Years ago...
In the Slifer Red Dorm, Sunburst sat in his new room after being demoted. He was holding a letter sent to him by his best friend, reading it. She was asking about how things were going in class and how long until she heard of him being made an Obelisk.
He sighed, knowing that might never happen. He shifted on the bed, making the envelop the letter came in fall off the bed. When it hit the ground, something flew out of it and hit Sunburst's feet.
He looked down and saw it was a card, his vision shifting back to the letter as he spotted a P.S.
I hope you like the gift I sent you. I found it in a booster pack and thought you might like it. Hope it helps.
With that, the letter ended and Sunburst reached down to grab the card. Turning it over, he saw it was a Ritual Monster and read its name. "Sunburst...Magician?"
Present...
Sunburst looked down at his Ritual Monster, while hearing Celestia speak up.
Celestia: Unbelievable. That match lasted less than a minute. Now Starlight Glimmer has evened up the score.
Luna: Now Starlight will face off against team V-Fighter's Sunburst. Who will win this match?
The door opened, Sunburst and Flash turning to Spike. "Sorry guys," he sighed. "I couldn't even dent her Life Points."
Flash smiled before patting him on the shoulder. "Don't worry. You did great. There was nothing you could do. There's no shame in that." He turned to Sunburst, "you're up. You ready for this."
Sunburst turned back to his Ritual Card before placing it back in his deck. "Yeah. I got this." He moved over to the door, "wish me luck." With that, he headed out onto the field.
Up in the VIP box, everyone was still reeling from how the last Duel ended.
Meanwhile, Twilight watched as Sunburst stepped out onto the field. Doing so made her remember the conversation she'd had with him about their Duel. About how Starlight had been Dominated and what she'd told him.
Now it was all up to him. Could he save her or was she doomed to be forever a prisoner. "You can do this Sunburst."
Starlight smiled as she watched him step towards her.
'He was a bit of a disappointment when we Duelled during the second round.' She remembered his last Duel against Sunset. 'But he appears to have improved since then. It may just be luck, but the fact is he's made it through to the final to face me once again. The question is, whether he's worthy of becoming the vessel we're looking for.'
Sunburst finally reached her, Duel Disk already on his arm.
"Long time no Duel," she told him. She spotted the frown on his face, "what? Not in the mood to talk?"
Sunburst frowned, "I have nothing to say to you. All you need to know is that I'm gonna beat you and free Starlight from your control."
Starlight smirked, "you really wanna make that claim? You do remember what happened last time, don't you?"
Sunburst's frown turned into a full-on glare, "that was then." His Duel Disk activated, "THIS IS NOW!"
Starlight's smirk increased, "very well." She readied herself, "don't say I didn't warn you."
Celestia: Both Duellists are ready it seems.
Luna: Then let's not keep them waiting. In THREE!
Celestia: TWO!"
All: ONE"
"DUEL!"
Starlight: 4000
Sunburst: 4000
"Here I go!" Sunburst drew his card, "I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale with scale two Red Sun Magician and scale six Green Sun Magician!" The pillars of light appeared on either side of him before the two magicians flew up into them, as Sunburst began to chant. "Burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory," the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a single fireball shot out and exploded, revealing Sunburst's monster. "Sunburst Familiar!" (A1200/D1000/L3) "Then I summoned Blaze Wizard!" Another fireball exploded as the young fire wizard appeared, "skill of Blaze Wizard!" His deck slotted out a card, which he took as Red Sun Magician pointed his staff at Blaze Wizard. "Now, with Red Sun Magician's Pendulum Ability, I can increase the Level of my Blaze Wizard to six!" Red Sun fired a trio of fireballs, which struck Blaze Wizard. (A1200/1100/L6)
Starlight frowned, knowing what was coming next.
"Now," Sunburst placed the card he'd got from Blaze Wizard into his Duel Disk, "I activate Sunburst Gate." The stone archway appeared behind his monsters, Blaze Wizard exploding into six fireball that flew into half the indents. Sunburst closed his eyes and began to chant. "Furious hellfire, that burns like the sun, give life to the demon whose fury cannot be extinguished!" The doors of the gate flew open and unleashed a giant fireball, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The flames faded to reveal Sunburst's monster, "Sunburst Ravager!" (A2000/D1800/L6) "Sunburst smirked, "you see you shot yourself in the foot with your last move. You might have knocked Spike out of the tournament, but now your fields empty and with Ravager's ability he can wipe out all your Life Points." He pointed at her, "GO!" Ravager rushed forwards as both its claws and axe ignited.
