//------------------------------// // Episode 1: The Crusade Begins- Part 1 // Story: Po-Ni-Oh! ZEXAL: The Crusade // by Master_Birdlion //------------------------------// Summer vacation was over, and classes at Canterlot High School were in full swing. Three girls in particular were very excited for the new year. The school was divided into two wings: a middle school wing for students in seventh and eight grade, and the actual high school wing. Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle were finally finished with eighth grade and were transferring to the high school wing as actual freshman. "This is it, Crusaders!" the red-haired Apple Bloom told her friends enthusiastically. "Our first day of actual high school! These will be the years we find out what we really wanna do with our lives!" "Not to mention all the Duel Monsters events!" Scootaloo said, pumping her fist. Duel Monsters was the favorite game of all three girls. "Maybe the game will even be my special talent!" "Just one problem," the adorable Sweetie Belle said in her high voice. "None of us are that good at Duel Monsters." "But Ah do have this," Apple Bloom reminded the other girls. She pinched a golden key-shaped pendant around her neck between her thumb and index finger. "This necklace Dad gave me before he and Ma disappeared was always a good luck charm for me. Maybe the luck'll spread to you two." "And with that luck, we'll be able to increase our skill!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "And become the Queens of Games!" Scootaloo finished. The three girls bumped their fists together, grinned hugely, and shouted, "Canterlot Crusaders Dueling Champions! YAY!" [One school day and many Duels later...] "Ah can't believe we lost seventeen times in just a couple hours..." Apple Bloom sighed. The sun was beginning to set, and the three girls sat on the curb out in front of the school. "Eighteen," Scootaloo corrected. "Remember? All three of us went up against Sunset Shimmer at once and she practically defeated us before we could all get a turn in." "That doesn't count!" Apple Bloom insisted. "At least there's the beginning of the year school-wide tournament tomorrow." "Yeah," Sweetie Belle agreed. "During that, we'll probably be put against teams that are more our speed." Apple Bloom clenched her fists and stood up confidently. "We'll never improve if we don't get any challenges!" she said. "Ah say bring it on, world, because Ah'm... Ah'm feelin' the flow!" A beam of remnant sunlight gleamed off the surface of her pendant. "'Feeling the flow'?" Scootaloo repeated. "What does that mean?" "Ah dunno," the young farm girl admitted. "Just kinda thought it up. But Ah guess it means Ah'm just full of energy and confidence." Sweetie Belle smiled. "I like it," she said. "Let's all feel the flow during tomorrow's tournament!" Apple Bloom opened her mouth to respond, but she was cut off by a car horn sounding from an old pickup truck. "Apple Bloom! It's time to go!" her older sister Applejack called from the shotgun seat. "Granny's expectin' us to be home in ten minutes!" "Eeyup!" confirmed the truck's driver, Big Macintosh, who was the oldest and (unsurprisingly) strongest of the Apple family children. He didn't go to Canterlot High anymore, but he still attended school functions. "Comin'!" Apple Bloom called back. She picked up her backpack and turned to her friends. "See ya tomorrow, girls." They all exchanged their final goodbyes for the day, and Apple Bloom ran to her brother's truck and hopped in the back seat. That night, as Apple Bloom slept, she tossed and turned uneasily in bed. Her golden key pendant was clutched tightly in her hand. Most who saw this would just assume she was a restless sleeper. However, the real reason for this was that she was having a very unusual dream. In her dream, she was standing on a dark stone pathway that seemed to drop off at the sides into an infinite abyss of nothingness. All around her, a shadowy fog drifted. "Dang..." the redhead freshman girl breathed. "This is creepier than an old country ghost town..." "You said it," came a familiarly squeaky voice. Into Apple Bloom's line of sight came an alabaster girl with pink and lavender hair. "Sweetie Belle?! What're ya doin' in my dream?!" she asked. "Not that Ah'm not happy to see ya, but..." "Hey! You girls are here, too?" came the voice of a magenta-haired, orange girl. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both spoke at once. "Scoots?" "Scootaloo?" Scootaloo looked at their surroundings. "Weird place, huh?" "I feel like we should pinch each other," suggested Sweetie Belle. "You know, just to make sure we're all real." Apple Bloom trembled and pointed behind her friends. "Or we could focus on that...!" The other two girls turned around and gasped. In front of them was a gigantic, scary stone gate bound with chains. In the middle of the gate was a hole about the size of a human fist. "Unlock the gate..." came a deep, ethereal voice from nowhere, and yet everywhere at once. "Beyond this gate is unfathomable power... Have the courage to unlock it..." Apple Bloom's pendant glowed. She looked down at it. "Mah key? Is that how we open this thing?" "Unlock the gate..." the voice told her. "But this power comes at a cost... you must sacrifice something close to you..." "Sacrifice?" said Scootaloo. "How about no?" "Ah'm with Scoots," said Apple Bloom. "Ah don't trust this." "Yeah. And when Rarity told me not to talk to strangers, I'm pretty sure that included freaky nightmare gates," Sweetie Belle agreed. "Open the gate...!" the