MLP: The Wide World of Duel Monsters

by snivygamer97

Rating: teen
Tags: Spike, Rainbow Dash, Cutie Mark Crusaders, Adventure, Crossover, Twilight Sparkle, The Owl House, Slice of Life, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Alternate Universe, Human, Main 6, Yu-Gi-Oh, Drama
Length: 26573

The Mane 6 and Spike must work together with new friends to save Equestria and beyond with Duel Monsters.

What if the land of Equestria had another way to help solve problems and to have fun? What if...they knew of the card game known as Duel Monsters?
When the Mane 6 met, the last thing they expected was that they'd have to fight baddie after baddie, some simple bullies, but others...villainous threats. But together, they must travel between their world and a distant world filled with humans in order to keep both worlds safe with both the magic of friendship and the power of Duel Monsters.

Published 2024-05-29 22:40:00 UTC
Last updated 2024-09-14 22:27:06 UTC

The Mare in the Moon-The Strange New Pendulum

It was a bright and sunny day in Canterlot. On a day as beautiful as this, you’d expect for every pony to be hanging out with their friends and getting ready for this year’s Summer Sun Celebration. While many ponies were, there was at least one pony, a lavender unicorn, that wasn’t. Her name was Twilight Sparkle, one of the land’s upper crust and student to the ruler of the land, Princess Celestia herself. She was spending the day reading a book she had assigned for herself to read. An old ponies’s tale on two royal sisters that have been believed to have ruled the land long ago.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land. To do this, the eldest used her unicorn powers to raise the sun at dawn; the younger brought out the moon to begin the night. Thus, the two sisters maintained balance for their kingdom and their subjects, all the different types of ponies. But as time went on, the younger sister became resentful. The ponies relished and played in the day her elder sister brought forth but shunned and slept through her beautiful night. One fateful day, the younger unicorn refused to lower the moon to make way for the dawn. The elder sister tried to reason with her, but the bitterness in the young one's heart had transformed her into a wicked mare of darkness: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night. Reluctantly, the elder sister harnessed the most powerful magic known to ponydom: the Elements of Harmony. Using the magic of the Elements of Harmony, she defeated her younger sister, and banished her permanently in the moon. The elder sister took on responsibility for both sun and moon and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Hmm... Elements of Harmony. I know I've heard of those before... but where?” Twilight wondered as she looked over that last part of the book once more. Twilight was a very well-read unicorn, and wasn’t easy to forget matters related to her studies. The same went for things she read for fun. However, she was still stumped on what the Elements were. Perhaps it was because she only read about it in passing before. But where should she look to begin looking for the answer?
Deciding to investigate further, Twilight stood up, putting the book on the Tale of Two Sisters into her saddlebag and putting said bag onto her back using her purple magical aura. Ready to return home to look for her answers, Twilight took a somewhat leisurely stroll back to her room.
“This is so curious…If what this book says is true, then the royal sisters that used to rule our land eventually stopped ruling together over a simple disagreement. Strange. Ponies I’ve met don’t get mad at each other that easily. I mean, my brothers and I rarely if ever get into a serious fight. I wonder…”
Twilight was suddenly drawn away from her thoughts by a friend of hers. Make that three. “There you are, Twilight! Moon Dancer is having a little get-together in the west castle courtyard. You wanna come?” Twinkleshine, a white unicorn with pink hair, asked as she and two other unicorns, Lemon Hearts, and Minuette looked at Twilight with anticipation.
“Oh, sorry, girls... I've got a lot of studying to catch up on,” Twilight politely rejected the offer before running off. After all, this could be an amazing breakthrough. Besides, while they considered her a friend, she…was fine with them, but didn’t think she needed to waste her time on trivial matters.
Twinkleshine sighed with some annoyance, having expected this but still disappointed Twilight was unwilling to break from her books even before a holiday. “Does that pony do anything except study? I think she's more interested in books than friends.”
“I know I've heard of the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight tried to remember the book she read the name in. One pony she ran by, another acquaintance named Lyra, with a green coat and green and white hair, waved at her, but Twilight didn’t take time to respond.
Eventually, Twilight began to reach her home, particularly her study atop an ivory tower. On the other side of the door was a purple dragon with green spines and belly. He had a strange device on his left wrist that had forty brown backed cards. He also was holding a red box, planning on going to Moon Dancer’s party right now. However, just as he was about to open the door, Twilight slammed the door open, knocking Spike backward a ways into the room onto the floor. “Ow!”
“Spike! Spi-ike! Spike?” Twilight called, waiting for her assistant and younger brother to show up. However, after turning her head to in front of her, she found the assistant in question trying to recover from being hit by the door. Spike groaned as he picked himself up, shaken a bit but otherwise okay.
“There you are. Quick, find me that old copy of Predictions and Prophecies,” Twilight commanded, before seeing that Spike’s tail had pierced the gift box. “What's that for?” Twilight asked curiously.
“Well, it was a gift for Moon Dancer, but…,” Spike responded as he picked up the box, with a stuffed animal bear landing with a squeak onto the ground, stuffing falling out as it did so.
“Oh, Spike, you know we don't have time for that sort of thing. Celestia expects us to be ready for a variety of different assignments and I can’t be distracted by anything that could keep me from being ready!” Twilight reminded as she shook her head.
“But we're on a break! You’re supposed to be kicking back and relaxing right now, not wasting time reading even more,” Spike reminded.
“But I love reading!” Twilight said back as she began to levitate a book to read the cover.
“Tell you what? We go and spend some time at Moon Dancer’s party and then we look for your book. I’m sure the Princess will be fine if you don’t respond straight away just once. While we’re there, I bet I can even show you how this Duel Monsters game works,” Spike suggested as he held out his Duel Disk. “It may help you relax. After all-”
“Thanks for the suggestion, but no Spike! Contrary to what you just said, Celestia is bound to be mad if we don’t respond straight away. Now, you can leave and play your card game if you want, but I’m still gonna look for Predictions and Prophecies,” Twilight declined as she looked at more book titles. Spike looked conflicted for a moment before sighing. While he did want to have fun, he didn’t want to leave Twilight alone. So he got up and looked over in the “P” section.
“No, no, no... no, no, no!” Twilight groaned, having looked at the fronts of six more books, but to no avail.
“It's over here!” Spike called out as he held up the book Twilight was looking for. “It was in the “P” section?” Spike teased.
“Oh…,” Twilight blushed in embarrassment. She quickly grabbed the book with her magic, and opened the book, the pages fluttering by faster than a comet. “Thanks, Spike…but you know you can just leave for a while. I can probably handle things from here. Go play your filly’s card game with Moon Dancer and…”
“I will, but not until after you send the Princess your letter. I mean, it’s not like you can get it to her quickly without me,” Spike said, part truthfully and in part to be nice, hoping Twilight would be willing to finally rest after answering whatever question she had.
“Right…Ah! Elements, Elements, E, E, E... Aha!” Twilight found the page that the Elements were talked about on. “Elements of Harmony, see: Mare in the Moon?” Twilight asked in confusion, the legend of Equestria’s past having come up once more.
“Mare in the Moon? But that's just an old ponies' tale,” Spike reminded as he stood on a nearby ladder, starting to get ready to look for the book if need be.
Twilight began to look over her book once more and found the page in question. “Mare, mare... aha! The Mare in the Moon, myth from olden pony times. A powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal!” Twilight finished with a gasp, realizing that the “myth” could in fact be real after all. And worse, there could be trouble. “Spike! Do you know what this means?”
“No— whoa!” Spike fell off the ladder, fortunately, Twilight used her magic to pick him up before he fell and placed him on the floor.
“Take a note please, to the Princess,” Twilight commanded.
“Okie dokie,” Spike agreed as he got out a quill and paper, writing as Twilight spoke.
“My dearest teacher, my continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!” Twilight began her message.
“Hold on. Preci... preci…,” Spike began to struggle. He knew some of the big words Twilight liked to use, but not all of them.
“Threshold,” Twilight suggested to replace the word.
“Threh…,” Spike struggled once more.
“Uh, brink?” Twilight hoped he’d understand this time. When he didn’t, Twilight groaned. “Ugh, that something really bad is about to happen! For you see, the mythical Mare in the Moon is in fact Nightmare Moon, and she's about to return to Equestria, and bring with her eternal night! Something must be done to make sure this terrible prophecy does not come true. I await your quick response. Your faithful student, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twi... light Spar... kle. Got it!” Spike finished the letter with no further difficulties.
“Great! Now send it, Spike,” Twilight said.
“Uh…,” Spike looked conflicted for a moment.
“Spike, is everything okay?” Twilight asked with concern.
“I am. It’s just…remember that Princess Celestia's a little busy getting ready for the Summer Sun Celebration. And it's like, the day after tomorrow. I doubt that…,” Spike explained himself.
“That's just it, Spike. The day after tomorrow is the thousandth year of the Summer Sun Celebration! It's imperative that the Princess is told right away! We can’t waste any more time if we wish to save Equestria!” Twilight pointed out.
“Wait…Impera... impera…,” Spike was confused once more.
“Important!” Twilight grumbled in frustration, sending Spike back into some books.
“Whoa! Okay, okay!” Spike got himself out of the books and then blew fire onto the parchment, fire engulfing the page as it was magically sent over to the Princess. “There, it's on its way. But I wouldn't hold your breath...I mean, the myth could be real but it also couldn’t be.”
“Oh, I'm not worried, Spike. The Princess trusts me completely. In all the years she's been my mentor she's never once doubted me,” Twilight said over confidently. Almost immediately, Spike burped up a letter and a small brown box.
“See? I knew she would want to take immediate action,” Twilight said, confident in what the Princess’s response would be.
“Maybe. Wonder what’s in the box?” Spike asked Twilight.
“Probably some detailed instructions on how to defeat Nightmare Moon,” Twilight guessed.
“Well, let’s see what it is…,” Spike opened the box, seeing a device like the one Spike had, but bigger, and a Deck of cards. “Hey! I didn’t know that this game was gonna help out with saving Equestria!” Spike laughed in amazement.
“She probably meant to send it to someone else, Spike. She should know we don’t need to waste time on the foal’s card game,” Twilight dismissed the box…only to see Spike look annoyed and a bit sad. “Well, I guess it can be enjoyed by you and other ponies…but I’d rather spend my time on other things. Now…the letter?”
Spike, who appeared to look better after Twilight’s later words, cleared his throat before reading, “‘My dearest, most faithful student Twilight. You know that I value your diligence and that I trust you completely.’”
“Mm-hm!” Twilight responded as things appeared to be going as expected.
“‘...but you simply must stop reading those dusty old books!’” Spike continued, Twilight gasping at the unexpected request. —----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later on…Twilight and Spike were being flown by carriage through the sky to a small rural town.
“‘My dear Twilight, there is more to a young pony's life than studying, so I'm sending you to supervise the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration in this year's location: Ponyville. And, I have an even more essential task for you to complete: make some friends!’” Spike read as Twilight groaned over how even her teacher was judging her over not making friends. “‘And to help you with just that, I have sent you a Duel Monsters Deck along with a Duel Disk. My hope is that you make plenty of friends with the help of this game. See you soon. Your teacher, Princess Celestia.’”
“Ugh! Like I need to be told yet again to waste my time on friends?! The Princess especially should know I’m not gonna waste my time on that! I mean, I have her, Spike, and the rest of my family if I want someone to talk to!” Twilight complained.
“Yeah…but look, Twilight. We get to step outside Canterlot for the first time in pretty much forever. By talking to other ponies you can learn more about other experiences that can’t be found in books. And…we can share an interest by playing Duel Monsters together! Won’t that be fun?” Spike asked as Twilight looked annoyed and miserable, not convinced by Spike’s words. “Well…look on the bright side, Twilight. The Princess arranged for you to stay in a library. Doesn't that make you happy?”
In an instant, Twilight began to perk up. “Yes, yes it does. You know why? Because I'm right! I'll check on the preparations as fast as I can, then get to the library to find some proof of Nightmare Moon's return.”
“Then... when will you make friends, like the Princess said? Or learn more about Duel Monsters?” Spike asked.
“She said to check on preparations. I am her student, and I'll do my royal duty, but the fate of Equestria does not rest on me making friends or playing a foal’s game. If you want, you can go off to find a Duelist or two after we’re done with preparations. But for now, focus!” At this time, the pegasus guards had landed their carriage in Ponyville, not far from the center of town. As Twilight and Spike got out, the Royal guards whinnied.
“Thank you, sirs,” Twilight thanked the guards as they huffed up in pride. As they flew away, Twilight began to return to her task. “So…where to first?” Twilight asked.
“That was quick. You didn’t even talk to anypony else yet,” Spike noted.
“I don’t need to talk to anyone else other than the ponies that have to do work for the Summer Sun Celebration,” Twilight reminded.
“Maybe…but the Princess did want you to kick back a bit. Heck, I doubt the princess will be happy if she found out you didn’t even put your Duel Disk on, ya know,” Spike noted as he got out the disk and put it on Twilight’s left forehoof. “So, how do ya feel?”
“Like I’m wasting time?” Twilight asked lamely.
Spike sighed for a moment before responding, “But, like I said, maybe the ponies in Ponyville have interesting things to talk about,” Spike suggested as a pink earth pony with wild hair began to approach with a playful skip and a smile on her face, stopping right in front of them. “Come on, Twilight, just try!”
“Uh... hello?” Twilight asked kindly yet awkwardly. Suddenly, the pink pony gave a prolonged gasp before rushing off, not even touching the ground first. “Well, that was interesting all right,” Twilight snarked, Spike sighing over the fact that the first encounter with a local didn’t help Twilight.
Still, not wanting to give up, Spike said, “Well, since we have a bit to walk, mind if I give out some game rules for Duel Monsters?” Spike suggested.
“Uh…no?” Twilight responded, not wanting to be rude but not wanting to hear about the game.
“C’mon it’s easy! When you start the game, you begin with 4000 Life Points for you and your opponent. You draw a starting hand of five cards, and then…” Spike began, wanting for Twilight to give the game and friendship a chance. Twilight, though, wasn’t looking convinced…at least not yet.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The day wasn’t as bad as Twilight thought it would be. I may have, in fact, been worse! Against her wishes, she was forced to spend most of the remaining day interacting with the four Ponyville residents that were necessary to speak with about the Summer Sun Celebration plans.

Her first task was to speak to an apple farmer named Applejack. She was supposed to handle the food for the celebration, and she had a large amount of delectable apple food that it seems she and her gargantuan family baked. However, she was guilted into spending time with them she’d rather have spent studying.

Next up, she literally crashed into a lazy blue pegasus named Rainbow Dash. After dealing with Rainbow messing up her hair after a failed attempt at cleaning it and both the pegasus and Spike laughing at her, Twilight was able to confirm that she was supposed to keep the skies clear. Apparently, she wanted to join the Wonderbolts, the greatest flying stunt group, and part time military, in all of Equestria. Fortunately, Twilight was able to trick her into doing her job by chipping at her apparent ego. She was able to get her job done very quickly, ten seconds flat at that, much to Twilight’s apparent surprise.

Third on the list was to check on the decorations. Inside of town hall, where the Celebration would take place, she found a white unicorn with an eye for design named Rarity. The decorations were all looking spectacular and it seemed she would be able to be in and out at last…until Rarity noticed Twilight’s hair and took the intellectual unicorn to her home/boutique to give her a makeover. Twilight was put in many outfits before Rarity finally asked where Twilight was from. However, upon answering she was from Canterlot, Rarity got excited and admitted she desired to set up a boutique in Canterlot one day. Twilight eventually bolted when Rarity left to get rubies, having to drag Spike with her to get her to go. Apparently, Spike now had a crush on the fashionable unicorn.

