My Little Pony: Friendship is Numerous

by Monty Eggman


RANK 40: The Pride of the Pros:

RANK 40: The Pride of the Pros:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...

Sometime after their unforgettable trip to the Praceton Museum, Sunset and her friends received a call from Principal Celestia: They were informed that a Duel Monsters tournament would be starting that weekend. The prize was an invitation to the World Championship Qualifiers, one of the biggest Duel Monsters competitions in the world. Celestia then offered Sunset the chance to take a test that would allow her to be recognized as an Official Tournament Judge for the contest. Not surprisingly, Sunset passed the test.

Later that week, Sunset and her friends came to the Canterlot Community Center to help people sign up for the Preliminary Tournament that would determine who would make it into the main competition. Over 230 Duelists signed up, including familiar faces such as Ember, Sweetie Belle, Gilda, Fluttershy, and even Zecora. However, members of a former singing group called the Dazzlings - Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk, also came by during sign-ups. They claimed that they were only there to enter Sonata into the tournament, but Sunset and her friends were wary of them, figuring that they were up to something...

At the end of the Preliminary Rounds, only sixteen Duelists have made the cut, and are ready to battle each other for the title of Champion. What twists and turns are in store for these competitors, as well as for Sunset and her friends? Read on to find out...

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Canterlot High School; Football Field: Time 9:30 a.m.
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"Good morning, Duelists of all ages!!" said the voice of a female announcer during a bright and sunny Saturday morning. "It is with great honor that I welcome you all to this event sponsored by Industrial Illusions: The Canterlot City WCQ Qualification Tournament!" A large round of cheering and applause followed the high-spirited announcement.

"Yes siree, today is a beautiful day for dueling if I ever saw one!" the announcer continued on. "The seats are packed-full of Duel Monsters fans from all over the area, and more are coming in as I speak! But before we get started, allow me to introduce myself to those who may not know me: My name is Megan Williams, and I'll be your announcer and MC for this tournament!" The young lady in question had pale-yellow skin, baby-blue eyes, and long orange hair done up into a ponytail and accessorized with a single, red bow. Her outfit consisted of a pair of turquoise overalls with some frills on the straps and a red heart mark on the chest area, overtop a pink shirt with white frills on the ends of each sleeve, and finished off with a pair of small, red shoes on her feet. Overall, it was a simple - but pretty, outfit for her. Hey body build suggested that she was still relatively young - about the same age as Sunset and her friends, but possibly a few years older.

"And while we're on the subject of introductions," Megan continued, "let me welcome our official Judge for this competition: Ms. Sunset Shimmer!" Turning over to her side, she approached Sunset in order to get an interview with her. "Ms. Shimmer, how does it feel to be the official Judge for a tournament as major as this one?"

"Um, well...I have to admit: I'm still a bit nervous about it." the red-and-yellow girl confessed. "After all, I only became a Judge about a few days ago, and my first big duty as one is for this tournament. I'm not gonna lie: It's quite a lot of pressure... But I'll try and do my best and make sure not to let down those who asked me to take the test!"

"From what I've heard from Mr. Jay Dunstan, the organizer of the tournament," Megan continued to interview her, "he said that you had one of the highest scores he had ever seen anybody get on the Certification Test. How did that make you feel?"

"Pretty good, I'll admit." Sunset answered. "Only now I'm sure that - because I did so well, he's expecting quite a lot of me as a Judge. Luckily, I have a few friends helping me out, so I think everything should go well."

"Well, I'm sure that it will go well with you in charge." said the young announcer with a smile. She then turned around towards the audience and told them, "In about a half-hour from now, we will officially begin the tournament and announce the competing Duelists! So if you have any food or bathroom-related business - or anything of the sort, take care of it now so that you don't miss ANY of the dueling action that will take place today! For now, this is Megan Williams, signing out!" She then gave a cute wink as she turned off her microphone and continued to talk with Sunset.

Elsewhere, in the school building, all sixteen of the tournament competitors were assembled in the gymnasium. Iron Will - one of the gym teachers, was assigned to security duty, along with a few other officials from Industrial Illusions. They made sure everything stayed peaceful - both inside AND outside the gym.

