//------------------------------// // 10. A Strong Breeze // Story: Hearts in Harmony // by Iris Heartfang //------------------------------// -FLUTTERSHY- I was taking a morning shower and thinking about my friends and Duel Monsters… thinking about how that card game is what first brought us together. Rainbow used to brag about how cool her cards were back when we were all kids living in the same neighborhood, we’d all see her around talking about how good she was and how much fun the game was and eventually we all asked her if we could play with her and she taught us, all five of us, how to play Duel Monsters. I also remembered how I used to win almost every single game. The six of us used to attend local tournaments in Fillydelphia and even some in Canterlot. They were tournaments usually for older kids than us but we would all join, and usually I was the only one to get past the first one or two rounds. Eventually I asked Applejack why the others always insisted on joining in even though they kept losing and she said it was because they all knew how much fun I had at these tournaments, fighting against other players closer to my skill level, and they all knew I’d never enter a tournament by myself. It was really nice of them. But it got to be a bit too much. Soon ‘let’s all give Fluttershy a chance to play against other people’ became ‘let’s all watch Fluttershy play against other people’ which became ‘let’s watch Fluttershy beat the older kids’ which became ‘let’s watch Fluttershy win this tournament’ which became ‘Fluttershy better win this’ and on and on… so much pressure to succeed. Even worse though were the other players. Most of the older kids who I played against were boys and they didn’t like losing. They would say really mean things to me or accuse me of cheating somehow, and they acted even worse when they won, saying that I had no business playing because I was a kid or because I was a girl. Eventually I started to believe them, and eventually I just stopped playing. My brother’s attitude about it didn’t help. He always agreed with the older kids. He never understood why I loved the game so much and always thought it was weird that I put so much time and thought into it, especially since I was a girl. He thought that ‘nerd things’ were for boys. He even said as much to me once, and I haven’t really forgotten that. But now, seeing Twilight and Pinkie and Rainbow all playing again, really watching them go at it and having so much fun, it started reminding me of how much I enjoyed playing, how much I enjoyed being good at something. Winning a game of Duel Monsters, especially against the older kids, always made me feel so confident and cool, and even losing a tough match was exhilarating and fun. I love Duel Monsters and go figure that it took the same girl who taught me how to play in the first place to remind me of that. All this reminiscing was tough but also important and it was made much easier by the hot water of the shower running down my body, which made it very upsetting when my hot shower suddenly and without warning became a freezing shower. “ZEPHYR!!!” I screamed as my body was suddenly assaulted with freezing water and as I scrambled to get out of it I tripped on the lip of the tub and fell down onto the bathroom rug. I wrapped a towel around me and marched downstairs to the other bathroom, tripping and falling at least one more time on some piece of junk that Zephyr left lying around in the hallway. I got to the bathroom door and was just about ready to pound my fist on it when I realized that would be loud and rude so I just tapped slightly with my fingernail instead. Zephyr didn’t answer, and I could hear him singing in the shower and the water running so I knew without a doubt that he was using it. I tapped on the door again but no answer. “Zephyr Breeze!” I tried to sound stern but not mean. “Whaaaaaat?” Zephyr whined as he turned off the shower water to be able to hear me. “It’s Monday, Zephyr!” I said through the door, stamping my foot down. “You know that means it’s my morning shower day!” “Yeah but I worked up a sweat yesterday!” Zephyr moaned. “I cracked open a cold one with the boys and everything got all crazy! I really worked out!” “Playing Wii Bowling doesn’t count as a workout, Zephyr.” I sighed, placing a finger on my forehead and shaking my head. “Besides, this isn’t fair! You always do this! We agreed that Sunday is your early shower day because you want to be all fresh and clean to hang out with your friends, and Monday is my early shower day so that I can start the new week in a good headspace!” “Yeah but just this once I gotta-” “This is the third time this month!” I yelled, losing my temper a bit. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to yell, but I-” I was interrupted by the sound of somebody knocking at the door, which was exactly what I needed to hear right now to really make me mad. “Will you get that, Flutters?” Zephyr said cheerfully. “I’m indecent.” “URGH!” I grumbled, stomping away from the bathroom. I heard another knock at the door as I rummaged through the dresser in the hall closet looking for clothes to quickly put on. “JUST A SECOND!!” I screamed as I accidentally dropped my towel and also found that Zephyr had been putting his old dirty clothes in with the clean hamper clothes. …I was starting to lose it a bit. I managed to find a clean too-big-teeshirt and sweatpants that I could put on and hobbled my way to the door. Thankfully the living room was still nice and tidy from Rarity’s helpful cleaning yesterday, otherwise I probably would have tripped at least six more times. “How can I help you?” I said in a daze as I opened the door, not even looking up to see who it was who was knocking. “Uh, if it’s not a good time I can come back.” Applejack chuckled apprehensively. It was just her, no Rarity or the others in sight. “Oh, no. You’re fine.” I sighed in relief, seeing a friendly face. “I’m in the middle of an argument with my brother.” “Who is it, Flutters?” Zephyr yelled from the hallway. “I thought you were taking a shower!” I yelled back. “All your negative energy ruined my mojo!” Zephyr replied and I could practically hear the melodramatic shrug. “I’ll have to take one later.” I slapped my forehead and dragged my hand all the way down my face. “Did you hear from Twilight?” I asked, turning my attention back to Applejack. “How did things go with Rainbow?” “Not good, I heard.” Applejack said sadly. “She didn’t give me all the details, just said that she’d be in bed for a little