Yu-Gi-Oh! P†H

by moviemaster8510

Episode 25: Retracing Our Steps

Going up the long hallway of the Guardiaboliques garage, everyone kept their eyes on the exit as the break of day began to creep up over the horizon.

“Almost there…” Yurik assured Twilight and the other ponies.

Twilight smiled happily as the exit to the garage came ever closer, looking to her friends with a heightened sense of accomplishment. With each glance towards them, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Spike smiled back and nodded, comforted with the prospect of returning to their home.

With the humans leading the group, Marcus still carrying the unconscious Keifer his body, Kieran began to walk ahead, mildly startling Yurik as they finally walked up to the garage’s exit. Looking out to see the parking lot, numerous police cars and officers were set there. Before anyone could react, floodlights shone brightly on them as the now silhouetted officers raised their guns over the hoods and roofs of their cars.

“Freeze!” shouted one man. “Nobody move!”

Fluttershy was the first to react, screaming loudly and hiding behind Rarity, trembling visibly behind her. Yurik, Walt, and Mary shot up their hands in fright while Mary, Marcus, and Kieran slowly and calmly put up their arms. Marcus set Keifer on the ground and put his hands up with the others. The other ponies stood stiff and alert as they kept their eyes as best as they could on the police officers from the lights.

Yurik squinted his vision, recognizing a shape in one of the front cars parked near the garage. From its sleeveless coat and sweater underneath, as well as its tell-tale chain hanging from the side of his hip, Yurik eyes shot open, realizing it was Orpheus. Yurik stepped forwards with a seething glare.

“You son of a–”

Yurik was stopped as Kieran’s leg blocked the path of Yurik’s own legs.

“I had told Orpheus to call the police if he failed to take down Keifer,” Kieran said, quelling Yurik. “Don’t worry. I’ll make sure you and your friends get out of here safely.”

Kieran redirected his eyes back to the crowd of police officers, many of them murmuring as Kieran stood before them, unable to believe that they had managed to corner him.

“Everyone!” called a policeman with a megaphone. “Step away from the ponies and walk to us with your hands over your head!”

Kieran stepped forwards, forcing the police officers to steady their guns back up.

“These children are innocent!” claimed Kieran. “The purple alicorn known as Twilight Sparkle was rescued by these children, and we only saw fit to help reunite her with her other friends and Princess Celestia! They’ve done nothing wrong, so I beg you, please spare them! If you do, I will go with you peacefully and without resistance.

“Kieran…” whispered Walt forlornly.

“I promise you this,” assured Kieran. “The moment you allow us to return these ponies to their homes and let these children return home safely, I will turn myself in!”

The other officers kept still, awaiting any further commands. From inside the group of soldiers, the officer with the megaphone, a moderately decorated man, stared intensely into Kieran’s eyes, searching for any signs of betrayal.

“Very well,” the officer said with an accepting face.

A loud snapping of fingers clapped through the air, and at once, two male officers appeared through the screen of white, one carrying a pair of handcuffs. Kieran turned his head and looked back at his fellow comrades as he put his hands behind his head. Without effort, the two officers clasped Kieran’s arms while Yurik and the others observed sadly, but respectfully.

“Send some others to restrain that white dragon too,” Kieran advised. “Be sure to do it while he’s still unconscious.”

The guards walked back into the crowd of police officers as one of them grabbed their radio and put it to his face.

“He also said to restrain the white dragon,” the officer said. “Made him sound dangerous.”

“Duly noted,” the decorated officer responded before putting his mouth closer to his receiver. “Men,” he whispered. “Restrain everyone, especially the white dragon. Leave the ponies.”

Once Kieran disappeared behind the lights as a well distinguished silhouette, around two dozen officers came towards the humans, ponies, and dragons, several of them taking out their handcuffs. Orpheus, noticing this, tensed up.

“What is this?” he asked in a sharp gasp.

“Just stay back,” one officer instructed, holding him by the shoulder.

Orpheus shuddered again as they watched the officers begin to surround Yurik and his friends.

“Yurik!” he screamed. “Get out of there!”

Yurik, also realizing the treachery, tried to run through a gap between two of the officers, but his effort was in vain, as he was grabbed by both officers.

“Yurik!” cried Twilight as she suddenly felt the hands of the officers block her way.

Soon, Walt, Alice, Mary, Donald, and Marcus were also restrained and pushed away from the ponies and dragons. The remaining officers formed a wall that kept the ponies from reaching them. Kieran turned to see the scuffle forming, and just before he could be pushed into the back of the squad car, he thrust his body in the direction of the back of the vehicle, jamming the officer to his left into the corner. He then jerked his head to the right, striking the other officer in the temple, freeing himself from both of them.

“You bastards!” Kieran shouted, running from his spot towards the scuffle.

“Officers!” shouted the decorated officer. “He’s escaped!”

Between the bodies of the officers, the ponies watched as Yurik and the other humans tried to resist the forceful grips of the officers while a series of new officers began to surround and tackle Kieran to the ground, pinning him. Applejack, scowling with fury, turned her body back and reared her back legs in. With a hard thrust, the back of her hooves plowed into the chest of one of the officers, sending him flying backwards.

The other officers were too stunned by what had happened, giving Twilight enough time to charge her horn, creating a magenta bubble that shoved the other officers back away from them. At once, the officers that had once surrounded them, as well as those taking their human friends away, felt their hands being forced open and pulled behind their backs by individual magenta auras.

Now freed, Yurik and the others ran to the ponies, refusing to look back at the police, despite their helplessness in Twilight’s magical hold.

“Guys,” Twilight instructed, “get behind us.”

They did as they were told, forming a second wall behind the ponies and Spike. Once Twilight was comfortable with her friends’ positions, she relinquished the charge on her horn, freeing the officers from her grasp. Realizing their lack of restriction, the officers reached back to their holsters and took out their pistols, aiming them at Twilight and her friends. Twilight huffed at them with teeth bared, daring them to try and take a shot.

“Stop!” cried a booming, female’s voice from up in the air. “Do not harm my little ponies!”

The officers, keeping their weapons as well aimed as they could, looked up and around them to find the source of the voice. Just then, a bright light descended down from the sky, landing in a large circular gap being formed by the wary officers. The light stood still above the ground before it took the form of a white, horse-sized alicorn with a long, flowing mane and golden jewelry on her head, around her neck, and on each four hooves. Throwing her wings out, the officers stepped back.

“Princess Celestia!” cried Twilight.

“Dammit,” the decorated officer muttered under her breath. “Men, lower your weapons!” he then ordered into his megaphone.

The officers did as they were told, quickly putting their guns into their holsters. With their threat ended, Twilight galloped through the group of officers and made it to Twilight, giving her long-lost leader a strong hug, which Celestia warmly returned.

“Twilight,” she cooed, “I’m so happy to see you well again.”

“I’m happy to see you too, Celestia,” spoke Twilight.

The other ponies and their human friends all looked happily upon their reunion. On Orpheus’s dueling device, his deck began to softly glow blue.

“It’s okay,” whispered Orpheus, patting the deck assuredly. “You’ll be going home soon enough.”

