//------------------------------// // The Rise of Princess Twilight // Story: Yu-Gi-Oh! EG: Neo W.R.P.G U.S. Selection Arc // by foxmaster //------------------------------// Silver awoke the next day, primed and ready for the Duel he and his teammates had been fighting for; now having dealt with a tyrannical principal and three dangerous criminals in the process. Silver checked his closet for the remains of his racing suit -- but found that it was missing. Curious, Silver headed for the foyer to ask his family’s servants if they have seen it, but he instead met with Rarity, Lyra, and Lightning. “Oh; hello, Silver! If you've come to find where your racing suit went and disappeared to, look no further -- I simply borrowed it so that I could fix it up along with Lyra’s here, since those absolute brutes nearly destroyed them,” Rarity said as she showed Silver the newly-mended suits. Silver was impressed by the speed and quality of Rarity’s work -- it was like they were never burned or ripped at all. Silver thanked Rarity for the repair job and grabbed his suit, leaving the three in the foyer while he went back to his room to change. After several minutes had passed, Silver returned clad in the suit, ready to ride again. A few hours later; the final round was all set to commence shortly, and both teams were about to enter the Stadium’s center. “AND NOW; IT IS FINALLY TIME FOR THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR, LADIES AND GENTS! THE FINAL MATCH OF THE CANTERLOT CIRCUIT!” the MC shouted excitedly, warming up the crowd before introducing the teams. “Our FIRST TEAM IS OUR CROWD FAVORITES! IN THE PREVIOUS ROUND, THESE THREE FOUGHT AGAINST DANGEROUS CRIMINALS AND WON! Please, WELCOME OUR HEROES! TEAM SILVER WING!” the MC bellowed over the roaring crowd as Silver, Lyra, and Lightning entered the stadium, waving to the people in the stands. “And, THEIR OPPONENTS; THE SECOND SET OF NEWCOMERS TO THIS YEAR'S CIRCUIT! THE DIVAS OF MAGIC! SOME EVEN CALL THEM THE REINCARNATIONS OF THE THREE BEST DUELISTS IN HISTORY! PLEASE WELCOME TEAM HARMONY!” the MC called off as Sunset and her team entered from the other side, their excitement enough to rival both the spectators and their opponents. Both teams met on the center stage to shake hands and promise a friendly and well-fought Duel. Silver and Sunset had both hoped this match would come to pass, and were glad to see that it was now reality. Both teams headed back to their respective pits and debated amongst themselves as to decide who would go first. Sunset agreed to let Twilight lead Harmony’s lineup while Silver agreed to let Lyra do the same for Silver Wing. Both Duelists mounted their Runners, pulled up to the starting line, and prepared to hit the gas once the green light appeared. “Activating the Action Field, Speed World V!” the MC shouted as the track began to shift and change -- various ramps and stunt jumps rising up from the ground. “DUEL MODE: ENGAGED. AUTOPILOT: STANDING BY,” the computers on both Runners announced in unison as the competitors’ Duel Disks activated and their field displays came up on screen. As the field materialized before them, the center stage in front of the MC opened up and a giant dome, resembling something from a BMX rally -- albeit a little more extreme, maybe -- emerged from the ground. “For this final match, we’re introducing a special addition to the field! Say ‘hello’ to the Colossus Sphere!” the MC explained as the gigantic plexiglass ball that easily dwarfed any construct many of those in attendance had ever seen settled itself fully on the stage. Additional bits of track led to the two doors that led in and out of the dome. “Here's how the Colossus works, everyone: when two Duelists drive inside it, the doors will close and the Duelists will drive around in 360 degrees as their monsters fight -- ‘cause once they enter, the current turn will skip to the Battle Phase -- and the doors won't open up again until the Main Phase Two starts,” the MC announced as the jumbotron displayed an animated diagram as a demonstration. Lightning was practically shedding tears of joy as she admired the amazing dome, excited to rev her wheels inside it. Lyra, on the other hand, seemed apprehensive about going inside. Silver assured Lyra that there was nothing to worry about and encouraged her to