Princess Celestia raises her index finger and declares firmly, “Applejack, you are to take Miss Harshwhinny’s Advanced Duel Monsters Problem Solving class with the fourth year students tomorrow morning at the Eos Dueling School.”
Both, Applejack and Twilight are speechless. They briefly exchange baffled looks.
Celestia continues, “You will attend as a guest, wearing the standard uniform, and once the class is over, you are free to go.” She finishes by folding her arms. “Those are my terms.” Despite her choice of words, Celestia’s expression and stern tone make it clear her "terms" are not open to negotiations.
It takes several seconds for Applejack to shake herself out of her stupor, but once she does, she nods enthusiastically and says, “W-Will do, Yer Highness!”
Celestia nods satisfied.
The Royal Carriage slowly touches down right at the entrance of Sweet Apple Acres and the coachman swiftly descends, holding the door open. The lights of the farmhouse shine like a beacon in the distance while the stars illuminate the dirt trail heading towards it.
Applejack feels the fear and worry weighing down her body disappear. She looks at Celestia and Twilight earnestly and says, “Thank you, Yer Highness, and thank you, Twilight.” She bows her head respectfully. “Ah’ really sorry for lyin’ and all the trouble ah’ caused.”
Celestia smiles warmly, and so does Twilight. “Make sure you rest properly,” Celestia says. “You have an important day ahead of you.” Applejack grins. She puts her hat on and hops down the carriage. Turning around to wave one last time, she hurries towards the farmhouse.
After receiving instructions to head for the Golden Oak Library, the coachman closes the door and hops back into the carriage. A soft whip of the reins later and the pegasi begin trotting along the road.
“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight says with a smile of relief. She admits she’s surprised by the nature of the “punishment”.
Celestia chuckles; she too admits she would be lying if she said she did not hate Underworld Duels, but she believes this approach will be more helpful for Applejack in the future. Her lips curve into a rueful smile and she adds, “Besides, I know what it is to take a morally questionable action for the sake of your family.”
Twilight gulps softly, remembering how Princess Celestia kept the fact Princess Luna and Nightmare Moon were the same person hidden from the populace.
“Anyway,” Celestia says casually, dismissing her feelings with a shake of her head and putting on a more cheerful expression. “There’s something I would like to ask you to do, Twilight.”
Twilight smiles eagerly and asks if she wants her to accompany Applejack to her class. Celestia smiles and nods. Twilight puffs her chest out confidently and declares, “You can count with me, Princess!”
Celestia smiles knowingly. “I’m not asking you to go with her just so you can serve as a guide, my dearest student.” She gently bops Twilight in the nose, causing the young girl to blush. “This is also an opportunity for you to learn.”
Twilight blinks puzzled. “But...didn’t we already cover the subject of advanced Duel Monsters problem solving?” Celestia’s smile turns mischievous and she replies they did.
Before Twilight can object further, the carriage stops. Once again, the coachman dutifully holds the door open. Celestia tilts her head and says, “Spike must be waiting for you.”
Twilight gasps softly as she suddenly realizes she needs to come up with a good excuse for her absence. After bidding farewell to her teacher, she hops down the carriage and goes inside the Golden Oak Library.
The coachman closes the door and, a mere moment later, the carriage is taking to the sky once again.
As the lights of Canterlot become visible in the distance, Princess Celestia suddenly realizes she didn’t ask Applejack for her measurements. “Oh, well.” She giggles and mutters to herself, “It’s been a while since I measured somebody by eye.”
Both, Twilight and Applejack keep walking down the crowded hallway of the Eos Dueling School. Despite the fact Duel Monsters involves cutting-edge technology, the design of the school is akin to that of a classical castle, complete with a couple of spires, balconies, long stairs and plenty of richly ornate wooden doors and furniture.
Twilight cheerfully tells Applejack how Spike asked about what happened last night and she told him Applejack had lost her hat and needed help to find it. She giggles and adds how he was unimpressed until she explained it belonged to Applejack’s great-great-great grandfather.
