//------------------------------// // Turn 44: Striding Towards Our Future Together // Story: Yugioh EQG: XX // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Celestia: It's time to see which team will be moving on to face team Dominator in the finals. So in THREE! Luna: TWO!" All: ONE" "DUEL!" Flash: 4000 Twilight: 4000 "ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!" The time had come for the final Duel between team V-Fighters and team Tidal Maidens, with their team captains being the ones to face off. Flash and Twilight were Duelling in the Spellbook Library of the Crescent. Whoever won would be taking their team to the finals to face off against team Dominator. "Here I go!" Flash drew his card and smiled. "And I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Ratio and scale eight Lustrous Feather Magna Leghorn." The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before the two monsters flew up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground, revealing Flash's monsters. "Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9) "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) "I place one card face down and end my turn." Celestia: Flash Sentry, showing a strong start. Luna: Makes you wonder if Twilight saw it coming. According to my sources, these two are actually in a relationship. So it's likely they know each other's strategy inside and out. Meanwhile, Spike, Sunburst, Sunset and Fluttershy arrived in the stands, having all decided to watch the match from there instead of their rooms. "Come on Flash!" Spike cheered. "You got this Twilight!" Sunset cried out. "Amigos!" They turned to see Tidal rushing up to them, pulling Sunset and Fluttershy into a tight hug. "You two were amazing out there. Great work." "Thanks," they both said as he let them go. "Now," Tidal turned back to the field, "let's cheer for our amigos with all our hearts." The others nodded and turned back to the field. "My turn," they saw Twilight reach for her deck. "I draw and I'll start by playing the Spell card Spellbook Calling!" Flash raised an eyebrow, not knowing that card. Looks like Sunset and Fluttershy weren't the only ones who reworked their decks for this. "With it, I can discard any number of Spellbooks in my hand before adding a monster of my choice to my hand for each card discarded." She ditched three cards before her deck slotted out another three for her to take. "I bet I can guess what cards she'd picked," Scootaloo said. "She's setting up her Pendulum Scale," Shining agreed. And as if to prove his points. "I set my Pendulum Scale, with scale two Mythical Enchantress and scale eight Magi-Beast Mystic Dracoteen." The pillars of light appeared on either side of her before the two monsters flew up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to form, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out revealing her monsters. "Magi-Beast, Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "Pyro Charmer!" (A1300/D1200/L3) Flash smirked, knowing was coming next. And just as he expected, Twilight's Tuner leapt into the air. "I tune my level three Pyro Charmer with my level four Twilight Unicorn!" The wizard exploded into flames, with three lights shooting out of them before carving three circles that Twilight Unicorn leapt into. "It's time to embrace the power given by those we call friends and ascend to a higher plain of life." Instead of disappearing in a flash, the light-infused into Twilight Unicorn as two new appendages appeared on its back. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!" The light faded from the monsters body, revealing Twilight monster. "Twilight Alicorn!" (A2600/D1900/L7) Twilight leapt up onto the back of her monster as she continued with her turn. "Then I'll activate my Alicorn's effect, to banish a Spellbook from my graveyard and increase her power by one thousand." (A3600/D1900/L7) "But since doing it once was fun, let's try it two more times." She did so, as Alicorn's power went up even more. (A5600/D1900/L7) Celestia: Wow, she's not holding back. Already she's got a monster with enough ATK points to wipe out almost all of Flash's Life Points. "ATTACK!" The alicorn's horn sparked as Flash and his monster began to rush through the aisles of the library, until he spotted an Action Card sticking out of one of the books. And as Twilight Alicorn fired its attack at Magna Chimp, he grabbed the card. But turning it around, he saw it was a Trap card called Late Fees. Flash: 3700 Twilight: 4000 "Oh man," Flash spun around and saw