have fun out there now that the real danger was out of the way. The match they had all been dreaming of was finally about to happen -- and it came with a special stage to ride on, too. With the track now fully prepared, the countdown began. Both duelists blasted off as soon as the green light flashed. Twilight hit her nitro and rocketed past Lyra -- having gained more control over her ride with time. Lyra did the same, but her timing was a tad too late, which meant that Twilight rounded the corner a few seconds before she did. Both Duelists drew their opening hands and the Duel began. DUEL Lyra Heartstrings: 4000 Twilight Sparkle: 4000 “The first move is mine, so to start things off: I will summon Magician’s Rod in Attack Mode.” The unmanned staff of the Dark Magician fell from the sky and wedged itself into the track until the phantasmal spirit of the magician in question pulled it from its place and brandished it at Lyra. Magician’s Rod LV: 3 ATK: 1600 “Now; the power of my rod activates! When Magician’s Rod is Normal Summoned, it allows me to search my Deck for a Spell or Trap that includes ‘Dark Magician’ in the card’s text -- so I will add Dark Magic Circle to my Hand.” The rod shone a mystical blue and the card Twilight was looking for emitted the same soft light as well, calling out for her to pick it out. “Next; I activate the card I just obtained, the Continuous Spell, Dark Magic Circle!” A giant arcane glyph appeared in the space above Twilight and glowed brightly. “When I activate this card, I can look at the top three cards of my Deck -- and if any one of them indicates ‘Dark Magician’ in its text or the card is Dark Magician himself, I will reveal it and add it to my Hand. The other two are placed back on top of my Deck in any order I want.” Three cards appeared from the glyph above Twilight, and after a few moments of deliberation, the center one flipped over, revealing what Twilight added to her Hand. “I will add Eternal Soul to my hand and place the third card revealed on top of my deck.” The card Twilight revealed went into her Hand and the first card was placed back on top of her Deck, the third card stacking on top of it. “Finally; I Set two cards face-down and end my turn,” Twilight concluded as two Set cards appeared in the row behind Twilight’s monster. “My turn! I draw!” Lyra said as she drew her sixth card. Lyra was impressed by Twilight’s vast improvement. Instead of going straight into Dark Magician, she was building up her field for him in order to compound his impact on the game. However; that did not mean she was going to pull any punches! “I --” “Before you do anything; in response to your draw, I activate my Trap, Conquered Territory!” Twilight said as a Trap with artwork displaying a picture of a Romanic general planting his kingdom’s flag revealed itself. “This card allows me to activate a Field Spell straight from my Deck! So; with this effect, I activate my Secret Village of the Spellcasters.” The entire stadium was covered in a shrouded forest of enchanted trees littered with huts. The Field’s influence even spread to the Colossus Sphere, coating it with its own set of trees and soft lights. “What’s the deal with all of these trees?” Lyra asked, her curiosity piqued. “These trees will prevent any player lacking Spellcaster-Type monsters on their field from activating Spell Cards. Otherwise, I knew you would be going straight for your Valhalla card. I studied your team’s Duels closely and noticed how heavily you three rely on Spells and other various Equip effects -- so now that I’ve sealed them, what will you do? How in the world will you beat this combo? Please, Lyra! Show me what you can do!” Twilight challenged. “For starters; I’ll Summon the Tuner Monster, Rising Diva.” A white-skinned teenage girl wearing a red spellcaster outfit with a microphone-like wand in her hand sung a cheerful tune as she took her spot on the field. Rising Diva LV: 2 ATK: 1200 “Sorry to ruin your strategy so quickly, but my Diva is a Spellcaster! Not only that; but she is also treated as having ‘Melodious’ in her name, so now I can Special Summon Octavia the Melodious Songstress from my Hand!” Octavia appeared behind Rising Diva and added her more solemn voice to Diva’s singing. Octavia the Melodious Songstress LV: 5 ATK: 2200 Before Lyra could declare her attack, her and Twilight’s autopilot systems interrupted and directed the two of them into the Colossus Sphere. The doors closed behind them, thus signaling the beginning of the 360 degrees of action. “Time to battle! Rising Diva, attack Magician’s Rod! Oh; and before you ask, Octavia gives my Melodious monsters 800 extra Attack Points during the Battle Phase.” 