Celestia: I think we might be getting another one turn knock out.
Luna: Unless Starlight has a way to stop him.
And by the smile on her face, Starlight did have a way. "TRAP SUMMON!" Her face down flipped up before a constellation appeared between her and Ravager, which then exploded to reveal a woman and serpent. "Celestial Spirit Ophiuchus!" (A1700/D1000/L4) Seconds later, Ravager stabbed his blazing claws into the woman and destroyed her.
Starlight: 3700
Sunburst: 4000
The serpent that shot out at Ravager and wrapped around him, while Starlight activated her other face down card. "You've activated my Starlight Beacon Trap card, which now lets me summon a Celestial Spirit with less ATK then Ophiuchus had." Another constellation appeared before exploding to reveal Celestial Spirit Aries. (A1400/D900/L3)
Sunburst frowned before pointing at Aries, "well Ravager still has another attack." The Ritual monster turned to Aries and raised his axe, while Starlight rushed through the meadow until she spotted an Action Card in a Neos statue's hand.
She grabbed it and smiled when she saw what it was. "I activate the Action Spell Statue Skin. With this, the monster you're attacking won't be destroyed by this attack." Aries suddenly turned to stone, seconds before Ravager's axe struck. The force of the attack shattered the stone, but Aries was okay. Starlight's Life Points, however.
Starlight: 3100
Sunburst: 4000
Sunburst frowned, "I place two cards face down and end my turn."
Celestia: Sunburst's strategy was a good one, but Starlight was able to lessen the damage she took by a great amount.
"It's okay!" Flash called out to Sunburst, "just keep your cool."
Spike nodded. "You know what she's gonna do next, so just be careful."
"My draw," Starlight did so. "And since it's my Standby Phase, my serpent injects its poison into you and makes it lose a hundred ATK points for every Celestial Spirit in my graveyard." The snake bit into Ravager's neck and made him flinch, as his power went down. (A1900/D1800/L6) "Then I'll use Aries's skill!" She drew the top three cards of her deck and smiled before discarding two of them, "by discarding a pair of Celestial Spirits I can now summon two Wool Tokens!" Aries pulled two wool-balls off her armour and tossed it onto the ground, with those wool-balls suddenly gaining eyes. (A300/D300/L1)X2.
"Those could be bad," Sunburst said. She had everything she needed to summon Leo, but could she?
Starlight smiled, "I play Painful Choice. Now I select five cards from my deck and you have to pick one of them to add to my hand." She drew the cards and revealed them to everyone, Sunburst seeing the cards she had were Leo, Taurus, Scorpio, Virgo and Gemini.
Sunburst frowned. 'She must want Leo, and that means she must have either Celestial Device Sextant or Monster Reincarnation. It doesn't matter what I pick. so if that's the case,' "I pick Virgo!"
Starlight smiled, "good choice." She took the card and sent the rest to her graveyard. "I then play Monster Reincarnation, to send Virgo to my graveyard and add Leo to my hand."
"I knew it."
"Now I tribute my two Wool Tokens in order to summon Leo!" The wool-balls disappeared in a flash of light before a constellation appeared, which then exploded to reveal Starlight's ace. (A2500/D2200/L7)
Luna: Quite a move. Now Starlight's set up to get a host of Celestial Spirits into her graveyard, which will let her summon her Draco Starlight.
Starlight smirked as she continued. "If you think Leo's strong now, just wait until I equip this Celestial Weapon onto him. Go, Orion's Sword!" The star-shaped crossguard sword appeared in Leo's hand, raising his ATK power by one thousand. (A3500/D2000/L7)
"This could be bad," Sunburst realised.
"Finally," Starlight drew five cards, "I activate Leo's skill to look at the two five cards of my deck and send any Celestial Spirit to the graveyard." She looked through the card, but only discarded one. She then pointed at Sunburst Ravager, "ATTACK!" Sunburst watched as Leo rushed forwards, and in that moment nine different constellations appear around him. They then exploded with the light flying into him and boosting his power. (A5100/D2000/L7)
As he saw this, Sunburst suddenly remembered a moment from when they were first learning to Duel. Back then, Starlight wouldn't have had such an easy time pulling off that move.
