RANK 26: Head Games, Part 2:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...
Spring Break had officially begun in Sunset's world, and her friends were all ready to enjoy the week-long vacation in their own special ways. All except for Twilight Sparkle, who hadn't thought about what she would do during the time off. After noticing that the young Princess was starting to feel homesick after having spent several months away from home, Sunset suggested to her that she should spend her Spring Break vacation back in Equestria.
Twilight agreed with her, and the very next day, she stepped through the mirror portal, returning to her castle back in Ponyville. There, she was greeted by her Equestrian friends, who were all happy to see her again. After telling them about all of the adventures that she had so far with helping Sunset Shimmer collect the Number cards, they spent the entire day together doing their favorite things. As night fell, Twilight, Rarity, and Applejack all decided to spend the night together at the castle, ready for a good, long rest after having fun.
However, it wouldn't be very restful for the Princess of Friendship: Unbeknownst to her, someone had slipped into Sunset's apartment during the previous night. The intruder was Lucky, who had been sent by Chrysalis to plant a blank Number card in the room. He placed it in Twilight's backpack, and without knowing, she brought it with her back to Equestria. Now the Number card - identified as Number 98: Antitopian, has awakened Twilight's dark side, named Midnight Sparkle. Midnight then challenged her light self to a Duel, and if Midnight wins, she has vowed to take complete control over Twilight's mind and body...
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It was nighttime in the land of Equestria, and everypony in Ponyville was fast asleep in their homes, resting up for the next day to come. However, all was not as calm as it seemed as Princess Luna, one of the two sibling rulers of all Equestria, performed her nightly duties of journeying into other ponies' minds and helping them through their dreams, whether it was by eliminating the threat posed by a nightmare, explaining the meaning behind a dream, or often both. The dark-blue Alicorn emerged from behind a golden yellow door that had a planter hanging upon it with several green stalks growing out of it.
Sighing deeply, Luna said to herself, "Well, that's the third time this month that I've had to lend Ms. Harvest a hoof when she has that 'drought in her carrot patch' dream... Honestly, she has nothing to worry over; there hasn't been a major drought in the Ponyville area for the last 5,660 years..." Looking over the list she had attached onto a clipboard hovering in front of her, she then asked herself, "Okay... who's next...?" After checking off the name Golden Harvest (a.k.a. Carrot Top to most ponies), she then smiled a bit and said, "Ah! Twilight Sparkle! That one ought to be easy; either the two of us will have a most insightful talk with one another over the mysteries of our world and beyond... or I'll find her enjoying a swim in her book-pool."
Luna then used her magic to move the many, many doors in the Dream Realm, searching for the one that allowed her access to Twilight's mind. But when she found the young Princess's door, Luna's heart skipped a beat when she saw that it was covered in a thick, dark cloud. "Wh-what is this?!" she asked in astonishment. "What is this fog that shrouds Twilight's door??" She then tried to open the door, but the doorknob wouldn't budge. Luna then attempted to use brute force and slammed her body into the door in an attempt to break it down. Again, nothing happened.
Getting worried, Luna then said to herself, "Whatever is causing this cloud to appear over Twilight's door, it cannot be good... Something is inside her mind, and it may be trying to cause her harm..." Not willing to give up on Twilight, Luna moved the row of doors again and told herself, "I shall fetch my sister; perhaps she may know of a way to get into Twilight's mind..." The Princess of the Night was determined to do what she could to help the purple Alicorn with whatever was behind that door...
Meanwhile, in the castle of Princess Twilight Sparkle... or rather, in the MIND of Princess Twilight Sparkle, a fierce battle between light and darkness was raging on, with the highest stakes ever conceived of.
"Emerge, Number 98! From the pits of darkness and despair... Destroy my enemies and their hopes along with them!!" chanted the sinister Midnight Sparkle, the personification of Twilight Sparkle's dark side. In front of the evil girl, a terrifying figure began to emerge from out of the summoning portal in front of her. "Xyz Summon! Messenger of darkness! Rank 4! Antitopian!!" the wicked girl shouted as she finished her chant.
The figure that stood opposite to Twilight was very similar to her Number card, Utopia (Number 39: Utopia: Rank 4 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000 / OLU 2). But this one - known as Antitopian, had a much more vicious appearance, thanks in part to its demonic-looking black and silver armor, as well as the shadowy cloud that radiated around him. No doubt, this monster was practically pure evil incarnate.
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Number 98: Antitopian
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/DARK/Rank 4/ATK 2000/DEF 2500)
2 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. When any player's monster declares an attack: You can detach 1 material from this card; change that monster to Defense Position. While this card is in your GY (Quick Effect): You can target 1 "Utopia" monster on the field; Special Summon this card in Defense Position, and if you do, attach that monster to this card as material. You can only use this effect of "Number 98: Antitopian" once per turn.
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"I don't believe it..." said Twilight, sweating a little out of fear. "That thing looks almost exactly like you, Utopia...!"
"Indeed it does..." confirmed the golden warrior. "But I can sense an incredible evil from within that monster... I have a bad feeling about this..." He stared at the monster on the enemy's side of the field, watching as the dark clouds around it began covering the entire area they were in.
Chuckling some more, Midnight then said to her light self, "So what do you think of MY partner, Twily? He certainly has quite the imposing appearance, doesn't he? Of course how he looks will be the last thing you need to worry about! Once he's done with you, you'll be out of my way once and for all!"
"Don't start writing your victory speech just yet, Midnight, or whatever you are." the young Princess informed her. "I won't allow you to beat me, no matter what! I have too much riding on this to let you have your way now!"
"Indeed you do. But I have MY freedom at stake in this Duel, too..." Midnight told her enemy. "And now that I've had a taste of that freedom, I want even more! And there's nothing you can do to stop me!"
Back on the sidelines, Twilight's Ponyville friends - Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie, as well as the chaotic draconequus Discord, and Twilight's faithful dragon assistant Spike, were watching the battle unfold in front of them. "This is too crazy...!" Spike said to the others. "Twilight's up against her own dark side... And not only that, she's also fighting against her own Deck, too!"
"It seems so unbelievable..." Rarity spoke up, "even though I'm seeing it with my own two eyes, I am still having quite a hard time believing it myself!"
"At least we can say that, whenever the six of us are together, there's never a dull moment..." Rainbow Dash pointed out.
"That may be true n' all, Dash..." Applejack commented next, "but while this moment may not be a dull one, it certainly is distressin'... Don't forget; that fake Twilight said that if she wins, she'll take over our Twilight's mind! And if that happens... all of Equestria will suffer because of it... Not to mention that the Twilight we all know n' love'll be gone forever!"
"Oh...my...! I don't want to think about something like that...!" squeaked a trembling Fluttershy.
"We won't have to, Fluttershy!" Pinkie told her. "Because our Twilight won't lose to her in a bajillion years!! We just have to keep hoping that she'll get through this!"
"Precisely." agreed Discord. "That's why I brought all of you here in the first place. Twilight will need the support of all of us if she plans on winning this Duel..." He then mentally told the young Princess, (Twilight... you had the courage to stand up to many dangerous foes over the years... You managed to defeat me despite my incredible power... I'll bet even Tirek had doubts when he was faced with your inner strength... Now it's time for you to show your dark side just what you're truly made of...!)
Back at the Duel, Twilight observed the Number card that her dark side had Summoned. "I must say, as far as making your Number the complete opposite of mine, you didn't skimp on any details..." she told her. "Unfortunately, you ALSO decided to reverse Utopia's attack and defense for your monster... With only two thousand attack points, my Utopia will defeat it easily!"
"Hmhmhmhmmm... then try and attack him, Twilight." Midnight taunted her. "That is, if you think you can." Twilight grumbled a bit, knowing full well that her foe had something planned, but didn't know what exactly. "Either way, there's no hope for you! You'll be defeated right here, and you'll no longer be in charge of our mind!" the wicked entity gloated. "Once I've taken control of you, I'll plunge all of Equestria into its darkest hour, and I'll be unstoppable!!" Taking the card that she had just drawn this turn, Midnight then stated, "And while you're left with that thought, I'll play this Spell Card, Left Arm Offering! By banishing all of the cards in my hand, I can then select one Spell Card to add to my hand afterwards!"
"Are you sure you want to do that?" asked Twilight. "Throw out every card you're holding just to get one?"
"It will be worth it... because I choose to add Offerings to the Doomed from my Deck to my hand!" the evil girl told her as her D-Pad shuffled her cards and ejected the card she wanted out of her Deck. "However, I cannot play any of my Spells or Traps face-down on the same turn I use Left Arm Offering, and I don't wish to use my chosen card this turn, so I'll end it with that."
