Elements of the Duel

by Dashguy


Duel Fourteen - Dark Maneuvers in Applebucking Season!

Applejack stands alone in a small alley located in Manehattan, surrounded by empty boxes and thrash cans. The light of the setting sun paints the brick walls orange. In front of her there’s an ornate wooden door with a dusty black lamp above it. Attached to the door is a golden metal plaque in dire need of a good polish, with the words “The Winking Pony” barely visible on it.

The inside of the pub is as poorly lit as the outside. As soon as she enters, Applejack is greeted by several distrustful glares coming from a few patrons of less than reputable appearance sitting on the nearby tables. She glares right back and they go back to minding their own business.

Applejack adjusts the bright red scarf around her neck to cover her mouth and conceal a soft breath of relief. She wears her work boots and gloves, faded blue jeans, an orange lumberjack shirt two sizes too big, a brown leather longcoat and her favorite wide-brimmed hat.

The bartender, a middle-aged bald man with a prominent black moustache, looks at Applejack and she flashes him a Duel Monsters' card depicting a dragon resting over a mountain of gold and jewels. He nods. Applejack puts the card back inside her pocket and heads towards the end of the bar, stopping in front of a heavy-looking metal door. She knocks once and the door slowly opens. A burly man with slicked back hair and wearing a black suit motions for Applejack to come in. Once she crosses the threshold, he takes a quick peek outside and closes the door.

Applejack walks down the grungy hallway. For a moment the only sound is that of her steps breaking the puddles of water created from the leaking industrial pipes above her head.

A second door awaits her at the end. Applejack narrows her eyes and pushes it open, letting the light and noise flood the hallway. The first thing she sees is the steel cage in the middle of the large open room, where two men are dueling against each other. Both of them wear three strange, black collar-like devices each, two around their arms and one around their necks.

Several fancy tables surround the cage, occupied by couples, individuals and groups alike. Every single one of the spectators has their face concealed by a featureless mask. The women wear exquisite dresses and the men all sport fancy tuxedos, making their affluence clear. They all watch the duel with interest while savoring their drinks.

Applejack pays them no mind and heads straight to one table in particular, occupied by the only spectator who did not wore a mask: a bespectacled, flamboyant man with curly, light grayish vermillion hair. He wears a rich blue suit, complete with a wine red tie and dark brown derby shoes. The man is reading attentively from a small notebook while flanked by two tall men wearing black suits. Applejack lowers the scarf from her mouth and calls, “Baloney.”

Baloney lifts his gaze and smiles pleasantly at the sight of the young woman. “Applejack,” he calls, motioning for her to take a seat. He sets the notebook aside and rests both hands on the table with his fingers intertwined. “It’s good to see you again.”

Applejack nods. “Same here.” She sits and asks, “So, what you’ve got for me?”

A sudden scream echoes in the room. Applejack turns around to see one of the duelists lying on the ground. The spectators break into a polite applause as two men in black suits carry the unconscious duelist out of the cage.

Baloney adjusts his glasses with a smirk. “That’s Two Ton,” he says while pointing at the remaining duelist inside the cage. “He’s known for his relentless attacks and overall aggressive dueling.”

Applejack frowns and adjusts her hat. "Got it."


The door of the cage closes behind Applejack with a loud clang. She remembers her first time here and how that sound nearly made her jump on her toes. Now it’s little more than background noise.

Applejack takes a good look at her opponent. A tall, ripped man with light brown hair styled in a mullet. He wears black boots, faded grey jeans and a jacket of the same color, open to expose his prominent pectoral muscles. Two Ton casts her a heated look that would have made most people experience a sudden toilet break, but she remains calm and answers by pulling back the sleeve of her coat over her left arm to reveal her Duel Disk.

One of the men in black suit enters the cage and approaches Applejack carrying a case. He opens it to reveal three of the black collar-like devices. “Consarned electrodes,” Applejack thinks with disdain. They are special devices that drain excess magic from the surroundings, much like Duel Disks, and work by atuning themselves to them, activating whenever the user sustains damage. Or that’s what she was told. Either way, it’s the only thing around here she cannot get used to. Without a word, Applejack removes her scarf and attaches one of the collars around her neck, then the other two around her arms.

The man in black leaves the cage. Both, Applejack and Two Ton activate their Duel Disks. Their life points flash at 4000 above them. They draw their opening hands of five cards and the disks cycle randomly, granting Two Ton the first turn.

Two Ton’s nose flares. “My turn!” He summons Exarion Universe and set two cards before finishing his turn with a low, threatening growl.

“Mah’ turn!” Applejack draws a card, plays a monster facedown and finishes her turn.

Two Ton draws energetically. “I tribute Exarion Universe!” The armored centaur rears as its body erupts in flames. “To summon Twinheaded Beast!” From the flames emerges a larger centaur; its two lion heads roar loudly as the flames dance all over its body. “Attack!”

