Harry Potter: Wrath of the Moon

Mirror 1: Harry Potter and Wrath of Moon

In the middle of the TARDIS, one Doctor Whooves stared at the fluorescent screen that was flickering on and off. With some small irritation, he lightly tapped the side of the screen with on of his hooves in an attempt to get something out of it.

"Blasted TARDIS, getting all wonky like this," the Doctor mumbled, pulling out dipping down and trying to see what was the problem. After a few minutes of playing around with a few things down below, the screen began cackling, before displaying some show in perfect quality.

"Ah, there we are!" the Doctor said, pulling himself from underneath the mess of wires and machinery and rubbing off the dirt and oil that had gotten on his mane. "Now, lets see what's on!"

-----()-----()-----

This was it. It was all down to this moment.

Harry Potter took a deep breath, to ease his frayed nerves. The sight of friends and family crying over the dead had shaken him to his core. Upon some self-reflection, it was all his fault that they had died. They fought their hardest to keep Voldemort and his Death Eaters away from him, and had paid the ultimate price for it.

He couldn’t stand it; he hated having people dying for his sake.

Gripping the talisman in his pocket, he took another deep breath, slipped his Invisibility Cloak on, and walked out of the castle.
As he made his way to the Forbidden Forest, he felt the talisman grow cold against his skin. It started to give off an ethereal blue glow in as he brought it close to his eyes, and he could feel the pure malice emanating from it.

This talisman had been his saving grace for the past six months as he fought tooth and nail in the wilds of Great Britain just to survive. He didn’t find it…it found him.

-FLASHBACK-

It was raining again, the third time that week. Harry, Ron and Hermione had managed to escape another group of snatchers, but just barely. They were already journeying for four months, but had nothing to show for their efforts. Morale was at an all-time low, and it was showing.

Ron glared at the Boy-Who-Lived, now turned Most Undesirable by a corrupted, biased Ministry of Magic, the one who was supposedly leading them on this wild goose chase. Harry glared right back, his emerald green eyes matching the red heads sapphire blue. Hermione was on the side, tears on her face and in her auburn eyes.

"Stop it, both of you! Fighting amongst ourselves will get us nowhere!" she sobbed, trying to get their attention. Unfortunately, the two boys were too wrapped up in their own world of hate and contempt for each other to even notice her.

"You know what, damn this quest!" Ron hissed, turning his back on Harry and grabbing his cloak. "This was nothing but a giant waste of time, and we all should have known this! There's nothing for us to find, and there probably never was! So I quit!"

"Fine, leave then!" Harry snapped back, his emerald eyes blazing. "Go back to your darling Mum, pretend to have Dragonspurks or whatever the hell its called, and go back to your easy life!"

"Leave my mum outta this!" Ron yelled. "Its because of you my whole family's in danger!"

"At least you have a family!" Harry yelled back. "My family is dead!"

Ron said scowled, having nothing to say back. Pulling out the Deluminator, the strange device that Dumbledore had left to him, he threw it at the last Potter, who caught it before it his him in the face. Turning to Hermione, he asked, "So what are you going to do?"

"Huh?" Hermione said, looking distraught and confused. "What do you mean?"

"Are you gonna stay here with him or are you coming with me?" Ron asked.

"I..." Hermione trembled, her gaze dropping as she fidgeted with her hands. Harry said nothing, but softened his gaze as stared at her. His eyes met hers, and his gaze was asking her not to leave him, practically begging her. His eyes widened with relief when she took a deep breath and answered -

"I'm sorry, Harry."

Everything that Harry knew had just shattered like fragile glass. He stared at her in shock and disbelief, as a fresh wave of tears flowing down her face while she robotically made her way to where Ron stood, but still at arm's length away. She kept her eyes away from his, perhaps to mask her shame.

"Hermione," Harry's voice was thick with pain and desperation. "Why?"

Ron walked over to her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, only to have them slapped away. She shied away from both of them, slowly inching to the opening of the tent.

"Well..." she started, her voice strained as if to keep her tears back. “It’s just that we've been at this for over a quarter of a year and we don't even have a clue as to where a Horcrux may even be. Maybe it would be better if we just stopped to do more research and find some answers before continuing."

Her piece said, she looked at Harry, hoping that he would see reason. Instead, what she got was something else.

"I understand now," Harry said, his voice dead and devoid of emotion. His eyes lost whatever spark they had and became ice cold, which sent chills down the both Hermione's and Ron's spines.

"What do you understand?" Hermione asked weakly.

Taking a seat on the table and keeping his back to them, he rested his chin against his right hand knuckle and said, "That I should have never have brought you two in the first place."

"What?" Hermione asked, her voice in shock.

"I guess I would've been happier if I didn't bring you along," Harry continued, his voice unnaturally calm, in light of the situation. "I suppose I could've gone on believing that you two would stand by me, regardless of any hardship…Heh, I suppose I should've just stayed in that happy illusion…"

"Harry!" Hermione cried, running to him, only to bounce off a Shield Charm. Just as Ron was about to cast a curse, he was hit with a Trip Jinx, sending his wand flying and making him fall flat on his face. The two looked up to see that Harry hadn't even turned to face them, but rather had his wand pointed at them from underneath his right arm.

"Get out, both of you." He said, his voice now cold. "Ron, you go on back to the Burrow where dear old mum can keep you warm and well fed while the Death Eaters go out to the world and kill innocent people. Hermione, you can go scurry off to Australia or whatever and rejoin your dear family." As he finished, Ron pushed himself off the ground and tried to rush at him with his fists, this time only to be banished out the tent flaps. Hermione just stood there, crying once more.

"Harry," she started to say, crying once more. "Please."

Harry said nothing, but then her world suddenly went black.

His task done, he banished her out of the tent, not really caring where she may could have landed. If she was lucky, she may have landed near a settlement; if not, possibly in the hands of the Snatchers. It didn’t matter to him.

Looking up, he found Ron’s dropped wand and twirled it between his fingers. It would probably be useful to have a second wand, and upon some reflection, he pocketed it.

As the rain stopped, Harry wrapped everything up and stuffed it unceremoniously into Hermione’s purse that she had left behind. Walking out into the brisk night, he took a deep breath and went off, not knowing nor caring where the road took him.

Reaching the top of the nearby cliff that stood in his way, he stared into the moon as he caught his breath. A cool breeze comforted him, giving him some small comfort as he greedily breathed in the fresh air. In that one moment, he realized it.

He was alone.

It was at this one moment that Harry felt the burning sting of hot tears pour down his eyes, although he questioned their very existence. Why was he crying? This is what he wanted, right? To be all alone, on some ill-begotten vague quest that would eventually lead to his own death?

No. It wasn’t.

His sorrow turned to rage as let out a guttural roar from deep within his chest. In it, he let lose all of his pain, his anger, and all of his sorrow.

His anger was heard.

Catching his breath from his yell, he found himself on his knees, gasping for the air he so loudly expelled. However, in the middle of his cries, the moon seemed to glow brighter than usual, the ethereal light shining brightly on the wizard.

“I sense great darkness in your heart,” a sinister female voice whispered, the small voice echoing all around him. “Tell me, wizard-child, what is that you wish? I will grant any wish you desire…for a price.”

Harry tensed at the sight of dark midnight blue smoke suddenly swirling around him. After several seconds of tense silence, he said, “I wish for the power to destroy my enemy.”

“A fine wish indeed,” the voice said in the same tone, although it dipped into a deep seductive one. “I will grant you this wish, and in return, we must make a pact.”

“What pact?” Harry asked, his eyes narrowing.

“Its simple really,” the voice answered in an amused tone. “Once you defeat this enemy, you become mine for all eternity. Simple, is it not?”

Normally, Harry would have immediately turned tail and ran away from such an offer. However, given his circumstances, and what had recently happened, he closed his eyes and proclaimed, “I accept the terms of the pact! So mote it be!”

“Well said young wizard-child!” the voice replied. “Then, by the terms of our contract, accept this gift. Use it to smite your enemy!”

A bright white light pieced the shadowy smoke that surrounded him, forming a necklace around his neck. The necklace was made of a dark blue celestial metal with a silver white crescent moon pendant hanging off its center.

“It is done wizard-child,” the voice said smugly. “Now, go! Destroy your enemy in the name of Nightmare Moon!”

-END FLASHBACK-

“Well, well, well,” Voldemort crowed, his eyes glinting with sick delight as the last Potter came into view. “Have you come to realize that you cannot win? That all the deaths of all those children are on your head? Have you come to die, Harry Potter?”

“No Tom,” Harry said, his eyes covered with his front bangs. Lifting his head up, he ignored the surrounding Death Eaters and continued, “I’ve come to put an end to this.”

"You dare call my Lord that filthy name!?" screamed one Bellatrix Lestrange, drawing her wand. Almost immediately, she was placated by her Dark Lord, who glared at her.

“So you have?” Voldemort hissed, his eyes narrowing. A tense silence permeated the area, before he let a cruel smirk form on his snake-like face, whipped out his wand, and said, “Then by all means, let us end this! Avada Kedavra!”

Just as the green burst of light left his wand, Harry was surrounded with a dark blue smoke. The spell died in the smoke, and dispersed itself, showing the last Potter wearing some sort of chain with a moon talisman around his neck.

His eyes were closed as he held the talisman tenderly, almost as if it were a small child. He brought the moon to his lips slowly, and then threw it up in the air above him, chanting, “Ut per pactum tuum benedicite mihi egredietur virtus Veni, Dea Noctis aeternae, et percute me inimicus!” (1) The pendant began releasing more of the same dark midnight blue smoke that dispelled the Killing Curse, and slowly dispersed more and more until it covered the whole area where. The clouds covering the forest created more an even greater darkness, so much that not even an Lumos spell could illuminate more than 5 feet in front of them.

Thunder crashed all around them, striking some unnamed Death Eaters, frying them on the spot. The winds howled, creating a colder chill that Voldemort himself could not muster on even his worst of moods. Fortunately, the wind did disperse some of the smoke, allowing them to see just what was going on.

The last Potter was holding on to some kind of mask, although what it was Voldemort couldn’t truly tell. It was seemingly made of the same dark blue mist that had surrounded him and his forces, but emanated some kind of dark and evil power that even shook the Dark Lord to his very being.

With some small hesitation, Harry slipped the mask on, before falling on his knees as pain suddenly overtook him.

Voldemort and his followers stood, transfixed at the sight before them. The last Potter was screaming in pain as the mask latched onto his skin spread its dark influence all over his body. Midnight blue wings burst from his back, closely followed by the dark diamond bracers that went over the wings. The same dark diamond armor formed over his body, forming some sort of hoof shaped guards at over his hands and feet. His normal jet black hair grew at an exponential rate, adopting the same shade of the fog but at a darker color, being kept back with a black metal visor that also covered his eyes. Finally, the mask, which Voldemort could now see was a bit equine in appearance, started to twist and contort, and let out a primal roar as it completely took the last Potter’s face.

When the transformation was done, pure white eyes pierced through the black metal visor.

“What magic is this?” Voldemort hissed, feeling fear for the first time in many years.

“I am the Avatar of the Eternal Night Queen,” the creature that had been Harry Potter said, its voice sounding like a distortion between male and female. “This is the magic that will be your doom!”

Before anyone had a chance to react, the self-proclaimed avatar spread its wings, lightning crackling between the metal pieces as they lightly touched each other, and dashed forward. The Death Eaters, in a panic, tried to cast Killing Curses, but to no avail. The creature just raised one of its arms, forming a knight shield bearing a full moon. The spells did nothing but bounce of its majestic exterior, ricocheting them back to their casters, killing them instantly. One of the spells bounced onto Nagini, killing her instantly
Voldemort snarled, raising his own wand and sent a dark black curse at the creature. The spell did nothing except dispel against its shield, but he tried again and again, to no avail.

“No,” Voldemort whispered, fear and panic slowly taking over his mind. “No! I will not let this happen! I am the Dark Lord Voldemort, the mightiest wizard whoever lived! I will not fall to a base creature such as you!”

If he was heard, the avatar did not let it show. Instead, it dispelled the shield and rushed the Dark Lord, grabbing him by his neck. As Voldemort struggled in its grip, he couldn’t help but notice a horn growing from the avatar’s forehead, as it started to glow with a dark blue magic aura.

“Even if you kill me,” Voldemort gasped, trying to hold himself up to prevent from choking. “I cannot die! I am immortal! You can never defeat me!”

The avatar threw the Dark Lord into the ground, hard, before stamping on his back. As Voldemort gasped for air as blood leaked out his mouth, he was lifted again, this time telepathically, and slammed against a tree.

“I know of your little Horcruxes, Tom Riddle. I’ve already destroyed them,” the avatar said, its voice lased with amused malice. As Voldemort’s eyes widened in shock, he was engulfed in black flames that ate away at his body. While he screamed in pain, the avatar continued, “The Diary, the Cup, the Ring, the Diadem, the Locket, the Snake, and me. I’ve destroyed all of your little soul shards, sending them to the black abyss where they belong. You won’t be cheating death this time, Tom Riddle!”

“No!” Voldemort screamed, as the flames began eating away at his soul. “This is impossible! This can’t be!” With those last words, the remnant of Tom Marvolo Riddle, otherwise known as the Dark Lord Voldemort, burned away into ashes.

The clouds dispersed, showing the full moon in all of its glory. Its job done, the avatar’s armor began to shine in the light, looking as if it were about to disperse.

Instead, the avatar reared its head and looked up, saying, “My task here is done, my Queen. I am yours as you see fit.”

The moon’s brilliance shone brighter, almost comfortingly, before completely engulfing the avatar and spiriting it away. Any trace of it was gone, as if it had never existed.

Hagrid, who had been on the sidelines the entire time, just sat there in mute awe. He was going to need a few drinks in the pub; that was for sure.

-----()-----()-----

“You see Nightmare Moon,” Twilight Sparkle explained, a grin gracing her features as she, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash faced down the Dark Sovereign of the Night were slowly building up the magic of the Elements of Harmony. “When those elements are ignited by the…spark that resides in us all, it creates the sixth element, the Element of Magic!”

Upon their proclamation, a beam of rainbow energy burst from the six of them, and flew down at Nightmare Moon, who was crying out in shock. “NO!” she cried, her wings flapping. “THIS CAN’T BE!”

As she was about flare her own magic, another presence leapt before her, a black shield forming in front of the dark mare. The resulting collision of harmonious and arcane magic created a giant explosion of energy, blowing the top off of the Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters.

When the six bearers woke up from the burst of magic, they found themselves in front of a black stallion, his fur coat matching Nightmare Moon. He was wearing a black diamond helmet similar to that of the Canterlot Royal Guards, but bore a black visor that covered his eyes. His armor was a more masculine version of the Dark Queen, but he bore a knight shield that bore her emblem.

His horn shimmered slightly, turning the knight shield into great sword. He flared his wings, and spoke in a voice darker than anything that they had faced before, saying, “None shall harm my Queen while I draw breath! Now, have at thee, Bearers of Harmony!”

Twilight, with the Crown of Magic resting against her crown, gulped.

They were royally bucked.

-----()-----()-----

"What," the Doctor started, swallowing the apple he was chewing on. "did I just watch here?"

A/N:

Well, here's an idea. Admittedly, this is another side of story I had planned out, which would probably go up. So...yeah, if anyone wants to take over this, by all means, let me know!

Translation:

(1) As per the pact, come forth and bless me with thy power! Come, eternal Goddess of the Night, and smite mine enemy! Heed the call, Nightmare Moon!

