//------------------------------// // Chapter 4: Kattobing // Story: Yu-Gi-Oh! Equus X Zexal // by moviemaster8510 //------------------------------// Yuma and Twilight stood in the street in front of Alex’s house. Their friends lined the curb to watch while Astral floated alongside Yuma. With the afternoon sun setting in the west behind Twilight, it was looking to be a great setting for a duel. “You know,” warned Yuma with a smile, “I am the World Champion where I’m from.” Tori facepalmed, knowing that Kite took his rightful place as the World Champion after defeating Yuma in a duel the previous day. Kite even frowned a little at Yuma’s lack of humility. “Well then,” said Twilight, “that means by beating you, I’ll become the champion of your world.” “He isn’t champion of anything!” yelled Tori. “Kite is the better duelist, you idiot!” yelled Orbital. Tori glanced at Orbital again, causing it to seize up in fear. “Huh?” questioned Twilight. “So you’re not the World Champion?” “Yuma won a worldwide dueling tournament held in our home city,” explained Kite, “but after I lost in the semi-finals, he wished to duel me to determine which one of us was the true champion. It was me.” “I see,” said Twilight. “Either way, if this kid can win a tournament of that caliber, I’m sure he’ll be just as good a duelist to defeat as any.” “You know,” said Shark from the sidelines, “that pony has a lot of guts in her.” “Just watch,” said Alex. “She wasn’t chosen as Princess Celestia’s protégé for nothing.” “Alright,” shouted Yuma, throwing his D-Pad tablet into the air, causing it to unfold and elongate. Twilight placed her wrist dealer/graveyard onto her left arm and placed her D-Pad tablet on top of it, the zones unsheathing from the sides. Yuma’s tablet landed right onto the top of his graveyard, attaching itself to it. “Duel disk, set on!” shouted Yuma. The tablet’s zones then unsheathed from it. Yuma began to pull his D-Gazer from his pocket. “D-Gazer,” he said, “se–” “Duel detected,” interrupted an intercom’s voice, forcing Yuma to stop placing the spectacle upon his eye. Holographic auras shot out from the streetlights, encasing the area for the duel. “What’s this?” asked Astral. “Like Kyle said,” said Alex, “D-Gazers are a thing of the past. You can hardly find a place anymore where there aren’t holographics to duel with. The easiest place to put them are in the streetlights.” “I see,” said Yuma. “That’s really cool! We should totally have that in Heartland!” “Enough talk!” shouted Twilight. “Let’s duel.” “Alright then,” agreed Yuma with a large smile. “Kattobingu da, ore!” Twilight and Yuma drew five cards from their decks. “DUEL!” they both shouted. Twilight Sparkle vs. Yuma Twilight’s Turn: Twilight activates the field spell The Grand Spellbook Tower. Twilight then summons Fool of Prophecy (ATK: 1600 DEF: 900). Twilight activates Fool of Prophecy’s effect, adding a Spellbook card from her deck to the graveyard, choosing Spellbook of Secrets. Twilight places two cards face down and ends her turn. Status: Hand-2 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2 *************************************************** “Prophecy?” commented Astral. “I’ve never seen this deck before. Yuma, be careful.” “Yeah,” agreed Yuma. “Let’s go!” *************************************************** Yuma’s Turn: Yuma summons Bull Blader (ATK: 1600 DEF: 1200). Yuma then special summons Kagetokage, as he normal summoned a level 4 monster (ATK: 1100 DEF: 1500). ================================================================================ "Alright!" shouted Yuma. "I overlay my level 4 Bull Blader and Kagetokage." Both monsters became strands of orange and purple light, respectively, that flew up and spiraled into the air. Another galaxy portal opened up. "Huh?" exclaimed Twilight, commenting on the galaxy that formed. "I've never seen this before." "With these monsters, I build the overlay network!" Both lights flew into the portal, causing it to explode. "Xyz summon!" Number 39: Utopia's sealed form appeared before everyone, unfolding itself to become the familiar white and gold warrior than Alex and Tom saw when Yuma was dueling Shark. "Appear, Number 39: Utopia!" "No way," spoke Twilight. "That looks nothing like how Cadance summons it." ================================================================================ Yuma overlays Bull Blader and Kagetokage to xyz summon Number 39: Utopia (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2000). Yuma attacks Fool of Prophecy with Number 39: Utopia, but Twilight activates Attack Invulnerability, preventing her monster’s destruction by battle. Battle damage is still applied. Twilight’s Life Points: 4000 -> 3100 Yuma places one card face down and ends his turn. Status: Hand-3 Life-4000 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-1 *************************************************** “It’s alright, Twilight!” cheered Alex. “Don’t let that bug you!” “I’m fine!” called Twilight. “Just watch me.” *************************************************** Twilight’s Turn: Twilight activates the effect of The