It was a clear, sunny Saturday afternoon in the bustling city of Canterlot. The sounds of whirring engines and whipping winds were prevalent as a plethora of automobiles drove through the busy streets. The passengers within headed to and fro, from place to place -- whether it be a simple trip to the grocery store or a fun weekend family outing, planned in haste in an effort to savor the sun’s bountiful rays while they still had the chance.
Two teenage girls, however, had opted to traverse the town by foot on this fine day -- though one of them was considerably more comfortable with the idea of this level of physical activity than the other. Nevertheless; Twilight Sparkle: ever the determined and studious young woman that she was, was never one to back down from a challenge.
You know. Most of the time.
“Sunset… just how far away… is this new park, exactly?” Twilight managed between desperate gasps for air. "I thought you said... it was only a 'few blocks' away from the Sweet Shoppe?"
Sunset Shimmer bit back the little laugh attempting to force its way out of the back of her throat and smiled gently at her friend. She knew that Twilight was more of a reader than a runner, of course, and she didn't want to be mean about it. Well, not now -- not after she had invited her out and the girl had so graciously agreed. “It's not much farther now, Twilight. You can do this; I believe in you!” she declared, lightly slapping Twilight on the back as a sign of encouragement.
And if worse comes to worst, I can probably carry you the rest of the way or something. Don’t seem like you'd be very heavy, after all, Sunset thought -- not quite able to conceal the devious smirk that had made its way onto her face.
Twilight shot Sunset a small pout, as if she had heard exactly what Sunset was thinking, and grumbled under her slowly steadying breath. “Thanks. I guess.” She paused to stretch her arms high above her head and do some quick leg exercises in an attempt to reinvigorate herself. As she did so, something caught her eye across the way. “Hey; is that it, right over there?” she asked, turning to face Sunset, pointing toward the park in question.
The park itself was quite large, and -- as far as the two could tell -- it seemed there weren't a great deal of people currently hanging around the central area. A few parents and children were playing catch, someone was sitting on the bench with their dog as it lazed about, happily soaking in the sun, and a group of college-aged students seemed to be filming a video of some kind. However; there was also a sizable crowd gathered a ways in from the entrance, as if some elaborate event was taking place. Sunset hadn't heard of anything of the sort.
“Huh. It sure is,” Sunset confirmed, smile slipping. “Wonder what all the commotion is about. You think something bad happened?” she suggested cautiously. Something bad was almost always happening -- or about to happen -- whenever the two were involved, so she figured it... couldn't really hurt to ask?
“Beats me,” Twilight responded with a shrug as she readjusted her glasses. “I don't think it's anything dangerous or magical this time, at the very least. It feels a tad too... mundane. Should we go check it out, or should we just come back some other time?”
Sunset was almost tempted to go with Option Number Two -- just in case; but to her dismay, her curiosity managed to get the better of her. “I say we go check it out. At least to make sure it really is nothing serious, at least,” she added. Sunset didn't really want to admit that she was just interested in checking things out regardless, but it seemed Twilight wasn't fooled by her attempted nonchalance.
“Whatever you say, Sunset,” Twilight replied, a knowing smile on her face. Truth be told: she was plenty curious about the situation herself. "Let's get going, then!" she declared as she marched ahead; the short rest just enough for her to restore a good bit of her expended stamina.
Sunset shook her head and smiled as she followed behind her friend. Pinkie's enthusiasm might just be rubbing off on you, Twilight, she mused. She couldn't help but think about how nice it was to see the girl come further and further out of her shell these days -- especially after the things she'd dealt with since she first met Sunset Shimmer and their other friends during the "Friendship Games" sporting event their then-opposed schools took part in every few years.
The "dangerous or magical" things, to use Twilight's own words.
Sunset Shimmer still worried about her friend, even now. Twilight Sparkle had joined their circle quite some time after Sunset had; and due to the small, minor fact that she was an almost perfect doppelgänger of a magical, dimension-hopping actual princess that also happened to be a small pastel pony: she had some rather large shoes to fill. Or "horseshoes," as it were.