Tales of Vesperia: Canterlot Wedding Finale (BETA)

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Hey everyone...or everypony, whichever you prefer. This here is the result of playing too much Tales of Vesperia with friends. In this scenario, I have changed the Season 2 Finale to be slightly different. Also, since I never truly state it here, every character here is human, with the pony-type's definitive trait being the only one seen. Furthermore, keep in mind that this a rough draft, and not the finished version.

Mirror 2: Tales of Vesperia: Canterlot Wedding Finale Beta

The strength the heart…what was it defined by? Was it the amount of arcane knowledge you hold? Was it the strength in your arms to persevere through pain? Was it the speed in your legs to get you from place to place with utmost ease?

No. It was neither of these things

To her, the bonds of her friends were her true power…

So why did she feel so empty?

“…and now if you’ll excuse me, I have to care for my bride!” Shining Armor, captain of Celestia’s Solar Guard, yelled towards his younger sister, Twilight Sparkle. With a huff, he straightened his uniform and stormed outside the doorway, leaving his shell shocked sister and her friends (plus assistant and mentor) behind.

“I just can’t believe you Twilight!” Applejack said in her usual southern drawl. She walked up to her and grabbed Twilight’s purple sweater collar, pulling the younger girl towards her. “I thought you’d be happy for your brother, getting married and what not, but all you’ve done is constantly badmouth the Princess, his fiancé of all people, and try to bring us in your silly little plot!”

“But-but-I-!” Twilight tried to muster, but couldn’t under her friend’s heavy gaze.

“But nothing!” Applejack said, dropping the girl on her behind. Taking a deep breath, she readjusted her hat to cover her eyes as she continued, “I thought I knew you Twilight. Guess that shows it, huh?” She turned away and headed towards the doorway, saying, “I’ll be outside if anyone needs me.”

The Bond with Truth has been broken.

“AJ, wait, I-!” Twilight started to say, only to be cut off by Rainbow Dash, who said, “I’m outta here too. I need to practice for the wedding after show.” She ran off the balcony, the Pegasus’ blue wings bursting from her back as she jumped off.

The Bond with Loyalty has been broken.

“Girls, I-!”

“I’m afraid we have to leave as well,” Rarity said, flipping some of her violet mane over her shoulders. Fluttershy meekly hid behind her, her pink hair covering one of her green eyes unwilling to meet Twilight’s. “Fluttershy has to practice with her choir, and I have make sure the dress preparations go smoothly. Come along, Fluttershy.”

“Sorry Twilight,” the pinked haired Pegasus with said her head bowed, following Rarity as she did so.

The Bonds with Generosity and Kindness have been broken.

“Oh that reminds me, I need to make sure the party preparations are done!” Pinkie Pie gasped, running out after the, soon followed by Spike.

The Bond with Laughter has been broken.

Before Twilight could even comprehend what was going on around her, Celestia, her teacher and closest confidante, started to walk away from her, only stopping to turn around and glare at her saying, “You have a lot of explaining to do.”

The Bond with Magic has been broken.

Twilight could only gape as the doors slammed behind her mentor, the strength leaving her legs as she fell on knees, burning hot tears forming in her eyes. As the tears rolled down her face, she could feel something else inside of her break down, and all she could do was cry.

Until a familiar presence wrapped her in a hug.

Twilight froze, her breath hiccupping as Princess Cadence held her close, comforting the younger girl. Turning, Twilight hugged the older girl’s waist, sobbing, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to ruin everything!”

Cadence only smiled softly, taking the sobbing girl’s hands off of her and holding them in her own. “Oh Twilight,” she sighed, patting the child she baby sat for numerous times on the head softly.

Almost immediately, the calm demeanor suddenly vanished, and in its place was pure, unadulterated malice. Twilight could only blink as Cadence’s eyes flashed green and her horn was engulfed in a sickly green light. “You will be,” Cadence hissed softly, pushing the Twilight on her back as a dome of green flames surrounded the younger Unicorn.

The last thing Twilight saw was her evil grin before everything went black.

=====-----=====

The first thing that Twilight noticed was the never-ending darkness around her. Closing her eyes and focusing, she conjured up a small flame from the tip of her horn, illuminating the area. The place was made of made almost entirely of a vivid violet crystal of some kind. Reaching out for it, she was a small burst of lightning jumped from the off the crystal and into her hand, shocking her.

“Where am I?” Twilight asked out loud. “Hello? Is there anyone down here?”

Instead of an answer, what she got was an echo of a cruel, malicious laugh. Looking around, she found Cadence’s face reflecting off one of the crystals, laughing at her.

“Cadence!” Twilight cried, running to the crystal, only to be shocked again and pushed back. “Where am I? Where did you take me!?”

“Oh, just the forgotten Eridium Mines beneath Canterlot,” Cadence said in a dismissive voice, checking her nails as she did so. “This place was originally used as a prison for other Unicorns back in the day, as the crystals in these very mines interfered with every form of Unicorn magic.” Her face shimmered from the surface, appearing on the crystal immediately behind Twilight. “And now this place shall be your prison.”

“Why are you doing this!?” Twilight yelled, grunting in pain as another burst of violet lightning struck her as she tried to gather magic.

“Oh, I just don’t you interfering with my plans,” Cadence replied, smirking. “And with you down here, I don’t see that as a possibility any time soon.”

“Plans? What plans?” Twilight asked, feeling her powers slowly leaving her thanks to the crystals interference.

“Why, the plans I have for your dear big brother of course!” Cadence said, smiling in a cheerfully mocking manner.

Her fear was slowly replaced with white hot anger, and despite the overwhelming pain she was in, Twilight stood up and said, “Don’t you dare harm my brother, you…you faker!”

If her declaration meant anything, Cadence didn’t let it show. Instead she merely smiled and said in a sing-song tone, “Well, the only way to stop me is to catch me! And with you unable to even cast magic, I don’t see that happening, my dear.”

“Good thing,” Twilight muttered, gathering the magic in her right palm, where her Mark of Passage, the magenta 42-pointed star, slowly started to form. “I can do more than just Unicorn Magic!” Cadence stopped laughing but watched as a magic circle slowly etched itself around Twilight’s feet, creating a burst of hot air that completely blew away the nearby crystals. Upon its completion, a matching circle appeared over hear head, the two of them slowly making their way to her waist, changing her clothing as they did so. What was originally a simple violet tank top and dark faded jeans was replaced by a more conservative. The top seemed like a mix of an overcoat and an oriental style shirt, the wrist cuffs ordained with the same mark that was her Mark of Passage and covering her hands with brown fingerless gloves, and underneath that she wore a set of black training shorts. On her feet she wore dark violet knee-high socks underneath a pair of black steel-toe boots.

Twilight extended her hand, and a burst of violet energy appeared from her Mark of Passage, forming into a red and black sword, whose edge went a little beyond the handle. The metal was pitch black, but the razor sharped edge was a vibrant red color, as well as the matching runes that appeared on the blade itself. The handle was a calm blue color, but at the very bottom of it was another wickedly curved blade that acted as the hand guard.

Turning to the reflected image, she snarled and screamed, “AZURE STORM!” She swung her blade along the ground, creating an aura of blue energy around its edge. With a yell of indignation, she released the energy with the first swipe, followed by a second burst with an overhead swipe, releasing the blade as it spun before catching it again. The energy blasts bounced off the crystals, ricocheting off them before the created two small craters in the ground in front of her.

“Now that seemed useless, didn’t it?” Cadence crowed, giggling in glee her reflection changed to another crystal. “Over here Twilight! You might be able to get me this time!”

“O Flickering Blaze, BURN!” Twilight yelled, holding the blade over her shoulder with her left hand holding her right at her side, a small magic circle collecting red hot energy and turning into fire. “FIREBALL!” She thrust her hand out, releasing 12 small burst of red flames that destroyed some of the crystals but not all of them.

“Oh you were so close, but no cigar! Try over again over here!” Cadence said, laughing as her reflection transitioned to several crystals at the same time.

“O Disturbing Powers now Unleashed, Meet Thy Judgment on the Evil Before Me!” Twilight chanted, a violet magic circle encased in a hexagon appearing under her feet. She swung her blade in the air, streams of violet magic pouring from the tip, weaving into what looked like a protective bubble of magic around her. “Violent Pain!” Upon finishing the spell, Twilight thrust her right hand forward, releasing several strands of black and violet energies at the various crystal formations.

Cadence could only laugh as Twilight tore up the mines. “Nope, over here!” she crowed, her image reappearing over another batch of crystals before cackling again.

“O Frozen Blades, Fly Sharply Across the Heavens!” Twilight chanted, a blue magical circle encased in a hexagon appearing underneath her feet. Thrusting her hands out, she yelled, “Freeze Lancer!” A blue magic circle appeared in before her, creating twelve spears of ice. Just as they flew away, Twilight immediately brought her hand back, channeling a dark purple energy in it as she cried, “O obsidian flash, be as a raging spear to run my enemies through! Demon’s Lance!” Another magic circle appeared above her, releasing another spear of violet explosive energy.

The spears of ice and darkness hit their intended targets, revealing a disheveled looking Cadence. This one, her hair and clothing a ragged mess, looked around, almost unsure of what was going on.

“What happened?” this Cadence asked, confused. When her eyes fell upon her savior, Cadence’s eyes widened with surprise and joy before slowly turning into fear and misunderstanding at the murderous expression on their face. “No! Wait! Don’t hurt me!”

Twilight didn’t hear a word that was said as she took off at a run and tackled the weakened older girl, straddling her while holding her sword at the disheveled older girl’s neck, ready to lop Cadence’s head off from her shoulders.

The older Alicorn looked up, a feeling of relief washing over features. “Twilight, it’s me!” she cried, not noticing the blade next to her neck. “I’ve been imprisoned down here, the same as you! The Cadence you saw was just a copycat of me!”

“Likely story, faker!” Twilight hissed, inching the blade closer. “What proof do you have!?”

“Ask me anything!” Cadence cried. “I can prove it!”

Eyes narrowing, Twilight asked, “Prove it then.”

Eyes widening, Cadence’s eyes warmed up as she pulled out a pendant from underneath her dress. The pendant was half of a pink crystal heart. Her own eyes widening, Twilight pulled the second half of the heart shaped pendant, which was a light purple hue. The two crystals halves began to glow with a soft light at their close proximity, and even flew towards each other and connected to one another, creating a complete heart.

“Cadence,” Twilight said slowly, retracting her blade and sheathing it. Suddenly, she pulled the older girl into a hug, saying, “I’m sorry! It’s just that with what had just happened, I…”

“It’s fine,” the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza said, hugging the younger girl tightly. “I would have probably done the same if I were in your shoes. Besides, how could I forget the little girl I would babysit for and conspire with for hours on end?”

As they hugged, a glint of light flashed in her eyes. “Twilight,” Cadence started, “will you help me stop her? I can’t let her go through with this.”

“Like you had to ask,” Twilight said, pulling away from the hug. “I would have done it if you hadn’t asked.”

=One Disney-esque Musical Interlude Later=

After what seemed like hours of traveling through the mines, Twilight and Cadence found themselves on a ledge near the surface of Canterlot. The sounds of the wedding ceremony taking place rang above them, sending poor Cadence’s heart into despair.

“Oh, we’ll never make it in time!” she wailed, tears coming to her eyes.

“Don’t say that!” Twilight snapped. “We will make it! You will have your wedding! And I’ll prove to everyone that I was right all along!”

“You’re not going anywhere,” said three very familiar voices. Twilight and the real Princess Mi Amore Cadenza turned around to see three girls in wedding dresses, their eyes glowing a sick green.

“Colgate? Lyra?...and some other girl I don’t know?” Twilight asked, drawing her sword.

The three women’s hands shimmered with green flames, before turning into black insect like scythes.

In a flash, they charged.

=At the Chapel=

“My Beloved Subjects,” Princess Celestia said, adorned in her royal garb and looking as radiant as ever, “we are gathered here today to join Princess Mi Amore Cadenza and Shining Armor in matrimony, which is commended to be honorable amongst us all; and therefore – is not by any – to be entered into unadvisedly or lightly – but reverently, discreetly, advisedly and solemnly. Into this estate these two persons present now come to be joined. If any person can show just cause why they may not be joined together – let them speak now or forever hold their peace."

No one said anything at first, nor did they notice that ‘Cadence’ was smirking cruelly behind her wedding veil. Before Celestia could making the final declaration, the doors shook with a loud ‘BANG!’

The guards, doing their jobs (for once), sprang up and held it together with their light blue auras. They did well for a while, but were immediately pushed back with an explosion; the doors blew wide open, revealing a battle-ready Twilight Sparkle, her sword resting over her shoulders and her right hand slightly smoking.

The crowd gasped in shock and confusion. The bridesmaids, all of Twilight’s friends, gasped in shock. ‘Cadence’, on the other hand, looked positively murderous.

“I…I don’t understand!” Applejack finally spoke up, looking at the girl who was standing behind Shining Armor. “How are there two Twilights!?”

“Because she’s a faker!” the Twilight behind Shining Armor said, jumping forward and ready to attack the sword wielding Twilight.

Reacting instinctively, the battle ready Twilight grabbed the wedding dress wearing Twilight by the horn and spun, throwing her into a wall. Charging up her magic, she readied her sword, only to be struck with a bolt of purple lightning.

“‘OH FLICKERING BLAZE, BURN!’” the two Twilights chanted, forming fireballs in their hands. “‘FIREBALL!’” With equal yells, they threw their fiery charges at each other. But before dress wearing Twilight could start chanting another spell, battle ready Twilight had already dashed forward, dodging some of her other’s fireballs in the process.

“Disappear!” battle ready Twilight shouted. “Rending Wolf Gale!” Her right fist lunged forward, catching wedding dress wearing Twilight’s stomach, chest and face several times before dealing a vicious upper cut and slamming her shoulder into her, creating a wolf like aura of energy that forced dress wearing Twilight back.

But battle ready Twilight wasn’t done. With a cry of, “Wailing Blast!” she performed a front flip, slamming her blade onto the ground (slicing through dress wearing Twilight in the process), creating a small of explosion of magic. As her double flew upward, battle ready Twilight leapt up after her delivered a fierce uppercut to her double’s jaw before spinning, kicking her in the chest and stomach several times.

Just as dress wearing Twilight was about to land, battle ready Twilight’s swung her sword in two diagonal swings, creating waves of ice. “Frigid Blast!” She slammed her fist into the center where the two lines met, blasting her double across the room and through one of the chapel’s windows.

Battle ready Twilight re-sheathed her blade, and looked at her shell-shocked friends and teacher.

“You,” the fake Cadence started. “How did you get out of the caves?”

Twilight snorted, saying, “It wasn’t really that hard. I mean, seriously, if you’re going to trap me to in a maze, at least make the exit harder to find than a giant hole above me!”

The crowd started to murmur amongst themselves, clearly confused.

“Now how about you cut the act and show your true face!” Twilight snarled, jumping up and drawing her blade. Before Twilight whipped out her blade, Cadence drew a sword hidden in her dress, fighting intercepting her.

“Naïve!” the fake Cadence hissed, throwing her off. “Did you really think that you could beat me that easily?”

Before Twilight could answer, a beam of flew over her head, striking the fake Cadence in the chest. The crowd looked at the door, their confusion growing when they saw a disheveled looking Cadence, her dress and hair a complete mess, and wielding a smoking pink crystal staff.