1200 + 800 = 2000 “Not so fast! I activate the Trap, Vanishing Illusion,” Twilight shouted as a Trap with an image of a puff of smoke on a stage flipped face up. “When a Spellcaster-Type monster I control is targeted for an attack, I can banish that monster until the End Phase, then end the Battle Phase to prevent any additional attacks.” Magician’s Rod disappeared in a puff of smoke and the doors opened, allowing both Duelists to return to the track. “Since I can't attack anymore, I’ll activate my Mystical Space Typhoon and use it to uproot your Field Spell!” A giant, shimmering typhoon tore through all the trees and huts in the stadium, thus freeing Lyra’s ability to use Spell Cards, even if she were to lose her diva. “Finally: I Set one card face down and end my turn.” “Due to Vanishing Illusion’s effect: during the End Phase, Magician’s Rod returns to my field.” Magician’s Rod rematerialized and pointed his rod at Lyra, waiting for his chance to attack. Magician’s Rod LV: 3 ATK: 1600 “My turn! I draw!” Twilight said as she drew her fourth card. Twilight had managed to fend off Lyra long enough to draw just what she needed. “I Normal Summon Magician’s Robe in Attack Mode.” Another phantasmal being appeared, this time wearing the robe of the Dark Magician. Magician’s Robe LV: 2 ATK: 700 “I’ll follow that up by Setting two cards face down and ending my turn.” As Twilight’s turn came to a close, she noticed an Action Card up ahead and grabbed it. Twilight wasted no time in activating it after quickly reading it. “Before your turn begins; I activate the Action Spell, Hand Recharge! I’ll return the only card left in my Hand back to my Deck and draw five new cards to replace it.” Twilight placed her remaining card in the stack and shuffled her Deck before drawing her new cards. Lyra grit her teeth. Twilight could be planning anything now that she had obtained all of that advantage. “My turn! I draw!” Lyra said as she drew her fourth card. Lyra needed some way to clear all of Twilight's cards from the field before she could benefit from them. Lyra had the perfect card in mind but first needed to keep her monsters safe until the right time to summon the monster she needed came along. “I activate my Field Spell, Melodious Concert Hall!” The stadium once filled with calming nature was suddenly turned into a wide-open opera house, which included a stage that materialized by the MC. “Thanks to this Field Spell, all of my ‘Melodious’ monsters cannot be targeted for attacks or by any other effects!” Lyra thought that she had halted Twilight in her tracks… that is until she noticed Twilight smiling wide like this new development did not faze her at all. That’s fine with me! I activate my Robe’s effect! During your turn; by discarding a Spell or Trap Card from my hand, I can Special Summon my ace monster straight from my Deck. So; I discard this Spell, and from my Deck: I Special Summon my Dark Magician in Attack Position!” Dark Magician leaped out of the portal created by Robe and landed between it and Rod, his arms crossed and his face set in the same serious expression he always seemed to wear. Dark Magician LV: 7 ATK: 2500 “Now; my Circle’s other effect activates! Since I summoned Dark Magician, I can borrow his power to banish one of your cards -- so I choose to banish your Field Spell! The Concert Hall fell apart just as quickly as it had risen, and the rubble and debris were sucked up by the Dark Magic Circle. “You may have gotten rid of my Field and summoned your Magician, but I'm not done yet! I tune my level two Rising Diva with my level five Octavia to Synchro Summon the monster that will turn the tables on this match!” Rising Diva leaped into the air and spun around like she was some kind of magical girl and transformed into two stars that then turned into two green rings that encircled Octavia and turned her into five stars that fell into alignment. LV5 + LV2 = LV7 "Chilling flames, engulf the entire world! Pitch-dark