Grand Spellbook Tower. While she controls a Spellcaster-type monster, Twilight can send a Spellbook card from her graveyard to the bottom of her deck and draw one card. Twilight activates Ancient Rules, special summoning a level 5 or higher normal monster from her hand, choosing Dark Magician (ATK: 2500 DEF: 2100). Twilight then activates Shift Up, making the levels of all monsters she controls equal to the monster with the highest level (Dark Magician) (Lvl.: 3 -> 7). Twilight then activates Fool of Prophecy’s effect, adding a Spellbook card from her deck to her graveyard, choosing Spellbook of Wisdom. Twilight overlays Dark Magician and Fool of Prophecy to xyz summon Hierophant of Prophecy (ATK: 2800 DEF: 2600). Twilight activates Hierophant of Prophecy’s effect. By detaching one xyz material from it, she can destroy spell/trap cards that the opponent controls up to the number of Spellbook cards in her graveyard (1), destroying Yuma’s face down card. ================================================================================ “Alright!” yelled Twilight. “Now I attack Utopia with Hierophant of Prophecy!” The ornate, black-robed magician aimed its large golden scepter at Number 39: Utopia, firing yellow lightning from it. The bolt struck its target, issuing a loud roar from Number 39: Utopia as it was shrouded in plumes of fire and smoke. “Hm,” pondered Twilight, “I wonder why Yuma didn’t use any xyz materials to negate the attack?” “Don’t you know?” questioned Yuma, who was still covered by the curtain of smoke. Once the smoke cleared Alex, and Tom, Twilight, and her Equestrian friends gasped as Number 39: Utopia stood strong on the field, with Yuma standing strongly behind him, his life point counter reading: 3700. “How?” asked Twilight. “How is your monster not destroyed?” “Numbers can only be destroyed in battle by other Numbers!” said Yuma. “I thought you had these cards in your world.” “Yeah, but not with those effects! Alright,” she began to scowl. “I see how it is.” ================================================================================ Twilight attacks Number 39: Utopia with Hierophant of Prophecy. With Number 39: Utopia’s effect, it cannot be destroyed in battle, except by another Number monster. Battle damage is still applied. Yuma’s Life Points: 4000 -> 3700 Twilight sets one monster. Twilight ends her turn. Status: Hand-0 Life-3100 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-1 *************************************************** “Now that I know your monster,” said Twilight, “we better be on even terms. No more surprises.” If anything, thought Twilight, smiling slightly, it’s just another challenge. “Hmph,” exclaimed Shark, smiling and getting the attention of Tom. “When dueling Yuma, there’s always a surprise.” “Hehe,” giggled Yuma, noticing Twilight’s thoughtful smile, “enjoying the duel, Twilight?” “What?” she asked, surprised by the nature of his question. “I’m just thinking of my next move.” “Awesome! Now I’m going to take mine!” “Go, Yuma!’ cheered Tori. *************************************************** Yuma’s Turn: Yuma sets one monster. Yuma then activates the spell card Blustering Winds, increasing Number 39: Utopia’s ATK and DEF by 1000 until his next standby phase (ATK: 2500 -> 3500, DEF: 2000 -> 3000). Yuma attacks Hierophant of Prophecy with Number 39: Utopia, but Twilight activates Shift, switching the attack to her face down Morphing Jar (ATK: 700 DEF: 600). When Morphing Jar is flip summoned, each player discards their hand and draws five cards from their deck. Yuma activates the effect of Overlay Eater from his graveyard, banishing it to detach an xyz material from an xyz monster that Twilight controls and attaching it to an xyz monster that he controls as xyz material, detaching an xyz material from Hierophant of Prophecy and attaching it to Number 39: Utopia. Yuma places two cards face down and ends his turn. Status: Hand-3 Life-3700 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-2 *************************************************** “Be on your toes, Yuma,” warned Astral. “Her hand is replenished and she seems to be onto something.” “Yeah,” agreed Yuma, “but with her Hierophant of Prophecy having no xyz materials, my spell and trap cards are safe from its effect.” “It looks like Yuma has this all planned out,” said Kite, smiling at his friend’s ingenuity. “Without its xyz materials,” called Yuma to Twilight, “your monster is powerless!” “You really think so?” asked Twilight, shocking Yuma. “Perhaps I’m not dueling hard enough for you, but the foal’s gloves come off now!” *************************************************** Twilight’s Turn: Twilight activates Spellbook of Power, increasing the ATK of a Spellcaster-type monster by 1000 until the end phase, choosing Hierophant of Prophecy (ATK: 2800 -> 3800). Twilight then activates Overlay Regenerate, attaching it as xyz material to an xyz monster she controls, choosing Hierophant of Prophecy. Twilight activates Hierophant of Prophecy’s effect, detaching its last xyz material from it to destroy spell/trap cards that the