//------------------------------// // Duel #14: High-flying Warrior: Rainbow Dash // Story: Equestria Girls: Duel Monsters // by Night-Quill //------------------------------// Pinkie let out an overdrawn, overly dramatized gasp, “What an unbelievable coinci- I mean: What an unexpected turn of events!” She seemed to wink at… no-one, actually. “CHS’ top athlete and dashing daredevil duelist of dauntless determination… Wow, five words beginning with D… Oh right: Rainbow Dash has stepped up to the field!” Twilight watched as the blue girl approached. Now with a better view from the first time she’d witness Rainbow’s human counterpart in full. Even from the distance it was evident that Rainbow would be an epitome of human physical fitness; her body was sleek, and from the denim shorts she wore that showed almost the entirety of her legs, they were very toned, belying great strength. Unlike Twilight and her friends’ counterparts, Rainbow’s footwear was composed of what she believed were referred to as ‘sneakers’, not as tall as the boots most of them worse, reaching just above the ankle and secured with laces. Judging from their lighter construction, they must have been more conducive to running. A loose very light blue, possibly white, shirt hugged her upper body with the familiar symbol of a cloud with a tri-colored lightning bolt emblazoned on it (a most peculiar coincidence to be sure), topped with a sky-blue jacket with the sleeves worn rolled and bunched up over her elbows. She had a pair of red, yellow and blue striped cloth bracelets around her wrists, one of the elements betraying Sunset’s Photoshopped image. Twilight had no idea what the goggles over her head were for, but they just felt strangely fitting. She seemed to have very small chest obstructions by comparison to Twilight and her friends: Almost flat, in fact. “Rainbow,” Applejack stepped forth to intercept the star athlete. Rainbow looked at the farmgirl distantly. The two of them locked eyes, standing silent for an uncomfortably long moment. Twilight watched, the barest ember of hope deep within making her hope the two would reconcile. “Rainbow, listen: Ah’m sorry, I-” Applejack began, only to be silenced when Rainbow held up a hand, her expression unchanging. Rainbow stepped past Applejack, her cerise eyes focusing entirely on Twilight. She met the athlete’s gaze, the nostalgia of meeting the pegasus back in Ponyville. Though here Rainbow was not jesting or goofing off. She looked at Twilight with an unwavering intensity; like sizing her up. As if there was any question; as she’d made it abundantly clear on her entry; she was challenging her. “So… You’re Twilight Sparkle, huh?” she asked casually. “I am. And you’re Rainbow Dash,” Twilight responded. “I’ve heard about you quite a bit.” Rainbow’s eyes focused on something else, “Ouch…” she murmured with a wince. Twilight raised a hand to her cheek, a hot tingle following as she pulled it back, specks of dark red staining her fingertips. Sunset’s scratching smack really had left cuts on her cheek. A sudden tinge of terror crept inside her. “Oh, don’t touch them, darling, they’ll get infected,” urged Rarity, taking another tissue to dab the seeping blood. “Hey, Flutters,” Rainbow looked to Fluttershy, “don’t you carry band-aids in case of injured animals?” “Oh, yes! I’ll be right back,” Fluttershy lightly jogged to her previous place at the bleachers. “Looks like Sunset did a number on you in more ways than one,” Rainbow remarked. “But hey, at least it wasn’t like with Lightning Dust, where she-” “Yes, I believe I’ve heard the knife through the hand story,” Twilight cut-in with a shudder. “I knew Sunset’s a stuck-up bitch day in and day out, twenty-four seven, but that was just nuts,” Rainbow added. At that point Fluttershy had returned with a small package of band-aids, who promptly administered the first one over a scratch. “Good thing AJ and your dog where here, ‘cuz from what I was seeing, she looked just about ready to start whaling on ya.” Twilight had no arguments there. Of course, what worried her more was everything else. The psionic scream strong enough to force Priestess back. And that sheer rage behind those burning eyes. There had to be something wrong with Sunset Shimmer, something much more than a simple grudge. Twilight’s lack of understanding of the magic of this world did not help matters, but if she were to compare it to anything she herself had seen, it looked very similar to corruption of power, much like the alicorn amulet. “Anyway,” Rainbow brought both hands to her waist, “I get you’re looking to face off against her in the midterm match, so Pinkie set this whole thing up to garner support. I want in on this.” Definitely Rainbow’s counterpart. She did not ask, she just declared. “You managed to stalemate with Sunset, that’s something no-one else here could attest to. So, what do ya say?” she held forth her duel disk bearing arm. “Up for one more with the best for last?” Twilight could hear the exasperated groan of Applejack to the side. Despite the athlete’s brazenness, Twilight herself only found the familiarity of the group dynamic of her friends back in Equestria: All five counterparts to the ponies who’d changed her life were now here, just like what felt like so long ago when she first forayed into the Everfree to seek out what bound the six together. “Though I’d like to add in a wager,” Rainbow added, a foreboding glint present in her eye. Twilight looked at the athlete with an uncanny apprehensiveness, “What kind of wager?” A small smirk formed on Rainbow’s lips, “If I win, I take your place as the one to face off against Sunset Shimmer.” “But Rainbow,” Rarity admonished, “Twilight’s already fought painstakingly difficult five matches! You can’t just expect her to give up when she’s come so far!” “Maybe,” Rainbow shrugged. “But what will the audience think should their champion turn down a challenge just because she might lose?” “Rainb-!” Applejack caught herself in what had to be an accusatory shout, looking indecisive. Naturally, since Twilight had been working to possibly rebuild their lost friendship. The farmgirl restrained herself, and tried again, more delicately. “Rainbow, please-” “Did… Did you just say ‘please’?” asked the rainbow-haired athlete in confusion. “Yes, Ah did. And Ah’ll say it again. Rainbow, please, just listen: Twilight’s trying’ to make everythin’ right again. Back before all this horse hockey with Sunset Shimmer started,” Applejack explained in a solemn tone. “Ya know what she’s done in just one day since she arrived?” She looked to Rarity who, along with Fluttershy, were finished tending to Twilight’s cheek. “Me an’ Rarity; that whole thing Ah’ve been mad at you an' her for nary two damn years? Ah