flower, set into bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear now! Level 7! Black Rose Dragon!" A gigantic red rose appeared on the field and unfolded its petal-like wings as a jet-black dragon arose from within, covering the arena in a torrential shower of crimson rose petals. She loosed a proud roar as she glared down at Twilight’s gathered Spellcasters. Black Rose Dragon LV: 7 ATK: 2400 “I know what you're trying to do. You're going to blow apart the field, hoping to clear my entire board in one move. Well; I'm not letting that happen! I activate my Continuous Trap, Dark Magic Sealing Blade!” Twilight said as a trap with a picture of Dark Magician wielding a sword marked with various arcane runes on it flipped up. “This Trap not only stops your dragon from activating her effects, it also banishes her from the field for two turns!” Twilight’s Trap fired the sword on the picture at Black Rose, running through her wing. With a cry, she vanished from the field. Just as Lyra was about to give up and end her turn, she noticed another Action Card above her and used the half pipe to grab it. Twilight tried using the other one to grab it as well, but Lyra beat her to the punch this time around and both of them landed back on the track. Lyra was relieved to see she had managed to snag something that could save her. “I activate the Action Spell, Phoenix Chain! This card allows me to bring back the monsters that I sent to my Graveyard this turn, and inflict 400 points of direct damage to you for each monster brought back.” A flaming phoenix appeared and sent two of its five tail feathers falling into a portal, using them to pull out Rising Diva and Octavia. Its first mission complete, it waved its wings, whipping a wave of embers at Twilight before vanishing. Rising Diva LV: 2 ATK: 1200 Octavia the Melodious Songstress LV: 5 ATK: 2200 Lyra: 4000 Twilight: 3200 “In addition; I Special Summon Sonata the Melodious Diva to back up my other two monsters.” Sonata descended from the sky and landed next to Octavia adding her own flair to the harmony crafted by the others. Sonata the Melodious Diva LV: 3 ATK: 1200 + 500 = 1700 Octavia the Melodious Songstress: 2200 + 500 = 2700 “I Set two more cards face-down and end my turn,” Lyra said as two more Set cards appeared behind Lyra’s monsters. “My turn! I draw!” Twilight said as she drew her fifth card. Twilight had a good field prepared so far -- and now it was time to summon her newest monster. “First; I tribute my Magician’s Robe and Magician’s Rod so I can Tribute Summon my Magician of Dark Illusion in Attack Mode.” A shadowy silhouetted version of Dark Magician took form and brandished its staff at Lyra. Magician of Dark Illusion LV: 7 ATK: 2100 “My new monster’s name is treated as ‘Dark Magician’ while it’s on the field, so that means my Circle activates! This time, I choose to banish your Octavia.” Dark Magic Circle glowed again, ready to pull Octavia into it -- but Lyra wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. “I activate the Trap, Fairy Rescue!” Lyra said as a Trap Card that showed a fairy in a cage being set free flipped up. “When one of my Fairy-Type monsters is targeted by a card effect, this card negates that effect and allows me to draw two cards.” Octavia was covered in a golden light that protected it from Twilight’s Spell and Lyra drew her two extra cards. “No matter! I will now overlay my level seven Dark Magician and Magician of Dark Illusion in order to build the Overlay Network!” Both of Twilight’s magicians turned into purple streams of energy and then they both entered a swirling galaxy-like portal. “Soul of the mighty servant of the great pharaoh, travel through time and space and aid me in this fight! Xyz Summon! Behold, Rank 7! Ebon High Magician!” An evolved version of Dark Magician now wearing cobalt armor with silver trim and light blue garbs beneath it landed on his knee and placed his staff between his legs. Ebon High Magician Rank: 7 DEF: 2800 Units: 2 “Next; I activate Ancient Rules, and with it, I Special Summon another Dark Magician!” The second Dark Magician leaped out of the portal conjured by the Ancient Rules and pointed his own staff at Lyra, ready to fight. Dark Magician LV: 7 ATK: 2500 “I hope you’re ready for another round in the Sphere,” Twilight said as she and Lyra drove