Applejack grins and says, “Here’s hopin’ he never finds out Ah’ got a whole closet filled with them.” The two girls share a laugh.
As they keep walking, Applejack pats her head and let’s out a soft grumble. Twilight looks at her and asks if something’s wrong. Applejack smiles and replies she’s just not used to going for too long without her hat on. Twilight apologizes, saying that kind of headwear is against the rules here. Applejack waves her hand dismissively, saying it’s no big deal.
The truth is her missing hat is only half of the problem. Applejack’s pretty sure the uniform she was given is a size too small. The jacket is so tight she only needs to flex her arms a bit for her biceps to bulge out, with the fabric perfectly outlining her breasts, making them seem bigger than they already are. The skirt is so short it exposes most of her long, well-toned legs and she fears she can’t even do a small jog without risking exposing her bottoms.
So, between the uniform, her pleasantly tanned skin and the fact she’s at least one head taller than nearly every single other student around here, Applejack sticks out like a sore thumb. She feels her cheeks heating up as a group of boys pass next to her and Twilight, not so subtly turning their heads to leer at her.
Still, as uncomfortable as she feels, Applejack doesn’t even think about complaining, not when this was the punishment Princess Celestia had decreed upon her. She didn’t expect the Princess to go this easy on her, but she certainly wasn’t going to start questioning her decisions.
Applejack glances at Twilight, who looks quite content being here, and bites her lower lip. “Uh, Twilight…” she calls hesitantly. Twilight asks what it is. Applejack asks tentatively, “Aren’t you angry about the whole—you know—underworld thingy?”
Twilight folds her arms with a disapproving frown. “I definitely don’t like what you did.” Applejack winces. Twilight’s expression softens. “But I do understand why you did it.” Her lips curve into a warm smile. “And I want you to know I will be here to support you, just like you were there to support me.”
Applejack smiles, a soft blush spreading across her cheeks. “Thanks, sugarcube.”
“It’s okay.” Twilight grins sheepishly and admits, “To be honest, I’m kind of relieved.” Applejack tilts her head with curiosity. Twilight continues, “Back when we met, I wondered how you could have acquired that level of dueling skill in such a small town as Ponyville.” She looks at Applejack admiringly. “Now I understand you must have faced plenty of powerful duelists back there.”
Applejack smile falters. “Y-Yeah…” The words of Baloney echo in the back of her mind. Ever since the beginning, you’ve been facing losers and bums. Grey Cloud was the only genuine article among them, and we all saw how you went up against him.
The classroom seating is arranged in tiers, with twelve rows allowing for the seating of ten people each. Twilight looks around for a couple of places to sit. “How about up there?” she asks, pointing to the last row. Unlike the others, which are almost full, just six girls sitting next to each other in the very middle occupy this one.
Applejack notices the number of looks she’s getting from both, boys and girls, and realizes going up the steps would result in giving those sitting next to the stairs a good view under her skirt. She cringes softly, points at two empty spaces next to each other in the first row and asks, “How ‘bout there?”
Twilight grins. “Great!” As they take their seats, Twilight thinks she didn’t expect Applejack to suggest a front row seating. She keeps thinking giddily that Applejack must be excited for this class.
No sooner they finish seating, the door opens and a grumpy-looking, middle aged lady enters. She has short, light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. Her outfit is composed of a white button shirt, a grayish mulberry office jacket with a matching pencil skirt and black high heels. She wears a light magenta polo neck and matching round earrings, giving her a very elegant and professional appearance. Despite her deep scowl, she is a very attractive woman. Her sole presence is enough to make the students cease the idle chattering and straighten themselves. She looks around briefly and then says, “Good morning, class.”
The entire student body responds in unison. “Good morning, Miss Harshwhinny.” The authority she commands impresses both, Twilight and Applejack.
Miss Harshwhinny looks at Applejack, quirks an eyebrow and asks, “Miss Applejack was it? I believe you were personally invited to this class by Principal Celestia?”