Celestia glanced to Twilight’s head to see her Element of Harmony placed upon it, making her sport a face of concern.

“Twilight,” Celestia wondered, “where did you get that crown?”

“My crown?” Twilight replied, glancing up. “It’s my Element of Harmony. They came back to us. Furthermore,” she continued, turning to Yurik and the other ponies behind her, “we gained a new one.”

“A new… one? How is this possible?”

“I don’t know, Celestia. I was hoping that we could all talk about this. A lot of things have happened since we’ve arrived here, and we need some answers.”

“I’m…” Celestia said, growing nervous, “I’m sure you do, and I’d be very happy to provide them. I just… I need to do some things…”

The ponies and Spike stared at their leader with mounting suspicion and unease.

“Princess Celestia?” wondered Twilight. “Are you doing, okay?”

“No,” Celestia giggled, “don’t mind me! I’ve just been… so nervous about your well-being, and it’s making me uptight! I just... please, bring your friends over and I’ll send you back!”

“Wait!” Orpheus shouted. “What about your deal? Don’t you owe Yurik and his friends their wish?”

“In due time, young… creature… just, I need to check…”

As Twilight backed up, frightened by the change the princess was exhibiting, she felt her tiara taken from her head, surrounded by a lime-green aura. At this moment, Twilight looked into Celestia’s face, seeing it transformed into one of greed and malice, along with her green, glowing horn.

“Celestia?” whined Twilight. “Your horn! It’s…”

Twilight suddenly gasped with shrunken eyes as she remembered what Keifer had said in his duel with Yurik.
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“Celestia can’t help me now!” he shouted. “She can’t even help you now!”
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“She can’t help…” Twilight repeated to herself.

Behind Twilight, the other Elements, including Yurik’s were lifted from around their necks and pulled towards Celestia. Twilight letting out another furious scowl, charged her horn bright and blasted a magical burst into Celestia’s chest, throwing her yelping down the lot. With her incapacitation, the Elements fell to the ground clattering.

“Twilight?” Celestia growled, failing to mask her contempt with saddened shock. “Why did you do that?”

“What the hell was that?” the decorated officer shouted through his megaphone. “You just blasted your own leader!”

“No, I didn’t!” Twilight stated. “That’s not Princess Celestia. That’s… Chrysalis!”

“What?” Spike and Rainbow Dash cried out.

Celestia scowled as she began to charge her horn again.

“Sorry,” Twilight spat, grabbing her tiara with her magic and affixing it on her head, “but you’re not getting these!”

As Celestia turned to the other six dropped Elements, she watched with anger as they were placed back on their owners’ bodies by a blue aura controlled by Rarity’s horn. Celestia hissed as she lowered her head down.

“I guess there’s no hiding it any longer,” she muttered, her voice adopting an eerie duality.

Charging her horn green again, a ring of green flames formed around her on the ground, which shot up as a pillar of fire. Inside, the silhouette of Celestia changed into something far lankier and monstrous. Once the flames dissipated, the creature now standing before everyone was a black, insectoid equine with torn, dragonfly-like wings, a kelp-like, holey mane and tail, holes inside its hooves and forearms, a large, jagged horn, large, green eyes, and a fanged mouth.

Seeing the creature before them, the police all turned and aimed their guns at the creature Twilight called Chrysalis. She merely continued her frown as her horn charged up. A couple of police officers pulled their triggers in reflex, only for their bullets to vanish upon hitting an invisible barrier that flashed green with each shot.

“Twilight!” shouted Mary. “What the hell is that thing?”

“Where’s Princess Celestia, you monster?!” shouted Twilight.

Chrysalis turned back to Twilight with a sense of dread and infuriating failure as Yurik and the other ponies ran out and joined her behind them. Keeping her eyes on the seven bearers and their Elements, not paying the police any mind, she began to charge up her horn once again.

“I need more time,” she grumbled.

With a bright flashing bubble, Chrysalis disappeared from sight. A few of the police officers glanced around, unsure where she had went. Looking up to Equus in the sky, Twilight took seething breaths through her teeth that slowly became sobs of fear and depression.

Sinking to her stomach, she laid her hands over her eyes and bawled loudly. The others looked at her, soon looking queasy with fear as their friend was. Behind her, Yurik, and the ponies, the decorated officer and two others followed him towards the group.

“Sir,” he said to Yurik, putting his hand on his back, “I’d like you and your friends to answer some questions.”

Yurik looked deathly into the man’s eyes, both angered at his attempts to arrest him, yet feeling obligated to provide the authorities some much needed information.
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At the Cook County Jail, inside a small, windowless room at a square metal table, Yurik sat despondently while staring at the white door, awaiting whomever was to enter the room through it. His golden necklace was no longer around his neck. Soon enough, a brown-skinned detective in a grey suit with black fuzz running along his head for hair stepped in, carrying a sketchbook and pen, which he gently set at the center of the other side of the table across from Yurik and the ponies.

“Hello there, Yurik” the man greeted. “My name is Mr. Gerraci, and you can trust me.”

“Before I can do that,” Yurik said, “I want to know two things.”

“Name them,” Gerraci prompted, sitting down in his chair and leaning back.

“First, where are my other friends?”

“They are being interrogated individually by other officers. In light of what has happened until now, we need to try and clear some things up, like if your ‘friends’ of yours are really harmful to us.”

“You mean the ponies? Of course they’re not harmful!”

“Right now, that’s not up for you to decide. Upon interviewing you all, we will see how well your stories add up and find the truth there. If they tell us the truth, then there’s nothing for them to worry about. Now, what was your second thing you wanted to know?”

“Where is Keifer?”

“Keifer?”

“The white dragon we had coming out of the factory.”

“Ah, yes. We had taken Kieran’s advice and have him restrained and kept under heavy surveillance. He won’t be able to do a thing unmonitored. Now, it’s time for me to know some things from you.”

Yurik kept silent while squinting his glare, prompting him to get on with it.

“Please, for the record, state your name, date of birth, and home address.”

“My name is Yurik Clayer, born October 3rd, 1995, and living at 2131 Lindrick Ave in Naperville, Illinois.”

“Thank you. Now, I want you to tell me when you first began associating yourself with the Guardiaboliques.”

Yurik breathed in as he prepared his answer, looking Gerraci straight in the eyes.

“I began associating myself with the vigilante organization known as the Guardiaboliques on May 16th of this year,” Yurik answered, “May 17th if you want to count when its leader, Kieran, inducted me as an honorary member of their group.”

“So you were actually admitted into the group,” queried Geracci, “and you chose to join them?”

“Yes, but only to ensure the rescue of the ponies Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and the dragon Spike. I had no intention of carrying on with them after their safe return to Equestria.”

“Hmm…”

Geracci quickly scribbled the notes into his book, which Yurik looked upon with slight disdain.

“Now, I’d like you to tell me: just how did you come to join the Guardiaboliques?”

Yurik breathed in again, collecting every thought and memory of his tale as he could.
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Walt sat in a similar room across from a younger female detective in a dark blue suit and white blouse. Despite her attractive appearance, Walt looked and felt as if the walls were keeping his entire body closed tightly in.