Finally, she needed to check up on the music. Rather than be played on instruments, the music for the Celebration would be sung by a myriad of birds with beautiful singing voices that were friends with a yellow pegasus named Fluttershy. True to her name, though, she was quick to shut down when Twilight approached. However, when Fluttershy saw Spike, she was quick to light up and lose all her timidity, talking with Spike for minutes upon minutes about Spike’s life as Twilight dragged Spike and herself to the library at last. Still, to end the current conversation, Twilight had to lie about Spike’s condition and slammed the door shut.
Granted the ponies themselves seemed to be fine, but still it was annoying that she was being held from saving Equestria due to these ponies wanting to be her friend. She didn’t need friends! She needed to find more information on the Elements of Harmony! Fortunately, after hours wasted on being forced to make friends, she finally could study and learn what she needed to keep Equestria safe…or so she thought.
“Huh. Rude much?” Spike questioned as he and Twilight spoke in the dark main room of the library.
“Sorry, Spike, but I have to convince the Princess that Nightmare Moon is coming, and we're running out of time! I just need to be alone so I can study without a bunch of crazy ponies trying to make friends all the time. Now, where's the light?” Twilight asked as the lights suddenly turned on, revealing that many ponies from around town were inside of the library to surprise Twilight.
Noises erupting as the ponies cheered, “Surprise!” A kazoo noise played for a few seconds as Twilight groaned miserably and in annoyance at the unexpected intrusion.
“Surprise!” One pony cheered as she approached Twilight. She was the same pink pony from earlier that day. “Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie, and I threw this party just for you! Were you surprised? Were ya? Were ya? Huh huh huh?” Pinkie innocently got into Twilight’s face as she asked for confirmation.
“Very surprised. Libraries are supposed to be quiet,” Twilight grumbled.
Pinkie seemed to fail to notice Twilight’s sarcasm and continued. “Well, that's silly! What kind of welcome party would this be if it were quiet? I mean, duh, bo-ring! Y'see, I saw you when you first got here, remember? You were all "hello" and I was all gasp, remember? Y'see I've never saw you before and if I've never saw you before that means you're new, 'cause I know everypony, and I mean everypony in Ponyville!” Pinkie explained herself. Around this point, Twilight groaned as she tried to walk away and ignore the pink pony only for the mare to follow Twilight. “And if you're new, that meant you haven't met anyone yet, and if you haven't met anyone yet, you must not have any friends, and if you don't have any friends then you must be lonely, and that made me so sad, then I had an idea, and that's why I went gasp! I must throw a great big ginormous super-duper spectacular welcome party and invite everyone in Ponyville! See?” Around this point, Twilight decided to try and at least drink something before trying to do something about that party, pouring a bottle’s contents into a cup without looking at it. In addition, the four ponies from earlier that day had gathered around Pinkie as she finished her long paragraph by saying, “And now you have lots and lots of friends!”
Twilight’s eye opened in shock as her face began to turn red…but not just from the news of having friends she didn’t want.
“Are you all right, sugarcube?” Applejack asked in concern as she noticed Twilight was now breaking out into sweats and her eyes were watering. Finally, she lit on fire before she began to run away up the stairs to drink a bunch of water from the bathroom sink.
“Aww, she's so happy she's crying!” Pinkie cheered, not getting that Twilight wasn’t happy.
Spike took a look over at the bottle Twilight got her ‘drink’ from and saw that it was a bottle of, "Hot sauce".
“Ooh... ,” Pinkie cheerfully snacked on a cupcake that happened to have the sauce be poured onto it. Unlike with Twilight, she was unfazed by the sauce. With her mouth full, she responded, “What? It's good!”
“Should one of us check on her? I mean…she could be needing our help right now seeing how she reacted to the sauce,” Fluttershy meekly suggested before withdrawing once more.
“I dunno, darling. I mean, she could need a moment to herself after such a long day. She can join us in a little bit, right…Spike was it?” Rarity questioned.
“Yes, most beautiful one…,” Spike dreamily said before noticing the ponies look at him weirdly. Realizing what he had just said, he course corrected, “I can try and convince her, but she may not want to be a part of the party at all if she can help it,” Spike shook his head.
“Aw, why not? I mean, parties like this would make any pony happy! Even Fluttershy here I’ve seen open up a bit when she comes to one of my parties!” Pinkie noted.
“Well…not every pony is the same. There’s bound ta be some out der that’ll not like a good party. But…seein’ how nice this Twilight was, ah doubt she’ll be gone forever,” Applejack noted.
“Fair point. But maybe not…if what Spike said was true. I’m gonna go grab her and bring her back down!” Rainbow began to be ready to speed off…only for Applejack to lasso her before she could leave.
“No forcin’ her into this here, Rainbow! She should wanna be a part o’ this party, not be forced into it!” Applejack warned.
“Yeah, but she can’t enjoy it if she isn’t here, right?” Rainbow pointed out.
“Yep! Just like I thought, Rainbow Dash! When she comes back, we should show her an activity she’ll enjoy! Ooh! And I think I know just the one!” Pinkie remembered something as she got out a familiar looking device from nowhere.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Twilight, by this point, had finally managed to drink enough water to lessen the heat from the sauce. She had just left the bathroom when Pinkie Pie had shown up and freaked out the unicorn mare once more.

“Hello there, miss…,” Pinkie asked.

“Twilight Sparkle?” Twilight answered, in confusion.

“Twilight! That’s a cool name! Well, not the coolest out there. Rainbow has a cooler name if you ask me, but being named after a time of day must be quite the story to be associated with your name, right? Anyway…,” Pinkie was about to go out on another tangent when Twilight interrupted.

“So…what do you need? I kinda need to study something and I don’t have all day,” Twilight honestly answered.

“Well that’s silly! We have hours upon hours upon hours left before the Summer Sun Celebration to begin! I’m sure whatever it is you need to study can wait until Princess Celestia comes and raises the sun up at this year’s Celebration! Anyway, I’d like for you to come with me! I have a surprise for you!” Pinkie innocently said as she grabbed Twilight’s right forehoove and dragged her back to where the party was.

“So…what is it that you wanted to show me?” Twilight questioned the pink mare.

“Well, I saw that you must be a Duelist since you and your dragon pal have Duel Disks on your wrists. So… I figured you’d enjoy this party more if we played a simple game of Duel Monsters!” Pinkie cheered as confetti popped up from behind the pink mare.

“Thanks, but no thanks. There’s a misunderstanding. I may have a Duel Disk and Deck, but I am not a Duelist. I just want to go upstairs to relax and study a bit,” Twilight tried to get out of Dueling.

“Kinda figured it would turn out this way, girls. Twilight just is too obsessed with her studies to wanna play,” Spike shook his head.

“You say that as if it’s a problem Spike, but it isn’t. I just am busy is all and the last thing I need is to be distracted,” Twilight answered, annoyed but still trying to be polite.

“Well…maybe you just need to see a Duel in order to enjoy the game! It’s a lot of fun, ya know! Now…all I need is an opponent to Duel against. Hmm…eeny meeny miney…you,” Pinkie pointed at Spike as she said you, surprising the young dragon.

“Wait…you want me to Duel?” Spike asked with confusion.

“Of course, silly! You’re a Duelist and I’ve never taken you on before, so why not Duel each other?!” Pinkie answered as she turned on her Duel Disk for a Duel. “That makes sense, right?”

“Uh…,” Twilight was uncertain how to get her point across without being mean.

“And I’m out,” Rainbow shook her head as she was about to leave…only for Pinkie to suddenly pop up to where Rainbow was.

“Where ya headed?” Pinkie asked curiously.

“Away from this egghead game I obviously don’t care for?” Rainbow snarked.

“Aw, Dashie! It’s just a game of Duel monsters…,” Pinkie said.

“Pinkie Pie is right, Rainbow. I may not have played the game much myself, but I’ve seen from experience that it is indeed quite a bit of fun. Same with Twilight here, maybe you shouldn’t knock the game before one tries it,” Rarity noted.

“Agreed…though if they don’t want to we shouldn’t force them,” Applejack said.
“Okay…But maybe the two of them just need to watch for a little bit. Please…just one time and I promise to stop bothering you two over this game,” Pinkie made a sad face, which eventually got Twilight to feel guilty and Rainbow to sigh.
“Fine…but don’t be offended if I leave to eat some cupcakes,” Rainbow begrudgingly agreed.
“Woohoo!” Pinkie cheered.
“I’ll watch a bit of it, I guess…,” Twilight agreed reluctantly. “Just don’t bother me about the game anymore if I don’t enjoy it.”
“Oh, you probably will and we can duel each other and so many other ponies and have fun and-,” Pinkie began to ramble.
“Uh…let’s get to the Duel while Twilight is willing to watch,” Spike interrupted, shaking Pinkie’s foreleg.
“Okie dokie loki!” Pinkie agreed. “Now…”
“Let’s Duel!” Both the pony and dragon yelled out.
Pinkie Pie 4000 LP
Spike 4000 LP
“I’ll make the first move! I draw and summon to my field Mirage Dragon in attack mode (Mirage Dragon Attack 1600 LVL 4)! I end my turn with two facedowns. Your move, Pinkie Pie,” Spike made a simple move.
“Okay! I draw! I summon my pretty pal Performapal Frienddonkey (Performapal Frienddonkey Attack 1600 LVL 3)! And with his ability…he allows me to summon yet another cuddly co-star from my hand! So…say hello to Performapal Silver Claw (Performapal Silver Claw Attack 1800 LVL 4)!” Pinkie cheered.
“Wait…a chained wolf with sharp claws?! That’s so ama-er…boring and so not cool,” Rainbow lied.
“Are ya sure? Ya seemed to be happy fer a moment there, Rainbow,” Applejack noted.
“I’m sure! Wait…if you can hold more than a single card in your hand, why didn’t Spike bring out more monsters like Pinkie Pie?” Rainbow was confused.
“Well, you see, Rainbow, a Duelist can only Normally summon once per turn. However, you can still use a Special Summon in order to bring out more monsters like Pinkie did,” Rarity explained.
“Uh huh…,” Spike nodded dreamily for a moment before snapping out of it. “So, what’s your next move, Pinkie?”
“Simple. I’ll play the spell card Smile World! With it, all monsters out gain 100 points for every monster out (Frienddonkey->1900/Silver Claw->2100/Mirage Dragon->1900)!” Pinkie played.
“A…spell?” Rainbow was confused once more.
“I heard Spike say something about it…it’s not just about Dueling with monsters. The game also allows for one to use spells and traps in order to help benefit the Duelist and their monsters throughout the game,” Twilight said, curious but not truly invested.
“Uh huh! And now…I play the spell Performance Bash!” Pinkie played a spell that showed Odd Eyes, Cheer Mole, Silver Claw, and Camellump near a table with chips, cake, and punch. “Now…Silver Claw! Attack and wipe out Mirage Dragon!”
“Good move, Pinkie! But…not good enough! I play my trap card Mirror Force! With it, all attack position monsters you control are destroyed when you attack! So…say goodbye to your monsters!” Spike countered.
“Nu uh! See, Performance Bash prevents my monsters from being destroyed this turn if my monster’s Attack Points are higher than their original total! Continue your attack Silver Claw! Oh, and there’s more! All Performapals I have out gain 300 more Attack Points this turn when Silver Claw pounces(Frienddonkey->2200 Attack/Silver Claw->2400 Attack)!” Pinkie countered.
“I play my facedown Dragonic Barrier!” Spike countered with a trap that showed Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon surrounded by a blue force field. “With it, my dragons are safe from being destroyed this move in exchange for his Attack being reduced by 800 this turn (Mirage Dragon->1100 Attack) (Spike-2700 LP)!”
“Not a bad move, Spike! But my turn isn’t over yet! Now Frienddonkey will attack (Spike-1600 LP)! And with that, I end my turn. And with it, my costars now all return to their original points. Your move, Spike!” Pinkie Pie said chipperly.
“My move then. I play the monster Spear Dragon! When he attacks, he deals piercing damage in exchange for being switched to defense mode after the attack!” Spike explained.
“Uh…Spike? You do know my monsters are both in Attack mode, right?” Pinkie reminded.
“Maybe…but it won’t matter after this! I Overlay my Mirage Dragon with my Spear Dragon in order to Xyz summon!” Spike cried out as the two monsters formed into a yellow and green light that merged in a galaxy spiral. “Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons! Behold! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon( Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon Attack 2500 Rank 4)!”

Just about everyone aside from Twilight looked on in awe as they saw the powerful one-of-a kind card hit the field.

“Heavens to betsy!” Applejack was surprised.

“Where did Spike get such an Xyz monster from?” Rarity asked.

“Um…I take it it’s a big deal?” Rainbow asked.

“Kinda…? See, there are three Extra Deck summoning methods. They are Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz. Currently, Fusion is the only one that most ponies have. You have to be very rich and/or powerful to get them,” Fluttershy explained.

“Yikes! Well…he looks coo-okay,” Rainbow backpedaled once more.

“Well…maybe he’s friendly?” Pinkie asked.

“Sadly, no. I play his Special ability! By using one Overlay Unit, Dark Rebellion can halve the power of a monster and increase his own power by that same amount! Power possession!” Spike cried out as a purple orb surrounding Dark Rebellion was absorbed and electricity weakened Silver Claw(900 Attack/3400 Attack)! “And what can be done once can be done again! I’ll use his other unit in order to have him gain half of Silver Claw’s power again (450 Attack/3850 Attack)!” Spike cried out as Fluttershy hid under a nearby table, though the others were too focused on the Duel to care.

“Sweet Celestia! That monster has so many points!” Rarity was in awe.

“Uh huh! And now…he’ll make use of them! Dark Rebellion, attack now with Treason Discharge (Pinkie-600 LP)!” Spike cried out as Pinkie was knocked back a bit. “And with that, I’ll now end my turn with two facedowns. And with it, Dark Rebellion’s power returns to normal (Dark Rebellion-2500 Attack). Your move now, Pinkie!”

“I…think I’ve seen enough for now,” Twilight said as she turned to leave…only for Rainbow to fly in front of her and make a comment.
“You sure? The Duel isn’t over yet, Twilight…and I’d rather be bored with you than bored alone,” Rainbow half-lied.

“But…you have so many other ponies to waste your time with than me. Besides, I have something important to do,” Twilight said truthfully as she tried to leave again, getting the other girls’s attention when Rainbow grabbed Twilight.

“But Twilight…!” Rainbow tried to convince the mare once more…only for Applejack to interrupt.

“Rainbow! I get you are apparently not fully into this game, but y’all shouldn’t force Twilight ta watch if she doesn’t wanna! Just…leave her be fer now,” Applejack said the last part more calmly.

“Fine!” Rainbow begrudgingly released her hold on Twilight and the mare was quick to run off, both grumbling for different reasons.

“At this rate, I’m bound to not get anywhere fast on learning about to the Elements,” Twilight grumbled.

“I just wanted to be nice,” Rainbow grumbled at being treated like the bad guy.

“This Duel has been sweeter than cupcakes filled and covered with chocolate sauce and frosting!” Pinkie salavated for a second before returning her focus to the Duel. “Still winning this
Duel now seems impossible. I mean, I have my main ace in hand, but I can’t summon him. And…even if I did, he doesn’t have enough power to win the game…”

“Does this mean you give up then?” Spike wondered, kinda disappointed.

“Of course not! After all, my next draw can still find a way to turn this around, after all! My move!” Pinkie drew her card. “I drew the spell Pot of Greed, which lets me draw two cards from my Deck! Here it goes! Draw!” Pinkie drew, seeing her hand, which consisted of Stargazer Magician, Timegazer Magician, Odd Eyes Dragon, and Odd Eyes Power Drainer began to change. While her hand remained the same, the three monsters began to now have green on them, gain these additional effects, and Odd Eyes was now being called Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon. This greatly confused the normally strange pony as she didn’t know what had just happened here. Still, she decided to just roll with the current situation. So, with what felt like a second voice speaking with her, she said, “I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician! We’ll now be having a blast starting now! (1-8)”

“Wait…What in the world is happening? I’ve played a few games before, but Pendulum? That’s new to me,” Rarity noted.

“Maybe it’s new ‘round these parts,” Applejack suggested.

“With the scale set, I can now summon monsters between levels 2 and 7 all at once! Swing far now, Pendulum! Let’s bring victory and joy to all! My monster is ready to swing into action! Turn up the heat dragon with dichromatic eyes, Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon (Odd Eyes Pendulum Dragon Level 7 Scale 4 Attack 2500)!” Pinkie cried out as an upgraded version of her ace appeared.

“A’ve seen Pinkie summon her dragon before, but not like this,” Applejack noted.

“He also looks kinda different to me, maybe even a b-bit angrier?” Fluttershy stuttered fearfully as she popped out from under the table before returning a second later.

