It's Your Move! Friendship is Trading Cards!

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

“Okay, I’ve just got one more little question for you,” Adrian said as everyone took a seat on the large leather couch in front of Maria’s enormous flat screen TV. “Why the Hell are we watching this crap?”

“For the last time,” Adam replied, hitting the “play” button. “It’s Friday night, which means My Little Pony Night, like we agreed. And as we’ve all told you before, you might even like it if you’d stop bitching about it.”

“How on Earth did you convince him to join us again?” Shawn whispered to Kali after ensuring that Adrian was out of earshot.

“Easy! I just promised him I’d…” Shawn’s eyes widened and he went red as Adrian’s companion whispered into his ear.

“Really? A whole cake?”

“Yep! His favorite icing and everything.”

“I guess it’s true what they say; the ways to a man’s heart is through his stomach.”

“Guys, hush up,” Adam hissed from across the couch. “It’s starting.”

“What episode is this again?” Zoe asked as Adam’s arm snaked around her.

“Let’s see…” Shawn mused as he studied the back of the DVD case. “Looks like we’re on “Return of Harmony”. Wow, I can’t believe we’re on Season Two already.” There was a murmur of agreement as the episode began. Unfortunately, they weren’t 15 seconds into the episode before Adrian chose to voice his displeasure.

“This is so fucking lame!” The collective response was a chorus of “Shhs” from around the couch.

“Shut up or I won’t give you that rematch you want so badly!” Adam hissed, startling Zoe. “Sorry,” he added, giving her a hug.

“Fine…” Adrian muttered as he relented, crossing his arms whilst reclining against the couch.

“That’s a good boy,” Kali whispered, cuddling up beside him.

35 minutes later…

“Wow. Discord really did a number on ‘em,” Shawn commented as the villain mocked the protagonist’s efforts to prevail.

“Yeah, he does that,” Adam agreed. “Did you see how relentless he was? Kinda different for a kid’s TV show, don’t you think?”

“I think that’s one of the reasons why it’s so good,” Maria added. “It doesn’t pander and it keeps the clichés to a minimum, relatively speaking.”

“Ssh!” Adrian hissed, much to everyone’s surprise. He shrugged as everyone momentarily stared at him. “I...I just hate it when people talk during the movie.” Sure, that’s clearly the case here, Adam thought with a grin. No one spoke a word until it appeared that all hope was lost for Twilight Sparkle and her thoroughly confused entourage.

“Uh oh, looks like they’re screwed,” Shawn whispered as Discord mocked them. “Bet they could use a hand….er, hoof. Too bad I wasn’t there. Nitro Warrior would’ve cooked ‘im for sure!”

“You take children’s trading cards to a whole new level,” Maria whispered, rolling her eyes. “You know that, right?”

“I’m well aware.” Shawn assured her.

“Good. Just making sure.”

“Y’know, you might be onto something,” Adam exclaimed, pausing the episode and eliciting a “Hey” from Adrian. “I agree that there are some cards that would help in this situation but Nitro Warrior? Come on! What the Hell could he do?”

“Um, run right over him with 2800 Attack Points or 3800 if I activated a Spell Card?”

“Unless Discord is protected by his Field Spell.” Adam replied.

“Field Spell?”

“Here we go,” Maria said with an exasperated sigh as Kali face-palmed.

“Did you not see what he did to Ponyville? He’s clearly adapted the world to suit him, thereby giving him home-field advantage, besides the fact that he is obviously a creature of Chaos and chances are that that would give him a destructive effect, eliminating Nitro Warrior with one snap of his fingers...claws.”

“Okay, I’ll concede to that,” Shawn admitted. “Then…how about Turbo Warrior? He can’t be targeted and everyone knows that the Chaos cards always target with their effects.”

“That’s true but I’m pretty sure Discord would be higher than Level Six and most likely has enough Attack Points to turn Turbo Warrior into bright-red cupcakes.”

“Okay then smart guy, if you’re such an expert, what would you recommend to assist the ponies in their hour of need?” Shawn demanded. Adam’s answer was assertive, without hesitation, and entirely predictable.

“Judgment Dragon.”

“You’re kidding.”

“What? J.D would completely wipe him out.”

“It would wipe everything out, genius! You’d be wrecking everything, not to mention the Mane Six and their home! Sorry man but wholesale destruction just ain’t gonna cut it this time.”

“Oh yeah? I bet J.D would run right over him with his 3000 Attack Points!”

“Oh yeah? What if you don’t have enough Life Points or he has an effect that stops you?”

“Still more useful than freakin’ Turbo Warrior!”

“You’re both out of your minds!” Adrian exclaimed. “Evolzar Laggia would stop any of those from even hitting the field, including that evil dragon-pony-thing!”

“Yes, and after detaching both Xyz Materials to use one stupid effect, he would be powerless and with only 2300 ATK, he’s not even a half-decent beatstick!” Shawn shot back.

As the argument raged, a change pertaining to their entertainment began to transpire. Regrettably, the healthy amount of quarreling taking place ensured that such changes went completely unnoticed until the usually quiet, though observant Zoe saw what was happening.

“Um…guys?” She perked up, trying unsuccessfully to get through to her argumentative companions. “Is he…supposed to be doing that?” It was clear that no one had noticed Discord staring directly at them as he grinned malevolently and slowly scratched his chin.

“Trouble in paradise, my dear?”

Zoe’s eyes widened as the dragon-pony hybrid spoke directly to her as if he were simply looking at her through a window. His tone was a narcissistic drawl mixed with amusement and Zoe wasn’t sure if she should be amazed or terrified.

“But…you’re not supposed to…” Zoe gulped. “Um…guys?”

“What!?” the argumentative collective demanded. There was a pause as everyone stared back at Discord.

“I don’t suppose there’s a reason why Discord’s talking to us through your TV,” Shawn commented, looking at Maria.

“Y’know, I can’t but feel like I know where this is going…” Adam mused just as Discord laughed and snapped his fingers. There was a bright flash as light engulfed the room amid shouts of confusion and worry. Immediately after, the light flared once more and the room was suddenly vacant.

Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Shawn groaned as he slowly sat up and rubbed his eyes. They flew open as he surveyed his environment. He sighed and grinned as he realized exactly where he was. The only problem was the rest of the gang. Surely they realized that through unknown means, Discord had just transported them to a slightly screwed-up version of the world of cartoon ponies. As he looked around at everyone else gathering their bearings, he was glad to see that no one was taking the time to indulge in a violent fit. Of course no one’s worried; we live a in a world of ridiculous holographic creatures being brought to life right before our eyes on a daily basis, Shawn thought with a sigh. Why should this be any different?

“Is everyone okay?” he asked as everyone gathered around. “I mean, besides the fact that we’ve all been turned into cartoons.”

“I…I think so…” Adam replied, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it. “Dude, did we just…”

“Looks like it,” Shawn interrupted, having seen the question coming a mile away. “Don’t ask me how we got here though. I may be a half-decent card player and a snappy dresser but a physicist I am not.”

“Now now, how fun can reality be?” A smarmy voice asked behind them. “Wouldn’t you rather just bask in the chaos I have so lovingly created?”

“Now we’re in trouble.” Adam pointed out he obvious as Discord appeared before them, surprisingly large and menacing.

“How 'bout we just skip the fan fiction foreshadowing bullshit and get to the point?” Shawn asked as everyone else nodded their approval. “Why did you bring us here?”

