Once upon a time, in the magical land of Equestria, there were two regal sisters who ruled together and created harmony for all the land.
The eldest used her magic to raise the sun at dawn and bring out the moon to begin the night. As time went on, the younger sister became concerned about the eldest, and the toll her duties were taking on her.
One day, the younger sister asked the eldest to teach her the way to control the moon, so she could help her with her duties. However, the eldest sister refused, saying she could feel darkness in the heart of the younger sister.
Day after day, the younger sister worked to vanish the darkness in her heart. At last she succeeded, yet the very darkness she purged from herself transformed into a being of pure evil: Nightmare Moon. She vowed that she would shroud the land in eternal night.
Even with their combined powers, both sisters were unable to defeat Nightmare Moon. In one final effort, the younger sister sacrificed her life and banished Nightmare Moon permanently in the moon. Once again, the elder sister took on responsibility for both, sun and moon, and harmony has been maintained in Equestria for generations since.
A woman stands firm in the middle of an open-air arena, bathed in the warm light of the spring sun. “This is a Duel Disk,” she states, raising her left hand and showing the small, white, rectangular shaped device tied around her forearm by a black leather strap. “It’s a magical artifact created for the sole purpose of dueling,” she explains. “Engraved with special runes, it collects the excess magic from its surroundings and focuses it to create solid holographic projections with a high level of interactivity.”
The woman is tall and stunningly beautiful, with perfect, milky-white skin, a gorgeous face and soft magenta eyes. Her hair shines with the colors of the aurora; vibrant shades of blue, green and pink, and is so long it goes down her waist, flowing softly behind her as if carried by a perpetual breeze. Her exceptionally well-toned arms give her an Amazonian kind of appeal. She wears sandals and a long, pure white, shoulder less dress with golden trims. The vertical cuts at the sides of her skirt reveal her long, shapely legs. The dress presses tightly over her firm, round butt and ample bosom, highlighting her hourglass figure.
In front of her, the crowd of teenage boys and girls listen attentively, every single one of them carrying a Duel Disk of their own. As first year students of the Eos Dueling School, they all wear the same black polished shoes and gold trimmed, white uniforms, with pants for the boys and short, pleated skirts for the girls.
With a soft touch of her index finger, the Duel Disk hums to life, the square shaped screen on the center lighting up. A yellow, curved blade of pure magical energy suddenly unfolds from the disk, drawing the awe of the crowd. She points out the different spaces for monster, spell and trap cards, as well as the slots for deck and extra deck, graveyard and banishment. “Now,” she looks around the presents. “I’m going to need a volunteer.”
There is a long moment of silence. Nobody in the crowd dares to take a step forward. “Come on now, don’t be shy,” she says with an encouraging smile and a tilt of her head. “We’re all using the same pre-constructed decks here.”
A hand slowly rises from the back of the crowd, followed by a voice calling meekly. “P-Princess Celestia…” A bespectacled boy with short, reddish hair and brown eyes emerges from the crowd, walking stiffly. “I-I would like to volunteer,” he declares meekly. The boy blushes when a couple of his classmates tease him from behind for his boldness.
Celestia smiles kindly. “Thank you, Firecracker.”
Firecracker’s eyes widen in surprise. He did not expect her to remember his name. His blush intensifies and he mutters a response, drawing several chuckles from his classmates.
Celestia turns around and walks away until she is far enough, then turns to face him again. “Shall we begin?” She asks raising her Duel Disk.
Firecracker nods and activates his Duel Disk.
Two life points counters appear on both sides of the field, above their respective owners; each reading 4000. After a couple of seconds, they vanish. The screen on each Duel Disk flashes alternatively, finally stopping on Celestia. “It looks like I will be taking the first turn,” she comments.
With a soft whirr, the Duel Disks eject five cards, which both duelists pick up.
