It was late in the evening; Princess Twilight and her friends had just departed from the Crystal Train and were headed to the Crystal Castle. Twilight would be attending her first Princess summit tomorrow.
“Hoo-wee!” said Applejack. “Your very first princess summit. You must be over the moon, Twilight.”
“Oh, I am excited,” said Twilight. “But I'm also nervous.”
“You're nervicited!” said Pinkie. “It's like you wanna jump up and down and yell "YAY ME!! But you also wanna curl up in a teeny-tiny ball and hide at the same time! We've all been there.”
“I'm there almost every day,” said Fluttershy.
“Don’t worry, Twi,” said Rainbow. “Everything's gonna be just–”
“TWILIGHT!” interrupted Rarity. “Oh, sorry darling, but I just realized you're not wearing your crown. You haven't forgotten it back in Ponyville, have you?”
“It's in my bag,” said Twilight. “Just feel a little self-conscious about wearing it. Haven't really gotten accustomed to these yet either.” Flexing her wings, Twilight tried to elevate herself, but fell immediately.
“You are a Princess now, Twilight,” reminded Rarity. “Embrace it! I'm telling you, if I had a crown like that, I would never take it off! Why, I'd sleep in the thing.”
Twilight rolled eyes and walked toward the castle with her friends at her heels.
Princess Celestia, Luna, and Cadence were waiting in the throne room. As Twilight and the others opened the doors, six crystal guards played trumpets as they entered. As the girls walked towards the Princesses, Twilight veered slightly to right and bumped into an amber-coated Pegasus guard.
“Her highness!” said the stallion. “Princess, Twilight Sparkle!”
“Twilight!” said Cadence as she hugged her sister-in-law. “I haven't seen you since the coronation!”
Celestia caught the tired look in the girls’ eyes. “We have so much to discuss. But it can wait until tomorrow. You all look tired from your journey. Now off to bed, all of you.”
The girls all headed to the rooms the Princesses had set up for them and went to bed. Except for Twilight and Spike.
In her room, Twilight sighed as she levitated her crown onto her head via her magic.
“What's wrong, Twilight?” asked Spike.
“I don't know, Spike. I'm just... worried,” admitted Twilight. “Princess Cadance was given the Crystal Empire to rule over. What if, now that I'm a Princess, Celestia expects me to lead a kingdom of my own?”
“That would be awesome!” said Spike.
“No it would not!” said Twilight. “Just because I have this crown and these wings doesn't mean I'll be a good leader!”
“Aw, sure ya will, Twi,” said Spike. “C'mon, you wanna have a duel before we go to bed?”
Twilight brightened right up. “You’re on.” She brought out her deck via her magic.
Spike then took out his. “Let’s duel!”
Twilight LP: 4000
Spike LP: 4000
(A few minutes later)
Twilight LP: 1000
Spike LP: 0
“Yes!” said Twilight.
“Darn,” said Spike snapping his claws. “Oh well, way to go, Twi.”
“Thanks, Spike,” said Twilight. “That win made me feel better.”
“Glad I could help,” said Spike lying in his bed. “But just you wait ‘til next time.”
“Anytime… anywhere,” said Twilight as she tried to tuck her wings under the sheet.
Later that night, a mysterious, cloaked unicorn snuck out of a room across from Twilight’s. She then crept past the patrol of royal guards and into Twilight’s room. Using her magic, she swapped Twilight's crown with a mock replica. As the mare snuck past Spike, he rolled over in his sleep and flipped his tail into her path, causing the thief to trip.
“Huh? What?” muttered Spike as he woke.
Twilight yawned and opened her eyes. Noticing the crown in the unicorn's saddlebag she cried out. “My crown! She's got my crown!”
The mare ran out of the room.
“Stop! Thief!” yelled Twilight. The other girls woke up and looked out their rooms as Twilight ran after the unicorn. “She's stolen my crown!”
“Come on!” called Rainbow as the girls gave chase.