“Wait, what?” Applejack asked, rubbing her eyes. “Now there are two Cadences’? What the heck is going on here?”

“Isn’t it obvious,” the real Twilight said, getting up and dusting herself off. Pointing her drawn sword at the one on the church altar, she cried, “This Cadence is a faker!”

“She’s right!” the real Cadence said, making her way to the alter herself. “She’s a Changeling, a race of beings that feed off of love itself! She kidnapped me and kept me at the Eridium mines so I couldn’t interfere!”

As the crowd started to murmur amongst each other, the fake Cadence slowly pushed herself up, her chest smoking slightly from the blast. Her face, once an ugly contortion of rage, was now sporting an evil, sinister smile.

“Very good, Princess Cadence,” the faker said, her voice dipping an octave as green fire started to surround her body. “Now, look upon me, and tremble in the presence of Queen Chrysalis, Queen of the Changelings!” With maniacal laughter following her proclamation, the green fire ate away at her ‘skin’ and clothing, revealing a being with shiny obsidian black skin clad in an equally shiny emerald gossamer sheen that covered up key areas of her body. A sharp horn took the burst from her forehead between strands of dark-greenish blue hair, and two shiny ethereal insect wings burst from her back.

With a menacing giggle, Chrysalis continued, “I must say, it was so easy getting in your capital city! This land is so saturated with love, that my subjects and I will be able to feast for ages to come! We will grow stronger and stronger, becoming the strongest race on this world!”

“Oh really?” came a voice behind her. Turning around, Chrysalis found herself staring into the blazing of eyes Celestia, her staff now firmly in her hand. “I think not, Chrysalis.” Faster than anyone could follow, Celestia swung her staff, slamming the amber sun into the Changeling Queen’s face, knocking her off the altar as well as a few of her teeth.

“Now, be gone from this place!” Celestia roared, burning wings bursting from her back as she took to the air, a yellow magic circle forming underneath her feet. Raising her staff, she pointed it at the slightly dazed queen, unleashing a beam of light.

Chrysalis, reacting quickly, called upon her own magic. Grunting as a sickly green magic circle formed underneath her, she threw both of her hands before her, unleashing a blast of green fire to counter the beam of light.

The two monarch’s struggled for a bit, all while the guards escorted the guests out of the soon-to-be destroyed hall. Celestia’s eyes never wavered as she applied more pressure, causing Chrysalis to falter slightly, falling on one knee under the force. Unable to keep up, she broke the beam and immediately back-flipped over to the still dazed looking Shining Armor and kissed him, making Cadence cry out in outrage.

The results were instantaneous. Just as Celestia and Cadence fired their beams again, Chrysalis’ body started to flash with a mix of green and violet magical energies. As the yellow and pink beams nearly reached her, she raised both of her arms, firing her own beams of energy, one green and the other violet.

“To think, Shining Armor’s love for you was this great Princess Cadence!” Chrysalis crowed, showing no signs of exhaustion or tiredness as she kept the two at bay. “Now, get out of my sight!” With a roar, she pushed ahead, completely engulfing Celestia’s and Cadence’s attacks and striking them in their chests.

“Cadence! Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried, running to her old sitter while her friends ran to the princess.

“Face it, it’s over!” Chrysalis yelled, her body glowing with the mix of green and violet energies. “Now my Changelings, FEED!” Outside, the mass of insect-looking beings rammed into the violet shield in one collective strike, causing it to shatter like glass.

Carrying her sitter over her back, while Applejack carried the princess, Twilight and the rest of her party ran out the chapel, and into the chaos that made up the streets of Canterlot. Narrowly dodging a few changeling dive bombers, they made it to a nearby bunker, one made by and reserved for the Canterlot higher class (supposedly).

Laying Cadence down onto a nearby bed, Twilight looked outside, her fist clenching at the sight of normal civilians getting attacked by the living wave of Changelings, while the Celestial Guard and Lunar Army tried to fight them off. Grabbing her blade, she ran for the door.

“Wait!” came Celestia’s reply, causing her to stop and look at her weakened mentor. “Twilight, please, stay and listen.” Her face not allowing any emotion, Twilight turned around, ignoring the looks her friends were giving her.

Her mentor was holding onto her bandaged chest, breathing heavily as she did so. “You need to get the Weapons of Harmony. At this point, they are the only things that can stop the Changeling Queen.”

“Tell me something I don’t know,” Twilight spat, her tone making Celestia and the others flinch. Turning around, her free hand going for the door, she continued, “I’ll handle this on my own.”

“Oh now you’re not!” Applejack said, grabbing Twilight’s shoulder. “Look, what we did before was unforgivable, we get that, and we’re sorry for not believing you. As your friends, we sure as hell aren’t going to let you face all that madness alone!”

“Yeah!” Rainbow said, spinning her two short swords on her fingers. “We’re a team, remember? You taught us that!”

“I still can’t believe that that big old meanie queenie managed to dupe all of us!” Pinkie added, pouting as she crossed her arms over her chest.

“I’m,” Fluttershy started, twiddling her thumbs as she looked down. “sorry for leaving you earlier Twilight. Can you forgive me?”

“I must ask the same thing as Fluttershy,” Rarity added, tossing her hair over her shoulder. “Please, will you forgive us?”

“You girls,” Twilight started, looking at all of them one by one, her eyes even and unmoving. She could see the sincerity in all of their faces, as well as feel their heartfelt desires for forgiveness. When her eyes fell upon Celestia, she saw tears in her old mentor’s eyes, silently asking for the same thing.

“Hmph,” she started, her head down, her face completely hidden by the shadows casted by her hair. Turning back to the door, she could feel her friends face’s fall. “Well?” she asked, turning to them, a wry smile on her face. “Are you coming or what?” As she reached for the door, she felt a warmth bubbling up in her chest.

The Bonds with the Element of Honesty, the Element of Loyalty, the Element of Laughter, the Element of Kindness, the Element of Generosity, and the Element of Magic have been restored.

“But first,” Twilight started, just before they were about to leave. “Lose the dresses. They’re just going to slow you down.”

As they walked outside, her party quickly tossed off their dresses, revealing their battle-ready attire underneath. Applejack was wearing a rusty-read over shirt that reached to her knees, opening up in the front at her waist, showing off her legs clad in a dark brown cloth material with ceramic plates at strategic points, and a pair of heavy duty boots over her feet. The sides of her long overcoat like shirt had steel armor plates around her waist, and two copper plates with apple symbols rested on her shoulder. Tying her hair back, she put her trademark Stetson on, spinning a single hand-cannon in one hand and a cutlass in the other.

Rainbow Dash was wearing a short blue armored skirt, as well as a pair of knee high armored leggings and a set of light moccasins that had wings on their sides. . Her top was covered with a light blue cotton shirt with dark blue-dyed leather armor that made some room for her wings, with the symbol of a prismatic lightning bolt adorning her chest pocket. Smirking, she spun her two curved short swords in her hands, before tossing them up and snapping them together to form a bow.

Pinkie’s outfit consisted of a simple dark pink one piece underneath a pair of light blue denim pants and an open bright yellow blouse with puffy shoulder pads, while a pair simple pair of boots covered her feet. She reached into her shoulders and pulled out a pink, blue and yellow mandolin, smiling cheerfully as she played a few notes.

Fluttershy was wearing a simple yellow and green dress that had pink and light blue butterflies all over her waist tthat went passed her knees, with her feet being covered by a simple pair of sandals. Extending her hand, an oak staff appeared in her hand, its gem studded core glowing with a soft prismatic light. Pulling on the hood of her shawl, she sighed in content as a the shadow of a large purple dragon flew around her.

Finally, Rarity’s outfit hadn’t really changed too much. While she was still in a white dress, , the dress itself was shortened to be around her knees, and her sleeves were gone, replaced with a pair of elbow length gem encrusted gloves and a long white scarf that floated in an ethereal wind. Tightening her own sandals, she pulled herself up on an diamond spear, a confident look on her face.

“Lets move!” Dash said, running ahead, her weapon back as two short swords once again. Jumping up, she spun over a Changeling sentry, landing on the unfortunate thing’s back as her swords made short work of it.

“Dash!” Twilight said, running to catch up. “Don’t run too far ahead!”

“Ah, c’mon Twilight!” Dash grumbled, turning to the group. “These things are stupidly weak! What’s the harm in scouting ahead?” Just as she finished, Applejack opened fire at Dash, narrowly missing the glass cannon by a few centimeters.

“That’s what can happen,” Applejack said, lowering her pistol. Turning around, Dash found the body of changeling, its claws and teeth bared, but dead due to the bullet Applejack had shot through its chest.

“Thanks for that!” Dash said, scratching the back of her head sheepishly. At the last second, she pivoted on her right foot, falling on her knee and releasing a white arrow through a changeling that was about to attack her again.

“Lets just keep moving! Just beat back the ones who attack us!” Twilight yelled, slicing through a Changeling grunt that tried to attack them.

As they made their way through the veritable zerg rush of Changelings, the Mane 6 made their way back to the chapel, kicking the door down as they all ran in.

Running up to the altar, they found Chrysalis in between a legion of cocoons, all of them holding members of the Canterlot aristocracy in some sort of green goo.

“It took you long enough,” Chrysalis said, laughing as she snapped her fingers, summoning 6 distinctive looking Changelings. In a flash of green fire, Twilight, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie found themselves staring at their darker counterparts. “Now, come at me, if you dare!”

Twilight said nothing at first, but at the sight of her home city burning, its citizens crying in pain, and her brother as the queen’s thrall, she charged forward, a battle cry coming from her throat, soon followed by her friends. Their changeling counterparts soon followed, charging at them with their weapons drawn.

This was it! Their final battle!

So, what do you think?

-1- Tell me whether or not you liked this installment

-2- Tell me what you SPECIFICALLY liked about this installment

-3- Tell me what you DIDN'T like about this installment

-4- Please be polite!

Until next time,

Darkened Paradise

{TENTATIVE TITLE} Kingdom Hearts: The Journey

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Prologue: Call of the Heart

'Falling…'

An eye slowly fluttered open to view the dark world around it, then closed once more at the feeling of weightlessness…

'I'm falling…'

The eye opens once more to look "up" to the rapidly disappearing sky as she plummeted closer and closer to the dark ground below…

'But… what am I falling into…'
Her eyes opened once more to gaze around, only to see specks of light shooting passed her and towards where the ground should be…

'Maybe… maybe I'm dreaming…'
Slowly tilting her head to look down, the peach-eyed girl saw water, and plummeted into it, fading deeper and deeper into the dark depths of this oceanic tomb…

'But if this is all a dream…then why…'

The girl falls deeper and deeper still into the dark water, the endless black mass consuming her vision once more while falling deeper still…

'Then why am I all alone?'

"Welcome,” came a crisp voice from seemingly everywhere and nowhere at the same time. "Do not be afraid, I am merely here to help you on your journey." The voice came once more and the red-head looked around herself. "Now first, let’s have a look at you.” The voice came and the girl felt like eyes were all around the area just looking at her with a disturbing fascination.
She was a simple thing really, her bright red hair reached her shoulders and was kept back with a simple braid, and the front stayed a bit curly. Her skin was tanned but not overly so, with a light athletic build, and her outfit consisted of a simple yellow shirt under a blue pair of short overalls that were adorned were zippers and pockets. A brown Stetson lay behind her head, kept there by a small cord that hung around her neck, and two thick leather gloves adorned her hands. Finally, two oversized brown boots adorned her feet.

"Now, if you're ready," the voice said and with a flash of light a weapon appears hovering over the ground. It seemed to be a sword at first, with a three-foot long blade that had a straight edge with a bluish-silver tint to it while turning blue when it attaches to the handle, and the head had an odd cut to it…the best the girl could describe it as was a crown cut out on the top, giving it an appearance of a key. The pommel of the weapon was gold, with the cross-guard being a regal bronze as it curled down from above the handle down into the pommel.

"Go on…take it,” the voice said and the red head hesitated for only a second before taking hold of the weapons hilt and shivering as golden beams of light formed over her arm and the weapon for a few moments. Looking at the weapon once more, the red-head found what looked like shadows moving below her swallow her up, dragging her back into darkness once more.

The red-headed girl soon found herself struggling against nothing. She got up and rubbed the back of her neck at this, wondering just what the point of that was. "Now then, Hand to Hand came before armed combat. Without it, there would be no swords nor shields nor any other weapon that we use today,” came the voice. Immediately, the girl saw the area around her light up, revealing a ruby red stained glass area beneath her this time. This one had a young girl on it, wearing a silver gown with ten silver blades forming a wing shape around her athletic figure. Her back was curved along the edge of the glass screen, and her eyes were closed in what looked like a calming sleep.

"However, movement is essential to ALL forms of combat, so lets start out with movement," The voice said and the red head looked at her arms then nodded her head in agreement with the voice. "Good, then you can jump, run, flip and move in any way you can for a little while," The voice offered, just as a blocks rose before her to meet the requirements it had asked.
The girl rubbed the back of her neck, still holding the strange weapon in hand as she jumped up and flipped into the center of the circle, parkouring from block segment to block segment as she did so. The red head ran around through the platform a few times before flipping three times into the center once more, where the blocks flashed with white light and disappeared.
Flying around, the girl did a few more tricks, and then came to a stop in the center of the light, the voice returning once more.

"Good. It's nice to know that you actually listened to me." The voice mused and the girl frowned, crossing her arms and looking around, wishing the voice would hurry up already. "Now now, patience is a virtue my dear. And besides that, before you begin your journey, let me find out a little more about you…' The voice then says and she raised a hand as a bright light suddenly consumed her, making her grit her teeth before then opening her eyes again, gaping as she found herself in a totally white room.

Besides being white, the room seemed to be made of metal, with the odd jagged set of spikes here and there. However, it was the three people in the room that surprised the girl since she had never seen them before in her life. The first was a tall woman with spiky, blood-red with orange flecks colored hair and two upside down tear marks below her eyes, her arms crossed over her chest as she leaned back into a nearby wall, her eyes closed. She wore a strange black cloak with the hood down and a silver chain at her throat with pull strings beside it and a silver zipper down the front, a pair of black gloves and boots.

Nearby was what appeared to be a man in an identical outfit to the man, the hood up and shadowing most of his face, leaving only his lower face visible. And to the opposite of that man was another girl in the same styled cloak, her entire form covered, as not even the slightest hint of her face was visible beyond the veil of shadows beneath the hood. "These three shall let me learn more about you, go on now, it's only a few questions," the voice said with an encouraging tone, making the original red-head frown as she walked over to the one without her hood on as she bobbed her head lightly to a beat exclusive to her.

"Yo." The woman offered with a grin while opening her bright eyes as she raised a hand, the younger girl looking at her with a confused expression. "What is it that's most important to you?" The woman asked while looking into peach eyes of the younger red head, making said red-head frown in contemplation for a few moments before she answered.

"My friends," she said, causing the older woman to hum for a moment, before nodding as if accepting her answer. That done, the younger red-head walked over to the man immediately right of her.

"What do you fear most?" He asked her, causing the girl to frown in thought again.

"Losing everything…" she whispered softly, making the man snort derisively and cross his arms over his chest, leaning forward at the waist.

"Is that really so bad?" he asked in an almost mocking tone. The red-head ignored the question and made her way over to the last girl, who was standing with her arms crossed behind her head.

"What do you want to want from life?" she asks and the red-head frowned once more, thinking deeply about what her answer should be…

"I want to explore and see new things," she says and the girl nods her head slowly, the room suddenly darkening.