Celestia examines her hand briefly, picks a card between her index and middle fingers and slaps it on her disk with a swift and elegant move. “Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior.” A mechanical monster appears on the field, emitting a loud humming sound as electricity courses through its whole body.
A few students comment about how realistic the monster looks.
Celestia continues her explanation. “The screen on your Duel Disks will display all relevant information, including face-up cards’ effects on both, field and graveyard, number of turns that have passed and remaining life points of each duelist.” She taps the screen a couple of times, making the Duel Disk eject a single card, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, and automatically re-shuffle her deck as soon as she picks it. “If you need to search for a card in order to comply with an effect, like that of Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior, you can select it from the screen and your Duel Disk will automatically take care of the process for you,” she finishes her explanation with a wink. “It’s all very convenient, isn’t it?” She picks another card from her hand and slides it on her Duel Disk facedown. It appears obscured behind her monster. “Turn end,” she declares.
Firecracker pulls the first card on top of his deck. “Draw!” He bites his lower lip, his eyes dart between each card in his hand.
“Take your time,” Celestia assures him with a smile. “This is a practice duel, there’s no time limit here.”
Firecracker nods. He takes a deep breath and plays his first card. “X-Head Cannon!”
Celestia swiftly takes the opportunity and tributes Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior to special summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior from her deck in defense position.
Firecracker is undeterred. He activates Limiter Removal, doubling the attack points of his monster and orders the attack on the opposing monster. “Double Shot!” A single blast from X-Head Cannon’s barrels reduces Gamma the Magnet Warrior to dust. Firecracker sets two cards and finishes his turn. X-Head Cannon emits a horrendous, metallic shriek and explodes.
Celestia draws a card. “Trap card open,” she declares with a wave of her hand. “Rock Bombardment.” She sends Beta the Electromagnetic Warrior from her deck to her graveyard to inflict 500 points of damage to her opponent.
Firecracker shields his head as several boulders fall from above around him. The counter above his head displays his remaining life points at 3500, before disappearing again.
Celestia calmly explains that Duel Disks have a function to regulate the damage inflicted by the projections. “Right now, our disks are set at minimum, so you won’t feel a thing,” she assures him with a smile of amusement.
Firecracker lowers his arms, embarrassed at his own overreaction.
Celestia resumes her play. She normal summons Gamma the Electromagnetic Warrior, using its effect to special summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior from her hand in defense position and setting a single card. She glances briefly at his two set cards. “Turn end.”
Firecracker takes a deep breath. “Draw!” He looks at his newest card and smiles. “Union Hangar!” A huge elevator rises from the ground behind him. He retrieves Y-Dragon Head from his deck with the effect of Union Hangar, and then activates both of his set cards. Call of the Haunted, to revive X-Head Cannon and Frontline Base, to special summon Y-Dragon Head. Finally, he normal summons Z-Metal Tank. He is not done yet, as he uses the second effect of Union Hangar to retrieve B-Buster Drake from his deck and equip it to Z-Metal Tank. “XYZ Fusion Summon!” Firecracker banishes all three of his monsters to summon XYZ – Dragon Cannon. They break apart and combine spectacularly to create an impressive battle machine. B-Buster Drake goes to the graveyard and its effect activates, allowing him to add C-Crush Wyvern from his deck to his hand.
Celestia quickly tributes Gamma the Electromagnetic Warrior to special summon Beta the Magnet Warrior from her deck in defense position.
Firecracker discards C-Crush Wyvern from his hand to destroy Alpha the Magnet Warrior. “XYZ Hyper Cannon!” He continues ordering his XYZ – Dragon Cannon to attack Beta the Magnet Warrior. “Hyper Destruction!” The overwhelming barrage reduces Beta to a pile of rubble. He lets out a small breath of exhaustion, sets the last card in his hand and finishes his turn.
Celestia smiles approvingly and compliments Firecracker for both, his plays and use of the Duel Disk.
Firecracker blushes when several of his classmates start cheering for him.