Twilight then teleported herself in front of the mare. “Stop!” But the unicorn teleported just before running into Twilight, leaving her cloak behind. The mare then reappeared in front of Twilight and continued galloping toward the same room she snuck out of. As Twilight caught up with the thief, she jumped and tackling the unicorn to the ground, causing her crown to fall. It then bounced off a few pieces of furniture, and vanished through a large mirror.
Seto Kaiba was riding in his limo back to Kaiba Corp with Obelisk the Tormentor in his hand. “One down, two more to go.” As the car stopped, Kaiba opened the door at stepped out, only to land his foot on a solid object. “How did my championship crown end up outside of my building? Roland!”
“Yes, Mr. Kaiba?” asked Roland.
“Get this back inside!” ordered Kaiba. “And keep a better eye on it this time.”
“Yes, sir!” said Roland.
“What did you do with my crown?!” asked Twilight.
“Sorry it had to be this way...” said the mare sarcastically. Princess. She then ran through the mirror and disappeared.
The girls all gasped.
“Who was that?” asked Fluttershy.
“Come, and I shall explain,” said Celestia at the door. Everyone gathered in the throne room. “Her name is Sunset Shimmer, a former student of mine. She began her studies with me not long before Twilight. But when she didn’t get what she wanted as quickly as she hoped, she turned cruel and dishonest. I tried to help her, but she eventually decided to abandon her studies and pursue her own path. One that has sadly led to her stealing your crown.”
“She replaced Twilight's, with this one,” said Spike holding up the fake crown.
“I suppose Sunset thought you wouldn't realize right away that this was not yours,” assumed Celestia. “And by the time you did, it would be too late to go after your Element of Harmony.”
“But I don't understand,” said Twilight. “Where did she go? Why did she take the crown?”
“You'll soon know more about this place, than even I do,” said Celestia as they walked back to the mirror’s room.
After Luna explained the history of the mirror and how Sunset used it to escape, Celestial prepared Twilight to go through the mirror.
“You must go at once,” said Celestia.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa!” said Rainbow. “If she's going, then we're going with her. Right, girls?”
“Oooh! I'm so nervicited!” said Pinkie.
“You do realize that's not a real word, right?” asked AJ.
“I'm afraid I can't let you all go,” said Celestia.
“What?!” asked Rainbow. “Why not?!”
“Sending all of you could upset the balance of this alternate world,” explained Celestia. “Creating havoc that would make it impossible for Twilight to get her crown back. This is something she must do alone.”
“Time is of the essence,” said Luna. “On the third day, when the moon reaches its peak in the night sky, the gateway will close. And once it does, it will be another thirty moons before you will be able to return.”
After receiving some words of encouragement from her friends, Twilight galloped into the mirror. Feeling anxious, Spike ran in after her.
“Spike, No!!” cried the girls.
Dizzy from her journey, Twilight opened her eyes and looked around.
“Uh, Twilight?” asked Spike.
“Huh? Spike! You're not supposed to–” Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing. “Spike? Are you a... dog?”
Spike looked at his current form. “I... think so. But I have no idea what you are!”
Twilight gasped. Instead of her front hooves, she now had long arms with digits! She then screamed in panic.
“Twilight,” interrupted Spike. “You have to get it together!”
Twilight calmed down. “What... does the rest of me look like?!”
“Um, like you. Only not you,” said Spike. “Your muzzle's really small.”
“My muzzle?!” asked Twilight. She was about to scream again when Spike thrust his paw over her mouth.
“Just calm down, Twi,” said Spike. Twilight nodded. “Where are we?”
“I don’t know,” answered Twilight. “But this statue must serve as the gateway back to Equestria…We need to find my crown and get back home as soon as possible. I suggest we start searching that castle first.”
“Works for me,” said Spike. He then jumped on Twilight’s back and she galloped toward the castle on all fours.
As Twilight ran, Spike poked her shoulder to inform her that a stranger was passing by with his dog. But he was walking on two legs instead of four!
“Yeah,” said Spike. “I don't think this is how the new you is supposed to–”
Twilight immediately stood up, throwing Spike off her back. She then smiled and waved at the male figure. The boy ignored the two and kept walking, dragging his dog along.