Looking around, Sweetie Belle began to sweat a little after seeing all of the different people that would be taking part in the tournament. "Wow...just look at all of these people..." she said to herself. "They all look so tough..." Shivering a little, she then asked herself, "Am...am I really ready for such a big thing like this...?"

"You okay, kid?" asked the voice of someone behind her. When Sweetie turned to look, she recognized who it was.

"You...you're Gilda, right?" the younger girl asked.

"Yep, that's me." the teen from Griffonstone confirmed. "I can tell you've got some pre-tournament jitters, right?"

"Um...yeah, a little bit." Sweetie Belle replied, blushing a little and feeling embarrassed about it.

"Hey, don't get so down: Every Duelist gets those feelings at some point in their lives... Even me." Gilda told her. "Sure, there are a lot of good players here, and perhaps some of them might be stronger than you are. But that's no reason to feel afraid: Instead, you should feel excited about it!"

"Excited?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah." the kindly roughneck told her with a nod. "You should feel excited that you managed to get this far already. You should feel excited about being able to Duel with some of the best Duelists around! This is your chance to really make a name for yourself out there, and you certainly won't do that by runnin' away and hidin', am I right?"

"I...guess not." the young girl replied, seeing the logic in Gilda's words.

"So you get out there and show everyone what you're made of!" the tough teen urged. "Show 'em no mercy!"

Smiling, and finding her courage, Sweetie nodded and said, "You're right! I can do this!" She then asked, "But...how did you know exactly what to tell me just now?"

"Let's say, I've had t' give this speech twice today already." Gilda answered. Behind her, Gabby and Fluttershy rubbed the backs of their heads; apparently, they had a bit of nervousness about the competition themselves. Sweetie Belle giggled a little as she and Gilda walked over to the two of them to chat, hoping to help them forget their worries before the games began.

"Quite the formidable crowd, wouldn't you say?" asked Octavia Melody, who was also one of the Duelists participating.

Next to her was Vinyl Scratch, who was huffing a little, saying, "This stinks... I should've gotten in the tournament, too!"

"Now, now Vinyl... It isn't good for you to be jealous." Octavia told. "Besides, you know I would have loved it if you and I could be in the tournament together."

"Yeah, yeah... I know you know that." the young DJ replied. "That's why I'm bummed out: I ain't jealous that you got in and I didn't... I wanted t' be out there with you." Sighing and forming a smile, she then added, "Well, the good news is that one of us got into the tournament at least, so I'll be happy for that. And like I promised ya, Tavi: I'll be there t' support ya, and help ya win the whole thing!"

"Thank you, Vinyl." the sepia-skinned girl replied. "I feel stronger knowing that I have you with me. I promise I'll Duel with as much strength as we can muster!"

"You go n' get 'em, Tavi!" Vinyl said, giving her friend an enthusiastic pat on the back. "Knock 'em down for the both of us!" Octavia nodded and gave her DJ friend a hug to show her appreciation.

Standing a bit further away, Ember - the girl from the town of Bloodstone, looked over all of the competitors in the gym, trying to asses the strength of each and every one of them at a glance. Eventually, her eyes spotted the young girl named Indigo Bolt. (That's the girl that managed to pull off the only OTK during yesterday's Prelims... The A.I. didn't stand a chance against her after that...) There was no doubt that Ember wanted to see just how strong Indigo was for herself, and was secretly hoping that she would get paired with her at some point.

Elsewhere, in a corner of the room, there was a purple-skinned boy who seemed to be keeping to himself, not really acknowledging the people around him. His name was Night Switch (according to the screen on the Duel Terminal he played against the day before), and though he wasn't really interacting with everyone in the gym, he seemed to be keeping a close eye on them, for whatever reason.

"Wow...there sure looks like a lot of tough Duelists are gathered here." Flash Sentry told himself as he walked around, looking at each and every competitor. The only thing he wasn't looking at was where he was going - he ended up bumping right into someone. "Oop! Sorry about that! I really need to start paying attention more..." He then looked and saw that it was Twilight Sparkle. "Oh! Twilight! It's you! That's a...that's a nice suit you have on. Did...you get it just recently?"