“Really now; that’s how you greet your host? Very well then. You see, this is a rather “diminutive” stage for my performance. I’m much more interested in…larger venues.”

“You can’t be serious…” Shawn said as realization hit.

“Oh but this time, I am,” Discord replied with a malicious grin. “Your world is ripe for the picking! Just like your little orchard, isn’t that right, Applejack?”

“Apple orchard? Ah don’t know nothin’ ‘bout no apple orchard,” the faded yellow pony replied in a guilty tone as she walked by.

“Oh yeah, everyone’s still confused,” Shawn mused as the Mane Six moped about, each lost in their own little worlds of chaos.

“Must be Opposite Day,” Adam added.

“Yeah, looks like everyone’s gone out of their minds,” Adrian said out of nowhere. He looked at the surprised group. “What? It’s just an observation…”

“So lemme get this straight,” Shawn began. “You want to take over our world so you teleported a group of teenagers with attitude to…Equestria? Not to criticize your plan but how does this make any sense?”

“Oh come now; what fun is there in making sense?” Discord asked with a hurt expression. “You see, you possess something I need. Besides the Elements of Harmony, there is one more source of energy that can free me and allow me to travel between this world and yours! That, my friends, is why I “summoned” you here, pardon the pun.”

“Wait a minute; let’s see if I can figure this out,” Shawn began. “You brought us here to use the so-called “energy” supposedly released during children’s card games? Oh man, you and everyone else in town.”

“You don’t believe me?” Discord asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Oh no, I believe you,” Shawn assured him. “Stranger things have happened. So what if I refuse your little “challenge”?”

“Then I imprison you and your little entourage here for eternity.”

“Well then it looks like my hands are pretty much tied!” Shawn replied with a forced laugh as a sinking feeling descended upon him. I’ll bet the only way to beat him is at his own game. If I can somehow “liberate” the others, I’m certain that they will be able to put him away. That’s it! I’ve gotta stall him until the others can assemble the Elements of Harmony and blast him into the next century! Good thing I’ve inexplicably got my Deck with me!

“Save the wide world of Equestria and its quadruped inhabitants with nothing more than dry wit and children’s trading cards? Challenge accepted.” Shawn exclaimed with a grin. That’s it; go time! “Guys, over here,” Shawn motioned for his friends to join him. “Listen, while I distract this joker, I need you to de-institutionalize the main characters or we’re sunk. I can’t beat him by myself; that much is obvious. The only way to win is to get the Elements of Harmony together and get them…” He motioned towards the Mane Six. “…to use ‘em. Everyone clear on the plan?”

“And how the Hell are we supposed to do that?” A skeptical Maria asked.

“Why, the magic of friendship of course!” Shawn replied with an eager grin. “But seriously, do it or we’re toast. Now let’s save Equestria and win another children’s card game!” There was a pause.

“Okay, so when you say the “magic of friendship…” Adrian began. “…you mean what exactly? How the frack are we supposed to make friends with a bunch of crazy cartoon ponies?!”

“Awe, I didn’t know you cared this much!” Adam replied with a smirk.

“I don’t! I just, um, think this place sucks and I wanna get out of here, that’s all.”

“Yeah, and I wanna hit up Breaking Dawn on opening night,” Shawn said with a grin. “Look, just do what you can to convince them that we need their help and that friendship is the best thing ever. You guys think you can handle that?”

“Nope, not a chance.” Adam replied assertively.

“Perfect! Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a somewhat predictable card game to play. Good luck!” With that, the group sighed and split up, each pursuing a different pony. Shawn turned and faced his opponent. “Well, this is awkward but if we’re gonna do this, we’ll each need…”

“One of these?” Discord asked as a V-Disc appeared on Shawn’s left arm.

“Uh yeah, that’ll do,” Shawn replied with a shrug as the machine shuffled his Deck. “You ready for this?”

“I’m always ready for a little fun!” Discord exclaimed as Life Points were set at 4000. “I’m in a generous mood so I’ll let you start things off.”

“Alright, it’s your funeral,” Shawn said with a shrug as he drew. “Okay, first up, I’ll activate Tuning and add Quickdraw Synchron to my hand and mill one card.” He grinned as Quilbolt Hedgehog was sent to the Graveyard. “Now I send Level Eater to the Graveyard to Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron!” There was a flash of light as the robotic cowboy-themed Tuner monster appeared and stood before Discord as if in a Mexican standoff. Heh heh, too bad Applejack’s not here to see this, Shawn thought with a grin. She’d probably dig the whole “wild west” motif this guy’s got going on. “Now I Normal Summon Tuningware and Tune it with Quickdraw Synchron to Synchro Summon…” In a dramatic and entirely unnecessary fashion, Shawn held the card up as five green rings formed above the field and transformed his monsters into red and yellow Level Stars. They aligned with in the green rings and there was a flash of light as a red and grey robot bearing a strong resemblance to Generation One Optimus Prime emerged and hovered beside Shawn.

“…Turbo Warrior!”

Shawn grinned; with Turbo Warrior’s effect, targeting effects would be far less of a headache…at least that’s what Shawn hoped. With 2500 Attack Points, it was a good start.

“Since I used Tuningware in a Synchro Summon, I can draw one card,” Shawn continued, drawing per his monster’s effect. “I’ll Set two cards face-down and end my turn.”

“Hmmm, what shall I do about this?” Discord wondered out loud as he snapped his fingers, causing a card to appear in his hand. “I think I’ll activate this!” There was a flash of light from his V-Disc indicating that a card has just been activated but nothing happened.

“Um…what just happened?” Shawn asked.

“Oh, where are my manners? I simply used a nifty little Field Spell called Chaos World!” Discord exclaimed deviously.

“Chaos World. How original.” Shawn replied with a yawn.

“Maybe this will change your tune. Once per turn, I can use one of several interesting effects that will surely turn that little mind of yours into Silly Putty! For example, did you by chance notice the rain?”

“Yeah, I got the chocolate rain. Real clever. What’s your point?” Shawn asked impatiently.

“Every time it’s my turn, it can either give me 1000 Life Points or take 500 from you! And they say too much chocolate is bad!” With a grin, Discord snapped his fingers and a large pink cloud formed above Shawn’s head. “Well, maybe bad for you…”

“Uh oh…” Shawn muttered as the cloud unloaded on him, drenching him with chocolate milk and reducing his Life Points to 3500. “That wasn’t cool.” Although, I can’t complain too loudly, he thought, wishing he had a glass and a green bendy straw.

“Perhaps next time you’ll remember your umbrella!” Discord laughed as Shawn dried his head with the hem of his shirt. “Now I think I’ll place this little fellow face-down. That’s all for now.” So, a monster in Defense Mode and nothing else, Shawn thought. Not bad. With Turbo Warrior’s effect, I’m pretty sure that if that has a Flip Effect, it won’t hurt ‘im.

“I draw!” Shawn exclaimed. “I’ll get right down to business and attack your face-down monster!” With that, Turbo Warrior flew at Discord’s monster.

“Hmmm, I think not,” Discord mused.

“What the Hell?” Shawn stared in shock as a trail of soap formed directly under Turbo Warrior, causing it to lose its balance and fall on its face with a crash.

“Looks like your little red robot won’t be doing any fighting this turn!”

“What did you do?”

