//------------------------------// // Turn 19. Applejack vs Big Mac // Story: Yugioh EQG: Shadow Gates // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// We open in the back yard of a large red house with a purple roof, where two young children sat on the porch. "Aw," the younger of the two, a girl, moaned. She had blonde hair and was wearing an oversized stetson which kept falling over her eyes. "a'h lost again." "It's okay," the older of the two, this one a boy, replied with a smile. "You're still learning. Once you get the hang of it you'll be great." "Thanks Mac," the girl replied. "Although," Mac said as he looked down at the cards, "changing your deck around might not be such a bad idea. I think a machine deck like mine would compliment your style nicely." "Naw ar," the girl replied, "a'h don't wanna use robots. a'h like these flowers." Mac smiled. "That's fine, we just gotta find some plant cards that work with your style." "Yeah," she said, "and then a'm gonna beat you." Mac just smiled. "I'm looking forward to it." "The time's finally come," Applejack said from her waiting room. "All ma'h training, all ma'h Duels have been leading up to this moment. A'h can't lose now, not after everything A've been through." Suddenly the doors of the room opened and the guard was directing her out. Applejack nodded and got up, ready to finally face her brother on the big stage. "Ow," Applebloom moaned as she fidgeted in her seat, "I don't like this." "It must be hard having both siblings Duel against each other?" Twilight said, "I remember how hard it was to see my brother Duel against a friend. I don't want to guess how this must feel." "Yeah," Applebloom said, "I don't know how I feel. I want to cheer for them both, but at the same time I don't. It feels like cheering for one means I'm betraying the other." "You can cheer for them both," Flash said, "and when all things are said and done you'll be there to console whoever loses." "I guess," Applebloom said. Up in the VIP box, Chrysalis was smiling at what was about to transpire. "I know it's probably mean of me to say this," she said, "but I'm actually looking forward to these two Duelling." "No I think we understand," Sunset said, "watching two siblings, who know each others styles better then anyone, is always an interesting experience. I'm sure we're in for a fun ride." "I just hope this doesn't cause any bad blood between the two," Cadance said. "Don't worry about it," Shining said, "one Duels not gonna break a family apart. Pinkie and Maud didn't seem to care when they Duelled." "I guess you're right," Cadance said. "This Duels no doubt gonna come down to the wire," Thorax said, "considering their Duel styles." "Agreed," Cold said, "Fusion verses Xyz. It's anyone's game." "It looks like their starting," Cadance said as they watched through the window." The stage lit up as the Celestic Sisters stepped out, before greeting the whole crowd. Both: Hello Canterlot! Celestia: Our first Duel of day four is about to get underway. Which of these two Duellists will defeat the other in the sibling Duel. Luna: Will the younger of the two overcome the older, or will we see another victory for the older. Celestia: Let's welcome them onto the stage. First up, Big Mac! Big Mac stepped into the arena, focused on making it to the centre. Luna: And next up, Applejack! Applejack walked out, waving to the crowd as she went to join Mac and the ref in the centre. "GO APPLEJACK!" She heard Pinkie scream. "We have faith in you," Twilight yelled out. "Win this one for all the little siblings," Scootaloo cried. Applejack and Mac finally arrived at the centre, where the ref was waiting to do the coin toss. "Heads or tails?" He asked. "A'll take...heads," Applejack said. Big Mac nodded, happy at the choice. The ref nodded and flipped the coin, before checking on the outcome. "Heads, Applejack will take the first move." The two nodded and moved back to a reasonable distance away from each other. Celestia: Now let's see which Action Field these two siblings will be Duelling on. She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath them to glow as it generated the Action Field. "AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED." In the blink of an eye, the two siblings found themselves standing on large tree branches. Looking around they saw the entire Action Field was a giant treetop, with different types of thick