"Then it's my turn." Twilight said as she drew her next card. She then thought about her dark counterpart's last move some more, thinking, (Offerings to the Doomed... Sunset had a copy of that card while she helped me build my Deck. If I remember correctly, that card allows her to destroy any face-up monster that's on the field, at the cost of skipping her next Draw Phase...) Looking over at her monster, Utopia, she then wondered, (If she had played it on her last turn, she could have destroyed Utopia and hit me directly... So why didn't she do that? Did she not want to skip drawing a card next turn...? Or is it something else...?)
The Princess of Friendship had a bad feeling that her dark side was up to something, but had no idea what it was. After pondering about it some more, she decided to take a gamble and strike while she had the chance. "Go! Utopia!! Attack Antitopian with your Rising Sun Slash!!" The golden warrior then leapt forward, ready to strike down his twisted doppelganger.
"I don't think so!" shouted Midnight, removing a card out from underneath Antitopian (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "I activate Antitopian's effect! I remove an Overlay Unit and switch your Utopia to Defense Mode, thus cancelling out the attack!!" The dark-armored monster then absorbed one of its floating purple orbs into his chest, which allowed him to use the energy to send a thick, black fog towards Utopia. The wind carrying the fog was too great, and it forced Utopia to halt his attack.
"No...!" said a disappointed Twilight. "I had a feeling she wouldn't make this easy..." Looking towards her opponent, she then told her, "Fine... I end my turn. So go ahead and make your move!"
"Hmph... you'll be regretting those words in a few moments." Midnight threatened her enemy as she drew her next card. Looking at it, she thought, (Now I think it's about time to make this detestable little gnat suffer a slow and painful demise...) Taking the card she drew, the evil girl said, "First, I'll set this card face-down... And then I activate the Spell Card Offerings to the Doomed! This destroys any face-up monster! And of course..."
Twilight braced herself, expecting her opponent to come after her Number card.
But Midnight surprised her by saying, "...I'll choose to destroy... Antitopian!"
"Wh-what?!" gasped Twilight. "You're destroying your own monster?!" She thought that she had misheard her dark self, but it was true: Midnight chose to destroy her own Number card.
"Bwahaha! What a dope!" laughed Rainbow Dash. "She actually blew up her own monster!" But the cyan Pegasus noticed that nopony else found the situation funny. "Hey... what gives?" she asked the others. "Why don't you guys look happy?"
"I don't think that evil copy of Twilight made any sort of blunder with that move." Rarity told her. "I'll bet she's plotting something."
"Ah agree, Rare..." stated Applejack. "She's definitely up to somethin'... Ah don't trust that fake Twilight any further than Ah can buck 'er!"
Twilight came to the same conclusion herself. "I'm pretty sure that you didn't make a mistake by destroying your own Number card, Midnight..." she told her foe. "So why don't you come clean and tell us why you did that?"
"Heheheh... If you insist." said Midnight with a wicked grin on her face. "While I could have easily destroyed your Utopia with my Spell Card, I had a much more clever idea in store for you." As she spoke, a dark mist began covering the field. "You see, once Antitopian is in the Graveyard, I can use his most devastating power!! Extermination of Hope!!!"
"Extermination of Hope...?" asked Twilight, not happy to hear those words. Just then she noticed that the dark clouds were now beginning to cover Utopia, who was struggling to escape them. "U-Utopia!! What's going on?! What's she doing to you??"
"Urrrugh... Tw... Twilight..." he struggled to say to her. "That monster... it's... it's draining my power... I can't... I... can't..." but his words were cut off when the dark cloud consumed him completely and sank into the ground.
"NO!!! Utopia!!!" screamed Twilight. Growling, she then shouted at Midnight, "What did you do to him?!"
"Pahahahahaaa!" cackled the anti-Twilight. "That's Antitopian's ability... I can revive him from the Graveyard by siphoning your Utopia and turning him into one of my monster's Overlay Units! Just look for yourself!!" And sure enough, Antitopian reappeared on the field with a single, swirling orb orbiting him (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).
Twilight gasped in shock and horror by what she had just witnessed. "Utopia..." she said solemnly. Angry, she yelled at her dark counterpart, telling her, "You... you're nothing but a creep! How dare you treat one of my friends in such a way! You won't get away with this!!"
"Hmhmhmhmmm... yes, get angry at me Twily. Hate me... despise me..." she goaded her light self. "It's music to my ears to watch you lose all hope!"
"Don't listen to her, Sugarcube!" Applejack shouted. "She's just tryin' t' rile you up! You can't let 'er get in your head!"
"A little late for that, Hayseed!" said Midnight. "I'm already IN her head! And soon, I'll control ALL of it!! Antitopian, attack my pathetic self's Life Points directly!! Crushing Despair Sword!!!" The wicked Number then unsheathed his sword and struck Twilight with it as hard as he could.
"AAAAAAHHHHH!!!!" screamed Twilight upon taking such incredible damage (Twilight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). As she did, she noticed something that sent a chill down her spine. (What... happened...?) she asked herself. (That attack... it... it felt so real...! It didn't feel the same way as it did in my other Duels...! It's like I could really feel the pain!)
"Twilight!!" screamed a horrified Rarity. "What's happening to your body?!"
"H...huh? My... body?" asked the young Princess. But when she looked down, she gasped at what she saw... or rather what she COULDN'T see: All that was visible to her was her upper body. Her legs had completely vanished. "What's going on?!" she asked frantically. "What happened to my legs?!?" Looking over at her opponent, she asked her, "Is this another of your tricks, Midnight?!"
"Heheheheh... it is, Twilight." the evil girl told her. "I guess I forgot to mention: This Duel won't be quite like the others that you've played so far. This is actually... a Shadow Game."
"Shadow Game...?" asked Twilight.
"Shadow Game?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Something tells that it has nothing to do with playing Blindfold Tag or anything like that..."
"Hmph... alright, I'll make it as clear as possible for you simpletons over there." Midnight told them. "To put it simply, if your little friend Twilight loses all of her Life Points in this Duel... well, you can simply kiss her goodbye."
Twilight and the others gasped in horror after hearing the wicked girl say that. "K-kiss myself goodbye...?" the young Princess repeated to herself, trembling a little. She now realized just how dire her situation was, and wondered to herself if there was any way for her to get out of the trap that her dark side had set for her...
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Meanwhile, in the Dream Realm, Princess Luna came out from a behind a large, elegant, royal-looking door that was painted white and gold all over. Behind her was her older sister, Princess Celestia. After the two Alicorns stepped into the Dream Realm's "in-between" area, Celestia shut the door behind her as her younger sister said, "Thank you for coming with me, sister... I apologize for my sudden intrusion into your dreams; I know how much you enjoy relaxing on that banana-and-cake beach."
"Don't worry about it, Luna." the white Alicorn told her. "I'll have the dream again another night. Besides, this is more important. Now, show me this strange cloud that you were talking about."
"At once, sister." Luna replied as she used her magic to move the doors in front of them. Eventually, she stopped at Twilight Sparkle's door; sure enough, that distressing black cloud was not only still there, but seemed to be growing stronger.
"Oh dear..." said Celestia, horrified. "Now I can see why you were worried... Do you know what this is, or where it came from?"
Shaking her head, the dark-blue Alicorn told her older sibling, "I do not... I found it while performing my duties here in the Dream Realm. I have no idea what it is... But I am most certain that it is malicious in nature. Unfortunately, I have not been able to get inside; whatever this cloud is, its magic is preventing me from opening the door. I was hoping that you might know how we can get through."
"Unfortunately, I do not..." Celestia admitted. She then asked, "Perhaps, can you sense Twilight in there? Can you see if she is alright?"
"Hmmmm... I suppose I could try..." Luna responded. "While we not be able to physically enter the door, perhaps I can still sense her spirit... At this point, it is likely our only option." The Princess of the Night then focused all of her power into trying to sense Twilight's presence from behind the fog-covered door. At first, it seemed as though her efforts were futile, but just then, Luna could sense something faint from behind the door. "Ah! I think I can sense her... Twilight is still okay!" she told her sister. She then solemnly added, "But... I can feel that she is hurting... Whatever else is in there, it is indeed trying to bring her harm."
"Oh dear... I wish there was some way we could get though that fog and help her..." Celestia replied, getting more worried for her former pupil.
"Wait... I think I can sense another familiar presence in there as well...!" Luna continued to tell her sibling. "Yes... yes I think... I can sense her friends on the other side... And... and Discord! He's there too!"