bit but not to worry about her, that she just needed some time to think things through. Rarity decided to go over and check up on her anyhow, so hopefully she’ll be able to cheer Twilight up some.” “I hope so.” I sighed gloomily, putting my hands in my pockets and kicking some dust. “I hate that Twilight and Rainbow are fighting. I hate that Rainbow left in the first place.” “Same here.” Applejack said sadly, but she shook off that energy pretty quick with her amazing smile. “But hopefully the two’ll be able to works things out. I still got faith in ‘em.” I nodded along, feeling encouraged by Applejack’s optimism. “But hey, that’s not what I came to talk to ya about. You wanna go apartment huntin’ with me? I’ve never done it before and I don’t really wanna go by myself. That said, Pinkie’s already signed on to help out so you don’t have to if you don’t want to, not that you had to anyway of course. Point is, you wanna come?” “Sure that sounds like…” I lit up a little at the idea of home shopping with Applejack and Pinkie Pie but then I thought about all my responsibilities at home and I got sad. “Oh, but I can’t. I have to take care of my brother. Cook breakfast, do laundry, record his shows… that sort of thing.” “Anything I can do to help?” Applejack asked. Before I could answer Zephyr came into the living room, only wearing a towel around his waist. “Ohhh, Apple…” Zephyr tried to be smooth but then he forgot Applejack’s name. You could see the wheels in his head turning as he tried very hard to remember it and came up with “Applejohn. My favorite lady.” “My name’s Applejack.” Applejack was clearly not amused by my brother’s antics. “Right, Applejack.” Zephyr said, pointing finger guns at Applejack. “That’s what I said.” “Zephyr I have to help Applejack with something.” I said flatly, a bemused frown on my face. “It’s urgent.” “But, but my breakfast!” Zephyr bemoaned. “There are still a couple pizzas in the freezer.” I took in a deep breath and tried to talk sternly but my anxiety was causing a storm in my stomach. “But my stories!” Zephyr stamped his foot on the ground. “Just skip your afternoon nap for once.” I crossed my arms and looked at Zephyr very seriously “It’s really not that big a deal.” “What if I need something?” Zephyr pleaded. “Have you considered doin’ it yerself?” Applejack laughed. “What she said. Look, I have to go. Come on, Applejack.” I took Applejack by the arm and walked out the door with her, not even bothering to change into more comfortable clothes before leaving. “And yes Applejack, I would love to go home searching with you.” I said, smiling up at her. Applejack’s beaming smile and humored chuckle, both at me accompanying her and for blowing off my brother the way that I did, made my day. **** “…and he never picks up his clothes, plus he’s always leaving stuff around for me to trip on!” I said breathlessly. I’d been ranting nonstop about my brother to Applejack, who was very graciously letting me vent some lingering frustration to her, for almost an hour. “I just… I love him, but… I worry that his behavior is just getting worse.” “Of course it is.” Applejack said with a shrug, the two of us sitting on a bench on the sidewalk in front of the towering apartment building we were waiting to meet Pinkie at. “People don’t change cuz they want to, they change cuz they have to. If everybody in your brother’s life keeps tellin’ him that his behavior’s okay, why would he ever change his behavior?” “Then… what do I do?” I said sadly, slumping next to Applejack on the bench and leaning my head against her shoulder. “I say y’gotta let him walk on his own two feet.” Applejack said confidently, putting her arm around me. “Ya can’t keep holdin’ his hand forever, ya gotta let him go on his own.” “But… what if something happens to him?” I gasped and lurched away from Applejack. “What’s gonna happen?” Applejack scoffed, gently taking my hand. “He lives rent free in a fancy house in a nice neighborhood with his parents givin’ him free money every month. He couldn’t be more pampered.” “I dunno…” I shook my head and felt tears coming on. It felt so drastic, I didn’t know how to handle such an idea, or how I even really felt about it. “It just seems so… harsh. Am I just supposed to leave him? So suddenly?” “There’s somethin’ you gotta ask yourself, Fluttershy.” Applejack patted my thigh as she spoke. “Somethin’ that I don’t think you’ve asked yourself in a long time. What do you need?” “What do I need?” I repeated distantly. Applejack was right, I hadn’t ever really considered it. When our parents moved back to Cloudsdale and Zephyr made a big stink about staying in Fillydelphia I volunteered to stay with him because I thought that he needed me. That was years ago now and I… I’ve never ever considered what I needed. “That’s… I don’t…” “You don’t need to answer right now.” Applejack wrapped her arm around me and dragged me back to lean on here shoulder and I nestled into her chest. “Just somethin’ to keep in mind.” “Okay. I’ll think about it.” I smiled up at Applejack, and she smiled back, and then I got really comfy with her, with my legs pulled up in front of me and feeling very cocooned within Applejack’s strong, defensive presence. “Heeeey guyyys!!” We heard Pinkie yelling for us as she ran down the sidewalk waving. “Hey, did I miss anything yet? Are we starting the tours yet?” She said, panting as she hit the brakes and stopped in front of us. “No, Pinkie.” Applejack chuckled. “We’ve been waitin’ on ya only a couple minutes. We’re about to head inside, if yer ready that is.” “Oh I was born ready!” Pinkie punched her fists together and immediately regretted it thanks to the pain. “I love house hunting! I watch all those shows on the TV about it! Plus, anything beats staying cramped up in my empty old apartment I’m gonna lose in three days! That is lonely as heck!” AJ and I didn’t know what to say and just stared concernedly at Pinkie Pie. “Aaaaaanywho, let’s go inside and check out some apartments! WOO!” Pinkie hopped and skipped into the apartment complex, Applejack and I walking behind her. “Y’know, Fluttershy…” Applejack laughed. “If you want to, you can always move in with me.” “W-what?” I said bashfully. “I’m lookin’ at two bedrooms anyway, maybe even three.” Applejack said with a kind smile and a hand on my shoulder. “And if you need some time to get away from your brother, to help him stand up on his own or just to stand up on your own, you can stay with me.” “I… I don’t know what to say…” I stammered. Living with Applejack was… well I