was proven that Ah was wrong; that you-know-who just fooled me into thinking that, well… Point is, me an’ Rarity are back together, an’ Ah just want you to know; even if you don’t wanna be my friend no more: Ah’m sorry, an’ if ya ever reconsider, you only need to ask. Okay?” Rainbow looked at Applejack, her features, noticeably softening at the farmgirl’s coming forth. Twilight glanced between the two, a tinge of hope tingling in her chest. It may take time, but maybe, just maybe, she brought all five together once more in this new world. Rainbow turned back to Twilight, “Wager still stands, new girl.” “Dammit, Rainbow!” Applejack exclaimed frustratedly. Twilight’s tinge of hope descended into a swell of incredulity in her stomach, “Why are you so dead-set on taking my place?!” Rainbow shrugged, “Eh, because you showed Sunset is just as human as the rest of us? Because I wanna take a crack at her after losing that honor to Pinkie last year? Because my blood is boiling at the chance to face a new challenge? Isn’t that enough?” “And what then?” asked Twilight. “What then?” Rainbow parroted. She rolled her neck leisurely, “I dunno. I’m a ‘in the now’ kinda girl. When I have something in front of me, I deal with that before the one after.” “Ooooh!” went Pinkie, now back to freely partake in her knack for showmanship. “And before any duel has even started, Rainbow’s already sizing up CHS’ new heartthrob. So then: What do all you wonderful people in the audience think? Go from a five to a six?!” “Technically she didn’t win that last one…” came a remark from an uninvitingly familiar voice in the crowd. “You know what I mean!” Pinkie retorted. “Round six a go-go?” “One more round!” the audience shouted. “One more round!” Rainbow raised a humored brow, “Well, the crowd hath spoken. You’re not gonna let them down, are ya?” Twilight let out a surreptitious sigh. Rainbow had played the situation in surprising tact to her advantage, all for the chance of challenging her. Twilight was unsure whether to feel honored for Rainbow, one of the seven best duelists in CHS, perceiving her as a worthy challenge, or trepidatious over the costly wager the rainbow-haired girl had issued. In either case; she was not getting out of this predicament by declining, not without taking a potentially heavy dent on her credibility. “Alright, I’ll accept your challenge, wagers and all,” Twilight announced, pressing the deployment switch for emphasis as her duel disk’s tray halves slid forth, combined and swung to its proper placement along her arm, accompanied by a rattle as her automated shuffler once again did its work. Rainbow Dash smiled eagerly as she followed suit, keeping her forearm held upwards as hers deployed and her cards shuffled. Twilight wasn’t certain, but it looked almost as if Rainbow was showing the process off in such a way possibly to show her legitimacy. Twilight took her spot at the end of the soccer field, the spot of grass where she’d been standing having a noticeable series of compressed imprints. The rest of her friends had resumed their places on the bleachers, while Spike remained diligently at her side. “Psst,” hissed Spike, “You sure this is a good idea? I mean you tied with Sunset…” Twilight, establishing the slightest hint of eye-contact, covered the general area of the communicator of her disk, “I know, Spike. But this is exactly why Rainbow chose to make her move; she recognized me as a worthy opponent, and given her standing at the school, if I defeat her, it should guarantee a unanimous verdict…” She swallowed, “As long as I don’t lose…” “Is your disk on the fritz, ‘cuz you’re coming in all muffled?” Rainbow’s voice called through the speaker. “Oh! Uh, no, I was just…” Twilight tried to come up with an excuse, but given the few seconds too long, she sighed, “I was talking to my dog.” Rainbow visibly shrugged from her end, “Eh. I talk to my tortoise all the time.” “Tan- Uh, y-you have a tortoise?” Twilight asked, almost slipping out the expected name of her Rainbow’s wackily contrasting, but fervently faithful, pet back in Ponyville. “Yea. His name’s Tank. I adopted him after I learned what irony meant,” the athlete chuckled. Twilight let out an endearing aw, “That’s adorable!” Nailed it! “Alright; gear seems to be working. So…” Rainbow leveled her duel disk, “Let’s get started.” Taking the initiative, Twilight tapped the revolving virtual coin on her screen. Twice in a row, the toss went to her opponent. “Duel!” Rainbow Dash Life Points: 4000 Twilight Sparkle Life Points: 4000 Turn 1: Rainbow Dash (Hand: 5) “Alright, let’s make this interesting,” said Rainbow, her face oozing in confidence. “I summon ‘Fortress Warrior’ in defense mode.” At the slap of the card, onto her field arose a rather bizarre looking ‘warrior’ as the name implied: It was a four-legged statue with two stone torsos back-to-back, both propping up some sort of round slab over them with their thick arms. Sides of said slab looked as if they were lined with windows and Twilight thought she could spot bits of rebar. (Level 2, 600/1200) I saw a hint of what Rainbow could do in the gymnasium. No doubt she’s going to use something to bring out a tuner to- “I end my turn,” Rainbow called. (Hand: 4) Twilight looked at Rainbow with a bewildered double take, “Wait, what?!” Rainbow’s shoulders raised slightly, “I end my turn. Your move,” she said in a needlessly matter-of-fact tone. Turn 2: Twilight Sparkle (Hand: 5) “Bad hand?” asked Spike. “Mm, that’s not quite how that seems to work here, Spike…” said Twilight as she drew her card. “Still, I’m not leaving her any material for later: I summon ‘Fool of Prophecy’ in attack mode.” The yellow robed, scepter wielding spellcaster of a lax disposition emerged onto Twilight’s side, leisurely propping said scepter to his shoulder, flicking the twig in his mouth. (Level 4, 1600/900) “Once per turn when Fool is on my field, I can send one ‘Spellbook’ spell card from my deck to the graveyard,” a card slid out of her deck, revealing it as ‘Spellbook Library of the Crescent’, which promptly was fed into the graveyard port. “I will then attack Fortress Warrior with Fool!” The sorcerer (ATK: 1600) spat out his twig as he held aloft his scepter, charging power at its tip before flinging it at Fortress Warrior (DEF: 1200). A resounding explosion followed, something quite commonplace at this point, a cloud of dust billowing out. It won’t do damage, but she’ll still be down one Synchro component- When the virtual dust cleared, Fortress Warrior was still standing, no worse for wear. “Oh, yea;” Rainbow spoke up, “Fortress Warrior can’t be destroyed from one attack each battle phase. Just thought I’d let you know.” Twilight frowned, “She… She was goading me, wasn’t she?” “A