"Discord?" asked Celestia. She then gasped, remembering that she had asked him to keep an eye on Twilight. Putting on a newfound expression of determination, the Princess of the Sun told her younger sister, "Perhaps there's still hope... If what you said is true, and Discord is in there... perhaps HE could help us figure out what to do."
"Are you sure, sister?" asked Luna.
"He's our best chance at this point." the white Alicorn answered. "I'll try and see if I can contact him." Now Celestia was using all of her power to try and contact the Spirit of Chaos so that she could lend some form of assistance to Twilight Sparkle, hopefully before it was too late...
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Meanwhile, on the other side of the door to Twilight's mind, the young Princess and all her friends were still in shock after hearing what would happen to Twilight should she lose her Duel against Midnight Sparkle. "Oh my GOODNESS!!" gasped a horrified Rarity. "Did you hear what she said?? If Twilight loses, she'll vanish completely from her mind!"
"You mean that she'll be gone forever...?!" asked Fluttershy, not wanting to know the answer.
"That's sure what it sounded like..." Rainbow Dash commented. "What a sicko! Trying to get rid of Twilight like that!"
Twilight felt the same way as she turned to face her opponent. "But I thought you said that if I lost, I'd just be trapped here!" she reminded her evil self.
"Hmhmhmhmmm... yes I did say that, Twily." Midnight chuckled. "I WAS going to lock you away like you did to me... But I changed my mind. After all, if I managed to confront you while I was trapped in here, what's to say you couldn't do the same thing to ME someday? So I decided that I'd completely and totally exterminate you instead!"
"You... you're the worst!!" shouted Twilight. "You just don't care about anything besides yourself, do you?!"
"I'm surprised you don't find it all too familiar." Midnight told her. "You, of all ponies should remember those times when you gave in to me..."
"I don't know what you're talking about!" the young Princess argued back.
"Oh, don't play dumb with me, Twily... Even YOU have to admit to the times when you have had some selfish thoughts in your mind." Midnight said slyly. "For example, while you still lived in Canterlot, all you cared about were your studies. You desired to learn about magic so much, that you even neglected your own hometown friends! You even turned down an invitation to attend a social get-together with... who was it now...? Ah yes, Moon Dancer... You didn't really care about any of them back then, did you? I'll bet back then, the only thing you considered them to be were mere distractions, am I right? Ah, I remember it all so fondly... heheheh..."
Twilight grumbled a bit, remembering how awkward it was when she tried to apologize to Moon Dancer, and how hard it was to convince her old friend that she had changed.
"Or what about the time you became so desperate to write one of your little reports to Princess Celestia, that you decided to create your OWN friendship problem?" Midnight then asked her light side. "Ghahahaha...! Yes, I had a lot of fun getting you to use that magic on your favorite fillyhood plush toy and make everypony go crazy over the stupid thing...! Or maybe you remember the time when you were so fixated on trying to save the Crystal Empire all by yourself just to get praise from your former teacher. Just admit it: You've had selfish desires inside of you all this time that you can't deny!" Twilight looked down to the ground, remembering all of that very well.
"That's enough outta you!" Applejack shouted. "Just whod'ya think you are, sayin' all of that?!"
"I'll be the new owner of this mind, that's what." said the darker Twilight. "Once Twily's gone for good, I'll be the only presence in control. And once I am, I'll bring your beloved Equestria into a new, darker age! An age where I rule with an iron hoof! No one will be able to stop me as I become the most powerful ruler this country has ever known!!" She then began laughing manically at the thought of her evil plans.
Twilight just stood there, thinking about what her dark half had said to her, reminding her of all the mistakes that she had made in the past. "She's right..." she said to herself. "I guess I did have some dark thoughts in my mind back then... Moon Dancer... Ms. Smarty Pants... the Crystal Empire... It's true... It's all true... I guess I'm NOT perfect, just as she said..."
Discord could hear Twilight's thoughts as well as the despair growing in her heart. (Twilight's in trouble...) he thought. (That evil copy of her is trying to lower her spirits and crush her resolve... I wish I could do something, but according to what I've read concerning the laws of a Shadow Game, not even I can intrude while the Duel is in progress...) At that moment, he heard a strange voice in his head. "Hm?" he remarked. He then looked down to the others and asked them, "Um... did one of you say something just now?"
"I didn't say anything..." Spike replied. Twilight's other friends shook their heads no, telling the draconequus that they hadn't said anything either.
Then, Discord heard the voice again, only a bit louder. "...is...ord... Discord...!"
Recognizing the voice at last, he then said in his mind, (That's Celestia...! But I don't see her anywhere...!)
(Yes...! It worked! You can hear me!) spoke the Sun Princess in the draconequus's mind. (I was... worried for a moment that I wouldn't be able to get through to you.)
(Where are you?) he then asked her. (I can hear you, but I can't see you...!)
(I'm just outside of Twilight's door in the Dream Realm.) Celestia told him. (My sister Luna found a strange black fog covering the door and was concerned for Twilight. So she brought me over to see it. Can you explain to me what's going on in there?)
(It's a long story...) Discord responded. (So I'll just give you the short version: Twilight is in some serious trouble. She's fighting her dark side and isn't doing well... If her evil twin defeats her, she'll erase Twilight forever and completely take control of her body! But worst of all, her dark side has been bringing up memories of Twilight's past mistakes to eliminate her will to fight back!)
(Her dark side, you say...?) asked the white Alicorn. She paused for a moment, not saying anything while in deep thought. After a few seconds, she then told Discord, (...I see. Can you help me communicate with her? Perhaps I can help her somehow.)
(Hmmmm... I suppose I could try.) the draconequus answered. After saying that, he then pressed his claws to his temples, trying to focus his bizarre powers in order to grant Celestia's request. In his head, a smaller version of himself was sitting in front an old-timey phone switchboard, connecting a series of phone plugs into various holes on the console. After doing so, he then rubbed his palms, satisfied with a job well done. (Alright, Cellie... you're ready to go.) he informed the Princess. (Do what you need to do.)
Once she knew that Discord had done his job, Celestia then put out a message to her former student. (Twilight...! Twilight! Can you hear me?)
Gasping, the young Princess snapped out of her solemn state upon hearing her former mentor's words in her mind. (Celestia? Is that you?) she asked. (Where are you?)
(That's not important right now.) Celestia told her pupil. (What is important is for you to know this: You must not give in to your dark side, no matter what she says to you. She is trying to trick you into submitting to her whims... But you do not need to listen to her!)
(But... but how can I?) asked Twilight. (After all, you know as well as I do that I've already given in to her several times in the past... Like with Moon Dancer, and when I almost created that riot after enchanting Ms. Smarty Pants... Not to mention that I risked the good of everypony in the Crystal Empire just to pass that test you gave to me! How can I be sure that I'll never do something like that again?)
(While it is true that you have made mistakes in the past, they do not define who you are or what you are trying to become.) the Princess of the Sun told her.
(What do you mean?)
(As I'm sure you may already know from reading my journal, I've even made a few errors myself.) Celestia informed Twilight. (There have been times that I, in a moment of weakness, have allowed my dark side to cause trouble. There have been times where I've done things that to this very day, I regret with all my heart... But even so, I do not allow these regrets to consume me and hurt my resolve to become a better ruler for everypony in Equestria, and neither should you.)
(...Celestia...) the purple girl uttered, her former teacher's words starting to get through to her.
(I am saying this to point out something I've always believed in:) the Sun Princess continued. (While we cannot deny that we have selfish or evil thoughts within us, that does not mean we have to let them overtake us. It takes true strength and courage to hold back our inner darkness... and even more to admit to our wrongdoings and try to move on.)
Twilight stayed silent, listening to her former teacher's words of wisdom as carefully as she could. She was beginning to see what Celestia was trying to tell her.
(It is a fact that you cannot deny the mistakes you've made, and you shouldn't.) the white Alicorn continued. (What you should do is to learn from them and try your best to make things right; something that you have already done time and time again. For instance, you reconciled with your Canterlot friends and rebuilt your friendship with them when you realized how much you neglected them before... After the incident involving your stuffed toy, you admitted to your mistake and promised never to let your stress cause you to make reckless decisions. And when you realized that saving the Crystal Empire was more important than passing the test I gave to you, you did what was best for everypony by putting aside your selfish thoughts... and because you did, the kingdom was saved from King Sombra's evil. Do you understand?)
(...I do, Princess Celestia... And you're absolutely right.) Twilight finally spoke, getting what her former teacher was trying to tell her. (Just because I've done a few things wrong, that doesn't mean I should just let my dark side keep making me do whatever she wants! I have to stand up to her... I have to hold out hope that I CAN overcome her! I have to show her that while she may be in my mind, it doesn't mean I have to listen to anything she tells me!)