Though it was easier, now -- to think of the two Twilight Sparkle(s) as their own separate entities. And that's precisely why Sunset wanted to keep her friend happy; just like she was in that moment. The other Twilight had been well-prepared -- or at least more well-prepared for the situations she ended up in whenever she traveled from her homeland to this land of humans.
This Twilight, on the other hand, had been sucked into a world right beneath her nose that she was never meant to see -- let alone be such a big part of! One of powerful magic and dangerous creatures and potentially dangerous situations -- just because she'd been a little curious about a strange energy reading coming from the local public high school? It didn't exactly seem... fair, in retrospect.
"You okay, Sunset?" Twilight asked from a little ways ahead of Sunset, a small smile on her face in spite of the concern that shone through her expression. "You look like you're spacing out a little over there. Is something wrong?"
Sunset looked at that soft smile, and in it she saw all of the good will that practically seeped out of Twilight's whole being, and she couldn't help but laugh as gratitude welled up inside. "I'm fine; Twilight," she assured with a genuine smile of her own. "Just got caught up in the past again, is all. You know how it is."
Twilight's knowing look was enough to cause Sunset to avert her eyes. "I mean, sure I do. But what was that one line of yours? 'My past does not define me, my past is not today' or something like that?" she recalled, her tone light and teasing.
"Yeah, yeah; I showed you those lyrics in confidence!" Sunset closed her eyes and tried her best to pretend she was actually upset about having her own words used against her. In reality; it had actually made her feel a lot better about the whole situation. She'd have to seriously thank Twilight for being so... her later. "Enough about me; it's time to get back to gawking at strangers, or whatever it is that we were doing."
Twilight held back a giggle and nodded her head. The rest of their short walk was spent in comfortable silence.
As Sunset and Twilight approached the crowd, they noted the "commotion" in question was congregated around perhaps one of the most expensive and flashy aspects of the new park -- a marked, raised stage with many modern-looking mechanical parts that was apparently known as a “Duel Field,” according to the nearby sign. Sunset and Twilight weren’t quite in the know in regards to the card game the field was built for -- "Duel Monsters" -- but they knew just enough to recognize the rather silly-looking contraptions strapped to the wrists of many of the people present.
At this point it seemed the increasingly popular card game would do just about anything to get its more reserved players out and about, these high tech fields scattered around the country being only one of the more recent innovations. Though it had seemed a successful strategy, as it gave many people a reason to get out more and meet with others; making it a good conversation topic for nervous introverts and social extroverts alike.
At the center of the excited crowd were two young men; both probably around eighteen to twenty years old. They were, like many of the others, also equipped with the proper "Duel Monsters equipment," as silly as it seemed. The two appeared to be in the middle of a rather heated argument -- and Sunset and Twilight were bothered to note that a boy in his pre-teens stood cowering in the shadow of the shorter of the pair.
“Look; for the last time, Onyx,” the older and taller of the two began, practically snarling at the other man. “I told you, we had a deal. The kid agreed to hand it over and everything!” he stated, crossing his arms as if to say in no uncertain terms that the argument was over right then and there.
“He’s also twelve, Buster,” the one called "Onyx" replied flatly. He exhaled and ran a pale hand through his short, dark hair. “You’re being a bully and trying to extort stuff from a kid. That’s pretty low,” he continued, standing his ground in spite of the other man's somewhat imposing height advantage. “What’s it going to take for you to give this up?”
The crowd's murmurs around them grew in both volume and intensity as Sunset and Twilight shared a quick, bewildered glance. "It's totally happening!" someone exclaimed in a hushed tone. It seems they had made it just in time for... whatever this was to hit some kind of peak.