Magna Chimp be struck by Twilight's attack. "I activate my Trap, Defence Draw!" A force field appeared around Flash as Magna Chimp was destroyed, protecting him from serious damage as he drew a card. Twilight smiled at her boyfriend's skill, then activated her next card. "I play Spellbook Blast. Now I can draw one card for every Spellbook that's removed from play. And for every Spellbook I draw, you take three hundred points of damage." She drew three cards, but only turned one around. "I got Spellbook of Secrets." A book suddenly materialised infront of her before shooting towards Flash, slamming him in the stomach. "AUGH!" He cried as he fell back. Flash: 3400 Twilight: 4000 "Then I'll play Spellbook of Secrets, to add a Spellbook to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took. "Finally, I end my turn by summoning White Wing Magician in DEF mode!" The futuristic magician appeared on the field before kneeling down. Once that was done, Twilight Alicorn's ATK returned to its normal Level. (A2600/D1900/L7) Luna: Despite being up against a super-powered monster, Flash Sentry managed to keep himself in the game. "That was a close one," Spike sighed in relief. Sunburst nodded in agreement. "If he didn't have that Trap, he would have been completely wiped out." Sunset sighed in relief. "I might want Twilight to win, but not on the first turn. Where's the fun in that?" "Now it's Flash's turn to try and make a come back," Fluttershy noted "My turn!" Flash drew his card as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out of it and hit the ground, revealing Flash's monsters. "Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9) "Magna Fighter Gun Runner!" (A1600/D1400/L4) "Hop to it, Bright Bounce Magna Bunny!" (A1200/D600/L3/P2) "And now I'll tune Level three Magna Bunny with Level four Magna Chimp!" The two monsters leapt into the air before Magna Bunny transformed into a trio of light ring, which then flew around Magna Chimp. "Memories of strength long forgotten, return in an explosion of power!" The two monster disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!" The light faded to reveal Flash's monster. "Flashback Dragon!" (A2300/2200/L7) Celestia: Many strong monsters, but none of them have the power to destroy Twilight's Alicorn. "You won't be saying that once I activate Ratio's ability," Flash reached for his deck. "I look at the top three cards of my deck and banish one monster, then I can power up my Gun Runner by its Level times two hundred." 'Here goes,' he drew his card and smiled when he saw one of them. "I banish Magna Caster Lunara!" The ghostly image of the moon themed wizard appeared above Gun Runner before it exploded, the light flying into him and causing him to glow (A2800/D1400/L4) Twilight's eyes went wide as she and her monster began to fly through the library, trying to find an Action Card as Flash jumped up onto Flashback. Gun Runner then leapt onto the top of a bookcase before pointing his weapon at Twilight Alicorn. "There!" Twilight spotted a pair of Action Card on top of a bookcase and jump down. "ATTACK!" Gun Runner fired, right as Twilight grabbed the closer card. But in doing so, she found it was another Late Fees card. Flash: 3400 Twilight: 3700 Seconds later, Gun Runner's attack hit her monsters and destroyed it. Flash: 3400 Twilight: 3500 "And since Gun Runner destroyed a Level seven monster, I can banish him to summon a monster that's the same Level!" The Magna Fighter fired his portal gun and created a portal, which he then leapt through before a certain monster flew out the other side and was ready to do battle against Twilight. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon...X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill!" "I don't think so!" Twilight announced as Mythical Enchantress waved her staff, "I activate my Pendulum Ability. Once per turn, I can make one Spellcaster on my field immune to any of your card effects." A force field appeared around White Wing and protected it from Flash Heart's ability. Flash smirked, impressed by Twilight's preparedness. "Alright," he leapt onto his ace's back, "well then I'll have Flash Heart X destroy your monster!" The Dragon's thrusters ignited and rocketed it across the field, as it pulled back its fist. "Not yet!" Twilight grabbed the other Action Card, "I play Evasion!" The futuristic wizard leapt out of the way of the attack, making Flash smirk. "Then I'll have Magna Bull take her out!" The robotic minotaur shot forwards, as Twilight ran atop the bookcase in search of