“GOODBYE, ALICE!” Orpheus screamed.
Eurydice continued to careen towards Alice, prepared to drain her of her remaining life points.
Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep
ATK: 2700
Lvl.: 5
================
Alice:
LP: 1200
================
The ponies on the sidelines stood fearfully as their friends faced their imminent loss. Walt struggled in Matthew’s grip as tried to reach out to them. Yurik grunted as Eurydice came ever closer, prompting him to grab a card in his hand.
“I activate the effect of Pegassist of Light!” shouted Yurik, winding his arm back.
“What?” shouted Orpheus, his glee changing to horror.
“When my opponent declares a direct attack, I can special summon this card from my hand and end the battle phase!”
“Impossible!” Orpheus cried out.
Yurik quickly placed his card onto his monster zone in attack position, but instead of appearing on his side of the field, the white pegasus appeared before Alice in a strong flash of light as it shielded her with its wings.
Pegassist of Light
ATK: 1700
Lvl.: 4
Eurydice pulled back inches from the pegasus’s head, flying back towards the enraged and frustrated Orpheus.
“Will you stop struggling?!” he bellowed. “I cannot allow Eurydice’s return to be anyone’s task but my own!”
“And I can’t allow these ponies to be under the guardianship of a psychopath!” spoke Yurik. “But you lost your opportunity to defeat us, now suck it up and end your turn!”
Orpheus growled loudly has his fists and teeth were clenched tightly in his frustration.
“I…” he relented, “I end my turn.”
Status: Hand: 0 Life: 2600 Monsters: 2 Pendulum Cards: 0 Pendulum Zone: – Spell/Traps: 1
Alice, feeling rejuvenated from the morale boost granted by Yurik’s play, managed to stand to her feet. Panting, she turned her whole body to face Yurik.
“Thanks for the save there,” Alice said.
“Did I have any other choice,” chuckled Yurik.
“Hehe,” she weakly croaked. “Point taken.”
“Don’t give up, guys!” shouted Rainbow Dash. “You still got this!”
“Come on!” cheered Walt. “I want to take that one home with me!”
Rainbow Dash chuckled and rubbed the back of her mane, looking at Walt with mutual respect and admiration.
“I wouldn’t dream of blowing this,” Alice called back as loudly as her tired throat could allow. “I want nothing more than to take you guys with me.”
The ponies each nodded or gave an approving statement, their words mixing with each other’s.
“Great then,” Alice said as she reached for her deck. “My turn. Draw!”
Orpheus, his face still red with fury, reached his arm towards Persephone on his field.
“The effect of Persephone, Queen of Void Deep activates,” he said, “banishing itself until my next standby phase, where it will be special summoned back to my side of the field.”
The pool of oily water opened back up again underneath Persephone, making her sink back into its depths and disappear from the field once again.
“And now that another monster of mine is banished,” added Orpheus, his smile growing back, “Eurydice’s ATK rises again!”
Eurydice’s wings flared out and glowed bright, its strength restored with Persephone’s banishment.
ATK: 2700 -> 2800
“Now, Alice,” goaded Orpheus. “What will you do now?”
Alice hissed, knowing the severity of her situation well.
“I’ll do whatever I can,” she said, picking one of the two cards in her hand and revealing it. “Since I control no monsters, I can normal summon Bomb Beetle in defense position.”
Alice placed the card onto her center zone, and from the blue portal that appeared onto her field was a large, black dung beetle with a larger black bomb with an extremely short fuse carried in its hind legs.
Bomb Beetle
DEF: 0
Lvl.: 2
Orpheus looked upon its stats and gasped in disgust.
“0 DEF?” he shouted. “What is this?”
“Just a little thing to piss you off,” jeered Alice. “Now if you try attacking me with your Persephone monster next turn, you won’t be able to do jack squat with its effect.”
“Damn you!”
“Damn me? You’re so pathetic.”
Eurydice, hearing Alice’s insults, forced a frown on her face, which Alice couldn’t help but notice.
“And you’re alright with this?” Alice asked her, making her remove her façade and look genuinely surprised. “Do you like the fact that he’s going to these lengths to try and send you back home? You seem as if you’re trying to look like you do.”
“Shut your mouth!” ordered Orpheus. “You do not get to talk to her like that!”
“I’ll talk with her however I want! At least I’m not lying to myself.”
Eurydice, clearly affected by Alice’s words, tried her hardest to reveal her oncoming sobs. Alice’s prying eyes slowly became softer and less hurtful, further pushing the peryton into letting it all go. Walt and Rainbow Dash looked forlornly at her, feeling her own pain and anguish.
“You don’t need to do this, Eurydice,” cooed Alice. “If you let this all end right now, we promise we will allow Celestia to send you home along with the ponies. You have my word.”
“Just like I gave you mine!” Walt shouted.
Eurydice, turning to see Walt’s face and hear his voice, finally lost the strength to resist, letting her head drop down and her tears to roll down her face and onto the ground, her head bobbing with each hard sniffle she let out.
Orpheus, trying to look angered at what Alice and Walt had said, found himself biting his lip as his eyes began to moisten. Yurik and the ponies all frowned sympathetically as they watched her sob. As Kieran looked blankly upon the scene, Kel cocked his head in slight confusion.
“Did…” he wondered, “she just make that monster cry?”
Alice looked at Eurydice, waiting as Eurydice eventually mustered the strength to pick her head back up, her eyes still wet and reddened.
“It’s your journey home,” Alice encouraged. “You should be the one to decide how you get there.”
