Nightmare's door had led her to the ruins of a castle. "Why does this place feel so familiar?", Nightmare said as she took in her surroundings. "Reminds me of the old castle ruins back in Equestria...." Nightmare then noticed an unconscious form in the throne room. A figure she knew quite well. "Burst!" Nightmare ran over to Burst! He was beat-up pretty bad. "Burst...who did this to you?" Nightmare held Burst close. "Well, its over. I'm here now." Nightmare than heard familiar laughter.
"HA HA HA HA HA! So this is the pathetic being I've become?" Nightmare was horrified to see what could only be described as her old self. Resembling her current human form, but clad in the fearsome armor she had worn back in Equestria. And in place of regular alicorn wings, hers were bat-like. "Oh how the mighty have fallen. I can't believe I'd ever become so weak as to fawn over anyone."
"Who are you?! There's no way you're me!"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHA! Oh, what a foal you are! Don't you understand? I am your true self! The one who strikes fear into all those foolish enough to cross her! The one who desires eternal night! Why deny who you are?" Nightmare's phantom pointed at Burst. "For something so foolish such as the likes of him? You cannot deny that you commanded great power when you were like me. I am all there is to you, and all there ever will be! Someone like you doesn't deserve a soul like him!" Nightmare slowly rose, and glared at her past self.
"You're wrong. You're not who I am. All you are is a shadow of who I was! So say all that you want. Maybe I made a big mistake that defined almost my whole life. One that left a lot of people hurt. And you know what? I'm glad it happened. Because whether I knew it or not, I helped Luna become as beloved as Celestia! Maybe it wasn't the road she wanted, but it led her to the same destination! And if I hadn't made my mistake, I'd never find the world I live in now. And I'd have never found Burst. It's time for my to end MY nightmare!" Nightmare activated her duel disk!
"No. I SHALL END YOU!"
Nightmare: 8000
Past Nightmare: 8000
"I'll start!!" Nightmare took a look at the cards in her hand. 'Good. I've got a decent hand! Now to put it into action!' "I play Trade-In to discard a level eight monster from my hand to draw two new cards! I summon Summoner Monk! Now I'll use his effect! I'll discard a spell card to special summon a level four monster from my deck! I special summon Rose, Warrior of Revenge! Now I'll tune my monk with Rose!" Rose turned into four green rings and lined up over Summoner Monk! A beam of light shot through the rings! "I synchro summon Stardust Dragon! Then I'll set a card and end my turn." 'Let's see what you can do Stardust!'
"Your nightmare is just beginning! I draw! I play Double Summon and bring out Double Coston and tribute him to summon Yubel! Now I'll play Exile of the Wicked to destroy her and bring out Terror Incarnate!" Yubel dissolved and Terror Incarnate emerged from her shadow! "Now I'll end my turn to activate Terror Incarnate's effect! I can destroy all other cards on the field!"
"I don't think so!", Stardust cried as he charged his body, and burst into a cloud of stardust! Terror Incarnate's explosion was neutralized, and Terror Incarnate exploded as the stardust fell on her!
"Stardust...sacrificed himself to save my field...", Nightmare said in awe. 'Your resolve to protect others reflects how I've changed. Your sacrifice won't be in vain.' Nightmare was then shocked to see Stardust's card pop out of her graveyard! On the field, the cloud of stardust seemed to gather and condense into a familiar form! "Stardust!"
"I'm not that easy to get rid of Moon!", Stardust said with a smile. "At the end of the danger, I'll rise again to protect my friends!"
"And since she ended her turn, let's give her a taste of our star power! Cosmic Flare!" Stardust fired a silvery flame from his mouth! Wiping out a good portion of Past Nightmare's life points! "Then I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior! And since I summoned him, I can place a spell counter on him! I end my turn." 'Stardust. Something tells me you're going to be a great partner.'