little, yea,” Spike nodded. Twilight sighed, “I set one card and end my turn.” (Hand: 4) Turn 3: Rainbow Dash (Hand: 4) “And draw,” Rainbow called as she drew. Fanning out her sizable hand of five, Rainbow seemed to be thinking something over quite deeply, given her lips curling into a lopsided pout. Looking over at Twilight, her pout seemed to curve into a devious smile as she took out a card and slapped it beside Fortress Warrior’s, “I next summon ‘Rescue Warrior’ in defense mode.” Another monster confusingly referred to as a warrior emerged onto Rainbow’s field. This one, roughly the size of an adult human was decked in bright orange overalls with equally eye-catchingly bright yellow rims, reminding Twilight the vests of rescue worker ponies back home, with a thick brace at the back of a face-covering red helmeted head. On its back it carried a massive two-bit barrel-like canisters connected to a nozzle it wielded in its left hand and a two-pronged tool attached to its cylindrical right forearm via hoses. (Level 4, 1600/1700) “Another one in defense…” Twilight muttered almost incredulously. “Are we certain this is Rainbow Dash and not just someone who looks like her?” asked Spike flatly. “You know? ‘Cuz I was expecting her to go all out.” “And then…” Rainbow slapped another card on her tray, “I summon ‘Backup Warrior’ in attack mode!” In an instant a third monster emerged onto Rainbow’s field; this one was another humanoid garbed in a dark green outfit complete with a greyish green domed helmet strapped to his head and a pair of goggles over his maniacally grinning face. On his back looked to be a triad of large cannons, and in place of his forearms were a pair of much smaller cannons, one that seemed to had some form of belt leading into it. (Level 5, 2100/0) “Spoke too soon…” Spike remarked. “Backup Warrior can be special summoned from my hand if I have two monsters on my field in defense position,” Rainbow added, before pointing towards Fool of Prophecy. “To which I then attack your Fool!” In a maniacal cackle, the two cannons Backup Warrior (ATK: 2100) had for arms let out a cacophonous, rattling fusillade the likes of which Twilight had never heard before. Fool of Prophecy (ATK: 1600) shook violently before bursting into sparkles of light. Twilight Sparkle Life Points: 4000 – 500 = 3500 “I set one card, and call it a turn,” Rainbow announced before crossing her arms. “Think you can take ‘im?” (Hand: 2) Turn 4: Twilight Sparkle (Hand: 3) “I’ve dealt with worse; I assure you,” Twilight stated as she drew a card. “Oh, bee-tee-dubs, you might wanna work on your draw,” Rainbow interjected. Twilight looked over at Rainbow in confusion, “My draw?” She glanced down at her deck, then back to Rainbow, “What do you mean work on my draw?” Rainbow brought her hand down to her own deck and mimed Twilight in how she would normally draw a card in what seemed the most feasible way to do it, “Don’t do it like this. More like this.” She then mimed her way which was more forceful, her arm slinging right across her chest and away from her body. Twilight stared at the rainbow-haired human counterpart of her friend with a look of utter confoundedness, “What does it matter how I draw a card?! I take a card, add it to my hand; no hassle.” Rainbow tapped herself on the forehead and sputtered, “You really are new at this, aren’t ya?” “I really don’t follow where this is going…” Twilight asked, almost pleadingly looking over to her friends in the audience. “Eh,” Rainbow proceeded to shrug nonchalantly, “I’m sure you’ll get it in a bit…” “Get what?” Twilight inquired, her logically rounded mind irked at the lack of any form of explanation from Rainbow, which aggravated Twilight further considering it being Rainbow who brought it up originally. “Rainbow!” “I’m sure someone will tell you after the match,” Rainbow smiled innocently, idly revving her right shoulder. Twilight puffed out her cheeks in frustration, “Fine… I see no reason to wrack my mind over this, I will proceed as I was initially.” “She might have a point though,” Spike whispered. “I mean, everyone else seems to be doing it similarly. Not like a hundred percent, but it is there.” Twilight took a curt glance at Spike as she placed her drawn card into her hand before fanning them out. What does it matter how you draw it? As long as it gets into your hand is all that matters… “I summon ‘Spellbook Magician of Prophecy’ in attack mode.” The light blue robed archivist sorcerer emerged onto the field, proudly levitating his tome over an open palm whilst holding two fingers of his other hand against the side of his head. (Level 2, 500/400) “When Spellbook Magician is summoned, he lets me add one ‘Spellbook’ spell card to my hand,” a brief rattle of shuffling cards followed, after which a card was ejected from her deck, “my choice being ‘Spellbook of Knowledge’. I then reveal it, along with ‘Spellbook Organization’ and ‘Spellbook of Eternity’ to special summon ‘High Priestess of Prophecy’. To my side; avatar of the mystic arts!” In a flurry or ethereal pages, Priestess unveiled herself, gathering said pages into the infinite number already within her emerald tome. (Level 7, 2500/2100) Rainbow simply smiled in anticipation, “Brought out your ace already.” “Next I activate ‘Spellbook of Knowledge’. By sacrificing Spellbook Magician, I draw two cards.” In a lax farewell gesture, Spellbook Magician vanished from the field, followed by Twilight drawing two cards, in her own way, deciding to ignore Rainbow’s amused eyeroll. “I then activate Priestess’ effect; by banishing Spellbook of Knowledge, I destroy your Fortress Warrior.” In a repeat of the numerous times Twilight used Priestess for her destruction effect, the tome hovered opened before her, her hands taking on the correct gesture while murmuring in an unknown language. Despite being made of stone, Fortress Warrior was eaten away into a pile of ashes by a trail of green flames spreading around its body. “Then I activate ‘Spellbook of Power’, increasing Priestess’ attack points by a thousand,” Twilight pointed at the heavily armed Backup Warrior, “to which I move onto battle. Priestess attacks Backup Warrior!” Her tome changing to the familiar fiery orange from Spellbook of Power, Priestess drew its stored power into her hands (ATK: 2500 -> 3500), her fingers suspending a crackling orb between her hands, which she then launched at Backup Warrior (ATK: 2100). “Facedown activate!” Rainbow responded. “Quick-play spell ‘Half Shut’! This prevents a monster from being destroyed in battle, but that monster’s attack points are halved until the end phase.” “But you’ll take massive damage from doing that,” Twilight added. “Who said anything about using it on my own monster?” Rainbow