Happy to hear that from her pupil, Celestia told her, (That's correct, Twilight. You have an incredible power inside of you, beyond your magical abilities and beyond any power your dark side is capable of. It is your hope; your hope of a brighter tomorrow... your hope of bettering yourself with each experience, bad or good... That is where your true power lies... And it is a power that darkness itself fears most.) The white Alicorn then finished her speech, telling her former student, (Give it your all, my faithful student... There is nothing you cannot do.)
After Celestia's voice faded away from her mind, Twilight then said, "Thank you, Princess Celestia... I needed that."
"Are you done stalling, Twily?" Midnight asked. "Or have you finally realized that you're completely powerless? With Antitopian's power, I'll snuff out all your hope, and the hopes of all your friends... until only despair remains. And that despair will destroy you forever..."
"...You must really be afraid of me, huh Midnight?" asked Twilight.
"Urk...! Wh-what did you say?!" asked the evil girl, not expecting to hear such a thing. She also didn't expect to see a big smile on her light side's face. "What's going on...?! What could you possibly be smiling about?!?"
"What's up with Twilight?" asked Rainbow Dash. "She doesn't look even the least bit scared..."
"Ah know..." added Applejack. "Even after hearing all of that gobbledy-gook that her evil twin told her, she's not frightened at all!"
"Amazing..." said Fluttershy in an impressed tone.
But Midnight had no idea why her foe wasn't scared by what she told her concerning the rules of a Shadow Game... or what Twilight's last statement meant. "Me? Scared of you?! You don't know what you're talking about!" taunted Twilight's dark half. "The pressure of this Duel must've really gotten to you to make such a ridiculous statement! What makes you think I have any reason to be afraid of you?!"
"What reason, you ask?" inquired Twilight. "Well for one thing, you know full well that up until this point, I've been able to hold you back. It's like you said before: You weren't strong enough to overpower my thoughts in the past."
"Urrgh... that was then, Twilight!" Midnight reminded her. "But now I finally AM strong enough to defeat you!"
"...Only because you lucked your way into that Number card of yours." the Princess of Friendship told her. "That card gave you power to try and attempt to take over my mind... But what would happen if you lost that Number by losing this Duel?"
"Urrrrgh..." Midnight responded, not saying much else in response.
"I don't blame you for trying to get rid of me, Midnight." Twilight continued. "Because you know that's the only way you'd ever have complete control of my mind, am I right? You've said it yourself: If I were still around, even in the furthest corners of my brain, there's a chance you'd lose that control for good. That's why you brought up all those painful memories of the mistakes that I made in my past: You were trying to make me lose confidence in myself so that I would give in to your evil wishes! But it won't work!!"
"Sh-shut up...!" snarled the evil girl, who was now beginning to sweat.
"It's too bad for you that your plan will only work if I give in to despair." the young Princess said to her wicked side. "But I can assure you, that my hope can't be destroyed so easily!" As she said that, the purple orb that spun around Antitopian began to glow yellow, though nopony noticed it. "In fact, you bringing up all those memories of my errors only served to remind me of how far I've come since those days! I may not be proud of those moments, but I've learned from them and have become a better pony, a better friend, AND a better Princess because of them! I may not be perfect, but all that means is that I can always keep getting better each and every day!"
"Y-you've got nothing, Twilight! Nothing!" Midnight snapped back at her.
"I've got something alright; more than you could possibly comprehend." Twilight calmly stated. "As long as there are ponies out there that depend on me... as long as there are friends that need me... and as long as there is hope in my heart... I won't give in to your empty threats, and I certainly won't lose to you! Soon, your desire to blot out the hopes and dreams of everypony in Equestria will be eliminated forever! And deep down, you know that there's nothing that you can do to stop it!" After saying that, the glowing orb began shining even more, but again, no one noticed it.
"You... you...!!" grumbled Midnight, getting angrier and angrier at her foe.
"Wow... that meaner Twilight's not looking so good..." noted Pinkie Pie. "But our Twilight looks just as strong as ever! Maybe even stronger!"
"It does seem so, Pinkie." Discord told her. "Twilight's come up with a nifty little plan... and it's working perfectly!"
"Uh, plan?" asked Spike. "What plan?"
"Twily's giving her dark half a taste of her own medicine." the draconequus answered him. "Midnight certainly loved dishing out taunts and threats towards our Princess friend, but can't seem to handle taking them right back. In short, Twilight's using her opponent's own tricks against her... And it's starting to affect that faker quite a bit, now that she's beginning to realize that nothing she can say will make Twilight lose any confidence in herself."
"Woah... I gotta admit," started Rainbow Dash, "Twi's pretty good at comin' up with clever plans like that."
"Perhaps, Rainbow dear..." Rarity told her. "But she still needs to figure out a way to get out of the mess her crueler self has put her in." Everyone watched to see what would happen next. One thing was for sure, though, Twilight was not about to let her dark self bully her anymore.
Midnight was not happy about having her own taunting turned against her. (That little brat that is my light self... How dare she try to humiliate me!!) she thought, growing more frustrated by the second. (I expected her to be broken and defeated inside by now... But instead, she's even MORE determined to stop me than before!! It's just an act! That's all!) But when she looked at that smiling face on her opponent, she started becoming more unsure by the second. Whether she knew it or not, nothing she said was able to make her light side lose hope, and Twilight's words were beginning to affect her.
Putting her fingers on the top card of her Deck, Twilight bravely said, "Now, let's finish this Duel, Midnight! It's my turn!!"
But no sooner did Twilight draw her card that her dark side immediately respond with a move of her own. "I activate my Trap Card!!" she shouted. "Go, Minor Goblin Official!! Now, since your Life Points are three thousand or less, this Trap makes it so that you take 500 points of damage during every one of your Standby Phases!"
"Each one?" asked Twilight (Twilight Sparkle: LP 2,000 - 500 = 1,500).
"That's right, my light side." Midnight told her. "So for your sake, you'd better hope that you find a way to defeat me quickly, because sooner or later, you'll be gone completely!" As she said that, Twilight's stomach area had faded away, just like her legs had done earlier.
"Oh no..." said Fluttershy. "Now some more of her body has disappeared...!"
"If this keeps up, she'll vanish forever!" Spike reminded them. "She's gotta win this, and fast!"
But Twilight wasn't scared of that last move. Instead, she asked her dark side, "So is that the best you can do to try and scare me into losing hope? If you're so confident that I have no chance of beating you, why not get on with it already?"
"Grrrr... you be quiet!!" Midnight yelled. "I'll wipe you out when I'm good and ready!"
"But by then, it'll be too late." the young Princess told her. "If you don't beat me soon, then you'll lose for sure."
"Don't you try and bluff me, Twilight! It won't work!" Midnight snarled, trying to get her opponent to stop talking.
"I'm not bluffing, Midnight." Twilight responded calmly. "But if you don't believe me, then I suppose there's no point in trying to convince you with my words. So let's continue the Duel and see who's telling the truth." Taking a card from her hand, she then declared, "I now Normal Summon my Gagaga Head in Attack Mode!" Her new monster looked very similar to her Gagaga Magician, except that his costume was mostly slate blue and yellow in color, and his bare chest was visible (Gagaga Head: Level 6 / ATK 2100 / DEF 2000).
"What the-?! You can't do that!!" protested Midnight Sparkle. "That monster's Level 6!! You have to release a monster before you can Summon it!"
"Normally, yes... I would have to." the purple girl began. "However, Gagaga Head's effect lets me skip the summoning cost and Summon it directly to the field as a Level 4 monster, if you are the only one to have a monster on the field. And since you still have Antitopian out, that's all I need in order to do that!" (Gagaga Head: Level 6 > Level 4).
"Hmph... I see. And currently, your new monster has more attack points than mine." Midnight observed. "Of course, Gagaga Head isn't a Number card, so my monster cannot be beaten by him!"
But Twilight smiled and said, "That won't matter. I'll still find a way to destroy your Number card, regardless of that! And Gagaga Head will help me do it" This elicited a gasp out of her opponent.
"Careful, Twi..." urged Applejack. "Don't bite off more than ya'll can chew."
"Do... do you think she's telling the truth?" Fluttershy asked Discord. "Does she really have some plan to defeat that horrible monster?"
"Hmmmm... Perhaps she might..." the draconequus replied. "I have a feeling that I know what she's up to..."