“I told you; I’m a master of chaos,” Discord replied with an innocent shrug. “Besides, I used another effect of my Field Spell. By paying 500 Life Points, I can either stop one of your monsters from attacking or deal 1000 points of damage to you. I must admit that while the second option was sorely tempting, the thought of your great monster falling on its face was too much to resist!” Shawn stared helplessly as Turbo Warrior sat up in a daze as tiny pegusi flew around its head. Damnit, guess I’ll just have to suck it up and play defensively, at least for now, Shawn thought.

“I activate the effect of Level Eater in my Graveyard! By reducing Turbo Warrior’s level to five, I can Special Summon it in Defense Mode.” Shawn breathed a sigh of relief as the small insect in the shape of a Level Star appeared on the field. “That ends my turn.”

“Your turns are taking far too long,” Discord said with a yawn as a card appeared with the snap of his fingers. “I activate the effect of Chaos World to…oh, what’s the expression all the kiddies are using these days…oh yes; “make it rain”?”

“Awe Hell,” Shawn muttered as another pink raincloud reduced his total to 3000.

“Now I Sacrifice my face-down monster to Summon Vanity’s Fiend!” Shawn’s heart sank as a beast-like vampire appeared and bared its fangs with a hiss. “Now, thanks to the effects of Chaos World, I can pay 500 Life Points to increase my monster’s ATK by 1000! I think I’ll rid the field of that red eyesore once and for all!”

“Not this time!” Shawn exclaimed, revealing one of his face-down cards. “Mirror Force stops your attack and destroys any monster that’s in Attack Mode on your side of the field!”

“Fine then. Spoil my fun!” Discord muttered as Vanity’s Fiend disappeared. “Then you can take 1000 damage just because I feel like it!”

“Hey, that’s cheating!” Shawn protested as his total fell to 2000.

“Cheating?” Discord gasped with mock seriousness. “Me? Have you forgotten where you are?” He gestured to a pack of buffalo sporting tutus performing a synchronized dance on their back hooves behind them.

“Whatever. I’m still gonna win!”

“Well then take your turn and try!”

“I draw! I Summon Junk Synchron and use its effect to resurrect Quilbolt Hedgehog. Next I’ll Tune Junk Synchron, Quilbolt Hedgehog, and Level Eater to Synchro Summon…Junk Gardna!” With that, Junk Gardna descended with a mighty crash and formed a protective shield in front of Shawn. “Now it’s time to pay you back for that cheap shot last turn. I activate Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand to destroy your Field Spell!”

“Do you really think you can get rid of chaos so easily?” Discord exclaimed with a grin. “As long as I control a monster, Chaos World cannot be destroyed!”

“But you don’t control a monster!” Shawn protested.

“Well then, what do you call me?” Discord asked in a sinister tone. “Did you really think that you had any control at all over anything?”

“Um…maybe just a little bit…” Shawn muttered sheepishly.

“Oh don’t feel too bad,” Discord replied in a sympathetic tone. “Everyone thinks that the first time. It’s always up to me to show them the errors of their ways! It’s such a demanding line of work but it’s always worth it in the end.”

“You gonna finish monologue-ing this century?” Shawn demanded. “I’d like to actually take my turn at some point.”

“It’s pointless but I suppose you may as well,” Discord said with a yawn, snapping his fingers and reclining on the beach chair that appeared beneath him.

“You realize that in order to play this game, I need to know how strong a monster you are,” Shawn pointed out, hoping he could find Discord’s weakness. “Let’s see some stats already!”

“Oh, I’m afraid that’s none of your business,” Discord replied, feigning embarrassment as a conjured beach towel appeared and covered him up. “I’m much too shy.”

“That’s mature,” Shawn said in monotone, giving Discord a blank look. Looks like I’ll have to find out the hard way after all. “Then I guess you’re in for a world of hurt! Since you’re counting yourself as a monster that means that you have all the weaknesses of a monster as well. I should be able to destroy you like any other card!”

“Take your best shot!” Discord challenged, holding up a large target.

“Oh, I will. Turbo Warrior, show ‘im what you’re made of! Attack Discord!” With that, the jets under Turbo Warrior’s feet came to life and propelled the red warrior toward its draconian target.

“How soon we forget,” Discord said with a yawn, snapping his fingers. “I activate the effect of Chaos World! By paying 500 Life Points, I can stop your attack.” Oh man, not again, Shawn thought, waiting for Turbo Warrior to hit the soap and fall on its ass yet again. Any time now…any second…wait a tick…

“What’s this?” Discord muttered as Turbo Warrior didn’t stop. “Wait…that’s not…aaaarrrrgh!” Shawn watched in amazement as Turbo Warrior struck the draconequis with a huge red set of claws. “That’s not possible!” Instinctively, Discord looked towards the Field Spell zone. “What? How is this possible?”

“You mad, bro?” Shawn asked with a troll-like grin. “Looks like my Mystical Space Typhoon worked after all! With no Field Spell, all those little effects are gone!” That still doesn’t explain anything…unless…

“It was that little brat’s interference that stopped me, not your card,” Discord retorted. “That won’t last forever! All you’ve done is stall my effect!”

“Not this time, Discord!” A familiar voice reached him and Shawn whipped around to find Zoe and none other than Twilight Sparkle running towards him. “You’re not the only one who can use magic!” The purple unicorn exclaimed in triumph.

“Zoe! Twilight Sparkle!” Shawn exclaimed with a broad smile. “Man, are you two a sight for sore eyes! This clown’s been kickin’ me around ever since we got here.”

“I’m sorry I took so long,” Zoe panted as they finally reached him. “I had to give the friendship speech of all friendship speeches but it worked!”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Shawn agreed as he turned to Twilight. “Hi Twilight, my name’s Shawn and this is my friend Zoe. We’re huge fans.”

“Fans?” The unicorn asked in surprise.

“Um, it’s kind of a long story but as soon as we kick this guy into the next dimension, I’ll explain everything but for now, I could use your help if you can provide it.” It was a long shot and Shawn realized it but stranger things had happened and they had nothing to lose.

“But what can I do?” Twilight asked. “I’ve never seen anything like this before.”

“Zoe, do you still have that official Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG Rulebook app on your phone?” She nodded and produced it from a pocket in her jeans. “Here, take this and give it a quick go-over,” Shawn added, handing the phone over to Twilight. Her horn lit up and she held the small device right in front of her face, studying it carefully. After a minute or so, she was finished. Dang, I knew she was smart but still, Shawn thought in amazement. I mean, this game’s not exactly rocket science but she hardly even took a minute! Let’s hope she understood it ‘cause I might need her again!

“Think you got it?” Shawn asked, hoping she did as Discord slowly recovered and got to his feet. “Now, I know that this is really weird for all of us but I need you to…” Shawn brainstormed, trying to find a way to somehow tie all of these strange ideas together. “…channel your magic through the cards!” Twilight gave him an odd look, which after a few seconds, changed to one of complete understanding. “See, everything going on right here right now is real. Theoretically, that means you can interfere and help me out! Ready?”

“Ready!” Twilight exclaimed with a deadly smile.

“Excellent! Miss Sparkle, would you care to do the honors? How about that “Failsafe Spell” you tried like 30 minutes ago?” Shawn asked.

“I would be happy to!” With that, her horn lit up and there was a great flash of pink and white light.”

“I Chain the effect of Twilight’s Spell to my Mystical Space Typhoon! Thanks to Twilight’s effect, none of my Spell Cards or Summons can be negated for the remainder of the Duel! Say bye-bye to Chaos World!”