Twinheaded Beast extends its arms, creating a fireball on each hand. It launches the first and destroys the set Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves. Applejack quickly takes the first five cards from her deck and rearranges them back. “Second strike!” Twinheaded Beast launches the second fireball. Applejack banishes Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves, draws the first card from her deck and reveals it as Superheavy Samurai Flutist, reducing the fireball to a harmless shower of sparks.

Two Ton shouts the activation of his set trap, Beast Soul Swap, replacing the Twinheaded Beast on his side of the field with one from his hand. Applejack’s eyes widen in shock. He orders, “Double strike!” Twinheaded Beast rears and launches two fireballs in quick succession, hitting Applejack and knocking her against the steel bars. Her life points lower drastically, to 400.

The electrodes around Applejack’s arms and neck glow bright red. She cannot hold back a scream as the devices release an electric shock. Her legs wobble and she has to hold onto the bars of the cage to remain on her feet. “Darn,” she mutters between heavy breaths. “Ah’ got careless…”

Two Ton makes a “thumbs down” gesture to signal the end of his turn.

Applejack takes a deep breath, grits her teeth and rips the first card from the top of her deck. “Draw!” She normal summons Superheavy Samurai Flutist, sacrificing it to special summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei in defense position. She orders, “Buck him to the moon!”

Two Ton unveils his remaining set card, Sakuretsu Armor, engulfing Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei in a pillar of fire, but Applejack swiftly banishes Superheavy Samurai Flutist to protect her monster. Two Ton mutters a curse and braces himself for impact, but to his sudden horror, Applejack discards Superheavy Samurai Soulbuster Gauntlet from her hand to double Benkei’s defense points, from 3500 to 7000.

Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei raises its massive motorized fist and squashes Twinheaded Beast like a bug. Two Ton’s life points go down to zero. He screams as the Electrodes attached to his neck and arms shock him. Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei vanishes.

Applejack looks content, but does not smile. Only a few of the spectators applaud. She removes the collars around her neck and arms, handing them to one of the men in black as she leaves the cage.


Baloney nods approvingly. “Excellent work, Applejack.” He smiles and adds, “Truly my choice of opponent was a superb one.”

Applejack chuckles softly. “Yeah, thanks.” She rubs her right arm, still feeling some lingering pain from the duel. “So, about mah’ share…”

“Of course.” Baloney motions to the man on his right, who throws a small bag at Applejack.

Applejack swiftly catches the bag, weights it on her hand and then frowns. “What the hay?” she asks bewildered. “This ain’t even half of last time’s!”

Baloney remains indifferent. “Organizing these events does not come cheap, Applejack.” He tilts his head and adds condescendingly. “You should be thankful you got that much for such a short duel.” Applejack scowls. Baloney sighs, calmly removes his glasses and begins cleaning them with a napkin. “Do you remember the first time we met, Applejack?” he asks without even looking at her.

Applejack immediately deflates. She lowers her gaze and mutters, “Y-Yeah…”

However, Baloney does not stop. “You used all your money to pay the entrance fee for some fancy tournament and didn’t get to win a single one of your matches.” He puts his glasses back on and continues, “You did not even had enough bits to pay the train ticket back home when I found you.” He raises both eyebrows like if he was addressing a rebellious child. “Yet here you are now, earning money while simultaneously improving your skills.”

Applejack bites her lower lip. She has both eyes firmly locked on the floor.

Baloney sighs. “Don’t feel bad, Applejack.” He smiles comfortingly and puts a hand over her shoulder. “I know exactly how you feel. We’re both trying to make ends meet, after all.”

Applejack looks at him and smiles softly. “Yeah…”

“I’ll tell you what,” Baloney says enthusiastically, with a snap of his fingers. “I’m going to prepare a special duel just for you.” Applejack tilts her head in curiosity. “There will be no other duels, just yours against some of the best duelist around here, with plenty of promotion and, most importantly,” Baloney makes a gesture holding his index finger and thumb together. “A very generous prize.” He smiles complicity and asks, “What do you say?”

Applejack’s expression brightens. “I-I’ll be! That sounds mighty fine!”

Baloney nods. “I’ll make sure to have everything prepared for your next visit.”

Applejack smiles and nods. She puts the bag of bits inside the pocket of her longcoat, bids him farewell and goes back from where she came from. It’s not until she disappears behind the door that Baloney’s expression changes into one of complete disdain. “The nerve of some people,” he comments indignantly. “You give them an inch and they try to take a mile.” He shakes his head, looks at the man in black to his side and asks, “Can you believe she did not even thank me?” The man shrugs.


Once again, Applejack finds himself standing in front of the door of The Winking Pony. Her choice of clothes and the setting sun bring a heavy sense of deja vu. She grabs the door’s handle, but does not push it open. For the second time after she began frequenting this place, Applejack hesitates.