dunno, it’s not something that ever even crossed my mind! I didn’t hate the idea though, in fact… I think I really liked it. “Like I said before,” AJ said “just somethin’ to think about.” She said with a wink, making me smile. **** -APPLEJACK- I stood in the big ol’ livin’ room of an empty third story apartment, looking out the giant canopy window at the view of Fillydelphia at sunset. Me, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie had been lookin’ at places all day but I was thinkin’ we finally found one. But as I looked out at the sunset dippin’ over the city I grew up in, my mind couldn’t help driftin’ to Rarity. I started thinkin’ about a couple weeks ago when she told me we had to move back to Fillydelphia in a hurry. I asked her what was wrong and she refused to tell me, and that made me so mad. Things with us were already rocky. I love Rarity but I… I don’t know if I’m her type. I dunno if I’m the gal she needs, or if I can really take care of her. And what’s worse is that I dunno if I’m worried about that for her sake or for mine. Rarity’s kind, generous, smart, creative… she’s burstin’ at the seams with talent and potential… and I’m just… me. Simple, plain ol’ Applejack. Rarity shines like a star, and I shine like a lightnin’ bug. I was scared of losin’ her, but on some level I saw it as bein’ inevitable, even deserved. “Wow, this place is awesome!” Pinkie Pie said as she and Fluttershy came out of the master bedroom, snappin’ me back to reality. “It’s so big and fancy!” Pinkie stomped on the floorboards to hear the thud they made against her boots. “And it’s got hardwood! Which is almost as cool as tacky carpets!” “The hardwood looks really nice.” Fluttershy said with a giggle. “Yeah, and it’s just in my budget too.” I chuckled fretfully. I knew the others didn’t know what I was thinkin’ about or anythin’ but a part of me worried that they could totally read it on my face or somethin’, and if anybody knew about all my fears regardin’ Rarity I think I’d probably die of humiliation. “It’s even three bedrooms like you wanted.” Fluttershy said. “It’s perfect.” “Yeah, it is.” I said distantly, lookin’ back out the window a sec. “It really is.” “Are you okay?” Pinkie asked, tilting her head to the side. “You seem a little… uh, ‘eghwbleh’. Y’know what I mean?” “Pinkie’s right, Applejack.” Fluttershy said concernedly. “You don’t seem yourself. You seem tired, and a little distracted.” “I am tired, Fluttershy.” I looked up to the ceiling and groaned, my hat coverin’ my embarrassed face. “It’s been a long two weeks, plus we’ve been lookin’ at houses all day and I’m kinda over it. But this place…” I looked around at the empty room. It was big and fancy and nice, and all I could think was how much I didn’t deserve to be here, that I hadn’t worked hard enough to earn it. It was too big for me, too clean, too fancy, too nice… it was too good for me. “This place is perfect, and I want it… I’m gonna go sign some papers.” I didn’t know how to make myself feel like I deserved this place, but I did know that those feelin’s were crazier than Christmas trees in July, and I knew the importance of actin’ on yer best good, even if ya had a hard time believin’ in it. “Hooray!” Pinkie Pie yelled, jumpin’ in the air. “That’s great news!” Fluttershy added happily. “But before I do…” As I was walkin’ out the door to go talk to the realtor, I suddenly had a naggin’ feelin’ in my gut that I oughta say somethin’ to the two of my friends. “I wanna ask you guys somethin’.” The two stood at attention, waitin’ for me to say somethin’. “This place is pretty big, and it’s three bedrooms. Rarity’s not movin’ in with me, so it’s gonna be a little lonely by myself… now y’all don’t have to say yes, but… do y’all wanna move in with me?” Between Fluttershy’s stuff with her brother and Pinkie about to lose her place, the two both could use some new scenery. I picked out places with multiple bedrooms specifically because I wanted some place that one or both of the two could use if they needed to, even if not permanently. It was just good fortune that I fell in love with the place that was perfect for them. I picked out my apartment based on how well it could be used to help Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. After givin’ Fluttershy the whole ‘ask yourself what you need’ spiel it seemed almost a mite hypocritical, but honestly helpin’ others did help me. It reminded me that I was worth somethin’, helped affirm my value in the universe… when I really thought about it I wondered how healthy that was, but I didn’t have the energy to dig into that whole thing right now. “Wow, you really are serious…” Fluttershy said nervously. “Aren’t you, Applejack?” “Of course I am.” I smiled bigly and tried to seem confident but on the inside I was a nervous wreck “Like I said, I don’t wanna make any decisions for y’all, if this makes y’all uncomfortable…” “It’s not that…” Pinkie said, soundin’ uncharacteristically morose. “Ever since I knew that I was gonna lose my place, I keep thinking about what my dad would say, over and over again. He’d say ‘Pinkamena Diane Pie, you couldn’t keep a steady job, you couldn’t cultivate any skills or resources, you couldn’t even focus on a single task! What makes you think you even deserve to stay in a house if you can’t even work for a living???’… Now don’t get me wrong, he’d never actually say that, cuz he loves me and only wants the best for me… but I know he’d think it. I just keep thinking about my parents and my sisters back on the farm, and even my sister Maud who’s studying to be like the world’s best geologist… meanwhile I’m…” “Pinkie, I grew up on a farm just like you did.” I walked over to Pink and grabbed her softly by the shoulders. “Here in Fillydelphia even, owned by my ma’ and pa’ and my dear ol’ Granny Smith, I know how much stock us farm folk put into hard work. And I know that sometimes when somebody offers ya somethin’, it can feel like a cheat if you just take what they’re offerin’ without givin’ back some kinda work in return… but trust me, those thoughts is poison. Sometimes to be your best, to really shine in this world, you just need a little bit of a helpin’ hand, and you just need to take it when it’s offered to ya, without worryin’ about whether or not you’ve ‘earned’ it.” Pinkie looked at me with her big, soulful Pinkie Pie eyes full of tears. “I… I dunno if I…” She sniffled, but then suddenly she immediately got over it and was all smiles again. “Hey, I know! What if we had a duel!?” “A duel?” Frankly, I was gobsmacked