Midnight was now more confused than ever at her opponent's words and actions. It seemed like nothing that she said or did was able to make Twilight lose any faith that she would win the Duel. (What's with her...?!) the evil girl thought. (I flat-out told her that if she lost, she'd cease to exist! I brought up all of the memories of her past mistakes and the times that she gave in to my desires... But it didn't even faze her!!) Looking over her field, and then at Twilight's, she became more flustered just thinking about it. (This makes no sense...! Has the thought of losing this Duel turned her mad, or... or DOES she actually have some way to destroy my Antitopian?) Now the evil girl was the one that was getting scared.
But before Midnight had any more time to think it over, Twilight jumped into action, shouting, "Time for my Battle Phase!! Gagaga Head, attack Antitopian now!!" Her new monster then rushed into battle, ready to give the wicked Number a major beatdown.
Gasping, Twilight's dark self immediately acted on impulse and shouted, "I-I use Antitopian's effect to switch your monster to Defense Mode!!" She then removed the card out from underneath her Xyz Monster, which caused it to vanish from sight (Number 98: Antitopian: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). It later re-appeared in Twilight's Graveyard, since the card was originally hers. Antitopian then used its dark fog to force Gagaga Head to Defense Position and stop its attack.
"Oh no... her attack got stopped again..." said Pinkie Pie. Everyone was worried for their friend. All except for Discord; he smirked a bit, knowing full well what Twilight was trying to do.
Huffing, Midnight then told her foe, "I don't know what you were trying to pull, but it didn't work! You won't even lay a finger on me if I have anything to say about it! You hear me?!? I will not allow you to even SCRATCH my Life Points!!"
But Twilight simply smiled and said, "I know you won't. I know how much you want to end this Duel perfectly, without taking damage..." Thinking back to her Duel against Shining Spoon back in Sunset's world, she then added, "I know because I used to think that being perfect at everything was the only thing that mattered, and it was the only way to become stronger... But by giving into that attitude, you're only making it even easier for me to beat you!"
"What?!" exclaimed the darker Twilight. "What are you saying?! Is this supposed to be part of your so-called 'ultimate plan' or something?!"
"Perhaps." said the young Princess, not losing her confidence for a second. "But you'll just have to figure that out for yourself." Taking one more card from her hand, she placed it into her D-Pad and told her, "I'll set one card face-down and end my turn."
"Woah... Twi really shook her dark side up." Rainbow Dash noted.
"I know..." Rarity stated. "When this Duel began, Twilight seemed a bit frightened by the sudden emergence of her darker half, as we all were... But now the tables have turned: Twilight realized that she had nothing to fear from her dark side, and was able to hold on to her hope. Meanwhile, all her dark side believes in is eliminating her hope in any way possible... And now she's beginning to realize that it won't be so easy to do."
"Ah got that same feelin' mahself." Applejack chimed in. "That faker is tryin' to beat Twilight for her own greedy reasons... But Twi's got so much more ridin' on this one game, and her reason to win this is much greater than her dark side's... And that may be what this all comes down to in the end: Whose resolve to win is stronger."
"Oh my..." Fluttershy squeaked. "If that's true... then it sounds like this might become even more intense than before...!"
Midnight then began her next turn (skipping her Draw Phase due to the fact that she had used Offerings to the Doomed last turn) by tapping on her D-Pad's touch screen. "I activate my Pot of Desires!" she shouted. "I banish the top ten cards of my Deck and draw two more!" After doing just that, she then added, "And now I'll play one of them! I activate Tribute to the Doomed!!"
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Tribute to the Doomed:
(Normal Spell Card)
Discard 1 card, then target 1 monster on the field; destroy it.
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The wicked version of Twilight then discarded her Gagaga Gardna card and shouted, "I'll use my Spell Card to eliminate your Gagaga Head from the field!!" After saying that, everyone watched as a dark-purple portal opened in the middle of the field. Out of the portal came a giant, mummified hand that grabbed onto Twilight's Spellcaster monster and drug it into the Graveyard. "How do you like that, huh?!" shouted Midnight, becoming more crazed by the second. "Now you're wide open!! One attack from Antitopian and you'll vanish forever!!"
Twilight said nothing in response, but continued to stare down her opponent. She showed no fear as she awaited Midnight's next move.
"Silent, are we...?" asked the evil girl. "Fine then... Then let it be known that your screams of pain will be your last words in this world!! Antitopian, finish her off!! DESTROY HER!!!" The vicious warrior then leapt towards Twilight, ready to deplete her remaining Life Points in one attack.
"NO!! Twilight!!" shouted Rarity. "Do something!!"
And she did. "Activate Trap Card!!" the Princess of Friendship shouted. "Pinpoint Guard!!"
"What?!?" exclaimed Midnight Sparkle as a giant stone hand emerged from the ground in front of her foe, blocking Antitopian's attack. "What's going on?!"
"I knew it." Twilight told her. "You were so occupied with trying to finish me off, you already forgot one important detail of our Duel, am I right?"
"What detail??" asked Midnight.
"Don't you remember?" asked the young Princess. "When this Duel began, our opening hands were exactly the same. And one of the first cards we drew was this Trap Card, Pinpoint Guard! The same card you used on me earlier in this Duel! Don't tell me you've forgotten?" The wicked twin gasped; she HAD forgotten all about that.
"Ohohohoho... very interesting." Discord commented. "Somehow, Twilight began to figure out that her dark side was becoming overconfident... So she took advantage of her opponent's sudden case of tunnel vision and managed to catch her off-guard."
"Y'know..." began Applejack, "Ah think I recall that Twilight has had moments like that herself... where she ended up forgettin' important stuff like that once she became fixated on a goal or a plan of hers, causing everything to turn upside-down when something unexpected happened."
"But now things are different." Rarity added. "Our Twilight has learned from her past errors, while her dark side is falling prey to them again."
"Exactly." Discord chimed in. "That's how Twilight can overcome her evil twin. For our dark sides are not only a representation of innermost evil... They can ALSO be thought of as an avatar for the old parts of ourselves that we have discarded. Midnight is nothing more a living version of everything that Twilight no longer is... And that may be what will decide this whole Duel."
"...Wow, since when did you get so deep, Discord?" Pinkie asked him.
Chuckling a little, the draconequus answered her, saying, "So I've seen a few of those TV drama shows while checking up on Twily in the other world... Sue me."
Back at the Duel, the giant hand that appeared from Twilight's Trap Card reached down into a purple portal and pulled out one of her monsters: Gogogo Ghost. "You remember what Pinpoint Guard does, do you?" asked the young Princess. "It Summons one of my Level 4 monsters in the Graveyard in Defense Mode and protects it from being destroyed! Which means my Life Points are safe!"
Growling at the fact that her attack had failed, Midnight then shouted, "That only keeps you safe for this turn, Twilight! Without your precious Utopia, you have nothing left to defeat me! Antitopian will enshroud you with his darkness forever, and you'll never bother me ever again!!"
"We'll see about that, Midnight." Twilight simple replied. "But if you know me as well as you SAY you do, then you should know that my hope can't be destroyed so easily..." She then placed her fingers on the top card of her Deck and added, "In fact, if you knew that, then you wouldn't have even bothered to try and confront me in the first place... You've been trying to scare me into giving into your evil desires this whole Duel, Midnight... But I think YOU'RE the one that's scared right now. You know that I will never give up until the very end, not as long as hope lives in the hearts of me and my friends!" Now the slot in her Graveyard was beginning to emit a light that no one could see...
"Grrr... Enough of your nonsense!" spat Twilight's evil counterpart. "Just make your move and lose already!"
"Wrong, Midnight! I'm going to win!!" Twilight shouted as she drew her next card.
"Then for your sake, you'd better win fast!" Midnight taunted. "Don't forget: Minor Goblin Official eats away more of your Life Points during your Standby Phase! Which means at best, you have only two turns left... But I plan on this Duel ending much sooner than that."
But the Princess of Friendship smirked as she placed the card she drew into her hand (Twilight Sparkle: LP 1,500 - 500 = 1,000). "Oh, don't worry... it definitely will!" she told her, remaining confident even as her body was reduced to just a head and two arms. "In fact, it'll end sooner than you think!!" This made her dark side gasp a little in response.
"Sounds like Twilight's got something big planned..." Spike told the others. "But what is it?"
"Hopefully it's a plan to get her out of this safely..." Fluttershy stated. "I'm still not completely sure how this game works, but it seems that this will all end very soon..."
"I was thinkin' the same thing." Rainbow Dash chimed in. Shouting over to her friend, she told her, "C'mon, Twilight!! You can beat that faker!! No pony's better than you at all this eggheaded stuff, and you need to prove it to her right here and now! So don't you dare lose this! You've got too much ridin' on this to let her beat you!"