back into the Colossus Sphere and prepared to battle as the doors shut tight behind them once more. “Dark Magician, attack Rising Diva with Dark Magic Attack!” Dark Magician charged up energy in the tip of his staff and fired a green blast of powerful magic at Rising Diva. “If you think I'm letting that hit, you are so very wrong! I activate the Trap, Urgent Tuning! This card allows me to Synchro Summon during our battle, so with it, I tune my level two Rising Diva with my level five Octavia and level three Sonata to Synchro Summon the monster that means everything to me!” Rising Star did her magical girl spin and turned into two stars and then two green rings that encircled both Octavia and Sonata and turned them into eight stars that fell into alignment. LV5 + LV3 + LV2 = LV10 “Song of the hero spread far and wide -- let your legendary melody bring hope to the masses and this battle’s victory to me! Synchro Summon! Rise! Level 10! Zelda the Melodious Goddess!” A white-skinned maiden with a blue dress and long blonde hair wielding a golden lyre that looked almost identical to Lyra’s family crest rose from the field where there were once three. She idly strummed her lyre and hummed a powerful, triumphant composition. Zelda the Melodious Goddess LV: 10 ATK: 4000 “That’s quite the monster you’ve Summoned. She must have one heck of an effect if she requires all that effort to bring out. Not to mention how she’s packing 4000 ATK by herself,” Twilight analyzed, amazed by Lyra’s monster. “This card is very special to me. It was the first card my mom ever gave me, and I’ve been saving it for a special occasion -- just like this one. As for what she does? You will have to wait and see. But for now, my move triggered a replay so you can choose to stop your attack or try again” Twilight decided not to back down and searched the dome for Action Cards and noticed one floating smack dab in the center of the sphere. She leaped off her Duel Runner and pulled off some death-defying acrobatic stunts in order to grab said Action Card, to the delight of the audience in attendance, and landed back on her Runner safe and sound. Twilight quickly activated the card she had obtained. “I activate the Action Spell, Miracle! Normally; this would be used in response to one of your attacks, but I'm going to use it to save my monster and myself.” Dark Magician was covered in a barrier as his attack bounced off Zelda and flew straight back at him, damaging Twilight in the process. Lyra: 4000 Twilight: 2450 The doors of the dome opened again and both Lyra and Twilight drove back onto the main track and began the next part of the duel. Twilight searched for more Action Cards and noticed one way above a huge gap in the track and decided to take a chance at getting it. Twilight calculated her trajectory and hit her nitro and at third gear, she blasted into the air before activating her wings and soaring above the gap -- but she was not quite high enough to snag the card, so in a moment of unbridled confidence she decided to leap from her Runner and grab it. Twilight’s stunning bound was fortunately successful and she got the Action Card -- but now she had to land back on her Runner or she and her team would be disqualified. Twilight may have been rather light, but without her actual wings the laws of gravity would triumph over her, so she did what she thought Rainbow Dash would do -- and nosedived straight towards her Runner, pulling up only at the last possible second and successfully remounting it. Twilight decided it was time to hit Lyra for some damage now that she had managed to astound herself and everyone else in the stadium. “I activate the Action Spell, Phoenix Arrow! This spell inflicts 1500 points of direct damage straight to you!” The horn on Twilight’s Runner glowed in preparation, but Lyra decided she would rather not take the damage. “I'm not letting that happen! In response; I activate the Trap, Damage Eraser! Now; instead of losing Life Points, I gain the amount I would have lost instead.” Lyra was confident that the machine that hooked itself to the back of Lyra’s Runner would save her until Twilight -- being at least three moves ahead, like she had been throughout the Duel -- had a countermeasure ready. “I activate my Counter Trap, Damage Boost! When you activate an effect that would