another Action Card. But before she could find on, Magna Bull reached White Wing and tackled her. The force of the impact was enough to knock Twilight off the bookcase. "YAAAHHH!" She cried as she flew down and slammed into the ground, a bunch of books falling down with her. "Wow!" She rolled to the side to avoid them, spotting something in doing so. "Now, Flashback Dragon, attack Twilight directly!" The serpentine flew up high before raising its crystal orbs. "I activate the Action Spell, Study Session. This card lets me draw one card for every monster on your field and summon any Level four or below monster in ATK mode." She drew three cards before taking out one. "I summon Rising Dusk Magician!" The dark clothed magician appeared before her, as Flashback fired its attack. (A1200/D2000/L4/P5) The laser struck and destroyed the Magician, making Twilight grunt as she was pushed backwards. Flash: 3400 Twilight: 2400 Twilight's back hit the bookcase, but she wasn't done. "Since Rising Dusk was destroyed, she gets to take one monster on your field with her." The ghostly image of the magician appeared before firing a blast of light which struck Flash Heart X and destroyed it. Doing so caused Flash to suddenly find himself with nothing between him and the ground, making him cry out as he fell towards it. "WOW!" He cried as he slammed into the ground, moaning as he picked himself up. He then turned to Twilight and smirked, "I place one card face down and end my turn." Luna: Twilight was able to hold on and get Flash's ace off the field. But now what will she do? "I draw!" Twilight smiled when she saw what she got, as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a trio of lights shot out and struck the ground, revealing her monsters. "Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "White Wing Magician!" (A1600/D1400/L4/P1) "Rising Dusk Magician!" (A1200/D2000/L4/P5) "And Shadow Charmer!" (A1200/D700/L3) "And with him, I'll tune up my Level four Rising Dusk Magician!" Shadow Charmer exploded into a trio of lights, which quickly carved three rings that Rising Dusk leapt into. "Beings of mystical might, unite your power and let the magic shine for all eternity." In that moment her monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!" The light faded to reveal Twilight's ace. "Twilight Warlock!" (A2500/D2100/L7/P4) "I activate my Warlock's ability, to look at the top five cards of my deck and add one Spellbook to my hand." She drew five cards and looked through them, then pull one out before shuffling the rest back into her deck. "Then I'll activate it, my Spellbook of Power. And I'll use it to power up White Wing Magician!" The Pendulum Monster glowed, as her power increased thanks to Twilight's card. (A2600/D1400/L4/P1) "Next, I'll equip Twilight Unicorn with the Mystic Tome of Starswirl." Said book appeared infront of the Magi-Beast, powering it up. (A2000/D1300/L4/P7) "And with it, I send another Spellbook of Power to my graveyard to increase her ATK. (A3100/D1300/L4/P7) Celestia: Incredible! Now Twilight's field can take on Flash's monsters. Luna: Look out, cause here she comes. "Twilight Warlock, attack Magna Bull!" The Synchro Pendulum's staff glowed as he aimed it at the robot minotaur. "Oh no you don't," Flash's face down flipped up. "Dimensional Prison! Say goodbye to your Warlock, cause he's taking a little vacation." "I don't think so," Twilight said. "Because Dracoteen's Pendulum Ability lets me negate any Trap that targets a Spellcaster!" The young dragon shot out a fireball, which struck Flash's Trap and destroyed it. Seconds later, Warlock unleashed a magical blast that struck Magna Bull and destroyed it. Flash: 3100 Twilight: 2400 Flash frowned and began to run off in search of an Action Card, whilst Twilight followed after him. And as she did, she thought back to Flash's Duel against Rainbow. 'I was so envious watching that Duel the other day. I desperately wanted to be the one out there.' She then remembered the other duels of the Semi-Finals. Rainbow, Gilda, Soarin, Fluttershy, Sunset, Spike and Sunburst had all given their matches their all. It had been practically...overwhelming to watch. And after watching Duels like that, there was no way I wasn't gonna get pumped up when it was my turn to fight.' She smirked, "HERE I GO! White Wing!" The futuristic wizard pointed her wand at Flashback Dragon. Flash meanwhile, spotted an Action Card sticking out of a book and grabbed it. "I play Silent Battle. This card lets my monster survive this next attack and the damage I take