//------------------------------// // Duel 00 Pt4: The Junkyard Fist // Story: Confessions of a Lone Vagabond // by Azure5555 //------------------------------// The party was fun, but uh… shit. I don't know how much time I wasted staying at Pinkie's, but it was apparently enough time for somebody to set my house on fire… okay that's not fair, it wasn't my house to begin with, but damn it if I didn't feel responsible. I trudged through the ash and debris in the hopes that maybe my bed was still useable, but it was pretty much just as dead. I sighed as I conked my head on whatever was left of the only good wall and walked away from the wreckage. In my current state of abnormal calm, I did the only thing I could do. I started checking my traps. All of my traps were sprung, every Compulsory Evacuation Device, every Scrap Iron Scarecrow, even my Secret Barrels… oh… right. “Fucking Barrels…” I’m guessing a barrel shot a flammable in the homestead and set fire to the property. At least I wasn't inside… of course now I was out of a home, but I had a back up. I overheard one of the ponies talk about an abandoned castle nestled somewhere deep in the forest. I pulled out my deck and started looking for a suitable monster card and stopped at Sonic Chick. “It's either you or the Obnoxious Celtic Guardian…” Moving Chick to the front of the deck, I started to look for a suitable equip spell. “Axe of Despair, the tried and true.” I threw down the axe into my disk slot before doing the same with Chick. The fleshy axe fell onto the ground blade first as I began to morph into a tiny pink avian with red running boots. Thankfully, despite the axe’s massive frame, it shrank to compensate my size once I touched it with my beak. I kicked the dirt a few times before finally shooting through the foliage like a silver bullet. Could have been my imagination, but it kinda felt like I was being followed. Heck, in this forest I may as well have been… had to slice off a manticore’s stinger at some point as I had no idea what poison would do to me as a monster. I narrowly dodged a cockatrice as it attempted to stare me down, and for a moment I could have sworn I saw a ghost. “Let’s see here… just passed the rickety old bridge… keep out of the raging river…” I found a toppled trunk and jumped it for some hang time and so’s I could just glide over the roarring rapids. Despite it all, the journey wasn't all too stressful, I mean I did get eaten by a hydra, but the axe tore through it's stomach lining pretty easily. Poor thing, its not like I wanted to slice my way out of it… the whole affair was quick but messy. Ya see, after one of the heads swept down, I tumbled through it's throat until I found myself kicking a broken log to stay afloat. Once I got the hang of log running, I rammed into the hydra’s stomach lining and gave a few quick strikes and out came me. It didn't take much time after that to make it to the castle. Boy… was it a hot mess. Ripped tapestries, broken walls, half the roof of the castle was just… my God this place was a shit show. Well, not for long anyway. All I had to do now that I was here was- “Hey! You!!” I flinched and dropped my axe. Turning around I saw the disgruntled face of that Rainbow pony. Seriously, all she needed was a crystal horn and she was basically Sapphire Pegasus. “What the hay do you think you're doing!?” She yelled. “Well, I was jus abot-” “Ah bup bup bup!” She mouthed as she cut me off. “Just marching back to Ponyville is what you're gonna do! Come on! Pinkie’s worried sick about you…” I’m guessing she wanted me to follow her no questions asked, as she basically just turned around and started walking off. Of course, I kinda had enough of her bullshit and walked the opposite way. I mean, I just needed to get to the throne room and activate a few Castle Walls. “Hey! Did you not hear a word I said!” Rainbow yelled back at me, causing me to flinch again and drop my disguise. I turned around and found her muzzle right on top of my nose as I had been in a crouch. “I’m taking you back!” She reiterated. I huffed and got to my feet, rising as the mare infront of me backed off slow and steady. “Yeah, I don't know if you noticed, but my house