opponent controls up to the number of Spellbook cards in her graveyard (2), destroying Yuma’s face down cards. Twilight activates Spellbook of Fate, banishing a number of Spellbook cards in her graveyard to activate its effect based upon the number of cards banished (2). Twilight can switch a defense position monster on the field into attack position, choosing Yuma’s face down monster, which is a Gogogo Golem (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1500). Twilight then summons Charioteer of Prophecy (ATK: 1800 DEF: 1300). Twilight attacks Gogogo Golem with Hierophant of Prophecy, but Yuma activates Number 39: Utopia’s effect. By detaching one xyz material from it, Yuma can negate the attack. Twilight then attacks Gogogo Golem with Charioteer of Prophecy, but Yuma activates Number 39: Utopia’s effect again, detaching an xyz material from it to negate the attack. During the end phase, Hierophant of Prophecy’s ATK returns to normal (ATK: 3800 -> 2800). Twilight places one card face down and ends her turn. Status: Hand-1 Life-3100 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-1 *************************************************** “Now,” commented Twilight to Yuma, “your Number is reduced to its last xyz material. It’s only a matter of time before your monsters are defenseless without Utopia’s effect.” “Twilight…” sighed Kite, highly impressed by her move. Twilight looked determined as she stared down his opponent. “So awesome, Twilight!” squealed Yuma, excited and impressed by the technicality of Twilight’s move. “Awesome?” questioned Twilight. “You thought my play was… awesome?” “Yeah!” confirmed Yuma. “I can feel your duelist spirit throbbing from inside of you!” “Spirit… throbbing?” “It’s the throbbing of our hearts that allows us to understand one another through dueling. It’s what kattobing is all about!” “Kattobing…” There’s that word again, thought Alex. Better now than later… “Yuma!” called Alex, getting his attention. “Not trying to kill your mood, but I have to ask, what does ‘kattobing’ even mean?” “It means bringing it to your opponent, showing them all that we got! It’s through bringing it to them that we bring out our true strength, and when that happens, I begin to learn how great my opponent is, forming an unbreakable bond with them.” “You think I’m great?” asked Twilight. “I know you’re great,” said Yuma. “Your moves are just so cool!” Twilight’s ears drooped down and glanced down at the ground, her lips smiling and her cheeks blushing. “No way…” Alex muttered, not being able to control the smile forming on his face. “What is it?” asked Kite. “When I first dueled with Twilight, any compliments towards her dueling were dismissed as confidence tricks. However, Twilight has only known Yuma over the course of a half hour and she’s blushing over his words of praise. That boy must really be something else.” “Yuma is special. He seems to have to power to make anyone smile.” “Hey!” yelled Pinkie Pie, getting in between the two. “That’s my job!” Twilight still looked rather bashful over Yuma’s words. “Oy, Twilight!” called Yuma, snapping her out of her daze. “Let’s continue this. I’m all fired up!” “Alright,” goaded Twilight. “Hit me with your best shot!” “Alright!” shouted Yuma. “Kattobingu da, ore!” *************************************************** Yuma’s Turn: During Yuma’s standby phase, Number 39: Utopia’s ATK and DEF return to normal (ATK: 3500 -> 2500, DEF: 3000 -> 2000). Yuma summons Gagaga Magician (ATK: 1500 DEF: 1000). Yuma overlays Gagaga Magician and Gogogo Golem to xyz summon Gagaga Cowboy in attack position (ATK: 1500 DEF: 2400). Yuma activates Gagaga Cowboy’s effect. By detaching an xyz material from it when it’s in attack position, Gagaga Cowboy gains 1000 ATK while a monster his opponent controls loses 500 ATK until the end of the turn, choosing Hierophant of Prophecy (ATK: 1500 -> 2500) (ATK: 2800 -> 2300). Yuma attacks Hierophant of Prophecy with Gagaga Cowboy, but Twilight activates Dimension Trap, banishing a monster she controls (Charioteer of Prophecy) and a trap card in her graveyard to have Dimension Trap’s effect be the same as the banished trap, choosing Attack Invulnerability, preventing Hierophant of Prophecy’s destruction in battle. Battle damage is still applied. Twilight’s Life Points: 3100 -> 2900 Yuma attacks Hierophant of Prophecy with Number 39: Utopia, but Yuma activates Number 39: Utopia’s effect, detaching its last xyz material to negate its own attack. Yuma then activates the quick-play spell Double or Nothing! from his hand, doubling Number 39: Utopia’s ATK and allowing it to attack again if its attack was negated (ATK: 2500 -> 5000). Yuma attacks Hierophant of Prophecy with Number 39: Utopia. Twilight’s Life Points: 2900 -> 200 During the end of the battle phase, Number 39: Utopia Ray's ATK returns to normal (ATK: 5000 -> 2500). Yuma places one card face down and ends his turn. Gagaga Cowboy and Hierophant of Prophecy’s ATKs return to normal (ATK: 2500 -> 1500) (ATK: 2300 -> 2800). Status: Hand-1 Life-3700 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-1 *************************************************** “Whoa,” sighed Alex, heavily impressed by Yuma’s move. Yuma stood still as he took a second to comprehend his move. Yuma clenched his fists, brought them to the sides of his beaming face, and exerted all of his energy, performing a backflip as he whooped loudly. “Did you see that, everyone?” he shouted, running in place as he whooped and laughed simultaneously. Twilight got up, coming right into the middle of Yuma’s celebration. “That was so great! 