Orpheus, fearing Eurydice’s seeming betrayal, stepped forward towards her.
“Eurydice,” he professed, “I have spent seven years by your side trying to find a way to get you home. I want more than anything to be the one to achieve that. I don’t want all of that to go to waste.”
Eurydice slowly turned to Orpheus with her sad eyes, her pain visible for him to see.
“Please, Eurydice,” he sighed. “You are without a doubt one of the best friends I’ve ever had. I want to be by your side every step of the way home. Please, grant me that privilege.”
Eurydice turned back to Alice and Yurik, who looked to her in a way that beckoned her to make the decision they wanted her to. Breathing deeply in, she faced Orpheus once again, walking up to him and nuzzling her face into his chest, allowing him to stroke down her soft neck.
“Orpheus,” she said, “you have been a great friend to me, and I want nothing more than to let you be the one who gets me home. However… I wish for the ponies to be with the ones who are suitable to shelter them and save the rest.”
Yurik brightened up, stepping forwards.
“Does that mean…?” he wondered.
Backing herself away from Orpheus, she turned to face her two opponents with a serious and stoic face.
“As per your agreement with Orpheus,” she stated, “this duel shall resume.”
Everyone, Yurik, Alice, and Orpheus especially, gasped loudly.
“Eurydice…” spoke Alice.
“Alice,” she addressed, “Yurik. You have both shown yourselves to be a fine pair of duelists. However, being a fine duelist and the best duelist is a world of difference, one that will decide the fate of these ponies as you have agreed on.
“After this, two ponies and the dragon remain. It will take all of your wits and courage to retrieve them all, and only the strongest between us can claim that right as to who is suitable for such a task. Do you understand me?”
Yurik, looking once at the again determined Orpheus, looking Eurydice and nodded.
“I understand,” he responded.
“Very good,” she gladly spoke. “Alice, I believe it was your turn?”
“Yes,” she replied, “it was, but I have done all I needed to. I end my turn.”
Status: Hand: 1 Life: 1200 Monsters: 1 Pendulum Cards: 0 Pendulum Zone: – Spell/Traps: 1
Orpheus wiped his eyes with his bare forearm, keeping his brave expression up for his next opponent.
Thank you, Eurydice, he thought. I will not let you down.
Crouching himself down, he breathed in to store energy for his next set of words.
“Yurik!” shouted Orpheus, gaining his attention. “It’s clear Eurydice wants to see your all! Do not insult us by denying her that.”
Yurik, hearing a much friendlier tone in his voice, let out a smile.
“I never give anything less!” he spoke, reaching for his deck. “My turn! Draw!”
I was hoping that Orpheus would try attacking me next turn, mused Yurik, but he clearly wanted all of Alice. Now I’m going to need to use this thing.
Yurik looked at the card in his hand, putting it right into his left hand for later.
“I activate the effect of Armored Unioncorn!” declared Yurik. “Once per turn, I can equip this card to a monster I control and have it gain 600 ATK until the end phase, and I will choose my Twilight Alicorn!”
Armored Unioncorn suddenly leapt up high into the air, its body disappearing and leaving its armor behind. The armor then floated down upon Twilight Alicorn’s head neck and body, shrinking down and warping itself to fit properly on its body.
ATK: 2500 -> 3100
Orpheus hissed angrily, knowing what was to come now.
“Awesome!” cheered Pinkie Pie.
“Now Yurik’s monster is finally stronger than Eurydice!” Walt spoke.
Alice too looked proud of Yurik’s rising to the challenge. Eurydice, also knowing what this meant for her, winced as she prepared for destruction yet again.
“No hard feelings,” called Yurik sincerely.
Feeling the truth of his words, Eurydice nodded and smiled with closed, accepting eyes.
“Attack me, Yurik!” called Eurydice. “Prove you’re not afraid!”
“Since you asked nicely,” shouted Yurik, “Twilight Alicorn, attack Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep! Bright Burst Magic!”
Twilight Alicorn charged up its horn and launched its magenta beam at Eurydice, prepared both in body and mind, as it struck her and disintegrated her into gold sparks. The beam and the sparks continued their path as they crashed into Orpheus, pushing him down on his feet, sliding on the grass as he groaned to resist falling backwards.
Orpheus’s Life Points: 2600 -> 2300
Once the beam dissipated, Orpheus stood back up straight, observing the two tracks of dirt left by his boots. Ignoring them, Orpheus walked back towards his field, another stoic expression on his face. Stopping at the end of the tracks, he looked Yurik in the eyes as he did for him.
“Your monster might be stronger than mine now,” Orpheus said, “but its effect still keeps it alive! And now, Eurydice’s effect activates, special summoning itself after it has been banished.”
A bright portal opened in the center of Orpheus’s field, and Eurydice gracefully flew out and landed back on her hooves and talons.
Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep
ATK: 1800
Lvl.: 5
“And then with Melia’s effect as well as Eurydice’s,” added Orpheus, “my monster’s strength grows back.”
Eurydice’s wings flared out and glowed brightly as it received strength from Orpheus’s other banished monsters.
ATK: 1800 -> 2800
“Still doesn’t have anything on my monster,” quipped Yurik.
“Don’t remind me,” groaned Orpheus. “Will that be it then?”
“Not quite,” Yurik said, reaching towards his Pegassist of Light monster. “I switch Pegassist of Light into defense position.”
