//------------------------------// // Duel 15: Clash for the Crown Part 2 // Story: Yu-Gi-Oh! Friendship is Dueling Finale: Endgame // by Bahamut0 //------------------------------// So I guess this is it., North thought to himself as the bell that signalled the end of the school day rang. Might as well gather my things as soon as I can. No point in bidding anyone farewell. North sighed. But...I am going to miss her. Then again, how would she feel about me? I lied to her about who I was. I'd not be surprised if the lass cursed my name for as long as I live. North let out a small chuckle. Ironic. That a liar like me has a thing for girls who are genuine. Maybe it was fate that I met her. North then frowned. But I guess something like this would have happened sooner or later. I'm just glad the lass let me tell her on my own terms. The school day soon let out and North headed for Ace's family's house. At the very least, I didn't leave without saying goodbye. North was about to continue on his path until he came to a realization. Again. I'm running away again. North took a deep breath. I'm ashamed that I lied. But to run away AGAIN, after I found happiness, and not even TRY to keep it would make me a coward! I could never look at myself if I ran now. North then clenched his fist and steeled his gaze. I've only told Applejack my secret. If I love her...if I REALLY love her...then I'll find a way to stay here! North made a break for Sweet Apple Acres! Applejack...I'm not running away anymore! As soon as North arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, he knocked on the door and Apple Bloom answered. "Hi North!", she greeted cheerfully! "Ya come for more fizzy cider?" "I'm afraid not Apple Bloom. Is Applejack here? I need to talk to her. It's important." Applebloom motioned for North to lean in and listen. "She's been crying her eyes out ever since she got home! Ah don't know what happened, but could you try to make her feel better? North smiled. "That's exactly why I'm here." North marched over to Applejack's room, and sure enough he heard her crying her eyes out. Summoning his courage, he knocked on the door as loud as he could. "Applejack? It's North. I...I was wondering if we could talk about earlier at school." North heard faint sniffling and footsteps. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal Applejack with tear-stained eyes. "Did you come just to say goodbye?", Applejack asked. North shook his head. "No lass. That's not why I'm here. I'm here because of us. Can we talk in private? I'd rather keep this between us until we're sure we can tell everyone we know." As soon as they were alone, North began to speak. "I know it was...troubling...to hear the truth about me. But...but I don't want to leave you!" Tears began to fall down's North's face. "I know you probably hate me for lying. I really can't blame you. Heh. You probably can't even stand to look at me now. But I want us to work Applejack. You're the first person to make me feel like I have a home. The first one to make me truly happy. And to just leave without even trying to hold onto that happiness..." North balled his fists. "...I'm ashamed that I lied. But if I just ran away again I'd be a coward!" North's fists were trembling with sorrow. Applejack got up from her bed and walked over to North. She took one of his fists and held it in her hands. "You lied about what you were North. But you never lied about who you were.", Applejack said with a kind smile. North's trembling stopped as Applejack lifted his head to look her right in the eyes. "What we had? That was real. Ah don't know about you, but Ah'd like to keep it up." North burst into a crying fit as Applejack rubbed his back to soothe him. "There, there sugarcube. There's no need to cry." "There's plenty a reason lass...", North said with a smile as tears stained his eyes. "...I've many things to be happy about..." North dried his tears and gazed into Applejack's eyes. "And you're the best among them." The two then leaned in for a kiss until Apple Bloom called from the living room. "Hey North! There's somebody here to see you! He's carryin' a sword!", Apple Bloom called out. North froze and sprung to his feet and bolted to the living room! The sight before him chilled him to the bone. Ignoble Cause was smiling down at Apple Bloom and had one of his hands near his sword. "Ah! There he is! I hope you don't mind me borrowing North for a bit. There's a bit of business I'd like to discuss with him in private.", Ignoble said in a pleasant tone that contrasted with his vile nature. Applejack had just entered the room, and her eyes went wide in horror. "Apple Bloom. Get over here. NOW.", Applejack said in a strict tone. Apple Bloom shrugged and walked over to her sister. North was happy that the