Suddenly, both Spike and Pinkie felt strange. Their chests felt like they were on fire and like breathing was very difficult. Not only that, but there was a different voice from theirs trying to egg them on into fighting even more. Fortunately, both Duelists weren’t looking to hurt anyone and they did their best to avoid listening to the voice.
“Next up, I play my spell card Odd Eyes Power Drainer!” Pinkie cried out as a spell showing Odd Eyes surrounded by a blue and red aura appeared. “With this spell, I can sacrifice my Performapal Frienddonkey in order to give my dragon Attack Points equal to half of his (2500 Attack->3300 Attack)! Now…attack and wipe out Spike’s Dark Rebellion!”
“Not so fast! I play the trap card Sakuretsu Armor! With it, I can destroy your attacking dragon!” Spike countered.
“Fraid not! I play the effect of Timegazer in order to negate a trap effect once this turn since it involves a attacking Pendulum monster!” Pinkie said as Sakuretsu Armor was placed back facedown.
“Well…In that case…I play my set Shrink! With it, I can cut your Odd Eyes’s power by half!” Spike cried out.
“Good try, but you’ll need to do more than that! Stargazer can stop a spell once per turn if the spell was used during battle! So, Odd Eyes keeps all his power! Now…wipe out that Dark Rebellion! Spiral Flame Strike (Spike 1600 LP->800 LP)! And with that, I end my turn! You did very good, Spike. But…I’m afraid this game is mine. Still, it was a ton of fun and I look forward to our next Duel,” Pinkie said good-naturedly.
“Thanks…but no thanks. I have a plan in order to turn this game in my favor! I draw! First…I play the spell card Card of Demise! With it, I can draw until I have five cards in hand! But…in a few turn’s time, I’ll have to ditch my hand! Next up, I play my spell card Monster Reborn in order to bring back my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon (Dark Rebellion Attack 2500 Rank 4)! Next, I’ll play my spell Shrink in order to cut your dragon’s power in half! Spike cried out as a magnifying glass appeared over Odd Eyes.
“Not happening, I’m afraid! I banish my Performance Bash in my graveyard in order to prevent my dragon from losing power for the rest of this turn!” Pinkie countered.
“Good move, but not good enough! I summon to my field Red Eyes Retro Dragon (Red Eyes Retro Dragon Level 4 Attack 1700)! Then…I play my spell card Polymerization! With it, I can fuse both of my Dark Attribute Dragons and together they will bring the most toxic monster ever seen! I Fusion Summon! The vicious, voracious, and venomous Starving Venom Fusion Dragon (Starving Venom Fusion Dragon Level 8 Attack 2800)!” Spike cried out as the dragon roared, scaring many of the unlooking ponies, especially the hiding Fluttershy.
“C-Cool dragon! He’s big and scary for sure! But I don’t think he’ll win yout the Duel with only 2800 Attack, Spike,” Pinkie pointed out.
“Not unless I use his ability! I play Starving Venom’s effect! Once a turn, if fusion summoned using monsters on the field, he can gain the power of all Special Summoned monsters my opponent has out (Starving Venom 2800->6100 Attack)! Not only that, but he can gain the power of the other monsters in exchange for sealing them from the opponents for the rest of the move! That won’t matter in this case, since I have more than enough power left to win! Starving Venom, wipe out Pinkie’s Odd Eyes and end this Duel!” Spike cried out as his dragon created a strong energy burst that proceeded to wipe out Pinkie’s monster and her remaining Life Points. As Spike panted from exhaustion and smiled at his victory, he looked over and saw that Pinkie was lying down after her loss. “Pinkie! Are you okay?!” Spike asked in concern as he and the other tried to wake her.
“Man! She looks about as wiped out as I am after my stunt practice!” Rainbow noted.
“You think she’ll be all right?” Flutershy asked, concerned.
“Now, don’t worry, girls. This game can be exhausting if intense enough, but right now ah doubt Pinkie is in any serious danger,” Applejack reassured. At this point, Pinkie started to get up. “See? What did ah say?”
“That was…totally amazing!” Pinkie cheered as she hugged Spike. “That was easily the best Duel that I’ve ever been a part of…well, the parts I can remember of it anyway.”
“Wait…you don’t remember everything, darling?” Rarity asked as Pinkie confirmed this with a nod. “What about that Pendulum Summoning? That had to have been memorable seeing as how that appears to be the first one of its kind.”
“Well…I remember part of it…just not where it came from. One moment I was about to lose, the next I have these cool new cards and a voice telling me what to do,” Pinkie revealed.
“That’s…weird,” Rainbow shook her head.
“Not by much, since I did hear a voice like that myself,” Spike admitted.
“That’s…that’s strange…,” Rarity noted.
“Well, now that the scary Duel is over, maybe now you can show us more about how that Pendulum Summon works,” Fluttershy suggested.
“Uh…sorry. I’m drawing a blank here,” Pinkie shook her head.
“You mean ya don’t remember that part at all?!” Applejack was shocked.
“Uh…nopey dopey!” Pinkie answered as the nearby ponies comically fell. “Anyways, Twilight, Dashie, how did you enjoy your first Duel?”
“Um…Pinkie Pie? Twilight left a while ago. She didn’t care for this nerd game and neither did I,” Rainbow bluntly noted.
“Aw man!” Pinkie yelled, disappointed at the lack of enthusiasm for the game.
“Ya sure about that, Rainbow? You did almost seem to enjoy it a few moments there,” Applejack teased.
“Yes, I’m sure I didn’t enjoy it!” Rainbow denied enjoying the game.
“As much as I dislike agreeing with Applejack, I do agree with her that you smiled at a few points. I’ve seen ponies lie about liking things in the past, and I can tell that you’re lying about something here,” Rarity said.
“Yeah! You don’t need to worry about enjoying the game, Dashie. Heck, if you’d like, we can Duel right now. Maybe experiencing the game itself will help you to open up and give it a chance,” Pinkie suggested.
“First, the name’s Rainbow Dash. Second, I don’t even have a Deck or Duel Disk, so you have no way to play with me,” Rainbow suggested to get out of playing the game.
“Oh…okie dokie! I understand!” Pinkie said cheerfully.
“Good, so I can go?” Rainbow bluntly said as Applejack and Rarity shook their heads at Rainbow’s tactlessness.
“Go? But what about our Duel?” Pinkie asked with innocent confusion.
“What? But didn’t I say…?” Rainbow asked.
“That all you need to play is a Deck and Duel Disk! Fortunately for you…,” Pinkie grabbed another Duel Disk complete with a Deck from inside her hair. “I always hold a spare Deck on me in case of emergencies! So come on, Dashie! Let’s get our game on!” Pinkie cheered as she placed the Duel Disk on Rainbow’s left forehoof..
“Uh…I just realized that I need to go to the bathroom. I-I’ll be right back,” Rainbow lied as as she zoomed off.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Rainbow, to no one’s surprise, did not head to the restroom. Instead, she headed to a cloud outside of the small library and proceeded to think about Pinkie’s offer.

It’s not that she’s never played or didn’t enjoy Dueling. But…To be honest, her feelings toward Duel Monsters were complicated. She could get enjoyment from the game. Heck, she did so just now. Heck, while her understanding of the rules were kinda rusty, she still could remember how to play given time.

No, her reason for not wanting to play the game came down to two things. First, it would ruin her image. Rainbow was an awesome and cool pony, and ponies like her would look nerdy and eggheaded if they were to try and play this game openly. But…that wasn’t the only reason.

Her second reason was…

“So…Rainbow Dash, at last we meet,” A voice rang out from out of nowhere, freaking out the cyan mare.

“AHHH!” Rainbow screamed as she looked around for the source of the voice. After a few moments of looking, she didn’t see the source. She was the only pony out here and within range, so it couldn’t be a pony that spoke. “Okay…Pinkie’s randomness is making me go crazy if I’m hearing voices.

“Actually, you’re not insane, Rainbow Dash,” The voice spoke again as Rainbow looked once more. This time she looked and saw a strange eye appear on her Duel Disk. Said eye was yellow and red. “Perfect! You found me! Now we can get to talk-.”

“Who or what are you?! I’ve seen Duel Disks before, and none of them can speak! What is your deal here?!” Rainbow demanded.

“Looks like you still lack manners, Rainbow Dash. Very well, I’ll tell you my name. My name is-,” The eye began…only for Rainbow to interrupt again.

“Look, I don’t care what your name is! Just…let me forget about Dueling again so that I can be happy again! And the sooner the better!” Rainbow yelled.

“Rude! I was just trying to be civil. But…you know, whatever is bothering you keeping it locked up in you can’t be of use to anyone,” The eye said.

“Whatever! It’s worked before and it will work now! Now just leave me alone so I can be awesome for the Wonderbolts later!” Rainbow demanded.

“But…if you don’t listen to what I have to say, you’ll never remember Theodore or the Lost Incident!” The eye yelled.

At this, Rainbow froze. It had been years since she last heard those names. And, if she could have helped it, she’d rather have never heard them again.

“You lose!”

The Lost Incident carried many painful memories, and not just emotionally.

“You lose!”

It was one thing that she and that other kid would be starved if they didn’t Duel well, but then…

“You lose!”

She could still feel that sensation that was a strong jolt. Even clouds couldn’t zap as hard in her mind.

“You lose!”

And her parents disappearing after all was said and done…

“Rainbow Dash!” The eye yelled once more, shocking Rainbow out of her current state. “Look, I know that things couldn’t have been easy for you. After all-.”

“No, you couldn’t know because you’re just a weird magic eye! You never had to go through what I went through!” Rainbow yelled out.

“But Rainbow…,” The eye pleaded.

“No! I’m sorry, but I’m not going to listen to you if what you need has anything to do with the Lost Incident! So, just scram!” Rainbow demanded.

“...Fine. I suppose I should let you cool off before I continue talking. Just remember, Rainbow, regardless of what you think, you’re not alone,” The eye said as he disappeared from the Duel Disk.

“Finally! I thought he’d never leave!” Rainbow yelled out. However, in spite of what she currently thought, their business was far from over. If anything, it was just about to begin…
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Later that night…
Twilight was trying to read over the few books she had gotten before she was asked to party by the other ponies. However, the booming of muffled disco music kept her from focusing. In fact, as much as she tried, it even kept her from sleeping.
As the clock was ticking, Twilight lifted her head, which had a pillow on top if it as she tried and failed to block out the noise. As Twilight groaned, the door had unexpectedly opened, with Spike coming in wearing a lamp top on his head.
“Hey Twilight! Pinkie Pie's starting "pin the tail on the pony"! Wanna play?” Spike asked.
“No! All the ponies in this town are crazy! Do you know what time it is?!” Twilight yelled in disbelieving frustration.
“It's the eve of the Summer Sun Celebration. Everypony has to stay up, or they'll miss the Princess raise the sun! You really should lighten up, Twilight. It's a party!” Spike tried to reason as he repositioned the lamp top and left to return to the party, Twilight mockingly imitating him as he left, the door closing right behind him.
As Twilight turned onto her back, positioning her pillow over her stomach, she groaned in frustration, “Ugh, here I thought I'd have time to learn about the Elements of Harmony but, silly me, all this ridiculous friend-making and Duel Monsters watching has kept me from it! Twilight was getting really mad by this point. The fate of Equestria was at stake and no one but her seemed to care. However, Twilight then turned to see the moon, with the Mare in the Moon on it. There were many stars close to the moon, which appeared to slowly getting closer with each passing minute. In somber worry, she recited, “"Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about everlasting night." I hope the Princess was right... I hope it really is just an old pony tale…”

At this point, Spike reopened the door and yelled out, “C'mon, Twilight, it's time to watch the sunrise!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It’s just like it was planned. The many ponies of Ponyville had gathered in town hall to see the Princess raise the sun. Twilight, of course, had stood there with everyone else, even with her many reservations. However, the brainy unicorn wasn’t left alone for long as Pinkie Pie popped up next to her and said, “Isn't this exciting? Are you excited, 'cause I'm excited, I've never been so excited— well, except for the time that I saw you walking into town and I went, gasp but I mean really, who can top that? Well, maybe Spike and I’s Duel. Heck, maybe I can ask the Princess if the two of us can Duel once the sun comes up in order to further celebrate and-.”
“Pinkie…once again, I’m not a Duelist. Find somepony else to play with. Besides, we don’t have time for that kind of nonsense, seeing as-,” Twilight began only to be interrupted by the pink mare.
“Well, maybe you just need to learn! After all, I didn’t start a pro, after all. It took me months to get good enough to Pendulum Summon! I just need to remember how it works and then-,” Pinkie went on another tangent…only to be interrupted by fanfare.
At this point, a gray haired mare named Mayor Mare had appeared from behind the curtains on a higher story of town hall. “Fillies and gentlecolts, as mayor of Ponyville, it is my great pleasure to announce the beginning of the Summer Sun Celebration!” As was expected, the townsponies of Ponyville cheered, ready for the following day to begin. “In just a few moments, our town will witness the magic of the sunrise, and celebrate this, the longest day of the year!” Around this point, Twilight looked outside again, seeing that the stars near the moon had gone into the moon, with the Mare in the Moon vanishing shortly after. As Twilight turned back to the celebration, she nervously gulped. “And now, it is my great honor to introduce to you the ruler of our land, the very pony who gives us the sun and the moon each and every day, the good, the wise, the bringer of harmony to all of Equestria…”
“Ready?” Fluttershy questioned her birds, hoping they were ready to sing.
“...Princess Celestia!” The mayor cried out as the birds sang and Rarity had opened the curtain where the princess was…or at least, was supposed to be.
“Huh?” Rarity looked and was confused by the lack of their noble and loving ruler. The many confused and scared ponies began chattering quietly and nervously in the background, not sure just what was going on.
“This can't be good,” Twilight noted nervously.
“Remain calm, everypony, there must be a reasonable explanation!” The mayor tried to calm down and reassure the gathered ponies. Meanwhile, Rarity had gone into the back to look for their beloved ruler.
“Ooh, ooh, I love guessing games! Is she hiding?” Pinkie guessed.
Rarity had returned, but not with good news. “She's gone!”
“Ooh, she's good,” Pinkie blithely said, unaware of how bad the current situation truly was. Suddenly, the mare yelped as a bunch of purple and blue smoke appeared where the princess was supposed to be, causing all the ponies present to fearfully gasp as the smoke formed a large alicorn shape.
“Oh no... Nightmare Moon!” Much to Twilight’s horror as her brother Spike fainted, Nightmare Moon had returned. She had hoped that, like Celestia said, it was nothing more than an old pony’s tale. However, here she was. As real as could be, and there was no telling what she was going to do now.

“Oh, my beloved subjects. It's been so long since I've seen your precious little sun-loving faces,” Nightmare Moon greeted the ponies of Ponyville spitefully, who were all confused and scared.

“What did you do with our Princess?!” Rainbow Dash demanded as she was about to rush the ancient alicorn, only for Applejack to grab her by the tail.

“Whoa there, Nelly…,” Applejack said, muffled.

Nightmare Moon proceeded to chuckle evilly, “Why, am I not royal enough for you? Don't you know who I am?”

“Ooh, ooh, more guessing games! Um, Hokey Smokes! How about... Queen Meanie! No! Black Snooty, Black Snooty—,” Pinkie Pie guessed before Applejack put a snack into Pinkie’s mouth to silence her and avoid enraging the threatening alicorn.

“Does my crown no longer count now that I have been imprisoned for a thousand years?” Nightmare Moon questioned in annoyance as she got close to the terrified Fluttershy. Almost as quickly, Nightmare Moon changed gears and went over to Rarity. “Did you not recall the legend? Did you not see the signs?”

“I did. And I know who you are. You're the Mare in the Moon – Nightmare Moon!” Twilight revealed her knowledge of the threat, causing the ponies present to gasp as they realized who she was.

“You mean to tell me that this is that same jerk that Nightmare Night is centered around?” Rainbow Dash was confused.

“Apparently,” Applejack noted, muffled.

“Well well well, somepony who remembers me. Then you also know why I'm here,” Nightmare Moon responded to Twilight’s apparent knowledge.

“You're here to... to…,” Twilight gulped as she lost her nerve, remembering that Nightmare Moon was overpowering compared to her.

“Remember this day, little ponies, for it was your last. From this moment forth, the night will last forever!” Nightmare Moon confidently laughed evilly as she summoned a bunch of thunder.

Author's Note

Hello. I decided the best thing to do with my Yugioh stories was to restart them with a different mindset than I initially had. I hope you all enjoy this story. Oh, and if you have any suggestions on what to do in the future, please let me know.

The Elements of Harmony-The Terrifying Lunar Light and Tri-Horned Dragon

Today was turning out to be the worst day, err, night in Equestria’s history. For starters, the Mare in the Moon, Nightmare Moon, had returned from her prison inside the moon. To make matters worse, Princess Celestia, the one pony with the power to stop her, had just vanished to who knows where.

As the ponies all stood there in shock and fear, Nightmare Moon was laughing sinisterly as her mane generated a bunch of smoke clouds above where she was standing.

“Seize her! Only she knows where the Princess is!” Ponyville’s Mayor Mare commanded the royal guards present to try and capture the evil mare of darkness.

As the guards rushed at her, Nightmare Moon looked annoyed rather than scared. “Stand back, you foals!” Nightmare Moon yelled before laughing once more. As she laughed, lightning started to come from her smoke clouds, startling the guards before the lightning blasted them back, screaming as they did so. Having grander plans for Equestria, and also being done here for the present, Nightmare Moon turned into a shadow specter and began to zoom off.

Around this time, Applejack’s grip on Rainbow’s tail finally was broken by the athletic pegasus and the pegasus began to try and chase Nightmare Moon. “Come back here!” The pegasus yelled as she zoomed outside…only to see that the mare was gone. As the mare was gone and with it, a lot of the hope of fixing things, a panting Rainbow showed some vulnerability as she noted with worry, “Nighttime? Forever?” Rainbow’s worry was interrupted, however, as she heard and then saw Twilight race off from town hall, with a sleeping Spike in tow. “Where's she going?” Rainbow wondered as she decided to follow Twilight, suspicious of what the mare was trying to do.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Uh... We gotta stop Nightmare!...,” A sleepy Spike tried to stay awake and help in spite of how exhausted he was. However, he fell asleep once more. Twilight, not wanting to push Spike any further, decided to use her telekinesis to place him into bed; a basket with a blanket and pillows.

“You've been up all night, Spike. You are a baby dragon after all,” After making sure Spike was comfy, Twilight left the bedroom and turned out the light. Upon doing so, she began to race across the library section of the room, looking through book after book to find more info on the wicked mare of darkness. “Elements, elements, elements... Ugh! How can I stop Nightmare Moon without the Elements of Harmony?”

“And just what are the Elements of Harmony?” Rainbow demanded as she had rushed into the library and flew into a scared Twilight’s face. While Rainbow had gotten a good first impression from the eggheaded brainiac, she was beginning to doubt that first impression. After all, how was she the only one to put together the truth about Nightmare Moon? Speaking of, Rainbow questioned further, “And how did you know about Nightmare Moon, huh? Are you a spy?” Before she could continue, she was pulled back from Twilight by Applejack, who along with Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie, had also followed the purple unicorn to find out what was going on.

“Simmer down, Sally. She ain't no spy. But she sure knows what's going on. Don't you, Twilight?” Applejack patiently and gently questioned, wanting to be fair and let Twilight tell what was going on.

Twilight stood there nervously, unsure for a moment if she should say anything. However, after a moment, she decided to trust them with the truth. “I read all about the prediction of Nightmare Moon. Some mysterious objects called the Elements of Harmony are the only things that can stop her, but I don't know what they are, where to find them; I don't even know what they do!”