As he had noticed, Twilight - blushing a little from Flash's remark, was now wearing a very formal-looking suit that was magenta in color, complete with a tie that was the same purple as her skin color. All in all, it gave her the appearance of an important businesswoman...if it weren't for the fact that Spike was sitting on her shoulder, that is. "Um, yes I did actually..." she told Flash. "Sunset recommended that I should wear something formal for the job that I'm doing, and Rarity agreed. So they helped whip this up for me. It's...it's not too much, is it?"

"...I think you look great in it. Very important-looking." the boy said, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Th-thanks." said Twilight, blushing a little more.

"Um, I hate to break up the conversation," said Spike, "but don't ya still have to meet up with the rest of the people in the tournament? We only have about twenty minutes."

"Oh! You're right!" exclaimed the young Princess. Turning back to the boy, she told him, "I'll...I'll talk to you later, Flash. I still have some work to do."

"Yeah, sure. I understand. Good luck, Twilight." Flash replied before the two of them walked away.

Elsewhere, a bit further away from the crowd were three other girls: Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk - collectively known as the Dazzlings. Sonata had signed up for the tournament, and Adagio and Aria had been permitted to accompany her as coaches. It wasn't yet known why they were here, but Sunset and her friends figured that they had some sort of reason.

"So this is our competition, huh?" asked Aria. "Pfft... These guys are nothing." Looking over at Sonata, she then asked, "Still...Adagio, are you sure you want Sonata in this whole thing? If it were me dueling, I'd clobber these losers in no time!"

"Well, you're NOT the one dueling," the blue-skinned Dazzling told her sister, "so get over it!"

"Don't you tell me t' get over it!" Aria argued.

"Would you two stop acting like such children and be quiet for a few seconds?" Adagio asked them in a low, firm voice. "I swear, if this tournament was a shouting match, you two would tie for first place." The other two Dazzlings huffed and folded their arms, turning away from each other. "Now...as for your concerns, Aria," the leader of the group continued, "you have nothing to worry about regarding Sonata. I guarantee you that even she'll have no trouble trouncing every last Duelist here."

"You hear that, Aria?" asked Sonata with a sneer.

"Oh, shut up..." groaned Aria, rolling her eyes.

It was now 9:50 on the clock - ten minutes before the tournament was to start. Knowing what she had to do, Twilight then walked to the closed double doors leading outside and into the soccer field. "May I have your attention, everypo- er, everybody?" she called out to the whole crowd. When they turned to face her, the Princess of Friendship then said to them, "In ten minutes, the tournament will officially begin. Each of you will be introduced individually, so when you hear your cue, head out into the football field. Does everybody understand?" There was no audio reply, but the people in the crowd knew what they had to do. "Alright then," said Twilight with a nod, "in that case, get ready for your moment, and good luck to all of you!"

Twilight then left the crowd and walked into a side room; the office for the female gym coach (as it was connected to the Girl's Locker Room). She then approached two other individuals that were already in the room and said to them, "You should get ready, too. After all, the audience is expecting to see the 'surprise guests' for the tournament..."

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Around that same time in the audience stands, Sunset and Twilight's friends had already arrived and were ready to watch the tournament. Sitting next to her friend Rarity, Applejack glanced at her cellphone clock and told her, "Well, only about ten minutes 'fore the tournament..." She then looked around them and asked, "Where the heck're Pinkie n' Rainbow? They haven't sat down yet?"

"Snack run." the violet-haired girl answered. "And I'm sure that I need not remind you just how long that can be when Pinkie is involved." AJ nodded, knowing full well that getting snacks with Pinkie was an adventure in and of itself.

About a minute later, the two girls spotted what appeared to be piles of food and drinks with legs walking up towards them. Of course, they both knew who they were: "Think you two have enough food t' last the competition?" Applejack asked the walking food piles.

Leaning her head to the side and looking past the snack pile she was holding, Pinkie said, "I think so. I might have to stretch it a little, but I think we'll manage!"

Leaning her head to the side as well, Rainbow Dash - who was carrying the other snack pile, asked her pink friend in a slightly strained voice, "Can we save the talking until AFTER we put this stuff down? I'd like it if I could NOT have my arms fall off today." Pinkie nodded and the two of them gently placed down all of the snacks and drinks for them and their friends. Letting out an exhausted groan, Dash then told Applejack. "Next time, YOU go with her to get food, got it?"