2900 damage in one turn! How awesome is that?” he shouted. “Hehehehe,” giggled Twilight, “that was a great move, Yuma.” “You… liked that?” “Of course. I’m allowed to be impressed, aren’t I?” “Waha!” shouted Yuma, jumping high into the air. “A real-life unicorn likes my dueling!” Upon derogatorily, albeit unintentionally, calling Twilight by her species like that caused Twilight’s genuinely happy smile to turn into an awkward one, made only more embarrassing by Yuma’s oblivious second celebration and the frowns on everyones' faces. “And just like that,” said Shark, “Yuma makes a fool of himself.” Yuma’s celebration ended shorter than the first, redirecting his attention towards Twilight. “Come on, Twilight,” called Yuma. “It’s your move. I expect nothing less than your best.” “I’d give nothing less for you,” said Twilight, smiling confidently again. *************************************************** Twilight’s Turn: Twilight activates the effect of The Grand Spellbook Tower, sending a Spellbook card from her graveyard to the bottom of her deck and drawing one card when she controls a Spellcaster-type monster during her standby phase. Twilight then activates Graceful Charity, drawing three cards and discarding two. ================================================================================ Yuma, Astral, Shark, and Kite gasped at Graceful Charity’s activation. “What is this?” asked Astral. “I thought that card was banned!” “Banned?” asked Twilight. “What are you talking about?” “There are certain cards that are not allowed to be played in a duel because of their easy abuse,” explained Kite. “Graceful Charity is one of them.” “Well,” explained Twilight, “there is a limited list in our world, which contains a list of cards that can only have one copy in any given deck, including Graceful Charity, but banning it outright? Don’t you think that’s a bit excessive?” Astral bowed his head while keeping his eyes lined directly with Twilight’s. “There are many cards in the game itself that could be banned for their abuse potential, but that’s why the limited list was created: to prevent such abuse. The creators of the game on this world saw that it wasn’t unfair to have a powerful card in your deck, but they saw it unfair to allow people to fill their decks with it and abuse the card’s power." “That’s interesting,” said Tom. “Where’d you learn that?” “That,” stated Twilight proudly, “I read at the library.” “Hehe,” giggled Yuma. “I like that. It provides an extra challenge.” “Good.” ================================================================================ Twilight activates Spellbook of Eternity, adding a banished Spellbook card from her banished zone to her hand, choosing Spellbook of Power. Twilight then activates Spellbook of Power, increasing Hierophant of Prophecy’s ATK by 1000 (ATK: 2800 -> 3800). Twilight attacks Gagaga Cowboy with Hierophant of Prophecy, but Yuma activates Half Unbreak, preventing his monster’s destruction and halving the battle damage. Yuma’s Life Points: 3700 -> 2550 During the end phase, Hierophant of Prophecy's ATK returns to normal (ATK: 3800 -> 2800). Twilight places two cards face down and ends her turn. Status: Hand-0 Life-200 Monsters-1 Face Down Cards-2 *************************************************** Twilight brought her right arm up and shifted it to her side, whispering, “Yes,” as she did so. “It doesn’t matter,” exclaimed Yuma. “Gagaga Cowboy’s still on the field, and your life points are only 200. This duel is as good as won!” *************************************************** Yuma’s Turn: Yuma activates Gagaga Cowboy’s effect, detaching its last xyz material to have Gagaga Cowboy gain 1000 ATK while a monster his opponent controls loses 500 ATK until the end of the turn when it’s in attack position, choosing Hierophant of Prophecy (ATK: 1500 -> 2500) (ATK: 2800 -> 2300). Yuma attacks Hierophant of Prophecy with Number 39: Utopia, but Twilight activates Mirror Shade, halving her life points to reduce all battle damage she takes that turn to 0. Twilight’s Life Points: 200 -> 100 Yuma places one card face down and ends his turn. Gagaga Cowboy’s ATK returns to normal (ATK: 2500 -> 1500). Status: Hand-1 Life-2550 Monsters-2 Face Down Cards-1 *************************************************** “Looks like you’ve evaded Gagaga Cowboy once again,” commented Yuma, “but your life points are a mere 100 and your monster has left the field.” “Does that matter?” asked Twilight. “You taught me about kattobing, bringing it to your opponent, showing them all that you have. Yuma! As long as I still have life