burned down,” Rainbow’s ears went flat as she seemed to bite back a curse. “So I don't have all that much to go back to. Now iffin ya don't mind, I have some remodeling to do.” With that, I turned back and started to walk off again, only to stop for a third time at the sound of a duel disk going active. “If I win, you come with me and Pinkie and Applejack can see where to put you!” Rainbow called out. I turned back around and noticed the cupcake styled duel disk Pinks used in our duel. Chances are she was using the same deck… “If I win… you stay for a bit to watch the fireworks.” Activating my own disk, I threw in my deffensive build. “DUEL!!” VAGABOND:8000 RAINBOW “DANGER” DASH:8000 “Your middle name is Danger?” I asked. “What can I say? My parents are awesome!!” She beamed with praise. “I’ll give you the hand advantage!” I exclaimed as I drew my five card hand. One Destiny Hero Defender, two Terraforming, one Rod of Silence Kayest, and a Destruction Punch. “I set one monster, activate my copies of Terraforming, and set a card in my backrow.” My opponent considered me for a moment as two cards were ejected from my deck. Two copies of Chorus of Sanctuary greeted me. “I activate Chorus of Sanctuary!” I threw down my field spell into it's slot and watched as the shattered visage of the castle was replaced by serene light, fluffy clouds, and several cherubs. “Woah…” Rainbow went wide eyed as she saw the changes unfurl. “So… my turn right?” She asked as I nod in confirmation. She drew her six card hand and reviewed her cards diligently. “I set two cards and play Card Car D.” Two cards were ejected from the top of her deck as she ended her turn. “That… that’s not a Dolche card.” I muttered as I drew, set another Defender, and ended my turn. “Yeah,” Rainbow replied as she drew her card. “Pinkie gave me this one and said something about speed. I thought it sounded cool,” At this point, Rainbow had a seven card hand… “I play Tuning!” Her deck ejected a single card while inhaling the top two cards off the top of her deck. Two dandelion seeds popped up on her field as she played another Tuning, adding one more card to her hand while inhaling another pair of cards off the top of her deck as the whole thing gave itself a good shuffle. “Let's do this!” The mare cried as she threw a monster on the field face up. “Junk Synchron! Bring out my Atlantean Pikeman! A small bipedal creature made from orange scrap iron and wearing a white scarf and orange pot atop it's head appeared from the aether as it dug it's hand through the hole it was summoned. The scrap iron warrior pulled a blue bipedal fish beast by it's arm. With a grand leap, the fish beast landed spear first upon the clouds. “Next, I’ll activate Call of the Haunted!! Come on out, Atlantean Pikeman!” A gravestone with the image of a Pikeman jut from the clouds, a slimy blue hand bursting from the golden floor began to claw it's way up until a second Pikeman had jumped from the grave. “Let's do this, I tune both of my level one Dandylion tokens with the level three tuner monster Junk Synchron!!” Wait… two fourteen hundred attack level two monsters are on field and she has Junk Synchron… Rainbow spread her wings and beat them upon the ground, lifting into the air as she encircled her now flying Junk Synchron as it pulled at a now translucent jet motor. “SYNCHRO SUMMON!!” “SYNCHRO WHAT!?” I cried as Rainbow and her monsters flew higher into the clouds until Rainbow came crashing into the floor at mach five. From the rainbow mushroom cloud rose an armored silhouette, it began to float in midair as it scrunched in on itself before dispersing the cloud with a gust of wind produced by it's fist as it struck a pose. Junk Warrior Att: 5100 “Hah! Did you SEE that!? That was a sonic rainboom!! I haven't done one of those in years!” Rainbow cheered as she burst through the floor, right before turning to cough into her hoof. “Not like I couldn't do it if I wanted too…” I rolled my eyes, only to widen them as Junk Warrior's body took on a rock like sheen and it's scarves became flowing rainbows. “I equip Junk Warrior with Fairy Meteor Crush and one of the Atlantean’s with the Mark of Ambition!” The Pikeman not