“Noooooooo!” Discord cried as a large bubble formed around them, separating everyone from the insanity transpiring around the bubble’s exterior. Shawn grinned as the small statistical information projector on the V-Disc’s control panel lit up and began gathering data about his opponent (and his cards) like in a normal Duel.

“Now that’s what I’m talking about!” Shawn exclaimed as he hungrily read all of Discord’s statistics. While his ATK of only 2000 was low for such a powerful monster, his ridiculous list of effects more than made up for his lack of brute strength. “Let’s see…” Shawn muttered, going down the list. “Can’t be removed from the field, player gains 2000 Life Points every Standby Phase if Chaos World is on the field, can double his ATK by paying 1000 Life Points, can take control of an opponent’s monster once per turn until the End Phase, then it gets destroyed…man, this sucks!”

“What is it, Shawn?” Zoe asked nervously.

“Don’t worry about it,” Shawn did his best to assure her. “Just because he’s outrageously strong doesn’t mean he’s invincible.” He turned to Discord. “I end my turn.”

“Oh look, another nice little 2000 point boost for me! Now let me show you what chaos is all about! I Set three cards face-down and I think I’ll use my own effect to add a Chaos World to my hand!”

“Awe man, not this bullshit again!” Shawn protested.

“Don’t worry Shawn, my spell should prevent him from using that card more than once every turn,” Twilight assured him with a wink.

“Good. Thanks,” Shawn replied, wiping sweat from his brow. Still, one effect is bad enough but I guess every little bit helps.

“I activate Chaos World and use my own effect to take control of your Turbo Warrior!”

“Oh come on!” Shawn protested as puppet strings appeared attached to each of Turbo Warrior’s limbs. With a sweep of his hand, Discord whisked the helpless Turbo Warrior to his side of the field. Shawn could do nothing but watch as Turbo Warrior changed from a bright red to a much duller red and took up a fighting stance.

“Oh this is such fun!” Discord exclaimed as he made Turbo Warrior dance. “You should’ve seen the look on your face when your precious little monster came over to the winning team! Now I think I’ll activate the effect of Chaos World. By paying 500 Life Points, I can attack you directly with any monster I took from you this turn!” Shawn gritted his teeth as Turbo Warrior charged at him.

“No way, Discord! I won’t let you separate any more friends!” Twilight stepped forward and pointed her horn at Turbo Warrior. “Shawn, I need some energy! Can you spare some Life Points?” Shawn nodded and Twilight continued. “By using 500 Life Points, I can stop your effect!”

“Nice!” Shawn exclaimed with a celebratory fist-pump. It was time for Discord to watch helplessly as Turbo Warrior suddenly turned and ripped the strings to shreds, threw them back at Discord, and took up its rightful place on Shawn’s field. “Way to look out, Twilight,” Shawn added with an appreciative smile.

“Any time. After all, what are friends for?” Twilight replied.

“Don’t start celebrating too fast!” Discord interjected. “By the effect of Chaos World, any monster of yours that declares a direct attack will be destroyed at the end of the turn!”

“Damnit!” Shawn cursed as Turbo Warrior shattered and disappeared.

“That ends my turn.”

Shawn breathed a sigh of relief; he had survived another harrowing turn against the mighty Draconequis. Even with Twilight Sparkle’s assistance, he couldn’t help but wonder if they could prevail against what else Discord had in store for them.

Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“I draw!” Shawn announced, hoping for a winner. “Alright, if I can’t beat 'im with effects, then I’ll just power through 'im instead!”

“Do you have a plan?” Twilight asked.

“Kind of but it’s really risky,” Shawn explained. “I could go for an all-out attack but I’m sure that one of his face-downs would screw me up. I need help with this one.”

“If he tries anything, I’ll do my best to stop it,” Twilight assured him with a determined smile. “Go for it!”

“You’ve got it,” Shawn replied, selecting a card from his hand. “From my hand, I Normal Summon Synchron Explorer, which lets me Special Summon Quickdraw Synchron! Next I’ll Tune them to Synchro Summon your worst nightmare!” Shawn’s monsters flashed and became Level Stars, coming to alignment inside five green rings. There was a flash of light and Shawn’s monster emerged, a great horned bull-like warrior covered in green armor and heat vents.

“Blaze on, Nitro Warrior!” Shawn shouted as the monster took up a fighting stance on his side of the field.

“Oh, isn’t he just adorable?” Discord mocked with a grin. “I activate the effect of Chaos World! Since you Special Summoned a monster, I can Special Summon three “Cotton Candy Cloud Tokens” to my side of the field in Defense Mode. Just for fun, I’ll also activate my face-down Chaos Life, which gives me 1000 Life Points for every monster on my side of the field.” Discord laughed maniacally as his Life Points rose to 9500. It’s over 9000, Shawn thought with a guilty grin.

“Oh no you don’t…” Twilight began but Shawn turned and motioned for her to stop.

“Don’t worry about it; I was hoping he’d do something like that,” Shawn whispered to her. Twilight nodded and held back. “Now I activate another Mystical Space Typhoon from my hand to destroy that one!” A small tornado swept across Discord’s side of the field, destroying the one on the far left. It was hard to miss Discord’s look of annoyance as Dimensional Prison disappeared. “Now I’ll activate the effect of Junk Gardna and force one of your tokens into Attack Mode!” With a mere 500 ATK and DEF, they were easy prey and thanks to Nitro warrior’s effect, Discord was in for a world of hurt…at least that’s what Shawn hoped. “Attack, Nitro Warrior! Take out one of those Tokens!”

“What is this?” Discord demanded as Nitro Warrior’s ATK rose to 3800.

“Doesn’t look so adorable now, does he?” Shawn replied with a triumphant expression. “Since I activated a Spell Card, Nitro Warrior gains 1000 extra Attack Points for his first attack!”

“If you think I’m going to just sit back and let that happen, you don’t know who you’re dealing with! I use Chaos World to stop the attack!”

“Twilight! Now!” Shawn shouted. “I pay 500 Life Points so that Twilight can stop that effect! This is gonna hurt!”

And hurt it did. Discord reeled as Nitro Warrior crashed head-on into one of the Tokens, obliterating it between its mighty fists. As his total fell to 4000, Shawn was eying victory.

“Ready for round two? Since Nitro Warrior destroyed one of your monsters by battle, it can change a monster you have in Defense Mode to Attack Mode and attack it with its original ATK, which is enough to make you feel the pain again!”

“I think not…” Discord’s calm murmur caught Shawn off-guard. “If I pay 2000 Life Points, I can skip your Battle Phase and forcibly end your turn if one of my monsters is destroyed!” Damnit, Shawn thought as the day suddenly turned to night.

“Wait, what the Hell just happened?” Shawn demanded.

“Oh, just give it a minute and it’ll change back but for now, your turn is over.”

“I suppose it is.” Shawn sighed and turned to Twilight Sparkle. “Okay, I’ve got a question. Where in the wide world of Equestria is Princess Celestia and on that note, where are the rest of my friends? Some reinforcements would be really nice right now!” Twilight opened her mouth to answer but a sudden crack of thunder emanated from Discord’s side of the field.

“You want to see some power?” Discord demanded in an uncharacteristically low growl. “Then I will be happy to show

you. I activate the Ritual Spell Spirit of the Eclipse! By sacrificing two cards in my hand of the appropriate levels, I can Ritual Summon…” As quickly as the day had returned, darkness spread all around them and covered everything in the blanket of night. The moon eclipsed the sun and in a swirling storm of darkness, the creature known as Nightmare Moon appeared with a vengeance alongside Discord. Shawn and Twilight shared in a very loud gasp in shock.