“It…” Walt tried to answer to the woman, “it was a birthday present.”

“The Twilight Alicorn card?” she confirmed.

“Yeah!” he blurted, clearly bothering the woman. “I’m… sorry. I’m not at my best around police officers.”

“Your father was a police officer, wasn’t he?”

“Yes, and if you lived with him as long as I have, you wouldn’t feel comfortable around them either!”

“I’m not your father, though, Walt. Just talk to me. Nice and calm.”

Walt leaned back in his chair, looking off to the right.

“I need to get a lawyer,” he muttered, his mouth slightly open to let the air out.

Walt, feeling composed again, turned back to the woman to continue on with his story.
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“The night of the 16th,” Alice said to a middle aged white male detective with a comb-over, “I wanted to duel Yurik with the new card that he got. When he played it…”

Alice then put the sides of both fists together and opened them up while spreading them apart with a “pssh” sound, implying an explosion.

“…all hell broke loose.”
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A red beam the width of the portal itself shot out from both sides of the portal, the bottom end colliding with the ground at tremendous force, knocking everyone nearby off their feet and to the ground, including Yurik and Alice. Nearby, the other party goers screamed as the earth violently shook and they lost their balance.

“What…” stammered Yurik, crawling on his back as he looked up into the sky as the pillar raised higher and higher without stop, “what’s happening?”

“Impossible,” Alice spoke. “The solid vision can’t be this strong without a generator.”

The pillar continued to blast into the ground, vibrating the ground hard and scaring everyone around.

“Yurik!” shouted Alice. “Stop the duel now!”

Yurik already began taking his two pendulum cards off his duel disk while large red text on his screen reported, “ERROR!” As he reached for his Twilight Alicorn card, he found an invisible force repel his hand away. Yurik tried pushing in as hard as he could, but his hand would not be able to touch the card.

“Yurik!” screamed Alice.

“I can’t!” screamed Yurik, becoming terrified himself.

Yurik pressed hard until the force hurt his hand, tears running down his face. Looking back at the beam, he and Alice watched as the beam grew angelic wings while the outline of a unicorn was visible inside, leaving them in a sense of sheer awe.
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“And then you took him?” the man responded.

“And the pony Twilight Sparkle,” Alice responded, “who crashed in Seager Park that night from the magenta comet?”

“Why didn’t you let the authorities take care of it? What if your friend and that pony were injured and needed medical attention.”

“The Guardiaboliques could have managed,” Alice suddenly growled. “However, I would have been more wary with her in the police’s hands than you should be in ours.”

“And how long have you been with the Guardiaboliques, exactly?”

“Since the summer of 2010. I’ve got nothing to hide anymore; more or less, I’ve already been arrested.”

“I see…” the detective said, writing in his sketchbook. “Now, when Yurik and the pony known as Twilight Sparkle woke up, what happened next?”

Alice looked at the man’s notes, grimacing at their near barrenness minus the facts about her involvement in the Guardiaboliques.
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Kieran sat with his hands cuffed to his bolted-down chair while two officers with dart guns stood by in the corners behind him. Kieran couldn’t help but feel wary of the ones behind him, but the loud knocking on the metal table by an expensively suited detective with combed-blonde hair and a thin moustache over his lips redirected his attention.

“When Alice had kidnapped Yurik and Twilight Sparkle,” the man across from Kieran instigated, “what did you do to them from there.”

“Alice never kidnapped anyone,” Kieran responded.

“She took him to your hideout against his will and without their consent, did she not?”

“An ambulance takes a person to a hospital against their will and without their consent… does it not?”

“An ambulance takes them to a place where they will be safe and treated!”

“So was she.”

Flustered, the man tried to sputter out a response, but to no avail, much to Kieran’s smug appreciation.

“When Yurik and Twilight Sparkle had awoken,” he finally managed to say what had happened?”

“We had a duel,” Kieran answered.
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“Guardia Sniper,” ordered Kieran, “attack Yurik directly. Sure Shot Blast!”

With a pull of the trigger, the rifle fired off its bullet and hit Yurik straight in the chest, knocking him backwards off his feet with a loud, sharp grunt. Twilight gasped loudly as Yurik fell, groaning in pain.

Yurik’s Life Points: 4000 -> 3000
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“I had deduced that Yurik’s Twilight Alicorn card had something, if not, all to do with Equus’s appearance,” explained Kieran. “I did not know the child, and was unsure if he would be able to hold the responsibility of the power his card held. The duel was a test to see if he could wield, and be comfortable wielding that power. Thankfully…”
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“This is it!” Yurik shouted. “Now, Alicorn of Steam, attack Guardia General! Boiler Bomb!”
The alicorn shot a ball of steam from its horn, striking Kieran’s monster once again in the chest, but the force exploding it into yellow sparks. The steam hit Kieran, and it now felt uncomfortably warm.

Kieran’s Life Points: 1600 -> 1200

“And now,” bellowed Yurik, “Twilight Alicorn, attack Kieran directly! Bright Burst Magic!!”

Twilight shot its signature beam at Kieran. Before it could strike him Kieran found it in himself to let out a contented sigh. The blast struck Kieran hard, throwing him off his feet as he slid on his back down the hall before coming to a stop.

Kieran’s Life Points: 1200 -> 0

Yurik wins.
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“And what would have happened if he had lost?” the man across from Kieran asked.

“If he had lost,” he answered calmly, “I would have taken his card and used the power as my own.”

“So you would have stolen it?”

“It would not be considered stealing. Yurik agreed to the terms.”

“Do you think he will say that in his story?”

Kieran kept a straight face, hiding any signs of fear he might have had for whatever Yurik would say against him.
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“No,” Yurik defended, “I didn’t want him to take my card.”

“But you agreed to his rules anyways?” Gerraci asked.

“What else was I supposed to do? He’s the leader of a vigilante organization, and I was a teenager just about to leave high-school?”

“So he coerced you into the deal?”

“…Not quite.”

“Not quite?”

“Kieran helped me come to the conclusion that my card was what brought Equus here, as well as Twilight and her friends. It was my fault that everything happened, and I wanted to right whatever wrong I made.”

“Yurik, I highly doubt that you were responsible for an entire planet’s sudden appearance.”

“Just ask my other friends. I’m sure they’ll tell you the same story.”

Gerraci sighed as he wrote down another note in his sketchpad.
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Twilight sat across from an older female detective in her mid-fifties, and while her smile tried to put Twilight in ease, the solid, colorless room and the two armed guards behind her did anything but.

“It’s okay,” the woman said. “Just tell me exactly what happened before you arrived on Earth.”

“It’s…” Twilight said, “an odd story at first, but as I keep thinking about it, it scares me even more.”

“You don’t need to be afraid…” cooed the woman. “Just tell me what happened.”

Twilight glanced around in silence as she prepared her tale.