branches for them to stand on. From what they could tell there were about seven layers of branches scattered all over the place, meaning they'd need to jump from branch to branch to get around. Luna: It's Treetop Territory. I hope those two aren't afraid of heights. "It think Applejack'll have the advantage on this field," Twilight said, "she's much more agile and will be able to jump around the area easier." "Maybe," Flash said, "but that doesn't mean she'll win. Besides I think Mac has his own advantages. Since their gonna probably need to climb to a higher level, his strength might give him an edge in that department." "All we can do is watch and see who'll come out on top," Rarity said, "and who ever does you might have to face in the next round." "That's if I get through," Flash said, "but for now let's just focus on this Duel." The others nodded and turned back to the battle field. As Applejack strapped her Duel Disk onto her arm, she looked over at her brother. "Hey Mac." "Eeyup," he replied as she attached his own Duel Disk. "Just know A'h don't expect you to pull any punches," she said, "I won't you to throw everything you got at me. Deal" "Eeyup," he replied as they activated their Disks. Celestia: With the pleasantries out of the way, let's get this Duel on the way. In three! Luna: TWO! Both: ONE! "DUEL!" Applejack: 4000 Mac: 4000 "ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!" "A'll go first," Applejack said as she went to her deck, "a'h draw and summon Apple Knight in DEF mode." The knight in apple patterned armour appeared, before taking a defensive stance. (A300/D300/L3) "a'll place two cards face down and end my turn." "Then I'll go," Big Mac said as he reached for his deck, "I draw." He looked at the cards he had and nodded, before turning back to his sister. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Blue Mecha Mechanic and scale five Red Mecha Mechanic." He slapped down the cards as the columns of light appeared and the two robotic monster flew up into them, stopping about ten feet in the air and forming the portal with their tools. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a beam of light shot out and hit the ground, taking the form of a robotic monster. "Mecha Worker Grand Hammer!" (A1800/D100/L4) "Next I'll equip it with Mecha Tool Nail Gunner." The green robot appeared before transforming and attaching itself to Grand Hammer. Celestia: Mac's pulling out all the stops. Will Applejack be able to do the same? "Now my Grand Hammer will attack your Apple Knight," Mac said as his robotic monster charged forward and aimed its Mecha Tool at the DEF position monster and fired a nail. The nail flew at Apple Knight and struck it, destroying it in an instant. "When Apple Knight is sent to the graveyard," Applejack called out, "A'h can summon two Pip Tokens to the field in DEF mode." The two small apple pip creatures appeared on the field, before taking a defensive stance. (A0/D0/L1) "Well my Grand Hammer has his own ability," Mac said, "when he destroys a monster by battle I can deal you three hundred points of damage. Applejack: 3700 Mac: 4000 "Plus Nail Gunner lets him make a second attack," Mac continued as his monster re-aimed its weapon and fired another nail, which struck one of the Pip Tokens and destroyed it. "And don't forget that you know take three hundred points of damage. Applejack: 3400 Mac: 4000 Luna: Mac takes the lead first, but can Applejack counter? "Mac may have more life points," Twilight said, "but Applejack's only getting warmed up. Things will start heating up once she's able to Xyz Summon." "Yes but Big Mac will be expecting that," Rarity said, "she'll need to be careful if she wants to get a hit in." "Applejack'll be fine," Rainbow said, "she's not my rival for nothing." "I end my turn with a face down," Mac said. "It's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "A'h draw." She looked at her cards and frowned, before looking all around her. Seeing something she nodded and leapt off her branch to another one, then off and onto another and another until she reached the one she wanted. Jumping up she plucked an Action Card, which was attached to a leaf, and landed back on the branch. "A'h activate the Action Spell Magical Draw," she said, "now a'h can draw a card and if its a Spell card A'h can activate it, but if not it goes to the graveyard." Celestia: Already Applejack's letting luck play