“My turn.” Celestia draws. She wastes no time revealing her set card. “Magnet Conversion.” She adds Alpha the Magnet Warrior, Beta the Magnet Warrior and Gamma the Magnet Warrior from her graveyard to her hand. “Combination Summon!” Celestia tributes Alpha, Beta and Gamma from her hand, sending them back to the graveyard. The three warriors appear before her, splitting apart and merging into a new form. “Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!”
“Trap card open!” Firecracker swiftly activates his set Fiendish Chain. The air distorts and several black chains shoot outwards, tightly binding Valkyrion. The monster struggles to no avail. “As long as I have Fiendish Chain Valkyrion won’t be able to attack or activate its effect,” he states firmly.
Celestia compliments Firecracker once again. She activates Swords of Revealing Light from her hand. Several blades of light rain from above, forming a barrier between the two duelists. She sets the last card in her hand and declares the end of her turn.
Firecracker draws. “Vampire Lord,” he mutters halfheartedly. He discards it to activate the effect of his XYZ – Dragon Cannon. “XYZ Hyper Cannon!” The Dragon Cannon fires, decimating Valkyrion the Magna Warrior, alongside the Fiendish Chain.
“Trap card, open.” Celestia activates her set Soul Rope. Her life points go down from 4000 to 3000 and a beautiful blonde knightess leaps from her deck, guided by a golden rope and takes on the field in defense position.
Firecracker ends his turn and the count for the Swords of Revealing Light goes up to one, several of the blades of light vanishing from the field.
Celestia draws. “I summon King’s Knight.” A stern-looking knight appears standing next to the Queen’s Knight. They look at each other and nod, crossing their swords. “When King’s Knight is summoned while I control Queen’s Knight, I can special summon Jack’s Knight from my deck.” A taller knight leaps from Celestia’s deck and the three of them stand firmly before her. She ends her turn.
“Draw!” Firecracker looks at his newest card, The Flute of Summoning Dragon. He shakes his head, discards it to activate XYZ – Dragon Cannon’s effect once more and destroys the Swords of Revealing Light. “Hyper Destruction!” The Dragon Cannon attacks, destroying King’s Knight and lowering Celestia’s life points to 1800. “Turn end!”
Celestia calmly draws a card, changes her Jack’s Knight to defense position and ends her turn.
Firecracker draws and his eyes widen. “This is it,” he declares confidently. “I discard A-Assault Core to activate the effect of my XYZ – Dragon Cannon! Hyper Destruction!” The monster opens fire, destroying Jack’s Knight. “Now, I banish A-Assault Core, B-Buster Drake and C-Crush Wyvern from my graveyard!” He throws his hand up and shouts loudly. “ABC Fusion Summon!” The three monsters rocket upwards into the sky, breaking apart and merging into a powerful, draconic-like machine. “ABC-Dragon Buster!”
Firecracker grins, his whole body shivering in anticipation. He points forward and orders the attack of ABC-Dragon Buster on Queen’s Knight. “Dragon Burst Shot!” The attack vaporizes the Queen’s Knight without leaving a single stray hair. He pumps his fist in celebration and quickly orders the attack of XYZ – Dragon Cannon. “Hyper Destruction!”
The students watch shocked as the XYZ – Dragon Cannon mercilessly bombards Celestia, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Much to their surprise, however, her life points remain unchanged at 1800. As the cloud dissipates, countless, small fuzzy monsters appear surrounding Celestia. She reveals the only card in her hand: Kuriboh. “By discarding this little one, I can reduce all the damage from a single battle to zero.”
Firecracker grumbles softly. “Ultimate Combination Summon,” he declares once again. Both, XYZ – Dragon Cannon and ABC-Dragon Buster merge into a breathtaking war machine. “A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon!” He exhales deeply. “I end my turn…”
Celestia grabs the top card of her deck between her thumb and index finger and draws in a swift, sharp motion. “Draw!” She looks at her newest card and smiles, content with the results. “I banish Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior, Beta the Electromagnetic Warrior and Gamma the Electromagnetic Warrior from my graveyard! Combination Summon!” Alpha, Beta and Gamma split apart and merge into a new monster. “Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior!” Berserkion’s body emits an almost deafening humming sound as electricity crackles over its arms and torso.