Twilight tried walking on two legs, only to find it mildly difficult. She stumbled all the way to the stairs of the building and grasped the guardrail for balance. “C'mon, Spike. I do not wanna be like this for longer than I have to.”
“Well, look on the bright side,” said Spike. “At least you don't have those pesky wings anymore.”
Twilight glared at him. She then tried to open the door with her magic, but slammed right into it. “My magic! It isn’t working!”
“Makes sense,” said Spike. “You don’t exactly have your horn.”
“What?!!” cried Twilight.
Suddenly, a bell rang, and dozens of multi-colored teenagers poured out from the castle and down the stairs. Feeling overwhelmed, Twilight stumbled her way out of the crowd and bumped into a teenage boy with spiky blue hair.
“Whoa! You okay?” asked the boy as he offered his hand to her.
Twilight took it, stood up, and nodded her thanks. The boy then took off.
“I am so glad school’s over,” said one of the teens.
“School?” asked Twilight.
“I’m guessing, this is not a castle,” assumed Spike.
Twilight then heard voices coming from the side of the school.
“Ha! Told you, you wouldn’t stand a chance.”
“Fine, you win. Congratulations.”
Twilight peeked around the side and saw two female teens. One had crimson and yellow hair, while the other had pale, rose hair. The two of them were holding some big pieces of metal with cards inside.
“They play Duel Monsters here too?!” whispered Twilight.
“But what are those silver things?” whispered Spike.
“I don’t know,” replied Twilight.
“Now about my prize,” said the red-haired girl.
“But the tournament doesn’t start until tomorrow,” said the other.
“Excuse me?!!” asked the red-haired girl.
“N-n-nothing...” said the other girl as she held out one of her cards.
Spiked growled silently.
“That’s more like it,” said the red-haired girl. “What?! The Inaba White Rabbit? This card is worthless! Man, you really are pathetic. It's no wonder your best friends are all stray animals.”
“How dare you speak to her that way!” said Twilight as she stepped out.
“What did you say?!” asked red-haired girl.
“I said, how dare you speak to her that way!” repeated Twilight.
The girl looked Twilight in the eye and smiled. “You must be new here. I can speak to anyone any way I want.” She then walked away and threw the card she just took on the ground.
Twilight picked it up and handed it to the other girl.
“Thank you,” said the rose haired girl. “I can't believe you actually did that.”
“I couldn't just stand there,” said Twilight.
“Well, it’s just that nobody ever stands up to Sunset Shimmer,” said the girl.
“Sunset Shimmer?!” asked Twilight.
“You’ve heard of her?” asked the girl.
“Sort of…” answered Twilight.
“I don't think I've seen you around,” said the girl. “Did you just transfer to Canterlot High from another school?”
“Um... yes!” said the Princess. “That’s how! My name's Twilight.”
“I'm... Fluttershy,” said the girl very quietly.
“Sorry, what was that?” asked Twilight.
“It's Fluttershy!” she said even quieter.
“It sounds like you're saying Fluttershy,” said Twilight. “But how can that...?”
“Oh, my goodness!” said Fluttershy. “Who's this sweet little guy?”
“That's Spike! My, uh... dog!” replied Twilight.
“Oh, he's so cute!” said Fluttershy as she brought out a dog biscuit. “Go on, eat up, little pup!”
Spike tasted the treat, then scarfed down the rest.
“So… what’s that thing on your arm?” asked Twilight.
“My duel disk,” answered Fluttershy.
“A… duel disk?” asked Twilight.
“It’s the new dueling system that Kaiba Corp just released,” said Fluttershy. “But only elite duelists can get them.”
“Um…We didn’t have things like this in my old town,” said Twilight. “Could you please explain all this to me?”
“Sure,” said Fluttershy. “When Kaiba Corp first released this, I didn’t know anything about it either.”
“What’s Kaiba Corp?” asked Twilight.
“You’ve never heard of the Kaiba Corporation?” asked Fluttershy, astonished.
Twilight’s cheeks turned red. “Nope.”