The words of Princess Celestia echo in the back of her mind, “All of Equestria is in debt with you, girls.” She briefly wonders if she could ask for some bits as reward, but quickly dismisses the idea with a shake of her head. How would she look if she went demanding compensation when none of her friends has asked for anything?

“Applebuck Season is comin’,” Applejack mutters to herself. There’s no way they can harvest several acres of apples with only four people. She grits her teeth and adds, “We need the money.”

With renewed determination, Applejack marches inside The Winking Pony, flashes the barman her admission card and knocks on the metal door at the end of the bar. She pushes the doorman aside and marches through the grungy hallway, ending up in the large open room with the cage.

Baloney greets her cheerfully, flanked by two men in black, as always. “Applejack! Just in time.”

Applejack tilts her hat and smiles confidently. “Eeyup! I’m all ready!”

Baloney adjusts his glasses and, for a moment, the light from above reflects on the lens, concealing his eyes. “Excellent. Here’s the deal,” He raises his index finger and one of his men handles Applejack her electrodes. She puts them on while listening attentively to what Baloney says, “You will face three opponents. Beat one and you get to duel the next. Be warned, your life points won’t get replenished between duels.” He smiles and finishes, “Win the three duels and the prize is yours.”

To drive the point forward, Baloney snaps his fingers and one of the men in black approaches carrying a bag filled to the brim with both hands.

Applejack’s eyes widen at the sight of the bag. Her mind begins reeling with plans, but she dispells the thoughts with a quick shake of her head. “Got it!” Applejack pulls back the sleeve of her coat to unveil her Duel Disk and hurriedly heads inside the cage, where her first opponent is already waiting for her.

“Miss me, you witch?”

Applejack frowns. In front of her stands Two Ton with a look of pure animosity. But what truly gets her attention is the fact he’s not wearing electrodes like her. She thinks this is going to be more difficult than she expected, but a glance at the bag of bits resting on a nearby table under the watchful gaze of two men in black suits serves to dispell her doubts.

Both duelists activate their Duel Disks and draw their initial hands of five cards. The disks cycle randomly until they stop on Applejack. “Ah’ summon Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler!” The large automaton appears on the field and immediately adopts a defensive stance, crossing its massive arms in front of it like a shield. “Turn end!”

“My turn! Draw!” Two Ton sets two cards and plays a monster face-down. He shouts, “Come on!”

Applejack draws. Her eyes narrow as she tries to recall their duel from the last time she came here. She normal summons Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer and equips it with Superheavy Samurai Soulpeacemaker from her hand. “Ah’ tribute mah’ Soulpiercer equipped with Soulpeacemaker!” With the combined effects of her monsters, she adds Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter to her hand and special summons Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves, both from her deck.

Applejack continues special summoning Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter. The tiny orange robot appears twirling its trumpet before blowing it loudly. “Synchro Summon!” Trumpeter and Gigagloves disappear in a cluster of stars, revealing the shape of Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi.

From outside the cage, Baloney watches as Applejack rearranges the top five cards of her deck with Gigagloves’ effect before retrieving Trumpeter from her graveyard with Swordmaster Musashi’s effect. “It seems she has improved somewhat,” he thinks. His lips curve into a wide smirk. “But this show has just started.”

Applejack orders the attack of Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi, “Superheavy Double Slash!” Swordmaster Musashi slices the face-down monster in half with a single strike, revealing a Hyena that vanishes with a yelp. Immediately two more Hyenas jump from Two Ton’s deck to the field in defense position. They snarl tirelessly at Applejack. She ends her turn.

“Draw! Beast Striker!” A musclebound, yeti-like monster appears on the field carrying a large metal hammer over its shoulder. Two Ton discards a card to activate the effect of his newest monster and special summon Moja from his deck. The small, black furry critter jumps from his deck. It looks at Applejack with its big, round red eyes and tilts its head.

Two Ton’s eyes widen in anticipation. He replaces the Moja card on his Monster Zone with a card from his graveyard. The furry critter lets out a cry and doubles over like it has a tummy ache. Its body begins to grow; bigger and bigger until it reaches the open top of the cage. A mountain of long, black fur with four skeletal limbs sprouting from the base of its body. The monster’s face twists into a horrifying skull-like shape with glowing red eyes. “King of the Beasts!” The monster’s attack points appear at 2500.

Applejack observes warily as Two Ton reveals his set cards. “Beast Rising! Roaring Earth!” He tributes a copy of Hyena to increase the attack points of Beast Striker to 2850. “Crush her with your Beast Hammer!” The yeti-like beast brutally hammers down Swordmaster Musashi like it was made of cardboard. Applejack’s life points go down to 3450. The electrodes glow and she clenches her teeth hard to keep herself from screaming from the electric shock.