“"The Elements of Harmony: A Reference Guide,”” Pinkie Pie read from a book’s spine on a bookshelf.

“How did you find that?!” Twilight was dumbfounded as she rushed over to Pinkie, seeing the book was indeed there.

Pinkie Pie bounced up and down as she said in a sing-song voice, “It was under "E"!”

“Oh,” Twilight mentally facepalmed at having overlooked the book earlier. At this, she used her magic to grab the book and open it. As the pages fluttered, she looked for a page that would give her the answer needed. She eventually found it, reading, “There are six Elements of Harmony, but only five are known: Kindness, Laughter, Generosity, Honesty and Loyalty.” Meanwhile, unbeknownst to the six ponies, the dark smoke wisp that was Nightmare Moon was watching what was going on through the window. She had secretly followed after making her escape, not wanting to take any risks after learning that there was a pony that would remember her. She considered just destroying them..,but she decided she had a better, more fun, idea…using her magic, she secretly grabbed the Duel Disks that Twilight and Rainbow were given earlier and then left. Not noticing the magic abnormality, Twilight continued reading, “The sixth is a complete mystery. It is said, the last known location of the five elements was in the ancient castle of the royal pony sisters. It is located in what is now…”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“...The Everfree Forest!” The six ponies nervously said as they had arrived at the forest in question. Said forest was known in Ponyville and even in other parts of Equestria as one of the most dangerous places one could ever go. Weather patterns that were foreign to ponies as they controlled themselves and dangerous beasts almost as foreign to most ponies outside of books made this place among the scariest in all of Equestria…Not that everyone was fully afraid.

“Whee! Let's go!” Pinkie naively cheered, only for Twilight to stop her.

“Not so fast. Look, I appreciate the offer, but I'd really rather do this on my own,” Twilight warned, not wanting to get these strangers hurt saving the world.

“No can do, sugarcube. We sure ain't lettin' any friend of ours go into that creepy place alone. We're stickin' to you like caramel on a candy apple,” Applejack declined as the other ponies began walking into the Everfree, with Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Fluttershy agreeing.

“Especially if there's candy apples in there. What? Those things are good,” Pinkie weirdly said.

Twilight Sparkle, meanwhile, sighed as she walked into the forest after them, not knowing that their help would not only prove instrumental, but even become welcome to her later on.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The path to the Elements was indeed very dangerous. When the six ponies first arrived in the forest, the ground on a cliff beneath them gave out and they needed Rainbow and Fluttershy’s help to save them from falling to their doom. Twilight wasn’t quite rescued as fast as the others and was close to falling off a ledge. Applejack caught her by her forehooves and was ready to try and save her…only to suddenly say she should let go, promising, in spite of Twilight’s protests, that she’s telling the truth and will be fine. Fortunately, Applejack wasn’t lying or being unreliable as Rainbow and Fluttershy both caught her and saved her, leaving Twilight to marvel at the farm ponies' honesty and reliability.

After that, they were confronted by a massive and furious manticore that wasn’t defeated as easily as they’d like at first. While they tried to fight him, Fluttershy kept on trying to stop the others, only for nothing to stop either party. Eventually, Fluttershy finally yelled and got in the others way, checking to see what caused the manticore to be mad…and found that he had a thorn in his paw. Fluttershy got the thorn out and the grateful beast licked her like a dog would. When asked about what made her notice the thorn, Fluttershy told Twilight she didn’t see it and was just being kind.

Shortly after this, the six ponies found themselves in a darker part of the forest, where many scary and potentially dangerous trees were found. Five of the ponies were scared, but Pinkie sang a childish, yet catchy, song to encourage them to face their fears and laugh at the trees. As weird as this was, the others did so after seeing it work for Pinkie and the ponies left this part of the forest having had a blast and left happier than when they entered.

Finally, the happy ponies found a massive water serpent, blocking their path as he was stirring up the water, wailing over how his precious mustache was ruined by a cloud of blue smoke. While most of the ponies were confused or annoyed, Rarity instead showed sympathy to the serpent and ultimately cut off part of her tail to replace his mustache half that was severed. Grateful at the unicorn’s generosity, he not only stopped stirring up the water but also helped them cross it.

Finally, after quite a bit of time crossing the Everfree, the six ponies finally saw the Castle of the Two Sisters. “There it is, the ruin that holds The Elements of Harmony. We made it!” Twilight gleefully yelled as she saw the ruins, surrounded by a thick fog. Caught up in her excitement, she was quick to begin running.

“Twilight, wait for us!” Applejack called back.

“We're almost there,” Twilight was ecstatic as she ran…only to nearly fall off a cliff that was hard to see because of the fog. “Whoa!”

Fortunately, it turned out that Rainbow had grabbed her by the tail and pulled her up, saving her from falling off the cliff. “What's with you and falling off cliffs today?” Rainbow teased.

“Now what?” Pinkie sighed, as it looked as though the six of them were stuck.

“Duh,” Rainbow flapped her wings to remind the pink mare she could fly.

“Oh yeah,” Pinkie realized as Rainbow began to fly over to the other side of the gorge, grabbing the other side of the rope bridge below before flying to the other end and began to tie up the bridge to be usable once more.

However, before Rainbow could continue, she suddenly heard a voice, “Rainbow…”

“Who's there?” Rainbow demanded in confusion.

“Rainbow…,” The voice called once more.

“I ain't scared of you! Show yourself!” Rainbow demanded.

“We've been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the best flier in Equestria,” The voice, both soothing and sinister at once, answered.

“Who?” Rainbow asked in confusion.

“Why, you, of course,” The voice answered.

“Really?!” Rainbow was pleasantly surprised…only to put on the confident front once more. “I mean... Oh yeah, me. Hey, uh, you wouldn't mind telling the Wonderbolts that, would ya? 'Cause I've been trying to get into that group for, like, ever.”

“No, Rainbow Dash. We want you to join us, the Shadowbolts,” At this, the voice finally revealed itself to be a gray pegasus mare with a blue mane and wearing a purple flight suit. With her were two other ponies with a similar look. “We're the greatest aerial team in the Everfree Forest, and soon we will be the greatest in all Equestria, but first, we need a captain,” The mare said as Rainbow gave a big and expectant smile. “The most magnificent…”

“Yep,” Rainbow took the compliment as the Shadowbolt mare flew around in front of the rainbow pegasus.

“Swiftest…”

“Yes.”

“Bravest flier in all the land.”

“Yes,” Rainbow chuckled. “It's all true.”

“We need... you,” The mare whispered to Rainbow.

“WOOHOO! Sign me up. Just let me tie this bridge real quick and then we have a deal,” Rainbow said as she was prepared to tie up the bridge for the others before leaving…only for the Shadowbolts to harshly deny this.

“No! It's them or us,” The leader demanded.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the bridge, Twilight was wondering what was keeping the athletic mare. “Rainbow, what's taking so long?” She tried to call out…only to see that Shadowbolt leader. Twilight began to realize this was likely a trap…only for the “Shadowbolt” to move the fog with an eye gesture and make Twilight harder to hear. “Oh no. Rainbow! Don't listen to them.”

“Well?” With no more interruptions, the Shadowbolt asked for an answer.

After only a second to think, Rainbow answered, “You... Thank you! For the offer, I mean, but I'm afraid I have to say no.” At this, Rainbow finished tying the bridge in place and flew back over to the other side to her cheering friends as the “Shadowbolts” disappeared into a cloud of smoke and flew off.

“See? I'd never leave my friends hangin',” Rainbow explained to Twilight as she flew at Twilight’s side as the ponies crossed the bridge.

Twilight was kinda amazed, to be honest. Throughout the day, these ponies at first seemed to just be a massive annoyance, getting in Twilight’s way of saving Equestria. But, not only were they instrumental in helping her get to the castle where the Elements were, but she was beginning to like them. Maybe even consider them…

“Come on, Twilight. Isn't this what you've been waitin' for?” Applejack asked as they entered the front room of the castle, some big spherical stones present.

“The Elements of Harmony, we've found them. Careful, careful!” Twilight warned as Rainbow and Fluttershy began to bring the stones off the pillars and onto the ground in front of the others.

“One, two, three, four... There's only five!” Pinkie noted.

“Where's the sixth?” Rainbow asked with confusion.

“The book said: when the five are present, a spark will cause the sixth Element to be revealed,” Twilight reminded the others of what the book said.

“What in the hay is that supposed to mean?” Applejack was confused.

“I'm not sure, but I have an idea. Stand back. I don't know what will happen,” Twilight warned as she began to light her horn with magic.

“Come on now, y'all. She needs to concentrate,” Applejack warned as the ponies left the chamber, but still staying close enough to see and possibly help Twilight.

Suddenly, as it looked like Twilight was about to create a spark for the Elements, a purple and blue tornado began to appear, enveloping the elements in it.

“Twilight!” The other ponies yelled in concern.

“The Elements!” Twilight, not wanting to lose their only chance at stopping the evil mare, jumped into the tornado. Eventually, the tornado did disappear…only for the Elements and Twilight to be nowhere to be seen.

As the five ponies began to worry about their friend, Applejack asked, “Twilight, where are you?”

“Look!” Rarity pointed to another part of the castle that had glowing bright lights coming from it.

“Come on!” Applejack yelled as she and the other four began to run over to help Twilight.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the distant tower…

Twilight was coughing as she recovered from being teleported by the smoke-like energy. “Wh-where am I?” Twilight asked as she looked around.

“Why, you’re in my old home, of course. Thanks for letting yourself in, but I’m afraid I no longer need your help,” A sweet, yet sinister, voice said.

“What do you mean?!” Twilight demanded.

“To put it simply, after your little acknowledgement of who I was back in that one hick town, I knew it would only be a matter of time before you went after one of the only things capable of stopping me. So I decided to follow and try to stop you from reaching the Elements. Or, failing that, destroy them for good so that they couldn’t be used against me,” The voice answered.

“Wait…I get it now! The cliff, the manticore, the trees, the river, and the bridge! I-It was all you, Nightmare Moon!” Twilight realized, trying to hide her massive fear all she could.

“Why, yes! It is me!” Nightmare Moon finally appeared at the back of the room with the five elements.

Twilight gasps as she sees the mare of darkness and the only thing capable of stopping her. Twilight began to think of another way to stop the mare, but began to struggle.

“Aw, what’s the matter? Ran out of ways for you and those pathetic sun-loving cretins to “save the day?” Well, I’m the one that is calling the shots and…I think I found a good way to settle this without making it completely in my favor!” Nightmare Moon sneered.

“A-And that would be?” Twilight asked. At this, Nightmare Moon generated two Duel Disks with cards in them, throwing one of them to Twilight. “Wait…this game? You know about it?”

“Of course! Back in the past, my sister and I used to play this game all the time….Though we used to play with stone slabs rather than use up a ton of paper,” Nightmare Moon explained.

“B-But why play this game? Couldn’t you just zap me like the guards, but worse?” Twilight was scared, but also being cautious and suspicious.

“I could…but I’ve observed you for a while, and I can say that you are a smart cookie, maybe one of the best I’ve seen in some time. I would love it if you’d consider working with me,” Nightmare Moon suggested.

“Not a chance!” Twilight declined harshly.

“Ah, but it’s not your call. See, this game can do more than you think. It’s not just a fun child’s game. In Equestria, this game holds a magical power. Against threats even as powerful as me, I would be weakened if I lost, weak enough for you to possibly beat with the Elements…provided your magic is enough to make them work, that is. We’ll Duel right here and now. You win, I return Equestria’s sun and your precious Princess. I win, and Equestria is mine forever! So…Twilight was it? Shall we begin?” Nightmare Moon asked as she got on her Duel Disk and drew five cards.

“I-I-I,” Twilight was conflicted. Never for a moment would she have thought that this simple card game would have such a powerful magic associated with it that it could take energy out of the loser. She was under the impression it was just for fun. Still, she wasn’t convinced she could win. Heck, even if she did, Nightmare Moon could back out on their deal. Still, she had to do something. And it seemed like the only solution was obvious. “Fine. Let’s Duel.”

Nightmare Moon-4000 LP

Twilight Sparkle-4000 LP

“Perfect! And, to be sporting, I’ll even take the first move! I start by summoning my Lunalight Blue Cat in Attack Mode (Lunalight Blue Cat Attack 1600 LVL 4)! I’ll then end my turn with two cards facedown. Your move, Miss Sparkle,” Nightmare Moon made a simple first turn.

“I bet you’re very confident you’ll win based on being more experienced. Am I right?” Twilight asked.

“Hmm…more or less,” Nightmare Moon admitted.

“Yeah, well you’ll remember that I’m a very smart unicorn, and won’t be beaten easily! So, prepare for defeat! I draw!” Twilight cried out as she drew and looked at her starting hand. It consisted of Mystical Space Typhoon, Dark Magic Veil, Dark Magician Girl, Magic Cylinder, Magician's Valkyria, and Chocolate Magician Girl. “Wait…a spellcaster Deck? The princess got me a bunch of magic users for my starting Deck?! T-That’s…so thoughtful of her! Maybe I was being a bit too rash…but I can’t treat this game too lightly. After all, with one false move, Nightmare Moon will win and become unstoppable. Still, it seems I have an ideal first move…” “To begin, I’ll play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon! With it, I can destroy one of your facedown cards! But since you have two, I’ll have to go and select one! And…I choose…the one on the left!” Twilight decided as a whirlwind destroyed the set card, which was revealed to be Mirror Force.

“Not a bad move for a rookie! When that trap is activated upon an attack being declared, I would have been able to destroy all your attack position monsters. And since monsters need to be on the offensive to attack, that would have been bad news for you!” Nightmare Moon explained with a cruel laugh.

“But since it’s gone, I don’t have to worry about it! I now play the spell card Dark Magic Veil! With it, by paying 1000 LP, I can now special summon a Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl from my hand or grave without using my Normal Summon! (Twilight-3000 LP) Arise, Dark Magician Girl (Dark Magician Girl Attack 2000 LVL 6)! Next, I’ll use my Normal Summon to bring out Magician’s Valkyria (Magician’s Valkyria Attack 1600 LVL 4)! Now…I’ll have my Dark Magician Girl attack your Lunalight Blue Cat! Dark Burning Attack (Nightmare Moon-3600 LP)! Looks like I’m already taking the lead, Nightmare Moon!” Twilight noted, having some fun in spite of the stakes.

Much to the unicorn’s confusion and worry, Nightmare Moon was unfettered. I must thank you so much, you idiotic unicorn. You did EXACTLY what I wanted you to do! I play my trap card Lunalight Reincarnation Dance! With this trap, I am now able to add two different Lunalight monsters to my hand. So…say hello to Lunalight White Rabbit and Lunalight Purple Butterfly! It’s only the second move and I’m already ahead of you! Too bad, so sad!” Nightmare Moon mocked.

“W-Well…remember that this Duel has only just begun! Magician’s Valkyria, attack with Mystic Scepter Blast (Nightmare Moon-2000 LP)! I’ll then end my turn with a facedown. It’s your move, Nightmare Moon!” Twilight ended her move.

“And it’ll be one for the history books! I draw!” Nightmare Moon drew her card.

“This may be concerning. I don’t know much about this game or what Nightmare Moon’s cards can do. Still, as long as she can’t summon her stronger monsters, I still have a chance…” Twilight thought to herself.

“Still thinking you can win, right? Well…Not for long! I play my ultimate card Polymerization! I can use its power in order to bring out my ultimate monster! I fuse Lunalight Black Sheep with Lunalight Purple Butterfly! Now…by combining the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress with the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, I can create a new lunar legend! I fusion summon! Say hello to Lunalight Cat Dancer (Lunalight Cat Dancer Attack 2400 LVL 7)! Now…the real challenge is about to begin!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, the Mane 5 were on their way to the tower where Twilight and Nightmare Moon currently were. It only took a few minutes, but they were almost there. However, before they could make it there, they suddenly heard a familiar evil laugh.

“Eeek! W-W-What’s that?!” Fluttershy jumped back in fear.

“That wicked laugh…it must be…,” Rarity began.

“Nightmare Moon! That evil alicorn must have annihilated Twilight and now wants to destroy us! Well, I won’t let her!” Rainbow yelled, ready to run forward…only for Applejack to hold her back.

“Now, settle down there, sugarcube. We don’t know that. Though…her coming here likely doesn't mean anything good,” Applejack tried to remain calm.

“I’d say it’s half and half, my lovely backstabbing subjects!” The venomous voice said, scaring everyone but Pinkie.

“See, Rainbow? You were just overreacting!” Pinkie innocently said. “Wait…who said that?”

“Why, it was ME!” The Nightmare Moon yelled as she appeared in front of them.

“I-It’s…,” Fluttershy stuttered in terror.

“Nightmare Moon! I’ll avenge Twilight’s death right here and save Equestria!” Rainbow yelled as she rushed at Nightmare Moon…only for the mare to generate a force field around herself and to then blast at Rainbow, knocking her to the ground in pain.

“Relax, you sun-loving child! Twilight’s still alive…for now. I wouldn’t kill ponies that I believe would serve as great minions to me. On the contrary, I want all of you to join me!” Nightmare Moon revealed her endgame.

“Uh…no offense, but that seems like a dumb move!” Rarity shook her head.

“Yeah! Especially since we’re here to put a stop to you and save the Princess and Equestria!” Rainbow yelled in agreement.

“So…I’d suggest y’all put a stop to yer plans right now!” Applejack warned.