into her stratagy. What will she get? Applejack placed her hand on her deck and drew her card, before looking at it and smiling. "A'h got Reseeding, which means I can now discard Astilbe Archer and summon two monsters whose Level equal five." A flash of light occurred and two new monsters appeared on the field. "Say hello to Apple Kid and Sylvan Marshalleaf." (A200/D300/L2), (A1500/D1200/L3) "Since Apple Kid was Special Summoned, his ability lets me increase his Level by one for this turn. (A200/D300/L3) "Next A'll active the Spell Ultra Growth," She said as her token dug into the ground as a watering can appeared and poured its contents onto the ground. Seconds later a flower shot out of the ground, and as its bulbs opened a new monster appeared. Mac frowned seeing this. "Thanks to that Spell A'h got to trade my Pip Token in for my Garden Knight." (A1300/D900/L3/P3) "A'll then activate my knight's ability," she said, "to banish Astilbe Archer from my graveyard and add another Plant Monster from my deck to my hand whose ATK is lower then my Archer." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and placed in her hand. "Not bad," Mac said, knowing what his sister had planned, "And now," Applejack said as her monsters glowed, "with these three monsters I build the Overlay Network." The monsters shot into the air and then flew into the black hole as it appeared below her. "As the seasons bring fourth new growth, it can also bring fourth a new power," the black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!" The light faded revealing AJ's Xyz monster. "Orchard Cowboy!" (A2100/D600/R3) Luna: Wow. Applejack's brought out the big guns. How will Mac deal with it." "Orchard Cowboy attack Mecha Worker Grand Hammer," Applejack ordered as her monster aimed one of his pistols at the robot. "I activate my face down," Mac said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! Now I can negate your attack." "You could," Applejack said, "if not for Orchard Cowboy's ability." In that second one of the Xyz Monster's Overlay Units went into its other gun, which it aimed at the Trap and fired, destroying the Trap and negating its effects. "Now ma'h attack's back on." The cowboy fired his other gun, striking the robot and destroying it. Applejack: 3400 Mac: 3700 "A'h end ma'h turn," Applejack said. "Big Mac managed to get the first attack in," Twilight said, "but now Applejack's gotten her heavy hitter out." "Meaning Mac's gonna need to step up his game if he wants to stay in this," Flash said. Meanwhile Applebloom was watching the match closely. The back and forth-ness of the Duel was making her heart beat and she expected it to keep up like this for a while. "It's my turn," Mac said as her went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the cards and nodded, before looking back at his opponent. "I activate the Spell Monster Reincarnation, which means I now need to discard a card to return another to my hand." "I don't think so," Applejack said, "because I'm gonna use my Orchard Cowboy's ability to negate it." Her Xyz Monster aimed his pistol at the card, as another Overlay Unit flew inside and it fired. The shot struck the Spell card and destroyed it. Celestia: Ooh, Big Mac's stratagy is nipped in the bud. "Sorry bro," Applejack said with a smirk, "I'm not letting you get your monsters back." However her smirk quickly disappeared once she saw the one of Mac's face. "You sure," Big Mac said, "because now you can't use your Cowboy's ability for the rest of the turn." Applejack's eyes went wide, as she realised she'd been set up. "I activate my Blue Mecha Mechanic's ability," Mac said, "to summon Mecha Worker Grand Hammer back to the field with its ATK and DEF concealed out." The Pendulum Monster pointed its screwdriver at the ground, firing off a beam which opened a portal which Grand Hammer came out of, looking like it was barely holding together. (A0/D0/L4) "Oh no," Applejack said. "Now I'll activate my Grand Hammer's ability," Mac said, "to special summon Mecha Worker Chisel Striker to the field from the graveyard." A pile of scrap metal appeared in front of Grand Hammer, which he started bashing with his hammer fist until the scrap became the Mecha Worker Mac had sent to the grave with Monster Reincarnation. (A1200/D1100/L3) Luna: Smart move. He used his Spell card to get his sister to use her monster's effect, while setting up his real plan. "And