smirked, leisurely pointing at Priestess. (ATK: 3500 -> 1750) In another mad cackle, Backup Warrior (ATK: 2100) let loose with the seemingly automatic cannons as Twilight had come to view his weapons as. The projectiles shredded the careening orb, forcing Priestess to cover her front with her arms, when a green barrier formed before her, which the shots ricocheted off of, whilst a few of them either misfired past or punched though and hit Twilight’s segmented forcefield. Twilight Sparkle Life Points: 3500 – 350 = 3150 With one clever counter Rainbow not only saved her monster, but in addition dealt Twilight additional damage, and prevented her from using Spellbook of Power’s beneficial effect. With a resigned sigh for the moment all Twilight could do was; “I set one card and end my turn.” (Hand: 4) - “She saved Backup Warrior on top of stopping Twilight from adding another Spellbook and dealt some damage,” remarked Fluttershy. “Well it is Rainbow Dash,” Applejack stated. “Girl’s got a knack for coming up with these things on the fly. At least that hadn’t changed…” - Turn 5: Rainbow Dash (Hand: 2) Rainbow drew her next card, doing it in that fashion where it seemed to take more effort and energy than needed, “Alright; I suppose it’s time to get serious. I play the spell ‘Tuning’.” She slid a card into her disk, “This lets me add a ‘Synchron’ monster from my deck to my hand,” her chosen card was ejected from her deck, “at the cost of sending my topmost card to the graveyard. I then summon the added ‘Fleur Synchron’ in attack mode.” With a high-pitched giggle, emerging to the field what looked to be a semi-opened flower bud with a cartoonishly grinning face, stringy long arms ending in thick white hands and short stubby legs. (Level 2, 400/200) “I will then tune the level five Backup Warrior with the level two Fleur Synchron.” Fleur Synchron burst into light, forming into the two green tuning rings. The rings descended onto Backup Warrior, placing the half machine fighter at their center, to which his form faded into a glowing outline, erupting into five orbs of light which lined up in a perfect vertical row. (2 + 5 = 7) “Proud warrior beckoned by thunderclap, strike down your foes with the skies’ awesome might.” The lights erupted into a blinding pillar. “Synchro Summon! Ride the storm! Level 7: ‘Lightning Warrior’!” With a crackling entrance, a towering humanoid leapt to the ground. Covered almost entirely in pristine silvery-white segmented armor, save for the head covered only in a goggled mask, a head of wild, blonde hair swaying in the jolts of electricity coursing through his form. Ragged red cloth tied to his waist and shoulders billowed wildly, ceasing only when the excess jolts trailed down his legs and into the ground. (Level 7, 2400/1200) But it has only 2400 attack points… “Next; when Fleur Synchron gets sent to the graveyard as a Synchro material, it lets me special summon one level two or below monster from my hand. So I summon ‘Jet Synchron’.” A small mechanical being emerged onto the field. Its body was mostly composed of a metallic cylindrical structure, with a partial white casing at the front. At the front of its body within its structure looked to be a slowly revolving fan, held in place with a pointed stub, which had a pair of determined, angry eyes affixed to it. Parallel to the form of its body, it had a pair of spindly legs and arms, but due to its back-heavy structure, it was force to crouch. The arms seemed to have angled extensions extending from the shoulders akin to what might pass as rudimentary wings. (Level 1, 500/0) “I assume ‘Synchrons’ are all tuner monsters?” Twilight inquired. “Pretty much,” Rainbow replied. “And I assume you know what’s coming next?” “You’re going to tune Jet Synchron to one of your remaining monsters to conduct a second Synchro summon.” “Guilty as charged,” Rainbow smirked, giving what Twilight was beginning to consider calling a thumbs-up. The fan inside Jet Synchron began to revolve at increasing speed, the back of its body erupting in a burst of flame before its form faded and was replaced with one of the tuning rings. The ring placed itself around Rescue Warrior, whose form faded into four orbs of light. (1 + 4 = 5) “In the unrelenting jet streams, break the bonds to fly at awesome speeds unsurpassable.” The rowed lights erupted once more into a blinding pillar with in the tuning ring. “Synchro Summon! Fly high! Level 5: Jet Warrior!” Bursting from the light with an intense roar, a metallic humanoid flew up high, doing what looked like extensive aerial acrobatics over the field before touching down in a crouched position. This new monster was difficult to describe for Twilight: It looked to be mechanical, in a distinctly humanoid shape, its body composed of a black, white and gold chassis built around a silvery endoskeleton. Its head had a pointed shape with two eyes slightly to the sides, which melded directly into a parallel conical structure that encompassed its chest, its back spewing an intense blue fire, with rudimentary wings extending from the shoulders with fully assembled variants of what Jet Synchron’s body was composed of. (Level 5, 2100/1200) “But both of your monsters are weaker than Priestess. You wasted five monsters just for that?” Twilight asked, eyeing the two back-to-back Synchro summoned monsters warily. “Hey, the good stuff’s just getting started,” Rainbow grinned. “First off, when Jet Synchron is used for a Synchro summon, it lets me add one ‘Junk’ monster from my deck to my hand. And then, when Jet Warrior is Synchro summoned, it can return one monster on your side of the field to your hand.” Jet Warrior’s eponymous ‘jets’ began to rev loudly, sending an earth breaking gust trailing along the ground towards Priestess. “So that’s what you were after?” Twilight stated. “Leaving me open for a two-part direct attack.” “Correct-a-mundo, Twi,” said Rainbow, adjusting her goggles. “Gotta say, I was expecting a bit more. I mean you didn’t even hit me once. But hey, I’ll give you much kudos for sticking to your guns even with the wager, so-” “I play the continuous trap: ‘Safe Zone’!” Twilight quickly responded, Apple Bloom’s borrowed trap revealing itself. The segmented forcefield from Twilight’s duel with Sunset assembled itself into a spheroid barrier around Priestess, the final hexagon materializing in place just as Jet Warrior’s effect landed, the barrier dissipating the trailing gust. “Oh…” Rainbow looked on in surprise. “So you did have something prepared after all.” Twilight smiled in response, “I like to be prepared, just in case. Safe Zone prevents its target monster from being destroyed or targeted by card effects, and it also prevents destruction from combat. Though this comes at the cost