“Princess Celestia…” she struggled to say, “or who I thought was Celestia, had called my friends and I to Canterlot, my home country, Equestria’s capital for something urgent…”
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Twilight and the other ponies, including Spike, burst into an extremely lavish palace room made of white marble, a red carpet leading up to a gold platform and throne which Princess Celestia sat worriedly upon. Upon seeing her ponies arrive, she stood up, walking down the carpeted ramp down to the seven of them.

“Twilight,” she said, “I’m very glad you were able to arrive. Thank you for coming on such short notice.”

“We came as fast as we could,” Twilight spoke.

“So what’s this all about?” asked Spike. “You were pretty vague in your letter.”

“My apologies, Spike,” Celestia responded. “I was in a hurry to get you here, and now that you are, I can finally…”

Just then, a massive earthquake struck the ground, making Twilight, Spike, and the ponies lose their balance. Spike fell over and rumbled into Rarity’s leg. Frightened, Spike clung to it tightly, Rarity not seeming to notice due to her own fright.

“What…” Celestia gasped. “What is happening?”

From the windows, a bright light began to shine glow brightly in through the outdoor windows before the light washed the entire room out in white. Twilight could no longer see Celestia, and as she heard the screams of her friends, she felt her body being pulled up, her surroundings becoming a magenta color. Twilight cried out as the shouts of her friends quickly faded away from her, and her body continued to soar against its will.
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“After that,” Twilight said, “I just remember waking up next to Yurik and being greeted by Kieran and Alice shortly after.”

“Did any of them hurt you from that moment until today?” asked the woman.

“No, they didn’t,” Twilight was inconspicuously quick to answer. “In fact, I don’t think I could have been put into better hands than with them.”

The woman nodded understandingly as she wrote Twilight’s statement on her sketchpad.
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“How did you manage to infiltrate the hideout?” the attractive detective said to Walt.

“My friend Mary and I were wary about Alice up and taking Yurik and Twilight as fast as she did. She had taken my motorcycle keys to ensure I couldn’t follow her, so Mary picked me up and we followed her there.”
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“Walt?” Mary questioned as Walt stepped out of her car. “Where are you going?”

“Go home, Mary,” Walt told her. “If this place is what I think it is, I don’t want you to be a part of this.”

“Why? What do you think it is?”

“Mary,” he demanded with a cold stare. “Go home. I’ll let you know how everything turns out. And whatever you do, do not call the police.”

Before Mary could protest any longer, Walt shut the car and ran down the road to the gate of the factory. Behind him, Mary’s car stood on the road before she slow pulled a three-point turn and headed in the opposite direction. Walt, looking at the duel disk still on his wrist, prepared himself for what was going to come ahead.
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“And you were prepared to duel the Guardiaboliques to save your friend?” the woman asked.

“In a way…” Walt said, “I kind of did.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was apprehended after sneaking in, but after I told Kieran who I was to Yurik and expressed my interest in helping Yurik retrieve the other ponies, he put me to a test.”

“What kind of a test?”
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“I tune my level 3 Tungsten Wolfram and Tungsten Steel Eel with my level 2 Tungsten Quetztatic!” Walt shouted, throwing his hand up.

Tungsten Quetztatic glowed into a bright-white shape before it burst, leaving only two small orbs of light that both spread out into glowing rings that aligned with one another. Walt’s two remaining monsters hopped up into the rings, becoming nothing but orange, glowing outlines of their bodies with glowing lines to define their other features. Three white stars formed a line inside each of their bodies.

“The lustrous light of my soul,” Walt chanted, “cast all shadows away with your radiance!”

A beam shot up from the ground and through both rings, expanding into a bright, greenish-white pillar.

“Synchro summon!” shouted Walt.

The pillar of light gave way to the monster now formed inside, spreading away to reveal a large dragon with two large white horns, its body seemingly made out of a smooth metal that bent and stretched flexibly as if it were skin. It’s main body was a glowing, golden yellow with a spotless and muscular white underbelly that matched its wings.

“My beacon of victory!” concluded Walt. “Tungsten Dragon!”

Walt’s monster roared loud at both Yurik and Twilight Alicorn, signaling its complete preparedness to fight.

Tungsten Dragon
ATK: 2700
Lvl.: 8
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“Not to brag or anything,” Walt said, “but I was doing pretty well, but Yurik and his new card eventually got the better of me.”
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“Finally,” he resumed, revealing his drawn spell card, “I activate my spell card Spell of Banishment!”

Walt seized up immediately, knowing at this very moment that he would lose. Yurik threw his card into the front slot of his duel disk, a green card featuring art of an alicorn manifesting a dark portal from it horn with a fiendish-looking monster stuck inside it phasing onto the ground.

“I can activate this card when my life points are below 500,” Yurik explained. “While I control a spellcaster-type monster, I can target another spellcaster-type monster that I control or exists in my graveyard and one monster my opponent controls and banish both targets.”

With a small charge of its horn, Twilight Alicorn shot its green-and-black spell past Tungsten Dragon, causing a large, starry portal to appear behind it. Walt stepped back as the edge of the portal spread out to just at the toes of his shoes.

With a tremendous force, Tungsten Dragon and Tungsten Jouleyfish were pulled into it, the former roaring in finality as the portal closed up, leaving an awestricken Walt wide open to Twilight Alicorn’s mercy.

Now, battle! Twilight Alicorn, attack Walt directly!”

Twilight Alicorn’s horn began glowing a brightness that was matched by the unkempt fury on its face.

“Bright Burst Magic!!”

The magenta beam blasted out from the winged unicorn’s horn, with Walt standing straight and unflinching as it came closer to him. The spell struck Walt in the torso, sending him off his feet and through the air.

Walt tumbled back to the ground, but managed to roll onto his back as he stopped, looking up at the ceiling lights and settling down from the end of a tight, climactic duel.

Walt’s Life Points: 2200 -> 0

Yurik wins.
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“Despite the loss,” Walt said, “Kieran was impressed enough to allow me to join as well. Twilight insisted she stayed over at our house while Kieran went out looking for her other friends.”

“And what about Twilight after that?” asked the woman.

“Well…”
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“Yurik and Walt were gracious enough to teach me how to duel,” explained Twilight to the woman across from her. “Yurik even bought me a deck with his very own money. Kieran had Yurik test it out with me the next evening at their hideout.”
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“Synchro summon!” called Twilight. “Mechjic Gold Cyber!”

Appearing from the beam was a massive, muscular cyborg with golden armor and a golden staff with a spiral-cut crystal on the end of it, flexing its chest in an attempt to intimidate Yurik.

Mechjic Gold Cyber
ATK: 2800
Lvl.: 7
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Xyz summon!” cried Twilight.

Upon the two auras flying into the portal , a slender, but tall android in silver armor with a silver staff with a similar crystal head to Mechjic Gold Cyber’s, a pair of light orbs floating around the monster.

“Appear!” Twilight ordered. “Mechjic Silver Cyber!”

Standing more proud and reserved than Twilight’s gold-armored behemoth, the silver-plated robot pointed its staff at Yurik offensively.

Mechjic Silver Cyber
ATK: 2500
Rnk.: 7
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Fusion summon!” Twilight declared. “The ultimate future! Mechjic Platinum Cyber!”