Buster squinted his eyes at Onyx for a few moments, as if sizing him up. After a few moments, he grinned widely. “Well; we’re both Duelists, right? How about we settle this with a Duel? The kid here can keep his card either way, but how about this: if I win -- ”
“You get one of my cards instead,” Onyx cut in, waving a hand dismissively. “Kind of a cliché ultimatum if I'm being honest -- but sure; whatever. As long as we can just get this little incident of ours sorted out quickly. You attracted a whole crowd with this little stunt of yours.” He clicked his tongue in disapproval, but his deadpan expression suddenly shifted into one of excitement and anticipation. He was more than willing to throw down, apparently.
“And now I’m going to have to take you out in front of all the nice people you involved! What a darn shame,” he continued, a little too casually for Buster's liking.
Onyx paused his taunting for a moment to send the young boy who had unintentionally ended up at the center of the whole event in the first place into the crowd. "Make sure to watch closely, alright? I'll show you how to deal with this guy and guys like him."
The boy nodded slowly and shuffled into the front row of the gathered people. "Thank you. I will," he offered in a quiet voice, his eyes firmly locked on the ground beneath his feet.
"No problem, kid. You kind of helped me out; if I'm being real here. I was itching for a good match today."
Buster was momentarily taken aback by Onyx’s aura of confidence, but he recovered from the initial surprise and sneered at his quarry. “Okay then, tough guy! Let’s do this!” he called, walking backwards over to one side of the field as to keep direct eye contact with Onyx the whole way to his corner. “We’ll see who beats who down!” he added as the crowd began to back away from the Duel Field to give the competitors their space.
Sunset and Twilight moved back with the rest of the crowd, but somehow found themselves at the front row of the action, and shared yet another apprehensive glance. It looked like they were a part of this now -- whether they liked it or not.
Onyx shot a toothy grin right back at his opponent as he took his own place in the arena, imitating Buster's reversed walk as not to be one-upped. “We sure will!”
“DUEL FIELD: ONLINE;
SINGLE GAME -- ONE ON ONE;
DUEL START.”
The sudden, booming electronic voice that emanated from the field to announce the commencement of the Duel was enough to startle both Sunset and Twilight; causing both to jump back and yelp.
“What’s the matter? Have neither of you ever watched a Duel like this before?” the young boy Onyx had ushered into the crowd asked quietly, tilting his head to look curiously at the two teenagers.
Sunset looked sheepishly at the boy and shook her head before turning back toward the two Duelists. Twilight’s eyes, on the other hand, had never quite managed to leave them. “I've only ever heard of the game before, never seen it in action. Though with all this excitement, I sure feel it’s definitely going to be a sight to behold,” Sunset replied.
As if rehearsed, the two players activated their wrist-mounted Duel Disks; and blades of a harsh black formed from a form of hard light appeared to allow the Duelists to place their cards: "Solid Vision" -- the technology used in much of the game's more high-end equipment. The blade was framed by violet light on Onyx's end and a harsh, fiery orange on Buster's -- Both players drew their first hand of five cards in almost perfect unison. The automatic system flickered between two display screens showing both competitors for several seconds, eventually designating Buster as the first player to make his turn.
“Let’s Duel!” they shouted together, marking the official start of their confrontation.
Sunset couldn't really understand how they made this card game seem so flashy and dramatic before the first card was even played, but she had to admit that she was impressed.
TURN: ONE
BUSTER -- 4000 LP
HAND: 5
Buster briefly scanned the cards in his hand and his wicked grin grew somehow even wider. “Alright, time to show you exactly what you’ve gotten yourself into, pal! It’s my turn!” he declared forcefully. He plucked a card from his hand and slammed it on the black field projected from his Duel Disk. “I summon Alexandrite Dragon to my field in Attack Position!”
Alexandrite Dragon
Level 4
LIGHT Dragon/Normal Monster
ATK/2000 DEF/0
Many of the czar's lost jewels can be found in the scales of this priceless dragon. Its creator remains a mystery, along with how they acquired the imperial treasures. But whosoever finds this dragon has hit the jackpot... whether they know it or not.