The defense points of Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler go down to 1500 and Two Ton targets it next. King of the Beasts tries to squash Blue Brawler with one of its massive skeleton legs, but Blue Brawler holds on. Still, Applejack’s life points decrease even further, to 2450, and the electrodes punish her even more.

Two Ton declares loudly, “With Beast Rising I can tribute a Beast-Type monster to make another one stronger while Roaring Earth gives my monsters piercing and weakens yours every time you take damage! It’s a perfect anti-defense combo!”

Applejack breathes heavily. Sweat cascades down her forehead. Her hands shake, but she remains firm. She picks two cards and swiftly plays them, “Superheavy Samurai Soulbeads and Superheavy Samurai Prepped Defense!” Swordmaster Musashi returns to the field in attack position, along with a different Superheavy Samurai of a bright green color, holding a spear.

Two Ton scoffs, “Bah! Turn end!”

"Mah' turn." Applejack draws. She looks at her newest card for a moment, before letting out a soft, defeated sigh. Shaking her head, she special summons Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter from her hand, tuning it with Blue Brawler and Prepped Defense. “Synchro Summon! Level nine! Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi!” The mechanical centaur’s attack points rise up to 4300. Applejack follows by summoning Superheavy Samurai Swordsman, then switches Swordmaster Musashi to defense. She takes a couple of breaths, clenches her fists and orders the attack of Swordmaster Musashi on King of the Beasts.

The King of Beasts raises its massive skeletal leg and blocks the dual sword strikes, pushing Swordmaster Musashi back and costing Applejack 200 of her life points. She flinches as the electrodes shock her. Two Ton furiously asks her what she’s trying to do.

Applejack grins and replies, “This!” Superheavy Samurai Swordsman swiftly impales the King of Beasts, lowering its attack and defense points to zero. Two Ton pales. Applejack wastes no time following with the attack of Superheavy Samurai Beast Kyubi. The centaur strikes on the same spot as Superheavy Samurai Swordsman, its spear piercing through muscle and fur with ease until it reaches the other side and strikes Two Ton on the chest, knocking him on his back. He groans as his life points plummet to zero.

The remaining monsters vanish and Applejack allows herself a small breath of relief. She checks her remaining life points, standing at 2250, and bites her lower lip. “Too much for just the first duel,” she thinks annoyed.

Two Ton leaves the cage muttering curses and glaring daggers at Applejack. It is at this point that she notices the whole room is silent. Despite the fact all tables are occupied, not a single one of the spectators applauds or makes any kind of comment. She decides to pay them no mind and keep focusing on getting the prize money.

The sound of the cage door closing snaps Applejack out of her thoughts. Her next opponent is here. Applejack blinks in surprise; where Two Ton was large and imposing, the man in front of her is lanky and, honestly, sleazy-looking. His jet-black hair is slicked back with too much gel and his light beard is scruffy, contrasting unpleasantly against his pale skin. He wears tipped brown shoes, beige jeans and a peach pink shirt, partially open to reveal plenty of curly chest hair. The buckle of his belt is in the shape of a golden bull, he wears a golden pendant around his neck and an earring of the same color on his left ear. Applejack finds them gaudy.

The man looks at Applejack up and down with his light blue eyes and grins lecherously, revealing a golden tooth. “The name’s Quick Buck and I’m here to…” He winks, ignites his Duel Disk and finishes, “Duel.”

Applejack cringes. She hurriedly places the cards from her graveyard back into her deck, auto-shuffles it and draws five cards. The Duel Disks randomly grant her the first turn once again.

Applejack carefully examines the contents of her hand. She thinks it’s a risky play, but it may be worth a try. “Superheavy Samurai Transporter!” A smaller, sleeker Superheavy Samurai appears on the field, its legs equipped with wheels. Applejack explains she can special summon it if she has no Spells or Traps in her graveyard. “Ah’ can tribute this fella to summon two monsters from mah’ hand to your side in defense position!” She picks two cards and skillfully throws them at Quick Buck. He catches them and places them on his Duel Disk with a chuckle. Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves and Superheavy Samurai Kabuto appear on the field.

With Transporter’s effect, Applejack draws two cards. She summons Blue Brawler, switching it to defense and equips it with Soulhorns from her hand. “Ah’ special summon Soulhorns to the field!” Having solidified her position, Applejack ends her turn.

“My turn,” Quick Buck declares calmly. He draws his five cards plus one and grins; his gold tooth twinkles under the light of the lamps above the cage. “I’m not one to reject a gift from a pretty girl, so…” He tributes both Superheavy Samurai monsters to summon Barrel Dragon. The tank-like monster announces its presence with a metallic roar that echoes in the entire room. Quick Buck throws the cards back to Applejack, who slides them into her graveyard. She quickly rearranges the top five cards of her deck with Gigagloves’ effect.