“But that’s impossible!” Shawn protested. “I saw Luna transform back to normal! Twilight, you guys already defeated her! What the fuck is going on here?”

“It looks like Discord managed to somehow find Nightmare Moon’s old spirit,” Twilight attempted to explain. “I don’t know how but that doesn’t matter now. Without the Elements of Harmony, how are we supposed to beat both of them?”

“You won’t, my dears,” Nightmare Moon replied with an evil laugh. “You will fall under the power of everlasting night!” Okay, before I start panicking, maybe she’s not as much of a badass as she looks, Shawn thought, checking her stats. With only 2600 Attack Points, Nitro Warrior’s 2800 was perfectly capable of turning her into purple goo but Shawn had a nasty feeling that it wasn’t going to be that simple.

“Mind if I take over for a bit?” Nightmare Moon asked of Discord. “It will be ever so much fun to exact my revenge!”

“Then you’ll have to take us on, too!” Another familiar voice caused Shawn, Zoe, and Twilight to turn around. Their faces lit up as Adrian, riding on the back of Rainbow Dash and accompanied by Pinkie Pie, caught up to them. “We heard you could use a hoof!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed as she let Adrian dismount, who fell over in a heap, clutching his stomach.

“You okay, dude?” Shawn asked, extending his hand.

“Man, she flies like a maniac,” Adrian replied groggily as Shawn helped him up. “My head feels like it’s in a vice and my stomach feels like mutinying.”

“Well, if you had been paying attention to any of the episodes we’ve seen, you would’ve been made aware of that little detail,” Shawn replied rather unsympathetically.

“Here’s an idea,” Rainbow Dash interjected. “How about somepony explains exactly what’s going on here!?”

“Adrian, I’ll leave that to you,” Shawn replied. “I’m kind of in the middle of something right now.”

“Ooh, are you guys playing Go Fish?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly, sneaking a peak from unfathomable locations at Shawn’s V-Disc and cards. “This looks like fun! Can I play, can I play?” Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed a card from Shawn’s hand and studied it with a look of ferocious concentration. “That’s boring!” She announced, tossing the card back to Shawn, who stared at her in shock. “If you want a tuner so bad, just go the music store! They’ve got lots of tuners!” In a rapid move, Rainbow Dash swept her aside and stood beside Shawn.

“Sorry about her. She gets…excited sometimes.”

“It’s okay; she’s just being Pinkie Pie,” Shawn replied with a grateful smile. “Did Adrian tell you everything you need to know?”

“Yeah I got it. But what can I do?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m not magical or anything.” She was right; Shawn racked his brain for a solution…and he spotted it hanging around her neck.

“Rainbow Dash, do you think you could use your Element of Harmony to give me a hand…er, I mean, hoof?” The blue Pegasus cocked her head to the side and stared back at him quizzically.

“Yes, I’m sure she can,” Twilight assured them. “Don’t worry, Shawn. You can count on all of us!”

“I might need a 30 second lesson on how to use this thing,” Rainbow Dash replied as she fiddled with the artifact. “It’s been a while since we had to use ‘em.”

“Shawn, we’ll work on that while you do what you can against Discord, okay?” Twilight said. Shawn nodded.

“Gotcha. Just don’t take too long!” With that, he refocused on Discord. “Alright, bring it on!” Having more reinforcements join the fray made Shawn feel better about the idea of facing off against two major villains in their own universes.

“How dare you make us wait!” Nightmare Moon cried. “Such impudence! You shall pay for that!”

“Bring it!”

“Very well! My dear, how about we show him just how wonderful the night is?” Discord suggested with a malevolent grin. “Go ahead and attack that green monstrosity!”

“I activate Junk Gardna’s effect and switch her to Defense Mode!”

“I think not!” Discord exclaimed triumphantly as Junk Gardna suddenly switched to Discord’s side. Damnit, with Twilight trying to explain things to Rainbow Dash, she can’t use her effect to stop him, Shawn thought as Nitro Warrior was wiped out by a swirling black lightning storm.

“Wait a second! Nitro Warrior was stronger!” Shawn protested.

“Didn’t you know?” Discord asked innocently. “Your little monsters can’t hurt the Queen of the Night! She destroys any monster instantly! Now I think I’ll attack you with your own piece of junk!”

“Aaaaaaaaahhh!” Shawn yelled as Junk Gardna took him for 1400 Life Points, reducing his total down to a miniscule 100.

“And just like last time, if I take control of your monster, he goes bye-bye at the end of my turn!” Discord laughed as Junk Gardna, Shawn’s only wall of defense, was obliterated. “Oh and one more thing,” Discord added as Nightmare Moon returned to his side. “When the Princess of the Night puts one of your little creatures to sleep, I can Special Summon three “Shadowbolt Tokens” in Attack Mode!” Shawn took some relief in the fact that the tokens were harmless and lacking any kind of effect but he still wondered what they were for. They had to have a purpose of some kind but at least he wasn’t out of it…yet.

“My…draw,” Shawn panted as he drew. “I Set…one monster and…one more card…that’s all.” No sooner had he ended his turn, Twilight and Rainbow returned to find him in a mess.

“Shawn, what happened?” Twilight gasped, seeing his field empty and his Life Points almost depleted.

“Hey ugly!” Rainbow Dash yelled at the evil duo. “You’re gonna get it for hurting my friend!”

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance,” Shawn assured her, managing a smile. Rainbow Dash saw the look of conviction in his eyes and returned the smile. “In fact, I’ve got a hunch that you’ll be able to do some damage real soon. Just sit tight for a bit.”

“Just say the word!” Rainbow replied enthusiastically.

“You little foals!” Nightmare Moon mocked in triumph. “You’ll never defeat me, never again!” Without a word from Discord, she charged at Shawn’s face-down monster. Shawn grinned and pressed the activation button for his other face-down card.

“I activate Scapegoat!”

“What’s this?” Nightmare Moon paused her attack and stared in confusion as four small sheep-like creatures formed a fuzzy protective wall in front of Shawn.

“Ha ha! Guess we pulled the wool over your eyes!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed as she appeared from out of nowhere, nearly making Shawn involuntarily urinate. “Uh oh…”

“What is it, Pinkie Pie?” Twilight asked.

“Twitchy twitch-a-twitch-a-twitch!” Pinkie Pie replied as her tail mysteriously began to…well, twitch. Oh Hell, Shawn thought. Here we go…

“You can’t be serious.” Twilight said in monotone.

“I am! My Pinky Sense is telling me that stuff’s gonna start falling from the sky!” Fortunately, Shawn had looked up from his “the sky is falling” protective crouch just in time to see Pinkie’s Element glowing. He grinned as a wicked idea formed in his head.

“Pinkie Pie! Aim your Element of Harmony at my V-Disc!”

“You mean that big tray-thingy that would be perfect for serving cupcakes and other yummy treats because it frees up your hooves to hold even more cupcakes and yummy treats?” Pinkie Pie replied excitedly whilst bouncing up and down.

“Yes, Pinkie Pie,” Shawn answered in monotone. “The big tray-thingy that holds cupcakes and other yummy treats.”