Yurik turned the card 90°, Yurik’s monster lowered its upper body towards the ground in response, its wings unfurling open as a makeshift shield.
ATK: 1700 -> DEF: 1000
“With that,” Yurik stated, “I now end my turn.”
Status: Hand: 1 Life: 3100 Monsters: 2 Pendulum Cards: 0 Pendulum Zone: – Spell/Traps: 2
Orpheus looked upon Yurik’s field, looking at Twilight Alicorn and its determined scowl egging him on to attack it.
Yurik’s field is quite fortified, planned Orpheus, and Alice’s is nearly barren. However…
He looked to see her set card still right at her feet behind her Bomb Beetle.
She has kept that card set since the beginning of the duel. Does she intend to lure me into a false sense of security and trigger her trap to finish me off?
Orpheus looked back to Twilight Alicorn, her eyes locking with his.
Regardless… the power that card holds is indeed great. I know I couldn’t accept this as a true victory if I didn’t defeat its wielder.
“So regardless of your pegasus’s battle position,” spoke Orpheus to Yurik, “it looks like you will take 1000 damage regardless this turn.”
Yurik stayed silent, keeping any hints of his strategy within him.
“Then let’s not delay,” stated Orpheus, his fingers atop his deck. “My turn! Draw!”
Orpheus gasped at what he had drawn, feeling a plan working itself together.
“The effect of Persephone, Queen of Dark Void now activates!” declared Orpheus, pointing at the ground with his arm. “During my standby phase, it is special summoned to my field!”
Rising out from a pool of water that sprung up beside Eurydice, Persephone had reappeared on the field.
Persephone, Queen of Void Deep
ATK: 2700
Lvl.: 7
With one of Orpheus’s banished monsters back onto the field, Eurydice’s strength was once again depleted.
ATK: 2800 -> 2700
“When Persephone is special summoned to my side of the field,” exclaimed Orpheus, reaching for his deck yet again, “I draw one card!”
Looking up at the spell card he now drew, he aimed a sly grin at Yurik, who looked both confusedly and nervously at the new expression.
“It seemed that with your planned strategy,” Orpheus spoke, “you and your partner might have survived this turn, but with what I have drawn now, I can finally achieve the victory I deserve!”
Just what do you have? wondered Yurik.
“I activate my trap, Return of Void Deep!”
The purple card flipped up, revealing what looked like Orpheus, Bard of Void Deep looking back behind itself as Eurydice was dragged forcefully into a dark hole in the ground.
“By banishing a monster I control,” explained Orpheus, “I can target one pendulum monster anywhere on my field and add it to my hand.”
“What?” Yurik questioned.
“I banish Persephone, Queen of Void Deep to add Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep to my hand!”
Persephone sunk back into her pool of water as Eurydice became a light-blue aura that swirled about before it arced up and into Orpheus’s hand, forming as a card. Orpheus then grabbed his Eurydice card and another card in his hand as he presented them both to Yurik and Alice, shocking them and the ponies with what they knew he was about to do.
“I set the pendulum scale with the scale 0 Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep and the scale 8 Virgil, Poet of Void Deep!” he stated, winding his arm back.
With a single wave of his hand, the Eurydice and Virgil cards were placed upon the blue and red crystals. Two blue pillars formed on the ground on both sides of Orpheus’s field. In the left pillar, Eurydice rose up until her hooves and talons were on ground level. Inside the right pillar, a blue-robed gray humanoid with beady blue eyes, as well as a stone with a paper upon its surface in its left arm and a quill in its right hand rose up inside it. A number 0 and a number 8 appeared on the pillars of each respective monster as the sky glowed a dark blue.
Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep
Pendulum Scale: 0
Virgil, Poet of Void Deep
Pendulum Scale: 8
Kieran and Kel looked genuinely surprised as Orpheus went through his turn.
“No way!” Rainbow Dash cried out. “Is Orpheus gonna’ pendulum summon?”
“I’m not sure,” said Twilight. “He has no pendulum monsters in his extra deck, and he only has one card in his hand. If he truly plans to pendulum summon, the card in his hand is going to have to be the one he intends to summon.”
Yurik looked upon Orpheus, who was now riled in anticipation of what was to come, which came out as anger.
“I activate the effect of Eurydice in my pendulum zone!” he shouted. “I can target up to two of my banished monsters whose levels are in between the pendulum scales of this card and another monster in my pendulum zone and special summon them, treating it as a pendulum summon.”
“No way!” shouted Yurik. “Impossible!”
“She had that kind of an ability?” wondered Walt.
Alice looked intensely at what Orpheus was about to do, amazed by the sound of the effect. The ponies gawked and gasped, unable to believe what they heard. A wind blew up from the ground as the multi-pointed star illuminated itself upon the ground.
“I can now special summon banished monsters whose levels are 1 through 7,” stated Orpheus. “Pendulum summon!”
The red star opened up on the ground between Orpheus and Yurik and Alice, and launching from it were two blue auras that arced up and landed on the center to center-right of Orpheus’s field. When the dust cleared along with the portal closing, the star disappearing, and the sky dimming down, two monsters were visible on the field.
“Appear!” called Orpheus. “Persephone, Queen of Void Deep! Minos, Judge of Void Deep!”
Sure enough, both the green-dressed humanoid and the one sitting on the throne were there for all nearby to see.
Persephone, Queen of Void Deep
ATK: 2700
Lvl.: 7
Minos, Judge of Void Deep
ATK: 2500
Lvl.: 7
Yurik stared at both monsters with a slack jaw, something which Orpheus seemed to ignore.