“Fancy a little gamble?” Quick Buck asks. He produces a golden coin from his pocket. “I think I’ll go for your Blue Brawler.” He flips the coin with his right hand, catches it mid-air and slaps it on the back of his left. “Heads.” He repeats the process two more times and gets the same result with each. For each heads, the chambers in the cannons of Barrel Dragon spin. “Fire,” he commands smugly. Superheavy Samurai Blue Brawler is decimated. Quick Buck activates Ancient Rules to special summon Slot Machine from his hand. “Attack!” The large automaton stomps Superheavy Samurai Soulhorns, leaving Applejack defenseless.

Quick Buck runs a hand through his hair and shrugs. “Sorry, Babe,” he says with a smirk. “This ain’t your duel.” He orders the direct attack of Barrel Dragon. The monster aims its three cannons directly at Applejack. “Limiter Removal!” He shouts as he activates the Spell card. Barrel Dragon’s attack points double up, to 5200, and it fires three shots in quick succession.

Applejack grins. “Gotcha!” She banishes Gigagloves and draws the first card from her deck, holding it forwards like a shield. The bullets bounce against an invisble wall, falling harmlessly to the ground before vanishing.

Quick Buck’s smile disappears. “Fine,” he grumbles as he sets the last two cards in his hand. “Turn end.” Both, Barrel Dragon and Slot machine explode in a shower of sparks.

“Mah’ turn! Draw!” Applejack normal summons Superheavy Samurai Scales and brings back Soulhorns from the graveyard with its effect. She follows with Trumpeter from her hand and immediately tunes it with Scales. “Level six! Superheavy Samurai Ogre Shutendoji!” The crimson ogre wipes out Quick Buck’s set cards with a mighty swing of its club. “M-My traps!” he squeaks in shock. Applejack doesn’t stop; she equips Shutendoji with Soulhorns and launches two consecutive direct attacks to his opponent’s life points, reducing them to zero.

Baloney watches Superheavy Samurai Ogre Shutendoji vanish from the field and Quick Buck leave the cage holding his forehead. He smiles satisfied and mutters to himself, “And now for the grand finale.”

Applejack opens and clenches her fists. Her heart pounds inside her chest. “Ah’ can do this,” she thinks. “One more win. Just one more.” Applejack keeps thinking that, once they’re done with the apple harvesting, she can start working on her produce for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala.

The last opponent is here. Applejack quirks an eyebrow as she looks at the bespectacled young man wearing a dark blue uniform, complete with black combat boots. He has short, pure white hair and sharp, brown eyes. He doesn’t come out as menacing like Two Ton or sleazy like Quick Buck. Instead, he looks confident, if not a bit arrogant. “Applejack, isn’t?” he asks casually. She doesn’t reply. He smirks and salutes. “I’m Grey Cloud.”

Applejack re-shuffles her deck and draws her initial hand. Grey Cloud chuckles. “Straight to the point, eh? I like that…” He follows suit and the Duel Disks cycle, granting him the first turn.

Grey Cloud summons Goblindbergh, and with its effect, Summoner Monk. “By discarding a Spell card, I can special summon a level four monster from my deck.” He gets rid of Magical Blast and a beautiful white bird flies from his deck to his side of the field. “When Sacred Crane is special summoned, I can draw a card.” He does so and immediately declares an Xyz summon using Goblindbergh and Sacred Crane. “King of the Feral Imps!” The giant, bipedal lizard-man stands in front of Grey Cloud like a guard dog. Grey Cloud detaches an Xyz Material from his monster to retrieve Kagetokage from his deck. After setting a single card, he ends his turn.

Applejack scowls fiercely and grits her teeth. She thinks she won’t hold back. Whether she ends up winning with her remaining life points intact or just a measly 100, it doesn’t matter. She has to win. “Draw!” After normal summoning Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves, she equips it with Soulpeacemaker from her hand and immediately tributes it to bring Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei straight from her deck in defense position. Grey Cloud whistles at the sight of the massive automaton that dwarfes even his King of the Feral Imps. Applejack pays him no mind and rearranges the top five cards of her deck thanks to Gigagloves. She continues by equipping Big Benkei with Soulhorns and Soulbang Cannon from her hand, raising its defense points to 4500 and granting it a second attack.

Grey Cloud grins, a disturbingly feral smile that perfectly displays his teeth, and declares, “Trap card open! Breakthrough Skill!” Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei’s eyes stop glowing and it becomes still as a statue. Grey Cloud adjusts his glasses and taunts, “Without its effect, your monster is nothing but a huge lump of useless scrap metal.”

Applejack growls under her breath. She looks at the two remaining cards in her hand; Superheavy Samurai Scales and Prepped Defense. “That’s okay,” she thinks. “Ah’ got plenty to defend myself!”