As the two girls sat down, Rarity pulled out her phone and looked at it; she had just gotten a text message on it. "Fluttershy says that they'll be ready to come out soon." the fashionista told them.

"And what about the Dazzlings?" asked Applejack. "Did they show up?"

"I'm afraid so." Rarity answered, reading the rest of the message. "I just hope they aren't up to anything sinister, like Sunset believes they are."

"Well, if they wanna act like jerks again, we'll be ready for 'em this time." Dash casually stated. "After all, what could they POSSIBLY do now that their stupid necklaces broke?"

"Not much, I can imagine..." Rarity responded. "Still, that doesn't mean we should not count out the possibility of them trying something regardless of that fact."

"Awww, you guys worry too much!" Pinkie told them, trying to relieve them of their concerns regarding the Dazzlings. "If anybody can do it, Sunnie'll make sure they don't do anything bad again! She's the Judge after all!" Leaning forward in her seat, she added, "Besides, I'm more excited about that thing we saw online about the tournament!"

"You mean the thing about 'special guests'?" asked Rainbow Dash. "I gotta admit: I'm a little curious too... I wonder who these guys are?"

"Ah'm pretty sure we won't need t' wait long t' find out, girls." AJ informed them. However, she was also curious as to who these special guests were as well.

Back down in the field, Sunset took a deep sigh as she prepared herself for the big opening speech. "Still a little nervous?" asked a voice.

The otherworldly girl looked over at the source of the voice, seeing that it was from Megan. "Uh, yeah. To be honest, I think I'd be LESS nervous if I was one of the competitors." she admitted. "When it comes to Dueling or singing with my friends, I'm perfectly fine. But big speeches? Not exactly my strong suit. Just doing the morning announcements at my school earlier in the week was nerve-wracking enough..."

"Well, if that's the case, you shouldn't feel nervous at all!" Megan told her with a smile.

"What do you mean?"

"There was a time that public speaking felt too difficult for me." the other girl told Sunset. "But I later learned that it isn't as scary as you might think it is. I think - in your case, you should treat this moment as like one of your Duels, or pretend that it's the audience for one of your musical performances!"

"You really think it's that easy?" asked Sunset curiously, having not thought about it in such a way before.

"Absolutely!" Megan said with a nod. "You just need to make the situation feel like something that's less scary. I do it all the time!"

"Hmmm...maybe you're onto something there." said the red-and-yellow girl. "I'll try it!"

Looking at her watch, Megan saw that it was now 9:59 a.m. "One minute 'til show time." she said. "Are you ready, Sunset?"

"I think so." Sunset replied. "Let's do this." The two of them then steeled themselves, ready to give it their all. Then, the clock struck 10...

"Alright, Duel Monsters fans! The time has come!!" Megan said in a proud, lively voice. "I, Megan Williams, Master of Ceremonies..."

Sunset then took the microphone, saying, "And I, Sunset Shimmer, Official Duel Monsters Tournament Judge..."

"We welcome you all to the Official Duel Monsters WCQ Qualifier Tournament!!" the two of them shouted in unison. The audience went wild over the commanding performance the two of them delivered.

"Yeah!! You go, Sunset!! Yeah!!" cheered Rainbow Dash, getting pumped up. Pinkie also cheered for her friend, but her mouth was full of the snacks she and Dash has picked up, so her speech was mostly unintelligible.

"In but a few minutes, this field will play host to some of hottest duels this side of Canterlot City!" Megan continued to say. "And come tournament's end, only one Duelist will be left standing to take the crown! That Duelist will then be given the honor to compete at the World Championship Qualifiers, held in Cloudsdale Stadium next month for a chance to take on the strongest Duelists in the world! Honestly, can you think of any prize greater than that, Sunset?"

"It truly is a grand honor!" the otherworldly girl responded, replicating the same passion in her voice that was present in Megan's. "Yesterday, over 230 Duelists signed up to take part in a series of preliminary rounds. But out of that many people, only sixteen have proven themselves to be the best of the best! And now they will duke it out here, in front of all of you in the audience!" The crowds cheered again, ready to see some real action.