“Persephone’s effect activates again,” spoke Orpheus, “allowing me to draw one card when it is special summoned.”
As he had said, Orpheus drew his card and added it to his hand. He then threw his arm and head up in the air as he breathed in hard.
“I now overlay my level 7 Persephone, Queen of Void Deep and Minos, Judge of Void Deep!” he declared.
Yurik and Alice shuddered as they watched both monsters transform into two blue auras as they danced in the air around each other. Then, a cloudy dark blue portal formed on the ground, shocking his opponent’s yet again.
“With these two monsters,” he spoke, “I construct the overlay network. Xyz summon!”
Both auras flew into the portal, causing it to erupt into a single pillar of dark smog.
“The unquestionable lord of the underworld,” chanted Orpheus, “your domain is vast and your strength immense. Use your might to drag your enemies down into your murky pit!”
The smog formed and condensed until it became a tall, black humanoid with a long, wispy cloak covering its body, long, sharp fingers, and a skinny, pointed face with piercing red eyes and a devilish smile permanently affixed on its mouth.
“Ascend!” called Orpheus. “Hades, King of Void Deep!”
The monster spread its arms out wide, its fingers flexed and aimed at Yurik and his monsters.
Hades, King of Void Deep
ATK: 3000
Rnk.: 7
“Hades…” shuddered Yurik. “The god of the dead…”
Twilight and the others, as well as Walt and even Matthew holding him looked up at this monster. Disregarding Yurik’s shock, Orpheus reached for another card in his hand.
“I activate the spell card Imperial Summon of Void Deep,” he said, the art showing what appeared to be Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep standing before the silhouette of Hades. “While I control a rank 7 Void Deep monster, I can detach one xyz material from it to special summon a level 4 or lower Void Deep monster from my deck!”
“Incredible…” Yurik sighed.
Alice reached down towards her screen where the icon of her set card was, prepared to activate it. Yurik glanced over, seeing her finger hover over the icon.
“Wait!” barked Yurik. “Not yet…”
Alice, confused by Yurik’s reasoning, halted herself. She looked to him as he stared back towards Orpheus’s field, turning her own gaze to him.
“Also,” Orpheus added, “whenever an xyz material is detached from Hades, King of Void Deep, its effect banishes it instead of having it be sent to the graveyard.”
Yurik hissed, becoming more and more flustered by Orpheus’s turn by the second. Orpheus removed Persephone from underneath his monster and threw it inside his graveyard slot. At that moment, Orpheus’s deck shuffled up with a single card sliding out from the top upon finishing, which Orpheus grabbed with gusto.
“I special summon Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep!” he declared, slamming the card onto the link of his chain to the right of Hades.
A blue portal opened up on the ground, allowing the grey humanoid with the winged sandals and winged staff to appear beside Orpheus’s other monster.
Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep
ATK: 1500
Lvl.: 3
“Then, there’s Hades’s effect,” Orpheus said.
“Effect, you say?” gasped Alice.
“All other Void Deep monsters on the field gain 500 ATK as long as it’s on the field.”
Yurik gasped as a blue aura surrounded Hermes, his muscles evidently growing stronger.
ATK: 1500 -> 2000
“I now activate the effect of Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep,” stated Orpheus. “By banishing this special summoned card, I can special summon one banished monster or one in my pendulum zone.”
“Of course you are…” growled Walt.
“I banish Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep to special summon…”
Hermes transformed into a bright white light that quickly sunk into the ground, making Eurydice sink back into the ground inside the blue pillar, which disappeared shortly after.
“…Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep!” he shouted.
From a bright portal opening on the ground, Eurydice flew high into the air before landing back down on the ground beside Hades.
Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep
ATK: 1800
Lvl.: 5
“With both Melia’s as well as Eurydice’s own effect,” exclaimed Orpheus, “my monster gains 100 ATK for each of my banished monsters, which now includes Hermes, Emissary of Void Deep!”
Eurydice’s wings glowed bright as it gained more energy from the slew of monsters that Orpheus had banished, represented by the white spirits of Melia, Orpheus, Persephone, and Hermes
ATK: 1800 -> 2800
“And it also gains strength from Hades’s effect,” he continued, “giving it the strength necessary to trump your Twilight Alicorn!”
“No way!” shouted Yurik.
Eurydice’s body began to glow blue all over, her slender physique now growing much stronger than before, making her grunt with the power coursing through her.
ATK: 2800 -> 3300
“3300 ATK?” Applejack exclaimed. “That’s crazy!”
“Yurik…” mumbled Twilight fearfully.
“Next,” yelled Orpheus, sliding his Minos card out from under his monster and putting it in his graveyard slot, “I activate the effect of Hades, King of Void Deep! By detaching one xyz material from it and targeting one of my banished monsters, I gain its effects until the end phase! I will choose Persephone, Queen of Void Deep!”
Yurik watched as the spirit of Persephone rose to Hades’s level, floating towards it and covering its body like a blanket before fading away.
“And with another monster banished by Hades’s effect,” reminded Orpheus, “Eurydice gains yet another 100 ATK.”
Yurik and Alice stood exhausted as Eurydice’s wings beamed hotter than before, watching as Minos’s spirit waded the ground below them.
ATK: 3300 -> 3400
“Amazing…” sighed Yurik. “Just amazing…”
“Yurik,” growled Alice, “I hope you know what you’ve set up for yourself.”
“Yes,” he told her. “I’ve got this.”