Applejack is taken by surprise by the sudden question, but manages to answer firmly, “Yes, Ma’am.”
A few bewildered whispers echo from the back of the classroom.
Miss Harshwhinny nods and says she hopes Applejack finds the class productive. Applejack thanks her and Miss Harshwhinny begins addressing the whole classroom, “We will start with a session of Duel Puzzles; everybody please prepare your Duel Disks.” She taps on the screen of her Duel Disk, painted with a rich magenta to match her outfit, and the digital screen attached to the wall in front of the class lights up, displaying an empty Duel Monsters board.
Applejack feels at a loss. Twilight smiles and explains a Duel Puzzle is simply a fixed scenario, in which the student has to win within a single turn and can see every card on the field and both decks. She then taps on Applejack’s Duel Disk to display the same empty board as the main screen. “Teachers have special Duel Disk which students can synchronize with for these kind of exercises,” Twilight adds. Applejack sheepishly admits she never uses her Duel Disk for anything beyond dueling, making calls and sending messages.
Miss Harshwhinny asks, “Would you do us the favor of starting, Miss Applejack?” Applejack readily agrees and stands up. Miss Harshwhinny taps on her Duel Disk and multiple cards appear on the field, with a timer on the upper right corner displaying three minutes. “Ready? Begin.” The timer begins counting down.
Applejack’s eyes quickly begin scanning the field. The Sanctuary in the Sky is active on the field. On the opposing side, there is a Blue-Eyes White Dragon in attack position and a Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in defense position with a second copy of the later in the opponent’s deck.
On her side of the field there’s a defense position Sheep Token, a set Celestial Transformation and Miraculous Descent, plus an active Soul Absorption. Her hand contains Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin, Soul of Purity and Light and Airknight Parshath, Inferno Tempest and Inferno Reckless Summon. In her graveyard, there are three copies of The Agent of Force – Mars and The Agent of Judgment – Saturn. Her deck is composed of three copies of Jar of Greed, three copies of Nova Summoner and the remaining two copies of Airknight Parshath.
Applejack quickly reads the effects of all cards in the field, graveyard and her hand, just in case. Her life points stand at 11200 against her opponent’s 12600. Two minutes remain. She licks her lips as she formulates her game plan. “Alright,” she whispers to herself. Tapping on the screen of her Duel Disk, Applejack begins activating Celestial Transformation to special summon Airknight Parshath from her hand with its attack points halved, then follows with Inferno Reckless Summon to bring two more from her deck in attack position. In turn, the opponent gets to bring a second Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in defense position.
She replaces the weakened Airknight Parshath with Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin, then banishes a copy of each Agent in her graveyard to special summon Soul of Purity and Light, granting her an extra 1000 life points thanks to Soul Absorption.
With all of her Monster Zones occupied, Applejack switches her Sheep Token to attack position and attacks the opposing Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The token disappears and she takes the full 3000 points of damage, but that’s exactly what she wants. She activates Inferno Tempest to banish every monster in each player’s graveyard and deck. Her life points recalculate at 13200, against the opponent’s 12600. Applejack activates her set Miraculous Descent to special summon the banished The Agent of Force – Mars.
Both Airknight Parshath make short work of the two Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger and the difference in life points gives Neo-Parshath the Sky Paladin enough power to destroy the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. The attack points of The Agent of Force – Mars go up to 4100 and Applejack declares the direct attack of both, Mars and Soul of Purity and light, lowering the opponent’s life points to 3000.
A snort coming from the back of the classroom catch Applejack’s attention. She looks over her shoulder and catches sight of Twilight, who is biting her lower lip. Just then, the realization hits Applejack like a fist at the back of her head. “Ah!” She has no means of lowering the remaining 3000 life points.
“Please take your seat, Miss Applejack,” Miss Harshwhinny instructs drily. Applejack silently complies and Miss Harshwhinny begins explaining the proper way to solve the puzzle. Applejack grits her teeth, holding back the urge to slap her forehead when she sees she should have used Inferno Reckless Summon to bring all the copies of The Agent of Force – Mars to the field. Twilight puts a hand on Applejack’s shoulder, smiling comfortingly and assuring she will do better next time.