two were safe before turning his glare to Ignoble. North was about to raise his fist to slug Ignoble until Ignoble wagged his finger in the air. "I don't think so. We wouldn't want to expose young Apple Bloom to such ghastly behavior now would we?" Ignoble then looked at Applejack. "Let's leave the ladies to themselves shall we?" North growled at Ignoble. "You villain...you dare to have the title of knight?!" Ignoble smirked at North's anger. "Very well. We shall settle this in a duel. I trust you are familiar with the local Duel Park?" North narrowed his eyes as he slipped his duel disk out of his backpack and strapped it on. "Let's go." North and Ignoble headed for the duel park while Applejack watched them leave. "Apple Bloom? Stay here." Apple Bloom cocked her head in curiosity. "Sis? Where ya goin'?" Applejack narrowed her eyes. "Ah've got a bad feelin' about that Ignoble feller..." Applejack followed North and Ignoble to the duel park. Ah just hope that I can help out North before Ignoble pulls whatever he's got planned. Meanwhile, North and Ignoble were staring each other down. Ignoble smirked at North. "I must say. You're more fun than the other relatives. You've actually got some fight in you." North narrowed. "What do you mean I've got more fight?" Ignoble let out a dark chuckle. "Have you never heard of the mysterious circumstances that those with ties to the royal bloodline have been disappearing? The line for the throne is thinning out. And here's why..." Ignoble reached into his coat pocket and pulled out cards with people sealed inside them! "I eliminated them personally. And you're about to join them!" Ignoble then unsheathed his sword halfway! "And with this blade, I have sealed their fates!" North smirked. "I hate to disappoint you lad, but I'm not related to royalty. All I am is a former thief who's made a better life for himself. But since you've decided to threaten my new home, my friends...there's no way I'm letting a villain like you run free!" "I admire your nobility.", Blitz said with a smirk. "But now that you've heard my dirty little secret, I'll see to it you never live to see that precious girl again!" "LET'S DUEL!" Ignoble: 8000 North: 8000 "I'll take the first move!", Ignoble said with a smirk. "I summon Noble Knight Medraut! Then I'll special summon Noble Knight Gawayn from my hand in defense mode since Medraut counts as a normal LIGHT monster!" Two knights took Ignoble's field! "I end my turn." He's certainly got an ironic taste in monsters., North thought. "I draw!" None of my monster on their own can beat his monsters in attack points, but these cards should be able to set up my field! "I summon Delta the Magnet Warrior! Now that he's been summoned, I can send a level four or lower 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck to the graveyard! Then I play Ties of the Brethren! By paying 2000 life points, I can target one level four or lower monster I control! Then I can special summon two monster with the same type, attribute, and level from my deck but with different names! I summon Alpha the Electromagnet Warrior and Beta the Electromagnet Warrior in defense mode! Then I'll end my turn." "So you attack my knights with pebbles? How disappointing.", Ignoble said with a sneer. "I summon Lady of the Lake! Now I tune her with Noble Knight Medraut!" Lady of the Lake turned into a green ring that hovered over Medraut, and a dark mist began to flood Ignoble's field. "I tune Lady of the Lake with Medraut to synchro summon Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn!" A knight with dark armor, black hair, red eyes, and a crimson blade materialized from the shadows! "Since he was synchro summoned, I can equip one 'Noble Arms' equip spell from my deck to him! I choose Noble Arms of Destiny!" A mighty sword appeared in High Laundsallyn's hand! "Destroy Delta the Magnet Warrior!" "Since it's your turn, I tribute Alpha and Beta the Electromagnet Warriors from my field to special summon two level four 'Magnet Warrior' monsters from my deck in defense mode!" "No matter. High Laundsallyn still destroys your Delta!" North cringed as Delta was struck down! "And since he destroyed a monster by battle, High Laundsallyn's effect lets me add a Noble Knight or Noble Arms card from my deck to my hand! I'll add another Noble Arms card! I end my turn. Take note of my monster's majesty. It'll be the last thing you see." Ignoble: 8000 North: 7500 That high-and-mighty attitude of his will be his downfall., North thought as he drew a card. "Time for my Magnet Warriors to strike back! Since Delta was sent to the graveyard, I can banish three level four Magnet Warriors from my graveyard to special summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior from my deck ignoring its summoning