing her to shake from sadness, guilt, and most of all…

From rage.

“What the hell is wrong with you!?” She screamed. “Seriously, did you not think of the consequences for even a single second!?”

“Believe me, had I anticipated THIS, I would have avoided this card like the plague,” Becky answered. “But it’s too late for that now. I can’t hold back, and I WON’T hold back. I expect you to do the same if you want to survive.”

“Do you even hear yourself!? You’re asking me to take your soul from you! I can’t do that! I’M NOT A KILLER!”

‘But I almost was…’

Sunset flinched, as the memories flashed through her mind of last night. She could still feel the twitching of her tail and the flexing of her wings as she flew above. As she aimed that fireball. As she nearly did kill six people, their only mistake being standing in her way.

She looked to Becky, and had to fight the urge to cry. She couldn’t let herself look weak. Not now.

“… I’m not a killer either,” Becky said, sounding genuinely sad despite the malicious edge to her voice. “But unless there is some way to nullify the Orichalcos, then my hands are tied. Now then… my turn continues.

While there are 4 or more Flame Counters on the field, I can Special Summon my Chaos Flame Kindling! And when he is Special Summoned, I can add 2 Flame Counters to any card on the field!”

In a flash, a group of sticks formed together into a makeshift humanoid form and set itself ablaze. From its body, two more Flame Counters appeared, joining the other six around the Flame of Chaos’ card.

(1500 + 500 = 2000/1500)

“Next, I activate the other effect of my Flame of Chaos! By removing Flame Counters from the field, I can Special Summon a monster from my deck with a level equal to the number of removed Flame Counters! I’ll remove all 8…”

The 8 little blazes shot upward, combining together above Becky’s middle monster zone.

“To Special Summon my Chaos Flame Progenidragon!”

In an instant, the flame slammed into the ground, reshaping itself into a vaguely draconic shape. A beast of molten rock forming the core body, long and serpentine like an eastern dragon, with burning flame forming the creature’s mane, whiskers, and limbs. The seal appeared on its head, and it roared at Sunset and her monsters.

(1800 + 500 = 2300/1800)

“When Progenidragon is summoned, I can draw 1 card, and if it’s a monster, I can place 2 Flame Counters on a face up card. I draw! … And the card I drew was my Chaos Flame Spark! And since I haven’t used my Normal Summon yet…”

Becky didn’t need to finish that sentence. Sunset knew what was coming.

(1000 + 500 = 1500/1000)

(Flame Counters: 5)

“And lastly… I activate Progenidragon’s effect. I can remove counters from the field, and for every 2 that I remove, I can destroy 1 card on the field!”

“At this moment, I’ll activate Harmony Soul – Honesty’s effect! By switching her Battle Position, I can protect two cards on the field from getting destroyed by card effects until the End Phase! I’m going to protect my Harmony monsters!”

“Very well, I’ll simply destroy Chaos Flame Watcher and Harmony’s Reincarnation.”

Sunset winced, her mistake evident. She should have waited for Becky to decide which cards she wanted to target before activating that, but she panicked. Though really, who could blame her when her soul is on the line?

But at the same time, she couldn’t make mistakes like that, and she knew. No matter if the idea left an awful taste in her mouth, she didn’t want to die…

“When Harmony’s Reincarnation gets destroyed before its effect can go off,” she said, reading her card once again to ensure she got the effect right. “I can add a Harmony Soul – Magic or Harmony Soul… Proxy Magic? … F-from my deck to my hand!”

Scanning the set of cards as she pulled them from her deck, she searched high and low for ‘Magic’, but did not see it anywhere. That did set her mind at ease to some degree – lord knows the ‘Princess’ would freak out if she got stuck in another world – but at the same time, when she did find the other card, it only raised more questions she’d need answers to.

Especially given that once she touched it, she heard that same voice.

‘Hello!? Please, can you hear me!?’

“Twilight?”

‘Oh, thank goodness, you can hear me, I was so worried this wa-… wait, you know my name too!? WHY DOES EVERYONE HERE KNOW ME!?’

Sunset rolled her eyes – this was DEFINITELY the Princess’ counterpart. “Okay, calm down, will ya?”

‘Calm? Who’s not calm? I’m totally completely calm! I mean, you know, I’m just stuck in a scenario that I can’t POSSIBLY explain, surrounded by people who inexplicably know who I am, and being-’

“I’ll answer it all later, dammit!” She yelled, grabbing the attention of both Becky and Sonata. “Now will you just shut up and let me think!?”