The past...
A younger Sunburst was Duelling against a younger Starlight.
And as they Duelled, Sunburst looked up at Starlight and saw she was frowning. "What's wrong."
Starlight turned to him before showing him a high-Level card in her hand, "the only way I'm gonna win is if I play this card."
"So?"
"So," she pointed at the two cards on her field, "that means I have to sacrifice these two monsters to do it. But I don't wanna send anyone to the graveyard. That's just mean."
Sunburst smiled at her kindness, even if it was just to a bunch of cards. "Well then maybe we shouldn't look at the graveyard like a graveyard."
"What do you mean?"
"Well," Sunburst thought about it, "maybe the graveyard is meant to represent ones past. The cards in it aren't dead, but just a part of a moment that no longer exists." He grabbed one of the cards he was using, Armed Dragon Level Five. "It's like this card. I evolved him from his Level Three form, and when that happened Level Three went to the graveyard. But maybe instead of Level Three dying, he actually just took the form he would when he's older."
"Oh," Starlight looked down at his graveyard, "so the graveyard isn't an actual grave. It's more like...a memory."
"Exactly," Sunburst nodded. He then spread the cards in his graveyard out, "and we can look back on these memories to help us understand what's gonna happen in the future."
"I get it now," Starlight smiled. "So the graveyard is the past. The field is the present and our hands are the future."
"That's right. And just like there are many cards in our hands to play, there are many futures that we can push ourselves towards.
Present...
Seems Starlight had taken that lesson to heart. But she wasn't the only one.
Though Sunburst had forgotten it for the longest time, thanks to his friends he'd remembered everything he'd learnt when he and Starlight were children. And I'm gonna put it all to use right now. I activate my Trap!" Sunburst's face down flipped up, "Spirit Barrier."
Starlight growled seeing that annoying card. Leo slashed Ravager and destroyed it, but Sunburst's Life Points remained intact. Well, don't think you're safe. Since Leo was equipped with Orion's Sword, you now take one hundred points of damage for each Celestial Spirit in my graveyard." Leo pointed the now glowing crossguard of his sword at the teen. The glow intensified and unleashed a powerful burst of light, which struck Sunburst in the chest and made him cry out.
Starlight: 3100
Sunburst: 3200
"Then I'll have Aries attack your Sunburst Familiar!" The young woman dashed towards Sunburst's kitsune and headbutted it, destroying the fox and leaving Sunburst's field empty.
"Well when Sunburst Familiar is destroyed, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add any two Fire monsters to my hand." He drew his cards and looked through them, picking out two cards and adding them to his hand before returning the others to his deck.
"I end my turn."
Celestia: Starlight's really putting on the pressure.
Luna: Sunburst is gonna need something big to pull off a win now.
As Sunburst reached for his deck, he turned back to Starlight. 'It really isn't her. If it was, she wouldn't be so predictable.'
The past...
"I attack!" Sunburst called out, making Starlight moan.
"That means I lose," she face-palmed.
Sunburst laughed as he looked down at her hand, seeing the cards she had along with the cards on her field and in her grave. "Hey, why didn't you use that combo you used in the last game? It would have made it a lot harder for me to beat you."
Starlight stuck out her tongue, "where's the fun in that? I don't wanna keep playing the same moves over and over. I wanna try a whole bunch of different moves."
Sunburst smiled, liking that way of thinking. "Alright, let's Duel again. Maybe this time you'll figure out a new strategy." Starlight nodded and started gathering their cards.
Present...
'Starlight hated doing the same thing again and again. Every time we played, she'd try and come up with a new strategy even if she had the cards needed to pull one she'd already done off. But this Starlight...she's got no imagination. And that's why I'll win.' "I draw and activate the Spell card Eruption Reload! Now, by banishing Sunburst Ravager from my graveyard, I can draw six cards!" He did so, as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of fireballs shot out and hit the ground, revealing his monsters. "Burn Blader!" (A1800/D100/L4)
"And Sunburst Apprentice!" (A1500/D1300/L4) "Then I'll use Red Sun Magician's Pendulum Ability, to increase Apprentice's Level to seven." The Pendulum Monster launched a trio of fireballs, which struck Apprentice in the back. (A1500/D1200/L7) "Which means I can now use him as a cost to activate Sunburst Altar!" The table, candles and basin appeared on the field before him. Apprentice then burst into seven fireballs, which moved over and lit seven of the candles around the altar. "Mystical fire, that burns like the sun, give life to the wizard whose intellect cannot be extinguished!" The fire on the candles shot up before flying into the basin, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The basin exploded, the fire shooting up and took form before fading. "Sunburst Magician!" (A2300/D2200/L7)
Inside Starlight's mind, the captured girl's eyes opened before she looked out at the screen that was her body's vision.