by her sudden mood shift. “What for?” “Just for fun!” Pinkie said with a big smile and a shrug, jumpin’ up and down like she always did. “Just as a little distraction, to help us, like… work through all our distract-y problems in our subconscious, y’know what I mean?” “Yeah, actually.” I chuckled, notin’ the similarity between this and my duel with Twilight. “I know exactly what you mean. Alright, Pinkie, I’m in. Let’s duel.” “Um, excuse me…” Fluttershy said meekly. She’d been so quiet durin’ my talkin’ with Pinkie I’d almost forgot she was there! “Could I maybe, um… if it’s not too much trouble… could I perhaps… maybe join in too?” “Ooh, like a three-way?” Pinkie said eagerly, wagglin’ her eyebrows. “Pinkie, don’t call it that.” I blushed and put a hand on Pinkie’s head. “But sure, sugar cube, we can do a… like a three-for-all.” “Okay.” Fluttershy said with an adorable smile. “Thank you.” Me vs. Pinkie vs. Fluttershy. This was gonna be a fun duel. I hoped that by the end of it the two would accept my offer, partly cuz I honestly thought it would be a hoot to live with the two, at least for a while. And besides, helpin’ others helps me… at least, I think so… either way, gettin’ a distraction from my thoughts was a good call. **** -FLUTTERSHY- DUEL! Fluttershy vs. Applejack vs. Pinkie Pie! Myself, Pinkie Pie and Applejack all stood against each other in a little triangle in the big empty apartment living room that Applejack was about to buy, facing off against one another in a three-for-all duel. It had been years since I played this game and I was really nervous, but I wanted to do this. I wanted to get back into this game that I loved so much, to play with Applejack and Pinkie as they played together, and because I had to think about some stuff… regarding my brother, and Applejack’s offer. “Go easy on me…” I giggled, holding my cards close to my chest. “Okay?” “Sure. I’ll destroy Applejack before going after you!” Pinkie said with a wink. “We’ll see about that, Pinkie. I’ll go first!” Applejack chided, drawing her cards. “And I’ll start by summonin’ Sylvan Peaskeeper!” Applejack started with the cutest wittle Monster! It was a little peapod with three cartoon peas coming out, one of them had a tiny flower megaphone and another had binoculars! “And when he’s summoned, he Excavates the top card of my deck… and lookit that! Another Peaskeeper! When this guy’s Excavated, he’s sent to the graveyard and then I can summon him to the field!” “Oooooh! Now you’ve got two 100 ATK monsters!” Pinkie said teasingly, making faces at Applejack, who couldn’t help but laugh at them. “I’m sooooo scared!” “Yeh, well check this out! Overlay!” Applejack raised her fist into the air and her Monsters became swirling black energy, being sucked into a portal above AJ’s head and then coming back down as a new Monster. “Rank 1! Sylvan Princessprite!” Princessprite was a beautiful lady in a stunning green dress with gorgeous green hair that went on for miles, and she was holding two cherry blossom branches. She had 1800 ATK. “So what does she do, Applejack?” I asked excitedly. You would think that a Rank 1 Monster wouldn’t be very powerful, but I had faith that Applejack knew what she was doing. “I’m glad you asked, Fluttershy!” AJ said with a smirk, pointing a finger gun at me. “By detachin’ one of her Energy cards, I can Excavate the top card of my deck, and if it’s a Spell or Trap card it goes to my hand, if not… well y’all know the drill.” Applejack looked at the top card of her deck with anticipation, which soon turned to disappointment and annoyance when she saw what it was. “Sylvan Marshalleaf. A Monster. When he’s Excavated I can destroy a Monster on the field… I’d rather not.” “Are you sure?” Pinkie giggled so hard that it became more of an adorable snort. “Cuz I think it’d be a pretty bold strategy to blow up your own monster!” “Har har.” Applejack was bemused but she was laughing a little too. “I can still use Princessprite’s other Effect, which lets me trade Plant-Type Monsters in my hand to summon ones from my graveyard!” “Are you going to summon Peaskeeper again?” I asked. “Nope!” Applejack grinned proudly. “Y’see, once I discard the Plant Monster for the cost, it counts as bein’ in the graveyard, so I can just summon the same Monster I traded in, basically lettin’ it hit the field straight from my hand.” “Wow, that’s a neat trick!” Pinkie said jubilantly, as she often said things. “Thanks, Pinkie.” Applejack replied. “Now I’ll discard, and summon, Sylvan Hermitree!” Hermitree was a big thick tree with the face of a mustached old man, many red flowers blooming from his incredible foliage. He had 2700 ATK. “This guy’s Effect lets me Excavate the top card of my deck and if it’s a Sylvan Monster I can draw another card!” Applejack checked the top card of her deck and smiled as she saw it. “The monster I’m Excavatin’ is Sylvan Bladefender, whose Effect lets him go to my hand instead of the graveyard, plus I draw one card! That’ll be my turn!” “My turn then!” Pinkie said with a hop, skip and a jump. “Hey since I’m going second, do I get to draw a sixth card?” Pinkie raised a good question. In Duel Monsters, when you go first you only get to draw five cards for your opening hand, but the second player gets to draw six. “Uh, I’m not sure what the official rulin’ would be,” Applejack considered with a shrug “but I’m gonna just say sure.” “Skippy!” Pinkie cheerfully drew a sixth card. “I’m gonna set my Pendulum Scales with Gumgumouton and Lizardraw!” Pinkie’s two Monsters appeared beside her in columns of light, a big green sheepy with a little tiny pink sheepy sleeping on top of him on one side, and an orange lizard dressed as a fancy stage magician on the other. “But I’m gonna immediately blow Lizardraw up to draw one card,” Lizardraw pulled out a cartoony box that said TNT on it and pressed the big red button on it, blowing himself up in a big puff of smoke “and I’ll replace him on my Scale… with Parrotrio!” I swore then that every Monster summoned just seemed to be cuter than the last! Three tiny little parakeet friends in precious little vests, all singing a wee song! They were the best! “Gumgumouton’s Scale is 1, Parrotrio’s, thanks to his Effect, is 7!” Pinkie explained. “Which means I get to Pendulum Summon Monsters whose Levels range from 2 to 6!” “We all know how Pendulums work, Pinkie.” Applejack said impatiently. “I actually appreciate the reminder.” I said bashfully, putting my hands behind my back and feeling a little self-conscious. I didn’t like