“My turn.” Grey Cloud retrieves Magical Blast from his graveyard at the cost of skipping his normal draw. He detaches the remaining Xyz Material from King of the Feral Imps to fetch a second copy of Kagetokage from his deck. “I summon Molten Zombie.” A burning undead materializes, and from its shadow emerges a shadowy lizard with red eyes like dots. Grey Cloud repeats the process of discarding Magical Blast for Summoner Monk’s effect and bring a second copy of Sacred Crane from his deck, then draw a card. “You know…” He fans himself with the cards in his hand. “I can tell what you’re thinking: there’s no way he can break through my monster’s defense easily.” He tilts his head and asks, “Am I right?”

Applejack's nose flares and Grey Cloud chuckles, satisfied he elicited a reaction. “Sorry to say this is your last turn.” He spreads his arms wide and declares loudly, “I will show you the power of my arsenal deck! Xyz summon!” Grey Cloud overlays his monsters to summon Abyss Dweller and Castel, the Skyblaster Muskeeter in attack position. “By detaching two Xyz Materials from Castel, I can shuffle a face-up monster back into the deck! I choose your Big Benkei!” Applejack is shocked. Grey Cloud smirks as she begrudgingly complies with the effect. “Now, I suppose you’re hoping to protect yourself with the Gigagloves in your graveyard, correct?” He detaches an Xyz Material from Abyss Dweller. The dragon’s eyes glow eerily with a yellow light. “Until the end of this turn you won’t be able to activate card effects from your graveyard!”

Applejack gulps; she has no choice but to brace herself for impact. Grey Cloud points forward and orders the attack of Castel. The half-man half-bird raises his musket and fires a single bullet that hits Applejack in the chest, lowering her life points to a mere 250 and activating the electrodes.

Grey Cloud laughs as Applejack screams in pain and falls on her knees. Her heart pounds savagely inside her chest. Still, she manages to play Superheavy Samurai Prepped Defense from her hand and explain between breaths, “You won’t—be—able to destroy—my—monster—this turn…”

Grey Cloud adjusts his glasses. “Is that so?” He banishes Breakthrough Skill from his graveyard to negate the effect of Prepped Defense. Applejack pales. Slowly, she turns towards the table where the bag of bits was resting, only to see the bag being taken away by one of the men in black. She doesn’t see King of the Feral Imps tearing her Prepped Defense to shreds or Grey Cloud declaring the direct attack of Abyss Dweller, but the electricity coursing through her body tells her this duel ended with her loss.

Applejack’s vision blurs as she falls on her back, legs and arms feeling like they’re made of wet paper. Her whole body aches. Three of the men in black enter the cage. One of them takes the electrodes from around her arms and neck, while the other two pick her up by the arms. As she’s being dragged unceremoniously out of the cage, Applejack has a sudden moment of clarity where she hears the spectators applaud fervently.

The men in black drag Applejack into a separate, smaller room and dump her on the floor like a sack of potatoes. One of them digs inside the pocket of her longcoat and pulls out her admission card. The other slaps Applejack on her cheek a couple of times until she snaps out of her doze.

With a groan, Applejack tries to stand up, but only succeds in remaining on her knees. She looks up to see Baloney staring down at her. His expression baffles her, as it’s not one she had seen him make before. He’s looking at her like a piece if thrash somebody had just dropped on the pavement. “B-Baloney…” she mutters. “What--”

“You lost,” Baloney answers coldly. One of the men in black hands him Applejack’s admission card, which he puts inside his pocket. “I’m revoking your admission into this circuit. Please leave.” He adjusts is glasses and adds, “And make sure you don’t come back. Ever.”

Applejack’s eyes widen in shock. “W-What--” She shakes her head rapidly, grits her teeth and stands up, nearly tripping before regaining her balance. “Y-You can’t do that!” she protests furiously. The men in black tense and stand at the ready.

Baloney quirks an eyebrow, unfazed. “Why not? I made you, and just like that, I can discard you.”

Applejack’s whole body is shaking with anger. “What the hay does that even mean!?”

“Seriously, Applejack?” Baloney let’s out an annoyed sigh. “Do you honestly believe you won all your duels with your skill alone?” He snorts. “Ever since the beginning, you’ve been facing losers and bums; Grey Cloud was the only genuine article among them.” He pauses; his lips curve into a cruel smirk. “And we all saw how you fared against him.”

The realization hits Applejack like a fist. Her anger fades like a spark under a storm and her whole body deflates. “N-No…that’s--”

“The truth,” Baloney interjects. “The truth, Applejack, is that your little “plucky farmgirl dueling for money to support her familiy” shtick was entertaining for a while, but eventually, the spectators got bored with it and I had to come up with a fitting end for your career.” He chuckles to himself and adds, “Needless to say, they loved it.” Baloney clears his throat and finishes. “Anyway, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”

Applejack clenches her teeth until her lower jaw starts to hurt and only her work gloves prevent her nails from digging into her palms. Still, she cannot bring herself to say a single word. Instead, she exits the room, slamming the door behind her.