She saw Sunburst and his monster, the two standing up against the avatar created by the monster invading her body. "Sunburst," she whispered whilst praying he'd be able to beat her. Be able to save her.
"Sunburst Magician's skill!" Sunburst announced before drawing five cards.
Starlight: 3100
Sunburst: 2900
"I summon UFO Turtle!" The mechanised turtle suddenly appeared before landing next to Sunburst Magician. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Then I'll use Sunburst Apprentice's ability to revive him back to the field!" Another fireball signalled the wizard's reappearance.
Starlight sighed, "you really think that's gonna help you. Get real. None of your monsters will be able to dent Leo."
"We'll see how much they dent your monster when I activate this card," Sunburst placed a card into his Duel Disk. "Go, Rebirth Ritual!" A pillar of fire erupted out of the ground and engulfed Sunburst Magician. "With this, Sunburst Magician can evolve to the next stage of his existence!" The pillar grew in size until it eventually exploded and unleashed a powerful light. "RITUAL EVOLUTION!"
The light began to fade, reveal Sunburst's monster. "Sunburst...ARCHMAGE!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
Over in their box, Flash and Spike both raised an eyebrow.
"Why'd he pick that card?" Spike asked. "If he summoned his Knight and evolved it into Paladin, the number of Fire monsters on his field and in his grave would have given him enough power to beat Leo."
"I don't know," Flash told him. "Sunburst must be up to something. But what it is I can't say." He just hoped it was something that could help him. "Come on Sunburst."
"Since Archmage was summoned using Rebirth Ritual, his ATK power increased by one thousand for this turn!" (A4000/D2500/L8) "Then I'll use Apprentice's skill!" Sunburst announced as the young wizard turned to his older form and fired a fireball at him, increasing Archmage's power. (A4500/D2500/L8) "Then I'll use Archmage's skill, to sacrifice Apprentice!" The evolved Ritual monster pointed his staff at his younger self before the magician exploded into fire, which wrapped around the head of the staff. "With this, I can burn away the ATK and DEF of your monster equal to Apprentice's."
Starlight growled as she watched Archmage toss the fire at her Celestial Spirit, who quickly found himself trapped in a cage of flames. Leo flinched as the flames burned away his ATK points. (A3600/D800/L7) She began running off in search of an Action Card, looking all around for it.
"And whenever a Fire monster leaves the field, Archmage's ATK points go up by half that monster's ATK until the End Phase!" Archmage's armour began to glow, increasing its power. (A5250/D2500/L8)
Celestia: Incredible. Not only has Sunburst decreased Starlight's monster, but he's also increased the power of his own.
Luna: Those ATK points coupled with the other cards on his field might just be enough to win this whole thing.
"Here we go!" Sunburst cried as Archmage leapt into the air, its staff head igniting before it unleashed a stream of fire in Leo's direction.
As it came closer, Starlight spotted an Action Card on the wing of a Utopia statue and grabbed it. But when she turned it over, she growled seeing it wasn't the card she'd hoped for. "It'll do," she played it. "I activate the Action Card Power Charger. Now a monster on my field gains five hundred ATK points." Leo glowed as the fire drew closer, his ATK points raising. (A4100/D800/L7) Seconds later he was struck by the fire, which burnt him to a crisp and singed Starlight. "Gyah!" She cried as she was sent flying backwards.
Starlight: 1950
Sunburst: 2900
"Now," Burn Blader began to rush forward, "I'll take out your Aries!"
As the flaming suit of armour drew closer, Starlight picked herself up. And as she did, she looked up and saw she was next to a statue of Gaia the Fierce Knight. And in the mouth of its horse was an Action Card, which she quickly grabbed. "I activate the Action Spell Ceasefire! Now by changing my Aries to DEF mode, I can change a monster on your field that has the same or less ATK as her into DEF mode." Both Aries and UFO Turtle changed positions, right as Burn Blader struck the Celestial Spirit and destroyed her.