Alice continued looking at Yurik incredulously as Orpheus’s turn was about to reach its peak.
“Battle!” he finally declared. “Hades, King of Void Deep, attack Pegassist of Light! Dismal Destroy!”
A ball of purple light formed in Hades’s hands, and with a flick of its wrists, it sent the ball out towards the frightened pegasus.
“I activate Twilight Alicorn’s effect!” called Yurik. “Once per turn, I can add this card to my pendulum zone! Hurry!”
Twilight Alicorn charged its horn and disappeared from the field along with its armor, reappearing inside the pendulum zone without it.
Twilight Alicorn
Pendulum Scale: 6
Twilight watched carefully as Yurik removed his ejected pendulum monster from his spell/trap slot into the slot of his extra deck inside his blade disk.
The orb eventually struck Pegassist of Light, the orb sucking the creature inside as if it were made of a liquid before the orb shrunk away into nothingness.”
“Even with Hades’s added effect from Persephone,” said Yurik, “my Twilight Alicorn’s pendulum effect reduces all effect damage I take to 0.”
“That is true,” said Orpheus, “but you have no monsters left on your field now, and Eurydice’s ATK is such that it can wipe you out with this last blow!”
“Bring it on,” muttered Yurik under his breath.
“Eurydice!” yelled Orpheus. “Attack Yurik directly! Spatial Talon Tearing!”
Orpheus flew up to the sky on its wings, and with one last flap, shot down towards Yurik, the others watching him with apprehension as he continued to stare his imminent defeat down.
“Goodbye, Yurik!” bid Orpheus.
“Yurik,” screamed Walt, “do something!”
At that moment, Yurik straightened himself out, shocking everyone, especially Orpheus, in his change of spirit.
“Not goodbye yet!” he shouted, aiming his arm towards an overturning trap card. “I activate my trap card, M. Brace! When my monster declares a direct attack, this card halves the battle damage!”
“Impossible!” shouted Orpheus, gritting his teeth.
Yurik shielded his face and chest with his crossed arms held out, just as Eurydice swung its body up and slashed at Yurik with a lightning-infused strike. The force from the hit sent Yurik flying back as he screamed loudly out from Eurydice’s own attack.
Yurik’s Life Points: 3100 -> 1400
Yurik twisted his body right before it could hit the ground, landing on his stomach and using the tips of his shoes and the palms of his hands to stop his sliding.
“Yes!” Twilight cheered. “Yurik made it! He really made it!”
Yurik weakly hopped to his knees and limped back to his spot with Alice, frightening both her, Walt, and Twilight.
“That’s not all,” he groaned with a smile. “I activate my trap, Picking Up Pieces.”
Yurik’s second card flipped up to show a cracked blue vase on it.
“When I take 1000 or more damage from a direct attack,” he said, his fingers pinching the top of his deck, “I draw one card!”
Yurik added the card to his hand confidently as Eurydice smiled and nodded at Yurik, impressed with his defense. Orpheus, however, clenched his fists tight and growled at Yurik.
“Damn you!” he rasped. “I can’t let your strength defeat mine! I just can’t!”
“Well,” said Yurik, “we each have one turn for you to prove us wrong. Let’s see if you can.”
Orpheus hissed as he grabbed the last card in his hand and placed it in his spell/trap slot above his graveyard.
“I place one card face down and end my turn,” he finally stated.
Status: Hand: 0 Life: 2300 Monsters: 2 Pendulum Cards: 1 Pendulum Zone: – Spell/Traps: 1
Yurik turned to Alice and gave her a nod, letting her know all that she seemed to need. Looking at her opponent, she glanced to Eurydice, who also gave her a warm smile as well.
“Go Alice!” shouted Walt.
“Knock ‘em dead, Alice!” called Applejack.
With full confidence from nearly everyone around her, Alice reached for her deck.
“My turn!” she yelled. “Draw!”
Alice added the card to her hand and put her hand upon her Bomb Beetle card.
“I switch Bomb Beetle into attack position,” she spoke.
The insect narrowed its stance upon the bomb it was propped against, ready to move itself forwards.
DEF: 0 -> ATK: 1100
“I now activate the effect of Bomb Beetle!” she shouted. “I can tribute this attack position monster to have all players lose life points equal to my monster's ATK!”
“What did you say?” screamed Orpheus. “Losing life points is different from effect damage! You’ll be hurting yourself and your partner as well!”
“I don’t mind,” Yurik assured him. “As long as you go down with us, that’s all I care about.”
Orpheus shuddered as the beetle rolled the bomb out to the center of the entire playing field and stopping at the very middle. Gripping the fuse with its hind legs, it pushed the right one out, lighting the fuse and igniting the bomb, blasting Yurik, Orpheus, and Alice backwards onto their backs.
Yurik’s Life Points: 1400 -> 300
Alice’s Life Points: 1200 -> 100
Orpheus’s Life Points: 2300 -> 1200
Orpheus quickly stood himself up, angered at his current state, but still baffled by his opponents’.
“You…” he said. “You’re down to your final life points. What do you hope to achieve now?”
“Enough,” Alice simply stated. “Next turn, Yurik will beat you, and those ponies are coming home with us.”
“I’d like to see you try…”
“Certainly. I now normal summon Roly Bouldy.”
Alice placed her card onto her now empty center monster zone, and from the blue portal that formed on her field was a large pill bug made entirely from grey rock.
Roly Bouldy
ATK: 500
Lvl.: 3
“I end my turn,” she said with a wide smile.
