//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Tournament Begins // Story: Po-Ni-Oh! Summer Sun Tournament // by Master_Birdlion //------------------------------// "WHAT?!" Rainbow Dash shouted at the top of her lungs. "Weren't you paying attention, Dashie?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Sunset said that the president of DisCorp got into her dream with magic to play Duel Monsters with her and defeated her using a disaster dragon deck and now he's holding Twilight hostage to force Sunset to participate in his tournament so she can try to save Twilight while he tries to take her magic the entire time!" It was morning, and the girls were gathered at Sugarcube Corner. Sunset had just finished telling them what had happened the previous night. Needless to say, they were furious. Even Fluttershy had a terrifyingly angry expression. "I heard what she said, Pinkie! I just don't believe it..." Rainbow replied. "Of all the things that could happen, this is the! Worst! Possible! THING!" Rarity wailed. Sunset clenched her fists. "I'm going to get her back. No matter what it takes." "And I'm going to help," Fluttershy piped up. "Fluttershy, you really don't have to," Sunset assured. "I know you—." "No! Listen, Sunset!" Fluttershy snapped, causing her fiery-haired friend to recoil slightly. It may have been pretty quiet, but it was still loud by Fluttershy's standards. "I may be scared, but nobody, and I mean NOBODY, messes with my friends and gets away with it. The more of us in the tournament, the better our chances are. I'm willing to put my fears aside for the greater good." She then hid behind her hair. "Sorry for shouting... I'm just so... peeved!" A random woman nearby gasped, scowled, and covered her child's ears. "I... thanks, Fluttershy," said Sunset. "For your help and the tough love." "Well," Applejack said, "the tourney's only six days away, and y'all need to sign up. We can meet at my place in an hour to help ya prepare a bit." "Thanks, AJ," said Sunset as she stood up. "Come on, Fluttershy. Let's go." Not much longer later, the two girls reached the registration office. Sitting behind the desk and typing away on a computer was a man who appeared to be in his late thirties. When he heard the door open, he looked up and forced a smile. "Hello, ladies. How can I help you?" "We're here to register for the Summer Sun Tournament," Sunset answered. "Of course. Name?" "Sunset Shimmer." "Sun... set... Shimmer..." the man whispered to himself as he slowly typed it out. "Age?" "Seventeen." "Type of deck?" "Dragons, warriors, and spellcasters." "Home address?" "Um... unlisted?" The man shrugged. "Whatever." He finished entering the information and handed Sunset two slips of paper with Discord's face on them. "You're all set to go. These are your Entry Tickets. Don't lose them. You need them in order to participate. Next!" And the process was repeated with Fluttershy. Over the next six days, the girls spent every free minute they had practicing, preparing, and improving their dueling decks. On the first day of the tournament, they gathered with hundreds of other Duelists in the center of the city to wait for Discord to officially announce the beginning of his competition. A Jumbotron had been installed so that he could make the announcement to a crowd of any size. "Any minute now," Sunset whispered. "You ready for this, girls?" "I was born ready!" Rainbow Dash answered. "My Madolche monsters are delicious and ready to destroy!" confirmed Pinkie Pie. "I even polished my Duel Blade last night so I can win in style!" said Rarity. "Then let's do this thing!" "Yay," came Fluttershy's soft voice. With a hum of electricity, the Jumbotron came to life. Displayed on its massive screen was a live video of Discord. "Welcome ladies and gentlemen, newbies and pros, to my Summer Sun Tournament!" he greeted to the cheers of many. "The tournament grounds will be Canterlot City itself. You will all traverse the city streets looking for Duels. Once someone challenges you, there's no way out. You must accept. At the beginning of each Duel, you and your opponent can wager any number of your Entry Tickets, two of which you received upon registration. Once you collect seven of these tickets, bring them to the registration office to be verified so you can participate in the final round of the tournament. Just know that only the first eight contestants to do so will qualify, so be quick about it. The winner of this final round will get the chance to Duel me for fabulous prizes! There will also be an ante rule in play, but it'll be a little different. Instead of taking their rarest cards, a winner can go through their opponent's deck and choose whichever single card they want. Now, without further delay, let the games begin!" Here we go. Sunset thought. I'll win those seven tickets. Then, I'm coming for you, Discord. The first few hours of the tournament passed by rather uneventfully. The six girls all Dueled with mixed results. Sunset soon found that many of her other classmates were competing, including Flash, Lyra, Bon-Bon, Treehugger, and even Derpy. There were some unfamiliar faces as well. Rainbow Dash ended up at one point facing a goldenrod-skinned, grey-haired woman in a pith helmet who used an Artifact deck, though the athletic girl would later swear that she recognized her from somewhere. The sun was beginning to touch the city skyline and lengthen the shadows when the girls met up downtown. As they talked about how their Duels went, revealing that they each had won at least one more Entry Ticket, the air suddenly went cold. Rarity shivered. "D-do you girls f-feel that?" she asked through chattering teeth. "Yeah. It's an ominous chill foreshadowing that something bad is about to happen," Pinkie replied. Fluttershy trembled and hid behind Rainbow Dash. "Please, don't say things like that..." she begged. "Yeah, it was prob'ly just a gust of wind or—," Applejack started, but she was cut off by a scream from a nearby alley. "That didn't sound good. Let's go see what's happening," said Sunset. She dashed into the alley, only to bump into a pink woman in an official-looking suit. "Hey, I remember you. Cadence, right? From the Friendship Games?" "Please... you have to help me..." Cadence panted. "That woman... she's merciless... like nothing I've ever seen... She took my Rainbow Dragon...!" "What? Who?" Sunset asked. "I believe she was referring to me," said a new voice. Sunset looked further down the alley to see a dark woman with matted blueish-green hair. The Duel Blade strapped to her left arm was a sickly green color. "I am Chrysalis, one of Discord's elites, and you, Ms. Shimmer, have fallen right into my trap." "I should've expected the coward to send his cronies after me," Sunset growled. "I'm guessing you want a Duel?" "Indeed," Chrysalis answered. "When I defeat you and bring you to Discord, he will reward me handsomely." The other girls caught up to Sunset. "What in the hay is goin' on here?" Applejack inquired. "Looks like I'm Dueling Chrysalis," was Sunset's answer. "Be careful. She's dangerous," Cadence warned her. "Don't worry about Sunset. She's got this!" Pinkie reassured. "And not just because she's the main character." "I hope you're ready, Sunset Shimmer," Chrysalis said in a taunting voice. "You know I am," the amber girl said. "Let's Duel!"