"Well since Blade Burner destroyed a monster, he now deals you four hundred points of damage." The suit of armour pointed its sword at Starlight and unleashed a blast of fire, which struck her in the chest and made her cry out.
Starlight: 1550
Sunburst: 2900
"I place one card face down and end my turn." Archmage's ATK points returned to normal. (A3000/D2500/L8)
Celestia: Sunburst tried but even with his evolved Ritual monster, he just couldn't break through Starlight's defences.
"I draw and play the Spell Starlight Energy. Since I have less cards in my hand then you, I can draw one card for every two Celestial Spirits in my graveyard." She drew five cards. "Then I play Graceful Charity, to draw three cards and ditch two." She did so, smiling as the cards entered the graveyard.
Sunburst frowned when he saw that, knowing they must be the last to Celestial Spirits she was looking to get. But he was in for a surprise by her next move, "I summon Celestial Spirit Pieces!" The constellation appeared before exploding to reveal the two fish.
"Why?" Sunburst asked. Why would she keep it on the field and waste not summoning her dragon.
"You think you've got me all figured out," Starlight told him. "But you don't know me." She activated a card from her hand, "and you don't know my play style. I activate Paralysing Light!" Pieces exploded into a brilliant flash of light, which flew over to Sunburst Archmage and struck him. The great mage flinched as lightning sparked around Him.
"Archmage!" Sunburst cried before turning to glare at Starlight, "what did you do to him?"
"Paralysed him," Starlight explained. "Until the end of your next turn, your monster can't attack or activate its abilities. It's useless." Sunburst frowned hearing this, not liking it. "Of course, I intend to destroy your monster before your next turn. But this is just some...added insurance. Besides, it also gave me exactly what I needed" With that, the girl held up a card from her hand. "It's over Sunburst," she said as the card began to glow. "You didn't have a chance of beating me. And now I'll prove it!"
All over the field, everyone grew tense as they knew what was coming.
"By banishing twelve different Celestial Spirit monsters from my graveyard, I can summon the ultimate Celestial Spirit!" The card fired a single beam of light into the sky, the light splitting into nine spheres before flying into formation and creating a new constellation. "Beast of the cosmos, with fury greater than a supernova, descend from the heavens and bath this world in your mighty light!"
Sunburst watched as each of the stars exploded, unleashing a light that flowed into one entity. Then when the light faded, the orb carrying dragon was seen as it slithered down towards the field until it landed behind Starlight. "Celestial Spirit. Draco...STARLIGHT!" (A4000/D4000/L12) The beast roared in Sunburst's face, the force pushing him and his monsters backwards.
Sunburst's friends began to worry. Sunburst might have Spirit Barrier, but with Draco Starlight's ability, he was in serious trouble. "Come on man," Rainbow said. "You gotta get rid of that thing."
"But how?" Fluttershy asked. "Even if he survives this turn, with Archmage paralysed it'll be almost impossible to stop it."
Cold nodded. "It'll be tricky, but he can pull it off. We've all seen how far he's come since the start of this tournament. Every challenge he's faced has lead him to this point." They watched Sunburst began to run through the field.
"Don't think you can escape me!" Starlight leapt up onto her dragon as it flew up into the air.
Sunburst looked around for an Action Card. He had his face down, but knew it wouldn't be of any use to him. Not with Draco Starlight's ability. His only hope was to find an Action Card.
"Draco Starlight!" He heard Starlight call out, "destroy Sunburst Archmage!" He glanced back and saw the dragon open its mouth, as light began to build within it. It was then he looked back and spotted an Action Card on the head of a Stardust Dragon.
"Archmage!" The evolved Ritual Monster jumped infront of him before holding his staff in both hands. Sunburst picked up as much speed as he could before leaping at his monster, both feet landing on the staff before Archmage thrust it up to propel him into the air.
"FIRE!" Starlight cried before Sunburst unleashed the laser at Archmage, right as Sunburst reached the head. He just managed to snag the card between his fingers as he flew passed the head, right as the momentum gave out and he fell back.