"Your friends are most important to you. You fear to lose everything. You wish to explore and see new things…" The voice from earlier said in a thoughtful tone, making the red-head look around as the darkness swallowed her pulled her below again.

"Your adventure has already begun, just keep a steady pace and you'll make it through just fine…" The voice echoed as she found herself on another pedestal, a new stained glass view on it below her.

This one features a trio of kids as the most prominent feature, first was a muscular male with dark-soot blue straight hair and vivid purple eyes, then a girl with straight pink hair and blue eyes, and last a tall, regal looking man with spiky blonde hair and light blue eyes. The three were standing across the stained-glass, the two men standing on opposite sides with their swords drawn and pointed at each other, while the single girl stood in the center, her hands clasped together as if in prayer.

Around the edges of this particular scene was a series of different symbols in an odd circular pattern. Looking at the rather intricate scene with a raised brow, she had to wonder what was up with all of these weird stained glass views that were somehow popping up below her when they shouldn't have been able to support her weight.

"Every warrior has strength…" The voice noted and she twitched, wondering why the damn voice liked bothering her. "But now you must give it form." The voice then echoed, making her blink as several pedestals began rising up around the area. The first pedestal had a sword, the next one had a shield, then a short-rod, however, they went on with one that had an oddly shaped dagger on it, an old looking book of some kind, then one with a pair of gauntlets, next had one with what appeared to be an old bo-staff, and last was a ball of all things.

Frowning, she walked over to the ball first and picked it off of the pedestal, looking at it with a frown. It was an odd ball, being made primarily from a blue crystal with a red tri-circle shape inside of it. (Dream Orb) "The power of the Athlete, amazing speed and agility, only the farthest reach limits thy path…"

Placing the ball down, she turned to the next one and then picked it up with a frown. It was an old red Bo-Staff, with gold tips on the ends and an intricate pattern along its body, the tri-circle symbol placed at the middle of it in black. (Dream Staff) "The power of the Adventurer, an unyielding will, none shall keep them from reaching their goals…"

Placing the staff back down, the red-head walked to the gauntlets and raised a brow. These were black fingerless gloves first, with plates of metal plates over where his fingers would be into claws, then a plate over the back of the fist, a gold ring for the wrist, and then a long plate for the back of the forearm, a sharp blade at the sides of them and the tri-circle at the back of the fist in blue. (Dream Gauntlets)"The power of the Fighter, unmatched Stamina, no matter how hard the battles they shall never tire…"

Moving to the dagger, she twitched upon seeing it. It was black, and had three points on it with a red at the end and red leather wrapped tightly around its handle, the tri-circles was placed at the base of the blade just above the handle in white… (Dream Dagger) "The power of the Thief, the deceivers ultimate gift, they fear neither shadows nor darkness…"

Shaking her head she put the dagger down and walked over to the book. Picking it up, she saw it was an old purple book with a white tri-circle symbol on it with silver trimming all around it. (Dream Tome) "The power of the Sage, ancient wisdom, a book filled with wondrous knowledge…"

Placing the book down she then walked over to the shield. The shield was red, with a three-circle symbol on the front with a black background behind it and four red studs. (Dream Shield) "The power of the Guardian, kindness to aid friends, a shield to repel all…"

Turning, she then made her way over to the wand and picked it up with a frown. It was green with a yellow tip, a small brown oval formed over the top with a blow tri-circle symbol formed at the very top. (Dream Rod) "The power of the Mystic, inner strength, a staff of wonder and ruin…"

Next was an odd weapon; it was a simple broadsword, the blade was curved inward near it's hilt, the guard of the weapon being a yellow U shape with a red field with a black tri-circle symbol, the handle was black with blue lines forming several X's down it, with a gold pommel made into a spike at the end. (Dream Sword) "The power of the Warrior, invincible courage, a sword of terrible destruction…"

The red-head looked at all the choices offered to her. While being an Adventurer or a Fighter seemed fun, she didn't think she could handle it without her friends. And what better way to be there for them if not as a Guardian?

Her choice made, she walked up to the shield once more and slipped into her right arm. It felt remarkably light for something that big, and it she felt stronger just by holding it. Just as she swung it around a few times, she noticed the other pillars had crumbled, their weapons looking as if they had aged rapidly with all the dust that had been collected.

"Your path is set…" The familiar voice echoed out as the shield disappeared in a flash of white particles of light. "Now what will you give up in exchange?" the voice asked. Almost immediately, the red-head walked over to the dagger and looked at it, sighing as she grabbed it by the handle and tossed in the air, causing it to vanish as it disappeared in a flash of white light.

"You've chosen the power of the Guardian. You've given up the power of the Thief… is this the form you choose?" the voice questioned and she slowly nodded her head. as soon as she did, the ground beneath her began to rumble as the pedestals all fell into the stained glass.

The glass beneath her rumbled, shaking as the glass shattered, dropping her down into the darkness below. Falling, the red-head reached back and took hold of the shield that appeared in her arms as she fell down towards…something. Landing, she looked around and found herself in an odd place, on top of yet another pedestal that made her stare and wonder just where the heck she was.

This pedestal had yet another new scene, this one had something surprising on it. First off was a man with pink hair, a scale-like scarf around her neck, and a set of black pants and a matching black vest that left his chest bare.

"I believe you've earned a gift…" The voice suddenly called out and a pedestal appeared, this one having a familiar set of gloves on it.

Shaking her head, she picked the familiar gloves, and, finding her hands immediately bare, slipped them on. Looking around the red-head felt something stir inside her; seeing a light in the center of the room she walked over to it and stood still, looking at the brown leather gloves that was on her hands as she does

" These are artifacts of a lost age…your ways of learning magic. They have not yet awoken…but do not worry. They will wake up soon." The voice suddenly called out while she looked at the golden bands that appeared over the leather around her wrist with a slight frown on her face.

As she frowned, she couldn't help but notice her shadow continuously growing and expanding behind her. Turning around, she tripped over her feet at the sight of a giant black monstrosity with a heart shaped cut-out over its chest, its yellow glowing eyes glinting menacingly underneath a mane of black tentacles.

“Always remember, young one,” the voice said, as the monster slammed its palm over her body, engulfing her in darkness. As she screamed in panic the voice continued, “The closer you are to the light, the stronger the darkness becomes. But do not fret…for you are the key who will open the door.”

With one final gasp, the red-head extended one arm out to a faint white light…but found nothing there.

She woke up screaming.

Borderlands: Equestrian Frontier

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Borderlands: The Equestrian Frontier

“I wonder what exactly Princess Celestia wanted with us,” Twilight Sparkled asked aloud, as she and her six friends waited at the Ponyville Train Station. The violet mare sat as she pondered what her mentor wanted, what with a small triple red ribbon summons from her assistant Spike.

“Got me,” Applejack said, keeping a look out for the train. “It's been pretty quiet, so it can' be anything too terrible.”

“I guess,” Twilight muttered, still not convinced.

“Oh come now darling,” Rarity said, sitting in her usual red velvet lounging couch, slightly fanning herself. “Think about it; there have been no reports of King Sombra's return, nothing about the Changelings, and thankfully no news about Discord relapsing! You really must relax.”

“I gotta agree,” Rainbow Dash said, landing next to Twilight. “Just take it easy! What could possibly go wrong with a quick trip to Canterlot?”

Nopony said anything. But Fluttershy did squeak.

“Whelp, the trains here!” exclaimed Pinkie Pie, her usual bounce missing from her step. As the six mares entered the train, Twilight still couldn't shake the disturbing feeling she was getting.

=====*=====*=====

The six mares sat in silence, no pony able to come up with a topic for conversation. Rarity had excused herself from the group, citing personal reasons. However, the still silence itself was deafening.

“ARGH!” Rainbow Dash exclaimed, jumping to her hooves. “Oh come on! Somepony say something!!!”

“Hmm?” Twilight looked up from her book.

“Whats wrong Dash?” Applejack asked, looking at her.

“Its nothing! Its just that WHY ARE WE ALL BEING SO QUIET!?” Rainbow bellowed, hovering up a bit

“Um,” Fluttershy stammered. “Maybe its because we have nothing to say...?”

“Ugh!” Rainbow moaned, landing and falling to her stomach. “So bored...”

“Right,” Applejack said, continuing to look out the window. After a few minutes, seeing nothing but a snowy pass as the train chugged on, “Hang on. We're headed to Canterlot, right?”

“Yeah, why?” Twilight said, looking up again. “Whats wrong?”

“Its just,” the Element of Truth said, pointing at the window. “We typically don't pass a snow pass, right? Or at least, not one this big?”

“What?” Twilight said, pushing toward the window. “Wait, this isn't the way to Canterlot! Where are we headed!?”

“And where's Rarity?” Pinkie asked, looking around.

Shivering, Twilight put her book away and went ahead, saying, “C'mon girls. There's something very wrong here.”

Darkened Paradise Presents...

Nodding in silence, the remaining five members of the Elements of Harmony followed the Element of Magic, unsure and somewhat afraid of what was going on. As they walked through several train cars, they noticed that their beloved Friendship Express was becoming darker, bleaker and unsettling.

A tale of Guns, Adventure, Friendship...

“What is going on here?” Twilight muttered, scared and unsure what to do.

“Hey, whats that?” Pinkie asked, pointing out to a large blue sign with Princess Celestia's smiling face that said, 'WELCOME MANE SIX!'

“Wait, what?” Rainbow asked. “ 'Mane 6'? What the heck does that mean?” Fluttershy just shrugged her shoulders in response.

“When have we have ever called ourselves the Mane 6?” Twilight wondered out loud. Before she could even get a response the whole train car went dark. A cold wind blew through every pony present, washing over their bodies and spreading a feeling of wrongness (for lack of a better term), a missing sense of inhibition, and a sudden impact of knowledge, before dissipating as the light to returned to them just a minute later. However, the sign before them had changed. Instead of its original message, it was now a blood red color and read, 'TO YOUR DOOM!' with a smaller message underneath it in parenthesis reading, 'Nothing Personal'. The image of a smiling Celestia was replaced with a more sinister looking grin, almost as if she was expecting this.

Thats when the doors blew off, revealing the cold and icy wasteland around them.

“What?” Twilight stammered, unable to comprehend everything. She looked down, noticing that her form and that of her friends had been adjusted slightly. “What?”

“Twilight! Move!”

At the very last second, Pinkie had grabbed her waist and pulled her down, narrowly avoiding a red laser that nearly cleaved their heads, fired from what looked like two yellow and white clumps of boxes with a shiny red stone near their center (although it was more slightly to the left). Fluttershy and Rainbow took advantage of the blown off doorways to jump out and reach the roof of the train as more burst in from behind them, while Applejack chose to say with her two other wingless friends, running up to the downed pair and standing over them.

“What's going on!?” Twilight screamed, going into a fetal position, bringing her arms over her head, and tightly shutting her eyes.

Without a word, Pinkie reached back for her saddle bag and pulled out a dark blue and pink ball, tossing it lightly on the roof of the car. As soon as it hit, the ball split apart, revealing a medium sized turret cannon, a red laser sight appearing on its head as it started to fire upon the non-organic creatures, tearing them apart with the sheer volume of led it was pumping out. Not even batting an eye, Pinkie reached into her saddle bag again, this time pulling out a smaller version of the cannon she was carrying previously, and mounted it on her shoulder before releasing a rocket from its colorful form.

...featuring Pinkamena Diane Pie, as The Commando...

The rocket flew towards its true target, striking a nearby automation that was about to bring its foot down on Twilight's quivering form. As it hit, Applejack pulled her friend up to her feet and ran towards Pinkie, lightly pushing the frightened girl towards her.

“Now I got no idea just what the heck is going on,” Applejack muttered, staring down at the other robot that somehow survived the rocket blast as it was getting ready to fire something from its shaky arm. “But I do have one thing to say to ya.”

With a smirk, she raised her hand and snapped her fingers, her other hand pulling down her Stetson as a burst of light blue squares started to form in front of her, slowly coming together to reveal a hulking metal goliath that seemed to just hover in the air in front of the blonde.

“Let the Anarchy begin! Get 'im Deathtrap!”

...Applejack Smith, as The Mechromancer...

“Twilight!” Pinkie yelled, shaking her friend. “Snap out of it! We need your help right now!”

“But this is insane! Nothing here is making any sense!” Twilight yelled back.

“You can care about that later!” the pinkette insisted, moving her friend's body around to show Applejack and her own little friend getting beaten around by more of the yellow and white things that had shown up. Before Twilight could say anything, Pinkie got on one knee and fired again, throwing away the over-sized launcher and snagging a smaller firearm from the robot's smoking remains.

“I,” the violet haired girl stammered, watching as her two friends tried to take out the last automation, but struggling as it absorbed a lot of punishment. She was knocked out of her reverie when she both heard and saw Applejack get hit hard in the gut by the robot's extending arms, blowing through Deathtrap just to get to her.

Just as Applejack went down, Twilight suddenly blinked in front of her, extending an arm as her horn glowed, coating her outstretched arm in a swirling runic design that formed a ball on her palm. “BEGONE!” she yelled, as black light surrounded the last yellow and white box creature and encased it, crushing it completely before chucking it outside the ruined Friendship Express.

...Twilight Sparkle, as The Siren...

“Hey guys!” Rainbow Dash cried, flying back in, worried. “You girls alright!?”

“Never better Rainbow,” Applejack grunted, breathing lightly and placing a tender hand over the area she was punched. “Dang that stung...”

“More incoming! Heads up!” Pinkie yelled, aiming at the banging metal of the car door. Twilight took the blonde's other arm over her shoulder and hobbled to a nearby seat, catching a pistol Pinkie tossed at her and taking aim.

Reacting quickly, Rainbow grabbed two rifles from the mechanical remains of the former robots and hoisted them under her shoulders, getting a quick feel for their weight. As the back door was blown apart, the prismatic-haired girl let out a battle cry thrusts the guns across her chest and squeezed both triggers, holding her ground as a torrent of hot lead came flying out of their smoking tips.

“GET SOME!” she yelled, laughing manically as she held the triggers down, quickly downing her prey. Rushing into forward, despite her friends' cries, she slid on her knees, leaning back to just narrowly avoid hitting her chin on their metallic crotch areas before back-flipping to her feet and unloading more bullets into their backs.

...Rainbow Dash, as The Gunzerker...

Above them all and alone on the roof of the train, Fluttershy landed on the car's top, sighing as the cold wind blew her pink mane over her face. Grabbing onto a small piece of cloth, she tied it over her eyes as she her ears perked up at the sound of similar yet different creatures pursuing her.

“THERE SHE IS!” one of them cried, clearly male and overweight, if the breathlessness of his voice was anything to go by. “KILL HER!”

His companions, perhaps a little more stupid than his fellow would-be assassin, obliged, rushing forward with a mechanical yellow and white over-suit as their only way of defending themselves from the harsh elements.

Those poor, poor deluded fools.

As the closest one rushed her, his fists ready and expecting to blow a hole through her chest, Fluttershy turned around, causing him to hesitate for one second.

One second was all she needed.

In a flash of pink flower petals, the Fluttershy disappeared, leaving her would-be assailants to look around, confused and uncertain. In another burst of flower petals, Fluttershy reappeared, a sharpened piece of shrapnel glowing dangerously in her hand.

With one quick thrust, she rammed it through her first assailant, and as he gurgled out a cry for help, she jumped over them, twisting and turning her body so that her back feet could easily buck the second into the blade with him.