“Okie dokie lokie!” Without any hesitation, she turned and pointed the glowing necklace at Shawn’s V-Disc. He watched his Deck glow with a pink light and hoped that something extraordinary would happen.

And happen it did. Shawn watched in amazement as a Trap Card was taken from his Deck and added to his hand. He grinned as Pinkie Pie came over to see her handiwork.

“Ooh, that one’s shiny!”

“Good choice!” Shawn commented, much to Pinkie Pie’s delight. “Um, why is your tail still twitching?” As if answering his question, the glowing Element sent another burst of pink balloon-shaped bolts towards the V-Disc.

“Enough horsing around!” Nightmare Moon cried as she resumed her attack on Shawn’s face-down monster. Just as she was about to stomp it out of existence, it suddenly disappeared in a cloud of confetti. And as if that wasn’t enough, a large pink cannon suddenly appeared on Shawn’s field and covered both Discord and Nightmare Moon in a much bigger cloud of confetti. Shawn stared slack-jawed as Discord’s Life Points fell to 4000.

“What!?” He shouted in delight. “You mean that you stopped her attack and did 2000 damage as well?”

“Yup! Looks like it!” Pinkie Pie replied proudly. “How fun was that?”

“That was awesome, Pinkie Pie!” Rainbow Dash congratulated. “Way to stick it to ‘em!”

“Great work, Pinkie Pie,” Twilight added. “Just…make sure you let us know when your tail starts twitching again.” Shawn grinned as Discord and Nightmare Moon finished coughing up confetti. Guess that was a one-time effect, Shawn thought with a shrug. Still, she might’ve just won the battle for us…or at least fucked him up a bit.

“I’ll assume that by your dumbfounded expressions that your turn is done,” Shawn said, addressing his perplexed opponents as he drew. “I’ll Set three cards face-down Flip Summon my face-down Morphing Jar! That forces both of us to discard our hands and draw five new cards.” Shawn hoped the sudden change of cards would upset Discord’s plans but much to his dismay, his opponent didn’t seem fazed in the least. Ah, nothing like the smell of new cards in the morning, Shawn thought as he drew a full hand.

“What did you get?” Twilight asked as she and the others gathered around to look.

“Get anything cool?” Rainbow added. “Or awesome?” She gave them one more look. “Meh, they need to be about 20% cooler.”

“They’re not bad but I could really use some more Life Points,” Shawn replied. “I hate hovering so close to the edge like this.”

“Well then, allow me tuh lend you some assistance there, pard’ner!” Shawn smiled and turned around to find Maria and Applejack standing beside him. Her Element was glowing, sending out red apple-shaped pulses to his V-Disc. He felt a warm glow wash over him as if he’d just eaten a large meal and nodded as his Life Points suddenly grew to 3300.

“What magic is this?” Nightmare Moon demanded.

“That there’s the power of honesty, somethin’ you’d never understand!” Applejack replied in her familiar southern drawl. “Ah knew Shawn was made o’ good stuff so ah’m here t’ help ‘im out!”

“Looks like I get a little boost every Main Phase for every monster I have on the field!” Shawn said. “I’m back in this! I Tribute Morphing Jar to Summon Quickdraw Synchron!” Shawn turned to Rainbow Dash. “I’m gonna need your help with this one. You think you’re up to it?”

“You bet!” Rainbow replied with a salute.

“Good! When I give you the signal, you’re gonna…” Just to be safe, Shawn whispered the rest of his plan to the blue mare.

“That’s sweet! I’m ready when you are.”

“I Tune Quickdraw Synchron with three of my Sheep Tokens to Synchro Summon…” Shawn nodded at Rainbow, who took off like a rocket into the sky right above the field. “…Junk Destroyer!” Complete with a rock-and-roll soundtrack the origin of which could not be explained, Shawn’s four-armed robotic warrior appeared in a burst of light. “Now, Rainbow Dash! Go for it!” With that, Rainbow began a rapid plummet to the ground below, aiming right for Discord’s field. “I Chain Junk Destroyer’s effect to…” He waited until the last second when a great thunderous sound shook the ground and a rainbow exploded from above, spreading across the sky and enveloping Junk Destroyer in a glowing multicolored aura.

“…the Sonic Rainboom! When those effects activate together, every card on your side of the field is destroyed!” Discord could only watch helplessly as everything on his side of the field was obliterated. Nightmare Moon shrieked as she too was swallowed up by the rainbow of destruction. “And now I’ll attack you directly with Junk Destroyer!” With 2600 Attack Points, it was more than enough to take Discord sit up and listen but Shawn wasn’t holding his breath. The sly Draconequis had escaped sure defeat before and there was no doubt in Shawn’s mind that he would do it again. Damnit, he thought as instead of falling to zero, they only dropped to 6400.

“You think you could beat me that easily?” Discord asked in a smarmy tone. “I told you; as long as I have my world of chaos, I am in control! When a Shadowbolt Token is destroyed, I get 1000 Life Points!” So that’s what they were for, Shawn thought. Damnit, now he’s back up to 9000 points!

“Hmmph, you got lucky. I end my turn.”

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Meanwhile…

“Whoa, did you see that?” Spike asked as a great rainbow coursed through the sky.

“Was that a…Sonic Rainboom?” Adam asked, resting against a large diamond-shaped rock which until recently, Rarity had refused to part with.

“And wasn’t it just fabulous?” Rarity murmured as she gazed at it.

“At least we know where the others are,” Adam continued. “Hey Spike, you wanna lead the way?”

“You’ve got it!” The baby dragon replied smartly. With that, they sprinted out of Carousel Boutique and towards their friends.

Fortunately, it was a short run to the war zone, upon reaching which they were greeted with gratitude and relief.

“Oh man, I thought you guys would never get here!” Shawn exclaimed, shaking Adam’s hand. “And it’s great to see you guys too,” he added to Spike and Rarity. “I’m in a bit of a bind here and…I think I’ll just let Twilight explain it.” As Twilight did so, Shawn filled Adam in on the situation.

“That bad, huh?” Adam mused. “Man, that’s one full Graveyard. He just keeps stopping everything you try, eh?”

“Mostly. If it weren’t for them, this would’ve been over a long time ago,” Shawn replied, gesturing towards the ponies congregated around them. “I just don’t know what to do right now. If I try to overpower him, he overpowers me. If I try tricks and effects, they blow up in my face. I’ve only managed to do a bit of damage and even then, he just gets the points back anyway!”

“Hmmm…” Adam thought about it. “Can you stall long enough to gather all the Elements together?”

“To be honest, I don’t think I can last that long,” Shawn said, his head drooped slightly. “If it weren’t for that psycho making everything up as he went along, I’d be having a better time for sure.”

“That might be the only thing you can do,” Adam continued. “Look, I’ll get the gang together and we’ll find Kali and Fluttershy. I don’t know where they are but we need to get them here ASAP if you plan to win.”

“I think you’re right,” Shawn conceded. “I’ll just have to do the best I can, then. Rally the troops, Adam, and let’s get this party started!”

“Ooh, I love parties!” Pinkie Pie said excitedly as they left to search for the others. While Shawn was uneasy about letting all of his help leave, save for Spike and Rarity, he knew that in order to find the others quickly, they would need to spread out and cover more ground.

“Well Spike, I guess it’s just you and I and Rarity now,” Shawn said with a sigh as the baby dragon hid behind his leg. “I know that you’re scared, Spike. Believe me, I am too. The only way we’re gonna survive the next few minutes is if we work together. Ready to help me out?”