Twilight turned around to look at her cheering friend after hearing that. "Rainbow..." she uttered from her mouth.
"That's right, Darling!!" Rarity shouted next. "That mere copy is no match for you! You owe it to yourself to win this and come back home safely!"
"Ya got this in the bag Twi!" Applejack cheered. "Give that Twilight wannabe more than she can handle!"
"Go get her Twilight!" Spike chimed in. "You're the best and strongest pony I've known! If you could stand up to a bully like Tirek, you can definitely stand up to her!"
"You gotta win this Twilight!" Pinkie said next. "If this chapter ended with you losing, it'd be really weird and awkward!"
"...Go for it, Twilight...!" Fluttershy silently cheered. Discord simply nodded to tell the young Princess that she had his support as well.
On the other side of the door to Twilight's mind, Celestia and Luna stood there, staring at the shadow clouds that blocked their way. However, they believed that their thoughts and feelings were more than strong enough to get through the darkness that was trying to keep their physical bodies out. The two Princess siblings wished in all their hearts for Twilight's safe return.
With everyone on her side, Twilight felt stronger than ever. She then boldly told her dark side, "Sorry Midnight... but I'm afraid you made a big mistake when you came here looking for a fight! With everypony backing me up, you're not even worth fearing! You have no power over me!!"
"Grrrr... shut up! Shut up, all of you!!" Midnight yelled. "I have power now! You hear me?! I have POWER!!"
"Maybe, but you'll be losing that power very soon!" the Princess of Friendship warned her. "I activate... MY Pot of Desires!"
"What?!?" shouted Midnight in shock. She had also forgotten that the Spell Card was also one of the first cards that they had drawn when the Duel started. She then did her best to snicker and said, "You must be desperate to play a risky card like that THIS late in the Duel... How do you know that you won't accidentally banish the card you're trying to get, huh?"
"...You still don't seem to get it, Midnight." Twilight told her. "I know I'll get the cards I need to defeat you, because my hope wishes it to be so. But that's something I don't think you'll ever truly understand unless you see it for yourself!" Twilight then removed the top ten cards of her Deck... and then carefully and slowly, pulled the next two as well, thinking to herself, (My friends... give me your strength... your hope...) The images of all her friends, both in Equestria and in the other world, began to form inside her mind, and that caused them to appear as phantoms in the space around her.
"Wh-what's going on...?" asked Midnight, trembling.
"What is all this?" asked Rarity, looking around at everypony (and human) that appeared within the space. She then saw that right next to her, stood her human counterpart, allowing the pony fashionista to see her (almost) in person. The same was true for the others as well.
"This is... the source of Twilight's power." Discord told her. "I'm sure, you of all ponies should know; it is the love for each and every one of her friends that keeps her hope alive."
"Heh, of course it is, Discord." Rainbow Dash said with a bit of smugness in her tone. "We've always known that."
"That's right, we support each other through thick and thin!" Applejack said next, her spirit as strong as ever.
"No matter what the personal cost," Rarity added, "we stick together forever!"
"After all, we feel the same way Twilight does..." Fluttershy then told them. "We wouldn't be the ponies we are now if we didn't support each other the way we do..."
"Together, we're stronger than anything!" Pinkie Pie chimed in with her usual enthusiasm. "And that's because- ...wait for it... waaaaaaaaait for it... Because friendship is magic!!" She then added, "Oh, c'mon... you knew we had to put that phrase in there SOMETIME."
With all of the support she had, Twilight knew that she would draw what she needed. After pulling her two cards from her Deck (but BEFORE looking at them), she then said to her dark half, "Your desire may be to take over my body and turn Equestria into your own personal empire... but MY desire is to leave this place with my friends, and come back home safely! Now we'll see whose wishes were stronger!"
"Just go already!" snapped Midnight. "All this friendship nonsense is making me sick!"
Twilight then finally looked at the cards she drew... and smiled. "I'm afraid you have a lot worse to worry about right now, Midnight..." she informed her opponent. "Because I'm ending this Duel right now!"
"Y-you lie!!" said the evil girl, shaking a little.
"I'm not lying, and here's the proof!" the young Princess said, playing one of the two cards that she had drawn with Pot of Desires. "I activate Monster Reincarnation!! By discarding a card from my hand, I can retrieve one Monster Card in my Graveyard!" She then dropped her Dododo Witch into her D-Pad's Graveyard slot and told Midnight, "And the monster I choose to take back is... Utopia!!"
"What?! Utopia?!?" asked the darker Twilight. "But he's an Xyz Monster! He can't go to your hand!"
"That's right." the young Princess replied. "So instead, he goes back into my Extra Deck!" Her device then ejected Twilight's Number card, allowing her to place it into her deck box. "But now that he's in there, I can now bring him back for one last chance to defeat your Number card!" Playing the second card she drew with Pot of Desires, she shouted, "I play the Spell Card... Monster Reborn!!"
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Monster Reborn:
(Normal Spell Card)
Target 1 monster in either player's GY; Special Summon it.
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"Wh-WHAT?!? Th-this can't be!!" protested Midnight, not believing what she was seeing. "She ACTUALLY drew both Monster Reincarnation AND Monster Reborn with her Spell Card?! Impossible!! This must be some sort of trick!!"
"It's no trick, Midnight! That's what hope can do for somepony who truly believes in it!" Twilight told her opponent as her Spell Card revived the Dododo Witch that she had discarded earlier (Dododo Witch: Level 4 / ATK 1200 / DEF 1600). "And now watch the result of what happens when you truly believe in yourself! I overlay Gogogo Ghost and Dododo Witch, both Level 4!!" Her monsters then transformed into two lights - one purple and one orange - before being drawn into a summoning portal. "Utopia!! Return to the field!!" the Princess of Friendship shouted as her Number card returned for another chance at defeating the evil girl that stood before them.
"Thank you, Twilight..." said Utopia, grateful to her for restoring him. "Your inner light - your hope, is what kept me alive, even after Antitopian siphoned me. Thanks to your feelings... we now have a chance at victory."
"I couldn't let this Duel end with you still stuck to that thing, could I?" Twilight replied with a slight chuckle. "I couldn't call myself your friend if I didn't try to get you back."
Midnight then realized what her foe had done during the past few turns. (I get it now...) she pondered. (She LET me use Antitopian's effect just to get Utopia into her Graveyard... That's what she meant when she said that she'd find a way to defeat my Number card with Gagaga Head.) She then reminded her enemy, "You may have Utopia back on the field, but that doesn't matter! Even IF he destroys Antitopian, I'll just use his effect to revive him by stealing YOUR monster! If that's all your hope can do for you, then you're more pathetic than I thought you were!!"
But Twilight remained calm and told her dark side, "Whoever said I was going to attack Antitopian?"
"What? What do you mean??" asked the wicked girl.
"Twilight..." Utopia told his controller. "It is time. The power of the hope in your heart has allowed me to regain more of my power, even while I was attached to Antitopian, and while in the Graveyard... Now it is time to show your inner darkness the power we have obtained together!"
The young Princess nodded and then declared, "For my next move... I Summon a new Xyz Monster using Utopia as the Overlay Unit!!"
"W-what?!?" exclaimed Midnight as she watched Utopia return to his sealed form.
"What's going on now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's Twilight doin'?"
Discord was watching the scene carefully, asking himself, (Using Utopia as the material for a new Xyz Monster... Is she Summoning Utopia Ray? ...No, she couldn't be. Even if its special ability were used at maximum power, it wouldn't be enough to defeat her dark side... So what is she Summoning?)
Then, at that moment, the sealed form of Utopia began to glow brighter and brighter with each passing second, forcing everyone to shield their eyes (except for Twilight). "What is this...?!" asked Midnight Sparkle, angry and confused as to what was going on. "What are you doing?!?" At that moment, a bright light shone in the sky above, revealing itself as a Utopia's number symbol, changing back and forth between red and bright yellow.
"When despair claims the cosmos... A ray of hope descends to light the darkness!" Twilight chanted. "Guide my wishes so that no evil can snuff out their light!! Shining Xyz Evolution!!" At that moment, the 39 mark created a massive ball of light that merged with the sealed Utopia, seemingly giving him even more power. "Come forth!! Rank 4!! Shining Number 39!! Utopia Prime!!!"
After the chant was finished, the ball of light expanded and dispersed all over the area. And inside of the light was Utopia, now having taken on a new appearance: His wings were now split apart into eight separate wings, detached from his armor and floating behind him. His new armor was bejeweled with green gems in several places and it shone almost as bright as the Sun itself. Even his sword was different, shimmering in the light that he himself had created.