now I'll use Red Mecha Mechanic to fuse these two monsters together." The Pendulum Monster held up its spanner, which unleashed a beam that struck the sky and opened a vortex above the monsters. "Now my two Mecha Workers will combine to create an even greater machine," Mac said as his monster were sucker into the vortex. "I FUSION SUMMON!" The vortex exploded and from it came Mac's monster. "Advanced Mecha Worker Cyber Handyman!" (A2600/D2100/L8) Applejack frowned seeing her brothers go to monster. "Now I activate my Handyman's ability," Mac said as his deck shuffled and then slotted out a card. He took it and looked it over, nodding as he did so. "I pay eight hundred life points to activate Bootlegged Advanced Mecha Tool. Applejack: 3400 Mac: 2900 "This card lets me summon an Advanced Mecha Tool to my field without a Fusion Summon, but it's destroyed during the End Phase." His Extra Deck opened and he took out a card, which he placed on the Duel Disk. "I summon Advanced Mecha Tool Drill Saw." (A1000/D1000/L4) "Now I'll equip him to my Advanced Mecha Worker," Mac said as the Advanced Mecha Tool transformed into the arm form, which linked to Handyman's shoulder. (A3600/D2100/L8) "ATTACK!" The robot charged forward at Applejack's monster. Applejack growled, knowing she couldn't use her face down or an Action Card thanks to Drill Saw's ability. Handyman struck and destroyed her monster, sending her flying off her branch Applejack: 1900 Mac: 2900 Applejack managed to grab onto a lower branch, barely holding on with her finger tips. Luna: Impressive move. The Fusion has overcome the Xyz in this match up. "I end my turn," Mac said, "Drill Saw is now destroyed." His monster exploded off Handyman's shoulder, returning the monster back to its original points. (A2600/D2100/L8) Applejack managed to pull herself up onto the branch, before looking up at her brother. "Nice move back there Mac," she said, "A'm not sure how A'm gonna be able to beat it." Mac just smirked. "Don't think I'm gonna take you likely just because my best cards on the field," he said, "I'm not gonna stop until your life points are at zero." "Me to," Applejack said, "now let's keep going. A'h draw." She looked at the cards she'd drawn and thought her plan over. "A'h summon Red Apple Golem in DEF mode," she said as her monster appeared. (A1300/D1500/L4) "And thanks to his ability, A'h can add Green Apple Golem to ma'h hand." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and added to her hand. "A'h end ma'h turn." "Then it's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and activate Handyman's effect." His deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which he took and looked at. "I'll now attack your Red Apple Golem," his monster charged forward and smashed the giant apple, turning it into jam. "I end my turn." "Then it's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "A'h draw." She looked at the card and frowned. "A'h summon Green Apple Golem in ATK mode." Her monster appeared and stood next to her. (A1400/D600/L4) "Now for his ability," she said, "A'h can add Yellow Apple Golem to ma'h hand." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and then placed in her hand while taking out another. "Now A'h activate my Monster Reborn," she said, "to revive my Red Apple Golem to the field." Her monster returned to the field, before standing next to its brother. "Two Level fours," Mac said, knowing what was coming. "And now," Applejack said, "I'll Overlay these two to build the Overlay Network." The two Apple Golems glowed, before shooting into the air and into the black hole. "He who watches over all growth, lend us your protection." The black hole burst in an explosion of light, "I XYZ SUMMON!" The light faded, revealing Applejack's monster. "Orchard Defender!" (A1400/D2600/R4) Celestia: An impressive move. Now Applejack can defend against Handyman until she can find a way to win. "A'h end ma'h turn," Applejack said. "I don't think Applejack's out of the woods yet," Rarity said, "Big Mac will have been expecting this. He'll be ready for it." "Your right," Twilight said, "but whether or not he has to cards to countermand it is the question." "Come on Applejack," Flash said. "My draw," Mac said, "and now I'll activate my Handyman's ability." His deck once again shuffled and slotted out a card, which he took and smiled seeing it. "Now I pay five hundred life points to activate