will be halved." Seconds later, White Wing fired a magic blast that struck Flashback. The Synchro monster survived and Flash only felt a little twinge. Flash: 2950 Twilight: 2400 Twilight smiled as she leapt onto her unicorn's back, as the Pendulum Monster galloped forward whilst its horn glowed. "I'm so pleased...that I decided to come home for the Double X." She pointed at her boyfriend's monster, "ATTACK!" Unicorn fired the spell and struck Flashback, destroying it. "YAAAHHH!" Flash cried as the explosion blasted him through another bookcase. Flash: 2150 Twilight: 2400 "Since Unicorn destroyed a monster whilst she was empowered by Spellbook of Power, I get to add a Spellbook to my hand." She did so before placing it and one other card face down and calling an end to her turn. Her monster's ATK points all powered back down. (A2100/D1300/L4/P5) (A1600/D1400/L4/P5) As Flash pulled himself out of the book pile, he looked over at his girlfriend and smiled. "I'm pleased too. I'm glad we got the chance to have such a great Duel like this." Both he and Twilight smiled at one another, everyone in the stadium able to see the respect and care they had for one another. Flash then drew his card, as the portal opened up above them. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground, revealing Flash's monsters. "Shred'em up, Glow Claw Magna Chimp!" (A1800/D600/L4/P9) "Stampede, Charge Horn Magna Bull (A2100/D2200/L6/P4) "Unleash your roar, Star Fang Magna Tiger!" (A2400/D2100/L7) "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) Celestia: Look at that! Flash Sentry has managed to rebuild his field and is now facing Twilight down. While this was happening, Flash stared into his girlfriend's eyes while thinking back. 'When you went overseas, to study in Paris, there were times you seemed so far away. However, you haven't changed. You're still tackling things head-on. Pushing me and everyone else along with you, helping us become the best versions of ourselves that we can be.' No doubt Flash owed a lot to Twilight, and he was gonna show her his appreciation by giving this Duel everything he had. "Ratio's skill!" He drew three cards and took one out, "banish Magna Caster Stamine!" The ghostly image of the spellcaster appeared before exploding, the energy flowing into Flash Heart and powering the robotic dragon up. (A3300/D2000/L7/P5) Flash leapt up onto the dragon's back, as it's engines began to power up. "I've always thought..." He then whispered the next part, "you were awesome." With that, Flash Heart flew forwards. "Huh?" Twilight wondered as she and her monster galloped off. "Speak up, I can't hear!" Seconds later, Flash Heart struck Twilight Warlock and destroyed it. The shockwaves struck Twilight and knocked it her off Unicorn. Flash: 2150 Twilight: 1600 Flash smirked as he flew back around. "All I'm saying is you haven't changed a bit. Magna Tiger!" The tiger armoured monsters rushed forwards as its gauntlet claw glowed, as Twilight picked herself up and smiled. "Nope, guess not." Magna Tiger reached Twilight Unicorn and slashed her in half Flash: 2150 Twilight: 1300 "Tiger's skill!" Magna Tiger turned to White Wing. "Destroy one monster on the field with less ATK than that of the monster he destroyed." With another slash of Magna Tiger's claws, White Wing was destroyed and Twilight field was barren. "Magna Chimp, ATTACK!" The robotic monkey rushed forwards, glowing claws primed. Luna: If this attack hits, it's all over to Twilight. "I activate my face down!" Twilight cried as her face down flipped up, "Spellbook of Illusion!" With that, four Spellbook Tokens appeared infront of her. Magna Chimp slashed at one of them, shredding it to pieces. Flash smirked as he spotted an Action Card a ways off and jumped down to grab it, seeing what it was smiling. "I attack with Magna Bull!" The robo-bull-man charged forwards and destroyed the second Spellbook. "Then I activate the Action Spell Librarian's Strike! Since you have monsters on your field whilst my monsters are all done attacking, I can tribute one monster on my field to let another one attack again." Magna Chimp vanished as Flash Heart's booster powered back up, causing it to rocket across the field and destroy Twilight's third Spellbook. "Plus I'm allowed to use this card more than once!" Magna Bull disappeared before Flash Heart turned to the last Spellbook and destroyed it with its tail. "I end my turn." Celestia: Twilight Sparkle has allowed Flash to sneak into the lead. What strategy could she possibly use to turn thing around? Twilight