Status: Hand: 1 Life: 100 Monsters: 1 Pendulum Cards: 0 Pendulum Zone: – Spell/Traps: 1
“Yurik,” asked Alice. “How’s your hand?”
Looking back at it, he had both an effect monster and a pendulum monster: Armored Pegassist and Unioncorn of Earth.
“Pretty good,” said Yurik. “If I can draw the right card, you think we have a shot?”
“A sure shot,” she confidently responded.
“Let’s see it then!” demanded Orpheus. “If you think you can defeat me this turn, than just try!”
Yurik, frowning in annoyance at Orpheus’s words, stepped forwards towards his field with his limp now mostly gone.
“I’ll do more than just try,” he said, reaching for his deck.
“Yurik!” chanted Pinkie Pie from the crowd. “Yurik! Yurik!”
“Yurik! Yurik!” joined in Twilight.
“Yurik!” added Walt.
Soon afterwards, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and finally Alice joined the encouraging callings of his name. Feeling their hope on his shoulders, Yurik gripped the top card of his deck tight, praying for a miracle.
“My turn!” he screamed, throwing his arm out. “DRAW!!”
Yurik caught a glimpse at this card: a spell card. Peering from the corners of his eyes, he gasped; the right spell card.
“I activate the spell card Unioncornity!” he exclaimed, throwing the card into his spell/trap slot to show a spell card with the shape of a unicorn leaping from the deck on a duelist’s duel disk. “This card lets me add one Unioncorn monster from my deck to my hand.”
Yurik’s deck shuffled and slid out a card from the top, which Yurik took and showed to Orpheus.
“I add Unioncorn of Wind to my hand!” declared Yurik.
Orpheus seethed, realizing what was to come.
“I activate Twilight Alicorn’s effect in my pendulum zone,” shouted Yurik, “special summoning it to my side of the field in attack position!”
Twilight Alicorn charged its horn bright, zapping off the pendulum zone and appearing in front of Yurik.
Twilight Alicorn
ATK: 2500
Lvl.: 7
With his pendulum zones clear, Yurik grabbed his two pendulum monsters and revealed them to the still angered Orpheus.
“I set the pendulum scale with the scale 5 Unioncorn of Wind and the scale 8 Unioncorn of Earth!” proclaimed Yurik.
Yurik placed both monsters on the outer zones of his blades, summoning two pillars on both sides of his field. In the left pillar, his green unicorn with tribal markings rose up while the unicorn made of dirt with a grassy mane and tail appeared in the right pillar. The sky began to turn dark blue once again.
Unioncorn of Wind
Pendulum Scale: 5
Unioncorn of Earth
Pendulum Scale: 8
“I can now special summon monsters from my hand or face-up in my extra deck whose levels are 6 and 7!” declared Yurik, putting his right arm with his last card in his hand up into the air. “Pendulum summon!”
Yurik slammed his monster down on the zone to the left of Twilight Alicorn, making Yurik’s dark grey pegasus with black armor rain down in a purple aura from the red portal that opened up below the star.
“From my hand,” called Yurik, “I summon Armored Pegassist, and from my extra deck…
A card ejected itself from Yurik’s extra deck in his blade disk, which Yurik slipped onto the left zone of his right blade, causing another purple aura to come down and land to the right of Twilight Alicorn.
“…I summon Armored Unioncorn!” Yurik finished.
The grey unicorn with the ebony armor stood beside Twilight Alicorn, its counterpart on the other side.
Armored Unioncorn
ATK: 2100
Lvl.: 6
Armored Pegassist
ATK: 1800
Lvl.: 6
The ponies and Alice looked wondrously at Yurik’s newly summoned monsters, Orpheus staring at them in disbelief.
“That…” he spoke. “That’s the same monster that was sent to the… extra deck. He planned on putting Twilight Alicorn in his pendulum zone all along!” he realized.
“I shall now overlay my level 6 Armored Unioncorn and Armored Pegassist!” shouted Yurik.
Both monsters became swirling auras that spiraled in the air over a red portal that was forming below them.
“With these two monsters,” Yurik resumed, “I construct the overlay network! Xyz summon!”
Both streams of energy flew inside the portal, making it shine a hot white. Flying out from the portal was a massively built grey alicorn stallion with black armor over its head, neck, body, and wings.
“Let’s go!” called Yurik. “Armored Allicorn Warlord!”
A huff of steam escaped the creature’s nostrils, freezing Orpheus up.
Armored Allicorn Warlord
ATK: 2500
Rnk.: 6
“Finally,” Yurik pressed on, much to the delight of Walt and the ponies on the sidelines, “I activate Armored Allicorn Warlord’s effect.”
Yurik removed both cards from underneath his monster and threw them both into his graveyard slot.
“By detaching two xyz materials from this monster,” he explained, “I can equip this card to a monster I control and have it gain 2000 ATK!”
“2000?!” squeaked Orpheus.
“And I will equip it to Twilight Alicorn!”
It’s body glowing bright, the grey alicorn vanished without a trace with its armor staying behind. Floating up and then down, Twilight Alicorn was fitted with the armor as it magically warped and shrunk itself to its size, giving it a much more fearsome appearance.
ATK: 2500 -> 4500
Orpheus’s face was a blend of terror and seething rage, its strength far outnumbering his monsters.
“4500 ATK?” Twilight spoke. “That’s 1500 points of damage if he attacks Hades! If this attack goes through, Yurik and Alice win!”