Baloney shakes his head disdainfully. “I swear these country bumpkins…”


Applejack stomps down the grungy hallway. Her mind is a blank and her body moves almost by itself. She doesn’t notice the absence of the doorkeeper, the barman or the patrons. It’s not until the front door of the Winking Pony explodes into a cloud of smithereens that she snaps out of her stupor, but by then it’s too late to evade the chains that wrap tightly around her body like snakes.


Twilight stands in the middle of the Golden Oak Library, her new home in Ponyville, with her brow furrowed in a look of deep concentration. Dozens of books surround her in a perfect circle, kept afloat with her magic and forming a wall around her. Twilight scratches her chin, humming to herself. After a moment of deliberation, she says, “Maybe we should organize them by subject, author, lenght and cover color this time…”

Sitting lazily on the nearby desk behind Twilight, Spike raises his eyes from the comicbook he’s reading to glance at her with an incredulous look. “Seriously, Twilight?” He puts his comicbook down and protests, “We have been working on this for over two hours!”

Twilight turns to look at him. “Spike,” she says chidingly. “Any self-respecting duel school needs to have a library.” She raises her index finger and adds, “In our case, we must make sure it also fulfills the needs of the townspeople.”

Spike let’s out a defeated sigh. “Fine, fine…” Resting on the desk in front of him, Twilight’s Duel Disk begins beeping. He leans forward to peek and says, “You’ve got a direct call Twilight.” She tells him to please pick it up. Spike gets a hold of the Duel Disk, taps the screen and then puts it next to his ear, speaking directly to it, “Hello? This is Ponyville’s Library!” He mentally congratulates himself for coming up with that greeting on the spot. “Hi Applejack! What’s—oh, yeah, just give me a minute.” Spike holds the Duel Disk up. “Applejack wants to talk with you, Twilight.”

Twilight smiles. With a flick of her index finger, she “opens” the wall of books and levitates her Duel Disk into her hands. “Hello, Applejack. How are--” She frowns. A moment later, her eyes widen in shock and she blurts, “Wait, what!?”


The cell is small, painted fully white and devoid windows, save for a slot on the steel door. Aside of a small bed attached to the floor and a toilet in the corner, there’s nothing remarkable about it. At least it’s well lit.

Applejack sits on the bed, having been deprived of her gloves, longcoat, Duel Disk and, most importantly, her hat. She feels naked without it. “Darn…” She’s well aware that Underworld Dueling, specially when it involves the use of electrodes, is illegal. Very much so. But she never thought about the possibility of getting caught before. Or, to be more precise, she stopped thinking about it after she received her first share of the money.

True enough, she’s lucky she was caught coming out of the bar and carrying nothing incriminating beyond her Duel Disk. From what she managed to hear, the whole place was empty, meaning they probably knew about the Manehattan Police coming for them and prepared accordingly. And since she was the only one there, the police took her into custody for questioning.

Applejack thinks she was never a good liar. Making up stuff on the spot, specially under pressure, is not her forte. Omitting stuff, on the other hand, is easier. She told the police about the bar, the cage and the electrodes; the spectators, the men in black suits and, of course, about Baloney. The only thing she did left out was the part about this being her latest visit to the place. For all the police knew, she did take part on a single duel today and lost. Period. It was her first and only time there.

She leans back against the wall. The first time she took part in an Underworld Duel, she told her family that she did win first place in an official tournament, but sold the prize card on the spot for money. It’s been her default excuse since then. Applejack would change her place on the top eight depending on the amount of money she got, and while Applebloom did ocasionally complain about her not bringing home some fancy cards, Granny Smith always supported Applejack’s decision. Her little sister would also try to accompany her once in a while, but there was always enough chores to do for Applejack to convince her to stay. It was one of the very few times that the sheer amount of work would play in Applejack's favor.

Yep. It was all fine and dandy. Until now. Applejack massages her temples with her right hand, between her thumb and middle fingers. She wonders how long it would take Twilight to get here. True enough, Applejack does not have that many people she could call for something like this. Her immediate family is out of the question. She could have tried to contact her Aunt and Uncle Orange, but didn’t want to cause them trouble, not when they value their social standing so much. That left her with her immediate friends. Applejack keeps thinking she could have called any of them, but Twilight is the one who can probably help her the fastest. Even if it most likely meant she has to call Princess Celestia for help.

The metallic clang of the door opening snaps Applejack out of her thoughts and she quickly stands up. Two officers await her, one of them carrying her belongings. “Miss Applejack,” calls the one holding the door. “You are free to go.” Applejack let’s out a breath of relief. She takes her hat, Duel Disk, gloves and longcoat, puts them back on and gets escorted towards the entrance of the police station, where she sees Princess Celestia herself talking with one of the officers, alone.