“Uh huh! So, stop with all the meanie games! Or you’ll be dealing with us!” Pinkie challenged.

“Yes, and hopefully Twilight is still alright after we fight you and get the Elements back!” Rarity demanded.

At this, Nightmare Moon laughed once more. “Really, my little ponies? You think you stand a chance against me? Well…no dice! Besides, the me you see before you isn’t even the real me. Hay, the real me is still dealing with that traitorous unicorn. Also, you wound me by saying I’m an irredeemable monster.”

“But…isn’t that what you are?” Rainbow was confused.

“Of course not! I can be reasonable when I want! In fact, I’ll prove it! I am kinda great at this one game. If you win, I’ll let you try to put a stop to my plans and save the traitor. Lose, and you become my minions for the rest of your lives!” Nightmare Moon gave her ultimatum.

“S-Sounds scary!” Fluttershy was wary.

“Yeah! What makes you think we can even trust y’all, anyway?” Applejack asked.

“Well…I guess you’ll just have to learn to trust me,” Nightmare Moon answered.

“W-What do you girls think? I mean, she doesn’t seem to be exactly trustworthy. But at the same time…this could be our only way past her copy,” Fluttershy reminded.

“Yes…and depending on the nature of the game it could be easy!” Rarity said.

“Ah wouldn’t be so easygoin’. After all, if she thinks she’s great at it, she probably believes we wouldn’t stand a chance,” Applejack warned.

“Then we’re gonna need a master at playing games if we plan on taking down that nightmarish mare!” Rainbow yelled.

“Oh! Oh! Maybe I can try! The game could be fun for all we know!” Pinkie raised her hoof gleefully.

Looking at the pink mare and realizing that she was their best bet at winning, they decided to accept.

“Okay, we agree Nightmare Moon! So…what is the game Pinkie will be playing then?” Rainbow asked.

“Now, now…I never said you’d get to choose the player…Rainbow Dash the future Shadowbolt!” Nightmare Moon said in a false nice way.

“Wait! How did you know…wait! I get it! You were that Shadowbolt trio, or at least were connected to them!” Rainbow realized.

“But of course! I needed a way to keep anyone from the Elements of Harmony. When weakened by my game, they’re the one thing capable of stopping me! So…Rainbow Dash…let’s get ready to Duel!” Nightmare Moon said as she summoned her Duel Disk and one for Rainbow; the same one from earlier that night.

“W-Wait! A Duel?!

“Yes…I Duel is exactly what is going…wait. Where are we? And who is that massive pony doing over there?” The red and yellow eye was confused as it popped out from the Duel Disk.

“She’s Nightmare Moon, and we need to stop her or night will last forever!” Rainbow answered.

“True…but who are you talking about, Dashie?” Fluttershy asked in confusion.

“It appears ta be her Duel Disk,” Applejack noted.

“Strange, though. It looks like the one I gave her. But there wasn’t any fun and adorable friends in there for me!” Pinkie was sad.

“Thanks! Also, if this situation can be decided by a Duel, perhaps now would be a good time to get used to it again, Rainbow. After all, if we’re going to work together, we need to forge a bond,” The eye said.

“No! No, I won’t! C-Can’t you have someone else play this eggheaded game?!” Rainbow tried to counter.

“But Rainbow Dash…,” The eye was concerned.

“Sorry, but your random voice and you will be the only ones playing tonight, Rainbow! Now…let’s Duel!” Nightmare Moon yelled.

Nightmare Moon- 4000 LP

Rainbow Dash- 4000 LP

“W-Wait! But I didn’t…!” Rainbow’s protests were immediately ignored.

“It’s my turn! I draw! I summon Hunter Dragon in Attack mode (Hunter Dragon Attack 1700 LVL 3)! I then end my turn with a facedown. It’s your move now, Miss Dash!” Nightmare Moon ignored the mare.

“Well…we have no choice but to Duel now, Miss Dash,” The eye said.

“Great! Just what I needed! To be forced into my biggest fe–er…lame dislike of all time!” Rainbow badly lied.

“Hold on there, Rainbow. Ah could tell there’s something else botherin’ ya. What is it?” Applejack asked, trying to be supportive.

“Yeah…I know Duels are not your thing, but even so, there must be a reason to be against them so strongly other than disinterest. Are you afr-?” Fluttershy asked only to be interrupted.

“No! I am not scared! I am the bravest pony in all of Equestria! I’ll save us all and Equestria too! I just wish it didn’t have to be through a weak game!” Rainbow denied.

“So…you’re finally going to Duel, Rainbow?” The eye asked, seeming pleased.

“But of course! Though don’t bother me about it afterward because this will be a one time thing! I draw! First…since you control a monster and I don’t, I can special summon Vice Dragon from my hand, though his attack and defense will be cut in half when I do (Vice Dragon Attack 2000->1000 LVL 5)! Next, I’ll sacrifice my Vice Dragon in order to Tribute Summon my amazing Strong Wind Dragon (Strong Wind Dragon Attack 2400->3400 LVL 6)!” Rainbow began.

“Whoa nelly! I never thought y’all would be able to bring out a monster this strong on the first move!” Applejack was amazed.

“Yeah, and one so simply gorgeous to boot…But wait. Why are his points so high?” Rarity asked.

“Simply put, Strong Wind Dragon, when Tribute Summoned by using a Dragon, his points increase by half their attack!” Rainbow explained.

“Wow, Dashie! For a rookie at the game, you sure did pull off an awesome combo there!” Pinkie cheered.

“Of course I did! I did this all the time as a filly!” Rainbow boasted.

“Looks like you still have love for this game, Rainbow,” The eye noted as Rainbow realized what she said.

“Right…Well, don’t get used to it! I now play the spell card Double Summon! With it, I can now perform a second Normal Summon this turn! Now…arise my tough and speedy buddy, Speed Warrior (Speed Warrior Attack 900 LVL 2)!” Rainbow cried out.

“Wow! Not a bad play! You managed to bring out a second monster on your first move! It’s almost like you’ve used this Deck before!” Pinkie noted.

“But that can’t be! After all, she just got this Deck, right?” Rarity noted.

“Well…to be honest…I remember Rainbow-,” Fluttershy began only for Rainbow to interrupt.

“That doesn’t matter! All that does is that Nightmare Moon is going down! I now will attack Hunter Dragon with Speed Warrior!” Rainbow cried out.

“But he only has 900 Attack Points! What’s she thinkin’?” Applejack was confused.

“When this monster attacks, he can gain a grand total of 900 points if he was Normal Summoned this turn (Speed Warrior-1800 Attack)! Go, Hyper Sonic Slash!” Rainbow cried out as Speed Warrior sliced the dragon in two (Nightmare Moon-3900 LP). “Now…for the big blow! Strong Wind Dragon, slice at Nightmare Moon’s Life Points (Nightmare Moon-500 LP)! So, you regret challenging me to this Duel now?”

“Of course not! I can still win!” Nightmare Moon was completely assured of her victory.

“Oh, I know I’m awe- wait what?! But you barely have any Life Points left!” Rainbow was confused.

“True…but any Duelist with the right cards can turn the Duel around in their favor, regardless of their current Life Points,” The eye said.

“Save the egghead junk for later! I have a Duel to win!” Rainbow brushed off the eye.

“Yeah, but you may want to consider-,” The eye interrupted.

“Consider what? How the world will be saved by me and my friends? Don’t worry! I got this! I’m gonna win this game on my next turn. In fact, I’m wondering why I even cared about this game in a bad way. I mean, I’m winning without even fully trying after all!” Rainbow interrupted the eye.

“Oh, Rainbow…,” The eye looked on in concern.

“I end my turn with a single facedown. Your mo-,” Rainbow ended her turn…only to see that her Warrior went back down to 900 Attack points. “What the hay?! How did my monster get weaker?!”

“I didn’t feel the need to remind you, but Speed Warrior only gains double the power on the turn he’s summoned. After that, he goes back down to his original Attack points. Maybe you still need my help after all?” The eye suggested.

“Not a chance!” Rainbow denied.

“Well, you’ll see that I’m more than capable of winning!” Nightmare Moon drew her card and grew a sadistic and cruel smile. “And I got just the card to turn things in my favor! I play my facedown card Call of the Haunted! With it, I can revive my Hunter Dragon! Next, since I control a Dragon monster on my field, I can Special Summon my mighty beast Assist Dragon (Assist Dragon Defense 1600 LVL 4)!” Nightmare Moon special summoned a bronze dragon with whiskers that resembled a massive hand. “Finally, I’ll tribute both of my mighty dragons in order to Tribute Summon your demise! Say hello to Tri-Horned Dragon (Tri-Horned Dragon Attack 2850 LVL 8)!”

Rainbow went from calm to frozen in an instant.

“You lose!”

The massive dragon began to rise from the ground.

“You lose!”

The claws pulled the dragon up and onto two massively clawed feet.

“You lose!”

Finally, the dragon roared as Nightmare Moon laughed wickedly.

“You lose!”

“So, I see you’ve met one of my biggest pets? Next to my Lunalights, this dragon is my absolute favorite beast and minion! But…that’s not the only reason I’ve played him, isn’t it Rainbow Dash?” Nightmare Moon mocked.

“What does she mean, Rainbow?” Applejack wondered as the cyan pegasus stood, still frozen with a look of terror on her face. “Rainbow? Sugarcube? Are you all right?”

“Yeah! You look sick, and not in the cool way!” Pinkie noted sympathetically.

“Rainbow?” The eye asked as Rainbow began to shiver. “Are you okay?”

Rainbow didn’t know how to respond. Heck, she barely even heard the others. All she knew was one feeling. Fear.

In that fear, there was nothing she could do other than to let out a terrified scream.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“This can’t be good. If Nightmare Moon thinks that this monster will win her the Duel, it must be powerful! And I still don’t know what kinds of abilities it may have,” Twilight worried.

“Correct you are! But you won’t be kept worried for long! I summon to my field Lunalight White Rabbit (Lunalight White Rabbit Attack 800 LVL 2)! I use her ability in order to return a Spell or Trap on your field for each Lunalight I control. So…that useless trap of yours will be going back to your hand!” Nightmare Moon laughed as Twilight groaned in annoyance. “Next, I’ll play my Lunalight Cat Dancer’s ability! I can tribute a Lunalight monster I have out in order to allow my graceful warrior to Attack every monster you have out twice this turn!”

“B-But how?! As Spike told me, a monster will be destroyed when attacked if they are weaker!” Twilight yelled.

“True, but Lunalight Cat Dancer can allow an attacked monster to survive the first hit! So, let’s get back to business! Lunalight Cat Dancer, attack Dark Magician Girl and Magician’s Valkyria twice each (Twilight-2600->2200->1400->600 LP)! I play one card facedown and end my turn. So, Miss Sparkle, what is your next pathetic move?” Nightmare Moon mocked.

“I-I’ll show you! I draw!” Twilight drew her Dark Magician. “Great! I had to draw a monster stronger than Nightmare Moon’s that I can’t even use! How in Equestria can I win?! The only monster I can bring out is Chocolate Magician Girl and she’s weaker than-wait…her effect! Maybe this can still work out!” “I summon to my field Chocolate Magician Girl in Attack Mode (Chocolate Magician Girl Attack 1600 LVL 4)! Next, I’ll use her ability in order to discard a Spellcaster! I discard a monster…and then I draw one card!” Twilight drew Shrink. “I then place two cards facedown and end my turn.”

“Good for you! Giving up would be a bore! Defeating you outright will be much more fun! Time for that victory to come! I draw! First, I’ll remove your ability to play traps by playing my Trap Stun! With it, I can prevent you from playing the effects of Traps for the rest of this move. So, whatever you were planning, it won’t work! Next, I play Graceful Charity! I can now draw three new cards from my Deck in exchange for discarding two! So…I’ll do just that!” Nightmare Moon drew Lunalight Crimson Fox, Lunar Barrier, and Pot of Greed, discarding the former two. “And…I’ll use the effect of one of the cards I discarded! Lunalight Crimson Fox can reduce a monster’s Attack to zero if sent to the Graveyard by an effect! So, say goodbye to your monster’s Attack Points (Chocolate Magician Girl Attack 0 LVL 4)!”

“Hold on! If you had a monster like that in your Deck, why not play it sooner, like with Reincarnation Dance? Unless…you’re not taking me seriously!” Twilight realized.

“Well, it's not like anyone in Equestria has the ability to beat me! At least this way, I gave you a chance to survive! Now… I’ll play my Pot of Greed in order to draw two cards! And then I revive my Lunalight Blue Cat with Lunalight Perfume (Lunalight Blue Cat Attack 1600 LVL 4)! And with her revival, I’ll play her ability to double the power of a Lunalight since she was Special Summoned! So I’ll double my Cat Dancer’s power (Lunalight Cat Dancer 2400 Attack->4800 Attack)! Finally, I’ll Tribute my Blue Cat in order to allow Cat Dancer two Attacks! Which I will use to end you! Lunalight Cat Dancer, end things with Full Moon Mayhem!” Nightmare Moon yelled.

“It’s not over yet! I play the ability of my Chocolate Magician Girl! When she’s attacked, I can revive a Spellcaster from my Graveyard in order to redirect the Attack to it! And then…the Attack moves on over to the new monster! And…the icing on the cake is your Cat Dancer’s current Attack Points are halved!” Twilight cried out.

“Predictable! You plan on summoning Dark Magician Girl in a desperate last chance to save yourself. The problem is…I can attack you more than once and wipe out your remaining points on the next attack!” Nightmare Moon mocked.

“Who said I was going to summon Dark Magician Girl?” Twilight asked with a grin as Nightmare Moon looked shocked. “I’ll revive the card I discarded last turn; Dark Magician (Dark Magician Attack 2500 LVL 7)! And, remember…you have to attack him before any other monster! Dark Magic Attack (Nightmare Moon-1900 LP)!” Dark Magician sent out a purple energy blast that proceeded to wipe out Lunalight Cat Dancer. “Looks like I’m gonna win now, Nightmare Moon!”

“Are you sure? I play my spell Monster Reborn! With it, I can bring back out my Lunalight Cat Dancer (Lunalight Cat Dancer Attack 2400 LVL 7)! And then…I’ll banish my trap card Lunar Barrier!” Nightmare Moon cried out as a trap showing Lunalight Cat Dancer surrounded by a moon-like barrier was banished. “With it, I can now save my monster from being destroyed by your next attack! And…the next time you’d try to use a trap, it’ll be negated! Lastly, it lets me add a spell from my Deck to my hand! So…I’ll add a second Lunalight Perfume! On my next turn…”

“Let me guess; you’ll play the card to revive Blue Cat and double Cat Dancer’s power to attack and win?” Twilight asked, looking worried.

“But of course, my brilliant little unicorn. I’ll end my turn. Go ahead and make it. It’ll be fun to see you struggle a bit more before I win!” Nightmare Moon laughed.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Rainbow Dash! Are you okay?!” Pinkie cried out in worry.

“Of course she isn’t! After all, when you use one’s own fear against them, it’s easy to control them!” Nightmare Moon sneered.

“W-What do you mean?!” Rarity was confused.

“Yeah! The monster doesn’t look that scary! I thought Rainbow’d see it as cool!” Applejack agreed.

“M-Maybe?!” Fluttershy agreed…before looking at the dragon again and cowering in fear. “O-Or not…”

“I guess she kept quiet about it. But I know. See, during my time trapped in the moon, I wasn’t able to just do nothing. I was able to look into the dreams of all the sun-loving brats of the land of Equestria. I saw many sickeningly sweet happy dreams! But…I also saw and enjoyed many nightmares! One of the greatest was, of course, Rainbow Dash’s here!” Nightmare Moon revealed.

“B-But why would she be scared of this? I mean, shouldn’t she just giggle at the ghosty again?” Pinkie offered up.

“I-I-I…,” Rainbow stuttered only for the monster’s roar to scare her. “N-No! Please just go away! Not this! Anything but him!!”

“Rainbow Dash, please calm down!” The eye pleaded.

“Aw, but with a fear this intense, she can’t hear you. Now, time to end this move! I play my Equip Spell Axe of Despair! With it, I can increase my dragon’s power by 1000! (Tri-Horned Dragon 2850->3850 Attack) Then, I’ll equip a second Equip Spell Tri-Bladed Claws!” Nightmare Moon played a spell that showed Luster Dragon with red claws. “With it, for every 1000 Attack Points my monster has, he can attack one time this turn! With three attacks, I can more than wipe out your Life Points! Now…Attack her Speed Warrior (Rainbow-1050 LP)! Next up…wipe out her Strong Wind Dragon (Rainbow-600 LP)!” Nightmare Moon laughed.

“Rainbow!” Everyone, including the eye, yelled.

“Now…say goodbye to your Life Points and this Duel! Tri-Horned Dragon, attack this pathetic foal directly! Bye bye!” Nightmare Moon laughed.

“Rainbow! Snap out of it!” The eye yelled.

Rainbow barely was able to gather enough energy to play a card. “I play my facedown Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! With it, once a turn, I can negate one of your Attacks! L-L-Looks like I’m still in this!” Rainbow cried out.

“For now…but not much longer. I’ll end my turn. But I’ll be back for more next turn!” Nightmare Moon sneered.

“P-Please! N-No more!” Rainbow pleaded.

“I did even more pain than I thought! You aren’t even able to Duel me now! Too bad I don’t accept surrenders, because otherwise I’d give you some mercy!” The alicorn sneered.