drew her card and smiled when she saw what it was. "I've pushed through so much adversary to get to this point. Now, this is my one chance. Here...at the Double X!" The portal formed above her, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before four lights shot out and struck the ground, revealing her monsters. "Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "White Wing Magician!" (A1600/D1400/L4/P1) "Rising Dusk Magician!" (A1200/D2000/L4/P5) "And Twilight Warlock!" (A2500/D2100/L7/P4) "Now, I activate Twilight Warlock's ability!" She reached for her deck and suddenly got nervous, knowing there was only one Spellbook that could get her strategy to work. If it wasn't there, she was in trouble. "I believe!" She drew her cards and turned them over, they smiled before she took one and added the others back to her deck. "I activate the spell card, Spellbook of Rebirth!" In a brilliant flash of light, Twilight Alicorn appeared besides Warlock. (A2600/D1900/L7) "Both Warlock and Alicorn together," Spike said. Everyone who saw this realised what was coming next. Up in the box, Shining smiled before standing up. "GO FOR IT, SIS!" Cadance smiled as did the same, "NO HOLDING BACK!" Flurry laughed at her parent's enthusiasm and began to clap, cheering her aunt on in her own way. "You got this Twilight!" Fluttershy cried out, making Twilight smile hearing it. "Show everyone here what you're made of!" She then heard Sunset yell. "Go get them, amigo!" Twilight nodded, "no problem." She turned to Flash, "watch out babe!" She held up her card, "cause I'm going all out!" With that, the card glowed as her two monsters shot into the air. "I tribute Twilight Alicorn and Twilight Warlock!" Twilight Warlock transformed into a stream of light which spread around Alicorn and encased it in a cocoon-like form. "By tributing her and a Synchro Spellcaster Monster, Twilight Alicorn's true power is revealed!" The cocoon broke open, revealing Twilight's best monster. Said creature flew down as she leapt onto its back. "Arise, Perfect Harmony Alicorn!" (A3500/D3000/L10) Everybody awed at the sight of the monster, as Twilight sat on its back whilst they flew up into the air. "Perfect Harmony's ATK points now increase by half that of Twilight Warlock's." (A4750/D3000/L10) As this was going on, Twilight arrived at the centre of the library. There, she spotted an Action Card on the orb before leaping off her monster and landing on the sphere. She then grabbed the card and saw what it was, then smiled. 'There's no denying it, I love this game. I love everything about it and I never want it to end.' She turned to Flash, "I attack Flash Heart with Perfect Harmony Alicorn!" Her monster's horn began to glow, "Perfect Harmony's skill! Add one thousand ATK points for every Spellcaster on the field!" Her three other monsters began to glow, the light flying up into Perfect Harmony Alicorn and bathing her in its power (A7750/D3000/L10) "GO!" While this was going on, Flash rushed across the field in search of an Action Card. And he just so happened to spot one sticking out of a book. If this didn't work, then he'd be forced to use his face down. He grabbed the card, just as Perfect Harmony finished charging up its magic. "I activate the Action Card Sharing the Wisdom. Now, by tributing a monster on my field, I can give its ATK points to any other monster on my field!" With that, Flash Heart exploded and the light flew into Magna Tiger and began to power him up (A4900/D2100/L7) "That still won't be enough to save you," Twilight mentioned. Since its target disappeared before Perfect Harmony could attack, she could now select a new target. "GO!" The alicorn unleashed a blast of magic that shot towards Magna Tiger, ready to obliterate the monster and wipe out Flash's Life Points. However, Flash wasn't going down that easily. "TRAP SUMMON!" His face down flipped up before a blast of light shot out and took shape, then faded to reveal the shield carrying steampunk woman. "Magna Guardian, Arma Excess!" (A100/D2000/L4) Twilight's eyes went wide at the sight of that monster, remembering it was what had saved Flash against Heath when they Duelled. "Excess's skill," Flash explained. "As long as she's on the field, she's the only card you can attack." Arma raised her shield, as the crystal unleashed a bright light that formed a barrier around her and Magna Tiger that blocked the rainbow. "She also has another ability. When she's attacked, every card except her and the one that's attacking is banished from the field and the attacking