“Go, Yurik!” shrieked Pinkie Pie through a megaphone she seemed to acquire.
“Twilight Alicorn!” commanded Yurik. “Attack Hades, King of Void Deep! Bright Burst Magic!”
Twilight charged her horn, her magenta magical aura being mixed with black as the engravings of her armor glowed as well. With a hard whip of its head, Twilight sent her spiraling beam towards Orpheus’s monster. It was then that Orpheus let out small smirk, confusing Yurik yet again.
“Now you’ve done it!” he shouted, pointing at the ground below him. “I activate my trap, Stygian Pulse!”
The trap came up, its art showing Minos, Judge of Void Deep as his silhouette was wrapped in a fiery explosion.
“When my opponent declares an attack,” he explained hysterically, “I can banish one Void Deep monster I control and inflict damage to my opponent equal to its ATK!”
“Oh no!” screamed Twilight.
“Yurik!” shouted Walt.
“Alice?” Yurik questioned, turning to his partner.
“On it!” she relayed. “I activate my counter trap, Insect Infest!”
The card flipped up to show a swarm of locusts chewing on a non-distinct trap card.
“When my opponent activates a trap card, I can tribute one insect-type monster to negate its activation and destroy it!”
“What did you say?” bellowed Orpheus.
“Roly Bouldy!” she called. “You got this!”
Roly Bouldy curled itself into a ball and rolled quickly towards Orpheus’s card, colliding with it and bursting both it and itself into yellow shards that faded away.
“No!” cried Orpheus. “This can’t be happening!”
“It sure the hell is!” responded Yurik. “Twilight Alicorn, finish the attack! Go!”
The beam continued on its way and blasted a gaping hole through Hades’s chest, the energy and strength of it exploding it in a blast of fire and smoke. The hot cloud barreled into Orpheus and sent him off his feet down the field, screaming shrilly at the sky as he did.
Orpheus’s Life Points: 1200 -> 0
Yurik and Alice win.
Orpheus landed hard on his back and rolled about the ground, his limp body sending him to an uncomfortable spot. Eurydice turned around to see him lying still on the ground, frightening her as her eyes widened.
“Orpheus!” she cried. “Orpheus!
As Eurydice ran to his side, Orpheus’s chain fell from its place next to his duel disk and to the ground, his Eurydice, Hades, and Virgil cards slightly scattered from the fall. Yurik and Alice continued to stare at Orpheus, unable to believe that it was over.
“We…” Alice sighed, “…beat him.”
“We actually won,” Yurik responded.
There was even longer silence until Twilight hopped high into the air.
“They won!” she shouted out. “They defeated Orpheus!”
The ponies collectively cheered as they ran towards Yurik and Alice. Yurik, overwhelmed and taxed, feel to his butt on the ground, sitting down and panting.
“Holy crap,” he breathed, “we won.”
Pinkie Pie dove into Yurik and threw her arms around his waist tight. Twilight came over to him, with Yurik managing to put her arm over her neck and pull her close, Twilight nuzzling her face into his. Rainbow Dash and Applejack surrounded Alice and bombarded her with praise and congratulatory remarks.
Matthew, stunned at the turn of the duel, was too slack to hold Walt any longer as he slipped out of his grasp, running to his friends. Rainbow Dash, noticing him, flew away from Alice and threw her arms around Walt’s chest, Walt stroking her mane and back with his hands.
“We’re finally gonna’ stick together!” she exclaimed.
“I’m looking forward to it, Rainbow Dash,” Walt replied.
Orpheus held on to Eurydice’s neck as she lifted him up to his feet. As he watched Yurik and his friends celebrate, a pair of tears began to form in his eyes.
“Orpheus,” cooed Eurydice, “you have nothing to cry over. That was a splendid duel.”
Orpheus turned to her to hear her correctly, seeing her give a nod in confirmation.
“I’m very proud of you,” she said. “However, I think you have something to say to Yurik and his friends.”
Orpheus looked back at the scrum that accumulated around Alice and Yurik, Kieran and Kel now a part of it. Watching Yurik and Alice put their cards back into their decks and place their deactivated blade disks onto their duel disks, he squatted down and picked up his three cards and his chain.
With a single yank, the five links all managed to find their way over Orpheus’s hand. Once he hooked the chain to the side of his belt, he slid his cards into his deck and extra deck slot on his wrist device and walked to Yurik and Alice with Eurydice. Once the two of them noticed their coming, Twilight and Walt stepped aside to let them through.
“Orpheus,” spoke Yurik suspiciously.
“As we have agreed,” he responded, “the two of you have defeated me fairly. I shall now relinquish Rainbow Dash and your friend back into your possession. As well, you will be responsible for finding the remaining two ponies and dragon.”
Eurydice nodded, glad for Orpheus’s acceptance and honesty. Yurik, hearing Orpheus’s calmness in his voice, quickly let out an accepting smile.
“Thank you,” he said. “We accept it gladly.”
“Orpheus!” called Matthew, running over to the group that formed. “Orpheus, you don’t have to do this! They’re still part of the Guardiaboliques. We can still report them to the police back at their home and then we–”
“Shut your mouth, Matthew,” ordered Orpheus. “As of right now, the Underworld will not interfere with any matters concerning the Guardiaboliques, and all of their identities will not be disclosed to the United States police.”
Yurik, Walt, and Alice gasped at the news, as did Matthew, but far more violently.
“Sir!” he stammered. “You can’t be serious!”