disagreements. “Yeah, Applejack!” Pinkie said with her tongue out and pulling down her eyelid. “Not all of us are super mega experts or anything!” “Fine, fine.” Applejack chuckled. “Now then!” Pinkie raised her fist again as she prepared for her awesome move! “I’m gonna Pendulum Summon Stamp Turtle and Longphone Bull from my hand, and Lizardraw from my Extra Deck!” In a flash of colored lights Pinkie’s Lizardraw was revived! Not only that, but he was joined by a big blue bashful bellhop bull and grumpy gremlin grampa turtle! “How did you bring back Lizardraw?” I said in amazement. “Well, my dear sweet Fluttershy,” Pinkie turned toward me with closed eyes and a smile, pointing her finger in the air while she explained “when my Pendulum monsters are destroyed, they don’t go to the graveyard, they go face-up in the Extra Deck! Then if their Level is within my Pendulum Scales, I can bring ‘em back!” “Wow, that’s so cool!” I cheered excitedly, hopping up and down a wee bit and softly clapping my little hands. “You’re both so good at this game!” “It’s a gift!” Pinkie made a great big smile and I could almost hear the squeaky toy noise or the shiny ‘DING’ that could accompany it. “Thank ye kindly, Fluttershy.” Applejack said, tipping her hat. “Now then!” Pinkie resumed her bombastic display. “My Longphone Bull lets me get a new Performapal to my hand, and I choose…” Pinkie looked through her deck, seriously thinking for a moment about what the right choice would be for her game. “Pick any one you want, Pinkie.” Applejack put one hand on her hip and looked haughtily at Pinkie Pie. “None of yer cards are gonna be able to get through my big ol’ Hermitree here.” Applejack paused for a second and said “Oh and remember, only Fluttershy can attack on her first turn, since she’s goin’ last.” “Got it!” Pinkie said, picking out a card from her deck and lifting it triumphantly into the air. “Both my card and what you said, Applejack! Anyhoo I choose Secondonkey! So he goes to my hand and now I can use my Stamp Turtle’s ability to increase his Level and Longphone Bull’s to 5! Now I’ll Overlay them! Xyz Summon… Volcasaurus!” Longphone Bull and Stamp Turtle evaporated into black energy, just like Applejack’s Monsters, leaving poor Lizardraw all by himself. He wasn’t alone long though because once the energy of Pinkie’s Monsters swirled up into the portal it got shot back down onto the field as this big fiery dinosaur with giant claws that oozed magma from its pores and breathed smoke and flame from its intimidating maw, and 2500 ATK to back up all this flamey goodness. “I might not be able to attack, but…” Pinkie said ominously, waggling her eyebrows at Applejack. “You can still use effect damage.” Applejack gritted her teeth. “That’s riiiiiight!” Pinkie said in a singsong voice, hopping back and forth on either foot. “And by detaching my Stamp Turtle from Volcasaurus, he can blow up your big tree and force you to take its ATK in damage! That’s 2700 points!” A blast of lava shot forth from Volcasaurus’ mouth, decimating Hermitree in a big bursting blaze of brutality, and some of the magma splashed onto Applejack, making her grunt from the shock of it and reducing her Life to 1300. “I’ll lay one card face-down.” Pinkie looked pretty proud of herself for that one, not that I could blame her because it was a really cool move. “And that’ll be that! Go on, Fluttershy! Let’s see what you’ve got!” “Wow, you both had such impressive opening turns!” I said in awe. “You’re both really inspiring to me right now…” I looked in my hand to weigh my options and, knowing what I knew about Pinkie and Applejack, and about this game, I had an idea about what the best move for me to make should be… “I set one monster in face-down defense mode. That’s all.” Applejack and Pinkie Pie both looked at me in shock, eyes widening and mouths hanging open, Pinkie even stuttering in confusion. “Are… are ya kiddin’?” Applejack asked earnestly, giving me a second look. “Nope.” I shook my head with a smile on my face. “That’s… really all you’re gonna do?” Pinkie asked hesitantly, ruffling her hair behind her head. “Yep.” I nodded. “It’s your turn, Applejack.” “Uh, okay then.” Applejack cleared her throat and got ready for her move. With the cards in my hand, I probably could have done a much more robust and showoffy move like the two of them made, but in a duel with three players I thought that maybe not causing trouble, playing defensive and flying under the radar, would be a better strategy. Plus the two were likely to underestimate me anyway, and it’s not like I left myself defenseless. As soon as my Monster would be flipped face-up I would get a new creature from the deck. So it was all good! “Y’know, Pinkie…” Applejack turned her attention back to Pinkie Pie, she probably didn’t give my move another thought, which was in line with what I was expecting. “That Gumgumouton of yers is a real troublesome little bugger. He lets one of yer monsters be safe from destruction once a turn.” “That’s right!” Pinkie got a big smile on her face. “I guess I’ll just have to get rid of him… with this!” Applejack placed a Field Spell card onto her Disk, turning the fancy apartment we were dueling in into a beautiful forest scene with sparkling rivers running all around us and a giant snowy mountain in the distance. “Mount Sylvania!” “This is so beautiful, Applejack!” My eyes were gleaming from the beauty of it all, such a majestic landscape. It was definitely my kind of Field Spell. “What does it do?” “I’ll show ya!” Applejack said brashly, shooting a menacing look at a worried Pinkie Pie. “By sendin’ one of the Plant Monsters in my hand to the graveyard, I can put any Sylvan card in my deck at the top of the deck.” “So you’ll know what it is when you use one of your Excavation effects!” I did a little jump and clapped my hands as I put the pieces of her plan together. “That’s right!” Applejack replied. “But I’ll do ya one better! The card I’m sendin’ to the graveyard as the cost is Snapdrassinagon, who Excavates the top card of my deck as soon as he’s sent!” “So basically,” Pinkie said, a bead of sweat running down her forehead “you get to activate the Excavation Effect of any monster in your deck with this combo.” “Darn straight.” Applejack said with a grin, tilting her hat forward. “And the card I choose is Komushroomo! He lets me destroy a Spell or Trap on the field when he’s Excavated and I choose your Gumgumouton!” A little white and orange mushroom man suddenly sprouted atop Gumgumouton’s head… and then it caught fire! It ignited the