The vicious-looking dragon appeared before them in a glorious flash of light, its scales shimmering brightly in the light of the sun overhead. The Solid Vision System had created a stunningly realistic hologram of the monster depicted on Buster's card that easily dwarfed both players with its impressive stature. Its stats were prominently displayed on a series of pop-up display screens to allow those in the game and on the sidelines easy access to any needed information. The most prominent display was of a value referred to as its "ATK," reading at a whopping two thousand. It let out a low, rumbling growl as it locked eyes with Onyx across the stage -- instantly recognizing the man standing before it as an enemy.
Onyx quirked a brow at the beast as if to taunt it and brandished a sharp, knowing smirk at his opponent. "So that's your strategy, huh?"
Buster scoffed. "Don't you stand there and act like you already have me all figured out right off the bat! There's plenty more where that came from! Like this: the Spell Card Ancient Rules! This card, when activated: allows me to Special Summon one Level five or higher Normal Monster from my Hand; so I'll go with this one! Appear before us, Rabidragon!"
Ancient Rules
Normal Spell
Special Summon 1 Level 5 or higher Normal Monster from your hand.
Rabidragon
Level 8
LIGHT Dragon/Normal Monster
ATK/2950 DEF/2900
It's a snowfield-dwelling, giant-ear-sporting, super-acoustic, snowball-shaped mutant dragon! There's no way anybody can escape.
Buster's new monster was much larger than his first; and the number displayed in its statistics was more impressive than Alexandrite Dragon's by a good amount, clocking in at two thousand, nine hundred and fifty "ATK," but, at least in Sunset Shimmer's opinion: it was much harder to take the strange-looking dragon seriously. Even the mighty roar it loosed upon taking the field and forming fully next to its smaller draconic companion couldn't quite make it seem nearly as threatening as it was presumably supposed to.
Twilight eyed the creature in confusion, fiddling with her glasses absentmindedly. "Head of a rabbit and a... is that a snowball that's comprising its body? Huh. That's an interesting design, to say the least," she whispered, leaning slightly toward Sunset.
On stage, Onyx craned his neck to see the whole of the sizable creature better, scrutinizing it with a sort of analytical expression. "Well; that sure is a card, Buster," he concluded as he put his hands on his hips and looked across the field toward Buster. "Still not really impressed, though. Got anything else for me?" he asked, a smug grin snaking its way onto his face.
Buster furrowed his brow and frowned at Onyx. "Just this: I Set one card face-down!" he declared, placing a card in a Zone that appeared on the field as being slightly behind the monsters under his command. It appeared for a moment as the pattern on the cards' back before simplifying itself as a dark shape filling the Zone as to not take attention away from the imposing holograms, but to remind the other player that it was still present, and just as threatening. "Let's see you pull off something better if you're so cocky! I end my turn!"
"Challenge accepted! It's my turn; so I'll Draw!" Onyx called as he pulled a card from the top of his Deck.
TURN: TWO
ONYX -- 4000 LP
HAND: 6
Onyx spent a good few seconds eyeing his hand and Buster's established board as he contemplated his turn. "Alright; let's do this!" He proceeded to pull one card out of his hand and placed it face-down on the field. "I'll start by Setting one card! And then," he continued, tapping the display screen on his Disk. "I'll go ahead and use it right away! Trap Card activate: The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine!"
The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine
Normal Trap
Special Summon this card in Defense Position as a Normal Monster (Warrior-Type/DARK/Level 4/ATK 0/DEF 300). (This card is NOT treated as a Trap Card.) If you have no Trap Cards in your GY, you can activate this card the turn it was Set. You can only activate 1 "The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine" per turn.
"Hey; what's the big idea?!" Buster shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Onyx. "You can't activate a Trap Card on the turn that it's been Set! That's one of the most basic rules of the game, genius!"
Onyx nodded his head sagely. "You're right, of course. Normally: that is the case. However; Shade Brigandine states that as long as my Graveyard is Trap-free at the time of activation, I can activate it on the turn that it's Set. You can go ahead and read it, if you want," he explained, pressing a button on his Disk's screen and drawing Buster's attention to the pop-up that appeared.