monster loses five hundred ATK points for each other." Twilight frowned, knowing her Dracoteen's ability wouldn't work since the card was activated. But she still had her other Pendulum Card. "I activate the Pendulum Ability of Mythical Enchantress, to make Twilight Unicorn immune to card effects!" The force-field appeared around the unicorn, but White Wing, Rising Dusk and Magna Tiger were all sucked into a large portal. As they were, Perfect Harmony Alicorn's ATK power went down. (A6250/D3000/L10) The rainbow blast broke through Excess's barrier and destroyed her, but being in DEF mode Flash took no damage. Luna: What a defence! Twilight sighed, knowing she wouldn't be able to take Flash down this turn, but she wasn't done yet. "Twilight Unicorn!" The purple pony field a magic blast from its horn, hitting Flash in the chest. "Gah!" Flash: 350 Twilight: 1300 "I end my turn." Perfect Harmony's ATK points return to normal." (A3500/D3000/L10) Celestia: Twilight really went for it in that last turn. But still, Flash managed to protect himself from most of the damage. Luna: But this'll likely be his last turn. Come next round, Perfect Harmony Alicorn will strike and take out the rest of his Life Points. Once Flash had gotten his breath back, he pulled himself up and smiled at Twilight. "You're amazing...truly." Twilight smiled back at him while the crowd cheered the two on. "That was a great move," Rainbow said. "Twilight really has him on the ropes." "But don't count my brother out yet," Scootaloo told her. "Just watch, he'll bring out something big next." "That's right," Misty nodded whilst continuing to watch the Duel. "Do you best." Up in their box, Tempest and Starlight watched the two. "I'll admit they've improved," Tempest exclaimed. "But it's still not enough to be worthy in my eyes." "I'm starting to doubt whether a worthy human even exists," Starlight replied. "None of them seem to be worth our lord's power." Tempest nodded. "All we can do is hope they reach the Level required." She continued to stare down at the two, as she watched Twilight jump off the sphere onto her monster's back. "Zeronull." "Nicely done," Twilight told Flash as she and her Alicorn landed next to Unicorn. "You're sure keeping this Duel interesting." Flash smirked, "you nearly had me there." "Not really. Your Trap Monster-" "Would have banished Flash Heart if I didn't get that Action Card," Flash told her. "Lucky I got it. It'll make beating you a whole lot easier." Twilight smiled, "don't count your chickens yet." She points at him, "it's you turn now Flash. Show me your best. And don't hold back!" Flash smirked as he reached for his deck. "You bet I won't." He drew his card, his eyes going wide when he saw what he'd gotten. "With this...alright." The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a single light shot out and struck the ground, revealing Flash's ace. "Shine your light of victory one last time, FLASH HEART DRAGON X!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) Twilight raised an eyebrow, wondering why he didn't summon the other two monster. "Next, I summon Vail Pixie X!" The little fairy appeared besides Flash Heart. (A100/D100/L1) Again, this confused Twilight since neither Accel or Magna Harmony could beat her monster. "Then I activate the effect of Magna Leghorn, to increase Vail Pixie's Level by two." Leghorn spread its wings as the star on its stomach glowed before firing out two shooting stars. They struck Vail Pixie, increasing her Level. (A100/D100/L3) Flash smiled at his two favourite cards, "you guys ready?" Both Flash Heart and Vail Pixie nodded before leaping into the air. "Now, I tune Level three Vail Pixie X with Level seven Flash Heart Dragon X!" The Tuner morphed into the trio of lights, which began to carve the rings around Flash Heart. "Embrace your infinite destinies and stride towards a future of limitless possibilities!" The two monster disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!" The light faded to reveal Flash's new monster. It looked like a giant brachiosaurus with Flash Heart's armour. From head to toe it stood at around twenty meters, but from head to tail with was about twice that. It was mainly blue with white and orange trim, whilst it had a pair of red scarfs tied around its front legs. This monster also had four boosters, one coming out of each of its front shoulders and another two coming out of its back. Each booster had a long blade-like spike coming out the side, whilst on its chest was a large orange crystal. It had a long white line