points, I’ll continue to fight. Let me show you! Twilight-obingu, ore! Draw!” As Twilight looked at her card, her eyes widened. So now you’re in my deck? she thought in surprise. Twilight then gave Yuma her sly smile. *************************************************** Twilight’s Turn: Twilight activates her face down Xyz Reborn, special summoning Hierophant of Prophecy from her graveyard and attaching Xyz Reborn to it as xyz material. Twilight activates Hierophant of Prophecy’s effect, detaching its last xyz material from it to destroy spell/trap cards that the opponent controls up to the number of Spellbook cards in her graveyard (2), destroying Yuma’s face down card. Twilight then equips Hierophant of Prophecy with Element of Harmony – Magic, doubling its ATK (ATK: 2800 -> 5600). ================================================================================ “Element of–” stammered Astral. “Don’t tell me!” ================================================================================ Twilight attacks Number 39: Utopia with Hierophant of Prophecy. Yuma’s Life Points: 2550 -> 0 Twilight wins. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight’s eyes widened as she saw Yuma’s life points deplete to 0. Upon hearing the victory buzzer in her favor, she began to hop up and down in a circle on her hooves as the holographic imagery faded away. “Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes,” chirped Twilight, continuing onward. “The Elements of Harmony,” commented Astral to himself. “She has five other equine friends.” As soon as he made the connection, he scoffed and smiled. “So those must be the other spirits of the Elements.” Yuma sat up on the road and smiled at Twilight’s celebration. Yuma rolled onto his back and pushed off of the ground with his hands and arms, launching him into the air and onto his feet. “Oy, Twilight,” called Yuma. Twilight stopped hopping and chirping and looked at Yuma, her ears drooped in curiosity over what Yuma had to say. Yuma merely had his right hand extended towards her, giving her a thumbs up and his usual wide grin. Twilight trotted over to Yuma, stopping just before him, raising her hoof to his hand, and pressing the flat bottom onto his fist. “That was a lot of fun,” said Twilight. “I wish we could do this some more.” “Who says we don’t have to?” asked Yuma. As soon as he asked that, Twilight saw a van coming from the east. Twilight immediately recognized it as Carolyn’s van. With Yuma and Twilight’s placement on the street, Carolyn could turn into the driveway without either of them needing to move. “Great,” said Tom. “Dinner’s here.” “Awesome!” said Yuma. “I’m starved. What are we eating?” “Lou Malnati’s pizza,” answered Alex. The mentioning of the word “pizza” seemed to make Yuma uneasy, as told by the queasy look on his face. “What’s wrong?” asked Tom. “Do you not like pizza?” “I just don’t like tomatoes…” whined Yuma. “That sounds great!” cheered Tori. “I’ve heard Chicago makes great pizza.” “Then you heard right,” said Tom. “If you’re coming to Chicago, you need to get one of these things: hot dog, or pizza.” Yuma continued to groan. “Cheer up, buddy,” said Tom, placing his arms around Yuma’s shoulders, “you’ll really like Lou’s pizza. It’s got a thin, flaky, buttery crust…” As Tom explained the pizza, Yuma’s eyes began to water, his mouth drooling. Applejack was also panting, with Rainbow Dash next to her licking her lips. “… it’s got the rich, thick sauce. Not to mention cheese that’s been melted and crisped to golden brown–” “Alright!” relented Yuma. “I’m too hungry to care anyways…” “That’s the spirit,” exclaimed Applejack, pounding Yuma’s back with her hoof. “Tom!” yelled Carolyn near the front of the house. Everyone turned to see Carolyn holding six large boxes of pizza in her hand, standing by the closed front door. “If you expect to eat, I suggest you come and help me! I need to open the door and there’s more pizza in the car.” Tom jogged to the house while Yuma snickered at his friend being yelled at. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Yuma took off one of the tiny, cut squares of cheese pizza from one of the boxes in the kitchen and scarfed it down in one bite. The area around his lips was already mottled with splotches of sauce and crumbs of crust from earlier slices. “So good…” spoke Yuma, his mouth so full that it was practically incomprehensible. Meanwhile, in the living room, Tom and Rainbow Dash were making pleasantries. “So where’s your sister?” asked Rainbow Dash. “She won a trip to New York City to take part in this cooking workshop." “That’s great. You should tell her I said, ‘Hi.’ What about Thomas?” “He’s taking a business trip to Toronto. Not too horribly far, and he should be back within the next week.” “I see. I really wish I could see them too, but at least you’re still here.” "We can always Skype them tonight," Tom said, rubbing Rainbow Dash’s mane with his hand, causing her to smile. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Twilight and Applejack were finishing their slices of cheese pizza while standing in the foyer and conversing with one another when Kite walked up to the both of them. “Twilight,” he spoke, causing both Twilight and Applejack to turn their heads towards him. “Oh,” said Applejack, “howdy, Kite. What brings you here?” “I wanted to say that I enjoyed watching your duel.” “Why, thank you, Kite,” said Twilight. “Are you enjoying yourself?” Kite turned to see Hart in the living room talking with Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, just happening to catch them laughing over a seemingly funny anecdote. “I’m happy that Hart is happy,” answered Kite. “He seems to really enjoy your company, despite the fact–” “–that we’re magical, talking ponies from another world?” finished Twilight. Kite gasped slightly, not only from the fact that Twilight said pretty much verbatim what he was going to say, but also because he never intended to be so blunt. “It’s okay,” assured Twilight. “I know what you meant.” “Besides,” said Applejack, scooting next to Kite, standing on her back hooves, and wrapping her arms around Kite’s back, “we love makin’ new friends, no matter their species.” “Yeah,” said Kite, “but that’s not why I came to you.” Applejack relinquished her grip and stood back next to Twilight. “Huh?” exclaimed Twilight. “What is it then?” “You said you’re the protégé of the leader of the land where you come from. If it’s not too much trouble, could you send a letter to her about my friends’ and I’s situation. Apparently, Lauren tried to contact her upon our arrival, but she wouldn’t return any of her messages.” “Sure. That shouldn’t be a problem at all. Spike!” Spike ran up to Twilight with a plate full of pizza in his hand. “What is it?” he asked with his mouth full. “Could you come with me to the kitchen?” Twilight and Spike walked to the kitchen while Kite and Applejack were left alone. “Master Kite,” spoke Orbital, as he rode up behind his leader, a can of Coca-Cola in its grasp, “I have acquired the refreshment you asked for.” “It’s about time,” he scoffed, snatching the can from Orbital’s grasp and popping the tab open. “I’m sorry,” groveled Orbital, “I didn’t know most of the drinks were downstairs, and there were so many, so I tried to decide–” “Whatever. Thank you, Orbital. You may leave now.” “Un- Understood.” As Orbital turned to leave, Applejack called it. “Yo, Orbital!” she called, prompting the robot to roll back towards her. “You mind running back downstairs and fetching me a root beer? It’s the one with a bulldog holding the mug. I’d appreciate it.” “Whoa!” exclaimed Orbital, taken aback by Applejack’s respect for him. “Understood.” Orbital rushed towards the basement door and headed to get Applejack’s drink. “Alright,” said Twilight, walking up to Kite with Spike, “the letter’s been sent. All we have to do is wait. I don’t know what could possibly be happening to prevent a response from Princess Celestia, especially when she’s known for prompt responses. Either way, I’m certain at the very latest, she’ll respond before you need to leave tomorrow.” “Thank you, Twilight,” spoke Kite with genuine gratitude. Orbital came bounding up the basement stairs with the root beer. “Applejack,” called Orbital, popping the tab off of the can, the latter action surprising Kite, “your drink!” “Thank ya kindly, sugar cube,” she said, grasping the can with her hoof and taking a sip. “Is there anything else you need me to do?” “While we’re here, why not join us in conversation?” The bulbs on the side of Orbital’s head jiggled slightly in apparent happiness of his inclusion. “Understood!” _________________________________________________________________________________________ Shark stood in the dining room and looked out the window at his motorcycle, it still being parked on the street. In one hand he held a purple paper plate, while the other held a slice of pizza. Shark nibbled at the last bits of his slice, taking only little bits off each time it was placed into his mouth. Yuma and Rainbow Dash both found him in the room and approached him. “Shark,” said Yuma. “What are you doing in here?” “Yeah!” agreed Rainbow Dash. “The party’s in there!” “Sorry,” said Shark, “I don’t do parties. I appreciate you feeding us and giving us a place to sleep, but I’m just not into getting with a bunch of people and engaging in small talk.” “But we’re your friends!” “Friends whom I shall only know for an evening longer.” “Shark…” muttered Yuma, who was even hurt by Sharks words. Rainbow didn’t want to let Shark’s night end that way, so she opted to gaze out the window and look at Shark’s motorcycle. “Wow,” said Rainbow Dash, “is that your motorcycle?” “Yes, what about it?” “Does that mean you can do a riding duel?” she asked with heightened enthusiasm. “It isn’t made for that function, so no,” he answered, causing Rainbow Dash’s smile to disappear. “Oh…” “Why are you even talking to me? Once we leave tomorrow, we’ll never see each other again. So why focus your attention on me?” “Because we’re pals, dude! Tell you what? Why don’t we duel? If Yuma’s kattobing stuff is true, then we’ll be great friends.” “That’s a great idea!” agreed