So Fluttershy told Twilight about the history of Kaiba Corp. “Now, Seto Kaiba is throwing this big dueling tournament called Battle City, because it’s gonna take place right here in the city. Whoever wins will be declared the best duelist in the world, and receive a crown.”
“A crown?!” asked Twilight. “What kind of crown?”
Fluttershy pulled out her cell phone and showed Twilight a picture of the Battle City championship crown. “This one.”
“That’s it!” said Twilight.
“What’s it?” asked Fluttershy.
“I mean… nice crown,” corrected Twilight. “How do you get it?”
“You’d have to win the Battle City tournament,” said Fluttershy.
“Is there any other way?” asked Twilight.
“No,” said Fluttershy. “But you better watch out. Sunset Shimmer wants to win that crown. Not only does she have really bad attitude, but she’s also a great duelist. She’d make a good wife for Seto Kaiba.”
“Okay…” said Twilight. “How do I apply?”
“First, you have to register at the office downtown,” began Fluttershy. “If your rank is high enough, then you get a duel disk and that’s basically it. But you better hurry, the tournament begins tomorrow. Oh! I gotta go, it’s feeding time at the animal shelter. Bye, and good luck!”
“Thanks,” called Twilight. “Well this is just great.”
“Why didn’t you just tell her that the crown was yours?” asked Spike.
“Cause now, that big Kaiba Company has it,” said Twilight. “And based on what Fluttershy told me about this guy, the only way I could get it back is by using my magic, which I don’t have. Looks like if I want my crown back, I'll have to win the Battle City tournament. So that's what I'm gonna do!”
“And how exactly do you plan on doing that?” asked Spike.
“I have no idea!” admitted Twilight.
“Let’s go inside the school,” suggested Spike. “Maybe there’s still someone there who can help us.”
“Hope so,” said Twilight as she opened the door.
After walking around for bit, Twilight heard a voice coming from the auditorium. “Man, that was some party.”
Twilight walked and saw a semi-familiar face cleaning up streamers and torn balloons. “Hi, my name is Twilight and…Pinkie Pie?”
Pinkie stopped and grabbed Twilight’s shirt. “Are you psychic?!”
“Um…no,” answered Twilight. “Unless that’s a normal thing here.”
“Not usually,” said Pinkie.
“I was wondering if you help me find the registration office downtown?” asked Twilight.
Pinkie gasped. “Are you applying for Battle City?!”
“I guess so,” said Twilight. “How’d you know?”
“Cause I registered yesterday,” said Pinkie as she pulled out her duel disk.
“Just like Fluttershy’s” said Twilight.
“Fluttershy, huh? Don't let the whole ‘shy’ thing fool you. She can be a real bitch.”
“You two aren't friends?” asked Twilight.
“We better get going,” said Pinkie changing the subject. “The office closes in half an hour.”
“Oh crap,” said Twilight. “Let’s go!”
(Later downtown)
“So, what’s your favorite class?” asked Pinkie as the two walked.
“I just transferred here today,” said Twilight.
“Oooh!” said Pinkie. “I thought you didn't look familiar. Though, now that I'm really lookin' at you... Do you have a twin sister who lives in the city, has a pet dog named Spike that looks just like yours?”
“Uh, maybe?” guessed Twilight.
“Thought so,” said Pinkie. “Anyhoo, here we are.”
Twilight opened the door, only to find another pair of familiar faces inside. “Applejack and Big Macintosh?!!”
“So, Big Mac, is your deck ready?” asked Applejack.
“Eeyup,” answered Big Mac.
“Hey, I know you,” said Applejack.
“You do?” asked Twilight.
“Sure,” said Applejack. “I saw you stand up to Sunset Shimmer, just before I left. Gotta say, that took guts. About the only other one who would ever that the guts to do that is Rainbow Dash.”
“Rainbow Dash?” asked Twilight.
“She’s the captain of like every team at CHS,” said Pinkie. “And a pretty good duelist.”
“She’s also the captain of liars,” added Applejack.
Just then a group of four people walked into the office.
“How ya doin’?” asked one of them.
“Hi,” said office owner. “May I be of some assistance?”