of Priestess not being able to attack directly anymore.” Rainbow only chuckled, “I knew this was going to be a fun match after all. Well then; I end my turn.” “At this point before your end phase, I activate my second facedown; ‘Spellbook Organization,’” Twilight interjected, revealing the set quick-play spell. “This lets me take the top three cards of my deck and rearrange them.” And in addition, gives me more ammunition. Looking at the middle card, Twilight cast a surreptitious glance towards the bleachers, before placing it on top. (Hand: 2) Turn 6: Twilight Sparkle (Hand: 4) Twilight drew, ignoring Rainbow shaking her head, before taking one of her remaining Spellbooks and sliding it into her disk, “At this point I activate ‘Spellbook of Eternity to return Spellbook of Knowledge back into my hand. I’ll then activate that again, sending ‘The Grand Spellbook Tower’ to the graveyard to two draw twice. I then normal summon ‘Temperance of Prophecy’ in attack mode.” The dual chalices wielding, brown-robed sorceress emerged in a puff of smoke. (Level 3, 1000/1000). Whether or not as a result of the highly advanced system, Priestess seemed to tug at her hat in greeting to her fellow sorceress, to which Temperance bowed courteously. “As I have already activated a Spellbook this turn, I can sacrifice Temperance in order to special summon a level five or above light or dark attribute spellcaster from my deck. I beckon ‘Reaper of Prophecy’!” Once again exhuming her mixed smokescreen of white and dark mist from her chalices, Temperance made her exit. With a swing of their oversized scythe, Reaper unveiled themselves from within, the blade of his namesake weapon elongating with a cold blue gleam, whilst their eye glimmered ominously red from underneath the dark purple hood. (Level 6, 2000/1600) “Judging by that you have a lot of Spellbooks in the grave now,” Rainbow stated upon seeing Reaper’s emergence. “I have five ‘Spellbooks’ in my graveyard so far, yes,” Twilight confirmed. “This means all of Reaper’s effects trigger: His attack points increase by 600, and he can add a ‘Spellbook’ spell card into my hand. However, as I used Temperance’s effect; I can’t use his effect to summon another spellcaster this turn. I choose to add a second ‘Spellbook of Power’ to my hand with his effect.” Twilight’s deck shuffled and her chosen card was ejected. “I will then banish Spellbook Organization from my graveyard to destroy Lightning Warrior.” Priestess began her chant, followed by Lightning Warrior, which Rainbow had painstakingly summoned, searing away to ashes. “I then activate Spellbook of Power on Reaper, to increase his attack points by a thousand.” As with all Prophecies, the burning orange tome appearing spinning before Reaper, opening its pages to unveil the hidden power within. Reaper drew the inherent energy with their scythe, the gleaming cold blade turning orange, like steel inside a furnace, energy racing up and down the weapon, which Reaper had to grasp near the blade to keep it in check. (ATK: 2600 -> 3600) “Now; I attack your Jet Warrior with Priestess!” Grasping her tome under one arm, Priestess (ATK: 2500) revved her arm in front of her, quickly gathering power before her palm which swiftly shot towards Jet Warrior (ATK: 2100). The mechanical warrior exploded on impact, Rainbow holding her duel disk bearing arm in front to shield her eyes from the flash. Rainbow Dash Life Points: 4000 – 400 = 3600 That leaves Rainbow with 3600. Reaper has that exact amount to end this duel right here! “I then attack you directly with Reaper!” With a forceful heave, Reaper swung their energized scythe, sending a wildly pulsing surge of power swerving directly at Rainbow. With another resounding boom, a cloud of virtual dust picked up, obscuring the rainbow-haired athlete entirely. The suddenness to the duel had the students, particularly those of who seemed to belong to Rainbow’s clique, awing, some even gasping in disbelief. The duel was over in six turns. One over Applejack’s count. I… I actually did it. Five victories, broken only by a tie. I don’t know how, but I actually did it. Just one more duel and I can end this madness, and return home- From the dust unveiled not just Rainbow, but some astral image of a monster Twilight had not seen before. A humanoid in red and blue thorny armor with long white hair and an expressionless red mask with glowing yellow eyes. Its spike-lined arms were crossed protectively at its front, as if shielding Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash Life Points: 3600 Twilight, in utter bafflement, watched as a card was ejected from Rainbow’s graveyard slot, “Phew…” sighed the athlete in relief, looking at the card in gratitude. “Sure am glad it was this that was sent to the graveyard with Tuning…” “W-what happened?” Twilight asked, dumbstruck. “What did you do? You didn’t have a set card-” “‘Necro Gardna,’” said Rainbow, flashing the card proudly at Twilight. “When my opponent attacks, I can banish him from the graveyard to negate it.” - “Heh,” Applejack chuckled. “If figures.” “That card always seems to come through for her in the end,” said Fluttershy, smiling, even if they were all rooting for Twilight’s victory. “Ah dunno how she does it. Dumb luck, divine intervention, or somethin’ else,” Applejack added fondly. - Twilight stared in awe at the card, its statistics now accessible to her once its effect had been triggered in the duel. A card that protects the player from a single attack from behind the scenes as it were, given its placement in the graveyard. Rainbow placed it in the banished compartment at the back of her disk, seeming to take great care with it. “That’s a… That’s a remarkable card,” said Twilight, thinking back to what Priestess had told her when they met. “Mm,” Rainbow nodded. “Fluttershy gave it to me.” “Rainbow,” Twilight began, taking a brief moment. “It’s not too late, you know.” Rainbow looked at Twilight, her confidence replaced by genuine solemnity. Perhaps here, in the heat of battle (a most ironic notion pertaining to what Twilight knew), the two could commune respectfully. “Your friends miss you, Rainbow. Fluttershy and Applejack especially. Fluttershy told me how it was you who helped her be more courageous and… She felt alone and almost helpless without you, especially with Sunset Shimmer around.” Rainbow’s eyes slowly turned downwards. Even from the distance between the two, Twilight felt she could tell, that Rainbow was herself hurting. “And Applejack: I spent the night at her place, so I guess I’ve known her the longest out of all of you five,” a mostly true notion, even though Twilight was forced into silence for a sizable time at the Apple residence after her, well, honest to Celestia, prying, “She