negate the damage inflicted by one of my card effects, your effect is negated and the initial damage is doubled!” As the Damage Eraser crackled and vanished, the flaming Phoenix Arrow doubled in size and intensity, flying even faster towards Lyra. She noticed an Action Card on her left and both swiped and activated it in one quick motion. “I activate the Action Spell, Acceleration! This card allows me to outspeed the damage you were going to hit me with.” Lyra’s Duel Runner accelerated into high gear and the giant phoenix behind Lyra dissipated as the harsh and sudden winds snuffed it out. Twilight was starting to think she would never catch up to Lyra at this rate. “I end my turn,” Twilight said reluctantly as half of the runes on the sealing sword glowed. Dark Magic Sealing Sword: 1 “My turn! I draw!” Lyra said as she drew her card. Lyra was more than ready to end this Duel already and decided it was time to show Twilight what her monster could really do. “It's about time I showed you what Zelda is capable of! I activate her effect: ‘Ballad of Time’! This powerful effect negates all of your card effects on the field until the End Phase -- also, you can’t activate any of your Set cards during this turn, either!” Zelda ran her fingers across her lyre and the sound reverberated, covering Twilight’s cards in a golden aura that essentially completely nullified them. “Now; it's time to battle!” Lyra said as she and Twilight once again drove into the Colossus Sphere and began their 360-degree battle. “Zelda, attack Dark Magician with Light Bow Barrage!” Zelda summoned forth her magical golden bow and fired an arrow of light that transformed into a cluster shot of arrows that pierced through the Dark Magician and vaporized him. “I'm not letting you near my Life Points anymore! You may have stopped the cards on my field, but my hand is untouchable -- or at the very least, untouched -- so I can discard my Kuriboh to negate the damage from your attack!” Twilight and her Runner were covered in a swarm of fluffy little Kuriboh that formed a protective bubble around her and absorbed all the damage. “Not bad... but this duel is still far from over! For now, I Set one more card face down and end my turn,” Lyra said as they both exited back to the track while a Set card appeared behind Zelda. “My turn! I draw!” Twilight said as she drew her third card. Twilight was really backed into a corner now. With Lyra’s monster negating her effects on the field and no idea what her Set card was, she really needed some kind of a miracle to get out of this one. “First; targeting Zelda, I activate the Equip Spell, Dark Binding Chain,” Twilight said as a spell with a picture of a dragon shackled to a pillar materialized. “The monster equipped with this card has their effects negated and cannot attack -- but here is the best part: if that chain is destroyed, the equipped monster is banished!” Twilight’s spell fired a chain made of dark magic at Zelda and tied her up. When she struggled in an attempt to break free, the magical chain zapped her with a charge of dark energy. “Next; I Summon Magician’s Valkyria in Attack Mode.” A magician girl wearing an outfit very similar to her predecessor rose out of a portal and spun her staff around with a flourish. Magician’s Valkyria LV: 4 ATK: 1600 “Finally; I Set one card face down and end my turn -- and during this End Phase, my Sealing Sword’s effect is finished and your dragon comes back,” Twilight said as a Set card appeared behind Ebon High and the second half of Sealing Sword lit up before vanishing from the field, thus freeing Black Rose Dragon from her prison. Dark Magic Sealing Sword: 2 Black Rose Dragon LV: 7 ATK: 2400 “My turn! I draw!” Lyra said as she drew her card. Lyra was really enjoying this Duel. No one had really ever pushed her this far before and her whole body trembled with excitement as she thought of ways to defeat her capable opponent. “One last thing about my Equip Spell... I forgot to mention it before, but you take 800 points of damage during each of your Standby Phases,” Twilight mentioned as the chain binding Zelda sparked up suddenly and unleashed a burst of electricity that coursed across Lyra. Lyra: 3200 Twilight: 2450 “No matter; because I activate my Trap, Dimension Leap!” Lyra said as a Trap with a picture of Stardust Dragon entering