poor little gummy sheep and burned it to ashes, the strange gumball animals cackling wildly the whole time. Very odd. “That’s… not great for me.” Pinkie bit her thumbnail, feeling the pressure of an intense duel! “It gets better!” Applejack replied with a gleaming grin. “By sendin’ the Bladefender in my hand to the graveyard, Princessprite can revive my ol’ buddy Hermitree!” Applejack’s old man tree sprouted from the grassy field in front of her, next to her Princessprite who was oh-so-happy to see him. “Now I’ll use his Effect…” Applejack smiled ear to ear and burst out laughing when she saw the card she Excavated. “The card is Sylvan Princessprout! And her effect lets me summon her to the field!” Princessprout, true to her name, looked like a younger Princessprite. A little girl in a marvelous green dress with long, long green hair. She looked up to the Princessprite like a little sister, the latter creature wrapping a protective arm around her as the two stood in the shade of the Hermitree. How cute! “Okay, that’s pretty good, but one measly little sprout can’t take out my Volcasaurus!” Pinkie stamped her foot on the ground and pointed to her majestic beast. “Yeh well, my Princessprout does more than just summon herself when she’s Excavated.” Applejack explained. “I also get to choose her Level, and I pick 7. Now I summon Copy Plant!” Applejack summoned what looked like a sentient thumb made of gnarled roots but with angry green eyeballs. “Copy Plant, like his name suggests, copies one of my Monsters, specifically their Level. So now, just like Princessprout, he’s Level 7!” “Which means you can Overlay!” I said excitedly, eager to see one of Applejack’s Xyz monsters. “Yer darn right I can!” Applejack said, to an ever increasing look of dread and dismay in Pinkie Pie. I was looking forward to it though. “My Level 7 Princessprout and Copy Plant, Overlay! Xyz Summon… Orea, the Sylvan High Arbiter!” Applejack’s favorite Monster… I remembered it from when we were kids. I loved this creature almost as much as she did. A majestic bird of prey with flowery hair, beautiful glittering wings that shone with green, red and gold, giant foresty plumage for her tail… everything about her spoke of wonder and beauty… she was so cool! And with 2800 ATK, there weren’t many Monsters that were going to say no to her! “Orea’s effect…” Applejack was feeling pretty good about her chances now that her ace Monster was on the field… “Is negated! Thanks to my Breakthrough Skill!” …but Pinkie had other plans and revealed her face-down Trap card. “I thought about negating Copy Plant’s effect, but I had a gut feeling that it wouldn’t stop you from Xyz Summoning, so I thought I’d just stop your Arbiter’s effect. How’d ya like that, Applejack!?” “Not bad, Pinkie.” Applejack chuckled. “Unfortunately for you, my monster’s still got more ATK than yours. Orea, attack Volcasaurus!” Orea launched herself into the air and blew a cyclone at Pinkie’s Volcasaurus, tearing the poor flaming creature to shreds. “Now Princessprite attacks Lizardraw…” Lizardraw was tiny compared to Princessprite, who was only average size herself, and his weak and tender defenses were no match for her cherry blossom attack. “And last but not least, Hermitree attacks you directly!” Hermitree didn’t move (of course he didn’t because he’s a tree!) but all the blooming red flowers on his branches burst into flames and shot fiery bullets at Pinkie Pie, and while she danced around them effortlessly, they still reduced her Life to 1000 because that’s how the game works. “Wow, now we’ve both taken Hermitree’s ATK total in damage!” Pinkie laughed. “Yeah, I guess so!” Applejack laughed too, and the two of them laughing made me laugh, or at least softly chuckle into my hand so as not to draw attention to myself. “Sorry yer gettin’ left out Fluttershy, but I’ll be sure to attack you with him too once I beat Pinkie!” “No worries. It’s totally okay if you don’t feel like attacking me.” I bat my hand at Applejack. “Besides Applejack, you won’t be getting a chance to take down Fluttershy!” Pinkie declared, dramatically drawing her card. “Cuz I’ll be doing that, thank you very much! First, I’ll throw down a face-down card. Then I’ll put Dag Daggerman in my open Pendulum Zone!” Despite the shifty looking goatee of Pinkie’s Monster and its lack of visible eyes, it was still pretty cute, with a goofy blue suit and big giant top hat, and cartoonish knives in either hand. “On the turn Daggerman is activated, I can bring a Performapal buddy from my graveyard back to my hand…” Pinkie said, happily showing off her recovered card. “So come on back, Stamp Turtle! Now I’ll just do a little Normal Summon… for Secondonkey!” Secondonkey was precious! I felt like I was going to get a sugar high from watching Pinkie’s adorable creatures! This one was a brown donkey with very big soulful eyes and a comically large bowtie that contrasted his equally silly teensy weensy top hat. So good! “He lets me put a Performapal from the deck into my hand, and I choose Momoncarpet!” Pinkie said proudly. “Now then, with my Scale 2 Dag Daggerman and Scale 7 Parrotrio, I can Pendulum Summon! From my hand, I summon… Stamp Turtle and Momoncarpet! And from my Extra Deck, be reborn! Lizardraw and Gumgumouton!” Pinkie’s field went from being totally empty at the beginning of this turn to having five monsters on it! In addition to the revived gummy sheep and dapper lizard, there was also Pinkie’s old man turtle and now a new monster! Momoncarpet was a purple flying squirrel with a turban on his head whose back was designed to look just like a flying magic carpet. I could’ve sworn the design looked eerily familiar, like I had seen it in a famous movie or something… probably a coincidence. “I’m gonna do something totally reckless!” Pinkie punched her own palm with a giant smile on her face. “But it’s gonna be super cool and that’s what counts!” “Go for it, Pinkie!” Applejack thrusted her fist in the air to encourage Pinkie’s reckless behavior. Even though Pinkie was her opponent, Applejack still wanted her to give all she had and pull off cool techniques, regardless of how they affected Applejack’s own game. What a great friend! “I Overlay my Level 3 Lizardraw and Momoncarpet!” Pinkie said, her Monsters becoming swirling black energy and entering a sky portal again. “Xyz Summon… Giga-Brilliant!” Pinkie’s new Xyz Monster was a giant silver ant with big blade-like pinchers that glowed with a mystical twinkling light. “And with Stamp Turtle’s Effect making them both Level 5, Overlay