“Rainbow! Please, snap out of it!” Fluttershy pleaded.

“I-I would…but…,” Rainbow could still feel the electric shocks right now. “What’s the point? I should just give up…let her beat me next move and let one of your guys give it a shot.” All the other ponies were immediately shocked by this.

“No! I won’t let you, Rainbow! Giving up is something you should never do!” The eye protested.

“B-But how do I win?! I mean, she knows my greatest fear and they’re so powerful too!” Rainbow cried out.

“I know you’re scared, but it’s not because of the monster, is it?” The eye asked.

“I g-guess…but…,” Rainbow was still reluctant.

“I know so. You are a part of me and vice versa. I know your fear is because of what he represents; the Lost Incident and how you lost so much because of it, including your parents. But if you give up now, not only will there be no hope of saving your home, but you won’t be able to do something that’s also important,” The eye said.

“Yeah, and what’s that?” Rainbow asked with some annoyance.

“Moving on from it. You need to let go of the power that monster has over your mind! Find a way to make peace with what happened. Yes, it won’t be easy. Yes, there will be setbacks, but you still can if you try. And you won’t be alone. I’m here for you, and so are your new friends too! And Theodore…,” The eye said.

“R-Really?” Rainbow looked touched as a tear rolled down her cheek.

“Of course!” The eye reassured. At this Rainbow started to get back up, a task that was harder than it looked. But…it was something she needed to do. “Now…let’s win this!”

“Of course! I draw! I start by playing the spell Pot of Greed! This will let me draw two cards! Next, I summon my Tuner monster Junk Synchron (Junk Synchron Attack 1300 LVL 3)! When this monster is summoned successfully, I can revive a monster that is Level 2 or lower from my Graveyard by negating his effects! Arise, Speed Warrior! Now…I’ll tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior! From two weaker monsters comes a power never seen before! I Synchro Summon Junk Warrior (Junk Warrior Attack 2300 LVL 5)!”

“Woohoo! Dashie is finally back in this game!” Pinkie cheered.

“And with her favorite monster, to boot!” Fluttershy was excited, though was still quiet.

“Wait..if she’s new to this game, how does she have a favorite?” Applejack was confused.

“W-Well…as a filly, she used to play the game a lot. Heck, many of the cards she’s using are ones she used back then. But then…,” Fluttershy looked sad all of a sudden.

“But then what?” Applejack asked.

“Uh…we can discuss this later,” Fluttershy decided.

“Strange. This is a weird way of expressing your fear,” Nightmare Moon was confused.

“It’s because it isn’t fear! I activate my spell Monster Reborn in order to bring back Strong Wind Dragon! Finally, I play Synchro Gift! With it, Junk Warrior loses all his points, but my Strong Wind Dragon will gain them (2300->0/2400->4700 Attack)!” Rainbow cried out.

“T-This can’t be!” Nightmare Moon was outraged.

“Attack, Strong Wind Dragon! End this Duel!” Rainbow cried out as her dragon reduced Nightmare Moon’s Life Points to zero. In an instant, the copy faded out of existence.

“We did it! We beat that evil mare!” Rainbow cheered.

“Of course! Looks like you’re beginning to calm down, too,” The eye noted as he popped out of the disk as a small humanoid figure with red shades as colors.

“Maybe…Aw, who am I kidding?! Of course! I was able to crush Nightmare Moon like it was nothing!” Rainbow boasted.

“I’m not sure if I’d say that…but with time your skills and confidence will grow. One day, we’ll finally move on from what happened long ago. But…for now, we have more important matters to attend to,” The eye reminded.

“Ya mean stopping the real Nightmare Moon? Of course…whatever you are!” Applejack said.

“Right! As nice as that was, we still need to help Twilight!” Rarity agreed.

“So, let’s go!” Pinkie agreed as the group all ran for the room where Twilight was.

“By the way, what is your name weird eye guy?” Rainbow asked.

“My name is…,” The eye then made some weird beeps. “But you can call me Flame.”

“Flame, huh? Cool…but we can work on making it cooler later, friend,” Rainbow said as her mind, while still troubled, was calmer than it had been.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“It’s my move…I draw!” Twilight cried out as she drew her card, which turned out to be Dark Magic Expanded. “Perfect! I play my spell Dark Magic Expanded! With it, I can give my Dark Magician an extra 1000 Attack points since there is at least one Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl on the field or in the Graveyard (2500->3500 Attack)! Now…I’ll have my Dark Magician attack your Lunalight Cat Dancer! Dark Magic Attack!”

“Good try, young unicorn. But I’ll still have Life Points left to end you on my next turn!” Nightmare Moon mocked…only for Twilight to still look confident.

“There will not be a next turn! I play my facedown Shrink! With it, I can reduce your monster’s power by half, meaning your monster will not only be destroyed, but your Life Points will hit zero! End this, Dark Magician!” Twilight cried out as Nightmare’s Life Points hit zero. In an instant, Nightmare Moon began to be drained of some of her power, being weaker than when she started. “Looks like you weren’t kidding about losing energy. But…while I did have some fun, I believe it’s time you keep your end of the deal and give us back Princess Celestia and our sun!”

Nightmare Moon began to laugh sinisterly. “I’m afraid not. Just because I lost doesn’t mean I’ll be giving up my two biggest strengths. I mean, even weakened I’m stronger than you and wouldn’t gain anything from surrendering. Duels do have power, but it doesn't mean I have to give up stuff when I lose!”

“So you lied. Well then…I guess I’ll just have to use the Elements to defeat you!” Twilight proclaimed.

“Good luck with that! I still have them after all and can easily destroy them! The best part being there is nothing you can do about it!” Nightmare Moon laughed. Suddenly, Twilight looked ready to rush at the powerful alicorn. “You're kidding. You're kidding, right? Fine! I could use a bit more entertainment before I destroy these horrible rocks!”

At this point, both ponies rushed for each other. However, just as Twilight was about to be hit by Nightmare Moon, she teleported out of the way and near the Elements, groaning due to not being used to the spell. She quickly turned to use her magic on the Elements, hoping to activate them. “Just one spark. Come on, come on.” At this point, Nightmare Moon returned and knocked back the young unicorn, but not before magic began to course through the Elements.

“No, no! I just got back! I can’t lose yet!” Nightmare Moon screamed in genuine fear as the Elements glowed…only for the power to disappear.

Twilight Sparkle gasped in fearful confusion, not knowing why the spark field. “But... where's the sixth Element?!”

Nightmare Moon broke out into twisted laughter. “You little foal! Thinking you could defeat me? Now you will never see your princess, or your sun! The night will last forever!” Nightmare Moon proceeded to slam her hooves near the Elements, breaking them into pieces in an instant, much to Twilight’s horror.

Twilight couldn't believe it. After everything that happened. After all the work she and the others took to try and stop the wicked alicorn, she still failed to stop Nightmare Moon. She had won…

Then, Twilight began to heard voices…of the ponies she had come her with…Of her friends…

Twilight gasped as a sparkle appeared in her eyes for a second. “You think you can destroy The Elements of Harmony just like that? Well, you're wrong, because the spirits of The Elements of Harmony are right here!” Twilight proclaimed as her friends appeared right behind her.

Nightmare Moon was confused by the statement. “What?”

As Twilight began to continue, the broken Element shards began to circle around the Mane 5, who began to float in the air. “Applejack, who reassured me when I was in doubt, represents the spirit of... honesty! Fluttershy, who tamed the manticore with her compassion, represents the spirit of... kindness! Pinkie Pie, who banished fear by giggling in the face of danger, represents the spirit of... laughter! Rarity, who calmed a sorrowful serpent with a meaningful gift represents the spirit of... generosity! And Rainbow Dash, who could not abandon her friends for her own heart's desire represents the spirit of... loyalty! The spirits of these five ponies got us through every challenge you threw at us.”

“You still don't have the sixth Element! The spark didn't work! Without that last Element, you stand no chance against me!” Nightmare Moon reminded.

“But it did! A different kind of spark. I felt it the very moment I realized how happy I was to hear you, to see you, how much I cared about you. The spark ignited inside me when I realized that you all... are my friends!” Twilight said as she tearfully looked at the Mane 5. Suddenly, a sixth gray sphere appeared with a star on it. “You see, Nightmare Moon, when those Elements are ignited by the... the spark that resides in the heart of us all, it creates the sixth element: the element of... magic!”

Upon Twilight’s words, the shards turned into gold necklaces with colored gems, red for Loyalty, blue for Laughter, orange for Honesty, purple for Generosity, and pink for Kindness; based on the cutie marks of the Mane 5. Twilight’s, meanwhile, turned into a massive crown with a light purple multi pointed star. Incredibly powerful energy generated from the Elements that proceeded to turn into a rainbow stream that shot out at Nightmare Moon. “Nooo!” The evil alicorn cried out in worry. In a last ditch effort to stop the Elements, she tried to form a barrier around herself, but with her magic drained from the Duel, the barrier failed and the magic enveloped her. “Nooo!” Twilight’s eyes glowed white upon opening them, holding untold power in them.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the magic faded, the six ponies had briefly fallen back to the ground. Upon recovering, they began to get back up.
“Ugh, my head,” Rainbow groaned.

“Everypony okay?” Applejack took responsibility, making sure the other mares were fine.

“Oh, thank goodness,” Rarity cooed as she saw her cut tail had been restored.

“Why Rarity, it's so lovely,” Fluttershy kindly said.

“I know! I'll never part with it again,” Rarity said, thinking Fluttershy meant her tail.

“No. Your necklace. It looks just like your cutie mark,” Fluttershy corrected.

“What? Ooh. So does yours,” Rarity was in awe upon seeing her necklace before noticing and pointing out Fluttershy’s as well. The yellow mare gasped in awe upon noticing her own necklace.

“Look at mine! Look at mine!” Pinkie bounced in glee upon seeing her necklace.

“Aw yeah,” Rainbow admired her cool necklace. “We did it! We beat Nightmare Moon and beat her good! See? There never was a doubt we’d win!”

“Weren’t you scared just a bit ago, however?” Flame reminded/

“N-No! I wasn’t!” Rainbow denied.

“Yeah…we did win…wait! Who is that?!” Twilight was shocked and confused.

“Oh, how rude! My name is Flame, the Fire Ignis. We can acquaint ourselves more later. For now, we just need to finish things up here…,” Flame said.

“He has a point. Anyways…Gee, Twilight! I thought you were just spoutin' a lot of hooey, but I reckon we really do represent the elements of friendship,” Applejack said.

“Indeed you do,” A soothing and kind voice said as the sun rose outside. From the sun, another light appeared in the middle of the room. In an instant, the princess herself, Princess Celestia, was back! Upon seeing her, the six ponies bowed.

After finishing bowing, Twilight Sparkle gasped and ran toward her mentor, “Princess Celestia.”

“Twilight Sparkle, my faithful student,” Celestia said as she nuzzled next to her student before continuing, “I knew you could do it.”

“But... you told me it was all an old pony tale. And also wanted me to play Duel Monsters for fun…No that it isn't, but at he time…,” Twilight began until the princess interrupted.

“I told you that you needed to make some friends, nothing more. I saw the signs of Nightmare Moon's return, and I knew it was you who had the magic inside to defeat her, but you could not unleash it until you let true friendship into your heart,” Princess Celestia said as she and Twilight looked over the Mane 5.

“Yeah…I did,” Twilight warmly said.

“And we saved you, Ponyville, and Equestria because of it!” Rainbow cockily said.

“Rainbow, not now!” Applejack whispered warningly.

“It’s quite alright,” Celestia reassured.

“So, I do have one question about the card game Duel Monsters. Did you want me to play it because you knew Nightmare Moon would be weakened from it or to make friends or…?” Twilight asked as Celestia gently put a hoof below her student’s mouth to motion to stop.

“A bit of both. I also wanted you to learn to have fun with your new friends, and it seems you are doing so right now. If only another will as well. Princess Luna!” Celestia called out as the group saw that in Nightmare Moon’s place was a small alicorn pony with lighter shades of blue than Nightmare Moon had.

Princess Luna, the pony gasped in shock and fear of what would happen now.

“It has been over a thousand years since I have seen you like this. Time to put our differences behind us. We were meant to rule together, little sister,” Celestia said warmly as she approached the mare.

Twilight Sparkle and Rainbow Dash both replied, “Sister?”

“Will you accept my friendship?” The sun princess offered.

The six ponies watched in anticipation, hoping that things would end well. After all, these two, since they were sisters, should be getting along, not fighting and hating each other. Still, they didn’t know what Luna would say, given the bitterness that had closed off her heart.

As they watched, Pinkie fell over from leaning forward too far. “Whoa!”

Finally, the small alicorn, with teary eyes, got up and nuzzled up against her older sister. “I'm so sorry! I missed you so much, big sister!”

“I've missed you, too,” Celestia said back.

The six ponies looked on the happy scene warmly, with Pinkie Pie blowing her nose and crying tears of joy. Very quickly, however, the mare went back to bubbly and happy. “Hey, you know what this calls for?”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“A party!” Pinkie cheered later as they had arrived back to Ponyville. All the ponies had ran to see their princesses at town square, ready to celebrate the new age for the kingdom. As everyone had arrived, two young pegasus fillies flew over to Luna and placed rings of flowers around her neck, the alicorn looking touched yet confused by the gesture.

The party lasted for a good while, with things seeming happy, until…

“Why so glum, my faithful student? Are you not happy that your quest is complete and you can return to your studies in Canterlot?” Celestia asked her faithful student.

“That's just it. Just when I learned how wonderful it is to have friends, I have to leave them,” Twilight explained sadly as she looked over Spike and the five ponies.

At this, Celestia smiled before saying, “Spike, take a note, please. I, Princess Celestia, hereby decree that the unicorn Twilight Sparkle shall take on a new mission for Equestria. She must continue to study the magic of friendship. She must report to me her findings from her new home in Ponyville.”

At this point, the ponies cheered, including her new friends, who all surrounded the unicorn.

“Oh thank you, Princess Celestia! I'll study harder than ever before,” Twilight thanked her mentor.

“Isn’t this the best?! We get to hang out more!” Rainbow cheered.

“We’ll be able to spend time talking about ourselves and our homes,” Rarity agreed.

“We can read books together!...oh. If you don’t mind,” Fluttershy suggested meekly.

“And we can have Duels all the time, too!” Pinkie cheered.

“Now, settle down, girls! We need ta give her some space. Still, it’ll be nice ta see more of you, sugarcube,” Applejack said warmly.

“Uh huh. Oh, and Pinkie?” Twilight asked.

“Yes?” Pinkie looked on expectantly.

“We can Duel each other,” Twilight decided.

Author's Note

Assist Dragon
Attribute: WIND Type: [Dragon/Effect] Attack 500 Defense 1600 LEVEL 4
If you control one or more Dragon monster(s) on your field: You can Special Summon this card from your hand. You cannot Special Summon from the Extra Deck or Tribute Summon for the rest of this turn except Dragon monsters.

Tri-Bladed Claws Equip Spell Card
Equip only to a Dragon monster. The equipped monster gains one attack for every 1000 Attack Points the equipped monster has.

Lunar Barrier Normal Trap Card
You can banish this card from your Graveyard: If a Lunalight monster would be destroyed, it is not. Then, you can add a Lunalight Spell from your Deck to your hand, but it cannot be activated this turn. If this card was banished: You can negate one trap activation and destroy it.

Sorry it has taken so long to finish this chapter. I hope to develop a much better writing schedule in order to get out more chapters sooner.
Anyways, next up will be the Ticket Master. But in a few chapters. I plan on partly moving the setting to the human world. Until then, have a great time!

The Ticket Master-Molten Crimson Flare

Twilight wasn’t having a good time in Ponyville. She was having a GREAT time. When she first had heard about friendship and how she would have to make friends, she was frustrated and miserable. She had to try and stop Nightmare Moon AND study for whatever greater things the princess could want of her someday. To add on, she was expected to learn more about a card game that Spike adored but she found less than interesting.

However, everything changed later that night. Thanks to the help of the five ponies that considered her a friend, she was able to learn how good friendship could be and saved Equestria with the magic that personified it. In addition, the card game, Duel Monsters, that she had once derided was helpful after all as it allowed her to weaken Nightmare Moon enough to stop her. On top of that, the game was just fun.

She was a bit sad when she was about to head on back home to Canterlot and be alone again, but she had been given her greatest assignment yet; to learn more about the magic of friendship with the Mane 5 and maybe have some Duels along the way and learn more about how its magic worked.

During the next few days, she spent a lot of her time with her new friends, taking part in many Duels and winning some of them. Even the ones she lost were a learning experience both for the game and its power.

Things went without issue until a couple of days after what the ponies of Ponyville would call the Nightmare Moon incident…

“No. Nope. Nope…,” Spike was looking through the apples that Twilight was helping Applejack harvest, throwing them to the side as he looked for the best one to eat.

“Thank you kindly, Twilight, for helping me out. I bet Big McIntosh I could get all these Golden Delicious in the barn by lunchtime. If I win, he's gonna walk down Stirrup Street in one of Granny's girdles,” Applejack giggled at the thought of winning the bet.

“No problem at all, Applejack. I'm glad the goal is lunchtime. All this hard work is making me hungry,” Twilight sighed in relief.

“I know, right?” Spike agreed…only to get an annoyed look from Twilight.