wronged you, I know, but… But she realized her mistake. You heard her yourself; you lot were just being manipulated from behind your backs. You five can mend this, you-” “Twilight,” Rainbow interrupted, albeit in an uncharacteristically restrained, respectfully so, tone. “I get where you’re coming from. But really; I’ve moved on. Friendships come and go.” No; Twilight Sparkle was not so easily deterred; “They don’t have to. I can see you’re the tough girl archetype, for lack of a better term, but at least think about it. And not just for your own sake. A certain someone watching us right now is worried that her friendship might be jeopardized too.” With a cursory glance at her hand, she believed herself safe for the time being; “I set one card and end my turn here.” (Hand: 3) Turn 7: Rainbow Dash (Hand: 2) Rainbow was silent for a moment, the fingers of her right hand resting atop her deck. Whether she responded verbally or not, Twilight believed she had made some impact. She knew enough about her own Rainbow Dash to realize that she was obstinate and stubborn, so patience was crucial. Perhaps even speaking to her through their duel would have a greater impact. Rainbow finally drew her card, in a more restrained fashion this time, though still with way too much arm movement in Twilight’s astute observation. “You pulled quite a nasty with that Safe Zone of yours. I’ll just have to break it down first! I summon ‘Junk Synchron’ in attack position.” Onto Rainbow field appeared, or rather hopped, a strange small humanoid machine with big orange feet, forearms, chestplate and to top it all off a tall cylindrical hat over a spheroid white head with googly eyes peering from underneath the brim. a white scarf hung from around its neck, and there seemed to be a very eye-catching teal-green ‘handle’ at the bottom right of its chestplate. (Level 3, 1300/500) Another tuner monster? But she doesn’t have anything to tune it to, so why would she-? “When Junk Synchron is normal summoned, he can special summon one level two or lower monster in my graveyard, but it has its effects negated. To that end; I special summon back Fortress Warrior.” The new, very orange, tuner monster held out a hand, before which the rocky Fortress Warrior arose from the ground. (Level 2, 600/1200) Oh! So that’s why. Junk Synchron gives her a free material for tuning. But it’s not going to be very big at only level 5. “Now I’ll sacrifice my level two Fortress Warrior to special summon Jet Warrior from the graveyard in defense mode. However, when leaving the field, it gets banished this time.” Jet Warrior arose from the dark graveyard portal and knelt down, with its arms awkwardly crossed just over its chest due to the awkward conical structure jutting from its chest. (Level 5, 2100/1200) From five to eight! “I will now tune my level three Junk Synchron with the level five Jet Warrior!” Junk Synchron grabbed hold of the handle on its body and pulled, revealing it as some form of pullcord. A loud revving started from its back, when its form faded and formed three tuning rings, which surrounded Jet Warrior. (3 + 5 = 8) “Beaten and broken, courage still lives on. Combine in your power, and break down your obstacle with awesome might.” “Synchro Summon! Level 8, ‘Junk Destroyer’!” With a resounding boom, a giant mechanical-looking humanoid landed onto the field. The majority of its body was encased in predominately black and grey armor with bronze rims, its greaves decorated with red, jutting spikes at the knees. A quintet of gems lined its chest, four of them green, with the largest central one being a fiery red. It had four, powerful arms extending from its shoulders, and a masked head covered by a tall pronged brazen crown. A cold steel, X-shaped frame clung to its back. (Level 8, 2600/2500) “When summoned, Junk Destroyer can destroy a card for each non-tuner monster used to summon it: I’ll destroy your Safe Zone, to which the monster it is targeted towards is also destroyed.” “I don’t think so!” Twilight slid a card into her graveyard slot. “I send ‘Effect Veiler’ to the graveyard.” - Rainbow looked on in surprise when a blue-haired angelic human with brilliant white wings emerged onto the field. Unfurling its wings to their fullest, a blinding gleam shone off them, forcing Junk Destroyer to cover its face to prevent itself from being blinded. She has Effect Veiler?! It’s gotta be a coincidence, right? There’s no way that would be the same one… - “Effect Veiler-” “Negates a monster’s effect for one turn by discarding it to the graveyard,” Rainbow cut in. “Oh… You already knew that, I see.” Twilight remarked awkwardly. “Scootaloo and me both have one,” Rainbow stated. “Bit odd for an established Xyz user to have one in her deck,” she said, raising an observant brow. Twilight’s eyes darted aimlessly from one direction to the next. “… Scoots gave it to you, didn’t she?” “She did, yes,” said Twilight in unequivocal admittance. “She and her friends all gave me something in case I was in a pickle,” she giggled. “Mm. I hear rumors she’s playing Fusion outside of school,” Rainbow remarked, sounding none too enthused. “She is, yes,” said Twilight in admittance. “She didn’t know better since she honestly did know why her honorary big sis and friend’s sister had a vendetta going.” Rainbow sighed, “Fusion really doesn’t suit her.” “Maybe you should tell her that yourself,” said Twilight in encouragement. After a moment of glum silence, Rainbow turned her attention back to the duel, “I’ll attack Reaper with Junk Destroyer.” With a grunt, the depowered Junk Destroyer (ATK: 2600) charged at the looming Reaper (ATK: 2600). Does she plan on taking them both out? “At this point I discard ‘Rush Warrior’ from my hand. When a warrior Synchro monster attacks, its original attack points are doubled during damage calculation.” With a vicious double haymaker, thanks to its two pairs of arms, Junk Destroyer (ATK: 2600 -> 5200) crushed Reaper with a literal boom, the grim sorcerer having vanished under the virtual dust kicked off by the force. Twilight Sparkle Life Points: 3150 – 2600 = 550 “Whoa! And Dashie takes a big lead with a hand trap: Reaper’s down go boom!” commented Pinkie with a strangely hoarse sound towards the end, which led to several people around her covering their ears. “I then banish Rush Warrior in order to add Junk Synchron back into my hand, then set one card. Your move, Twilight.” (Hand: 1) Turn 8: Twilight Sparkle (Hand: 2) As she proceeded to draw, Twilight rolled her eyes as she complied with Rainbow’s insistence on drawing her way, casting a humored pout as a means of belying something along the lines of “There. Happy?” or something similar. “I remove The Grand Spellbook Tower from my graveyard to destroy