Celestia banishes Alpha the Magnet Warrior from her graveyard and Berserkion raises its coil-shaped sword above its head. “Magnetic Shockwave!” Firecracker’s eyes widen in realization and he swiftly activates the effect of his A-to-Z Dragon Buster Cannon, splitting it back into XYZ – Dragon Cannon and ABC-Dragon Buster. Having missed its original target, Berserkion’s effect is wasted.
Celestia nods in approval of Firecracker’s quick thinking. She repeats the process, banishing Alpha the Magnet Warrior, aiming to destroy ABC-Dragon Buster. Once more, Firecracker splits his monster into its original components in defense position. Celestia continues, banishing Gamma the Magnet Warrior to destroy C-Crush Wyvern, followed by declaring the attack of Berserkion on XYZ – Dragon Cannon. “Electromagnet Sword!” The XYZ – Dragon Cannon does not have time to adjust its weapons before the supercharged sword hits and it explodes, taking 200 points of Firecracker’s life points. Celestia crosses her arms daintily and declares the end of her turn.
Firecracker looks at his empty hands and gulps. None of his monsters can hope to defeat Berserkion in combat. He puts his hand over his deck, ready to surrender, when one of the girls in the crowd suddenly shouts. “Don’t give up!” A boy adds. “It’s not over until your life points reach zero!” Soon, every single one of his classmates is shouting words of encouragement.
Firecracker smiles flustered. “R-right!” He takes a deep breath. “Draw!” He looks at his newest card and smiles widely. “I tribute my two monsters!” Both A-Assault Core and B-Buster Drake vanish in a flash of light. “Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!” The mighty dragon appears on the field with an earth-shaking roar, its scales shining brightly under the light of the sun. His classmates loudly cheer for him. He retrieves C-Crush Wyvern with the effect of A-Assault Core. “I end my turn,” he declares with breath of relief.
Celestia smiles proudly and congratulates Firecracker for his dueling. “My turn.” She draws a card and immediately banishes Magnet Conversion from her graveyard to special summon her banished Alpha the Magnet Warrior, followed by offering it as a tribute to summon Berfomet from her hand.
Firecracker gasps in surprise. “It’s over,” he utters to himself.
Celestia banishes Alpha once again to activate the effect of Berserkion and destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. She orders the attack of her two monsters, knocking Firecracker’s life points down to zero. The students cheer and applaud loudly as all the remaining cards on the field vanish and the Duel Disks switch to standby mode.
Firecracker takes a deep breath and smiles satisfied. Celestia approaches him and extends her hand. “Good game.” He nods and accepts her shake. Her hand is so smooth and delicate that he unconsciously holds a soft grasp on her fingers as she takes it back. She smiles knowingly, making his cheeks turn bright red. A few of his classmates snicker loudly.
Celestia raises her hand to silence the crowd. “Remember, my students; it doesn’t matter if we win or lose,” she states. “The reward is the same for all of us, the experience we gain.” She clasps her hands together. “Now, I want everybody to split in pairs and test your Duel Disks,” she instructs. “Make sure you periodically rotate the pairings to duel as many of your classmates as possible.”
The students quickly scatter around the arena, cheerfully engaging each other. Several boys drag Firecracker away, commenting on how lucky he was to hold Princess Celestia’s hand and asking how it felt. “V-Very soft,” he answers flustered.
Celestia looks around, smiling fondly as she watches her students duel. She thinks that, while she did found the Eos Dueling School to prepare them for a career of professional dueling, seeing her students having fun was her favorite part of teaching.
“Princess Celestia!”