Floating out from the portal was an illustriously armored cyborg that dwarfed the other two on Twilight’s field, as well as carrying a large scepter with an ornate circular piece upon the top.

Mechjic Platinum Cyber
ATK: 3000
Lvl.: 10
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“After the duel,” Twilight continued, “Kieran managed to find the first of my friends on Earth…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Pinkie Pie sat wide, her legs and hooves hanging out the side of her chair, watching with exaggerated, but sincere wonderment as a suited man, with short, brown hair put a phone on the table between them and quickly dialed ten numbers, looking at a slip of paper in his other hand. The jovial pony didn’t seem to pay any mind to the guards stationed behind her. Pinkie Pie then leaned in as the man clicked a button above the number’s pad, allowing the dialtone to be heard all throughout the room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Inside a comfortably cozy apartment kitchen, a cell phone rang on the counter. From the hallway, Billy, wearing nothing but a red towel around his otherwise wet, naked body, walked to the phone and put it to his face, answering it.

“Heello,” he greeted.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Billy!” squealed Pinkie Pie, unable to contain herself. “I can hear you through this little box!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Pinkie Pie?” gasped Billy, his disposition completely reversing itself as he shot up in his bed. “My god! Is that really you?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Hello, Billy,” the officer interrupted, silencing Pinkie Pie with a pinched hand. “My name is Officer Steele, and I have Pinkie Pie in our custody.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“What?” he exclaimed, sounding nervous and agitated. “What are you doing to her?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Calm down, sir,” Steele assured, “she’s perfectly safe. I only wanted to get a statement from you. Being that she clearly recognizes you and vice versa, I’ll get to my next question. Tell me what you can about a couple of men: Kieran and Yurik Clayer. Then, I want you to tell me anything and everything about how they took Pinkie Pie from you.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Well,” Billy said, pacing around, “I don’t know about this Kieran individual, but Yurik Clayer I’m more than familiar with. As for them ‘taking’ her, that’s a bit of an exaggeration. She came to my tent after becoming stranded outside of Orlando. There was Yurik, a young man his age with blonde hair, a girl their age with black hair, and a man in his mid-twenties with short brown hair.”

“Was his name by chance Aaron Wilson?” asked Steele.

“…Yes, I do believe it was. Why do you ask?”

“That’s an alias of Kieran’s when he goes off in public. He is really the leader of the Chicago-based vigilante group known as the Guardiaboliques.”

“Anyways, they initially tricked me into letting them into the park that night–”

“Does his true identity not concern you?”

“Not really. I had a feeling Aaron wasn’t his real name, and in either case, I’m certain he and his friends meant well.”

“…I see. Continue.”

“The night they arrived, I invited them into the park for a supposed private show, but it was a ruse for them to take Pinkie Pie away. I then dueled Yurik to try and take her back…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Attack!” shouted Yurik. “Allicorn Queen of Night, destroy Insidious Caesar. Lunar Spear!”

The black alicorn’s blue glow on its horn mixed and swirled with black as it shot out at Billy’s monster, exploding it in a flash and wave of hot smoke, which Billy shielded his face from.

Billy’s Life Points: 400 -> 300

“This is it!” Yurik yelled. “Twilight Alicorn, attack Billy directly! Bright Burst Magic!”

Twilight shot its signature attack at Billy, striking him now in the chest as he flew back, but silently as he reveled in the intensity of the match he had played.

Billy’s Life Points: 300 -> 0

Yurik wins.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Even before the duel’s end,” Billy continued, “I became convinced that they were rescuing Pinkie Pie for the greater good of taking her back home, and we were able to part ways on good terms.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Steele grimaced, still unconvinced.

“And Pinkie Pie,” he asked her, “has Kieran and/or Yurik taken good care of you?”

“Oh, yes!” she promptly answered. “Yurik and Walt have been the bestest hosts, and I just love babysitting their little sister Evey, and we watch Frozen, like, all the time–!”

“Thank you,” he interrupted, silencing her again. “I have what I need. Thank you for your help, Billy.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“It’s my pleasure,” Billy said with a habitual nod, “as it was to hear from you again, Pinkie Pie.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“You too!” chirped Pinkie Pie. “I hope your shows are going great!”

“Better than ever, Pinkie,” he replied. “Farewell.”

The phone clicked with the end of the call. Steele looked to Pinkie Pie smiling brightly, happy to have done her part. Steele sat down in his own chair and breathed out in exhaustion.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash squirmed in her seat in claustrophobic anxiousness. A muscular black man in a blue suit sitting across from the blue pegasus eyeing her with fierce expectation only decreased the size of the room.

“You were found by the Guardiaboliques in Suzuka, Japan, correct?” the man inquired.

“Huh?” the uncomfortably distracted Rainbow Dash blurted. “I have no idea! All I knew was that I woke up in a forest and trying to avoid you guys!”

“You mean us humans, I presume. Now, if this is the case, describe what happened when the Guardiaboliques arrived, since I’m assuming that’s how you were taken out from there.

“Well… it’s kind of a long story.”

“Take as much time as you need,” the man said, leaning back in his chair.

Rainbow Dash huffed, stuck in the man’s gaze.

“Okay, fine,” she relented. “I didn’t actually meet Yurik or Kieran ‘till much later. And if it weren’t for Pinkie Pie joining the search, they wouldn’t have found me anyways…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Rainbow Dash looked back in horror to see the human approach, trying to wrench herself out of Pinkie Pie’s embrace, but to no avail.

“Pinkie Pie!” she squealed. “We have to hurry! One of those monkey things is coming!”

“Hey,” Walt shouted, “who’re you calling a monkey?”

“Oh, yeah!” Pinkie Pie squeaked. “Rainbow Dash, I want you to meet my friend Walt.”

Rainbow Dash turned back to see Walt right behind her, giving her an awkward frown and wave of his hand.

“Your friend?” questioned the blue pegasus.

“Yeah!” There’s also Yurik, Alice, and Kieran. Twilight’s also with us.”

“Huh? Twilight’s here too?”

“Yeah, we’re teaming up with these guys to help find our other friends.”

Rainbow Dash, confused, looked to Walt and then back at Pinkie Pie’s smile.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I know it sounds weird,” said Rainbow Dash, “even though Pinkie Pie will make friends with just about anyone, I still knew I could trust her on that one.”

Thinking of Walt, she grimaced, feeling lonely and even more cramped in the room.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“So after you found Rainbow Dash,” the attractive detective said to Walt, “what happened from there?”

“…We were ambushed,” Walt felt compelled to say.

“Ambushed? By whom?”

“…A lone party…”
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Orpheus ran out from the trees and into the opening, swinging his chain to the left to send a red bow out towards the back of Walt’s knees. With only a few more yards to spare, the bow struck Walt right at its intended target, tripping and throwing Walt and Rainbow Dash to the ground, where they both tumbled and slid to a stop, Walt upon his stomach.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Walt threw his blade disk out to Orpheus’s left, which span around his body and back to Walt’s duel disk, where it stayed beside it and shone its blades out through the lights on the side. At that moment, both players’ decks shuffled inside their respective slots.