Junk Destroyer with Priestess’ effect: Lexicon Designator!” In another repeat, Priestess murmured her incantation, the four-armed warrior being rendered ash by the arcane flames. This rendered Rainbow’s field empty, but due to Safe Zone’s effect, Priestess could not attack directly. “Next I summon ‘Hermit of Prophecy’ in attack mode.” The monster resembling Twilight’s idol emerged onto the field, stroking his beard contemplatively. (Level 3, 1200/700) “I then activate ‘Spellbook of Life’ from my hand. By returning a ‘Spellbook’ to my deck,” Spellbook of Power was returned to be shuffled, “and banishing one spellcaster-type monster from the graveyard,” Fool slid out of her graveyard slot, “I special summon another spellcaster-type monster from the graveyard and increase that monster’s level by that of the one I banished. Return to us, Spellbook Magician!” The violet Spellbook appeared over the field opening its pages to shine its life-giving light upon the ground. Spellbook Magician materialized within the light, beckoning the Spellbook of Life into his free hand as he held both it and his own tome. (Level 2 -> 5, 500/400) “When a ‘Spellbook’ spell is activated while he’s on the field, Hermit’s level is increased by two and his attack by 300. (Hermit of Prophecy Level 3 -> 5, ATK: 1200 -> 1500) Now; I take the level five Hermit and Spellbook Magician to construct the overlay network.” The two spellcasters devolved into swathes of energy that shot forth, the overlay nebula emerging on the field where the two coalesced into one, a pillar of light erupting from its eye. “Power of the cosmos and fate intertwined, the arcane wisdom and force of the universe; bring forth the mother of life and energy, that the world may witness her bountiful radiance.” “Xyz Summon! Rank 5, Fertility Goddess: Empress of Prophecy!” Emerging from the nebula, Empress held aloft her scepter, revived from her ignominious defeat at the hands of Sunset Shimmer and her That Six combo. (Rank 5, 2000 -> 2600/1700) “Empress will attack you directly!” Empress (ATK: 2600) held forth her wide shield, the arcane symbols inscribed upon its inlays lit up in a trail, followed by the great amber gem at the center top glowing. “At this point I activate the trap card ‘Magician’s Circle’,” Twilight swiftly tapped the screen of her duel disk. “When a spellcaster-type monster attacks, we can both special summon a spellcaster with 2000 or less attack points from our decks in attack position: I choose ‘Strength of Prophecy.’” A ring with a pentacle star inside its borders formed onto Twilight’s field, and hers only, indicating Rainbow refrained from bringing out her Effect Veiler. Not that it didn’t make sense, as Effect Veiler had no attack points whatsoever. The symbol flared up; the red-haired, axe-wielding warrior mage arising at its center, hefting her weapon in preparation. (Level 4, 1500/1400) Empress let loose an incandescent beam of light towards Rainbow, which the athlete was forced to cover her face from. Rainbow Dash Life Points: 3600 – 2600 = 1000 “Strength of Prophecy then attacks you directly for game!” The red gems studded in Strength’s (ATK: 1500) outfit and hairclips lit up in a fiery glow. She then swung her beast-headed axe, driving it into the ground which sent a ripping trail through the earth towards Rainbow. “Trap activate!” Rainbow interjected. “‘Defense Draw’!” Strength’s attack veered towards the revealed trap card, impacting on the image with a burst of flames. “Defense Draw reduces damage from a single attack to zero, and I draw a card.” So close… “During my second main phase, I activate Strength’s effect; by returning Spellbook of Eternity to my deck, I can increase her level by one and her attack points by 500. (Level 4 -> 5 ATK: 1500 -> 2000). I set one card and end my turn.” (Hand: 0) Turn 9: Rainbow Dash (Hand: 2) Rainbow took a deep breath through her nostrils as she slowly and deliberately placed her fingers over her next card. As she once more drew in the needlessly energetic fashion, a hissing exhale escaped her lips. She looked over the card, glancing up at Twilight’s side, then back at her hand. “I was saving this for when I’d face off against Sunset in the midterm. I guess I have no choice now…” said Rainbow Dash, before sliding a card into her disk. “If you control a monster and I don’t, I can special summon ‘Level Warrior’ as a level four monster.” There was something Twilight recognized from yesterday. The red spandex wearing warrior complete with a white cape and the strange lack of eyeholes on the star emblazoned face. (Level 3 -> 4, 300/600) “And then I normal summon Junk Synchron from earlier.” The overtly orange robot hopped back onto the field, its scarf billowing in the wind in some unfelt draft. (Level 3 1300/500) “As before, Junk Synchron special summons a level two or below monster from my graveyard when normal summoned; so I revive Fortress Warrior once more.” At another beckoning gesture, the stony ‘warrior’ arose to the field, continuing to heft the stone platform over its two torsos. (Level 2, 600/1200) “With that, I tune Junk Synchron to Fortress Warrior!” At another pull of its cord, what Twilight realized was a pair of some form of engines, revved to life on Junk Synchron’s back, before fading to release the tuning rings. (3 + 2 = 5) “Beaten and broken, courage still lives on. Combine in your power, and empower others through your awesome valor.” “Synchro Summon! Level 5, ‘Junk Speeder’!” A sleek, silvery humanoid emerged from the bursting pillar of light. Smaller than even Jet Warrior, its sheen coming from the silvery, aerodynamic armoring covering much of its body and limbs, with some purple decorative embossments and linings, save for its biceps and hip joints, which were covered in black, form-fitting fabric. A finned goggled helmet obscured its head, while a pair of long metallic wings jutted from its upper back. Junk Synchron’s scarf was present around its neck, billowing as if an updraft was surging from beneath its feet. (Level 5, 1800/1000) “When Junk Speeder is Synchro summoned, it lets me summon as many ‘Synchron’ tuner monsters from my deck as possible, as long as they all have different levels.” Junk Speeder spread out its arms and legs, a duo of twisters erupting at its sides. To its right arose a ramshackle, metallic orb with a round, red lens within an indentation on its surface. (Level 1, 0/0) “Level one; ‘Unknown Synchron’…’” A second monster emerged to Junk Speeder's left; this one a blue robot with thick stumpy legs and arms, with what looked to be some form of exhaust tubes protruding from its back. “And level four; ‘Hyper Synchron.’ - “Wha… Rainbow’s never done this before,” Rarity noted, looking at the assembled monsters. “Ah guess she’s been doin’ some improvin’ lately,” added Applejack. “With that, she’s got quite the pick in Synchro monsters to choose from.” She looked over at Twilight, “Ah hope Twilight can pull off another miracle right about now…” - “And now, I tune my level four Hyper Synchron to my level four Level Warrior!” Rainbow declared, holding her right arm towards the skies as Hyper Synchron’s form emanated an ominous hum that intensified into a revving screech before erupting into four tuning rings. (4 + 4 = 8) “Loyal guardian of the skies, spread your awesome wings that shield those beneath your gaze from adversity.” “Synchro Summon! Take flight: Level 8, ‘Stardust Dragon’!” From the erupting pillar of light extended a pair of pristine white wings. As the light faded, the form that they were connected to unveiled itself. If there was anything comparable to the majesty of Celestia in this world; Twilight felt she found it in this new monster that Rainbow had summoned. Even the audience vocally agreed with her as they oohed in amazement. - “That… is definitely something Rainbow has never done before,” Rarity reiterated, awestruck. - Alight over Rainbow’s field was something even beyond dimensions could not be mistaken for any creature other than a dragon. Opposed to Equestrian dragons, namely either massive size, or a simplistic coloration of usually complementing tones and the characteristic ridges running down their backs, this one was completely different. Its body was as pristine white as its magnificent wings, with a long, slender neck ending in an angular, head with three backwards curving ‘fins’, complemented by an equally long, slender tail ending in a four-part crest at the tip. Noticeable purple, gem-like protrusions covered its chest, and all four limbs, composed of arms and legs, exhibited sharp extremities. It let loose a call somewhere between a roar and an avian shriek. (Level 8, 2500/2000) “Dear… Sweet… Celestia…” Twilight murmured. The game’s book may have mentioned dragons being an integral part of the game’s history, but to see one herself, let alone one so beautiful, she was wholly unprepared. “Holy Toledo!” even Spike could not keep up the pretense of not being able to talk, but it seemed to go unnoticed by everyone around them. “I might have made a huge mistake…” Twilight remarked, remembering that this was one of Rainbow’s monsters. “How awesome is this, right?” asked Rainbow Dash, standing proudly underneath her most impressive looking monster so far. “And when Hyper Synchron is used as the tuner for a dragon-type Synchro monster, its attack is increased by a whopping 800, though at the expense of me having to banish it at the end phase.” (Stardust Dragon ATK: 2500 -> 3300) Twilight acted quickly in tapping her screen to unveil her facedown, “I activate the quick-play spell; ‘Spellbook of Fate’!” Rainbow groaned, “Really? After all that I don’t even get to attack? Lame.” “Spellbook of Fate’s second effect switches a monster to facedown defense position, which would nullify Hyper Synchron’s effect,” Twilight reminded. “No; I banish three ‘Spellbooks’ from my graveyard in order to banish your dragon.” A gale burst of golden glowing pages erupted from underneath Stardust Dragon. The dragon screeched in protest as it was soon overwhelmed, its form becoming completely obscured, until in an invisible gust the pages spread out and vanished, along with the fearsome dragon. Much as it pained her to a degree, Twilight sighed as her effect went through. “Aww…” Rainbow groaned, disheartened at the loss of the, in her own words, awesome dragon. “I’m sorry, Rainbow. But to defend my place as the one to duel Sunset Shimmer, I had to,” Twilight stated firmly, even if feeling truly remorseful to have banished such a beautiful creature. Rainbow sighed, “I know. Although I still have my Unknown Synchron and Junk Speeder on the field…” Twilight’s eyes widened in realization, “You summoned your dragon just to throw me off?!” “Kinda,” Rainbow chuckled with a shrug. “I mean I am sorta making this stuff up as I go along, to be frank…” It’s official: She is a Rainbow Dash alright… Twilight swallowed eyeing the two remaining monsters on Rainbow’s field. A level one tuner and level five monster. Her own monsters all had an attack power of at least 2000, and barring Junk Destroyer and Stardust Dragon, Rainbows monsters seemed more apt for quick, speedy attacks before her opponent could put up a sizable defense. “I tune my level one Unknown Synchron to my level five Junk Speeder!” Rainbow declared, the metallic orb’s lens blinked, before unleashing a single tuning ring. Junk Speeder extended its wings and sped up into the sky, the tuning ring going with it, its form fading into the five glowing orbs. (1 + 5 = 6) “Break the bonds of the earth, and make its awesome force your own to draw in your enemies to their fate.” “Synchro Summon! Force of the world: Level 6, ‘Gravity Warrior’!” With an earth-shaking boom, a new warrior dropped from the sky, though Twilight was hard pressed to refer to this new monster that. Indeed, this warrior looked closer to a beast than a human (or pony), with a white, distinctly lupine face, framed by a blue helmet that splayed out into what looked like metallic dreadlocks at the back. Its body was encased in a hefty blue and silvery suit of armor, with spikes jutting from its ball-jointed shoulders, and possessed an almost slithering segmented tail. Its arms ended in hands possessing vicious looking, sharp-tipped fingers. (Level 6, 2100/1000) “When Synchro summoned, Gravity Warrior gains 300 attack for each monster on my opponent’s field,” Rainbow boasted, her confidence having fully settled back. With a beastly growl, Gravity Warrior’s ‘dreadlocks’ splayed out, a faint hum emanating from its form, and the ground around it seemed to tremble faintly. (ATK: 2100 -> 3 x 300 = 900 -> 3000) Twilight cringed, having been duped into not only playing her facedown too quickly, but also her monsters having inadvertently increased Gravity Warrior’s power so that it was exactly a thousand higher than that of Strength’s. “Gravity Warrior; attack Strength of Prophecy…” she said, holding out her right hand, before clenching it into a fist. “For game.” With a beastly roar, Gravity Warrior’s (ATK: 3000) dreadlocks splayed out again unleashing another metallic hum. Strength’s (ATK: 2000) form began to shudder, the red-haired warrior mage looking distraught as she took an unwilling step forward, then another, when her torso suddenly began to get dragged forward. Her whole body shot forth, against all control, right into the awaiting claws of Gravity Warrior. With one swipe, Strength’s form shattered. Twilight Sparkle Life Points: 550 – 1000 = -450 Rainbow Dash Victory!