running down its next, and Flash's emblem was emblazoned in the centre of its neck. The beast let out a mighty roar, which caused the entire field to shake, as blue lightning began to spark all around its body. "Flash Dragon...MAGNA STRIDER!" (A3300/D2500/L10/P10) The entire stadium had gone silent at the sight of this monster, Twilight more amazed than anyone else. "No way," she said in awe. "A new Flash Heart monster," Misty said in amazement. "One that's going to give him even more possibilities." The rest of the room said nothing at all, too amazed by what they were seeing. Back on the field, Flash leapt up onto his monster's lowered head before it raised it back up. "On the turn Magna Strider is Synchro Summoned, he becomes immune to any of your card effects." Flash pointed at Twilight Unicorn, "ATTACK!" The giant dragon opened its mouth as blue lightning sparked, light then appearing in its mouth. "GOOOOO!" The light shot out of its mouth and flew towards Twilight's monster like a laser, but she wasn't scared. In fact, she was smiling. "TRAP SUMMON!" Her face down flipped up before a burst of light shot out and took shape, then faded to reveal a woman wearing a black lab-coat with a familiar moon emblem on it. She was holding a large book in her hands. "Moondancing Guardian Scholar, Saltalunam!" (A1000/D2500/L7) Tempest suddenly stood up, her eyes going wide at this sight. "What?" No, it couldn't be. How could Saltalunam be here? She had died, so how could a new card come into existence. "This...this can't be possible." She shook her head, refusing to believe such a thing. Twilight smiled at her Trap Monster, as she suddenly felt someone standing beside her. She turned to see it was Moondancer, who was looking almost ghost-like. Twilight was sure this wasn't real, but that's okay. And unlike last time, seeing her didn't make her feel any pain. She was just happy to be seeing her again. "Thank you," she said too Moondancer. The girl nodded before exploding, the light she became flying into the Trap Monster. This made Twilight smile even more, knowing she'd always have a piece of Moondancer with her. "Saltalunam's skill!" The scholar opened up her book and started chanting before she and Twilight Unicorn magically swapped places. "Whilst she's on the field, you can't attack any other Spellcaster!" The laser struck Saltalunam and destroyed her, leaving Twilight's Life Points safe. "And since she was destroyed by battle, her other effect activates." Twilight Unicorn exploded, "I tribute one monster on the field and in return I get a Spellbook back from my graveyard." She pulled out the Magic Tome of Starswirl, which she added to her hand. Flash smiled at Twilight's skill, but he wasn't gonna be stopped that easily. "Activating the skill of Magna Strider!" He reached for his Duel Disk as the Extra Deck opened before taking out two cards. "Banish two Pendulum Monsters from the Extra Deck!" Magna Bull and Magna Chimp both appeared on either side of the dragon and tapped their fist into its leg before they were sucked into a pair of portals, while Magna Strider's eyes glowed. The next thing everybody knew, Magna Strider suddenly jumped up and was now standing on its back legs. "With that, Magna Strider can attack one more time!" The beast let out a mighty roar, as its boosters began to ignite. Twilight knew he wasn't finished. Magna Strider couldn't beat Perfect Harmony unless it had another effect. "Magna Strider's skill! During his second attack, he gains one hundred ATK points for each of the Levels of all my banished monsters!" Lunara, Gun Runner, Stamine, Magna Tiger, Magna Bull and Magna Chimp all appeared around Flash's Dragon in an astral form before they were sucked inside the crystal on its chest, the crystal now beginning to glow brightly. (A6400/D2500/L10/P10) Magna Strider opened its mouth as light began to fill it once again, this time with such power that if its boosters weren't firing it'd be pushed back by the force. Twilight looked around, trying to find an Action Card but couldn't see one. She had no way of stopping this attack. But instead of looking upset, she smiled as she suddenly stood up on her monsters back. "Come on then!" She cried with arms out wide, "BRING IT!" Flash smiled from atop his monsters head, "okay!" As Magna Strider's power built, the two suddenly found themselves thinking back on everything they'd been through together. Their meeting, the first time they Duelled, the museum, entering the Celestic Cup, beating Shining and Cadance, their Duels against