“Connection complete,” a computerized voice. “Walt Faber vs… Unknown.”

Walt huffed through his nose as he stared Orpheus down. Rainbow Dash, her head positioned that she could see past Walt’s left leg, looked to Walt with a shimmering hope.

“Like I said,” Orpheus said. “You cannot win against me.”

“We’ll just see about that!” shouted Walt. “Let’s go!”

“DUEL!” they both called out.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Goodbye, Walt,” bid Orpheus.

At that moment, the star exploded in a fiery mushroom cloud, blowing both Walt and Rainbow Dash away as he screamed loudly from the excruciating force and heat from the blast. Before Walt and Rainbow Dash could both crash into the forest, they fell into the crater left by Minos’s effect, tumbling limply down into it together before they stopped in its center.

Walt’s Life Points: 4000 -> 0

Orpheus wins.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“After that,” Walt said, “he kidnapped us and attempted to ransom me and Rainbow Dash for Twilight, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack once we arrived in Glasgow.”

“And what happened in Glasgow?” she asked.

Walt gulped as he felt the minutes churn on into what felt like hours.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“I had originally tried taking the ponies for myself to seek aid for a dear friend of mine who had been in some trouble for quite some years,” Orpheus huffed to an older detective with greyed hair. “I will admit that after Celestia, or who we all thought was her, promised to grant a wish to whoever found her ponies, I got carried away in my pursuit, especially when I dueled Yurik Clayer and Alice Ross for the ponies they had with them.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“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. 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
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“Not surprisingly,” Orpheus said, “Yurik and his friend manage to defeat me with the bond he had with his deck.”
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“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.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

“After that,” Orpheus concluded, “I agreed to assist Kieran and his subordinates find and rescue the remaining ponies.”

“You actually chose to assist a criminal organization such as that?” the detective wondered. “You’re a member of Interpol, are you not? And isn’t it your duty to uphold the law?”

“I am, but you and I can both agree that under the law and the many men who uphold it, it would be nearly impossible to gather any of those ponies, yet alone all of them. Even if everyone whose job it was to uphold the law were all honest, non-corrupt people, the legal ramifications that exist would prevent these ponies from seeing either of their friends ever again.

“I may have chosen to become a man of the law, but I can still respect Kieran for accomplishing what the law can’t. So, before you lecture me on how well I do my job, learn to question yourself on what is legally right and what is morally and ethically right.”

“What’s right is upholding justice, and you spat in its face by becoming the accomplice of a vigilante!”

“Justice? So you’re telling me it’s just to keep a group of frightened girls separated from each other, their home, and their families?”

“I never said that. Do not put words in my mouth, Ronald Harper!”

“If you want to arrest me, arrest me, but don’t blame me for your own ignorance, detective. I pray you never have to experience loss that your infallible law can’t save you from.”

The detective sat back in his chair, defeated by Orpheus’s cool and collected glare, only implying that there would be no victory in arguing with him.
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Applejack sat strangely on her metal seat, looking to the detective across from her, a sinewy man with a bald spot on the top of his head.

“Tell me,” he said, “since living in the Fabers’ home, has Walt’s other family members caught on to your presence?”

“Oh, yeah,” Applejack forebodingly said, “and was the Mrs. not happy about it…”
____________________________________________________________________________________________

Practically throwing the phone back on the base, she ran upstairs and into the hallway, seeing Evey standing there obediently.

“Oh, thank God,” she moaned, sliding on the floor and hugging her tight. “Where are Walt and Yurik?”

“Upstairs with the ponies,” she said.

Looking up at the attack door, Bette hopped up and grabbed the string, only for the door to stay shut when she yanked it.

“Give me my children back, you monsters!” she cried.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

The ponies in the attic winced with every yank that she gave at the attic door, only for it to still not budge. Applejack looked to the door, only for the bottom end of the top half of the steps on the door to be roped to the support beams, keeping it steady.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“You’re still with them,” the detective said, “so how did you manage to convince her?”

“We had a little help…” Applejack answered.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Clark stepped down the attic steps, but not before giving a nod to Bette and the ponies up in the attic.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“…from a friend,” Applejack felt comfortable saying.

“And who was this friend,” the detective followed up, “if you don’t mind my asking?”

“Just an officer who could talk some sense into her.”

The detective let out a huff and a grin as he documented Applejack’s statement to his sketchpad.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Have you ever associated yourself with the Guardiaboliques anytime after May 16th and before today?” asked a narrow-faced detective with short curly hair sitting across a metal table from a relaxed Mary.

“Yes,” she confidently answered. “In fact, it was my involvement with them that allowed them to rescue Fluttershy.”

“And you’re proud admitting this?”

“My parents are actually ardent supporters of the Guardiaboliques. They’re the kind of people that if you told them what I had done, they would probably congratulate me and take me out for ice cream.”

“And what about your friends? Other than Yurik, Walt, and Alice, that is.”

Mary began to frown nervously at this, making the detective purse his lips with condemnation. It wasn’t long before Mary’s relaxed smile returned in realization.

“If my friends really give that much of a rat’s ass,” Mary said, “then they really don’t sound like friends, don’t they?”

The detective suddenly grimaced, his edge on her lost.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy pressed herself as far back in her seat as she could, frightened by the expectant stares the young, female detective had on her as well as the guards behind her.

“You don’t need to be afraid,” the woman said. “Just tell me what happened, and I promise it will be over soon.”

Fluttershy leaned forwards in her chair and hid half of her head under the table, revealing only her eyes to the woman.

“The boy I had been staying with made me rescue animals and keep them in an abandoned barn,” Fluttershy spoke.

“Please, Fluttershy, just focus on the Guardiaboliques for me.”

“They rescued me!”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Finish this, Feral King Liger!” commanded Mary. “Slash of Pride!”

Feral Liger lunged up at the serpent’s body at the temple’s front, it’s paw raised up high as it slashed down on both visible parts of its body, leaving large gashes on them that began to glow brightly. With gusto, the liger ran back as the serpent began to explode from the cuts in its body out like a massive fuse.

Thiago turned around to watch as his creature burst all about, blowing large pieces of the pyramid away with it. The explosions reached both heads, and as they glowed brightly, the two heads roared before they both exploded with a much stronger force, completely obliterating the temple. Thiago was blown onto his back by the force as he screamed out in anguish.

Thiago’s Life Points: 3000 -> 0

Mary wins.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“As much as I wanted to help him, I didn’t want to keep them in a cage like he wanted, and I couldn’t stand smelling like I did for all that time.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Fluttershy let out two choked sobs as she threw her arms open for her oncoming friend. Twilight spread her wings as she gripped Fluttershy tight around her torso, flying up in the air and twirling her around.

“Twilight!” wept Fluttershy, tears pouring down her face. “I’m so glad you’re here!”

Walt and Rainbow Dash soon entered the barn, the latter seeing Twilight and Fluttershy in their embrace.

“Fluttershy!” she shouted joyously.

Rocketing up to them, Rainbow Dash wrapped her arms around both of them, Fluttershy crying happily.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Not only that, but they brought me back to my friends!”