Buster glanced at the screen before him that displayed the same text that was written on Shade Brigandine and shook his head slightly with a huff. "I'm good. I believe you," he replied, waving away the screen. "Alright; so you can activate it without waiting a turn. Big deal! What's it actually do?"
"I'm glad you asked!" Onyx replied, as the holographic display of the card flipped over and transformed into an ethereal orb of light. "When The Phantom Knights of Shade Brigandine is activated, it is Special Summoned as a Level Four Warrior-Type Normal Monster with zero Attack Points and three hundred Defense Points in Defense Position!"
The ethereal orb advanced slightly forward from its position in the holographic Spell/Trap Card Zone and reformed into the armor pieces displayed on the card's artwork. Bright blue flames erupted from the openings in the metallic pieces and two piercing eyes of blue burning light shined unblinking through a crack in the chest region. As it had appeared in "Defense Position" rather than "Attack Position," its most prominently displayed statistic was its measly three hundred "DEF".
Twilight Sparkle and Sunset Shimmer thought they had garnered some kind of understanding of the game so far, considering their complete lack of experience on the subject -- but the sheer volume of the new and convoluted information they were presented with all at once managed to throw them both off completely.
"What... just happened?" Sunset asked in a hushed voice as she turned to Twilight in the slight hope that her bookish friend had managed to build up a more solid knowledge base than she herself had.
Twilight hummed in thought, her face scrunching up a little as she tried to review all the things the two Duelists had said and translate it into a way that she could more easily comprehend. "I... think I get it; but I'm not exactly sure," she admitted to Sunset, looking back at the Duel in progress. "I'd need a better understanding of the actual rules before being able to suggest any kind of proper explanation."
Sunset frowned. She had expected as much, but she was still a little disappointed in her own inability to keep up. "Makes sense." She paused for a moment to admire the top-of-the-line holographic projections and the general aesthetics of the match in progress, as well as the back-and-forth provided by the two Duelists as they played their cards. The whole thing was actually kind of interesting -- if only as a visually impressive spectacle. "I think I can understand why this game got so popular as a spectator sport," she added.
Not quite finished, Onyx picked another card from his hand and placed it on his Duel Disk. "Now, from my hand, I Normal Summon the Monster Card The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm!"
The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm
Level 4
DARK Warrior/Effect Monster
ATK/1500 DEF/500
If a "Phantom Knights" card(s) is sent to your GY: This card gains 500 ATK. You can banish this card from your GY, during the End Phase of this turn, add 1 "Phantom Knights" card from your GY to your hand. You can only use each effect of "The Phantom Knights of Cloven Helm" once per turn.
Another armor piece formed on Onyx's field. This time, it was a knight's helmet -- complete with a red plume atop its head and a bright scarlet scarf tied around its neck -- equipped with two disembodied hands that seemed to be fully under its control. The blue flames burst from inside its metal casing and made up its ghostly form and it stared blankly at Buster's dragons, unfazed and unfeeling as one would expect a phantom to be. This ghastly ghoul was much stronger than Shade Brigandine, but still stood at only fifteen hundred ATK -- far beneath either one of Buster's mighty monsters.
Onyx glanced at the crowd, grinning widely. Sure, it was early -- but there wasn't much point in making this grand audience wait too much longer to see the star of his show. He chuckled and clicked a button on his Disk. "Alright, Buster -- I think it's about time I show you what you're fighting for, don't you?"
Buster's expression conveyed his confusion flawlessly. "Huh? But all you have is two lame monsters -- one even has zero Attack Points!" Buster pointed out. "And only one is in Attack Position, so it's not like you can boost their Attack Points any higher with Spells or Traps and defeat both of my monsters in battle. Why are you acting so confident?"