A young girl comes running from Celestia’s side. She is very pretty, with her pale skin, soft facial features and slender frame. She has light violet eyes and long, straight darker hair with a brilliant rose streak going down the middle. Her bangs are perfectly leveled, trimmed above her upper eyelids and her sidelocks are trimmed at shoulder level. She wears the same uniform as the first year students, but colored purple instead of white. Her skirt leaves most of her shapely legs uncovered and it sways widely with every step she takes, showing a bit more of her smooth thighs.
“Twilight Sparkle, my dearest, most faithful student,” Celestia greets her warmly. “How are you doing?”
Twilight leans forward, with her hands resting on her knees and breathing heavily. “Fine…thank you…”
Celestia patiently waits for her to recover before asking. “Would you like to join me? I’m sure the first years could learn a lot from you,” she adds hopefully.
“Thank you… but no.” Twilight takes one last breath and straightens herself. “I’m afraid I’m here to inform you that something terrible is about to happen, Princess.”
Celestia frowns slightly. “What is it?”
Twilight’s expression turns grim. “My continuing studies of the arcane arts in relation to Duel Monsters have led me to discover we are on the verge of disaster!” She looks around, leans closer to Celestia and whispers hurriedly. “Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal.”
Celestia blinks puzzled. “I’m afraid you lost me,” she says with all sincerity.
Twilight bites her lower lip. “The Maiden in the Moon! Nightmare Moon! The longest day of the thousandth year coincides with the Summer Sun Celebration!” She exclaims exasperated. “The same Summer Sun Celebration you will preside the day after tomorrow!”
Celestia sighs tiredly. “Your diligence is undoubtedly one of your greatest virtues, Twilight, but you have to stop reading those dusty old books.” She tilts her head and adds chidingly. “There’s more to a young Equestrian’s life than just studying, you know.”
Twilight mouths open and closes like a fish gasping for air. “B-But!”
Celestia swiftly places her index finger over Twilight’s lips; silencing her and making her cheeks turn a nice shade of pink. “No buts, my faithful student,” she says firmly. “And while we’re on the subject of the Summer Sun Celebration, I have a special assignment for you.”
“A-Assignment?” Twilight asks dumbfounded.
Celestia nods. “As you know, this year’s location for the Summer Sun Celebration is the town of Ponyville--”
Twilight frowns slightly. “Are you sending me there to supervise the preparations?” She asks tentatively.
Celestia waves her hand dismissively. “Oh no, I have already taken care of that. You see, Ponyville’s Duel Monsters School--”
“Wait a minute.” Twilight raises her left hand. “Ponyville has a dueling school?”
Celestia smirks. “That would depend on you, my faithful student,” she says mischievously.
Twilight’s frown deepens. “Me?”
Celestia nods slowly. “Any school, no matter how small, needs an official permission in order to formally instruct students on Duel Monsters,” she explains. “Normally, I would send a teacher, but since they’re all too busy right now, I would like to ask you to handle the inspection.”
Twilight’s eyes widen. “You want me to evaluate a potential dueling school?”
Celestia lowers her chin with an expectant look. “Can I entrust you with the task?”
Twilight immediately straightens up, puffing her chest out as she declares firmly. “Of course, Princess! You can leave it to me!”
Celestia smiles satisfied. “Excellent!” She materializes a small scroll, which she hands to Twilight. “Here you will find all the details. I’ve also made arrangements for you to stay at the Golden Oak Library.” Her eyes suddenly widen. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she says with a snap of her fingers. “There’s one more thing…”
Twilight’s enthusiasm suddenly vanishes, her whole body deflating. She knows where this is going.
“Try to make some friends.”
Of course, she thinks. “Princess, with all due respect, I’m not really good when it comes to socializing…”
Celestia smiles, already aware of the way her dearest student would react. “Tell me, Twilight,” she says casually. “What is Duel Monsters?”