my Stamp Turtle and Secondonkey! Summon… Greedy Sarameya!” THIS ONE WAS THE CUTEST ONE YET!!! TOO CUTE TO HANDLE!!! This precious pupper was a big blue fiery Cerberus, with three determined snarly heads and a flaming mane and big floppy ears and cute wittle fiewy tail! It was too precious! Would let guard my bedroom, 14\10! “Huh. Not gonna lie, Pinkie, didn’t imagine a card like that’d be in yer deck.” Applejack looked the great doggo over curiously, clearly less impressed than I was. “Then again, considerin’ how often you use Volcasaurus, I shouldn’t be shocked.” “Greedy Sarameya is super cool and I won’t be hearing any of this backchat.” Pinkie said, turning her nose up comically at Applejack. “Now then! Giga-Brilliant’s Effect buffs my whole team by 300 ATK by dropping an Energy card! Now my Sarameya’s attack is equal to your Orea’s at 2800!” “And because of Gumgumouton…” I said aloud, brimming with excitement. “…he won’t be destroyed by the battle…” Applejack finished my thought, less enthused. “It gets better!” Pinkie said exuberantly. “Sarameya! Attack Orea!” Pinkie’s Cerberus lunged at Applejack’s mighty bird, tearing into its neck with its mighty jaws. Orea fought back with a gust from its wings and a green beam of light from its beak, but the attacks were deflected by the gummy shield given to Sarameya by Pinkie’s sheep. Sarameya charged a blast of energy in its three mouths and released them all at once, the three spheres of fiery power converging into one massive fireball, detonating once it hit Orea and exploding, completely annihilating every monster on the field except for mine. “What… what happened?” I asked in shock, my eyes staring widely at the smoking ruin that remained of our field. Applejack’s Field Spell was still active though, so it was a very picturesque smoking ruin. “Sarameya’s effect happened.” Applejack said grimly. “Yupyupyupyup! Yup yup!” Pinkie said, doing a little dance. “When Sarameya beats an enemy monster, I can detach an Energy from him to wipe out all the monsters on the field who have ATK equal to or less than the destroyed monster! Orea had 2800 ATK and no Monster on the field had higher than that! But don’t worry, Fluttershy, it doesn’t affect face-down Monsters, so your guy is safe! Plus it’s your turn!” “That’s good.” I breathed a sigh of relief. What an exhilarating match! “I will…” I looked at my hand again and smiled. “…do nothing. Your turn Applejack.” “Wow, that really…” Applejack sighed in frustration. “That’s not much of a strategy, is it, sugar cube?” “I guess you’ll find out once you beat Pinkie Pie.” I said, my eyes closed and a perfectly innocent smile on my face. “That is, if you can beat Pinkie Pie.” I opened my eyes and gave Applejack the sassy look. “Thank you!” Pinkie Pie said. “Ha! Of course I can beat her!” Applejack scoffed. “Heck, I’ll do it this turn! But before I do, at the end of your turn, Fluttershy, I can activate the second effect of my Mount Sylvania, Excavatin’ the top card of my deck.” “Wait, couldn’t you have done that at the end of my turn too?” Pinkie curiously cocked her head to one side. “Yeah, but that wouldn’t be right.” Applejack shrugged. “Just doesn’t feel very fair to do it more than once per round.” “That’s nice of you.” I chirped. “Heh, thanks.” Applejack tipped her hat bashfully toward me, making me giggle. What a lady! “Anyhow, the card I Excavated is… a Spell card. It’s Miracle Fertilizer.” “Oh, is that no good?” I said concernedly. “Actually, that’s pretty perfect.” Applejack said with a smile. “If I Excavate a non-Sylvan card with this effect I can put it at the top or bottom of the deck, but in this case I’m choosin’ the top, which means I can draw it this turn.” “Come at me, Applejack!” Pinkie started punching wildly into the thin air. “I’ll knock you out!” “No way, Pinkie…” Applejack grinned proudly, looking at Pinkie like a hawk staring down a rabbit. “For you, this is… the Final Turn!” An air of tension shot through the room as Applejack made that announcement and drew her card. “First I’ll activate my Miracle Fertilizer! This allows me to summon any Plant I want from my graveyard, but I can’t Normal Summon this turn. I’ll use it to revive… Hermitree!” Applejack’s Miracle Fertilizer took the form of an aerosol can that appeared on the empty plain of her field, and as it shot out its spray a magical red flower bloomed and from that flower Applejack’s old man Hermitree was reborn yet again. “Wow, you’re really committed to that card, huh?” Pinkie said. “It’s a good card, Pinkie.” Applejack replied. “I can send one Plant Monster from my hand to the graveyard to put one Sylvan monster from my deck on top of it, and by using Hermitree’s effect I can now Excavate that card… so say hello again to Sylvan Princessprout!” “Ooh, I like that one.” I said as the tiny little flower princess came to be, sitting on Hermitree’s mustache. “But then again, I like all you girls’ cards.” “Your cards are pretty cool too, Fluttershy!” Pinkie said happily before stuttering a little bit. “I mean, I think? We haven’t really seen them.” “I have a good feeling that we’re about to.” I held my cards in front of me like a fan, covering my face. “Princessprout’s Effect lets her hit the field at Level 8.” Applejack explained. “Which means I can Overlay with her and Hermitree! Xyz Summon… Aegaion the Sea Castrum!” Out of the galactic portal came a giant blue machine, no it was more than that, it was a fortress! With enormous metallic cylinders all connected by steel beams and bridges and a ton of high-tech yellow lights adorned the top of each cylinder and red glowing circles were on each of the arms and legs of the moving mechanical marvel, with a giant red mechanical eye right in the center of the thing! Spooky! “Aegaion’s ability lets me banish one card at random from your Extra Deck, Pinkie!” Applejack made a punching motion at Pinkie Pie. “I don’t even need to release an Energy to do it!” “Y’know, that really doesn’t take into account my feelings on this situation.” Pinkie said, taking a random card from her Extra Deck and banishing it. It was Leviathan Dragon. “Leviathan Dragon’s ATK is 2000,” Applejack said “so that’s what my Aegaion’s ATK becomes as well. More than enough to take you down! Attack directly!” All the yellow lights on the creature began to glow and then it was consumed by a blazing yellow aura. The moving fortress slowly made its way toward Pinkie Pie, readying an attack. “Not so fast!” Pinkie celebrated. “I activate Xyz Reborn! This revives my Volcasaurus with the Reborn