Sombra's forces...their first kiss. So much had happened to them, all caused by one game. A game the two were grateful existed. "Thank you," they both said before Magna Strider unleashed its attack. The light was so bright that it forced everyone in the stadium to shield their eyes, the only ones not doing so being Twilight and Flash. Twilight smiled as she felt her monster be destroyed, causing her to be sent flying. Flash: 350 (Winner) Twilight: 0 But as Twilight fell, she suddenly felt someone grab her bridal style and she didn't feel herself hit the ground. And when the light faded, she looked up to see Flash's face smiling down at her. The stadium remained completely silent, as everyone tried to come to grips with what they'd just seen. Until finally, Celestia broke the silence. Celestia: And the winner is...FLASH SENTRY! The crowd broke into a mighty cheer as they Duel Field faded, with nobody cheering louder then Flash's teammates. "He did it!" Spike cried happily, "he won!" "Way to go!" Sunburst cheered before he and Spike turned towards one another, then high-fived "ALRIGHT!" Meanwhile, Fluttershy and Sunset sighed before they both smiled. "You were great," Fluttershy called out to Twilight. "Well done." Sunset nodded, "yeah. She gave everyone a really good Duel." "That wasn't too bad," Gilda said from the box. "Wasn't too bad?" Scootaloo turned to her, "you nuts? It was AWESOME!" Everyone else nodded in agreement, continuing to clap for the two teams. "Great work out there sugarcube," Applejack told them. "You were truly spectacular," Rarity agreed. "Eeyup." Shining and Cadance both smiled as they watched Flash put Twilight down. "Great work sis," liquid pride suddenly began to leak out of his eyes. "You should be proud of everything you've done." Cadance turned to Flurry, "let's show auntie Twily just how amazed we are at her." Flurry laughed while clapping, though not really understanding what was happening. Back in the stadium, Tidal continued to smile at Twilight. "You did it, amigo. I have no doubt in my mind that Moondancer is smiling down at you." He turned to look at the cheering crowd, the Duel having got them all pumped up. "You managed to touch the hearts of all these people." He turned back to them, "Be proud of your abilities." And Twilight was proud, but that didn't mean she wasn't a little upset at having lost. "Awe man!" She cried out, only to smile over at her boyfriend. "Oh well, the better Duellist won!" Flash smiled back at her, almost blushing at the praise. "Thanks. You sure didn't make it easy for me." Twilight nodded before getting serious. "It's up to you guys now. Show team Dominator why they shouldn't mess with our game." Flash nodded, "don't worry. We will." Twilight smiled before stepping up to him, placing her hands around his neck before pulling him down towards her. The entire field erupted in a cheer as the two kissed, this last almost a full minute before they pulled away. And as they did, their teammates ran out onto the stadium. "FLASH!" Spike and Sunburst yelled as they came up to him, slapping him on the back. "Owe!" He cried while staggering forwards, then turned to glare at the two. But upon seeing their happy faces, he could help but smile with them. Twilight's team meanwhile, all gave Twilight their thanks for such an amazing Duel. "No problems guys. I'm just sad we couldn't go any further." "Fourth place isn't too bad," Fluttershy told her. "Fourth?" Sunset asked, "I'd say we're in third. But we'll have to go up against the Wonderbolt's to find out for sure." This made them all laugh as they moved over to the side, while the megascreen switched on to show the six images of the Double X's finalists. Luna: We now have our line-up for the final match of the tournament. Team V-Fighters verses team Dominator! The V-Fighters all stared up at the megascreen, seeing their opponent's faces besides theirs. "The time has come." Sunburst and Spike both nodded before the older of the two said, "yeah." His vision shifted over to the box where his possessed friend was, knowing he was gonna save her. "Okay guys, let's do it." In said box, Starlight stared at a very shaken up Tempest. It was clear that seeing Twilight use that Trap Monster had done something to her, but what? She'd need to figure it out soon since Tempest needed to be at the top of her game during the finals. The Double X's end was drawing closer and soon only one team would stand at the top of it. But which team would be victorious was anyone's guess. You'll just have to stay tuned to find out.