conditions!" Valkyrion assembled onto the field! "Now I'll attack your monster! Magna Slash!" Valkyrion brought down his sword on Ignoble Knight of High Laundsallyn! But to North's shock, High Laundsallyn was still on the field! "That attack should have sent your monster to the graveyard!" Ignoble had a dark smile on his face. "It's the effect of Noble Arms of Destiny. Once per turn, the equipped monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects! Just as it will be my destiny to rule my homeland!" North frowned. "I end my turn. Your equip spell may protect your monster from destruction, but I can still deal you damage!" Ignoble: 6600 North: 7500 "We shall see. I draw!" Ignoble smirked at the card he drew. "I summon Noble Knight Drystan! Now I'll equip him Noble Arms-Arfeudutyr! Now that he's been equipped, Drystan's effect lets me destroy a face-up card on your field!" North winced as Valkyrion was destroyed! "Now to take care of your other monsters! Gawayn will destroy Alpha, while Drystan attacks your Beta!" Both of North's monsters were destroyed! "They may have kept your life points safe, but now you're wide open! Attack him directly High Laundsallyn!" High Laundsallyn smirked as he struck North's life points directly! "Ah. It has been a long while since my blade has tasted noble blood. Such a refreshing sensation." "I end my turn.", Ignoble said with a smirk. Ignoble: 6600 North: 5400 It looks like his monsters depend on equip spells to activate their effects! Maybe it's time I disrupt his strategy! "I draw! I play Burial from a Different Dimension to return up to three banished monsters to my graveyard! Then I'll play the spell card Magnet Reverse to revive Valkyrion! Now I'll fuse Valkyrion from my field with Berserkion in my hand! I fusion summon Imperion Magnum the Superconductive Battlebot!" A gigantic monster that looked like Valkyrion and Berserkion fused into a single monster landed on North's field! "Now I'll have him attack Noble Knight Drystan!" Ignoble cringed as his monster was destroyed. "I end my turn." Ignoble: 4400 North: 5400 "When a Noble Arms card is destroyed, I can attach it to another Noble Knight monster I control! I attach the one you just destroyed to High Laundsallyn!", Ignoble said with a dark smile. "I think not! Imperion Magnum's effect activates!", North called out! "During either of our turns, when a spell, trap, or monster is activated, I can negate the activation and destroy it!" Ignoble scowled as his equip spell was destroyed! "You're not fit to wield those cards!" "No matter. I play the spell card Hidden Armory to add an equip spell from my deck to my hand! Now I activate the spell card Megamorph and Shrink! I'll halve your monster's attack and double High Laundsallyn's! Destroy Imperion Magnum!" Ignoble rusted Imperion Magnum with a single slash! North fell to his knees! "And soon you shall fall. I end my turn. Maybe I'll pay that lovely girlfriend of yours a visit after I'm through with you." Ignoble: 4400 North: 3200 Got to get up...I won't...I won't let him get his hands on Applejack or her family!North slowly rose to his feet. "I'm not through yet...", he groaned. "When Imperion Magnum's destroyed, I can special summon both Valkyrion and Berserkion from my hand or deck ignoring their summoning conditions! Now I'll use Berserkion's effect! I'll remove a level four or lower Magnet Warrior from my graveyard to destroy one card you control! I'll destroy Megamorph!" Ignoble scowled as his equip spell was destroyed! "Now I'll attack High Laundsallyn with Berserkion! Electro Magna Slash!" Berserkion charged at High Laundsallyn and slashed with his blade! Ignoble cringed as he took damage! "You may have done some damage...but thanks to Noble Arms of Destiny my monster remains on the field!" North smiled. "But you forget. I've got more than one monster to attack with!" Ignoble's eyes widened in horror! "Go Valkyrion! Vanquish his ignoble knight! Magna Slash Onslaught!" Valkyrion flew at High Laundsallyn and cut him down with a series of swift slashes! Causing High Laundsallyn to explode! "Even gathered pebbles can hit with the force of a boulder! I end my turn." Ignoble was knocked to the ground by the force of the explosion! Ignoble: 2100 North: 3200 "YOU.....", Ignoble growled as he slowly crawled to his feet. "How am I brought to my knees...by a lowly commoner!" Ignoble drew his next card and scowled. "I tribute Gawayn to summon Ignoble Knight of Black Laundsallyn! Now I equip him with Gwenhwyfar, Queen of Noble Arms to him! Black Laundsallyn gains 300 attack points! Now I'll attack Berserkion!" Black Laundsallyn charged at Berserkion! "Now that the damage step's starting, I can destroy Gwenhwyfar to destroy the monster I'm attacking!" North shielded himself as Berserkion was destroyed! "The