"I activate the Action Card Team Spirit!" In that moment, UFO Turtle jumped infront of Archmage as Sunburst landed on Stardust's head. "With this card, I can choose the target of your attack. And I pick UFO." In that moment, the laser struck UFO and made it burst into flames. "And with that, UFO Turtle's ability activates!" The flames of his destroyed monster took shape before fading to reveal Sunburst Guardian, who raised his shield in preparation of battle. (A1400/D1800/L4)
Starlight growled. This was exactly why she'd played Paralysing Light. "This isn't over. Don't forget, Draco Starlight now deals you one hundred points of damage for every banished Celestial Spirit I have." The dragon raised its orb before unleashing a burst of light, which struck Sunburst and made him cry out as he was blasted off the statue.
Starlight: 1550
Sunburst: 1700
"SUNBURST!" Everyone cried as they saw him slam into the ground. Starlight meanwhile, simply smiled.
"I end my turn by activating this Spell Card. Wave-Motion Cannon!" This card put everyone on edge. "With each of my Standby Phases, Wave-Motion Cannon charges up. And with each charge, it gains the power to blast away a thousand of your Life Points. You know what this means, don't you?"
Sunburst groaned as he sat himself up. "That by your next turn, it and Draco Starlight will be able to take out all my Life Points."
"Exactly," Starlight explained. "I told you, you couldn't defeat me."
"Maybe," Sunburst pushed himself back to his feet, "but I won't stop trying." The two of them locked eyes, Starlight seeing a fire of determination in his. "I won't stop until she's back." His fists clenched as he placed one over his heart. "When I flunked out of Duel Academy, I was so overwhelmed by my own self-loathing that I didn't see how it affected those around me. My parents...and her," he continued to glare at her while remembering what Twilight told him. "I ignored her and because of that and it allowed you to steal her body. That's why...I have to be the one to save her."
At the sound of those words, a burst of pain shot through Starlight's head, making her flinch as she clutched it. He growled through the pain, shooting a glare at Sunburst. "You're not saving anyone. I won't let you beat me. This body...is mine."
"No," Sunburst reached for his deck, "it isn't. I won't let you have it any longer. I am gonna beat you!"
"How? Your best card is frozen and no other card in your deck can save you now."
There was one card. But could Sunburst draw it?
He felt doubt begin to fill his heart, making his hand move away from the deck, but before he was overcome he suddenly remembered something Flash once told him.
"Your deck heard the cry of your heart and responded, giving you what you needed to pull off a win."
"My deck responds to my heart," Sunburst repeated while looking at the cards on his field. More memories echoed through his mind.
"These cards are more than just paper and ink, they're a gateway that links our world with another and can transmit our feelings to the monsters on them. Blaze Wizard didn't just happen to be on the top of your deck. You reached out and asked for help, which he heard and responded to."
Sunburst looked up at his cards and saw them look back at him. They each smiled, which he mirrored, as something new happened.
The ghostly image of Sunburst Magician appeared, followed by Sunburst Knight, Ravager, Ranger and the rest of the monsters in Sunburst's deck. They all circled around him, showing he wasn't alone. He'd never been alone.
His smile increased as he looked at them all. "Thank you. All of you, for helping me grow into the Duellist I am today." They all nodded before disappearing, Sunburst's doubt disappearing along with them. "With you all by my side," he placed his hand back on his deck. "I know...NOTHING'S IMPOSSIBLE!" With that, he drew his card and held it up.
In that moment, a tornado of fire exploded out of the ground and engulfed Archmage and Sunburst's other two monsters. "Now, by tributing Sunburst Archmage, along with two other Fire monsters, I can give birth to his ultimate form." He slapped his card on the Duel Disk, as the flaming spiral exploded to reveal Sunburst's new monster.
At first, everyone thought they were looking at the Dark Sage. And while it was true that this figure looked very similar, even floating in the air while sitting in the lotus position, his clothes were coloured red like Archmage's and his hair and beard were red. His staff was similar to Dark Sage's, only it was made out of obsidian and had the image of Sunburst's emblem floating in the top orb. Sunburst smirked as the monster flew down next to him, ready to do battle against this wicked foe. "Behold, the Great Sage of Sunburst!" (A3500/D3000/L10/P1)
Starlight's eyes were wide at the sight of this monster. But even though it was powerful, it still wasn't strong enough to destroy her dragon.