Over the next hour, Miss Harshwhinny keeps picking students at random, but consistently goes back to Applejack after every three others. Not only is each new puzzle harder than the previous one, but with every one she attempts to solve, Applejack ends up further and further away from the correct resolution. Her lips curve into a smile when Twilight solves her puzzle under a minute, but the joy is short-lived, as it becomes her turn again.
It quickly becomes obvious Applejack is the only one failing. The worst part is that her puzzles are nothing special. Some involve more cards, some less, but they’re on the same level for everybody, and even the slowest students clocks at two minutes and a half tops.
Just as Applejack feels the beginning of a headache, Miss Harshwhinny declares they will move on the theoretical part of the class. Applejack lets out a soft sigh of relief. Miss Harshwhinny begins her lecture about problem solving using some of the Duel Puzzles as examples, talking about the importance of not falling for the seemingly obvious solution and thinking at least one play ahead.
Applejack briefly glances at Twilight, who looks completely absorbed by the lecture, and folds her arms, straightening herself to better pay attention. She thinks if she couldn’t solve a single Duel Puzzle, at least she’s going to try to absorb as much as information as possible from this lecture.
But it’s easier said than done. It doesn’t take long before Miss Harshwhinny’s words become background noise and the images on the main screen become blurred. Applejack’s eyes turn watery. She tries to stiff her yawns as hard as she can; it’s one thing to wake up early in the morning to work in the fields and a totally different one to sit still and listen to another person talking.
“Miss Applejack?”
Applejack snaps out of her doze to see Miss Harshwhinny looking at her, unamused. “Is something the matter?” Miss Harshwhinny asks, quirking an eyebrow. Applejack’s cheeks redden. She shakes her head and answers, “N-No, Ma’am…”
With a soft grumble, Miss Harshwhinny goes back to her lecture while Applejack looks down in embarrassment.
After classes, both Applejack and Twilight head back to the entrance of the school. Applejack lets out a loud yawn as she stretches her arms, her joints cracking loudly. Twilight giggles, causing Applejack to smile sheepishly and apologize for doing so bad in class.
Twilight shakes her head, lifts her index finger and says, “Mistakes are the proof you are trying.”
Applejack chuckles and comments, “Ah’ think I’ve tried enough for today.” Their path is suddenly blocked by a group of six girls fanned out across the hallway ahead of them. Both, Twilight and Applejack recognize them as the same six girls sitting on the back of the classroom during Miss Harshwhinny’s lecture.
The girl in the middle takes a step forward. She is a gorgeous, fair-skinned blonde with icy blue eyes and her long hair plaided in a braid resting over her left shoulder, a single lock going down her forehead. Waving her hand dramatically, she introduces herself and the other five, “We are the elite dueling team of the Eos Dueling School, the Nymphs!”
There’s a brief moment of awkward silence before Applejack whispers, “Do you know ‘em, Twilight?”
Twilight shakes her head. “Most of my classes were in private with Princess Celestia; I know practically nothing about the student body…”
Applejack nods, looks at the girls and asks, “So, uh, is there somethin’ we can do for you, gals?”
The blonde girl narrows her eyes. “Don’t act so casual with us,” she hisses. “You were invited to take part in an advanced class by Princess Celestia herself, which is an honor not granted to just anybody, yet your performance was nothing short of embarrassing.”
“I know, I know!” suddenly chimes in a shorter, enthusiastic girl. “She sucks at Duel Puzzles and dozes off in class!”
A dignified girl turns up her nose and comments, “And what’s with using a uniform a size too short?” She shakes her head disapprovingly. “Are you fishing for attention or something?”
Applejack’s face turns beet red. “W-Why you!”