The sudden question takes Twilight by surprise, but she answers steadily. “Duel Monsters is a trading card game were two players clash by summoning creatures, conjuring spells and activating traps.”
Celestia giggles cheekily. “Nope,” she says in a singsong tone.
Twilight frowns in disbelief, but before she argues that she used the definition from the school’s rulebook, Celestia leans forward, placing a hand on her shoulder and looking straight into her eyes. “Duel Monsters is a way of connecting people,” Celestia says softly.
Twilight’s heart skips a beat. She can feel the heat rising in her cheeks as Celestia’s sweet perfume wafts into her nostrils.
Celestia straightens herself. “The cards we choose, how we build our decks and the way we play are a reflection of ourselves. Our minds and hearts. Our beliefs and morals. Our strengths and weaknesses. When two individuals duel, they are opening themselves and trying to understand each other as much as possible.” She shakes her head softly. “You are a very special girl, my dearest student.” Twilight’s blush intensifies. “But you will not be able to grow and mature as a person and as a duelist if you isolate yourself.”
Twilight looks downwards, holding back a sigh. “Yes, Princess.”
“Good.” Out of the corner of her eye, Celestia sees one of her students motioning for her to come over. She gives off one final instruction. “Make sure you send me a report once you’re done.”
Twilight replies mechanically. “Yes, Princess.” She watches Celestia walk away, before releasing her sigh. She closes her eyes, a purple aura surrounds her whole body and, in a flash of blinding light, she teleports away.
Inside one of the tallest towers in the city of Canterlot, a young, light-skinned boy lays comfortably on a small sofa, reading from one of his favorite comic books, surrounded by four large bookshelves filled to the brim with all kinds of books and scrolls. He has short, messy hair of a pale green color and darker eyes. He wears white sneakers, blue jeans and a green shirt with a purple jogging hoodie over it. His pupils, slit like those of a reptile, and particularly developed fangs betray his nature as a Dragonute, but also give him a curiously endearing look.
“SPIKE!”
The sudden shouting makes him jump in shock and fall face-first on the floor. “Ouch,” he mutters. He slowly looks up to see Twilight standing in front of him. She quirks an eyebrow. “Why are you taking a nap on the floor, Spike?” She asks bewildered. Before he can reply, Twilight waves her hand dismissively. “Never mind, I need you to get ready; we have a special assignment from Princess Celestia.”
Spike stands up and dusts himself. He looks at his comic book, several page bent after he fell on top of it. With a grumble, he drops the book over the sofa. “So, what’s this assignment about, Twilight?” He asks, crossing both arms over his chest.
Twilight retrieves a light purple Duel Disk from her desk. She explains about Princess Celestia’s assignment while adjusting it around her left arm.
Spike’s eyes widen in surprise. “Cool,” he mutters astounded. Twilight smiles and nods. “Man, Princess Celestia must really have faith in you if she entrusted you with an inspection,” he comments with a grin.
Twilight smile falters as she remembers how the Princess dismissed her warnings about the return of Nightmare Moon. She shakes her head. “Oh, and I’ve got to try to make some friends while I’m at it,” she adds with a roll of her eyes.
Spike tilts his head. “Geez, Twilight. What’s so bad about trying to make friends?”
“It’s a waste of time, Spike,” Twilight replies with a huff. “It doesn’t matter if I have a million friends, at the end of the day; Duel Monsters is a one-on-one affair.”
“What about tag duels?” Spike asks tentatively. Twilight’s expression softens. She smiles fondly, taking a step forward and pats him on the head. “That’s where my number one assistant comes in.” He blushes and giggles like a child. “Now go get your Duel Disk,” she instructs him.
Spike nods and rushes to his room.
Twilight’s smile vanishes. She waves her hand; enveloping an old, thick book over her desk in a glowing purple aura and making it float gently into her hands. She takes a look at the cover, Predictions and Prophecies, and mutters. “Guess it was just a fairy tale after all…”