"As our MC has told you already," Sunset continued, "the winner of this tournament will personally receive an invitation to the WCQ's this year, courtesy of our tournament organizer, Mr. Jay Dunstan!" On cue, the rep from Industrial Illusions appeared on a giant TV screen hooked up to the football field's scoreboard, revealing an envelope in his hand; no doubt it carried the invitation inside. "But in addition, our tournament winner will also receive a rare treasure straight from Industrial Illusions' vault! And here it is!" She then held up a small rectangular object in her hand, which was also shown on the video screen.

"What is that?" asked one of the people in the audience.

"It...it looks like a card..." a boy responded. Indeed it was a card in Sunset's hand...

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The Despair Uranus
(Effect Monster/Rock/LIGHT/Level 8/ATK 2900/DEF 2300)

When this card is Tribute Summoned while you control no Spells/Traps: You can activate this effect; your opponent declares either Continuous Spell or Continuous Trap, then you Set 1 card of that type directly from your Deck. Gains 300 ATK for each face-up Spell/Trap you control. Face-up cards in your Spell & Trap Zone cannot be destroyed by card effects.

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"This card is known as The Despair Uranus." Sunset stated. "But this is not just ANY copy of the card; This card is the ORIGINAL prototype created by the late Mr. Phoenix, father of former Pro Duelist Aster Phoenix! As you can imagine, this one-of-a-kind card is highly valuable, and it will be awarded to the winner of this tournament along with the invitation to the WCQ's!"

Needless to say, the audience was quite astounded after seeing the rare copy of The Despair Uranus that was practically hand-made by the respected card designer. "Woah...an original prototype... That sure is somethin'..." AJ noted.

"If I remember correctly," Rarity began to say, "I believe Sunset also owns a card that was created by Mr. Phoenix: The Surpremacy Sun. And it, too, was the original print. Quite fitting for that Uranus card to be the prize for the tournament that Sunset is Judge for."

"Darn... If I'd known that card was gonna be a grand prize, I would've entered too!" huffed Rainbow.

"Yeah, same here." Pinkie chimed in. But then she giggled a little and added, "Aw well, can't win 'em all."

Back in the middle of the arena, Megan then announced to the public, "And now, Duelists: Let's kick off this tournament by introducing...our sixteen super-strong competitors!!" The audience cheered loudly in response. Looking at the list of contestants that she was holding, the MC said, "Our first Duelist entering the field comes to us from the city of Bloodstone. She is the daughter of Torch - an ex-Pro Duelist, and she is expected to make a huge impact here today! So everyone give a round of applause for...Ember!!"

The fans cheered as the blue-skinned teen walked out into the football field. She didn't wave back to the cheering people in the audience as she made her way to the center of the field, a confident and determined look upon her face. Sunset looked over at Ember, who looked back with a smirk. (Alright Ember...) thought the red-and-yellow girl, (I'm ready to see your true strength as a Duelist...)

"Um, Sunset?" Megan asked her. "It's your turn to introduce the next Duelist."

"Hm? Oh! Sorry." Sunset responded. Clearing her throat, she then announced, "Our next Duelist is one of our youngest competitors in this tournament! But she has so far proven that age means nothing out there on the battlefield. So I introduce to you a Duelist that I have proudly trained myself: Sweetie Belle!"

As the younger sister of Rarity ran out into the football field, she could hear several people cheering for her. Not surprisingly, the other members of her club - Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed, were in the stands, rooting for her and holding up a long banner that read "SWEETIE BELLE #1". "Wooo!! Go for it, Sweetie Belle!!" Scootaloo shouted in excitement. "Win this one for the Duel Monsters Crusaders!" Seeing her friends in the audience, Sweetie giggled and waved back at them.

Continuing on, Megan then declared, "Our next Duelist is quite a unique one, to put it mildly: On one side, she's the owner of a curio shop, selling and displaying rare relics from all over the world. But today, she's come here as a competitor, possibly hoping to add that rare Uranus card to her curio collection! Presenting the Duelist who loves to rhyme all the time...Zecora!!" The fans cheered as the zebra-striped woman walked out onto the field. She then looked over at Megan and made a gesture with her right hand. "Oh? It appears she has something to say to us, everyone." The MC then handed her the microphone.