a wormhole flipped up on the field. “This Trap allows me to banish one of my monsters until the Standby Phase of my next turn, and as you may have guessed: I'm using it on my Zelda -- thus freeing her from your chains!” A wormhole appeared above Zelda and sucked her in, causing the chains that previously bound her to fall to the ground and shatter. “I now Summon Adagio the Melodious Diva in Attack Mode.” Adagio descended next to Black Rose Dragon and began her own unique vocalizing. Adagio the Melodious Diva LV: 1 ATK: 1000 “Too bad she won't be around for long, because I activate my Trap: Dark Renewal! I can activate this Trap when you Summon a monster, and it allows me to tribute your monster and one of my own to Special Summon a Spellcaster-Type monster from my Deck or Graveyard.” A red coffin with gold metal framing appeared in a shroud of black smoke and opened up wide, sucking Magician’s Valkyria and Adagio into itself as wisps of energy before snapping shut. “And now; with the power of these two monsters, I bring back my Dark Magician from beyond the grave!” The coffin opened up once more and Dark Magician raised from it, ready to fight again. Dark Magician LV: 7 ATK: 2500 Both Twilight and Lyra drove for the Sphere, knowing what came next. “Time to fight! Dark Magician, attack Black Rose Dragon with Dark Magic Attack!” Dark Magician sent another green orb of magical energy at Black Rose Dragon while Lyra scoured the Sphere for Action Cards and noticed one above her. She reached her arm out to grab it and then activated it on impulse. “I activate the Action Spell, Evasion! Now your attack is blocked and both my dragon and my Life Points are safe.” Black Rose Dragon reared her head to the left and the sphere of energy missed and made an impact with the Sphere’s wall. Twilight clenched her fists tight around her Runner’s handlebars, and determined not to be outdone, she activated an Action Card of her own in response. “I activate the Action Spell, Compensation! Whenever one of my attacks fails, I'm allowed to draw two cards.” Twilight drew her two cards and decided to show Lyra what her Xyz monster could really do. “Now; I activate my Ebon High Magician’s effect! While he has Xyz material: I’m allowed to activate a Quick-Play Spell or a Trap Card from my Hand -- however; I must detach an Overlay Unit afterward. With this effect, I’ll activate the Quick-Play Spell, Dedication Through Light and Darkness! This Spell allows me to tribute my Dark Magician and summon something even more powerful: the legendary Dark Magician of Chaos!” Dark Magician was lost within a plume of thick, black smoke before being sucked into the card. Soon after, he was replaced by a magician with dark blue skin, wearing a leather outfit with a tri-pointed hat. His long flowing mane of black hair pulled in one’s eyes like a black hole. Dark Magician of Chaos LV: 8 ATK: 2800 UNITS: 2 - 1 = 1 “It's still my Battle Phase, so I will have Dark Magician of Chaos attack Black Rose Dragon with Scepter Strike!” Dark Magician of Chaos leaped into the air and flung an orb of dark magic at Black Rose Dragon from his scepter and blew the flowery dragon apart into a blizzard of singed petals. Lyra: 2800 Twilight: 2450 Twilight and Lyra exited the sphere and returned to the track. “I switch my Ebon High Magician to Attack Mode.” Ebon High stood up tall and pointed his staff at Lyra with a hardened look in his eyes. Ebon High Magician RANK: 7 ATK: 2300 UNITS: 1 “From my Hand: I activate the Equip Spell, Xyz Power Shift, and equip it onto Ebon High! This card swaps the Attack and Defense points of a Xyz Monster that it ends up equipped to.” Ebon High Magician struck a kind of “powering-up” pose as he felt the power surge through him. 2300 + 500 = 2800 “With that; I end my turn. At which point: my Dark Magician of Chaos allows me to add anyone Spell Card from my Graveyard back to my Hand. I think I will choose... my Secret Village,” said Twilight as she retrieved her lost Field Spell. “But that’s not the end of it, because I also activate the effect of the Spell Returning Empire from my Graveyard! When a Field Spell is added to my Hand, I can banish this card to activate it immediately -- so now my Secret Village returns in full force.” “Wait... since when did you have that in your Graveyard? I don't recall you