The blonde girl continues, “Still, a duelist’s true worth can be only ultimately measured in a duel.” She frowns, points with her finger and declares, “And that’s why we’re here! Now the six of us shall determine if you are worthy of standing at the Eos Dueling School, the finest Duel Monsters teaching institution in all of Equestria!”
Applejack frowns. Once again, the words of Baloney echo in the back of her mind, louder than before. “If y’all wanted to duel then you should’ve said it so.” She takes a step forwards, ignites her Duel Disk and declares fiercely, “I’ll take you all on!”
The blonde girl lets out a loud “hmph” and retorts, “We are not bullies. We will face you one-on-one.”
Students quickly begin to congregate around both sides until the long wide hallway is almost entirely closed off. They all await eagerly, several of them even holding cameras to record the event.
Twilight tries to protest, but Applejack is having none of it. “Stand back, Twilight! Ah’ can handle this!” Biting her lower lip, Twilight takes a step back. She looks at the size of the crowd amassed for the duel and it quickly becomes obvious these girls must be the big deal to garner this much attention.
A tall girl is the first to step forward from the group, igniting her pure white Duel Disk to reveal a pearly magical energy blade. She is as tall as Applejack and possesses a shapely body. Her flawless, chocolate dark skin contrasts beautifully with her long, bleached blonde hair and heightens her almond colored eyes. She declares confidently, “I’m Dazzleflash the Oread! No one can withstand the assault of my Amazons!”
A chorus of cheers and whistles from the crowd fills the hallway.
Dazzleflash’s boldness surprises Twilight. Amazons? Amazoness? To reveal the nature of her deck so casually, she thinks. Is she that confident in her skills?
Both Applejack and Dazzleflash shout, “Duel!” They draw their initial hands and the disks cycle, granting the first turn to Applejack. Their life points appear above them at 4000 for each.
Looking at her hand briefly, Applejack immediately summons Superheavy Samurai Soulpiercer and equips it with Superheavy Samurai Soulpeacemaker from her hand. With their combined effects, she special summons Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves directly from her deck while also retrieving Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter, which she also special summons. “Synchro Summon! Level five!” Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi takes on the field. Applejack retrieves Trumpeter and rearranges the top five cards of her deck with Gigagloves. “Ah’ end mah’ turn!”
Twilight hears a group of older boys talking behind her about Applejack’s tactics. One of them notes how Applejack made a strong start. The other chuckles and remarks, “Yeah, but those kind of monsters won’t work with Dazzleflash!” Twilight’s eyes narrow. I see, she thinks grimly. She has that card.
“My turn! Draw!” Dazzleflash too examines her hand before making her first move. “Amazoness Swords Woman!” A fiery redheaded amazon appears holding a large curved sword one-handed. She swings it once before letting it rest casually over her broad shoulders. “And I equip her with Amazoness Heirloom!” An ornate necklace with an emerald centerpiece materializes around the female warrior’s neck.
I knew it, Twilight thinks. For Applejack’s deck, that monster is the worst enemy possible.
Dazzleflash wastes no time ordering an attack, “Amazoness Slash!” Both monsters clash their blades. Struggling against each other, none of them moves a single inch. Suddenly, the jewel around Amazoness Swords Woman’s neck begins glowing. She lets out a mighty battle cry and pushes forward. Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi can only let out a helpless metallic groan before its body gets sliced in half. It explodes. The shockwave lowers Applejack’s life points, as well as lifting her skirt to reveal her tight white panties stretched over her firm, bulging buttocks.
Twilight blushes at the sight while the group of boys behind her cheers and whistles loudly. She shoots them a glare, but they don’t even notice her.
A diminutive girl standing on the side of the Nymphs squeals in delight, “That’s Miss Dazzleflash’s Giant Killer Combo for you!” Another one enthusiastically adds, “The stronger your monster is, the harder you fall!”
Applejack grits her teeth and swiftly reveals two cards from her hand: Superheavy Samurai Prepped Defense and Superheavy Samurai Soulbeads. Superheavy Samurai Swordmaster Musashi returns to the field in attack position.