Fluttershy, consumed by the pressure, put her face onto the tabletop and wept loudly. The detective drew a sigh of defeat.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Now,” Gerraci asked Yurik, “where does that dragon we apprehended come in?”

“Coincidentally enough,” he responded, “right now.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Throwing his arms and out to the side, Keifer let out a roar as the glowing increased, covering his whole body in red. Yurik, Walt, Rarity, and Twilight shivered in fright as the human form of Keifer molded as if it were made from a thick liquid.

A long, thick tail with spines slithered out from Keifer’s lower back. His face grew out into a draconic snout with long horns extending from the back and top of his head. The five fingers and toes of his hands and feet merged into a beastly four and three, respectively.

His feet stretched horrifically back while the ends of his fingers and toes grew large claws with meticulously sharp points. Two wing shaped lights then flung out from his back, the heat and brightness forcing Yurik, Walt, and Rarity to shield their eyes with their arms, Twilight with her wing. Keifer’s eyes shot open, revealing to large reptilian blue irises.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“We don’t know very much about him even now,” Yurik said. “All I can tell you is that he serves a so called ‘master’ from Equestria who wants the ponies for their own desires, and that he’s doing this so he can be reunited with his brother, who was taken from him before he hatched.”

“What did he do to you?” asked Gerraci.

“We were in Vienna to take Rarity and Spike, the last of the ponies to be stranded on Earth. Before we could, Keifer managed to take Rarity himself and restrain Twilight and Rainbow Dash in the process. We dueled with their fates on the line…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Now, appear!” cried Keifer. “Obsidian-Eyes Magmal Dragon!”

The dragon leapt from its pendulum zone and landed beside the dragon in the center monster zone, all three of them now staring at one of Yurik’s monsters each.

Obsidian-Eyes Magmal Dragon
ATK: 3000
Lvl.: 8
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Obsidian-Eyes Magmal Dragon,” Keifer continued, “attack Twilight Alicorn! Pyroclastic Pillar of Obliteration!”

Yurik stared blankly at his soon to be destroyed monster as it turned back to look at him with a touch of sadness and disappointment. The center dragon hurled its fire breath at Twilight Alicorn and blasted it away. Yurik, too weak and demoralized to scream, felt his body blasted backwards towards his shocked and terrified friends.

Yurik’s Life Points: 500 -> 0

Keifer wins.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I was out before I even hit the ground,” Yurik said, “or so Walt told me. Regardless, I couldn’t do anything as he took them away. I never felt so impotent in my life…”

Gerraci noticed as Yurik’s hands squeezed tight, clearly troubled by the experience.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Spike sat on a higher chair to the top of the metal table where an older woman in a calming, red suit jacket sat across from him.

“So,” she said in the most pleasing voice she could muster, “after that pony was taken, what happened then? How did come to return to Chicago with the Guardiaboliques?”

“Well,” Spike muttered, “I didn’t want to go at first. I thought they were working with Keifer at first. When Walt came back to get me, my guardian dueled to protect me.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I activate the continuous spell card Corpsair Ghost Ship – Wightah!” Tessa declared.

Slamming the card into her zone, a card appeared face-up on the field showing a black full-rigged ship made of rotted wood and bones. The ground began to rumble as the ship on the art rose up from the ground, facing the side walls. Timothy, Kate, and Edmund smiled up at the ship while Spike beamed at its macabre majesty. Walt, however, looked frightened and in awe as it finally stopped, its size just barely able to fit inside the atrium.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“However,” Spike said, “Walt beat her after she made a misplay, and he was able to convince us that he was working to protect my friends afterwards.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Here I am!” the pink mare shouted, popping from underneath the desk on Yurik’s iPad D screen. “Hi, Walt! How’s your trip going? Did you find Rarity and Spike yet?”

Spike instantly felt a longing warmth rising in his chest upon hearing the mare’s voice and seeing her face.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“What was it like in Keifer’s captivity?” a detective in his mid-thirties asked Rarity. “Did he ever hurt you?”

“Well, no,” Rarity admitted, feeling nonplussed and uncomfortable with the guards around him. “However, it was surreal, and very unsettling. Our prison was just a void of black that it seemed only he had control over. We had stayed there until he returned to Earth with us to take the rest.”

“And that’s when we get to today?”

“That’s correct.”

“And what happened there?”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Kieran had contacted me to see what I could do about stopping Kieran so that Yurik and the others wouldn’t have to,” Orpheus said to the despondent detective across from him. I tried…”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Obsidian-Eyes Magmal Dragon,” demanded Keifer, “attack Eurydice, Peryton Ruler of Void Deep! Pyroclastic Pillar of Obliteration!”

With a great inhale, Magmal Dragon threw its head forward and blasted at Eurydice, who only shut her eyes and let her tears flow before the force of the fire and ash vaporized her. The blast thrust into Orpheus, throwing him back even further than before, crying out as his body flipped about like an unstoppable ragdoll. The ponies watched with wet eyes as he landed hard on the ground and tumbled into the gate, where his body limply crumpled to his stomach.

Orpheus’s Life Points: 900 -> 0

Keifer wins.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I then called the police for backup just in case Yurik and the others somehow all lost to Keifer and had all the ponies and Spike with him,” explained Orpheus.

“So you turned Keifer and his organization in,” the detective remarked with a sneer, “and yet you’re completely sympathetic to him and his cause.”

“Kieran and I are old friends, sir. We’ve come to understand each other far longer and much more than you’d like to think you do. He did what he believed is necessary to save these ponies’ lives. He may very well be imprisoned, but he does care for the well-being of others far more than himself.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Donald, Marcus, and Kieran all took their turn with Keifer before he got to me,” Yurik said to Gerraci. “Among me and my friends present, I decided to go up. I didn’t want any more of my friends getting hurt for me.”

“So you resolved to fight him again?” asked Gerraci. “How did that go.”

“…Almost as disastrously as before…” Yurik admitted.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Now go, Grand Magmal Dragon! Molten Massacre of Annihilation!”

The dragon’s blast tore through the two alicorns, bursting them into bright shards as Yurik was struck by the blast himself. Yurik screamed at the top of his lungs as fire and rock pelted his skin, lifting him off his feet. As Yurik flew back, he collided with the invisible wall of the back of the dueling room, the attack pressing him into it as the holographic imagery began to crackle and rupture with the force of the blast.

Yurik’s Life Points: 1150 -> 25

The blast continued to crush Yurik as its force refused to let up. Yurik tried to scream, but his lungs were out of air, and the heat of the fire was such that Yurik couldn’t bear to breath, reducing his cries of agony to desperate gurgles.

Finally, the beam of fire faded away, allowing Yurik to limply slide down the invisible wall and to his feet. His legs were of no use to him, and they buckled under the weight of his body making his body fall forwards and to the side. Twilight and her friends in the bubble shuddered with terror as Yurik crumpled down to his back, his eyes open, but certainly unconscious.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Then how did you manage to prevail?” Gerraci followed up.