Sunburst closed his eyes as he let all the memories of his time with Starlight flow through his mind, followed by the memories of all that had happened to him after meeting Flash and Spike. "Memories are the building blocks of the soul. Good or bad, they make us who were are. Denying them keeps us from growing, but accepting them makes us wiser then it was ever thought possible." His eyes shot open, "Great Sage's skill!" His monster raised his staff, the orb glowing bright. "Select one Sunburst monster in my graveyard and summon it to the field." They watched as a fireball shot out of the orb and exploded, revealing Sunburst Archmage. (A3000/D2500/L8)
Starlight suddenly grew a little worried. That card could be trouble.
"A monster summoned by Great Sage can't attack or use its abilities. And it's destroyed during at the end of my turn." Sunburst then smiled, "but Great Sage gains that monsters abilities for this turn."
"What?" Starlight asked, realising what that meant.
In their room, both Flash and Spike smiled. "So that's why he summoned his Magician?" Spike realised.
Flash nodded. "He was planning this from the start," even though he didn't have the card until that every moment. 'Sunburst. You've really come a long way since we met. Back then, you didn't have any confidence in yourself or your deck. But now, here you are. In one of the biggest Duelling tournaments in the country. You should be proud of how much you've grown. "Now finish this!"
Sunburst smiled hearing that, intending to do just that. "I'm gonna win and set Starlight free."
"Don't be ridicules," Starlight told him before another pulse of pain made her hold her head again.
Sunburst frowned, remembering Twilight telling him the same thing. Could she be fighting back. "Starlight," he stepped towards her, "you can do it. She doesn't control you. FIGHT!"
"Be quiet," she growled.
"No," Sunburst told her, "I won't. Because I wanna see my friend. The real Starlight. I wanna talk to her.
"I won't," she cried whilst holding her head in both hands.
"You will. RELEASE HER!"
"NEVER!" Starlight's eyes shot open as a light exploded out of them, Sunburst suddenly finding himself almost blind when they locked eyes.
He gasped and closed her eyes, only to suddenly feel the earth beneath him disappear. He then opened his eyes and found he was floating in a black void, just like what Twilight had told him. And that meant...
He looked around and then he spotted her, "STARLIGHT!" He floated over to her, seeing she was chained up.
"Sunburst," she moaned before opening her eyes. For the first time in several years, the old friends were looking eye to eye. Sunburst smiled at her, while tears leaked out of her eyes. "I...I'd always hoped I'd see you again."
"Me too," he grabbed the chains and began to pull. "Hold on! I'm getting you out!" And to their surprise, the chains actually seemed to loosen, with cracks appearing on several of the links.
"NO!" A booming voice cried out, "I won't allow it!" Sunburst turned towards the voice, seeing a yellow light.
"So," Sunburst said, "this is the monster controlling you."
"Yes," Starlight replied before crying out in pain as the chains tightened
But before Sunburst could try and help her, the light spoke up. "You...are not welcome here!" With that, the light unleashed a wave of bright light alongside what felt like a powerful gust of wind.
Sunburst cried out as he was almost blinded, managing to hold onto the chain as the wind pushed him back. But his grip was slipping. "Sunburst," he cracked his eyes open and turned to Starlight, "let go."
"No."
"You can't save me here," she told him. "You have to beat the avatar. It's the only way." She tried to bring her head as close to him as she could, "I believe in you." In that moment, the chain he held broke and he was sent flying backwards.
"STARLIGHT!"
"Gyah!" He cried as he suddenly opened his eyes and found himself back on the Duel Field, then heard a cry of pain and turned to see Starlight.
She was clutching her head and in so much pain she lost balance and fell of her dragon. "AUGH!" She cried whilst hitting the ground.
Sunburst knew the conflict between the two must be agony. And there was only one way to stop it. "I activate the effect inherited from Sunburst Archmage!" Great Sage pointed his staff at his younger self before the magician exploded into fire, which wrapped around the head of the staff. "With this, I can burn away the ATK and DEF of your monster equal to Archmage's!" Everybody watched as Great Sage tossed the fireball towards Draco Starlight, the flames exploding to trap the beast in a cage of fire.