the Spell card Attribute Change." Applejack: 1900 Mac: 2400 "Now I can change the attribute of any monster on my field or in my Extra Deck," he explained, "so I'll be changing a certain monster in my Extra Deck to a Dark attribute." This confused a lot of people. "Why'd he do that?" Sweetie Belle asked in confusion. "He has to have a reason," Rarity said. "But what reason?" Flash asked. "I think we're about to find out," Twilight said. "Now my monsters a Dark Type," Mac said, "I can activate this Spell. Overload Fusion! Now I can Fusion Summon a Dark Type Machine monster, using monsters on my field and in my graveyard." Suddenly a portal appeared and Drill Saw floated out or it. A moment later the vortex appeared above his monsters, which sucked them inside. "Now watch as the greatest Mecha Worker is born," Mac said as the vortex exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!" The light faded, revealing Big Mac's greatest monster. Its right arm had a hammer for a hand and its left arm had a chisel, while its back had Advanced Mecha Tool Drill Saw. "Advanced Mecha Worker, Multi-Tool Giant!" (A2500/D3000/L10) Celestia: Incredible. Big Mac has managed to summon his greatest monster, but will Applejack survive it? "Multi-Tool Giant's ATK points increase by five hundred points for each Advanced Mecha Tool used to summon him," Mac said. (A3000/D3000/L10) "Oh boy," Applejack said. "ATTACK!" Big Mac called out as his monster charged forwards. "I activate Orchard Defender's ability," Applejack said as on of her Monsters Overlay Units flew into the gem on his shield. "Now I can negate your monster's attack." Multi-Tool Giant struck the shield, but Orchard Defender remained standing, but the force of the attack almost knocked Applejack off her branch. She managed to get her balance, but she was still shaken up. "I end my turn," Big Mac said. "Applejack can keep defending against it all she likes," Rainbow said, "but her monster's gonna run out of Overlay Units eventually and when it does she'll be in trouble." "She needs to be careful," Twilight said. "It's ma'h draw," Applejack said as she drew her card. Looking up at her opponent she sighed. She could try summoning Yellow Apple Golem, but it wouldn't stand a chance against Multi-Tool Giant. So instead she ended her turn. Luna: Looks like Applejack finds herself in a bind. Celestia: Can she pull it back or will Big Mac be heading to the next round. "It's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." He drew two new cards and them over, before smiling and looking down at Applejack. "I hate doing this sis," he said, "but I play Fissure." Applejack's eyes went wide. Luna: Oh dear. Fissure, a card which destroys your opponents weakest monster, has been activated. If Applejack doesn't do something she'll be in for a direct attack. Applejack watched as her best monster was destroyed, unable to protect itself form the Spell's effects. "And now," Mac said, "Advanced Mecha Worker, Multi-Tool Giant attack!" The giant robot pulled its three fists back and prepared to strike Applejack." "A'h activate ma'h Trap," Applejack said as her card flipped up, "Bloomberg the Moving Forest!" The giant tree appeared on the field, before taking a defensive stance. (ATK 0/DEF 2000/L4) Celestia: Some quick thinking helped Applejack defend against the attack. Luna: Hey! Where's he going? Big Mac was leaping from branch to branch, higher and higher until her reached a branch where an Action Card hung from a leaf. Raising his hands he reached out and grabbed the leaf, before landing on the branch below them. "I activate the Action Spell Magical Reactivation. This card lets me activate the effect of a Spell card in my graveyard, so once again I'll use Fissure." Applejack growled seeing her monster once again be destroyed, meaning Multi-Tool Giant was once again aiming its attack at her. She knew she only had one hope, an Action Card. While the Fusion Monster was getting closer, Applejack was leaping from branch to branch. Big Mac followed her direction and saw she was heading towards and Action Card half way between them, which meant if he got it he'd win the match. With one deep breath he leaped off his branch to a lower one and then off it onto a lower one. Celestia: It seems we have a race to the Action Card. Luna: Who ever manages to get their hands on it first may decide the fate of the Duel. The two siblings were now one