“Puh-lease, Spike. You've been lounging on my back all morning while we worked,” Twilight criticized her younger brother.

“Exactly. You two are taking so long, I missed snack-time,” Spike responded, not agreeing with Twilight’s point.

All of a sudden, Twilight’s stomach grumbles. As she laughs nervously, she agreed, “Eh, I guess we better get some food.”

“Nope. Worm,” Spike threw away a few more apples, including one with a worm in it before finally finding one in great condition. “A-ha!”

Twilight Sparkle licked her lips happily and greedily as she looked at the apple Spike found. “Oh Spike, that looks delicious!”

However, before Twilight could say anything else, Spike ate the apple in one massive bite, much to Twilight's sad annoyance.

“Spike,” Twilight sighed.

“What?” Spike asked, not seeing the problem in not letting Twilight eat the apple. Just then, he burped. However, it wasn’t from the apple, but from a letter.

“It's a letter from Princess Celestia,” Twilight noted. “Can you read it, Spike? I mean, you did just eat what could have been my apple, after all.”

“He he…,” Spike blushed awkwardly before clearing his throat and reading, “Hear ye, hear ye. Her Grand Royal Highness, Princess Celestia of Equestria, is pleased to announce the Grand Galloping Gala to be held in the magnificent capital city of Canterlot, on the 21st day of, eh, yadda yadda yadda, cordially extends an invitation to Twilight Sparkle plus one guest.”

Applejack and Twilight Sparkle both gasped, looking happy to learn that Twilight was going to the biggest event of the year. “The Grand Galloping Gala!”
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Well…That’s the last of the tickets that needed to be sent. I hope that Twilight and Spike end up having a good time at the Gala this year. Perhaps their company will liven things up a bit,” Princess Celestia sighed to herself, ready to move on to her next task.

But before she could, she heard a guard walk up to her, “Your majesty! At 1100 hours, we saw this strange pegasus gentlecolt walk up to your castle without an appointment! We are going to send him to the dungeon for you to investigate later, but we’re letting you know so that…”

“It’s quite alright, Shining Armor. I have some time to spare. I will see him now,” Celestia said.

“But…your highness…,” Shining Armor tried to warn.

“It’s fine. I can handle him myself. Send him in,” Celestia reassured.

“Uh…okay? By the way, how is Twilight doing at her new home?” Shining asked, looking more personal than he did a moment ago.

“She’s doing fine. I just sent her her two tickets for the Gala a moment ago. Now…send him in,” Celestia said as a strange pegasus walked in, being taken out of his chains as he was. He had a brown coat with long, white hair flowing over his left eye. While his hair was white, it wasn’t due to age as the stallion was actually fairly young. As for his cutie mark, meanwhile, was that of a quill over a strange tablet. “Greetings, Maximilian Pegasus. It’s good to see you again.”

“The feeling is mutual, Celly. How are things going with you?” The man asked.

“Very good. I finally got Twilight to take a break from her books and she got some friends,” Celestia said.

“Of course you did. I figured it would have only been a matter of time before you succeeded in that mission. A while ago I may have scoffed at the idea of friendship, but then I met you. So, how are things with her then?” Pegasus asked.

“She’s been doing great according to her last two letters. But that isn’t the only thing that happened. Also…Luna is finally back…,” Celestia admitted this part very emotionally.

“She is?” Pegasus gave a surprised yet sympathetic look as Celestia held back tears. “That’s…good to hear.”

“Yes, and hopefully we’ll rebuild our broken bonds more and more as time goes on. But…knowing you, you wouldn’t just come here to greet an old friend. You’re here on business, too. So, what is it?” Celestia asked curiously.

“You can read me like a book, can you? Well, it’s simple Celly. My Millenium Eye has been giving me glimpses of what is to come in the near future. Both for this world and mine…,” Pegasus began.

“And?” Celestia asked as she leaned forward.

“There are a lot of potential dangers that plan to cause untold destruction and suffering to both. I don’t even know if I can count them all! It’s so sad! The last thousand years for you have been mostly peaceful!” Pegasus said the last part a little jokingly. However, the message still came across. Two worlds were in danger.

“So…Luna’s return isn’t the only thing we’ll deal with. When I allowed her to return a few days ago, I expected that she’d have to be fought, but also had faith that Twilight and her new friends could save us and her. While it seems things were looking good, my biggest fear is coming true; more dangers will come…and I alone can’t fight them,” Celestia admitted.

“Ooh! Sneaky stealth mentoring again, eh, Celly?” Pegasus teased.

“Maybe…but if there are a lot of threats that my sister and I alone can’t deal with, it looks even more important that Twilight and her new friends rise to save Equestria and your world,” Celestia said confidently.

“Yes…but my visions show that they alone can’t save us,” Pegasus somberly admitted, which got Celestia’s attention. “The threats may prove to be too strong for just them. Fortunately, there are a few people in my world that can help, along with a certain special little game of mine, Celly…” Pegasus said as he got out his Duel Disk.

“You mean…?” Celestia asked as Pegasus nodded.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back at Sweet Apple Acres, Applejack and Twilight Sparkle were jumping up and down in excitement cheering, “The Grand Galloping Gala!”

Spike, meanwhile, looked happy for a second before looking less enthused, as he pointed a claw towards his mouth in a gagging-like way. Suddenly, he burped out something else from Celestia; two tickets for the Gala. “Look, two tickets.”

“Wow, great! I've never been to the gala. Have you, Spike?” Twilight asked her brother with child-like curiosity.

“No, and I plan to keep it that way. I don't want any of that girly frilly frou-frou nonsense,” Spike harshly rejected the offer to go to the Gala with his older sister.

“Aw, come on Spike. A dance would be nice,” Twilight tried to change Spike’s mind, who looked a bit conflicted for a moment before looking away.

“Nice? It's a heap good more than just nice. I'd love to go. Land sakes…,” Applejack joyfully said as she imagined her fantasy of what she’d do at the Gala. “If I had an apple stand set up, ponies would be chowin' our tasty vittles 'til the cows came home. Do you have any idea how much business I could drum up for Sweet Apple Acres?” Applejack imagined a long line of ponies buying and devouring her family’s baked apple goods. “Why, with all that money, we could do a heap of fixin' up 'round here. We could replace that saggy old roof, and Big MacIntosh could replace that saggy old plow, and Granny Smith could replace that saggy old hip.” Applejack returned from her fantasizing of fixing things around her home and to the present. “Why, I'd give my left hind leg to go to that gala.”

“Oh, well in that case, would you like to—,” Twilight kindly offered, only to be interrupted by Rainbow crashing right in front of the two mares and dragon.

“Ugh. Are we talking about the Grand Galloping Gala?” Rainbow asked.

“Well…that was very quick of you,” Flame noted as he popped out of Rainbow’s Duel Disk.

“Flame, this could be my only chance to-,” Rainbow whispered to her pal somewhat harshly.

“Rainbow Dash. You told me you were too busy to help me harvest apples. What were you busy doing? Spyin'?” Applejack questioned with annoyance.

“No, I was busy napping,” Rainbow pointed to the tree right above the group, which had a blanket and pillow on one of the branches. “And I just happened to hear that you have an extra ticket?” Rainbow asked expectantly as she flew upside down.

“Yeah, but—,” Twilight tried to explain how her second ticket could be going to Applejack.

“YES! This is so awesome. The Wonderbolts perform at the Grand Galloping Gala every year. I can see it now…,” Rainbow began to fantasize as Flame looked a bit annoyed and concerned.

“Everyone would be watching the sky. Their eyes riveted on the Wonderbolts, but then in would fly Rainbow Dash!” Rainbow imagined herself flying into the area around where the Wonderbolts would be, the audience gasping as she did so. “I would draw their attention with my Super Speed Strut,” Rainbow imagined doing the trick as the audience cheered. “Then, I would mesmerize 'em with my Fantastic Filly Flash. And for my grand finale, the Buccaneer Blaze! The ponies would go wild!” Rainbow imagined her heroes mouths agape at how awesome her tricks would be. “The Wonderbolts would insist that my signature moves be incorporated into their routine, and then welcome me as their newest member,” Rainbow’s fantasy ended with her flying with her heroes in a standard Wonderbolt’s uniform. As they returned to reality, Rainbow cheerfully said, “Don't you see, Twilight? This could be my one chance to show 'em my stuff.”

“Maybe, but…,” Twilight nervously considered.

“You do know there could be other chances to meet and impress them, right? Besides, I doubt they’d be happy if you just crashed their opening routine,” Flame shook his head.

“Ugh! Fine, maybe it wouldn’t go exactly like that, but I still would get a chance to meet them and maybe earn my place as a member of the group I’ve dreamed of being in since I was a filly! You gotta take me!” Rainbow cheered as Applejack pulled on Rainbow’s tail and pulled the annoyed mare back.

“Hold on just one pony pickin' minute here!” Applejack spit out Rainbow’s tail as she continued, “I asked for that ticket first.”

“So? That doesn't mean you own it,” Rainbow reminded grumpily.

“Oh, yeah? Well I challenge you to a hoof-wrestle. Winner gets the ticket,” Applejack suggested as both mares rushed over to a nearby stump and began to hoof-wrestle for it…only for Flame to pop out and get in their way.

“I don’t see this as an ideal solution,” Flame warned.

“Aw, come on Flame! What’s wrong with this? I mean, this way we’ll meet my heroes!” Rainbow said as she tried to return to the hoof-wrestle.

“As nice as that could be, do remember that these tickets aren’t yours. They’re Twilights!” Flame reminded.

Twilight was quick to use her telekinesis to move the duo away from each other. “You know, Flame here is right. Girls, these are my tickets, I'll decide who gets it, thank you very much. Whoever has the best reason to go should get the ticket, don't you think?”

Suddenly, both mares rushed over to Twilight and began to argue their cases “Drummin' up business for the farm?” Applejack offered.

“A chance to audition for the Wonderbolts?” Rainbow offered her case.

“Money t' fix Granny's hip.” Applejack reminded.

“Living the dream,” Rainbow suggested.

“Oh my, those were all pretty good reasons, aren't they?” Twilight was beginning to get nervous. Suddenly, her stomach rumbled. Twilight began to nervously chuckle as she began to back away. “Listen to that, I am starving. I don't know about you, but I can't make important decisions on an empty stomach, so I'll, uh, think about it over lunch and get back to you two, okay?”

“Okay,” Both mares agreed.

Twilight teleported away in a flash, with Spike in tow.

“Well…now that that’s settled maybe we can do something more productive like-,” Flame began…only to see that the two mares were hoof-wrestling once more. “Oh boy…Didn’t you two just promise to wait for Twilight’s decision?”

“Maybe, but what if that alone doesn’t work out? I may never again get a chance to meet the wonderbolts and impress them! My dream will be crushed and-,” Rainbow stopped here as she didn’t want Applejack to know anymore about this.

“Yeah…I’m sorry Rainbow Dash, but my family’s well being is much more important than that. I’m sure you’ll get another chance. Now…let’s wait for Twilight’s answer where she’ll approve me of gettin’ the ticket,” Applejack apologized.

“No! When she’ll approve me!” Rainbow yelled back.

“Look, seeing as how you two are acting like children, maybe we should find a new way to settle this without bickering! How about a Duel?” Flame suggested.

“A Duel? Hmmm…not a bad idea, Flame! Seeing as how I was able to defeat Nightmare Moon and even some of the others a few times, I bet this will be an easy win!” Rainbow boasted.

“Don’t underestimate me, Rainbow! I may not Duel much, but I know ah am more than capable of keppin’ up with you!” Applejack warned.

“Ooh! Looks like we may have a challenge Rainbow Dash,” Flame noted.

“Maybe…but she could be all talk! Let’s see through actions how good she actually is!” Rainbow decided.

“Fine!” Applejack decided as she got her Duel Disk from her saddlebag. Both ponies were quick to arm themselves, ready for a Duel.

“Let’s Duel!” Both Applejack and Rainbow yelled.

Rainbow Dash 4000 LP

Applejack 4000 LP

“Now, to prove how good I am and who is more deserving of the ticket, I’ll go first! And…I’ll just put a monster facedown in Defense mode and place two cards facedown. And with that, I’ll end my turn,” Rainbow said confidently. “Applejack doesn’t know what she just got into. My facedown monster is Shield Wing, which will allow me to evade monster destruction up to twice a turn through battle! Even if she finds a way out of that, I also have Defense Draw and Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to save me from damage! And then next turn…bam! She won’t know what hit her.” Rainbow thought.

“I understand your confidence, Rainbow, but maybe you shouldn’t be too overconfident. After all, for all we know Applejack may have a way to counter your moves,” Flame warned.

“Yeah right!” Rainbow brushed the warning aside.

“Yer little buddy is right, Rainbow! Ah’ll prove ma skills and win the right ta that ticket! It’s my turn. Ah draw!” Applejack looked at her hand with a smile. “Ah begin by Normal Summoning XX-Saber Boggart Knight (XX-Saber Boggart Knight Attack 1900 LVL 4). Next up, as it was Normal Summoned its effect will now activate, letting me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber monster from ma hand er hoof! Ah Special Summon the Tuner monster X-Saber Palomuro (X-Saber Palomuro Attack 200 LVL 1).” Applejack summoned two monsters.

“X-Sabers? I’ve heard of this Deck before, Rainbow Dash. This Deck will allow the user to pull off multiple Synchro Summons in a turn,” Flame warned.

“So she does have skills…well, I still have a good enough field to outlast her!” Rainbow boasted.

“Think again! As ah control two X-Saber monsters, ah kin Special Summon XX-Saber Faultroll (XX-Saber Faultroll Attack 2400 LVL 6) from mah hand in Attack Position via its own effect. It’s about time ah tune my Boggart Knight to Palomuro in order to perform mah Synchro Summon of X-Saber Wayne (X-Saber Wayne 2100 LVL 5) in Attack Position! Now…as he was Synchro Summoned, his effect activates, letting me Special Summon a Level 4 or lower Warrior monster from mah hand er hoof. Ah Special Summon XX-Saber Fulhelmknight (XX-Saber Fulhelmknight Attack 1300 LVL 3),” Applejack summoned a new Tuner.

“You gonna be done sometime this week? I’m getting kinda bored,” Rainbow yawned.

“Consarn it Rainbow! Be patient!” Applejack yelled. “Now then… Ah then will activate the effect of Faultroll to Special Summon a Level 4 or lower X-Saber monster from mah Graveyard; ah Summon Palomuro (X-Saber Palomuro Attack 200 LVL 1). Ah’ll now tune Faultroll to Fulhelmknight to Synchro Summon once more! Let your silver armor shine and crush the hope of everything that opposes you! Synchro Summon! Come forth! Level 9! XX-Saber Gottoms (XX-Saber Gottoms Attack 3100 LVL 9) in Attack Position!”

“Impressive. She managed to summon a monster stronger than the starting power of any card in your Deck,” Flame noted.

“Yeah…but I’m not worried, Flame. I have many ways to turn this Duel in my favor,” Rainbow said.

“Agreed. Let’s just hope that Applejack doesn’t have a counter. Though considering she has a Tuner out, she can still turn this Duel in her favor,” Flame warned.

“Aw come on! You shouldn’t worry so much, Flame! We’ll win this no biggie!” Rainbow brushed off the ai.

“Ya know what? Yer little buddy isn’t wrong. Ah tune X-Saber Wayne to ma Palomuro" to Synchro Summon. Slay the enemy with your dance of swords as your red cape whips about! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 6! XX-Saber Hyunlei (XX-Saber Hyunlei 2300 LVL 6) in Attack Position! Now…as she was Synchro Summoned, her effect activates, letting me select and wipe out up ta three of yer Spell and Trap cards, Rainbow!” Applejack cried out.

“Wait. What?! That doesn’t sound good!” Rainbow began to worry.

“So, say goodbye to yer two facedowns!” Applejack cried out as Scrap-Iron Scarecrow and Defense Draw were wiped out. “So…ya planned on defendin yerself with yer facedowns then? Well…looks like that plan blew up faster than a tornado in a windstorm. Now…it’s about time we get to battlin’...but first…I play the equip spell card Fairy Meteor Crush and equip it onto Gottoms! With dis card, the equipped monster can deal ya damage even if yer monster is on Defense!”

“Dang it! How are you this good for someone who rarely plays?!” Rainbow cried out.

“See Rainbow? This is why it doesn’t work from a logical perspective to underestimate your opponents. They can be more dangerous than you expect. Still…that can go both ways,” Flame warned.

“Meaning?” Rainbow asked, confused.

“We can turn things around and pull out an impressive come from behind victory,” Flame answered.

“Sounds nice, and that may work better for a future Duel. But fer this Duel ahm afraid it won’t be that easy ta win right now! Between both of ma monsters, ah can pull out a victory right here and now! And then, that ticket and the help it’ll bring to the farm will belong ta me! Battle! XX-Saber Gottoms, attack that facedown monster!” Applejack cried out as the monster was flipped face up, showing itself as a green bird with shield-like wings (Shield Wing Defense 900 LVL 2).

“I’m afraid you’re wrong, Applejack! My monster may have low Defense, but his ability allows him to remain safe from destruction from battle up to twice a turn!” Rainbow countered.

“Meaning we’ll survive the turn,” Flame explained.