“Holy cow!” said Applejack.
“What’s wrong?” asked Twilight.
“That’s Yugi Moto!” said AJ. “He’s the current king of games.”
“Really?” asked Twilight.
“Eeyup,” answered Big Mac.
“He and his friends go to that school in the city, Domino High,” said Pinkie. “That there’s his best friend, Joey Wheeler. He came in second place in the last big tournament. The girl is Tea, Yugi’s girlfriend.”
“Who’s the last guy?” asked Twilight.
“I don’t know,” said AJ. “Some random loser, I guess.”
“We came to register for the Battle City tournament and get our duel disks,” said Yugi.
“Well then my friends,” said owner. “You’ve come to the right place. I’ve got three duel disks left. But first, I have to see if you’re qualified to enter.”
“Okay,” said Yugi. “I’m Yugi Moto.”
“Alright then,” said the owner as he typed in the name on his computer. “Not bad. You’ve got five stars, that’s the highest rank, so here you are. Kaiba’s new and improved duel disk system.”
“Awesome,” said Yugi. “Thank you.”
Joey then rushed to the counter. “I wanna register too! Joey Wheeler’s the name!”
“Let me see,” said the owner as he typed. “I’m sorry Joey, you’ve only got one star, your rank too low to register.”
“THAT CAN”T BE!!” yelled Joey. “KAIBA FIXED THOSE RESULTS!! I came in second place at Duelist Kingdom!!”
Tristen then grabbed Joey. “Hey man, just calm down! Don’t have a cow.”
“Get off me!” said Joey as he broke free.
“It is weird he doesn’t qualify,” said Tea.
“If he really came in second place, why can’t he register?” whispered Twilight.
“Because Kaiba doesn’t like him,” answered Applejack.
“What?!” asked Twilight.
“I know,” said Pinkie. “He only invites people that he likes.”
“But, everyone deserves an equal chance,” said Twilight. “That’s just not right.”
“Relax, Joey,” said Tea.
“I can’t believe Kaiba did this!” said Joey.
“There must be some explanation,” said Yugi.
The owner took another look at Joey’s page. Once he saw that Joey’s rarest card was the Red Eyes Black Dragon, he smiled and pushed a few buttons. “I’m sorry Joey, it appears my hard drive was malfunctioning, and that you actually have four stars. Congratulations, you qualify.”
“Yeah!” said Joey. “I knew it! Let me see those beautiful stars! Hey, my kisser ain’t lookin too bad either. I knew the computer was missed up. That’s why I was able to stay calm and keep my cool while he fixed it.”
Twilight, AJ, Big Mac, and Pinkie all laughed quietly.
“Best of luck,” said the owner as he handed Joey his disk.
“Come to papa!” said Joey.
“Battle City, here we come!” said Yugi. “Oh, hi. Are you girls entering the tournament too?”
“Yep!” said Pinkie.
“I love your hair styles!” said Tea. “Hi, I’m Tea Gardner.”
“I’m Pinkie Pie,” she said. “And these are my friends, Twilight, and Applejack.”
“Nice names,” said Tea. She then looked down at Spike. “Your dog’s cute too.”
“Thanks,” said Twilight. “His name is Spike.”
Tristan then walked to Applejack. “Hey, beautiful, name’s Tristan Ta-”
Big Mac grabbed him up by the shirt and lifted him up.
Applejack turned her head. “Sorry boy. My big bro here doesn’t like strangers.”
“Nope!” said Big Mac in an angry voice.
“I-I see,” said Tristan. After a few seconds, Big Mac dropped him.
Twilight then walked to the counter. “I’d like to register too. My name is Twilight Sparkle.”
“Okay,” said the owner.
“OH NO!!!” realized Twilight. “I’m not from here!! I don’t have a status!!”
“Wow,” said the owner. “You also have five stars. Congratulations, the last duel disk is yours.”
“Uh?” asked Twilight. “May I see those results?”
“Sure,” said the owner as he turned the computer screen around.