using that during the Duel,” Lyra wracked her brain, thinking back on every move they made and couldn’t remember. Unless, of course... “Remember back when I used my Robe’s effect to Summon my Dark Magician? Well, ‘Empire’ was the card I used to pay the cost for that effect. You see; I knew we would reach this point, so I prepared well in advance for it.” As the forest and village huts from the beginning of the Duel sprung up anew right before her eyes, Lyra grit her teeth and frowned, knowing her Spells were locked down all over again. “My turn! I draw!” Lyra shouted, hoping she would draw the one card that could save her. Lyra looked at the card she drew -- and was at first disappointed that it was a Spell Card, but then remembered she had a monster that could help her out of this situation. “First things first; during my Standby Phase, Zelda returns to me from the beyond!” A wormhole opened up above and out of it came Zelda, playing her lyre and humming her song. Zelda the Melodious Goddess LV: 10 ATK: 4000 “Now; I activate Zelda’s effect, Ballad of Time!” Zelda struck away at the chords that made up her ballad, encasing Twilight’s cards in a beautiful golden glow and preventing them from utilizing any of their effects. “Next; since I have a Melodious monster on my field, I can special summon Rising Diva from my Graveyard.” Rising Diva rose from a portal and winked at Twilight before returning to her earlier song. Rising Diva LV: 2 ATK: 1200 “Now that my Spells are free again, I can activate the card that will end this: the Spell Card, Melodious Music Storm!” Lyra shouted as a spell with a picture of Adagio, Aria, and Sonata singing their music to a wild crowd materialized on the field. “I can only activate this card when I have a ‘Melodious’ Fusion or Synchro Monster on my field. This card destroys every card on your field and inflicts 500 points of damage for each card destroyed by this effect. I count five cards in total, so you’re taking 2500 points of damage, Twilight!” Zelda’s fingers blitzed across her instrument’s strings as Rising Diva’s voice called out in song to accompany her. Twilight’s cards were changed one by one into music notes that smashed into Twilight, each one ringing out a powerful sound in corresponding order of scales as Twilight’s runner sputtered and emitted a plume of smoke while her Life Points hit zero. Lyra Heartstring: 2800 Twilight Sparkle: 0 Winner: Lyra Heartstrings “That was a very amazing Duel! Congratulations are in order -- but first; I have one last trick up my sleeve! Since you destroyed my Ebon High Magician, I can Special Summon a DARK Spellcaster-Type monster from my Deck; so I’ll summon my third copy of Dark Magician!” A violet portal opened up and out of it came Twilight’s third and final Dark Magician. Dark Magician LV: 7 ATK: 2500 Twilight returned to her team’s pit after a long-fought Duel. She may have lost, but she did manage to give her prized student a good start for her turn as well as put a significant dent in Lyra’s Life Points. As soon as Twilight came to a full stop, she passed the baton and her Dark Magician to Starlight with a smile. “Win this one for us, Starlight! Make sure to be careful when fighting that Zelda, though,” Twilight warned. Starlight nodded, knowing full well who and what she was up against. “Don’t worry, Twilight! I'm ready for anything Lyra plans to throw at me,” Starlight replied with confidence. Starlight took off and Twilight took her seat next to Sunset. “By the way, Twilight... where did you learn all those fancy acrobatics you did?” Sunset asked -- very impressed by the stunts Twilight had done. “Rainbow Dash -- the one from back home, I mean -- taught them to me when she was teaching me how to use my wings. Though, to be honest, I was just as amazed that I could do them even without my wings as anyone else,” Twilight replied. Back in Appleloosa, everyone gathered in the saloon was enthralled as they watched the final match, cheering loudly as Lyra delivered the final blow to Twilight. Sky Stinger and Vapor Trail were both amazed and impressed by Lyra’s ability to turn Twilight’s own field against her. As Starlight took off, the bartender prepared his premium cider for everyone, as this was a very special match. All eyes were glued to the screen -- waiting to see what would happen next.