“Fine! But you’ll still take damage!” Applejack reminded as Rainbow was hit by the force of Gottom’s attack (Rainbow-2200 LP)! “Ah’ll play a facedown and end ma turn. Ah know y’all can do a lot as a Duelist. After all, ya defeated Nightmare Moon’s copy one yer own. Still, unless ya pull off a miracle draw, y’all will find yerself losing and ticket will go ta me!”

“In your dreams! I may be down on Life Points, but trust me that I still have a chance to turn this Duel around and for us to win!” Rainbow boasted.

“Technically, it’s more of a you victory this time, as I am unconcerned about the ticket,” Flame noted, much to Rainbow’s annoyance.

“Whatever! I’d say…it’s time we strike!” Rainbow yelled out. “As long as I have a single Life Point, I still have a chance at ending this Duel with my victory. No…not just mine, but Flame’s as well,” Rainbow thought. “It’s my turn. I draw!” Rainbow cried out as her Extra Deck began to glow. “What in the world?!” Rainbow was confused at what was going on. “You doing this, Flame?”

“Uh…this isn’t me, Rainbow. Actually, I’m not sure what this is,” Flame admitted.

“Well…I guess I should see what the ruckus is…,” Rainbow decided as she looked at the new card, which turned out to be a Synchro Monster; one she didn’t have before.

“Rainbow? Y’all doin’ alright?” Applejack asked with concern, not knowing what was going on.

“Oh, I’m fine. I draw! I play the spell Pot of Greed! With it, I can draw two cards from my Deck!” Rainbow drew her cards, and was happy with the results. “Perfect! I’ll now play my continuous spell card Force Armor!” Rainbow played a spell that showed purple and blue armor over Junk Warrior. “With this card, I can protect my monsters from having their effects or the effects of spells or traps be negated or countered! In addition, any Synchro Monster I summon will gain 500 Attack Points! Next, I’ll play the spell One for One! With it, I can discard a monster in order to summon another one from my Deck or hoof that is Level 1! So say goodbye to Speed Warrior and say hello to my buddy Level Eater (Level Eater Attack 600 LVL 1)! Now…I summon my good old buddy Junk Synchron (Junk Synchron Attack 1300 LVL 3)! And when he is successfully summoned, I am able to Special Summon a monster from my graveyard that is Level 2 or lower in exchange for negating his abilities! So…I’ll bring out my Speed Warrior in Defense mode (Speed Warrior Defense 400 LVL 2)! And now…I tune my Junk Synchron with my Speed Warrior, Level Eater, and Shield Wing to perform a Synchro Summon!” Rainbow cried out.

“Let’s bring the heat!” Flame yelled out.

“Now from the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power! I Synchro Summon! Now rise, Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend (Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend Attack 3000->3500 LVL 8)!”

“That’s a cool monster and all, Rainbow and it’s nice ya found a way ta turn things around…but I kin still find a way to turn this around next turn!” Applejack said.

“There won’t be a next turn after this! I play Scarlight’s special ability! With it, I can destroy all Special Summoned Effect monsters out other than himself and then deal you 500 damage for each one that perishes by his flames!” Rainbow cried out as Scarlight’s claw burned with crimson red flames and slashed at and destroyed both of Applejack’s cards (Applejack-3000 LP)! And now…to win this Duel and that ticket! Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Applejack directly!” Rainbow cried out.

“Well…so much fer winning. But…,” “Ah play ma facedown card Ring of Destruction! With it, ah kin destroy a monster on either field and deal us both damage equal to it’s Attack points!” Applejack played.

“Won’t work! Remember Force Armor’s effect? Your effects can’t do anything!” Rainbow countered.

“Uh…you may want to look over your card again, Rainbow. It only can counter effects that you use that activate in regards to the monsters or if they would have their effects negated. It doesn’t say they can’t be destroyed,” Flame warned.

“So then that means…,” Rainbow realized with shock and horror what this meant.

“Ah kin destroy yer monster and deal damage! Ah may not win, but neither will you!” Applejack cried out as the red grenade ring trapped itself around Scarlight’s neck, blowing up a few seconds later and knocking back both ponies (Applejack/Rainbow-0 LP)!

“Well…That blew!” Rainbow groaned.

“Yeah…we wasted a lotta time on this fight that we won’t get back,” Applejack admitted.

“Well, it looks as though you two may finally calm down over this ticket business. And look on the bright side; Twilight may have decided who to give it to by now,” Flame reassured.

“Maybe…,” Rainbow looked a lot calmer and happier for a moment…before realizing something. “Or she could have decided to give it someone else while she left to get lunch! We better go and find out before it’s too late!” Rainbow quickly took to the skies to find Twilight.

“Consarn it, Rainbow! We should let Twilight decide what ta do with it!” Applejack ran off to try and get the ticket once more, leaving Flame to shake his head once more.
—-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So who are you gonna give the ticket to, Twilight?” Spike asked his older sister.

“I don't know, Spike, but I really can't think straight when I'm hungry. So where should we eat?” Twilight questioned her brother…

Only for Pinkie Pie to crash into Spike and for the tickets to land on Pinkie’s face. As she recovered, she noticed the tickets on her face…though she didn’t realize what they were at first. “Gah! Bats! Bats on my face! Help! Wait, these aren't... tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala?! t's the most amazing incredible tremendous super-fun wonderful terrifically humongous party in all of Equestria! I've always always always wanted to go!” Pinkie said as she fantasized about being at an outdoor party. She then began to sing-

“Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! Hip hip Hooray! It's the best place for me! For Pinkie…”

“With decorations like streamers and fairy-lights and pinwheels and piñatas and pin-cushions. With goodies like sugar cubes and sugar canes and sundaes and sun-beams and sarsaparilla. And I get to play my favorite-est of favorite fantabulous games like Pin the Tail on the Pony!” Pinkie explained her feelings towards the Gala in more detail before singing once more-

“Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! Oh the Grand Galloping Gala is the best place for me! 'Cause it's the most galarrific superly-terrific gala ever! In the whole galaxy! Wheee!!”

“Oh thank you, Twilight, it's the most wonderful-est gift ever!” Pinkie cheered as she incorrectly assumed the situation.

“Um, actually—,” Twilight tried to correct her friend only for Rarity to arrive.

“Are these what I think they are?” Rarity asked in awe.

“Uh—,” Twilight didn’t know what to say, seeing how yet another friend may now want to be a part of the Gala now.

“Yes, yes, yes! Twilight's taking me to the Grand Galloping Gala in Canterlot,” Pinkie cheered.

“The gala? I design ensembles for the gala every year, but I've never had the opportunity to attend,” Rarity said.

“R-R-Rarity! If I’m guessing correctly, I’d say you are wanting to go,” Spike said as Twilight shook him out of his lovestruck gaze.

“Yes Spike. Of course I wanna go! Oh, the society, the culture, the glamour! It's where I truly belong, and where I'm destined to meet him,” Rarity said the last part in lovestruck daze as well.

“Him! ... Who?” Pinkie asked in confusion.

“Him,” Rarity continued in a lovestruck daze before imagining herself at the gala. “I would stroll through the gala, and everyone would wonder, "Who is that mysterious mare?" They would never guess that I was just a simple pony from little old Ponyville. Why, I would cause such a sensation that I would be invited for an audience with Princess Celestia herself, and the princess would be so taken with the style and elegance that she would introduce me to him, her nephew: the most handsome, eligible unicorn stallion in Canterlot. Our eyes would meet, our hearts would melt. Our courtship would be magnificent. He would ask for my hoof in marriage, and of course I would say, "Yes!" We would have a royal wedding, befitting a princess, which is what I would become upon marrying him, the stallion of my dreams,” Rarity left her fantasy as she complained to Twilight, “Twilight, I simply cannot believe you would invite Pinkie Pie so she can... party, and prevent me from meeting my true love. How could you? Hmph.”

“Well, there is some good news Rarity…see…,” Spike picked up the two tickets as he tried to reassure his crush in spite of the potential sadness. But before he could continue or Twilight could interrupt, a small white furred rabbit grabbed the tickets in his hands and ran off with them. “Hey!”

The rabbit proceeded to show the two tickets to his owner; Fluttershy. She gasped as she responded, “Angel, these are perfect!”

“Uh, listen, guys, I haven't decided who to give the extra ticket to,” Twilight admitted as Rarity looked miffed and Pinkie bounced up and down with glee.

“You haven't?!” Both Pinkie and Rarity asked, the former disappointed and the latter ecstatic.

“Yeah…,” Spike said lovestruck before noticing that Twilight looked concerned. In an instant, he tried to reassure her by saying, “B-but you may need to give Twilight here some time. She’s hungry and-,” Spike was immediately interrupted.

“Sorry to interrupt Spike, but um…, excuse me, Twilight. I would just like to ask, I mean, if it would be all right, if you haven't given it to someone else…,” Fluttershy meekly tried to ask.

“You?! You want to go to the gala?!” Rarity asked with frustrated disbelief.

“Oh, no,” Fluttershy tried to get out of disappointing her pony friends only for Angel the bunny to shake her hoof to get her to not wimp out. “I mean, yes, or, actually, kind of. You see…” Fluttershy imagined herself in the garden outside of the castle. “It's not so much the Grand Galloping Gala as it is the wondrous private gated garden that surrounds the dance. The flowers are said to be the most beautiful and fragrant in all of Equestria. For the night of the gala, and that night alone, would they all be in bloom... and that's just the flora! Don't get me started on the fauna. There's loons and toucans and bitterns, oh my! Hummingbirds that can really hum, and buzzards that can really buzz. White-blue jays, and red jays, and green jays, pink jays and pink flamingos!” As Fluttershy left her fantasy, she was joyfully hugging Angel.

“Gee, Fluttershy, it sounds... beautiful...?” Twilight tried to understand her friend’s perspective.

“Wait just a minute,” A voice said from above. As Twilight and the others turned to see who the voice came from, they saw that it came from Rainbow, who was standing on the roof of a nearby building with a frown on her face.

“Rainbow Dash! Were you following me?” Twilight questioned unhappily.

“No. I mean, yes. I mean, maybe,” Rainbow tried to avoid trouble with her answer before flying down, saying, “Look, it doesn't matter. I couldn't risk a goody-four-shoes like you giving that ticket away to just anybody.”

“You apparently couldn’t just wait for her to make her own decision?” Flame snarked.

“And lose what is possibly my only chance to meet my heroes? As if!” Rainbow rejected as Flame sighed at Rainbow’s stubborn pride.

“Wait just another minute,” Applejack demanded as she entered the area as well.

“Applejack, were you following me too?” Twilight demanded.

“No. I was followin' this one to make sure she didn't try any funny business. Still trying to take mah ticket,” Applejack angrily shook her head.

“Your ticket?” Rainbow demanded.

“What happened to letting her-,” Spike agreed with Flame’s earlier sentiment.

“But Twilight's taking me,” Pinkie yelled as she and the other Mane 5 approached and began arguing, even though Twilight was meekly lying on her stomach, not sure what to say as she worried about hurting her friends.

“Look, can we just stop fighting, girls? Look at how you’re…,” Spike tried to intervene only for the Mane 5 to not notice him. Eventually, Twilight finally yelled…

“QUIET!” At this point, everypony stopped fighting.

“And then I said, "Oatmeal, are you craz—" oh,” Pinkie randomly said before realizing the fighting stopped.

“Girls, there's no use in arguing,” Twilight answered.

“Too true, Twilight. Apologies for your friend’s poor behavior in dealing with this tough decision,” Flame noted.

“You trying to suck up to get Rainbow invited?” Spike questioned skeptically. “Because I don’t wanna see you hurting Twilight in the process of getting her the ticket.

“From what I can gather, the Gala may be fun, but I currently see no reason to personally wanna go. So, girls, allow Twilight to say her piece,” Flame noted

“But Twilight—,” Rarity complained.

“Eh!” Twilight cut off her friend. “This is my decision, and I'm gonna make it on my own, and I certainly can't think straight with all this noise…,” Twilight’s stomach rumbled as she continued, “not to mention hunger. Now go on, shoo.” The Mane 5 agreed sadly and begrudgingly as they all walked away, though not without thinking over the situation. “And don't worry, I'll figure this out... somehow.” Twilight tried to reassure her friends, though she doubted there would be a happy ending for everyone.
—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Things from there, became even more complicated. All five of the ponies tried to shower Twilight with gifts and favors in order to get in good favor with Twilight. The purple unicorn, however, was not fooled. If anything, she became more conflicted than before who should get the ticket. Eventually, Pinkie accidentally blabbed about the ticket to the general townsponies of Ponyville, forcing Twilight to run, hide, and eventually teleport away from the ponies on instinct.

“Ugh... Warn me next time you're gonna do that,” Spike said, having been mildly burned by the magic that teleported the duo away from the townsponies.

“I didn't even know it was gonna happen. Now quick, lock the doors!” Twilight said as the duo closed and locked every door and even turned off all the lights. For a moment, Twilight felt she could relax. “Phew.” And then that moment ended. The lights turned on and it turned out Twilight’s five friends were all expectantly looking at Twilight, expecting to hear they got the ticket. At this point, Twilight miserably broke down. “Yaaaargh! I can't decide, I just can't decide! It's important to all of you and I just can't stand to disappoint any of you, and giving me gifts and doing me favors won't make any difference, because you're all my friends and I wanna make you all happy and I can't, I just can't!” Spike tried to comfort Twilight as the other five ponies looked on guiltily.

Eventually, Applejack climbed down from where she was and joined Spike in comforting Twilight, having decided, “Twilight, sugar, I didn't mean to put so much pressure on you, and if it helps, I don't want the ticket anymore. You can give it to somepony else. I won't feel bad, I promise.”

“Me too. I feel just awful that I made you feel so awful,” Fluttershy flew over and apologized as well.

“And me too. It's no fun upsetting your friends,” Pinkie agreed.

“Twilight, it was unfair of me to try to force you as I did,” Rarity noted.

Rainbow meanwhile, was a lot less sympathetic. “Yes! That means the ticket is mine. Ha ha,” She then sang in a sing-song voice, “I got the ticket, I got the ticket—!” Rainbow then looked and saw Applejack, Fluttershy, and Spike give angry and disapproving glares to the blue pegasus.

“Maybe read the room better next time?” Flame shook his head.

“Whoops…You know, I haven't perfected my signature moves for the Wonderbolts anyway. I don't need that ticket either,” Rainbow decided, finally realizing not to be selfish here, but not wanting to admit she was wrong to the others.

“We all got so gung-ho about going to the gala that we couldn't see how un-gung-ho we were making you,” Applejack noted.

The five ponies finally all said in unison, “We're sorry, Twilight.”

“Spike, take down a note. Dear Princess Celestia,” Twilight began as she grabbed the tickets with her telekinesis, continuing, “I've learned that one of the joys of friendship is sharing your blessings, but when there's not enough blessings to go around, having more than your friends can make you feel pretty awful. So, though I appreciate the invitation, I will be returning both tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

The rest of the cast yelled out in unison, “What?!”

“If my friends can't all go, I don't wanna go either,” Twilight decided as she placed the tickets in the letter.

“Twilight, you don't have to do that,” Applejack tried to reassure Twilight, not wanting to inconvenience her friend after all the trouble they put her through that day.

“Nope. I've made up my mind. Spike, you can send the letter now,” Twilight said as Spike breathed out a green flame, the letter disappearing in a mist that went out the window.

As Fluttershy watched the mist leave the treehouse, she reminded, “Now you won't get to go to the gala either.”

“It's okay, girls. I couldn't possibly enjoy myself without my best friends there with me…,” Twilight reassured, as the Mane 5 all awed, touched by Twilight’s thoughtful gesture. “...So I would rather not go at all.” The others then approached and hugged the purple unicorn…except Spike. He looked kinda touched by the gesture, though rather than admit it, he decided to do a gagging gesture by pointing a claw into his mouth. Suddenly, the gagging became more genuine, though the others didn’t realize this at first.

“Well, wallop my withers, Spike. Isn't that just like a boy? Can't handle the least bit of sentiment,” Applejack approached in frustration as Spike then burped out a new letter. “Whoa Nelly!”

“A letter from the princess? That was fast,” Twilight noted as Spike grabbed the letter.

“"My faithful student Twilight,” Spike began to read the letter. “Why didn't you just say so in the first place?" Six tickets to the Grand Galloping Gala.”

The cast then all gasped as Spike held out the six tickets for the friends. “Now we can all go!” Twilight said as the Mane 5 all cheered at the great news…only for Twilight’s stomach to growl and for Twilight to laugh nervously.

“Allow us to treat you to dinner,” Rarity suggested kindly as the ponies began to leave Twilight’s tree home, with the tickets one by one levitating from Spike’s claw to the nearby ponies.

“What a great way to apologize,” Rainbow agreed.

“And to celebrate! Come on everyone, the cupcakes are on me!” Pinkie cheered as the last ticket left Spike’s claw, much to his sadness.

“How come I don't get a ticket to the gala? Hurk!” Spike fire burped out a final letter, this one with another ticket. “"And one for you, Spike."” Spike left the treehouse, giggling gleefully…only to see Applejack give a sly look at him actually wanting to go after all. “I mean, gross, I have to go too?” And so, the pony and dragon joined their friends in celebrating the fact that they would be going to the Gala in a few months.

Author's Note

I hope you all enjoy this story. I also would like to ask from a few potential stories which one to work on or update?
They are a Kingdom Hearts story, the Yugioh story, and the Pokemon story. Please let me know in the comments what you'd most love to see. Thanks, and have a great day.