Applejack swallows hard and approaches them. The officer, a tall woman with reddish hair tied into a bun and violet eyes, politely introduces herself as Chief Copper Top. Applejack awkwardly accepts her handshake. Chief Copper Top clears her throat and says, “Miss Applejack, in the name of the Manehattan Police Department, I would like to thank you for your job and apologize for the rudeness of our intervention.”

Applejack blinks puzzled, briefly glancing at Celestia, who remains with a solemn, but otherwise unreadable expression. “Uh…there ain’t nothin’ to apologize for, Chief.” Applejack says with an awkward smile. “You were doin’ your job after all.”

Princess Celestia places a hand on Chief Copper Top’s shoulder. “Thank you, Chief Copper Top,” she says with a smile. “We shall remain in contact.” Chief Copper Top salutes, “Yes, Your Highness.” She excuses herself and leaves to continue her duties. Celestia looks at Applejack, tilts her head and asks, “Shall we get going?”

Applejack nods rapidly; suddenly feeling like she’s gone back to being a child.

Outside, night has already fallen. The lights of Manehattan conceal the view of most the stars above. Twilight awaits for them in front of a golden, ornate carriage manned by a single Royal Guard and pulled by a pair of Pegasi. It stands out greatly among the other carriages in the street, pulled by normal horses. Twilight’s expression brightens. “Applejack!” She hugs her friend tightly, before asking hurriedly, “Are you okay? What happened? How did you end up detained?”

Applejack chuckles. Twilight’s presence sooths her nerves somewhat. “I’m fine, sugarcube…”

Celestia clears her throat and suggests they continue this conversation inside the carriage. Twilight blushes and agrees. The three of them board the carriage. Celestia and Twilight sit next to each other on the side of the coach while Applejack sits by herself on the opposite side. The carriage begins moving and, after a short distance, it takes off into the sky.

Applejack thinks this is her first time traveling on a carriage pulled by Pegasi. After all, they are a breed reserved for royalty. “Applejack…” Twilight calls expectantly. Applejack nods and begins telling them everything that had transpired, in the same way she did with the police. She does not like lying, much less to her friends, but she doesn’t want to make things more complicated either.

Twilight’s jaw drops. “A-An Underworld Duel!? And with electrodes!?” She holds her head with a frantic look. “W-Why, Applejack!? Why would you partake in such activity!?”

“Money. No more, no less.” Applejack replies solemnly. “Managin’ a farm between four people ain’t easy, Twilight. We often need to hire temporary help, especially for the harvest season.” Twilight asks if they don’t get enough extra money from Ponyville’s Duel Monsters School. Applejack shakes her head; she admits they don’t charge their “students”, but she explains she hopes once the school becomes better known, this will attract people from all over Equestria to Ponyville.

Twilight nods slowly. “I see…” She doesn’t approve of Applejack taking part in an Underworld Duel, but understands her motivation. Taking care of all the crops and animals in Sweet Apple Acres with two adults, a young girl and elderly lady must be a monumental task. She thinks about Applejack’s dreams for the Grand Galloping Gala, including fixing Granny Smith’s hip, buying new equipment and making repairs. Twilight gulps and looks at Celestia. “Princess…” she says tentatively.

“It’s okay,” Celestia assures. “I told the Chief of the Manehattan Police Department that Applejack was working undercover by my orders.” She looks at Applejack and adds, “You won’t have to worry about it.”

Twilight smiles brightly. Applejack lets out a breath of relief. She removes her hat and holds it against her chest. “Ah’ thank you deeply, Yer High--”

“Do not thank me yet, Applejack.”

Twilight and Applejack both freeze. Celestia’s expression becomes stern. “There’s still the issue of you having taken part in Underworld Duels before.”

Applejack’s heart skips a beat. Her mouth opens and closes like that of a fish gasping for air. “I-I…”

“Being able to read body language is a necessary skill for a ruler, Applejack.” Celestia narrows her eyes. “And I’ve had plenty of time to practice.” She pauses for a moment. “I’m not going to ask how long you have been doing this, but I do not appreciate the fact you lied to me.”

Twilight’s jaw drops and her eyes open wide like plates. She looks at Applejack, then at Celestia and then at Applejack again. “Is that true?” she asks with a tiny voice. “You have done this before…?”

Applejack gulps hard, looks down and mutters, “Y-Yeah…” Her face turns a nice shade of red. She cringes as Twilight begins hyperventilating.

Celestia places a hand on Twilight’s shoulder to calm her down. “I have not forgotten what you have done for my sister, for Equestria and for me, Applejack,” she says, her expression having softened somewhat. “But I cannot ignore this.” Both, Applejack and Twilight watch with trepidation as Celestia declares firmly, “I will punish you accordingly.”