Nightmare: 8000
Past Nightmare: 5500
"I believe I've let you get in enough hits.", Past Nightmare said with a scowl. "Now I special summon Yubel-The Ultimate Nightmare since Terror Incarnate was destroyed! Now...I tribute her!" A pillar of darkness engulfed Ultimate Nightmare! "Rise! Terror Queen !" A female monster wearing pitch black armor and hair that seemed to be made of pure darkness stepped out of the pillar! "Now her effect activates! When she's summoned, all your monsters are banished until the end of your turn!" A curtain of darkness swept Stardust and Breaker off the field! "Now I can attack you directly! Dread Blast!" Terror Queen fired a beam of pure darkness at Nightmare! "I end my turn. Also, she can't be targeted by card effects."
Nightmare: 5000
Past Nightmare: 5500
'That monster's like a twisted version of Nyx! It's attack points are also pretty formidable! Let's see if there's any weakness to her!' "I draw! I banish the DARK monster in my graveyard to summon Queen Nyx! Then I'll activate my trap! Assault Mode Activate! Now I tribute Stardust Dragon to bring out Stardust Dragon/Assault Mode!" 'Last time I used Stardust's effect to get rid of a card that destroyed a card! But what do I need to do to activate Assault Mode's effect? I guess I'll find out now!' "I'll attack your Terror Queen with Nyx! Night Sky Strike!" Nyx fired a blast of pure night at Terror Queen, but was forced into defense mode after the damage was done! "What?!"
"AHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Do you like it? Any card that attacks Terror Queen is forced into defense mode!"
"Not if Stardust Assault Mode's effect has anything to say about it! I tribute him!" Stardust Assault exploded into a cloud of stardust, and rained down on the field! Destroying Terror Queen! "You effect is negated and your monster's destroyed! You thought yourself invincible in battle, but there's more than one way to take down a monster! Then I'll set a card and end my turn. Now Stardust Assault Mode's effect activates! He comes back to my field!"
"My turn." Past Nightmare scowled. "I draw! I play the spell card Eclipse! I can target and destroy one defense mode monster you control and inflict its defense points as damage!"
"I don't think so! I activate my trap! Dark Illusion! Since you used an effect that targets a DARK monster I control, I can negate that card's effect and destroy it!" A hazy barrier formed around Nyx that reflected the eclipse's rays back at it! Destroying it!
"I end my turn.", Past Nightmare said with a sneer. "All this time, and you still hide in the dark." Past Nightmare expected her counterpart to lash out at her, or cry out in defiance! But to her surprise, she did none of those things. Nightmare closed her eyes, and took a deep breath.
'She's baiting me. She's hoping to get me enraged to prove herself right.', Nightmare thought. 'If I was still anything like her, I'd have fallen for that bait due to foolish pride.' Nightmare then opened her eyes. "No. I'm just waiting for the right time to step into the light!" Nightmare drew her next card! "And the time is now! I play Harmony's Light! I tribute Queen Nyx to unleash her true form!" Nyx was bathed in moonlight, and transformed! She was now clad in azure armor, her hair had turned dark blue and ethereal, and she had a pair of large black wings! "Nyx the Night Paladin! Now that she's on the field, she gains 300 attack for each LIGHT and DARK monster in my graveyard! Now I'll attack you directly with both of my monsters! Stardust Crescent Slash!" Stardust and Nyx combined their attacks, and unleashed a silver crescent of energy that cut-down the last of Past Nightmare's in a blinding flash! When the light died down, Nightmare's past self was face-down on the floor. "Now my nightmares are really over." Nightmare began to leave, but her past self rose and summoned a sword with her magic.
"IT IS NOT OVER! THE NIGHT WILL LAST FOREVER!", Nightmare's past self screamed. Nightmare turned to face her, and gripped the handle of her sword as her past self charged at her.
"It will. For you." Nightmare executed a slash the naked eye could never see! Both she and her past self were still until Nightmare began to sheath her sword modeled after Stardust Dragon. As she almost fully sheathed, Nightmare uttered two words. "Sweet Dreams." Nightmare's past self exploded in a flash of light! A warp appeared as Nightmare's past faded away. "Now to move on.", Nightmare said with a smile as she stepped onto the warp. She then found herself back in the main hall, and saw that only two chains remained on the door. "Something tells me Ace and Shadow's trials will be the toughest."