“What the?” thought Twilight. She was looking at a picture of herself with glasses and a different hair style. Twilight then remembered Pinkie asking about a twin sister. “Whew. I guess the Twilight in this world is also great duelist. Thank you, Celestia.”
“Is something wrong?” asked the owner.
“Oh no!” said Twilight. “I just… don’t like this picture.”
“I agree,” said Tea. “Your current look is much better.”
“Guys, I gotta get going,” said Joey. “My sister’s operation’s tomorrow, and I told I’d stay at the hospital tonight.”
“Alright,” said Yugi. “Wish Serenity luck for me Joey.”
“Right,” said Joey. “Nice meeting you ladies, later!”
“Bye Joey,” said Tea. She then walked out with Yugi and Tristan.
“Operation?” asked Twilight.
“Yeah,” said Pinkie. “His litter sister’s about to go blind, so she’s getting a three million dollar eye operation tomorrow.”
“Three million?!” asked Twilight.
“You bet,” said AJ. “Joey won the three mill in the last big tournament just to pay for her operation.”
“Wow,” said Twilight. “What a guy. Kinda reminds me of Shining Armor. How do you know all that?”
“My sister Marble goes to Domino High,” said Pinkie. “She tells me everything.”
“Oh, well, I hope everything goes well for him,” said Twilight. “So, now that I have the disk. What’s next?”
“That’s it!” said Pinkie. “Now we just wait until tomorrow.”
“Oh, okay,” said Twilight. “Well, I better get going. Thanks for the help, Pinkie.”
“Glad to help,” said Pinkie.
“Bye Pinkie, Applejack,” said Twilight as she headed for the exit.
“Hey,” called AJ. “How’d ya know my name?”
“Uh, didn’t you say?” asked Twilight.
“Nope,” answered Big Mac.
“Uh… I gotta get going,” said Twilight. “Come on, Spike!”
“She’s Psychic!” whispered Pinkie.
“If you say so,” said AJ. She and Pinkie then walked out, only to find Sunset, Snips and Snails waiting for them.
“So you two were actually able to get disks?” asked Sunset. “What a surprise. Oh well, at least I know where I can get my first two locater cards.”
“It ain't necessarily gonna be that easy!” said Applejack.
“Is that so?!” asked Sunset. “You country folk really aren't that bright.”
Applejack’s face red burned red with anger.
“Nobody’s better than me, right boys?” asked Sunset.
“Totally!” said Snips.
“You bet!” added Snails.
“I don’t know,” said Pinkie. “Twilight’s dueling rank was just as high as yours. Five whole stars!”
“Twilight?!” asked Sunset. “Twilight Sparkle?!”
“Uh…yeah,” said Pinkie.
“Where is she?” asked Sunset in a serious tone. “I-I mean, I'm looking forward to meeting the competition.” She then left with Snips and Snails.
“Here comes the backstabbing,” whispered AJ.
“Where are we going, Twilight?” asked Spike.
“Back to the school,” said Twilight. “I wanna do some research in their library.”
“Hi,” said a voice from behind. Twilight turned to see Sunset Shimmer. “Can't believe I didn't recognize you earlier, shoulda known Princess Celestia would send her prized pupil here after my crown.”
“It's my crown!” said Twilight.
“Whatever,” said Sunset. “This is just a minor setback. You’ll never make it into the finals.”
Spike then growled at her.
“Oh, and I'd keep an eye on your mutt,” said Sunset. “Hate for him to be... taken away from you.”
“Is that a threat?” asked Spike.
“Oh, of course not,” said Sunset. “But I'd cut down on the chatter if I were you. Don't want everyone to know you don't belong here, would you? I would say good luck, but let’s not kid ourselves, you don’t know the first thing about this place. What makes you think you can even operate a duel disk?”
“I’m a fast learner,” said Twilight.
“You better be,” said Sunset as she walked away.
Later, Sunset rallied Snips and Snails by the school statue. “I want to you two to follow that new girl around the school, and film her a little. I’ll do the rest.”
“You got it!” said Snips.
“I just got a new phone,” said Snails.
“I don’t care!” yelled Sunset. “Just get going!”