Seeing their first two companions go down, the remaining two charged with reckless abandon, swinging their robotic fists. With a yell of aggravation, they both punched, expecting for their fists to make contact. Instead, their forward momentum just carried through what they felt was just open air. Turning around, the two felt cold wet steel slicing their jugulars as Fluttershy reappeared in front of them, holding two rusty scrap daggers across her chest. They screamed bloody murder as their necks exploded.

...and Fluttershy, as The Bee, in...

Back inside the train, Pinkie, Applejack, Twilight and Rainbow made their way to the front car, shooting at anything that tried to shoot at them first. As they reached the final door, Pinkie held up her hand, as Fluttershy came through an open hatch, landing right behind them.

Nodding, she asked, “We all ready to go?”

“Ready as I'll ever be,” Applejack said, her breathing still a bit labored from the blow.

“Oh will you just open the damn door already!?” Rainbow demanded with an aggravated huff.

“On my mark,” Pinkie said, readying her gun. “On three!”

“One...!”

Twilight held Applejack close to her, putting her body in front of the blonde's and readying her magic.

“Two...!”

Rainbow tossed her guns aside and picked up a new pair, an assault rifle and a carbine, and smirked as she took aim. Fluttershy merely sighed as she readied her rusty daggers, spinning them in her hooves after tightening her blindfold.

“THREE!”

Pinkie pivoted on her foot, kicking down the door. Pinkie rushed in, followed by Rainbow. Twilight and Applejack hobbled in, with Fluttershy taking up the rear.

The sight before them made them freeze in their tracks.

The room had a plush red velvet carpet, lined up with rows upon rows of haphazardly placed bundles of explosives. A single throne like spinning chair was in the center, and in it sat an ugly robotic mannequin of their Princess Celestia. With its metal wiring hanging out of its mouth and her joints clearly unfinished, the chair spun, revealing that even the mannequin was filled to the brim with TNT.

“You know, I find it rather adorable that you believe yourselves to be the heroes of this little adventure,” came a garbled recording of the Princess' voice. “I personally find it rather cute and endearing to be honest, but unfortunately for you, you're not.”

“What the heck is that supposed to mean!?” Rainbow yelled, pointing both of her guns at the doll.

“Welcome to Pandora, Mane 6!” the recording answered. “Enjoy your stay in hell!”

Everything around them exploded.

...Borderlands: The Equestrian Frontier!

GARO: The Blade of Truth

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GARO: The Blade of Truth

The cold winter winds blew across her face, yet she didn't care. There she was, standing a top of Canterlot High School, in little more than her uniform, alone and unloved by the very people she had thought were friends.

There were days when Sunset Shimmer really wanted to throw out everything Princess Twilight Sparkle had taught her. This was one of those days.

Her amber eyes looked down below, as various students began leaving the building for the Winter Holiday. She would have happily walked among them, laughing and joking, but the past few days had been nothing but scorn and bullying towards her. Who were once friendly faces were now scowling bullies. Those who had happily accepted her presence now pushed her away at any opportunity. Any chance of having a social life was gone.

All thanks to an account called, 'Anon-A-Miss'.

It was baffling, concerning, and, to Sunset, generally terrifying how fast this person worked. At first, it was simple things, like posting embarrassing pictures and making a small quip, generally getting a laugh out of people. But then those pictures got more and more private, and the quips attached more savage. From calling a person out because of sexuality to even revealing the private family affairs, this 'Anon-A-Miss' spared no one...except her.

Which led her to where she stood.

The moment 'Anon-A-Miss' started touching on private matters, immediate suspicion was thrown on Sunset. Despite her protests, despite her actions in the past to make amends, nothing spared her from the wrath of student body. People stole from her. Some had pushed her off her feet. ALL the while, the teachers watched and did nothing, since their secrets were exposed too.

All of that would have been fine with her...had Sunset still had the support of her friends.

Unfortunately, they were the first to be attacked, and thus, they were the first to abandon her. The betrayal, not even a week old, had made the world lose what Princess Twilight Sparkle had to tried to show her. The world was a colder, more vicious place that the Princess could have ever predicted. And Sunset was all alone in it.

Shivering slightly at the cold, she sat herself down at bench and sighed, bringing her hands to her mouth to warm them. She only had to wait a few more hours so the custodians could do their rounds, and then they would leave, leaving Sunset alone in the school. During her first year, Sunset had swiped a custodians key chain, giving her access to every room in the building. As she practically lived there, she made it a practice to stay outside and pose as a random club member so they would go about their jobs and leave. They didn't ask questions about her (Principle Celestia would have surely called her out on this years ago she or her sister Vice-Principal Luna found out), and that was exactly what Sunset wanted right now.

As she watched the last custodian leave for the holidays, Sunset allowed herself a small sigh of relief. At least, for tonight, she could take solace in the fact that at least nothing else could make things any worse for her.

Sadly, nothing would go her way that night.
-----*-----
A hooded figure walked up to the school gates, leaping over the metal grating as they did so. Clad in a black leather coat with silver and blue linings, including an obsidian pendant that held a gold and silver triangle that had a blood red ruby in its center. Frowning, the hooded figure pulled out a small ornate golden lighter with a golden eagle eye in its center. Flickering it on, they winced as a plume of dark blue flames burst from wick and swarmed their gloved hand, before letting out a small wail as they flicked it shut.

“So, its here?” a raspy voice asked. The hooded figure raised their left hand and looked down, where a small dragon head glared back at them. Made out of silver, the dragon snorted the flames down its nostrils and let out a dark chuckle. “Yeah, its here alright.”

“Can you specifically pinpoint where it is, Batzsu?” the hooded one asked, looking around.

“With all the negativity in the air, its nigh impossible,” the jewelry piece said, its emerald eyes scanning the area. “You of all people should know that the Horrors love a place like this. Hell, I'm surprised you even took the job, given your closeness to this place.”

“Not my fault the Watch Dog finally took notice of the madness,” the hooded figured replied, pocketing their lighter. “Given the amount of drama that's been floating around, I'm surprised there hasn't been any Horror activity earlier.”

“The Watch Dog can hardly be blamed, given all the other strange mishaps that's been going on,” Batzsu countered. “I mean, magic pony princesses from another dimension? Singing demons that mind control others with their song? You have to admit, that sounds like something that crawled out of a kid's cartoon.”

“And I go around every other night, wear a flashy costume and kill eldritch abominations,” the hooded figure snarked back. “But like I told you, Subaru and even the Watch Dog, I was there and had it not been for the Subaru's mind clearing techniques, I wouldn't be standing here,” the hooded figure almost yelled. Shaking their head, they sighed and said, “Regardless, lets just get this over with.”

With Batzsu going silent, the hooded figure walked through the school doors. As soon as the door closed, the walls started to glow with and purple flames, effectively locking them in.

“I guess it knows we're here,” the hooded figure said dryly, flexing his wrists and grabbing onto a pair of silver tomahawks that emerged from his sleeves. Each one had a head the shape of a crescent moon, and the handles were dark blue with silver finishes. Smirking, they readjusted themselves into a fighting stance, just as a black puddle formed before them. The puddle spat out several black skeletal monsters with angel wings, each of them screeching a loud, ear piercing shriek.

“Well, time to work,” the hooded figured said, a rushing into the crowd.

----*-----

Sunset sighed as she picked on at her dinner; nothing more than a simple salad and bread roll that she had stolen from the cafeteria's kitchens. Looking around at the teacher's lounge, she halfheartedly looked at her phone, only to wince at the sight of yet another post made by 'Anon-A-Miss'. Without even bothering to look at it, threw her phone against the wall, not caring that it shattered into a dozen pieces. Having lost her appetite, she grabbed an a nearby coat from the teacher's closet and went for a walk.

As she stomped along the dark hallways, her ears picked up on the sound of steel clashing against steel. Her curiosity over-riding her sense of self-perseverance, she walked towards the source, only to gape in surprise at the sight before her. Several demonic looking black creatures surrounded some random person in a leather trench coat. Each creature was snarling and screeching, which made Sunset wince at the sheer volume, but the hooded person acted unaffected as they brandished two similarly shaped tomahawks. Finally, one of the demonic creatures lunged, and the battle truly started.

Catching the attacker with a one slash, the hooded figure pivoted and flung one of their axes in the opposite direction, as he dealt with the one creature that had lunged by using both hands on their remaining tomahawk to bring the hardened steel down onto the creature's neck. In one fluid motion, they yanked the monster's head clean off and went after another, leaping forward as he twisted his body to catch the returning tomahawk and bring both down onto another monster's back, slicing off its wings in the process.

“What?” Sunset asked no one in particular, as she stared at the combat taking place before her. “What is going on here?” Her eyes widened as one of the monsters' wing like ears twitched, and nearly cried out in fear in as it turned towards her and lunged. Before she could even react, it had her by her throat and pinned against a wall. Despite that, Sunset could only focus on the creature's teeth, dripping with some pale green ichor as it drew closer to her.

'Is this where it ends!?' Sunset thought frantically to herself, clutching the bony appendage as she tried to kick it off. Her mind flashed back to the end of the everything she had done, ranging from tyrannical hold of the student body, to her second fall from grace. She felt every memory start to fracture, and slowly start to turn to dust. “No,” she gasped weakly, trying to maintain her consciousness. “I don't want it to end...not like this.” She faintly heard the call of the hooded figure and their steps rushing towards her.

“Not...NOT LIKE THIS!” Sunset yelled, as her hands seemingly exploded with red hot energy. The monster shrieked in pain as it dropped her unceremoniously, only to be cut down by the hooded figure with both tomahawks.

“What are you still doing here?” the hooded figure asked, throwing both weapons in an arc that cut down two more. “After all, schools closed for the holidays, don't you know?” After catching both weapons, the hooded figured turned to Sunset, only to gasp, “Wait, you?!”

“PAY ATTENTION!” yelled a garbled, raspy voice that Sunset couldn't immediately place. Looking up, Sunset almost called out in shock the last remaining creature made a last ditch effort to get a sneak attack on her hooded 'ally', only for them to catch the claw with one weapon and immediately decapitate the it with the other.

“Thanks, Batzsu,” the hooded figure said with a small wince, pointedly trying to not look in Sunset's direction. “How many more are there?”

“That was most of them, but its definitely not the last of them,” the raspy voice responded. “Wait, kid! The source of the negative energy! Its her!”

Letting out an aggravated sigh, the hooded person grumbled, “Of course she is. With all the Anon-A-Miss crap going on, it'd be a miracle if she wasn't.”

“Um, who are you?” Sunset asked, wincing as she pulled herself to her feet. “What are you? And who are you even talking to?”

“Oi, girlie, now ain't the time!” the raspy voice snarled. “Get outta her and run!”

“What Batzsu said,” the hooded person said. Before they could say anything else, the sound of cracking and snapping caught their attentions. Turning to the source, Sunset gaped in terror as the broken and beaten bodies of the slain monsters turned into a puddle of black goo and merge together. As they combined, a giant claw shot forth from the puddle, dragging out a black furred creature with the body of a lion, the tail of scorpion's stinger and the head of of wolf.

“What a pain,” the raspy voice said. “Girlie, get outta here now!”

The hooded figure said nothing, bringing both his axes together. As the two snapped weapons snapped together, the blades extended forward with click and the handles extended. With the newly formed scythe in their hands, the hooded figure raised the blade in the air and traced a circle with its blade. To Sunset's surprise, the blade left behind a trail of light that shimmered, only for the blade to pierce its center, showering the hooded figure with a soft white light. In a flash of light, the hooded figure was replaced by a slim figure in dark midnight blue armor, whose overall motif reminded her that of an eagle. (Well, an eagle with a more demonic twist to it. What eagle had a mouth full of sharp, jagged teeth and blood red eyes?) The scythe rested on their shoulder, and it bowed low, ready to pounce at a moments notice.

“What is going on here?” Sunset whispered, having made her way to the other side of the hallway, as she peeked out from over the corner. Before she had any answer, the chimera like creature lunged at the newly armored figure, and two went flying through the hall. Rushing to catch up, she could only stop and stare as the Eagle Knight easily slashed away at the chimera's claws, never-minding the fact that its' black blood flew everywhere with each slash. To Sunset's horror, the blood of the creature dissolved everything and anything it touched.

The Eagle Knight visibly winced as the blood splashed over several nearby cars, dissolving them into molten piles of mush. “Dammit, gotta end this thing quickly,” he muttered. “Batzsu, time?”

“You got another 30 seconds left!” the voice known as Batzsu shouted. “Stop playing around and finish it already!”

“Got it!” the Eagle Knight yelled back. With a roar, the Eagle knight shot forward like a bullet and brought the scythe down on the creatures neck. Yelling, he yanked down on the scythe, cutting the creature's head.

Her body moving on its own, Sunset ran in front of the statue, her only other link to Equestria. She winced as the something viscous and slimy splashed onto her face and chest, but to her confusion, didn't feel any burning pain. Looking up, she froze up in shock when the Eagle Knight raised their scythe and held it against her neck.

“Those who are splashed with the blood of a Horror must be cut down,” the knight said, keeping his hand and his voice steady. “I'm sorry, but those are the rules.”

“But, I-” Sunset started, only to recoil in fear as the knight reared their arm back.

“Don't worry, I'll make it quick and painless,” the knight said, as they brought the scythe down. Just as the blade met her skin, Sunset fell unconscious.

----*-----

“So, in all seriousness, why a scythe of all things? Wouldn't it have been easier to use something like a spear or halberd?” Batzsu asked.

“Because I like the design and its effective,” came the response, a bit strained since they were carrying Sunset Shimmer's limp form in their arms in a fireman's carry.

“Effective!? It took even longer for you to kill the Horror with that farmer's tool than your normal weapons!” Batzsu argued. “Even worse, you got an outsider involved with this mess!”

“She'd be involved no matter what I did,” the hooded figure said, pulling back their hood to reveal a boy with a mess of dark spiky hair and a feral, almost hungry grin. “Like you said, she's the source of all the negative energy in the air. The Horror's would've been attracted to her like moths to a flame.”

“And splashing her with the blood of the Horror won't attract even more?” Batzsu asked sarcastically. “You're effectively condemning the poor girl.”

“It'll be fine. If anything, that'll make the hunt even easier,” the boy said. “Besides, she can protect herself. You saw how she was able to protect herself from my blade at the last second with that strange energy, right?”

“Is she part of the mess with all that magic mishaps or whatever it is?” Batzsu asked, actually sounding concerned. “You know the Watch Dog isn't going to be happy when they hear about this, right?”

The boy chuckled to himself, before outright laughing. “Batzsu, when have I ever cared what the Watch Dog thought of me?”

CardFight Vanguard: EQG

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Turn 1: A New Vanguard

The day had been a complete and utter disaster. By some stroke of luck, Sunset, Rainbow Dash and Applejack had just barely made it past the qualifiers for the Winter Cardfight Blitz...and needless to say, team morale was low. It was bad enough that, due to the Dazzling’s influence, every other team in the school was gunning to eliminate them. To further compound the issue, she was still struggling with her new deck; the sudden change from the Shadow Paladins to Gold Paladins was a not only jarring, but it felt disjointed to her. She just couldn’t connect with the cards anymore, let alone the cards Princess Twilight had given her. That, and her teamwork could use some definite improvement (as Rainbow had repeatedly told her).

“I was just trying to help!” Sunset Shimmer insisted. “You had barely any cards in your hand and-!”