branch away from the card and both were panting heavily, before they both leapt from their branches and reached out for the card. Time seemed to slow down as the two's fingers caught the card, only seeming to restart once the flew passed, the identity of the card holder unknown. Finally the two landed on the branch the other had previously stood on, before turning back to each other. The two stared at each other, not showing who had the card, until finally the card holder revealed themselves when they activated the Action Card. "Go Magical Draw!" Applejack said with a smile. "Ya'h know how it works," she said, "A'h draw a card and if it's a Spell, A'h get to activate it." Celestia: This whole Duel comes down to what Ms Applejack draws. Luna: I can't watch. Applejack closed her eyes and placed her hand on her deck, before taking a deep breath a drawing. Bringing the card up to he sight, she opened her eyes and saw what she'd got...before smiling. "A'h activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Growth Force!" Everyone's eyes went wide hearing this. "Alright," Spike said, "that's the one card that could save her." "Go Applejack!" Pinkie screamed. "You know how it goes," Applejack said, "not only does this card revive my Orchard Cowboy, but it also let's me rank him up!" In a flash of light, Orchard Cowboy appeared before transforming into a stream of light which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Power of nature, bursting with life. Unleash your true strength upon the world." she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!" The light faded, revealing Applejack's evolved monster. "Orchard Sheriff!" (A2800/D2300/R4) Celestia: What a move. Now Applejack has a chance. Luna: And don't forget that Multi-Tool Giant is still attacking. As if on cue the Fusion Monster charged forward, ready to attack its new opponent. "A'h activate Orchard Sheriff's ability," Applejack said as the single Overlay Unit flew into the Xyz Monster's pistol. "Now a'h can negate ya'h monsters ability, before adding his ATK points to Orchard Sheriff's." Orchard Sheriff fired its pistol, striking Multi-Tool Giant and causing it to glow as its power weakened. (A2500/D3000/L10) Meanwhile Orchard Sheriff also glowed as his power went up. (A5300/D2300/R4) The Xyz Monster aimed its other pistol at the robot and fired, it's shot flying straight at Multi-Tool Giant and causing an explosion. When the smoke cleared, the robot was shown with a massive hole in the centre. One by one the robot's arms fell off, before the Fusion Monster fell apart and the pieces flew towards Big Mac. Mac just smirked and remained perfectly still as the pieces flew towards him. "Great work sis," he said as he was struck and sent flying. Applejack: 1900 (Winner) Mac: 0 Celestia: She did it! Applejack has defeated her brother and will be moving onto the final round of the block tournament. Luna: It was one card that saved her, but sometimes one card is all you need. Meanwhile as the Action dissolved, Applejack walked over to where Big Mac had land and was standing tall. "Looks like you did it," Mac said, this being the first time anyone had heard him talk out of a Duel, "you beat me." "Yeah," Applejack said, "I did. I can't believe I pulled it off." "Well you'll need to start believing you can pull it off," he said, "if you want to beat the next Duellist your facing." Applejack nodded and then pulled her brother into a hug. Everyone awed seeing this. "I'm so happy Applejack managed to pull it off," Twilight said, "she did great." Applebloom nodded, happy her siblings could go all out and have nothing to regret. Everyone watched as the two pulled out of their hug and returned to their arena exit. "That was some match," Thorax said. "It was," Chrysalis agreed. "Amazing how Applejack managed to pull it back," Sunset said, "what did you think Cold?" She looked around and saw her boss was gone. Big Mac was walking down the corridor when he saw someone leaning against the wall. "Mr Macintosh," Cold said, "we need to talk." Celestia: It's time for the final match of our A Block tournament. Luna: Flash Sentry and Cloak N Daggers please come down to the Duel Field. "Well," Flash said, "it's my turn." "Good luck Flash," Twilight told him. "That Cloak guy doesn't stand a chance again you," Scootaloo said. "You know it," Flash said. How will Flash do against the mysterious Cloak? Only time will tell.