queen is very protective of her knights. I end my turn with a face-down." That face-down of his could prove to be trouble! But better to have him wast it now rather than have it bite me later!, North thought as he drew his next card! "I'll attack your monster with Valkyrion!" As Valkyrion charged forth, a fissure opened in front of him and sucked him in! "I expected you'd have some form of trickery in store for me." Ignoble grinned savagely. "Dimensional Prison! When you attack me, I can target the attacking monster and banish it!" "I end my turn." "In that case, I draw!", Ignoble said with a smirk! "I'll attack you directly with Black Laundsallyn!" Laundsallyn sharged forth and slashed away at a good chunk of North's life points! North fell to his knees from the force of the damage! "You know, I'm glad you were able to last longer. All of my relatives that I eliminated barely got in a scratch on me. But I shall enjoy hearing you scream once you fall!" Ignoble: 2100 North: 1200 North was struggling to keep himself conscious. He hasn't let up for a second. His monster of choice reflects that ruthless nature of his. Blast. That was my last copy of Valkyrion I brought out. It was then that in North's blurring vision that something odd happened. A blue light flooded North's vision, and a monster spirit materialized before him! Before North was the spirit of the king of the noble knights. Artorigus. "Are you really going to let your story end this way?", the spirit of Artorigus asked. He's taken out most of my life points. And there's not a monster in my deck at base power that could beat his current monster., North answered. What can I do? "You hold my spirit North.", Artorigus began. "Within you sleeps the power to have the happy ending my stor never had. Rise again, and show once and for all that honor and nobility triumph over deceit and treachery!" The words of Artorigus reinvigorated North's spirit and he stood tall once again! He then noticed the rainbow glow coming from the top of his deck! "I can't lose now. Not when...." North drew the glowing card! "NOT WHEN APPLEJACK'S WAITING FOR ME!" North looked at the card and smiled. "I play the spell card Absolute Magnetism! I banish Valkyrion and Berserkion!" A red and blue light appeared on North's field! "I summon Omega the Absolute Magna Warrior!" A red-and-blue magnet warrior with the legs and arms of Berserkion and the torso and head of Valkyrion stood tall on North's field! "Now I'll activate his effect! I can banish up to three Magnet Warriors from my graveyard to destroy the same number of cards on the field! I'll banish one to destroy your monster!" A bolt of lightning destroyed Black Laundsallyn! "Now Omega! End this! Omega Magna Slash!" Omega executed a series of devastating slashes that wiped out the last of Ignoble's life points! As soon as the dust cleared, Ignoble snarled and drew his sword! But as he was about to charge, he was stopped. Applejack slugged him right in the face! As soon as Ignoble fell to the ground, Applejack helped North stand. "You've been through a lot sugarcube.", she said with a loving smile. "Heh. I didn't expect you to show up lass.", North said with a tired smile. "Well what we have is real.", Applejack said as she leaned in for a kiss. "And that ain't a lie..." The two shared a kiss to cement their love. North smiled, but then pushed Applejack out of the way to avoid Ignoble's coming slash! "So. Your true nature finally boils to the surface." North then felt something stir inside him, an held his arm out. A blade modelled after Valkyrion's soon materialized in his hands! The two then charged at each other and locked blades! Neither was giving the other any ground! The sounds of their clashing blades echoed through the duel park! North's sword began to glow with a red and blue light. "Time to finish this!" North readied his sword for one final strike. "MAGNA IMPACT!" North executed a devastating slash that broke Ignoble's sword and the energy rippled through Ignoble! Ignoble then feel to his knees! "Because of your dark deeds, the negative energy that's rippling through you will obliterate you!" Ignoble then glowed red before exploding in a flash of red light! North then dematerialized his sword and went over to Applejack. "I don't know about you, but I'm parched after all this insanity." Applejack smiled as she ponied up and found she had wings and a horn now. "Well, might as well break these in." Applejack held North tight and smiled. "Hope you don't mind me holding this tight sugarcube." North smiled. "No one I'd rather be held by lass." Applejack flied home and kissed North as she set him down. Looks like, I've got a place to call home after all., North thought happily as he and Applejack enjoyed some fizzy cider and the sunset.