“Whoa, whoa!” She heard a familiar southern girl say in her mind. “Ah get it, yer stressed, but don’t take it out on her. She’s just as scared as you are.”

“Yeah, besides!” Loyalty’s voice said, as the monster cracked her knuckles. “We’ve gotta focus on WINNING, Shimmer. That’s at the top of the list.”

Loathe as she was to admit it, the two were right. So, she instead dialed back her temper, and focused on the Duel. … Or at least she would have, if she hadn’t noticed the strange look she was getting.

“… I said that out loud, didn’t I?”

“Yep,” Sonata chimed in. “And it sorta echoed a bit too. Who were you talking to?”

“I’ll tell you later,” Sunset lied. “Now Becky, let’s see what you’ve got.”

Becky smiled, this one less malicious and a bit warmer. “Confident to the bitter end, I see. I respect that. Now, when a Chaos Flame monster leaves the field, Kindling gets a Flame Counter. And because your monsters are immune to destruction by Card Effects, that means it simply focuses on making my monsters stronger!”

(Honesty: 1800 – 400 = 1400/2000)

(Loyalty: 2000 – 400 = 1600/1000)

(Spark: 1000 + 500 = 1500 + 400 = 1900/1000)

(Kindling: 1500 + 500 = 2000 + 400 = 2400)

(Progenidragon: 1800 + 500 = 2300 + 400 = 2700/1800)

“Now, let’s end this! Kindling! Destroy Harmony Soul – Honesty! Progenidragon! Destroy Harmony Soul – Loyalty!”

The first attack was swift, as Kindling slammed its burning arm into Honesty’s body, causing the girl-turned-monster to buckle, before breaking.

The second was even faster, as a beam of raw, unadulterated heat shot from Progenidragon’s mouth, overwhelming Loyalty. As she shattered, Sunset felt that burning heat on her body too, and grit her teeth as hard as she could to keep from screaming.

(Sunset’s LP: 2800 – 1100 = 1700)

“I’m so sorry it had to be this way,” Becky lamented while crossing her arms. “But this is the end, Sunset. Spark! Attack Sunset directly!”

“… Are you sure about that?”

Five little words was all it took.

Suddenly, Spark’s attack was stopped dead in its tracks, as a pale yellow orb of electricity appeared between the monster and Sunset. A bright light shone outward, as the newest monster materialized, taking a shape similar to the others, a pair of bright pink wings appearing on her back as well.

She never thought she’d be so happy to see Fluttershy in her life, even if it was in another form.

(1300 – 400 = 900/1800)

“When you try to directly attack me,” Sunset explained, gesturing to her new monster. “I can Special Summon my Harmony Soul – Kindness, stopping the attack, and ending the Battle Phase!”

“… Sunset. Well played. I end my turn! Don’t… don’t hesitate!”

[Turn End, Hand: 0]

[Turn 6, Sunset, Hand: 3]

“I draw! And from my hand, I play Harmony’s Return, letting me add Honesty back to my hand! Then… I’ll summon my Harmony Soul – Proxy Magic!”

The newest member of the Harmony Souls joined Kindness on the field, the lavender energy congealing into the shape of the woman who caused Sunset’s downfall. Or at least, a shape very similar. From here, it was rather easy to discern what was different, given her hair seemed to be worn up and she had… glasses?

At the very least, she had to credit the models for how detailed they were, but the panic that the monster seemed to be presenting, she was certain that was all Twilight.

‘So, I brought that world’s Twilight with me,’ she mused. ‘She must have been too close when that rift opened, just like the others. I just keep causing them trouble…’

Sunset clenched her fist and opened her eyes, looking to the monsters, then to Becky.

‘This changes nothing,’ she reminded herself. ‘Sunset Shimmer is NOT a quitter! If anything… this just makes it even more clear I can’t lose. For once, I’m not just fighting for myself.’

White hot conviction spread through her body, as she looked to the cards in her hand.

She would win, and she had an idea on how to.

“When Harmony Soul – Proxy Magic is summoned, I can Special Summon a Harmony monster from my graveyard! I’ll bring back Loyalty, leaving my grave empty once again!”

(2000 – 400 = 1600/1000)

Becky raised an eyebrow at that statement. “And your graveyard being empty is important because…?”

“Because when it is, I can activate my monsters’ special abilities! Proxy Magic’s is that I can add one Harmony Spell or Trap from my deck to my hand! I’ll add… Harmony’s Call, which I’ll use to add…”

She fanned her deck out, trying to find a card to add. If she knew anything about magic (and she did), there had to be a way to nullify this awful Seal. She just had to find it…

“OOH! ME! ME ME ME! I CAN DO IT, SUNNY!”