Yuma. “Shark, you should totally do it!” Shark turned on his heel and walked out of the room. “Pointless,” was all he said. Rainbow Dash and Yuma stood, dumbstruck over Shark’s cold rebuffs. “Alright” called called Pinkie Pie, from the kitchen, “dessert!” From Yuma and Rainbow Dash’s angle, they could both see perfectly as Pinkie Pie pulled a perfectly iced and decorated cake with pink frosting from the oven. “You know what they say,” quoted Rainbow Dash, “the way to a stallion’s heart is through his stomach.” Yuma and Rainbow Dash rushed from the dining room and towards Shark, who was walking towards the backdoor of the house to walk outside and be alone. Just as he opened the door and took a step out, he felt a pair of arms wrap around his waist, which he found to see were blue. “Oh no, you don’t!” shouted Rainbow Dash, tugging Shark backwards. “What?” yelled Shark in confusion. All Shark was grabbing onto was the doorknob allowing Rainbow Dash to fly backwards and pull Shark back into the house, causing him to slam the door shut. _________________________________________________________________________________________ That night, the party had ended and all of its participants were finally heading to bed. In the living room, Shark was lying on the couch with a blanket folded over his legs. He was wearing a set of purple pajamas with thin, dark-blue, vertical lines running down them. His shirt was buttoned and collared while his pants perfectly matched his shirt in terms of style and material. His regular clothes were folded neatly on the couch-side table. Rainbow Dash was in the kitchen, finishing a glass of milk before she went to go upstairs to bed as well. However, instead of heading upstairs, she went to the living room, getting Shark’s attention, albeit causing some annoyance in him. “Hey, Shark,” she said. “Sorry if I was too rough this afternoon, hehe…” “It’s fine,” said Shark, still sporting a stoic look. “The cake was delicious. And if its not too much trouble, you can go and tell Pinkie Pie that for me.” “I can do that. Well, goodnight, dude.” Before Shark could protest over being called “dude,” Rainbow Dash trotted upstairs, leaving Shark alone by himself. Shark then spread the covers over his body and laid himself down onto the couch with the back of his head upon a pillow. “She would really get a kick out of you…” he said, seemingly to himself. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Rainbow Dash appeared in Tom’s room, where Applejack and Tom where already preparing to sleep themselves. Applejack’s hat was placed on Tom’s dresser while Tom was in an oversized, black Ramones t-shirt and a pair of grey sweatpants. “Got your milk?” asked Tom. “Yep. I also talked to Shark for a bit.” “He’s not too mad about… you know?” “Nah, he’s fine. Anyways,” she yawned, “I’m beat. Let’s get some shut-eye.” Tom hopped onto his bed and allowed both Applejack and Rainbow Dash to join him. With it being the summer, neither Tom or the ponies needed comforters, so Tom lied on his pillow while Applejack and Rainbow Dash nuzzled into Tom’s sides. “Night, guys,” said Applejack. “Good night,” answered Tom, drowsy and close to sleep, soon letting his eyelids shut closed. _________________________________________________________________________________________ “It sure was nice of Tom to let me use his sister’s room,” said Tori, putting on a pink, female’s sleeping gown. “However, I really think Hart should have gotten this bed.” “Kite and Hart insisted on sleeping together,” answered Fluttershy, “so they’re in the basement. From what I heard, they were watching a movie with Pinkie Pie.” “I see.” There was a knock on the door. “Come in,” called Tori quietly. It was Rarity, and she had Yuma’s folded clothes in her magic grasp. “Sorry if I interrupted anything,” said Rarity. “Would you mind if I took your clothes to be cleaned?” “Cleaned?” asked Tori. “Certainly. I placed them on the floor by the closet.” Rarity hovered Yuma’s clothes onto Tori’s pile and then picked up both peoples’ clothes in one stack. “Thanks,” said Tori. “Don’t mention it. Well, goodnight, darlings.” “Goodnight, Rarity.” Rarity left the room, closing the door on the way out. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Shark was awoken by the sound of clopping on the hard, wood floors of the foyer. He sat up slightly and peered over the top of the couch to see Rarity going to a room near the back door of the house, disappearing for a short while before returning with a blanket. Upon seeing Shark’s head peering over the couch, she immediately took notice. “Oh, I’m sorry, Shark,” she whispered. “Did I wake you?” “As a matter of fact, you did,” he answered. “Once again, I’m dreadfully sorry.” Rarity then took herself to a comfy sofa across from the couch. The sofa looked similarly made to the couch, as well as having an ottoman placed right along the seat of the couch. She hopped onto it, laid down, and began to lay the blanket on top of her with her magic. “What do you think you’re doing?” asked Shark. “I thought you might want some company,” asked Rarity. “Not to