“I…” The dragon gulped.

“Y’know,” Shawn leaned down and whispered to him. “The chicks dig a hero…” Following a nudge and a wink, the dragon’s attitude changed so rapidly it threw Shawn for a loop.

“Yes sir! Private Spike reporting for duty!” Spike saluted as Rarity smiled with approval.

“Ahem!” The marshmallow-colored pony cleared her throat. “Please allow me to assist you as well.” She closed her eyes and her horn began to glow and after a moment, highlighted one of the cards in Shawn’s Deck. Shawn watched as the card flew into his hand…and grinned.

“You’re a quick learner,” Shawn said with a smile. “Thanks; this is just what I needed.” He turned to Discord who looked as if he were about to fall asleep. “Thanks to Rarity’s generosity, I can add one monster with 1500 ATK or less from my Deck to my hand during either player’s turn.” Now if he does what I think he does, I’ll be ready for him.

“Very well, have your fun,” Discord replied in tone of boredom. “I activate the power of Chaos World! I’ll pay 1000 points to not only take your monster but use its effect as well! Since you would normally be able to destroy two cards with it per its effect, I’ll use that against you!”

“I thought you might try something like that,” Shawn exclaimed. “Since you’re about to destroy two cards I control, I activate Starlight Road! Spike, you’re up! Wanna be a hero?” The small dragon nodded. “Then let’s do this! Thanks to Starlight Road, I’ll combine its power with Spike and Summon Stardust Dragon...er, Stardust Spike...whatever!”

“Whoa, what’s happening?” Spike gasped as he suddenly started glowing with white light. Both Shawn and Rarity watched in amazement as he grew and grew until hovering before them was Spike as Stardust Dragon. He roared and flapped his great shimmering wings and soared over the field.

“Spike, you’re…you’re…” Rarity struggled to find the right words to describe the shining dragon. “…fabulous!”

“And that’s just the beginning! Because of Spike’s toughness and loyalty to his friends, he is immune to all card effects until the end of this turn! This is it, Discord!” Shawn shouted.

“Fine. Go ahead and throw that overgrown lizard at me!” Discord challenged. “I Set two cards face down and end my turn.”

“I draw!” Shawn exclaimed. Okay, Stardust’s got a great effect but if I know Discord, he’ll find a way around it and I don’t feel like losing my only offensive option right now. I’ll have to take this to another level. “I’ll Set two cards face-down and Summon Symphonic Warrior Basses!” Thanks Rarity, Shawn thought as he continued. “Since I control a Tuner monster, I can Special Summon Boost Warrior from my hand. Now I’ll Tune them to Synchro Summon Formula Synchron!” Hey Spike, it’s upgrade time!” Shawn shouted to the shimmering, towering dragon, who nodded and gave him a thumbs-up. “I Tune Stardust Dragon with Formula Synchron to Accel Synchro Summon Shooting Star Dragon!” With that, Stardust Dragon changed into eight Level Stars and aligned within two green gear-like circles. There was a burst of light that seemed to tower into the heavens and from the highest point at which the light pierced the sky, a great dragon descended with a shimmering trail, making the night come to life with stars.

“So…much…shiny…” Rarity said in awe at the spectacle. If that doesn’t get him somewhere with her, nothing will, Shawn thought with a grin.

“Now since I happen to know that you can only activate certain effects at certain times, let’s see if we can’t bleed some of those excess Life Points!” Shawn exclaimed. “I activate one of Shooting Star Dragon’s effects. I’ll reveal the top five cards of my Deck and for each Tuner I find, my dragon gets to attack you!” He picked up the top five cards and with a smile, revealed Junk Synchron and Quickdraw Synchron. “Shooting Star Spike, attack Discord directly for double the damage!” Without hesitating, Spike reincarnate unleashed a shimmering beam at Discord, which struck the Draconequis perfectly. Discord roared as 6600 Life Points were obliterated.

“You think that’s enough?” Discord growled. “I activate Chaos Damage Shift! Any damage I take this turn gets halved and added to my Attack Points!”

“Oh, come on!” Shawn protested as Discord’s ATK rose to 5300. I’d better end my turn before I make any more hasty moves. He had three cards face-down for fuck sakes! What am I, some kind of rank amateur? “I end my turn.” His foot tapped in anticipation of his friend’s arrival. While Rarity’s help had been invaluable thus far, he needed everyone if they were to be victorious. At least he still took 3300 damage. 5700 Life Points are better than 9000.

“I believe it’s my turn,” Discord announced as a card appeared at the snap of his fingers. “This has been an amusing little game but I’m afraid that it must end. I think I’ll take you out with your own pet dragon!” Oh no, Shawn thought, forgetting about Discord’s ability to steal monsters. Shooting Star Dragon’s effect can’t stop him! This is supremely bad! Roaring with fury and defiance, Shooting Star Dragon, aka Spike on ferocious steroids, was dragged to Discord’s side by the same puppet strings as before. Faced with one of his most powerful monsters and new friends, Shawn had no idea of how to handle it. As the dragon prepared to attack, gathering charged energy between its fangs, Shawn just stood there. So dumbfounded was he that he failed to hear the sound of approaching hoofsteps.

“Huh?” Pinkie Pie gasped at the scene. “Is that big old mean dragon bothering you?” Shawn looked up and over at the pink pony. She stood beside him with an expression of determination, staring up at the attacking beast with no fear.

“Hey, who are you calling a “big mean old dragon”?” Rarity cried as Pinkie Pie’s Element began to glow. Don’t tell me, Shawn thought as his Life Points fell to 1000. Here we go again! Just as the dragon was about to unleash Hell, it suddenly disappeared in a star-studded flash.

“What?” Discord demanded.

“Teeheeheehee bahahahaha!” Pinkie Pie rolled on the ground with laughter as everyone stared at her. “Did you see the look on his face when that dragon disappeared? Priceless!”

“Nice!” Adam exclaimed. “Looks like she was able to use Shooting Star Dragon’s effect to Banish itself during the Battle Phase! I think she just saved your ass again!”

“My ass?” Shawn protested. “I think you mean all our asses. Anyway, good job, Pinkie Pie. Thanks for that.”

“Thanks for what?” She asked as if oblivious to the fact that she had just saved them yet again. Shawn sighed and for the first time in quite awhile, had a smile on his face. “Oh, you mean this cupcake?” Shawn stared at her with a dumbfounded expression as she produced a white cupcake topped with chocolate icing and pink sprinkles. “I was saving it for a snack later but I think you need it more than I do. Here!”

“Thanks, I sure could,” Shawn agreed as he happily ate it. “Damn, that’s good! Now, where was I? Oh yeah, I think it was my turn. I draw!”

“Don’t forget about me!” Rarity exclaimed as she added Junk Synchron to Shawn’s hand.

“How ‘bout some more points there, sugah?” Applejack added as Shawn gained 1000 Life Points. Shawn grinned as everyone’s Elements began to glow. It was then that reality kicked him in the face and he realized what he was up against.

“What’s the matter?” Twilight asked, seeing his grin fade.

“Look, I really appreciate all the help but unless I can actually destroy this guy, there’s no way to win! We’re just not strong enough!” Shawn replied as he studied his hand for an answer. “There’s nothing else I can do. That dragon’s my best weapon and if he’s not enough, then what can I do?”