"Hm; well -- you sure are right on that account, my monsters are pretty weak by themselves. Gee; I wonder what I could possibly be planning to do now that I have two Level Four monsters on my field to get myself out of this sticky situation?" asked Onyx sarcastically, slowly arching both of his eyebrows as he spoke.
A lightbulb seemed to click on in Buster's mind. A somewhat lame "Uh-oh," was all he managed to say in rebuttal.
"'Uh-oh' is right, Buster! By using both of my Level Four 'Phantom Knights' monsters, I can construct an Overlay Network!" Onyx stated, striking a confident pose; fist clenched before him. "Two shadowy knights; join together in harmony and bring forth a new power!" he chanted as he brought his hands together; his words and actions excessively dramatic for the sake of the spectacle.
The two possessed armor pieces transformed into orbs of light once more; this time a bright violet color that nearly matched the accent color of Onyx's blade. As they did so, a swirling portal that resembled an endlessly spiraling galaxy filled with countless, bright yellow stars opened on the field in a Zone that seemed closer to Buster's side than Onyx's own Main Monster Zone. The two orbs of light flew into the air and twirled around each other before hurling themselves swiftly into the void below.
Onyx laughed out loud, obviously having a great time hamming things up. "Pitch-black fangs formed in darkness, rise up and spread your vicious wings wide for all to see!" he chanted as the portal let loose a great and almost blinding purple flash of light and energy. "Using these two monsters as Overlay Units, I Xyz Summon! Appear; Rank Four! Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!"
Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon
Rank 4
DARK Dragon/Xyz/Effect Monster
ATK/2500 DEF/2000
2 Level 4 monsters
You can detach 2 materials from this card, then target 1 face-up monster your opponent controls, its ATK becomes half its current ATK, and if it does, this card gains that lost ATK.
The dragon in question burst forth from the portal into the air above the Duel Field; scattering the gathered stars around the entire arena to the awe of those in the crowd, bellowing loudly for all to hear. Its slick, dark purple form moved swiftly in spite of the armor-like plating covering its body. Once it had fully materialized and settled itself on the field -- "2500 ATK" appearing on a screen before it -- its glowing yellow eyes affixed themselves first on Alexandrite Dragon, then on Rabidragon. It growled menacingly at the two opposing monsters, as if warning them to so much as try to take it on. Buster's dragons responded in kind.
Twilight let out a hushed "ooh" as she marveled at Onyx's latest monster. "I have absolutely no idea what he just did or why or even how, but that sure looks like one tough creature! You know, probably!" she exclaimed, excitedly. "What do you think, Sunset?"
Sunset thought back to her previous life in a far away land, and the various beasts she had borne witness to under the watchful eye of her mentor. As threatening as this dragon seemed to be, it was much smaller and less terrifying than many of the creatures that came to mind. She smiled wistfully in remembrance and shook her head. "Tougher than the snow rabbit thing, at least," she said, smirking at the hologram.
That same smirk was instantly wiped off her face when Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's eyes seemed to slowly drift over and look directly into her own. Sunset could have sworn she heard a low growl come from the Duel Field's speaker system. She could only blink in surprise; but when she looked again, Dark Rebellion was preoccupied with the two opposing dragons once more.
A chill shot down Sunset's spine. She took it all back. Maybe this "Dark Rebellion" whatever dragon was pretty scary, after all.
Buster squinted his eyes at Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, sizing it up -- much the same as he had done to Onyx before their match. "Fine; I'll admit it's impressive," he said, locking eyes with the beast. "But even though it's a little more powerful than my Alexandrite Dragon, it can't hope to hold up against the might of my Rabidragon! I appreciate the preview though, since that card's gonna be all mine when we're done here."
"Yeah; keep telling yourself that, Buster. Whatever you need to hear to get you through this Duel. See, the thing is; you haven't seen the real power of my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon just yet!" Onyx retorted, accentuating his words with an overly dramatic point in Buster's direction. The other Duelist reacted only slightly -- in that his frown deepened a bit. "This game's only just getting started, and I'm going to win the whole thing! Just you watch!"
TO BE CONTINUED