mention, these are the only surfaces I feel comfortable sleeping on in this house that aren’t crowded with another pony or person.” Shark wanted to object, but saw that it was pointless. She wasn’t harming him, and she seemed to be one of the only ponies whose presence he tolerated. “Whatever…” he said. “Good night, darling.” “Yeah,” he said. “Good night.” Shark turned his head to the side, facing the back of the couch. It wasn’t long, however, before Shark turned his head back to look at Rarity snoozing on the sofa. Shark smiled as he continued to look at her, drifting off to sleep himself. _________________________________________________________________________________________ “No way!” exclaimed Yuma, who was sitting on Alex’s bed along with Alex and Twilght with Astral hovering in the air. “That’s how you got that X card?” Yuma was dressed in similar pajamas from back home: t-shirt and sweatpants. However, Yuma’s shirt was a solid red and his sweat pants had the Chicago Bulls logo plastered on them. He continued to wear his pendant. “It’s Equus,” answered Alex, “and yes, it is. It’s quite funny to think that we got our cards from such similar circumstances. It’s as if we were destined to meet each other eventually." “Yeah. Like we’re the two halves of the same soul born miles and miles apart, finally connecting with each other.” “Dude, that’s deep.” Alex then leaned in closer to Yuma. “Can I buy some pot from you?” Yuma and Astral alike looked confused by this question, only for the confusion to cease once Alex began laughing. “It’s alright; I’m just messing with you. You should get to bed.” “Yeah,” answered Yuma. “Goodnight, Alex, Spike, Twilight.” Yuma began to reach for Twilight’s head, but suddenly pulled back. “You…” stuttered Yuma. “You wouldn’t mind, would you?” asked Yuma. “Of course not,” giggled Twilight. Yuma reached towards Twilight and scratched behind her ears. Twilight’s other ear drooped down with a wide smile drawing onto her face. Twilight’s leg even twitched slightly from the pleasure. Yuma finished with a long stroke from her mane all the way to her lower back. “Alright,” spoke Yuma, walking out of the room, Astral following him. “Goodnight.” “Goodnight, Yuma,” called Alex, Spike, and Twilight in tandem. Yuma loudly jogged downstairs, waking Shark on the couch. Rarity was out like a light, not hearing the noise at all. Upon seeing who it was, he simply sunk back onto the couch, ignoring the characteristic obliviousness of Yuma’s actions. Yuma walked out through the back door and onto the back deck, where a hammock was set. Yuma walked up, finally feeling his sleepiness take hold of him. Upon reaching the hammock, he gently crawled onto it and lied on his back, falling asleep almost instantly. Goodnight, Yuma, thought Astral, before fading into gold sparks that flew into Yuma’s necklace. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Alex got up out of bed as Twilight was setting herself up to sleep. Spike was already asleep in his cushioned basket. “Where are you going?” asked Twilight. “I want to see how the brothers are doing,” said Alex. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Alex quietly tiptoed downstairs, knowing that Shark and Rarity were asleep. He made his way through the foyer and opened the door to the basement, making sure the door didn’t creek upon opening and closing. Alex snuck downstairs, sure to not wake Kite, Hart, or Pinkie Pie if they were asleep. However, he was relieved to find them all wide awake, watching a movie on the TV downstairs. Orbital was off in the corner of the room, deactivated and charging for the night. Kite and Hart were wearing a pair of pajamas similar to Shark's. However, Kite’s were of a solid seafoam green, and Hart’s were a solid blue. Along with the three couches that went around the basement fireplace, there was another couch behind the center couch where Kite, Hart, and Pinkie Pie were sitting and watching the movie. Alex immediately recognized the movie based upon the scene. It was Mary Poppins, just at the part where Dick Van Dyke did his famous dance with the penguin waiters. Alex wordlessly watched the scene as a wave of nostalgia compelled him to smile throughout. Alex smiled even more upon seeing Hart lightly bob up and down to the music’s beat while Kite and Pinkie Pie happily watched on. Seeing that they couldn’t be bothered, Alex silently walked back upstairs after the subsequent reprise of Jolly Holiday. _________________________________________________________________________________________ Upon returning to his room, Alex crawled back into his bed. “So,” pressed Twilight, who was standing at the bedside, “how are they?” “They were watching Mary Poppins,” said Alex. “Judging by the looks of enjoyment on their faces, they seemed to be fine.” “Well, that’s good,” said Twilight, hopping back onto the bad and curling up alongside Alex. “Well,” she yawned, “goodnight.” “Goodnight, Twi,” whispered Alex. Realizing how tired he was, his eyes began to droop upon hitting the pillow, surrendering to his exhaustion as he finally fell asleep.