Dazzleflash is unimpressed. She sets two cards with a single, swift motion and declares the end of her turn. Her life points stand at 4000 against Applejack’s 3200.
Twilight bites the tip of her thumb. If my theory is correct, then Applejack has only one card in her deck that can get rid of Amazoness Swords Woman outside of battle.
Applejack draws a card, adds it to her hand and immediately picks a different one. “Superheavy Samurai Battleball!” Twilight smiles. Applejack smirks and explains, “Ah’ can tune this monster with one of yours for a Synchro Summon!” The tiny robot explodes in a cluster of stars that surrounds Amazoness Swords Woman.
“Useless!” Dazzleflash roars as she unveils the first of her set cards, Dramatic Rescue. Amazoness Swords Woman jumps back into her hand, dropping Amazoness Heirloom in the process, and a new, one-eyed Amazoness leaps in to take her place.
“Amazoness Queen,” Twilight mutters under her breath. The tall woman raises her large serrated sword and stabs the tip on the ground before her. She rests her hands over the end of the hilt, interlocking her fingers. Her cape billows behind her, adding to her regal appearance.
Applejack grumbles, frustrated that her play was countered so easily. Her hand contains Superheavy Samurai Trumpeter and Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei. The former is useless since she only has a single copy of Swordmaster Musashi and no Synchro Monsters of level seven. The later would only make things worse with Amazoness Swords Woman. With no other options, Applejack switches Swordmaster Musashi to defense and ends her turn.
“Amazoness Call!" Dazzleflash activates her second set card during Applejack's End Phase. "I take Amazoness Archer from my deck and add it to my hand!” She draws and immediately summons Amazoness Swords Woman once again. “I equip her with Ring of Magnetism!” The attack and defense points of Amazoness Swords Woman decrease by 500 each. Dazzleflash continues banishing Amazoness Call from her graveyard to allow her monster to attack all the opposing ones at the cost of being the only one able to attack. “Amazoness Slash!” Amazoness Swords Woman charges bravely, first against Prepped Defense and then against Swordmaster Musashi.
Applejack watches powerless as her life points take a dive, even when her monsters successfully defend themselves. First from 3200 to 2100, and then further down to 800. The cheers and whistles from the crowd start to get on her nerves.
Dazzleflash folds her arms and ends her turn.
Ring of Magnetism is a perfect match for Amazoness Swords Woman, Twilight thinks. And with Amazoness Queen’s effect, she doesn’t have to worry about destruction. She keeps thinking Dazzleflash’s combos are simple and direct, but devastating in battle.
Applejack practically rips the top card of her deck. She tributes Prepped Defense and Swordmaster Musashi to summon Superheavy Samurai Big Benkei and equips it with Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall, bolstering the monster’s defense points to a whopping 4700. With only a Trumpeter in her hand, Applejack ends her turn with a fiercely competitive scowl across her face.
Dazzleflash draws. “It’s over!” she declares fiercely. “Amazoness Archer!” Suddenly, Dazzleflash turns away from the duel field, much to Applejack and Twilight’s surprise, and says in a surprisingly calm voice, “If this is the best you can do then you have no chance against the rest of us.” Amazoness Swords Woman and Amazoness Queen disappear. Amazoness Archer tenses her bow and fires a single arrow that strikes Applejack in her chest, lowering her life points to zero.
Twilight bites her lower lip. She bypassed the defensive effect of Superheavy Samurai Soulshield Wall, she thinks. She didn’t even give Applejack the opportunity to use the effect of Superheavy Samurai Gigagloves.
The crowd celebrates the first victory of the Nymphs. As Dazzleflash returns to the group, the short, enthusiastic girl from before raises her hand high and says, “Hi-five!” Dazzleflash smiles warmly and returns the gesture. The short girl slaps her cheeks to pump herself up and ignites her lime green Duel Disk to reveal a magical blade of a darker shade.
Applejack clenches her chest, but she has no time to reflect on her performance or even mutter a curse; her next opponent is ready.