dancing on its own grave placed a five starred badge on its chest, a vicious eye opening on the badge. “Let's go! Atlantean Pikeman, take down his first face down!” With a muffled battle cry, the fish beast flipped my first Defender up as it was met with a high speed fist. Pikeman’s base attack is 1400, add in Ambition's attack boost of 400 points and you have just over half of Defender’s boosted defense of 3200. VAGABOND: 8000 RAINBOW DANGER DASH: 6600 The fish beast was sent flying past Rainbow, and straight through a set of golden gates. “You, you just killed my monster!” Rainbow cried in disbelief. Defender brought back his smoking fist and gave it a good shake as I put the exhausted trap in the grave. “Yeah, Destruction Punch destroys attacking monsters that take battle damage from a monster in defense position. It's a personal favorite.” Unfortunately for me though, unlike in the anime, Junk Warrior kept all his attack points after summon. “Junk Warrior, Scrap Fist!!” Rainbow threw down a quick play spell and doubled Junk Warrior's attack… this was gonna suuuuck. “Wait, can't we talk about this!?” I yelled as I brought my hands up. Of course she was having none of it as her 10,200 attack point Junk slammed my Defender. VAGABOND: 1000 RAINBOW DANGER DASH: 6600 Junk Warrior's fist impaled Defender's chest, the impact shockwave having hit me and nearly blew my hat off. “That's how we do it in Ponyville!!” Rainbow shouted as she pumped a hoof in the air. “Aight, that about does it for me. I set two cards and end.” “What… what gives!? Why didn't you attack with your Pikeman!?” I cried in disbelief. I mean I took her for a hot head… “Just because I'm quick to pick a fight, doesn't mean I’m stupid. That's a monster with defense higher than 1400.” She said matter of factly. “Are you kidding me!?” I yelled as I drew my card. Oh good, Swords of Revealing Light. “I play Swords of Revealing Light!” “Dark Bribe!” Rainbow replied. “Oh fuck you!” I shouted as I drew my new card, Swords having fizzled due to Dark Bribe’s negation. Lo and behold… another Destruction Punch. “Please, you're not my type,” She said in retort much to my growing frustration. “Then again, not many ponies as straight up about that as you, I like that.” I hid my face as best I could with my hat. “Just… just beat me already…” She chuckled as she drew her card. “Battle! Junk Warrior, SCRAP FIST!!” Her Junk Warrior began to glow with rainbow energy, it's scarves billowing in non existent wind as it's thrusters fired up. With a grand battle cry, Junk Warrior shot into the heavens and dive bombed my face down Defender. The resulting rainbow mushroom cloud took a while to disperse, but when it did so did everything else. VAGABOND: 0 RAINBOW DANGER DASH: 6600 “Ha! No way! I actually won!?” Rainbow shouted in gleeful excitement, catching herself at the last second. “I mean… not that I wasn't gonna win, I’m just way too awesome to lose!” Now, you'd think that as an honest and decent human being I would honor the holy rules of engagement that pertain to Duel Monsters. You could not be more wrong. While Rainbow was busy with her gloating, I was busy with heading to the throne room. “Okay… should be just a bit further… aaaaand…” I finally found the double doors marked with the emblem of the sun and moon as foretold by that legend Dianne told me about. I kicked it in and found Rainbow floating in the middle of the room, hooves folded and slightly disgruntled. “Alright, fun’s over. Let's get you to Ponyville.” The moon had risen, it's light shining brightly through the hole in the roof. I walked in with my arms above my head, the traps I set up already primed for activation. “Alright, I’ll go. That was the deal after all…” I brought my arms up and gestured for a hug. She squinted her eyes for a bit, but rolled her eyes and huffed as she grabbed me by my the crooks of my shoulders. Once I felt her grip tighten, I gave her a bear hug and activated Ancient Gear Castle and three copies of Castle Walls. “Quick! Fly us out before the walls close up!” I shouted, getting my ride to rocket out of the building. She cut it close, but I’d have a pretty good place to lay my head in all things considered.