“To be perfectly honest, sir,” Yurik said with a chuckle and shrug, “I’m not even sure myself.”
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“I activate the spell card Elements of Harmony!” Yurik declared.

Throwing the card in his duel disk, the card appeared to Keifer on Yurik’s field, making him tremble with worry.

“This card negates the effects of all face-up cards the opponent controls,” Yurik stated. “Then, I can target one monster my opponent controls and reduce its ATK to 0 until the end phase!”

Seven, brighter beams shot out from his and the ponies’ Elements and swirled around in the air before shooting down at Grand Magmal Dragon as a solid rainbow. The beam washed over the massive dragon, making it roar loudly as the rest of its strength was removed from its body.

ATK: 4500 -> 0

“Now, Twilight – Allicorn Empress of Courage, attack Obsidian-Eyes Grand Magmal Dragon! Brave Burst Magic!”

Alicorn Empress flew high above the field, its horn glowing bright with a green and magenta mixture. Then with a whip forward of its head, it launched a harsh, wide beam of magenta magic with green spiraling around.

The blast pierced through Grand Magmal Dragon’s chest as its entire body began to explode from the center up and from the center down. Keifer stared incredulously as the explosions moved down closer to him. With a final explosion at the dragon’s waist, Keifer was washed in a burst of fire and rock that hurled him off his feet, screaming at the intense power as it continued sending him soaring.

Keifer’s Life Points: 2750 -> 0

Yurik wins.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“The Elements of Harmony?” asked Twilight’s detective.

“That’s right,” Twilight answered. “They are a seven, originally six-piece magical artifact that can only be wielded by those who the Element chooses as its bearer. Each of the Elements represent a facet of friendship that each of my friends, including myself possess. Applejack represents the Element of Honesty, Fluttershy: Kindness, Pinkie Pie: Laughter, Rarity: Generosity, Rainbow Dash: Loyalty, and until this morning, Yurik Clayer… Courage.”

“You sound unsure about the last one.”

“Like I said, this new Element is completely new, and I don’t know where it comes from, but when Yurik summoned his new monster after becoming the bearer of the seventh Element, the name had the word ‘courage’ in its title. There was really no other way to explain. Yurik Clayer is the seventh Element of Harmony.”

“And how do you think a human from a completely different world could have became that?”

“Your guess is as good as mine, ma’am.”

The detective let out an exasperated sigh as she wrote down this new fact into her sketchbook.

“Also, the woman said, “you said that it was an odd story, but thinking about it scares you even more. What do you mean by that?”

“That creature that masqueraded as Princess Celestia back there,” Twilight explained, “her name is Queen Chrysalis. She is a changeling, a creature who can change her appearance to whichever pony she chooses. She had tried to take Equestria over by turning into my brother’s fiancé and drained him of his energy so the capital would be left defenseless. However, my brother and his real fiancé managed to expel her and her army from Canterlot. I hadn’t seen her since then until today.”

“And why does this scare you?”

“Because I have a really bad feeling that she’s working for the same creature that Keifer is working for.”

“Hmm?”

“I believe she captured the real Princess Celestia, and possibly Princess Luna as well; she’s co-ruler of Equestria, by the way. Anyways, she then tried to kidnap us for some reason while posing as her, but was thwarted when Equus appeared and that same energy sent us to Earth. She then makes it so the people of Earth can find us for her while Keifer looks for him on his own. Whoever would get us all first, Chrysalis, Keifer, and whoever they’re working for would win.”

“I see. That’s quite the plot there, Twilight.”

“I know it sounds crazy, but you have to believe me. I don’t know what kind of evils your kind deals with on Earth, but do not take Chrysalis lightly, especially if she managed to capture Celestia and Luna. Whatever she and her leader are planning up there, now that the Elements have been reawakened, they will stop at nothing to ensure we are out of their way. And they won’t just stop there. If they manage to take over Equestria, or even all of Equus, they’ll come after Earth yet, and I don’t think that you humans can stop them alone.”

The detective stayed silent, unnerved by the sheer gravity in Twilight’s tone.

“Please,” begged Twilight, “let us all go, even Kieran and the rest of the Guardiaboliques. We’ll need everyone that we can to defeat them. The fates of our world and your world depend on us.”

The detective cupped her hands over her mouth as she ran them across her face and hair, clearly stressed by Twilight’s words. With nothing else to say or do, she stood up from her chair and opened the door beside her.

“Thank you, Ms. Sparkle,” she grimly said. “I will do whatever I can to see to your request.”

“That’s all I ask,” Twilight cooed, walking to the door. “Please let the other authorities know the direness of the situation too.”

“Of course.”

With a gracious nod, Twilight stepped outside the room, being escorted by two officers outside the room down the hall. With the alicorn gone, the detective took another sigh of fear and uncertainty.

“You don’t really believe her, do you?” asked a guard in the corner of the room.

“Is there really a choice?” she asked back.

The woman stormed out of the room in a fluster in the opposite direction as Twilight and the officers before the guards could reply.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

Twilight walked up to the end of the hallway to a large room with glass windows on the front and both sides of it, a white wall in the back. Through the windows, Twilight could see all of her human, pony, and dragon friends inside of it, waiting impatiently for their fates.

The door to the room opened for Twilight and she was led inside, only for the doors to close behind her. Everyone turned to face her, but it was Yurik’s face that she chose to look at.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

“Elements of Harmony,” Yurik breathed, “taking in the tale Twilight had told him. “And now I’m one of them.”

“I told the detective talking to me to allow us to go free to combat Chrysalis and whoever she’s working for,” Twilight said. “But as long as we’re here, and our Elements are confiscated, Chrysalis continues to win. Equestria is probably being taken over by her because we’re not there to help.”

“Twilight,” Yurik said, “we’ll get our Elements back and save your world– no, both our worlds. Even if we need to break out of this prison to do so. After all,” he said to Twilight with a slight smirk, “we’re Guardiaboliques. We’ll work outside the law if we have to, but we’ll get it done, with or without their help.”

“Yurik…”

Twilight… Yurik thought, looking up at the ceiling, my debts to you have yet to be paid. I refuse to stop fighting until you, your friends, your family, and your home are all safe and sound. This I promise on my life.

Author's Note:

Featured Card:

Elements of Harmony
Normal Spell Card

You can only activate this card if you control a monster with "Magic," "Loyalty," "Honesty," "Kindness," "Laughter," "Generosity," or "Courage" in its name. Negate the effects of all face-up cards your opponent controls, then target 1 monster your opponent controls; its ATK becomes 0 until the End Phase.

Comments

[DarklightArk]

Heh, you like the courage element don't you?

[sonicfan21]

The Mane Six are going to get their own Harmony monsters aren't they?

[Serefin]

5127141 The only way it could've been more obvious would be if he typed out 'THE MANE 6 ARE GETTING THEIR OWN HARMONY MONSTERS!!!!! in the largest font size possible.

[sonicfan21]

5129492 Were you genuinely trying to insult me ? I was going for deadpan there.

[Serefin]

5129552 Erm, no, I wasn't trying to insult you. Believe me, if I were insulting you, you wouldn't have to ask.