“I am serious,” Orpheus responded. “As far as we’re concerned, they were never here.”
Orpheus glanced to Kieran and with a slight smile, gave him a respectful nod. Kieran, happy for his former friend’s cooperation, gave him a nod back.
“Who says you can’t help us, though?” wondered Yurik, surprising Orpheus and Matt. “If you can find Rainbow Dash like you did, perhaps you can still help us find the others! Just tell us where they are and we’ll be there! That way you can still be a part of helping Eurydice get back home.”
Orpheus and Eurydice both looked floored by Yurik’s words, smiling kindly at them. Matthew angered by Yurik’s words, stood behind Orpheus with his mouth just behind his ear.
“Did you hear that?” he shouted. “They hacked into our database! They should be punished immediat–”
“I accept,” Orpheus said, freezing Matthew in his shock. “You’re a good man, Yurik Clayer. Kieran, you’re lucky to have people like him with you.”
Kieran nodded and faced him again.
“I agree. And I apologize in advance for… peeking into your files.”
“Peeking?!” squealed Matthew. “I’ll see the lot of you–”
“You will do no such thing,” Orpheus spoke. “Our business is done here. I hope to keep be in contact with you shortly.”
Kieran approached Orpheus and reached his hand out.
“Until next time?” asked Kieran.
“I certainly hope not,” chuckled Orpheus, taking his hand firmly and shaking it.
Orpheus slipped his hand out and presented it to Yurik.
“You’re a very talented duelist, Yurik,” he said. “I hope to hear great things from you in the future.”
“First, Japan,” said Yurik, “then Scotland, then, the world.”
“I wouldn’t doubt that.”
Yurik and Orpheus took each other’s hands and looked at each other mutually as they moved them up and down.
“Before we leave,” Yurik said, “I have just one thing I want to ask you.”
“What is it?” asked Orpheus.
“What is your real name? I want to know.”
Orpheus huffed humorously, as if he was feeling cornered.
“Ron,” he muttered. “Ron Harper.”
Eurydice smiled with nostalgia as she heard her friends true name once again. With Yurik’s hand still firm around Ron “Orpheus” Harper’s hand, he gave it one last shake as he looked into his eyes.
“Nice to meet you, Ron,” spoke Yurik.
Orpheus nodded as he moved on to say his farewells to Alice, Walt, and the ponies. Eurydice stepped around him and faced Yurik. With a touched expression, she leaned her head down and gently stroked the side of her head up his face.
“Thank you,” she whispered. “The best of luck to you and your friends.”
As Eurydice moved to follow Orpheus to the others, Alice and Walt looked back at Yurik only for Eurydice to nuzzle her face into Alice’s, throwing her off guard. Yurik and Walt couldn’t stifle a chuckle as Alice lightly grabbed Eurydice’s neck to stay standing. With his biggest trouble behind him now, Yurik gazed up at the moon in the sky, entranced by its soft glow.
_________________________________________________________________________________________
Dark blue graduation caps and the sound of teenagers and their parents cheering filled the air. On the turf of a high-school football field, hundreds of students in blue gowns and orange stoles jumped and screamed gleefully as their final seconds of high school had officially came to a close.
Yurik and an Asian female classmate hugged each other as they hopped up and down in jubilation. As the now-former students broke off to find their friends and family descending the stands to find them, Yurik weaved himself closer to the back, finding Walt coming from his row of seats. Yurik quickly hopped on Walt and ushered him further to the back.
“We did it man!” Yurik yelled. “We finally did it!”
“Now we can finally begin the better years of our lives!”
Walt and Yurik continued their journey, only to see Alice hopping up further down the aisle. As Yurik broke through the crowds he found both Alice and Mary standing next to each other, bright smiles on each of their faces.
“Alice!” sighed Yurik, hugging them both. “Mary! It’s finally over!”
Mary hugged Yurik’s arm tight, her tears streaming onto his sleeve.
“We’re still going to hang out this summer, right?” Mary asked.
“You better believe it!” Walt said. “What, you think we’re just going to go and never see each other again!”
“Walt!” called Bette from the crowd. “Yurik!”
“Hey, Mary,” Yurik said, pointing to the direction of Walt’s mother, “Mom wants to see us. I’ll call you!”
Mary waved farewell as Yurik, Walt, and Alice sifted themselves through the crowd. High up in the sky, hidden by the bottom of a cloud, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack sat as they peered over, seeing the three of them make their way to their mom, smiling as they watched their rite of passage for themselves. Finally, Walt and Yurik made it to Bette, the two of them hugging her as she laughed and sobbed at the same time.
“I’m so very proud of you two!” she wept.
“Congratulations, guys!” spoke Evey, tugging on Walt and Yurik’s robes.
“Thanks Evey,” Walt responded with a slightly muffled voice as it was caught in his mother’s bosom.
Bette looked over her boys’ shoulders to see Alice waiting for them, her eyes widening in realization.
“Oh, Alice!” she exclaimed. “Yurik, Walt, I want to take a picture with the three of you.”
“Sure thing,” agreed Yurik, backing up towards his friend with Walt.
Yurik stood in the center, with Alice on his right and Walt on his left. Giving them each a nod in preparation, the three of them faced Bette as she pulled her phone out of her purse, turning it sideways and steadying her arm.
“Alright, guys,” she advised, “big smiles.”
At once, Yurik, Walt, and Alice opened their mouths into a wide, happy shout as they whooped out again, and with a press of the button, Bette immortalized their celebration and friendship in a single shot.