Upon looking at the ‘Harmony Soul – Laughter’ that she knew was screaming at her, the decision was made. A cursory glance at the effect, and it was like a design was written in her mind. It would start with a simple return to the hand, and end in her victory.

“I’ll add Harmony Soul – Laughter to my hand! Next, I’ll use Loyalty’s effect to return Kindness to my hand, and use her special ability immediately! By revealing Kindness and not summoning her for the rest of the turn, I can Special Summon my Harmony Soul – Laughter!”

Unlike the other monsters, who had been relatively simple, this one had the most grandiose entrance Sunset had seen yet; though part of her expected nothing less from the Element of Laughter. In a burst of pink that covered the field in what could only be described as electrified confetti, the pink thunder monster appeared, her fluffy hair still as wild as ever, despite being a monster of pure energy.

And then, as the confetti spread, Becky watched in horror, as the Seal suddenly began losing color.

“Seems laughter’s pretty good at disarming,” Sunset quipped, crossing her arms in triumph. “When Laughter is Special Summoned by another Harmony Monster’s effect, she can negate cards on the field up to the number of other Harmony monsters I have on the field. Since I have two… I’m taking out that Seal, as well as that Flame of Chaos!”

From the sidelines, Sonata cheered, upon seeing the two Spell cards lose their luster, the card for the Flame turning grey and lifeless, dropping the attack of Becky’s monsters, while the Seal beneath their feet turned black and null. Becky clutched her head once again, her breathing shaky and her eyes clenched shut in sheer agony.

Worry overtook Sunset, as she knew exactly how painful it could be to be transformed by magic. She was about to say something, but then, Becky looked back up, the red tint gone from her eyes, and the Seal no longer on her forehead.

“S-Sunset…” she managed to say, her smile weak and her voice weaker. “Thank you…”

Before anyone could say anything else, Becky collapsed onto the ground. Panic overtook Sunset, as she rushed over to where the other girl was. But before she checked anything, she was certain to take out the Seal, and deactivate Becky’s Duel Disk.

“… She’s still breathing, she’s just unconscious.” She said with a smile. “Okay, good… uh, hey, Sonata?”

“Yeah?” the Siren asked, stepping into the arena as well.

“Think you can help me carry her back to the room?”

Sonata gave a thumbs up, slinging one of Becky’s arms over her shoulder and helping her to her feet. “You can count on me. But what do we tell anyone if they ask what happened to her?”

… That was a good question, and one Sunset had not considered.

“Well,” she thought out loud, slinging Becky’s other arm over her shoulders. “I guess we just say an attack knocked her off her feet and she hit her head. Sound good?”

“It’ll have to. Though, you handle that, I’m not a good liar.” Sonata said with a nervous grin.

To this, Sunset chuckled, and they began to move forward. Though before she left, her first order of business was to pick up the Seal and carry it with her. Her second order of business, she decided on when she realized her Duel Disk was still on, and the Harmony Souls were looking at her.

“Oh, right,” she said, rubbing the back of her head. “L-listen, I know I said I’d explain it later, but uh… we kind of have a situation right now. Think we ca-”

‘Harmony Soul – Loyalty’, or rather, Rainbow Dash, made simple wave of her hand, as if brushing off the notion.

“Get Becky back to the room, Shimmer,” she said. “When you’re ready to talk, we’ll be in your Duel Disk. But just know, I AM gonna hold you to that.”

Sunset smiled, glad that they were so understanding. “I’ll try to be ready soon.”

And with that, Sunset turned off her Duel Disk, put away the cards she’d used, and they began their trek back up to the room. All the while, Sunset had her eyes on the Seal, completely disgusted by it. She wanted to do something about it, however, even though it was a card, she highly doubted it was as simple as taking a pair of scissors to it.

She’d need to get it as far away from Becky as possible. Somewhere it couldn’t be a negative influence.

“… Say, Sonata? Do you know if there’s a lake nearby?”

Author's Note

So, this chapter was a doozy to write, for a number of reasons, chief among them being the word count. I'm not sure how long each chapter will be, I can write a lot (my record is like 11,000 for a single chapter), but I do plan to make every chapter pretty meaty. Something you can really bite into.

I hope you guys like the idea behind the Archetypes I made for Becky and Sunset. I'm thinking I might either make a list of everyone's cards (like I saw a couple other stories do), or I'll show off the cards in the Author's Note. Lemme know what you think.

Gusto out, and if you have anything to say, let me know.