“You mean, what can we do?” Shawn sun around just in time to see Zoe return with Fluttershy. Zoe must have given the shy pony one Hell of a pep talk because Shawn had never seen the yellow pony with fire in her eyes before.

“Um…you sure that’s Fluttershy?” Shawn asked hesitantly.

“Oh dear, did I scare you?” The shy pony asked meekly. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be sorry!” Shawn exclaimed. “That look of determination just now was awesome! You think you can help me out?”

“Oh yes, I think so,” Fluttershy agreed. “What do you want me to do?”

“You see that big evil dragon-goat thingy up there?” Shawn asked, pointing at Discord.

“Eeep!” Fluttershy squeaked and hid behind Twilight.

“I’ll take that as a “yes”. Anyway, I need you to help me beat him! I need everyone for that.”

“B…but what can I do?” Fluttershy asked quietly.

“Well, so far I’ve been asking everyone to aim their Elements of Harmony at this machine when they start glowing,” Shawn explained, pointing to the V-Disc. “And it’s worked pretty well so far.”

“Except for the fact that Discord’s still kicking your ass,” Adam reminded him.

“Man, whose side are you on?”

“Would you two get it together already?!” Adrian shouted, much to everyone’s surprise. “If you don’t find a way to pull this off, Equestria’s done for!” He paused as everyone stared at him. “I mean, if you lose, we’ll never get out of here.” Shawn rolled his eyes.

“Okay, we’ve got one last shot at this,” Shawn continued as everyone gathered around. “I’m down to just a few cards left and no offensive options that can stand up to him. We need to win soon. Can I count on everyone?” A chorus of “yes” and “let’s do it” rang loud and clear. Shawn grinned. “Good. Now that everyone’s here, I’ve got one last plan. Everyone, make a half circle around me and make sure your Elements are aimed at Shooting Star…I mean, at Spike. As soon as those Elements start glowing, I’ll make the final move and then it’s up to you guys. Focus everything you’ve got and concentrate on beating Discord. If you do that…I think we’ve got a chance. Everybody ready?” Another chorus of confirmations rang as they took up their positions.

“It’s my turn!” Discord exclaimed with an evil grin. “I think I’ve had enough of this little game. It’s time for me to end this!” Oh crap, Shawn thought as Discord suddenly took up a position on the field. I wasn’t expecting him to make his move so quickly! He quickly looked around. Damnit, none of the Elements are glowing! This could be it!

“This is the end for you, I’m afraid!” Discord shouted as he prepared to attack. “I will bring chaos to your world as well as this one! Ah hahahahaha!” Shawn was forced to shield himself from the elements as a storm of chaos erupted around them. It was clear that Discord was preparing his final assault.

“Not this time, Discord!” Twilight Sparkle shouted in protest. “I…won’t…let you!” With that, the Elements suddenly came to life and showered Shooting Star Spike with energy. Discord roared and took a huge swipe at Shawn’s monster.

“I activate the effect of Shooting Star Dragon! If he’s attacked, I can Banish it until the End Phase and negate your attack!”

“You can’t control Chaos with that cheap trick!” Discord roared as his attack continued.

“Maybe not but when you’ve got true magic on your side, anything’s possible!” Shawn shouted, turning to Twilight. “Twilight, you’re up!”

“By using 500 Life Points, I can stop your effect and save Shooting Star Dragon from your attack!” A beam of purple light exploded from her horn and restrained Discord long enough for Shooting Star Spike to escape.

“Noooooooo!” Discord roared as the dragon disappeared in a bright flash.

“This is it!” Shawn exclaimed as Discord’s turn ended and Shooting Star Spike returned. He looked over at Rarity, who smiled and presented him with Junk Synchron. “I Summon Junk Synchron and use its effect to revive Boost Warrior! Now I Tune them to Synchro Summon Armory Arm, which I’ll equip to Shooting Star Dragon!” Spike roared in triumph as the large claw-like weapon attached itself to his arm. “That gives him a 1000 ATK boost and if he destroys a monster, you lose Life Points equal to the ATK of your destroyed monster! Anyone else have anything to add?”

“My turn!” Rainbow Dash added excitedly. “Hey Shawn, how about a hoof?”

“You’ve got it.”

“Awesome! I can use 1000 points to make Spike way stronger!” Spike roared as his Attack Points grew to

5400.

“I won’t let you hurt Spike, you big meanie!” Fluttershy added as angrily as she could, much like her outburst at the Grand Galloping Gala.

“Nice!” Shawn exclaimed as Spike became shrouded in a mystical field, all for the cost of 1000 Life Points. “Looks like he’s immune to all effects for one turn too!”

“Oooh, pick me next, pick me next!” Pinkie Pie shouted excitedly. Shawn smiled and rolled his eyes.

“Okay, Pinkie Pie, what’ve you got for us this time?”

“Ooh, how about this?” With that, Pinkie Pie’s party cannon appeared and fired at Discord.”

“What?” Shawn gasped. “Did she just…take away all of his Attack Points?” Discord stood stunned and smoking as every single Attack Point was taken from him. “This is it, Discord! I activate Pot of Avarice and place two Quickdraw Synchrons, Junk Synchron, Boost Warrior, and Synchron Explorer into my Deck and draw two cards.” Shawn drew and grinned. “You’re done! I activate the power of Shooting Star Spike! I reveal the top five cards and for every Tuner among them, he gets an additional attack and it looks like I’ve got three here!”

As the Elements bathed Shawn’s dragon in radiant multicolored light, he took a second to reflect and savor the feeling, the feeling that he had just saved a very important part of their world…and his. He opened his eyes and smiled as everyone kept their focus on Discord. He looked over at Twilight and nodded. She nodded back and suddenly, her eyes became white with light and she rose up into the air along with the others. A rainbow colored stream erupted from the gathered Elements and struck Shooting Star Spike just as he attacked the helpless Discord. There was a brilliant, blinding flash as the struggling Discord was transformed into a life-sized stone statue, rendered completely immobile and harmless. Shawn covered his eyes as the wave of energy washed over the world of Equestria, restoring it to its former, non-chaotic state. As it swept over him and the rest of his friends, he felt exhaustion take him and he fell to the ground and passed out.

***

Ugh, what the Hell happened, Shawn thought as he slowly awoke from his slumber. I had the weirdest dream. I could’ve sworn I used my Synchron Warriors to help Twilight Sparkle and her friends save Equestria from Discord. Man, I’ve gotta stop eating sea salt ice cream so late at night, he thought as he slowly sat up and shaded his eyes from the sun streaming in from his open window. He sat on the edge of his bed and yawned and stretched his tired limbs. He cocked his head to one side as a shiny object on his bedside table caught his attention. He picked it up and studied the glossy actress-autographed picture and smiled as the faces of Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Spike all smiled back at him. Hmm, looks like I forgot to hang you up last night, Shawn thought as he carried it over to his desk.

A sudden breeze from outside caught the picture just as he set it down, sending it cascading to the floor. Shawn picked it up and was about to put it down again when something else caught his eye. Written on the back of the picture in fine script was a message that he had never seen before. What the hay is this, he wondered as he read it. As he did so, he wiped a tear from his eye and nodded in appreciation.

Dear Shawn,

Today I learned a very valuable lesson about friendship. Just because someponies are from different worlds, that

doesn’t mean that they can’t be friends. I thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping us the way you did. It was wonderful meeting you and your friends and I hope we get another chance in the future.

Your friend,

Twilight Sparkle

The End