The dragon roared as its ATK and DEF points were burnt away. (A1000/D1500/L12)
"And don't forget the other ability Great Sage got," Sunburst told her. "Since a Fire monster left the field, Great Sage now gains half its ATK points!" A flaming aura surrounded Great Sage, as its power increased to its maximum amount. (A5000//D3000/L10/P1)
"No," The Dominator cried as she picked herself up. She then spotted an Action Card on the blade of a Celtic Guardian, which she tried to rush too. The keyword being tried, as when she was back on her feet, her entire body froze. "Wh...what's happening?"
"I'm taking control."
"Starlight," she growled at the voice in her head.
"I won't be your puppet anymore!"
"No." She tried to regain control, but couldn't. All she could do was watch as Great Sage raised its staff and pointed it at her monster.
"Let's go!" Sunburst announced, "Great Sage of Sunburst...ATTACK!" The ancient wizard pointed his staff at Draco Starlight before and massive explosion of fire shot out of it.
Starlight continued to try an move, but was unable to regain control. "No," she said as the fire struck her monster and incinerated it before heading her way, "NOOOOO!" Everyone watched as the fire engulfed her, sending her flying back as the last of her Life Points were wiped out.
Starlight: 0
Sunburst: 1700 (Winner)
Celestia: HE'S DONE IT! Sunburst has defeated Starlight and will move on to face team Dominator's final member.
Luna: Team V-Fighters is only one win away from total victory.
Sunburst looked over at Starlight as she began to pick herself up, "please be her." But when she turned back to him, her eyes were still hard and angry. "No."
"Ahhh!" She cried while clutching her hand, then pushed herself back to her feet and started running towards her team's box.
"Starlight!" He wanted to run after her, but upon seeing Tempest exit the box he remembered he still had a Duel to finish.
Up in the VIP box, they watched as Starlight shot passed Tempest and into the team box before disappearing down the corridor.
Twilight, seeing this, got up. "Where're you going?" Scootaloo asked her.
"Hopefully, to talk to the real Starlight." With that, she rushed out of the room. Cold soon followed, with Misty, and Cadance behind him.
In the corridor, Starlight panted while leaning against a wall.
Then went to her gloved hand and pulled it off, revealing the light symbol on her hand that was almost completely faded. "No," she whispered before clutching her head in pain, "AAAHHH!"
Inside her mind, Starlight was pulling at the chains. Said chains began to crack, the links growing close to breaking one by one. "Let...me go!" She groaned through the strain.
"Stop this!" The light cried, doing everything it could to keep the chains in place
"NO!" Starlight screamed. "This...is my body. You stole it and made me hurt so many people. Well...no...more." The chains began to break one by one, as she pulled herself away from the tablet.
"STOP!"
"You said Sunburst was not allowed here. Well, guess what...neither...are...YOU!" With that, the last chains shattered as she broke free. She then reached over to the string connecting the light to her body and grabbed it.
"DON'T!" But it was too late, Starlight pulled at it and it broke. She screamed in pain as the string retreated into the light. "What have you done."
Starlight smiled as she was slowly pulled towards her body, her ghostly form phasing into it and disappearing from sight. The body opened its eyes before gasping for air, feeling herself finally back in control after over a year of being a prisoner.
She then turned back to the light and glared at it, seeing it glow dimmer. "You'll regret this," she told her.
"I don't think so," Starlight told her. "You have no control over me anymore."
"Maybe," the light replied, "but we will see each other again." The light was almost completely gone, "mark my words." With that, the light vanished and Starlight was pulled out of her subconscious.
In the blink of an eye, she suddenly found herself back in the corridor.
But before she could do anything, she felt an overwhelming feeling of exhaustion overcome her. And the next thing she knew, she was falling towards the ground and blacked out.
As she did, a card slipped out of her pocket and fell to the floor. As soon as it did, the card ignited and was burnt to a crisp. While that was happening, the mark on her hand completely faded.
Starlight...was free.
Meanwhile...
In an unknown location, some kind of corridor, there was a metal door. The room behind that metal door was completely black, with no source of light whatsoever.
Suddenly, the door opened and the room was bathed in light. Doing so revealed a single figure sitting on a bed in the corner, who looked up at the source of the light and spotted a pair of figures standing in the doorway.
"Trixie Lulamoon," one of them said. "You're needed."
Trixie shook in fear, wondering what they were gonna do to her. Ever since she'd agreed to go with Starlight, everything had been going downhill. And now, she had a feeling it was about to get worse.