“Yeah, well, you didn’t!” Rainbow Dash, a Spike Brothers user, snapped. “I needed that damage! How else could I pay the cost for any of my card’s skills!?”

“I’m gonna have to side with Sunset on this one. None of this would've happened if you weren't bein’ excessive Dash,” Applejack, a Neo Nectar user, sneered.

“Well excuse me for trying to finish the game!” Rainbow retorted. “If Sunset wasn't showing off with her defensive plays, we-!”

“‘Show off?!’ I saved you from taking the damage that would’ve otherwise eliminated us from the tournament all together!” Sunset nearly yelled. “I used all the cards in my hand, even my perfect shields, to protect you! And yet you couldn't even spare any defence for me! How is that fair!?”

Neither Applejack nor Rainbow Dash honored that with a response.

At that moment, a certain Trixie Lulamoon decided to make herself known, giving the three a sarcastic applause as she walked up. “My, my, what a magnificent showing,” she started, sarcasm heavy in her voice. “Of incompetence, of course. I have to say, seeing the former ‘Shadow Queen’ flounder like that was perhaps my favorite part! Although I have to say, for a team so big on making victory a group effort, you sure threw Sunset Shimmer under the bus the first chance you got. Jealous of being outshone, much?”

“I am not jealous!” Rainbow yelled back, her temper starting to boil over at the Pale Moon user. Despite that, Sunset couldn’t help but doubt the prismatic haired girl’s words. “It was just unfortunate and bad timing that we couldn’t help her out, but we were at least to make use of the counter-blast she had left!”

That...didn’t help the feeling gnawing in Sunset’s gut. Not at all.

“If you say so,” Trixie said, her smirk still present as she shrugged. Looking up, she smiled, “Ooh! It looks like they've already decided the finals brackets. I hope my team and I get the chance to knock you failures out right at the get go!”

At that moment, the holographic screen lit up, revealing the tournament brackets. There were 32 slots overall, and thankfully, both Applejack’s and Pinkie’s teams (the ‘Rain’ and the ‘Boom’, respectively. The names were Pinkie’s idea.) were on the opposite ends of the brackets.

Unfortunately, Pinkie’s team shared the same side as the Dazzlings, the three new idols who had the school wrapped around their respective fingers. It was bad enough that they were sowing discord in amidst the student body; they were somehow strengthening themselves with the palpable negativity in the air. The leader of the Dazzlings, Adagio Dazzle, a Granblue user, read the brackets with a bored stare, but smirked as she saw their placement.

“Well,at least this prevents us from having to fight each other early on?” Rarity, a Royal Paladin user, questioned as she read the brackets.

“Yeah, at least this way, we can save our super special maneuvers for the big finale between us!” Pinkie Pie, an Oracle Think Tank user, cheered. Her cheer did little to raise everyone else’s morale, sadly.

Adagio Dazzle grinned a particularly evil smirk, noticing how one of the ‘Rain’ members was slowly falling back from the group. ‘Perfect,’ she thought to herself, pulling a pack of cards out of her pocket. “You girls go to that Trixie girl and her team,” she ordered her teammates, by name Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk. “See if you can’t give them anyspecialhelp.”

“And exactly where are you going?” Aria Blaze, an Aqua Force user, questioned her (not that she would ever admit it) big sister, watching her walk away.

“Opportunity is knocking, and I’m going to answer it!” Adagio responded with a knowing grin.

Sonata Dusk, a Bermuda Triangle user, cupped her left ear and tilted said ear upwards as she said, “I don’t hear anything!”

“It’s just an expression, you dolt,” Aria said, rolling her eyes at the youngest of the group. “C’mon Sonata, we have a something to wake up.” Adagio gave her sister a thankful nod, as she walked towards the group. As she approached, she stopped, unable to comprehend what she was hearing.

“Look, Sunset, why don’t you just sit the rest of the tournament out? Your deck clearly isn’t working out for you, and I can’t always be the one to carry you when you’re in it deep,” Rainbow said, her voice condescending and dripping with arrogance. Sunset said nothing but stopped in place, a look of disbelief on her face.

Off to the side, Adagio blinked. These were the girls their leader told them watch out for?

Before Sunset (or Adagio) could say anything, Applejack snorted, “Might wanna check your privilege there, Rainbow. Last I checked, I was the one carrying your two butts outta the fire!” Just like that, the two started arguing over who was doing the most work on the team...again, leaving Sunset completely out of it. Sunset trailed behind the group, unable to stomach their bickering, as well as their implied message of her being useless. Seeing her opportunity, Adagio made her move.

Deep in her thoughts, Sunset nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her shoulder. Turning around, she saw the the orange bushy haired leader of the Dazzlings, Adagio, who was sporting a look of concern. “What do you want?” Sunset questioned angrily, “Make it fast, I’m in a bad mood.”

Adagio shook her head, raising her hands slightly. “Take it easy, I’m not here to pick a fight. Believe it or not, I’m a bit worried about you. After all, what kind of teammates talk to each other like that?” Lowering her hands into her pocket, and as Sunset tensed, she pulled out a pack of cards. “Here, I want you to have these.”

Sunset’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as she opened the pack, only for them to widen at the name of the cards. “Wh-why are you giving these to me? You-you know what these are, right!? What these are capable of doing?!”

“Relax. I’m not forcing it on you nor am I telling you to put it in your deck,” Adagio said, waving off Sunset’s concerns. “Our leader thinks you have what it takes to be one of us,” she continued. “Consider it, well, a peace offering for now. For all we know, you just might need it.”

“What do you mean?” Sunset demanded, snapping out of her reverie. “What leader? What are you talking about?”

“That’s a story for another time,” the siren said, turning around and walking away. “To be honest, I agree with what our leader thinks about you. You had, or rather, still have, the potential to be greater than what you are right now. All you need to do is reach for it again.”

“I refuse to turn back to what I was!” Sunset almost yelled. “Using these cards are only going convince people that-!”

“Then throw them away,” Adagio said, cutting her off. “Like I said, I’m not forcing you to use them. My sisters and I willingly put them into our decks, because we aren’t afraid of what people think. We use what is useful, simple as that.”

“I-” Sunset started, before Adagio closed the gap between them and put both of her hands on Sunset’s shoulders. “Think it over,” Adagio said. “Go talk with your ‘team’ and see what they have to say if you’re so worried.”

Before the Sunset could say anything else, Adagio turned and left, leaving the gymnasium to find her (a fact she would proudly admit) sisters. Sunset watched her go, and back to the cards she was just given, her hands still shaking as she took in every detail of the cards she was given. Every bit of common sense was screaming at her throw it them away and forget about them, yet Sunset couldn’t figure out any logical reasons for the Dazzlings to give those cards to her.

As Sunset turned to walk away, more questions buzzed around in her mind. The Dazzlings had a leader? Who? And how did this leader even know about her? Why did this person even show an interest in her? She had been trying to stay out of the limelight since her fall from grace in prior tournament! She shook her head, clearing her mind; questions for later, she needed to let the team know.

“Girls!” Sunset called as she ran closer to her friends, “you’ll never believe what-!”

“Whoa, easy there,” Rainbow Dash said, gesturing for Sunset to slow down. Based on the looks on everyone else’s faces, it had been clear that she had been bragging about her skills again. “So, like I was saying, you need to be more careful because I can’t afford any losses. Afterall, my kickass skills are probably the only reason we’re still in the tournament.” The others said nothing, but all made faces of annoyance, whereas Sunset made one of disbelief.

Despite this, Rainbow continued, “Now, despite some people’s mistakes and mis-plays,” she stopped to spare a glance at Sunset, which went unnoticed by everyone else. “All we need to do is just keep the constant pressure with rapid and hard-hitting attacks,and not constantly defend,and we’ve got this in the bag!”

“Rainbow,” Applejack said warningly, eyes narrowing. “Not to stick your foot in your own mouth, but you're the reason why most of our fights went south. Yeah, you hit the big numbers, but you and your playstyle also burn through every card in your hand! You gotta remember that this is a tag-team style tournament! Every time you take your turn you drain all our resources just so you can do your own fancy moves! In case you hadn’t noticed, my deck also needs resources so it can do what it needs to do!”

“I can’t help it if I need it to make those big plays!” Rainbow argued back.

“And where does that leave me?” Sunset asked, finally stepping into the conversation. Both Applejack and Rainbow stopped arguing with each other, and paused. “Gold Paladin needs resources too, you know.” When she got no response, she felt a small pain in her chest as she bowed her head to allow her bangs to cover her eyes, as her hands clenched into tight fists.

“Fine, don’t answer that. But at least answer this,” Sunset said as she looked up, a scowl forming on her face. “Did you even want me as a team-mate or would you have preferred Twilight?” The last question got a response from the violet haired pony princess turned human, as she too looked up from her book and cast unsure glances at the other girls

The silence was damning.

“Hold on a minute,” Twilight started, her wavering voice breaking the awkward silence. “You really don’t mean that, right girls? Girls?” No one said anything, turning their faces away from her, all of them looking ashamed. “I don’t believe this! You told me, no, promised me, that you were going to look out for Sunset after I had left! What is this all about!?”

Applejack, finally, spoke up and tried to defuse the situation before it could get any worse, saying, “Girls, I think this would be a good time to take a breather, and I-!”

“So that's it? Just wrapped this up and leave the question hanging in the air?” Sunset demanded, tears forming in her eyes. “Do you know what I sacrificed to help you? Do you know what it feels like out there? With everyone and anyone showing how much they hate you!?”

“Ladies,” Rarity chimed in, sounding nervous. “I think we’re all still a little on edge from thinking we were going to face elimination from the competition, and-!”

“And let’s not forget whose fault that is!” Rainbow bellowed, glaring daggers at Sunset.

“Rainbow!” Twilight scolded this time.

“My point is!” Rarity went on forcefully, glaring at the prismatic girl. “I think we should all calm down and not say things in the heat of the moment. As Applejack was trying to say,” she stopped and glared at Rainbow, almost daring the athlete to cut her off again. Seeing that Rainbow had stayed her tongue, Rarity continued, “We should all take five minutes to compose ourselves.”

Not even giving Rainbow a chance to retort, Twilight followed up, “Rarity’s right. Talking like this while you girls are this stressed will make things harder for everyone. Everyone made mistakes today; yelling at each other would only aggravate the issue.”

“Mistakes?” Sunset repeated, disbelief coloring her tone. “So you’re saying me being on this team was a mistake?”

“That’s not what I said, nor what I meant,” Twilight corrected calmly.

“You’re the one who said it, Sunset Shimmer!” Rainbow pointed out.

“And you’re the one who owes me an apology!” Sunset countered. “I’m getting so sick and tired of you and everyone in the school constantly blaming me for your problems! I get it! I was a bitch! You don’t need to remind me every single day that I was!”

“Don’t blame me for the reputation you built!” Rainbow argued.

“Well, we can’t all be big headed jocks like you!” Sunset yelled back.

“And we can’t all be evil manipulators like you! You know damn well if the Dazzlings didn’t have everyone under their spell, everyone would hate them because they’re just like how you are!” Rainbow shouted, causing the others to gasp in shock.

Sunset took a step back as if she were physically slapped, her eyes tearing up. “Are?” she repeated softly, her voice quivering.

“I meant ‘were’,” Rainbow said immediately, realizing what she had just said in the heat of the moment. “Like ‘how you were’. That's what I meant.”

“Sunset,” Fluttershy, a Great Nature user, said softly as she took Sunset’s hand. “Come on, you know she didn’t mean it. It's just Rainbow being Rainbow; you know how she gets when under pressure.”

“No,” Sunset said, pulling her hand away from the soft spoken girl, “I heard what she said, and I know she meant it.” Sunset stopped, taking a shuddering breath. “You never answered my question.”

“I beg your pardon?” Applejack asked, not liking where the conversation was headed.

“Did you want me as part of this team or did you want Twilight to take my place?” Sunset asked again.

“Darling, please,” Rarity chimed in, “Let's just take that break and we can put this mess behind us.”

“That’s not an answer!” Sunset shouted, causing the other girls to jump. “Just tell me you would have treated Twilight the same had done she what I was did. Just say that you would have treated her the same way and I can put this all behind me.” All the Rainbooms looked around waiting for someone to say something, yet no one did.

Before Twilight could say anything, Sunset cut her off as she continued, “No answer, huh? For some reason, I’m not surprised. Fine, I get it, I quit. Twilight can have my place on the team. After all, it’s what you all want, right?” As she walked away, she stopped in front of Twilight, pulling out her deck a black and purple glove, handing them to the princess. “Here, you’re going to need this back if you want my spot.” She ignored the protests of the others as she ran off, trying to hold back the tears .

Applejack turned to Rainbow, a look of anger on her face as she punched Rainbow, knocking the athletic girl down and ignoring the other’s cry of indignation. “What in hell was that all about!?” she demanded.

“Well, none of you answered her either!” Rainbow pointed out, holding her cheek as she got up.

“You started it!” Applejack countered. “We’ve already drained from playing all day; what made you think any of us had any energy left to deal with this!?”

“Alright, stop it! Stop it, the both of you!” Rarity demanded as she put herself between the two girls. “That’s enough; we’ve already lost Sunset we don’t need to lose anyone else today."

Twilight looked at the deck she was given, then back to Rainbow. Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and said, “As it stands, we cannot let the Dazzling’s win the tournament. We have no idea what will happen, and as much as I dislike the idea that you want me to replace her, I will take Sunset’s place for now, on the condition that you will all apologize to her.” Before Rainbow could say anything, Twilight cut her off. “No, Rainbow! You will apologize to her when this is over! That is non-negotiable! Am I understood!?”

Rainbow couldn’t have nodded quickly enough. It wasn’t the first time her temper had cost her a friend, and it seemed as if she was repeating history again.

-The Next Day-

Things were still tense between amongst the Rainbooms. Walking into the gym, they couldn’t help but notice the tension in the air. Pre-Tournament jitters were one thing, but the air was so stifling that it even disturbed Pinkie.

“Whats going on?” the pinkette asked a nearby student.

“You didn’t hear?” a student responded, raising his eyebrow. “Team Oracle was challenged for their spot in the tourney, and they lost. Painfully.”

“Wait, the siblings who dressed like Silent Toms yesterday? Who did they lose to?” Pinkie asked. “How did they lose their spot?”

The student looked at them confused. “Wait, you don’t know?”

“No, we don’t know Poindexter,” Rainbow said, exasperated. “Just tell us already.”

“Well, it was Sunset Shimmer,” Pointpexter started.

“WHAT!?”

The boy flinched at the volume, but looked at the girls, still confused. “I thought you knew. She actually came in early today to challenge anyone for their spot in the tournament, she actually won, despite the circumstances stacked against her.”

“But you need to be part of a team to even take part!” Applejack protested, her southern drawl becoming more pronounced. “How the heck did she even get past that?”

“She challenged them to a three versus one relay,” Poindexter said. “They made a bet of some kind, but Sunset beat all of them soundly. Brutally too, might I add.”

“What deck was she using?” Rainbow asked.

“I heard she was using that weird Gold Paladin deck she recently got,” the boy replied, shrugging. “To be honest, I thought she had gone back to her Shadow Paladins.” As the Rainbooms looked amongst each other uneasily, he continued, “It’s weird though. I thought she was part of your team?”

“We had a bit,” Rarity started, trailing off as she glared at Rainbow Dash, who had the decency to look embarrassed. “We had a bit of a misunderstanding yesterday. Could you be a dear and tell us where dear Sunset is?”