card attached as an Energy!” The flaming dinosaur was revived with a medal of honor attached to his chest, but then the red circle lights on the flanks of Aegaion started to glow. “I activate Aegaion’s effect!” Applejack said without missing a beat. “By returnin’ the Xyz Monster I banished back into the Extra Deck, and detachin’ an Energy card, I can destroy an Xyz Monster you control! So Aegaion’s attack goes through!” “Also not good!” Pinkie said. The red lights shot out beams of energy that disintegrated Volcasaurus instantly and Aegaion continued its slow march toward Pinkie, the yellow lights flashing again and blaring down at Pinkie Pie with a great yellow beam that reduced her Life to 0. “Darn.” Pinkie snapped her fingers in frustration. “Avenge me, Fluttershy! Aveeeenge meeeee!!” Pinkie dropped to her knees and raised her fists into the air as she shouted before slumping over onto her side with her tongue sticking out. “Yer move, sugar cube.” Applejack chuckled at Pinkie’s antics. “Thank you.” I giggled and looked at my cards. I had everything I needed… “I’m sorry, but… I’m going to win this turn.” Applejack’s eyes widened in shock and Pinkie immediately sprung up off the ground to stare at me also, which made me a little self-conscious and almost had me second-guessing myself… but I knew that I could win. “I flip my Baby Racoon Tantan into attack mode.” I said, revealing one of my mysterious defense monsters, a pudgy wittle waccoon fwiend with a big tummy drum. “His Effect lets me summon a Level 2 Beast Monster from the deck… and I choose Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest.” Valerifawn was my favorite card, a small little deer princess with a wreath of flowers around her head and a patch of white sunflowers blooming on her back. “Then I’ll activate Foolish Burial,” I said “which lets me put Uniflora, Mystical Beast of the Forest into the graveyard. Now with Valerifawn’s effect, I can discard a card from my hand to summon a Level 2 or lower Beast from my graveyard.” “So yer gonna summon Uniflora?” Applejack guessed. “Nope!” I chuckled nervously. “I’m gonna use your trick where I summon the Monster I’m using as a cost! His name is Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest!” Kalantosa was a serene white bunny rabbit with a garden on his back that was as big as his body was. “His Effect is very cool. It lets him eat your Sea Castrum.” I said peacefully. “It lets him what?!” Applejack exclaimed. Kalantosa just ever-so-slightly opened his little mouth and a gravitational force was released from it, breaking down Applejack’s Aegaion into particles that soon faded from existence. It was a good Effect. “Now that that’s out of the way,” I said happily, placing another Monster on my Duel Disk “I can Normal Summon my Lock Cat, which allows me to revive the Level 1 Uniflora from the graveyard, but with his effect negated.” Lock Cat was a slender white feline with a long majestic tail and a BIG gold padlock around his neck. Uniflora was a gentle, old grey unicorn whose body was covered in moss. “Hoo boy, Fluttershy. That sure is an awful lot of tiny creatures ya got there, huh?” Applejack said nervously, looking at my full field that had five little friendly faces on it. “What’re you gonna do with all of them?” “Synchro Summon.” I said, Applejack immediately cringing as she realized the bad implications that had for her game. “My Valerifawn is a Tuner, and by Tuning her, a Level 2 monster, with my Level 2 Kalantosa, my Level 2 Racoon Tantan, my Level 3 Lock Cat and my Level 1 Uniflora, I can Synchro Summon the Level 10 Leo, the Keeper of the Sacred Tree!” Leo was a fearsome lion with a beautiful orange flowery mane, covered head to toe in magical white armor. He stared down Applejack’s empty field with a protective fire in his eyes, determined to follow my orders and keep me and my companions safe at any cost. What a treasure. “And he’ll attack you directly, which is more than enough to end your Life… if that’s okay with you.” Leo didn’t wait for Applejack to say she was okay with it, he just pounced toward her and roared, letting out a series of laser attacks from his armor that barraged her nonstop until her Life was reduced to 0. “Applejack…” I looked at my trembling hands and smiled. I was so amazed and felt so empowered that I actually won that duel. “I want to move in with you.” “R-really?” Applejack sounded surprised but also really happy, and that made me really happy. “I do.” I nodded with a smile. “Not only because my brother needs to stand on his own two feet… but because I do too. And I can’t stand on my own just yet, but my brother can’t help me learn either. But I think you can.” “I… I’m touched, Fluttershy.” Applejack took off her hat and took a bow. “And I’ll do my darnedest to be worthy of that trust.” “Hey, uh, don’t forget about meeeee!” Pinkie said, sliding across the hardwood floor to stand between me and Applejack, but she couldn’t stop herself and ended up sliding right into a wall, crashing into it and falling on the ground as me and Applejack cringed.“Uhhh, anyway!” Pinkie stumbled back to her feet. “I think that I’ll… yeah, I’ll definitely also take you up on that offer, Applejack. If that’s okay with you, Fluttershy!” “Of course!” I chirped. I really wanted to give Pinkie a hug but I didn’t want to impose. “That’s great, Pinkie Pie!” Applejack said enthusiastically. She was trying to hide it but I could tell that she was really happy that the two of us agreed to move in with her, and seeing her try to act cool about it was really adorable. “What made ya change yer mind?” “It may be embarrassing to need help sometimes,” Pinkie said seriously “but it shouldn’t be shameful to lean on your friends when you need them! And I can’t lie… I need help. I don’t want to admit it! And… I dunno… what I’ll tell my family… I might not tell them anything yet. But whatever! I really do want to live with you guys! It’ll be way more fun than living by myself anyway!” “And what about yer brother, Fluttershy?” Applejack asked. “When’re you gonna break the news to him?” “Tonight.” I didn’t know what else to do but shake my head slowly. “But I’ll deal with that later. Right now, I just want to enjoy this. I want to just think about how happy I am to be living with two of my best friends.” “Yay! Group hug!” Pinkie said, wrapping both me and Applejack into a big hug. Amazingly, she managed not to crush me this time! Less amazingly, she ended up toppling us all down onto the hardwood floor. Ouch. Gods bless you, Pinkie Pie.