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Number S39: Utopia Prime
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Warrior/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2510/DEF 2000)
3 Level 4 LIGHT monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by using a "Number 39: Utopia" you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. If your opponent's LP is at least 3000 higher than yours: You can detach 3 materials from this card and pay LP so that you only have 10 left; destroy as many Special Summoned monsters your opponent controls as possible, and if you do, banish them, then inflict damage to your opponent equal to highest original ATK of those destroyed monster(s) (your choice, if tied).
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Everyone stood in awe at the powerful warrior that stood before Twilight Sparkle... except for Midnight, who was shaking in fear, not expecting such a powerful monster to stand against her. "No... how could she do this...?" she asked herself. "How could this have happened...??"
At that moment, Utopia Prime then displayed a small amount of his newfound power and created a powerful light that filled the area. Everyone except Twilight shielded their eyes as the light grew stronger. Then, once it faded away, the young Princess's friends saw that the shadowy fog that had once blanketed Twilight's dream world were completely gone. "Hey, lookit that!" Applejack exclaimed. "That weird dark cloud's gone!"
"And that's not all!" Rainbow Dash pointed out. "Look at Twilight! She's back in one piece!" It was true: While Twilight was still in her human form, her entire body was visible once again.
At that same time, the dark clouds blocking Twilight's dream world door outside were dispelled as well. Once Celestia and Luna saw this happen, they nodded to each other and swiftly opened the door to her mind. They were anxious to get inside to directly support the young Princess during her time of need.
"What?!? How can this be?!?" shouted Midnight, confused and angry. "How could you do that?! How could you cancel out the Shadow Game?! It's impossible!!!"
"Face the facts, Midnight:" the Princess of Friendship sternly told her dark half. "Your shadow powers from that Number card may have been pretty strong, but not even the darkest shadows can get rid of the hope my friends and I have. Utopia has grown stronger thanks to that hope, and soon we'll all be back to where we belong, safe and sound... And you'll be back where YOU belong: In the corners of my mind where you won't hurt anypony!"
"Grrrrr... just try it, my light side." Midnight taunted. "I don't fear your Utopia, especially now that I have a better look at him! After all those theatrics and all that flashiness, all he gained from his transformation was a measly TEN attack points! It doesn't change anything! He's still not powerful enough to defeat both my Number AND me!!"
But Twilight smirked a little and told her meaner side, "You still don't get it, do you? Your greediness and overconfidence is keeping you from seeing the obvious: Ask yourself this: Why do YOU think Utopia's attack power rose only by ten after the transformation? If you REALLY were a part of me, you would see the answer in front of you."
"Huh? What are you talking about...?" asked Midnight. But after thinking for a while, she gasped, realizing what she meant. "No...! Don't tell me... Are you saying that all of that power... went into his special ability?!"
"Now you're starting to get it." the young Princess told her. "Since your Life Points happen to be three thousand higher than mine are, I can use Utopia Prime's most devastating effect!" Taking out all three of the cards underneath her new monster, she continued to say, "Now, by removing all of his Overlay Units (Number S39: Utopia Prime: OLU: 3 - 3 = 0) and reducing myself to just ten Life Points (Twilight Sparkle: LP 1,000 - 990 = 10), I can destroy all of your Special Summoned monsters on the field, and then you take damage equal to whichever monster had the highest attack points! And since Antitopian is your only monster, his 2,000 attack points will come straight out of you!!"
"WHAT?!" screamed Midnight. She didn't expect that Utopia would gain such a powerful ability. Doing her best to regain her composure, she snapped back, shouting, "Fine, it still won't save you!! The moment you destroy him, I'll use his effect and bring him back from the Graveyard, using your precious Shining Number to do it!! You'll still lose!"
But Twilight calmly told her dark side, "Sorry, but Antitopian won't MAKE it to the Graveyard, Midnight. Any monsters that Utopia Prime destroys with his effect are banished instead!"
"B-b-banished?!?" gasped Midnight. "No! This can't be!!"
"What's Twilight talkin' about?" asked Applejack.
"It's pretty simple, AJ." Discord filled her in. "The faker's Number card can only use its ability to revive itself when it goes to the Graveyard. But Twilight's new monster will eliminate it WITHOUT putting it there, thus preventing her dark half from bringing it back. And unfortunately for Midnight over there - who put every resource she had into maintaining that one monster, once it goes, she'll have nothing left to fight back with."
"But that means..." Rainbow Dash's eyes lit up and she put a big smile on her face as she said, "Alright!! Twilight's gonna win!!"
"Yeah!! I knew she'd do it!!" cheered Spike. "I knew she'd find a way to beat that faker!"
"Yeah! Yeah!! Go for it, Twilight!! Go get her!!!" Pinkie screamed loudly and enthusiastically.
Off to the side, Princesses Celestia and Luna were also smiling, proud of Twilight for holding onto her feelings of hope and finding her courage, even in her darkest moments. (You continue to impress me with every passing day, my faithful student...) thought the Sun Princess. (You have learned much in these past few minutes; you have learned not to allow your darker thoughts to consume you and make you feel powerless... Our dark sides may cause us to do wrong every now and then, but it is our inner light that helps us to learn from those moments and become better than what we were then...) She then glanced at one of the phantom images of Twilight's friends from the other world: The one of Sunset Shimmer, who looked over at the white Alicorn and smiled warmly before fading from sight. Celestia, too, smiled, thinking, (Through you... I know for sure now that my other student is doing well, wherever she is...)
The only one not happy about what was going on was, of course, Midnight. "No... no this can't be happening..." she said in disbelief. "How could I have allowed this to happen...? I was so close to ridding myself of my lighter side forever...! It's not fair!!"
"It's not so fun when you're the one losing hope, is it?" asked Twilight. "But I'm afraid there was no other way this could have ended. You tried to destroy my hope, but it became stronger instead. You became overconfident and too fixated on ending this Duel perfectly, causing you to make similar mistakes that I had made in the real world. And your selfish and greedy desires of taking over my mind and ruling Equestria were nothing compared to what I wanted for me and my friends! To put it in fewer words: You were doomed to fail from the very start."
Midnight remained silent, not saying a single word... She knew that it was all over for her, and there was nothing she could do to save herself now.
"Now, go! Utopia Prime!! Destroy and banish Antitopian!!" Twilight ordered him.
Utopia nodded and jumped into the air, the gems on his bright armor glowing. "Feel the power that only hope can bring!! Pandora's Force!!!" he shouted, unleashing the light energy that he had built up inside of him and sending straight towards Antitopian. The dark Number card tried to shield himself, but it was no use. The light dissolved him completely, sending his card to the banished pile, ensuring that he would never come back.
Once the light show was done, Twilight then told her dark side, "Your Antitopian is destroyed. You have nothing left to protect you now. One attack from Utopia and this Duel will be over."
Midnight just stood there silently, head hung down (Midnight Sparkle: LP 4,000 - 2,000 = 2,000). "You can't destroy me, Twilight..." she said in a low voice. "Once you dispelled the Shadow Game's rules, this once more became a normal Duel... Even if you take out the rest of my Life Points right now, I won't be gone forever...! I'll still be there, sitting in your mind... Every day, every month, every year for the rest of your life... I'll always be a part of you."
"I'm aware of that." the young Princess responded. "But that doesn't concern me. You can live in my mind for as long as you want... But just because you're in my head doesn't mean that I have to let you control me. For the good of myself, my friends, and all of Equestria, I'll make sure you never cause trouble like this again!"
"...Just get your attack over with." Midnight spat. "At least when I'm stuck in the corner of your thoughts, I won't have to hear your prissy little speeches this close-up again."
And that's just what Twilight did. Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Go, Utopia Prime!! Attack Midnight directly and end this Duel! Rising Sun Prime Slash!!"
Utopia then unsheathed his single, powerful sword and leapt towards Twilight's dark half. As he moved forward, the shine from his weapon began glowing even brighter than before. Once he came within range of Midnight Sparkle, he slashed his sword, causing a brilliant flash of light that once more covered the entire world around them. The evil twin of Twilight Sparkle vanished completely in the powerful light until she could be seen no more...
(Midnight Sparkle: LP 2,000 - 2,510 = 0) (WINNER: Twilight Sparkle)
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Twilight's eyes shot open all of a sudden, and the young Princess rose from out of a comfy bed, gasping and breathing heavily. Sweat ran down the side of her face, and her pupils were dilated. It was as if she had awoken from a particularly frightening nightmare. After spending a few seconds recovering from her sudden awakening, Twilight looked around the room she was in; she was back in her bedroom in her Ponyville castle. Then, she looked at herself, seeing that she was a pony once again.