“She’s right over there,” he said, pointing to the lone figure sitting alone on the benches. Following his finger, the six girls saw their familiar red and gold haired friend nursing a hot mug of coffee and reading a book.

“I’ll go talk to her,” Twilight said before the others could say anything. Rainbow was about to protest, but the hard glare she got from the princess stilled any protest the athlete had. As she approached, Twilight couldn’t help but notice a few changes. Gone was Sunset’s old outfit, but in its place was a light grey jacket and white shirt with her collar button being open, as well as black trousers and black leather shoes. Her long hair was tied back in singular pony tail that rested on her back. If she knew Twilight was there, Sunset didn’t show; she was too engrossed with her book to either care nor notice. “Sunset?” Twilight called out, making the girl look up.

“What do you want?” Sunset asked, snapping her book shut. The clipped tone and slam of the book made the princess flinch, as did Sunset’s steel gaze. Sighing, Sunset took a gulp of her drink, saying, “Sorry. It’s just been a tense morning. I’m pretty sure you heard how I had took the spot of another team?”

“No, no, it’s fine,” Twilight said, moving to take a seat next to her. Sunset raised an eyebrow, but said nothing. “I just came by to check on you, that’s all.”

“Well, I’m fine,” the redhead said, turning away to hide her face. Noticing the others, a scowl formed on her face. “Did they put you up to this?”

“No, they didn’t,” Twilight said. “I came here on my own, because you’re my friend. Is it wrong of me to worry about you?”

Sunset said nothing, but looked down at her drink. After a pause, she allowed a small smile to grace her features, as she said, “Thanks, Twilight. Its going to sound strange, but you have no idea how much I needed to hear that.” As Twilight was about to respond, the tapping sound of a microphone pulled the attention of her and other players to the main stage.

“Good morning, fighters!” came the voice of Vice-Principal Luna, the overseer of the entire tournament. The students cheered in response. “First, I want to congratulate all of the teams who have made the second day of the Winter Cardfight Blitz! Let’s give them all a round of applause!” Calming down the crowd for after a few seconds, she continued, “Now, unlike the last round, which was a full on three versus three match between teams, we’ve decided to change how the top four teams will be decided. This format, similar to that of a free for all, will have players from various teams challenge each other all over Canterlot City. Everyone starts with 20 points to start with, must wager at least five points before every cardfight, and both players must wager the same amount of points. The winner will take all the points wagered, but we have a special rule! During their turn, if a player calls ‘Final Turn’ and they manage to win the game in that same turn, the points awarded will be doubled of what was wagered! However, if the player fails to do so, the points awarded will be half of what was wagered. When you run out of points, you aren’t completely out of the game; your team-mates have the option of sharing some of their accumulated points. If all three members run out of points, the team will be eliminated. The first four to acquire a total of 200 and more points , as a team, will secure their place in the finals! So don’t think you can sit on your laurels and hope for other teams to eliminate each other!” Excited whispers and cheers made its way throughout the arena as the players met together and strategized. After a few minutes, the head judge called for attention. “If everyone is ready, please make your way to the outside and we’ll begin!!”

“Well, good luck today,” Sunset said, guzzling down the rest of her drink. As she got up to walk away, Twilight reached out and took her hand. “...Is something wrong?” she asked.

“Sunset, how are you taking part in this tournament?” Twilight asked. “Who and where are your teammates?”

“They’re running a little late,” Sunset said, her eyes looking through the various players. “But don’t worry about me. I know they’ll be here. Still, I wanted to ask-”

“Twilight!” called Applejack. “C’mon! We got a matches to start!” Sunset frowned at the country girl’s woeful timing, but sighed.

“What is it?” Twilight asked, confused.

“Never mind, just go,” Sunset replied, picking up her things as she left. Slipping on a black and red fingerless glove that had silver lines tracing the fingers and was adorned with a single red gem on the back of her hand, she and many made their way to Canterlot City, where the fights would begin.

---Later---

“Now, Climax Jewel Knight Lord Evangeline attacks your Vanguard!” Rarity exclaimed, pointing at her opponent (a Nova Grappler user). A woman clad in radiant jewel armor raised her sword and struck down at giant silver and gold robot, causing it to explode.

“Dammit!” her opponent screamed, as the last point of damage was done. Not even bothering to pick up his cards, he stomped off.

“WINNER! Rarity Belle!”

Rarity sighed as she picked up her cards, checking her standings as the hard-light table faded away. She was, currently, the highest earner on the team, having scored 20 additional points (with a total of 40 points), although her teammates weren’t too far behind with 16 points to Pinkie (with a total of 36) and a surprising 18 points for Fluttershy (with a total of 38 points, who knew the shy girl could be so vicious?)

As she was about to message her team, Rarity heard someone approaching her. Turning, she was surprised to see the familiar yet different Sunset Shimmer, who looked equally surprised, standing before her looking to challenge her.

“Sunset!?” Rarity exclaimed in surprise. “What are-no-how you-wait-Why!?”

Sunset said nothing but watched the fashionista flailed about with a blank expression. After several minutes, Sunset cleared her throat as she pulled out her deck. “Are you going to spend the next five minutes babbling incoherently or are you going to fight me?”

Rarity, caught off guard, composed herself quickly as her glove notified her of an incoming challenger. “Of course, dear,” she said, producing her deck from its case. “I apologize for that, its just, after yesterday…”

“I’m already over it,” Sunset replied, as both of their gloves emitted a soft blue glow from the embedded gems. After a few seconds, the light took the form of a two separate tables, a dark blue forming in front of Rarity and a pale yellow forming in front of Sunset. After shuffling thoroughly, both of them placed their decks in the respective areas, before pulling out the one card in the deck that would act as their starting Vanguards and setting aside the cards for their Generation Zone. During preparation, Sunset couldn’t help but notice Rarity staring at her. “What?” she asked, a bit perturbed.

As they drew their opening hand, Rarity coughed into her hand. “Well, it's just that i couldn't help but notice your change in attire, darling. It looks good on you.”

Sunset rolled her eyes. “If I wore the same thing outfit, it would only cement the fact that I wouldn’t change. Making a switch in attire seemed to be a good start.”

“I see,” the dress designer said, nodding in understanding. “Well, enough banter. How many points are you wagering?”

“I’m wagering all I have,” Sunset said, as the she tapped a button that appeared on the table. “All 20 points.”

“Wait, what!?” Rarity exclaimed. “How do you only have twenty points? The tournament started 2 hours ago!”

“No one’s wanted to fight me, and it’s not like you’re forced to accept any challenge thats thrown at you,” Sunset said, shrugging. “So are you gonna match me or what?”

“No, I will also wager the same amount,” Rarity replied, pressing the same button on her side of the table. “Now, shall we?”

“STAND UP, VANGUARD!”

“Desire Jewel Knight, Heloise!” (G0/ Power 5000)

“Knight of the Setting Sun, Tobias!” (G0 / Power 5000)

As the two flipped their starting vanguards over, two bright flashes of light appeared behind them. From one emerged a young white haired human girl with a wearing a dark blue leotard and matching leggings, as well as a pair of dark blue metal arm greaves. She wielded a small sword, and bowed as she appeared. On the other side, a young silver haired man clad in silver tunic appeared, wielding two small daggers.

“I’ll start us off, if you don’t mind,” Rarity said, drawing her card. “I ride, Jewel Knight, Sabremy!” (G1/Power 7000) In flash of light, Heloise’s form fell on all fours as a lynx wearing white steel and carried a glowing sword in its mouth appeared. “Heloise moves back!” The young human appeared in another flash of light behind the lynx, holding her sword ready to attack. “And that ends my turn.”

“Right then, should have seen this coming,” Sunset muttered, as she drew a card. “I ride, Knight of the Eve’s Radiance, Kyra!” Tobias threw down a smoke bomb, as his form shimmered away into that of a young woman in a leather cuirass with silver ornaments, wielding a crossbow. “Tobias moves back!” The starting vanguard appeared behind Kyra, holding both knives ready. “Now, I call another Kyra and Magician of the Dusky Sky, Reva (G1/Power 7000), right behind her!” In a flash of light, another Kyra, this time her gear adorned with flecks of gold instead of silver, and a hooded figure carrying a black spell book behind her, appeared.

“My Rear-Guard Kyra, assisted by Reva, attacks your vanguard!” The magician raised their spell book high, as a yellow streaks of energy flew into Kyra’s bow. (Power 7000 -> Power 14000). With a yell, the bow-woman released her empowered shot.

“No Guard!” Rarity said, eyes scanning her cards. The arrow hit its mark on the lynx, sending it recoiling back. “Damage check, Draw Trigger! I add 5000 Power to Sabremy and draw one more card.” (Power 7000 -> 12000) (Hand: 6, Damage: 1)

“Now my Vanguard Kyra attacks, boosted by Tobias!” This time, Tobias pulled out a telescope and scanned the lynxx, giving pointing Kyra in the right direction. (Power 7000 -> 12000). When Rarity made a ‘come hither’ motion, Sunset continued, “Drive Check, Critical Trigger! I give all effects to Kyra!” (Power 12000 -> Power 17000, Critical 2) Sunset’s Vanguard let out a battle cry as she pulled out an additional arrow and leapt up, releasing both shots at the same time. The poor lynx could only howl as the arrows hit their mark.

“Damage Check, No Triggers,” Rarity said with a small grimace. (Damage: 1 -> 3)

“I end my turn,” Sunset said, keeping her face calm and stoic. (Hand: 4)

Sunset’s field: (No Damage)

(RC) (Kyra) (Kyra)

(RC) (Tobias) (Reva)

Rarity drew her card, before immediatley placing it onto the table. “I ride, Banding Jewel Knight, Miranda!” (G2/Power 9000) The wounded lynx let out a pained mewl as its form was engulfed in light, and transformed into an elven woman, wearing silver armor adorned with emeralds. She pulled out an emerald studded sword hilt and swung it, making a beam of green energy emerge. “Now, I call Jewel Knight, Swordmy (G2/Power 9000) and activate their skill!” A white panther appeared next to Miranda and howled to the sky. Flipping one of her face up damage face down, Rarity continued, “With Swordmy’s skill, I can call grade one or lower rear-guard from my deck as long as they have ‘Jewel Knight’ in their name. And it should come to no surprise that all my units have that in their names.” As Sunset rolled her eyes, Rarity continued, “I call Jewel Knight, Sabremy behind Swordmy!” (G1/Power 7000). “Now I call Pure Wind Jewel Knight, Kymbelinus!” (G2/Power 9000) On the other side of Miranda, a male elf wearing silver almor appeared over a black body suit appeared in flourish, wielding a rapier whose blade was made out of blue energy.

“Now, my Knights, attack!” Rarity yelled, pointing at Sunset’s field. “Kymbelinus, attack the rear-guard Kyra!” The Knight bowed and darted forward, holding their rapier before them. Sunset did nothing, and the attack went through, removing the archer from the field. “Now with that out of the way, Miranda, boosted by attacks your vanguard!” (Power 9000 -> Power 14000)

Sunset looked as if she was going to place a guard, but instead shook her head. “No guard!” she declared, as her vanguard Kyra braced for the attack.

“Drive check, Heal Trigger! I give the extra power to Swordmy and Heal one damage point,” Rarity declared, as Miranda brought her blade down Kyra’s form, delivering a glancing blow. Sunset frowned as she took the damage, and no trigger appeared before her. “Now Swordmy, boosted by Sabremy, attacks your vanguard!” (Power 9000 -> Power 14000 -> Power 21000). The panther roared as it leapt forward, bringing its claws down on the archer, inflicting another damage. “And thats my turn, darling.”

Rarity’s Field (Damage: 2 Face Up; Hand: 4)

(Swordmy) (Miranda) (Kymbelinus)

(Sabremy) (Heloise) (RC)

-Elsewhere-

Fluttershy sighed as she walked away from the last match. Somehow, her last opponent had managed to deck out themselves before she did. Her musings were interrupted by the loud ringtone of her phone, and as expected, it was Pinkie. “Hello?” she asked.

“CHECK THE TEAM APP! RARITY’S FIGHTING SUNSET!” came Pinkie’s screaming voice. Pulling the phone away from her ear, she shook her head to make the ringing stop, but before she say anything back, the line went dead. Irritated, she flipped over to the Cardfight Vanguard Team Checker App, only to go cold as she saw the name and field of Rarity’s opponent.

“Rarity, Sunset...why?” Fluttershy asked, tearing up. Brushing away her tears, she ran towards the fight, running as fast as she could.

-Back to the CardFight-

It was now Sunset’s turn. She barely made it through Rarity’s last turn, where she had rode onto the Jewel Knight of Radiance, Ashlei (G3/Power 11000), and dealt three damage, putting her at five to Rarity’s two. Grimacing, Sunset drew her card, and kept her expression neutral as she added it to her hand.

Taking a card from her hand, she placed it over her grade 2 vanguard and cried out, “I ride, Knight of the Full Moon, Saint Arc!” (G3/Power 11000) The former grade two raised their spear as a beam of white energy shot down from the sky, engulfing fully them. The light dispersed, revealing a tall, slender woman in form fitting silver armor, wielding war-banner with the emblem of a white moon on its blue cloth. “Now, I release the Generation Zone!” Sunset placed another card in her Drop Zone, making the card shine. Another card shot forth from the Generation Zone and flew into her field. “Oh holy one, embraced by the night sky, descend from your throne and grace us with your presence!” Saint Arc raised her banner in both arms, crying out as her body exploded with silver light. As the light dispersed, Saint Arc’s form was replaced by another woman, clad in regal silver and blue robes over dark-greyish silver armor with dark blue highlights, wielding a greatsword whose blade was in the shape of a crescent moon. A silver tiara replaced the helmet, holding back this new forms long dark blue hair. “Generation Stride, Blade of Righteous Judgement, Diana!” (G4/Power +15000)

“Saint Arc’s Stride Skill!” Sunset called out, taking one point of damage and flipping it face down. “I counterblast one to take five cards from the top of my deck, call one to the field at rest and add one card to my hand!” Looking at the cards she drew, she placed one on the field, calling out, “I call Dream Gazer, Anya and one to my hand.” In a flash of light, a young maiden wearing thin silk blue robes appeared next Diana, kneeling next to the vanguard. (G2/Power 8000). “The rest go to the bottom of the deck.”

“Anya’s Generation Break 1! When this unit is called from the deck, I can check the top three cards from the top of the deck and call one in the same column as her at rest, sending the rest to the bottom of the deck,” Sunset explained as she drew the top three cards and drew placed a card behind Dream Gazer, Anya. In a flash of white light, a dark blue pegasus clad in silver armor appeared. The pegasus let out a low whinney and sat down, bowing its head. “Midnight Pegasus!” (Grade 1/Power 6000).

“Tobias’ Generation Break One skill; Unite! When I have called two or more units during my turn, the Unite ability activates!” Sunset continued, taking her starting vanguard and sliding it underneath her current vanguard. “I send Tobias into the soul check the top five cards of the deck and call one at rest in its spot. Then I add the power of whatever was called to my vanguard, and put the rest of cards not chosen at the bottom of the deck.” Picking one from card from the top five, she placed it behind Diana. On the field, Tobias kneeled and dissolved into silver dust, flowing into Diana’s blade. In a flash of light, the kneeling form of the Knight of the Eve’s Radiance, Kyra, appeared. Krya’s form emitted a soft glow and offered an arrow to Diana, who gracefully took it. (Diana’s Power: 26000 -> 33000).