voice bellowed. "Aaaaah!" Apple Bloom sat bolt upright in bed. "Man, that was weird..." she muttered as she looked at her key necklace. She did not sleep well the rest of the night, kept awake wondering what had happened. The next morning, the Crusaders met up in front of the school. "Mornin', girls," Apple Bloom yawned. "Are you okay, Apple Bloom?" Sweetie Belle asked. "Ah'm fine," the farm girl promised. "Just didn't sleep well. Ah had a weird dream last night." "Me too!" the other two girls chorused. "Really? About what?" "I... can't remember," Scootaloo confessed. "The details are a bit hazy." "Same here," said Sweetie. "Attention, everyone," came the voice of Principal Celestia over the intercom. "All students participating in the back to school Duel Monsters competition, please proceed to the field. We will begin shortly." "Alright! Let's go, Crusaders!" Apple Bloom cheered. The girls watched several Duels take place before their team was due to compete. The teams of three currently Dueling consisted of Vinyl, Octavia, and Flash on one side, and Lyra, Bon-Bon, and Derpy on the other. Each player controlled their own field but shared the same Life Points with their teammates. Nobody could attack until each player had a draw phase, and if one teammate didn't control any monsters while the others did, a direct attack couldn't be declared. Bon-Bon's turn had just finished, and Octavia was up. "Draw!" the cellist said as she pulled a card from the deck slot of her Duel Blade. "I normal summon Sonata the Melodious Diva to the field!" In front of her appeared a gold-skinned fairy woman in a blue dress. "Next, I play Star Changer to decrease the level of my Soprano the Melodious Songstress by one!" "Uh-oh. Is she going for what I think she is?" said Lyra. "I overlay my level three Sonata and Soprano to construct the Overlay Network!" Octavia's two monsters became streaks of light and flew into a spiraling red portal. "I Xyz Summon Muzurhythm the String Djinn!" Her new monster was playing a stringed instrument and wearing a stetson. Two orbs of light circled around him. "Man, Xyz monsters are so cool!" Sweetie Belle said. "I love how the monsters used to summon it stick around!" "Yeah! They help out the new monster as its overlay units!" Scootaloo agreed. "They work together, just like us!" said Apple Bloom. "Ah wish we had some. Imagine how much stronger we'd become with Xyz cards in our decks!" "And the winners are Vinyl Scratch, Octavia Melody, and Flash Sentry!" Vice Principal Luna announced. "Aw, dang it! We missed the end of the Duel while we were talkin'!" said Apple Bloom. "Up next, we have Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo against Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Featherweight!" "That's our cue!" said Scootaloo. The girls all strapped on their Duel Blades as they raced to their side of the field. "Well well well," said one of their opponents, the girl named Diamond Tiara. "Here I thought you three would chicken out." "Like heck we would! We're gonna crush ya like ants under a boot!" Apple Bloom shot back. "Let's see you put that into practice!" Diamond Tiara sneered. "Oh, you can bet we will!" Scootaloo grinned. "Because we're feeling the flow!" the Crusaders chorused. The six Duelists extended the card trays of their Duel Blades. "Let's Duel!" they all said. Nobody noticed the eerie shaft of light that passed over Apple Bloom's necklace. Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 5 Hand (SB): 5 Hand (SL): 5 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 5 Hand (FW): 5 "Ah think Ah'm gonna go first!" said Apple Bloom. She looked over her cards. "Yeah... yeah, this is a great hand! First, Ah play Foolish Burial to send Lonefire Blossom from mah deck to the Graveyard, then revive it with Monster Reborn!" An orange flower sprouted in front of her. "Then, Ah activate Lonefire Blossom's special ability! It can tribute itself to summon any plant-type monster from mah deck! Ah'll go with Gigaplant!" An enormous plant with a red Venus Fly Trap mouth erupted from the ground around Lonefire Blossom. Diamond Tiara grimaced. "Ew." "Ah haven't even normal summoned yet, so Ah'll take the opportunity to give Gigaplant his gemini effect!" Apple Bloom continued. "That's where Ah'm gonna end for now." Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 5 Hand (SL): 5 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 5 Hand (FW): 5 Diamond Tiara shot a look at Featherweight. "You go first. And don't mess up," she threatened. Featherweight nodded and drew. "I-I'll set a card facedown, set a monster, and end," he said. "What kind of move is that?" Diamond snapped. "Don't worry. I have a trap ready," Featherweight assured the rich girl. Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 5 Hand (SL): 5 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 5 Hand (FW): 4 "You wanna go next, Sweetie?" Scootaloo asked. Sweetie Belle grinned. "I'm on it!" she said. "Draw! I summon Aquaactress Guppy!" A pink fish-like monster appeared. "Now, I'll activate her effect, Special Summoning another Aquaactress monster from my hand! I choose Aquaactress Arowana!" The new monster was far more elegant than Guppy. "Finally, I'll play a facedown and end my turn." Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 5 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 5 Hand (FW): 4 Silver Spoon grinned. "Looks like I'm up. Draw!" she said. "I summon X-Head Cannon in attack mode!" Her mechanical monster rose on the field. "Then I play the continuous spell card Frontline Base! This lets me Special Summon a union monster from my hand once per turn, and I'll be going with Y-Dragon Head!" A red robot dragon swooped onto the field with a roar. "And I'll activate Y-Dragon Head's effect, equipping it to X-Head Cannon, boosting the cannon's attack points by 400!" The vermilion monster attached itself to X-Head Cannon, their machinery connecting flawlessly. "I'll end my turn there." Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 5 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "You're up, Scoots!" Apple Bloom encouraged. "I'll do my best, girls," Scootaloo promised. "I draw! Let's go with my Speedroid Razorang in attack mode!" She slapped the card onto her Duel Blade, causing a mechanical monster with golden blades for arms to appear. "Next, I play Card Destruction! We all have to discard and redraw our entire hands!" Their opponents all grumbled angrily as they complied. "Next, I'll play a facedown and end!" Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 3 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 5 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "Finally, it's my turn," said Diamond Tiara as she drew. "Ooh, nice one. Thanks for the Card Destruction! I banish Illusory Snatcher from my Graveyard to Special Summon Lucius the Shadow Vassal!" A small shadow with a helmet appeared. "Next, I tribute Lucius to summon Kuraz the Light Monarch!" Lucius vanished to be replaced by a regal warrior in golden armor. "By his effect, I destroy your two facedowns and draw two cards!" "No! Our trap cards!" Sweetie Belle squeaked. "Try to top that, farm girl," Diamond taunted. Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 3 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 3 Opponents LP: 8000 Hand (DT): 6 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "Ah'm gonna make ya sorry ya asked!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Draw! Ah activate the effect of Gigaplant to bring Lonefire Blossom back from the grave, then tribute it again for mah second Gigaplant!" "I activate my Bottomless Trap Hole!" Featherweight countered. "That'll banish your new Gigaplant!" Apple Bloom winced as her monster was swallowed up by a dark void. "Fine then. Ah summon Rose Witch!" A young woman in rose-themed attire stood up next to Gigaplant. "Ah'll equip Gigaplant with Malevolent Nuzzler to boost his attack points! Rose Witch, attack that facedown monster! And Gigaplant, attack the Monarch!" Her monsters lashed out with vines and struck their targets. "That's where mah turn'll end." Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 2 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 3 Opponents LP: 7300 Hand (DT): 6 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "Draw!" Featherweight drew his next card. "I summon my Sonic Duck!" A green bird appeared. "And I'll attack Aquaactress Guppy!" "Sorry, but I'm banishing Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my Graveyard to negate your attack!" Scootaloo interrupted. "Thanks for the save," said Sweetie Belle. "No prob," Scootaloo told her with a wink. "I guess my turn is over, then," the small boy said. Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 2 Hand (SB): 4 Hand (SL): 3 Opponents LP: 7300 Hand (DT): 6 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "And now it's my draw!" Sweetie Belle declared. "I can't really do much to your powered up monster, so I'll change my monsters to defense mode and activate Arowana's effect. This lets me add an Aquaactress card to my hand. And I'll end." Crusaders LP: 8000 Hand (AB): 2 Hand (SB): 6 Hand (SL): 3 Opponents LP: 7300 Hand (DT): 6 Hand (SS): 3 Hand (FW): 4 "My turn!" Silver Spoon said. But as she drew her card, time seemed to stand still. Suddenly, the Crusaders were back in front of the gate in the dark plane of existence. "What the?! How did we get here?!" Scootaloo gasped. "Open the gate with the key..." the disembodied voice demanded. "You will have power beyond imagination..." Apple Bloom looked down at her key again. "Hey, Crusaders..." she said. "Ah'm kinda curious about all this. Ah wanna know what it all means." "I dunno, Apple Bloom," said Scootaloo. "Is it really worth the risk?" "I just want to know what your key has to do with it," Sweetie Belle admitted. Apple Bloom's eyes widened. "The key... Maybe this has something to do with mah dad! Now Ah have to open it!" She took her necklace off and held it up towards the gate. "We'll do it together, then," said Scootaloo. She and Sweetie Belle both placed a hand on their friend's key. As one, they plunged the key into the keyhole and turned. The chains fell away as the gate swung open. Several glowing, rectangular objects flew from the opening and circled around the girls before scattering. A humanoid figure stood before them... In a blink, they were back in the Duel. Diamond Tiara, Silver Spoon, and Featherweight all cackled as a dark aura surrounded them. "I activate my Y-Dragon Head, unequipping it from my X-Head Cannon to summon it," Silver Spoon said as her monsters separated. "Next, I normal summon Z-Metal Tank!" "Oh no," said Scootaloo. "She's gonna go for the Fusion monster!" "Not quite," the grey girl said. "I overlay my level four X-Head Cannon, Y-Dragon Head, and Z-Metal Tank to build the Overlay Network!" The portal that appeared and drew in her monsters was black and speckled with stars instead of the normal red. A glowing mark representing a 16 formed over the portal and on Silver Spoon's elbow. "I Xyz Summon... Number 16: Shock Master!" To Be Continued...