"I'm... I'm here..." she said quietly to herself. "I'm... okay..." She then felt something under her back. Pushing off her covers, she got up and looked at her bed. She gasped when she saw what was sitting there: It was a Duel Monsters card, but not just any one; it was Number 98: Antitopian.
"So it really did happen..." the purple Alicorn told her herself as she used her magic to pick up the card from her dream. "It all really did happen..." Sitting back onto her bed and staring at the Number card that was now hers, she thought to herself, (That was one of the scariest things to ever happen to me... It's still hard to believe that it all really happened, but the proof is right here in front of me...) Taking a sigh, she then said, "In any case, I hope that this will be the last time my dark side does something like this again..."
Knowing there was nothing else to do, Twilight got back under her blanket, ready to go back to sleep. Before doing so, she then took a moment to glance over at her friends, Rarity and Applejack, still asleep in the guest bed she had prepared for them earlier. She then smiled, silently thanking them before going back to sleep herself.
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The next morning...
"Good morning, everypony..." said a still-tired Twilight. She rubbed her eyes with her front hooves and yawned deeply, her mane suffering from a case of bed-headedness.
"Urrrgh... what's so good about it...?" Applejack replied. She was just as sleepy and exhausted as her Princess friend was.
"Ohhh... that was the worst night's sleep I've ever had in my life..." Rarity groggily chimed in. She then looked into a hoofheld mirror on the dresser beside her and screamed when she looked at her tired-looking face. "Oh dear... just look at me...!" she said, wincing. "I've got bags under my eyes...! This is absoLUTELY dreadful...!"
"Urrgh... Ah've woken up at the crack of dawn many times an' was never THIS conked-out before..." Applejack replied.
Yawning again, Twilight apologized, saying, "I'm sorry that you didn't sleep well last night, girls... If it weren't for my dark side showing up..."
"W-wait...! Y'all had that dream too?" asked the farm pony, surprised.
"My goodness! I thought I was the only one!" Rarity exclaimed.
"Not even close..." said another groggy voice in the room, this one belonging to Spike. He was rubbing his eyes and trying his best to keep himself awake, just as the others were (with about the same level of success). "I had that dream, too..." he informed the others. "And I hope I never have it again."
Just then, there was a loud, but slow knock coming from the castle's front door that everypony (and dragon) could hear. Having a good guess as to who it was, Twilight said to the others, "It's a hunch, but I have a feeling that we weren't the only ones to have a rough night..." Slowly making her way to the front entrance, she opened the doors to see who it was. Sighing again, she asked her guests, "You guys too...?"
On the other side of the doors were Rainbow Dash, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Discord. And just like the rest of them, they were just as exhausted-looking after not getting enough sleep last night. In fact, Fluttershy had fallen asleep standing up while she and her friends were waiting for their Princess friend to let them in. With gravity taking over, she slowly leaned over towards Rainbow Dash and unknowingly pushed up against the side of the cyan pony's body. "Urrrr... Fluttershy..." she said to her snoring friend, "get off of..." The rainbow-maned Pegasus's complaint was interrupted by a big, long yawn. "Uhhn... forget it... I'm too tired to complain right now..."
"I'm so sleepy, I didn't have the urge to poof up my mane this morning..." groaned Pinkie Pie, her mane and tail perfectly straight. She then asked her friends, "You don't think I look scary or creepy this way, do I?"
Before an answer could be given, Fluttershy suddenly slumped forward, landing face-first on the floor, which stirred her awake. "Eeek!! I'm up !! I'm up!!!" she screamed. After realizing what had happened, she blushed out of embarrassment getting herself back onto her hooves. "S-s-s-sorry..."
Looking over at Discord, Twilight asked him, "Even you, too?"
Yawning deeply while wearing a polka-dot nightgown (with cap) and carrying a coffee mug, the draconequus told her, "Yep... not the best of nights, Twily dear. In fact I was so tired, I walked over towards your castle for several minutes before I realized that I could have just teleported here..."
Sighing out of concern and some guilt, Twilight told them, "Well, come inside, everypony... I'll do what I can to help..." The Princess of Friendship let out a yawn herself as she escorted her friends inside the castle walls.
Minutes later, after preparing some coffee for the others (with Discord's help), Twilight sat down with her friends in the meeting hall and told them all about the dream that she had last night involving her darker half. Everyone was surprised to learn that they all had the same dream, and even more when they saw Twilight's new Number card and found out that it all really happened. "Girls... I'm really sorry about all this..." she told them, feeling bad about it all.
Sipping her mug, Rainbow Dash looked over to Twilight and asked, "Sorry? Sorry about what?"
"Yeah, what're ya apologizing for, Sugarcube?" Applejack inquired next. "It ain't your fault that we're all so tired right now."
"But it is..." the young Princess told them. "If my dark side didn't show up like she did... If I had just been more thorough with checking my bags after getting back here, I might have found that card before all of that happened... and we wouldn't be having such a miserable morning right now. I'm really, REALLY sorry, everypony..."
"Now, now... darling, it will be okay." Rarity told her in a comforting tone. "None of this was your fault. There was no possible way that you could have known that this would all happen."
"Yeah, Rarity's right." Rainbow Dash added. "If anything, we have you to thank for makin' sure that the fake you didn't come here and ruin everything like she said she would! Plus, I gotta admit; seeing you in action like that, all confident and stuff... that was pretty awesome. Nice t' know that some of MY tough attitude's rubbed of on ya."
Doing her best to form a smile, Twilight then told them, "I should be thanking all of you, to be honest. I don't think I would have come out of that if all of you weren't there to support me." She then looked over at the nightgown-wearing draconequus and said to him, "Especially you, Discord... If you hadn't brought my friends over... If you hadn't helped Princess Celestia contact me, I don't think I would have had the courage to fight back against my dark side."
"Erm... just looking out for a friend, that's all." Discord replied as he created a doughnut out of thin air and had it dunk itself into his coffee. "I wouldn't... DREAM of leaving you high and dry, Princess Twilight." He then chuckled a bit at his little pun; everypony else just groaned in their minds at it (except Pinkie, who wished that she had the chance to say it first).
"So... umm... is your dark side gone for good...?" asked Fluttershy.
"...No, she's still in me." the young Princess answered. "I can still feel that she's there, just waiting for a chance to come out and make trouble..." The others shared a look of concern after they heard her say that. But Twilight smiled and said, "But even though my dark side is still inside of me, it doesn't mean that I have to let her do whatever she wants me to do. And even if I may have some selfish or even evil wishes, I know they aren't things I really want to have happen. I know who I am and who I want to be: I want to be a Princess that inspires those around her, just like Celestia or Luna or Cadance... And most of all, I want to be an even better friend to all of you as well. I may not be perfect, but I won't let my past mistakes get me down. After all, there's a chance that I might make at least a few more in the future... But instead of beating myself up over them, I'll take those moments and turn them into a chance to better myself; for your sake and for mine."
The others in the room shared a warm, sleepy smile at their friend's speech. "If I weren't so tired right now," Pinkie began to say, "I'd be crying over how beautiful that was." The others in the room agreed with her and clapped their hooves (or other appendages) for Twilight.
"Thanks, everypony..." the purple Alicorn told them. "It's moments like this - all of us sitting together here together as friends, that makes it all worth it in the end." The others in the room nodded to say that they agreed.
"So... uh... what're we gonna do today, Twi?" asked Applejack.
"Hmmmmm..." hummed Twilight as she looked at the smiling sleepy faces around the meeting table. Putting on a small smile herself, she then said, "I think I have one idea that we can ALL agree upon..."
Minutes later, Twilight's bedroom was quite crowded as she and all of her friends were laying in their beds, fast asleep. After the less-than-favorable night they had previously, the eight of them decided that they'd have a nice mid-morning sleepover. With the help of his powers, Discord created a few more beds out of thin air, including one for himself (made of solid gold with tiny Discord statuettes on each bedpost). The group then fell asleep immediately, catching up on the sleep the lost as a result of what had occurred.
Utopia was the only one that wasn't asleep. In his phantom form (seen only by Twilight), he watched the peaceful scene in front of him while also contemplating the events of the previous night in his head. "Observation Number Five: Today, I have learned that no living thing, in this world or any other, are born inherently good or inherently evil." he said to himself. "All living things posses both light and darkness inside of them, and it is up to that being to choose which of them to follow. While one may struggle with the opposing forces inside of them, they alone have the willpower to overcome those struggles and move forward... I shall remember that."
-- To Be Continued...
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NUMBERS OBTAINED:
Twilight Sparkle (5 Numbers total):
- Number 98: Antitopian
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