“Anya’s, Midnight Pegasus’ and Kyra’s Generation Break one, Unite!” Sunset continued. “All three of them stand, and Anya’s Unite adds an additional 5000 Power to herself and to Diana! Midnight Pegasus’ Unite adds their power to any unit that shares the same row as it! Kyra’s Unite lets me countercharge or soul charge at the end of battle she boosted any other unit that had the Unite ability!” (Diana’s Power: 33000 -> 38000) (Anya’s Power: 8000 -> 13000) (Midnight Pegasus Power: 6000 -> 12000) (Kyra’s Power: 7000 -> 13000) (Reva: Power 7000 -> 13000)

Rarity paled at the numbers Sunset was hitting, as all of her opponent’s units began to glow with a soft pale golden light. “When did you get all of these cards? You could have used them in yesterday's matches!”

“I got these yesterday. An acquaintance gave them to me,” Sunset replied casually, taking a card from her hand and placing it in front of Reva, ignoring Rarity’s wince. “I call Crescent Owl in front of Kyra in the right column!” (Grade 0/Critical Trigger/Power 4000/Shield 10000). A large horned owl wearing a silver circlet and bearing silver coating over their talons flew from the above and landed on Reva’s shoulder.

“Now, Crescent Owl attacks your vanguard!” (Power 4000 -> Power 16000) Reva nodded at the owl and pointed her arm hand forward, launching the ow forward and coating the avian in dark blue magic. Rarity did nothing, but took the damage, but unfortunately did not get a trigger during her damage check. “After that battle, Reva’s Unite activates, which lets me return Reva to the bottom of the deck and draw one more card.” On the field, Reva vanished in a burst of light.

“Boosted by Kyra, the Blade of Righteous Judgement, Diana, attacks your Vanguard!” (Power 38000 -> Power 51000) Sunset said, following up the attack. “With Crescent Owl’s skill, I place in my Vanguard’s soul to give it an additional 5000 Power and I draw one more card (Power 51000-> Power 56000)." Crescent Owl let out a low 'hoot', turned into a light golden dust and flew into Diana’s blade. "Now, with Diana’s Stride skill, when she attacks I counterblast one card, soul blast two cards and flip a copy of her over in the Generation Zone as its cost to check the top five cards of the deck, and, for each copy of Blade of Righteous Judgement, Diana in the Generation Zone, I can call up two units at rest. If I had called three or more units, my Vanguard would have an extra critical. From the deck I call Hare of the Moon (G1/Power 5000) And Rabbit Knight Tsuki (G2/Power 9000) at rest! Tsuki’s Unite let's her and any friendly unit in her column. The Hare’s Unite let's me return it to my hand at the end of the turn!” A young girl clad in white robes under golden flecked lamellar armour wielding a naginata, her hair styled in a way that made it look like she had rabbit ears. Behind her, a small bipedal rabbit holding onto a golden crescent shaped shield appeared. (Hare’s Power: 5000 -> 11000)

“Perfect Guard! Protect me, Flashing Jewel Knight, Iseult!” Rarity exclaimed, all but throwing the card into the Guardian circle. A young woman appeared before Ashlei, raising her heavy silver jewel studded gauntlets to block Diana’s swing.

“Triple Drive!” Sunset said. “First check, Critical Trigger! I give all power and effects to Tsuki! Second Check, Heal Trigger! I give all power to Tsuki again and heal one point of damage. Third Check, Critical Trigger! I give all power effects to Anya!” Both rearguards next on either side of the vanguard began to shine with energy. (Anya’s Power: 13000 -> 18000; Critical 2) (Tsuki’s Power: 9000 -> 19000; Critical 2)

“A Triple Trigger this early!?” Rarity exclaimed, looking at her hand. Grimacing, she braced for the next two attacks. “Come on then!”

“Boosted by the Hare of the Moon, Tsuki attacks your Vanguard!” Sunset yelled. The rabbit themed rearguard raised her weapon, as the Hare pulled out small carrot shaped sword. (Power 19000 -> 30000). Rarity said nothing but let the attack hit home, bringing her damage to four, grimacing as no defensive triggers appeared. “The Hare of the Moon’s Generation Break One; Unite, activates. When this unit boosts a unit, and the attack hits, I can return it to my hand. Now, boosted by Midnight Pegasus, Anya attacks your Vanguard!” (Anya’s Power: 18000 -> 30000) Anya bowed her head and cupped her hands before her and fired off a beam of golden energy.

“Generation Guard!” Rarity called, putting a Heal Trigger from her hand and into the Drop Zone. “Holy Dragon, Laserguard Dragon! With its skill, I add 5000 Power to the shield!” In a flash of green light, a white dragon appeared, roaring to form a green circle before it. (Shield: 15000 -> 20000; Total 31000)

“And that ends my turn,” Sunset said, returning Diana’s card to the G-Zone.

Sunset’s field: (Four Damage (All Face-Up)/Hand: 9 Cards)

(Anya) (Saint Arc) (Tsuki)

(Pegasus) (Kyra) (RC)

Rarity gulped, looking at the two remaining cards in her hand. “Stand and Draw!” she declared, moving all of her units into a vertical position before she drew a card. “Stride Generation!” Discarding the card she had just drew, she grabbed a facedown card from her Generation Zone and placed it over her Vanguard. “Radiant one, let your brilliance shine over this battle! Grace this field with your presence! Climax Jewel Knight Lord, Evangeline!” (G4/Power +15000) In a blast of prismatic light, Jewel Knight of Radiance, Ashlei was engulfed in blue crystal, only to shatter and reveal an elven woman clad in a jewel studded black and blue leotard wielding a jewel studded shield and sabre. “Jewel Knight of Radiance, Ashlei’s Stride Skill! When I stride onto a unit with ‘Jewel Knight’ in its name, I can search my deck for up to one card with ‘Jewel Knight’ in its name and call to an open rearguard circle, and then give another two other units with ‘Jewel Knight’ in their name 5000 Power! I give Swordmy and Kymbelinus the power! (Swordmy Power: 9000 -> 14000) (Kymbelinus Power: 9000 -> 14000). “And from my deck I call Heat Wind Jewel Knight, Cymbeline (G1/Power 7000) behind Kymbelinus! With his skill, I add 10000 Power to Kymbelinus!” White crystal grew behind the blonde male and shattered, revealing a young man in white crystal studded armor, kneeling behind Kymbelinus. (Kymbelinus Power: 14000-> 24000)

“Now I use Evangeline’s Stride Skill! With her ability, I can give all rearguards with ‘Jewel Knight’ in their name an extra 3000 Power until the end of turn!” Rarity continued, as Evangeline raised her sword. All other Jewel Knights looked up to her blade as energy rained down on them. (Swordmy’s Power: 14000 -> 17000) (Evangeline’s Power: 26000 -> 29000) (Kymbelinus’ Power: 24000 -> 27000) (Sabremy’s Power: 7000 -10000) (Heloise’s Power: 5000 -> 8000) (Cymbeline’s Power: 7000 ->10000)

“Now Swordmy, boosted by Sabremy, attacks your Vanguard!” The Lynx behind the leopard roared, sharing its power. Swordmy shot forward with its claws extended, as it struck against Saint Arc’s armor, bringing Sunset to five damage again. “Evangeline, boosted by Heloise, attacks your vanguard! With Heloise’s skill, she gets an additional 3000 Power!” (Heloise’s Power: 8000 -> 11000) (Evangeline’s Power: 29000 -> 40000).

Heloise let out a small war cry, raising her sword and as she rallied Evangeline into battle. With battle cry of her own, Evangeline dashed forward and attacked, bringing her sabre down on Saint Arc’s head.

“Perfect Guard! Hare of the Moon!” Sunset said, placing her perfect guard on the Guardian’s circle. The rabbit raised its shield and easily blocked Evangeline’s attack, pushing the sabre back.

“Triple Drive!” Rarity continued, flipping cards over one by one. “First Check, No trigger. Second Check, Critical Trigger! I give all the effects to Kymbelinus! Third Check, no trigger.” Rarity grimaced as she her non-triggers only resulted in Fellowship Jewel Knight, Tracie (G2/Power 9000) and another copy of Jewel Knight of Radiance, Ashlei (G3/Power 11000). “Kymbelinus attacks your Vanguard!” (Kymbelinus Power: 27000 -> 32000; Critical 2)

“Generation Guard!” Sunset called out, dropping her own heal trigger. “Sacred Heaven Prayer Master, Reia!” A young woman appeared in a burst of gold light, glad in golden robes and wielding a golden chalice. “With her skill, I add 5000 Power to the shield, and I intercept with Tsuki!” From her position, Tsuki leapt to aide Reia, using her naginata to help hold back Kymbelinus. (Shield Total: 15000 -> 20000 -> 25000 -> 36000)

“I end my turn,” Rarity said, scowling as she returned Evangeline to the Generation Zone.

Rarity’s field: (4 Damage (1 face-down); 5 Cards in Hand)

(Swordmy) (Ashlei) (Kymbelinus)

(Sabremy) (Heloise) (RC)

Sunset said nothing as she stood all of her rearguards and drew another card from her deck. Her eyes narrowed at the card she drew, she closed her eyes and declared, “Final Turn!”

“What!?” Rarity exclaimed.

“I’m sorry Rarity,” Sunset said, holding out a card from her hand. The card seemed to glow with an ominous red and black energy, one that seemed familiar yet terrifying to Rarity all at the same time. “But this is where the match ends! Generation Stride! Blade of Righteous Judgement, Diana!” Discarding the glowing card, Saint Arc was engulfed in moonlight, right before Diana emerged from the moonlight. “Saint Arc’s Stride Skill; from the top five cards of my deck, I call Rabbit Knight Tsuki at rest!” Diana raised her blade, as the naginata wielder appeared again, next to the vanguard.

“Now, Anya, boosted by Midnight Pegasus, attacks your Vanguard!” (Anya’s Power: 8000 -> 14000). Once again, Anya fired a beam of energy from her hand.

“I intercept with Swordmy!” Rarity said, moving the card. Swordmy leapt in front of Ashlei, roaring as it was reduced to dust.

“Boosted by Anya, the Blade of Righteous Judgement, Diana attacks your vanguard! With her skill, I call Magician of the Dusky Sky, Reva from the deck behind Tsuk at rest, causing Unite to activate! Anya, Midnight Pegasus, Tsuki and Reva all Stand! Anya’s Unite adds 5000 Power to herself and to Diana! Midnight Pegasus adds its power to everything that shares the same row! Tsuki stands herself and any friendly unit in the column! Reva will go into the soul and I can draw an extra card!” (Diana’s Power: 26000-> 31000 -> 46000, Critical 2) (Anya’s Power: 8000 -> 13000) (Midnight Pegasus Power: 6000 -> 12000) (Kyra’s Power: 7000 -> 13000) (Reva: Power 6000 -> 12000)

“No Guard,” Rarity said, hoping to get miracle healing trigger at the sixth damage.

“Triple Drive!” Sunset said. “First check, no trigger. Second Check, no trigger. Final Check, Critical Trigger! I give the extra critical to Diana and the Power to Tsuki!” (Tsuki’s Power: 9000 -> 14000) (Diana’s Critical: 2 -> 3) Diana raised her curved sword over her and struck, releasing three beams of silver energy from her blade. Ashlei tried her best to defend, only to be struck by each beam and knocked over.

Unfortunately for Rarity, the last attack had pushed her over six damage, and that was the end of the game.

“WINNER! Sunset Shimmer!”

Sunset let out a small sigh of relief as she checked her score, smirking as it jumped from 20 points to 80 points, as she had finished the match when she declared Final Turn, which had doubled the points awarded to her in the end. Furthermore, with her recent Victory…

“We have an announcement!” came Vice-Principal Luna’s voice over the PA system. “Remarkably, within the first few hours of the tournament we have two teams who have secured their spots on the brackets of the semi-finals!”

Rarity looked up as she collected her cards. “No, already!?”

“Team Dazzlings was came first, scoring a grand total of 225 Points! Next, we have Team Eventide, who scored a total of 210 points!” Luna continued. “Congratulations to those two teams, and to everyone else, we have only have two slots left for the finals!”

Sunset smiled to herself as she picked up her cards, ignoring the other purple haired girl approaching her.

“I take it your part of Team Eventide?” Rarity asked, already knowing the answer. “If I may ask, who are your teammates?”

“You’ll meet them if you get to the finals and we meet in the finals,” Sunset said, as she walked off.

“Sunset, please!” Rarity called out, only for Sunset to completely walk away.

-----Much Later-----

After a few minutes, Sunset sighed as she made her way to the exit of the arena. She almost,almostused the card that Adagio had given her. Pulling it out of her deck, she quashed the cold pit in her stomach as she gazed upon the image of young woman in white and dark orange robes, emblazoned with a red and black sun on her chest. She carried a look of malice and mania, wielding a large staff that had three red and black floating rings surrounding a fiery red jewel on the top. It was Grade 3, named Harbinger of the Red Sun, Daybreaker Яeverse!

Sunset slowly returned the card to her deck. Had she rode this card…

“Sunset!” a voice called out, getting her attention. Looking up with a small smile, Sunset turned to see two other girls approach her. The first was the tallest amongst the three of them, a long haired blonde wearing a light grey turtleneck and black pants. The other was the shortest of amongst the three of them, with short teal and white hair held back by a red hair piece, wearing a yellow sleeveless sweater over a white shirt and a violet hotpants.

“Ditzy. Coco,” Sunset said, nodding to the two, before she was swept up in a tight hug by the blonde.

“Aw, c’mon! Enough of that!” Ditzy Doo said, squeezing the redhead tightly despite Coco’s concerns and Sunset’s protests. “We made it to top four on the first day! We should be celebrating!”

“Ditzy! She needs air!” Coco Pommel yelled, as Sunset started to turn blue and her back began to bend over in an unnatural way.

“Huh? Oh my god, Sunset!” Ditzy yelled, letting the poor girl down and shaking her. “No, don’t die! I’ll give you a muffin if you come back!”

“Ditzy, I’m okay!” Sunset said, gasping for air. “I’m fine, I’m fine!” After a bit, she composed herself, “So, how were your matches?”

“I had a bit of a struggle,” Coco admitted slowly and quietly, looking down. “My deck struggled a lot against rush type decks and I lost quite a bit.”

“You use Megacolony, right?” Sunset asked, confused. At the other girls sad nod, she placed her hand on the Coco’s shoulder and continued, “Well, don’t worry about it. We’ll get in some more practice and find some cards for your deck before the finals, alright?”

As Coco looked up with a smile, Ditzy spoke up. “Eh, the Narukami deck you lent me really tore up through quite a few decks and I did win quite a few matches, but I overextended a lot and got punished every time. So I made out at 70/30. What about you?”

“I won every match today,” Sunset said with exaggerated flourish. At the look of shock from her two teammates, she continued, “Well, I only fought once, gambling every point I had and banking on a winning during a Final Turn call.”

Ditzy and Coco starred in stunned silence. After a few moments, the blonde shook her head, before she started laughing, “Only you. I swear, you’d think you were the protagonist of some cartoon about a card game with unnecessarily high stakes.”

The Rejected Ideas Bin

by Darkened Paradise

Harry Potter: Wrath of the Moon

Tales of Vesperia: Canterlot Wedding Finale (BETA)

{TENTATIVE TITLE} Kingdom Hearts: The Journey

Borderlands: Equestrian Frontier

GARO: The Blade of Truth

CardFight Vanguard: EQG