Holding the microphone up to her face, Zecora then said to everyone, "Thank you all, I am very proud... To be here in front of such a lively crowd. Although this shall be my first major contest, I shall show no fear and play at only my best! But although I intend to seek complete victory, enjoying myself and having fun are more important to me. So to my fellow Duelists, I have but this to say: We can all be winners, if we have fun when we play."

Taking the mic back, Megan said to everyone, "Those are some very heartfelt words, Ms. Zecora. And you're absolutely right! The most important thing about Duel Monsters is to make it enjoyable for not only yourself, but also for your opponents. After all, there's no point in trying to win if you can't even enjoy it, am I right?" The audience cheered loudly in agreement. Zecora smiled as she took her place with the other competitors.

"...Not a bad speech you made out there." Ember complimented the zebra-striped woman.

"Yeah, same here!" Sweetie Belle added. "I agree: Having fun's way more important than just winning!"

"...Course, I plan on having fun AND winning, too. Don't get me wrong." the Bloodstone girl added.

Nodding, Zecora then told her, "I can tell that you'll do well." She then offered a handshake to Ember, who returned the offer.

"Now that that's out of the way, let's continue introducing our competing Duelists!" Sunset then announced. Looking at the list, she then said, "Our next two Duelists have requested that they be announced together, as they had both entered the prelims in the same manner. These two Duelists have competed against one another before - right here at CHS, at our annual Inter-school Duel Competition! Now they've come back here for a shot at an even greater title: The World Champion! It is my pleasure to introduce to you...Gilda and Fluttershy!!"

As the audience continued their cheers, Fluttershy - still standing in the building with all of the other Duelists, gulped a little out of nervousness. "I-I-I don't know about this..." she said with a slight whimper.

But just then, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She yelped a little before turning around and realizing that it was Gilda's hand sitting there. "Hey, don't wimp out on us now, Fluttershy. You can do this." she told her.

"You think so?" asked the shy girl.

"Of course I do." the Griffonstone student answered. "After all, we can't have our Duel if ya don't go out there, right?"

"...R-right...!" Fluttershy then slowly stepped out of the building and walked onto the football field with her friend/rival. Although Flutterhsy was still nervous about being in front of a crowd that looked ten times as big as the one during the Inter-school Duel, she did her best to try and remain calm. Of course, having some familiar faces like Gilda and Sunset there with her helped her keep it together.

Looking at her list, Megan then said, "Our next competitor has been credited with one of the most unique Decks ever crafted for a major competition. She won't say what it is, and we can only wait and see just how it will fare against our other competitors! Everyone, assist me in welcoming a girl who has an eye for Dueling: Derpy Hooves!!" On cue, the young grey girl and assistant to Dr. Hooves ran out onto the field with lots of energy. She waved to the crowd as she did so, seemingly excited to be here. Sunset glanced over at her and smiled, though she seemed a little puzzled by her appearance in the tournament...

Continuing on, Megan then read her list and announced, "Our next Duelist comes to us from parts unknown. He hasn't said were he comes from or what brought him here today, but we can only assume that he's planning to take it all the way to the top. Please welcome...Night Switch!" The purple-skinned, ice-blue haired boy in question then walked slowly onto the football field in about the same manner as Ember did, showing little to no emotion. Sunset also wasn't too sure about this person, based on how oddly quiet he was. However, she decided not to think too much into the whole thing and continued on with the introductions.

Looking at the next name on the list, the red-and-yellow girl declared, "The next Duelist is another young competitor, but also one of our fiercest! During the Preliminary Rounds yesterday, she was the only Duelist to have achieved a One-Turn-Kill during her Match." The people in the audience were quite amazed to hear that as they spoke with one another on the matter. "Now, today...we shall see if she can perform the same sort of strength here as she did in the prelims! Allow me to introduce...Indigo Bolt!"

Indigo Bolt then casually walked onto the field, but her appearance was different from the day before. Instead of her usual outfit, she instead wore what appeared to be a white, toga-like robe with a long, flowing skirt and a dark-blue cape on her back. The top was fastened in place with a ruby-red brooch and a gold necklace with shoulder pads. she also wore a pair of bracelets and anklets, a pair of sandals, and a ring-like crown on her head with a red jewel in its center. Her Duel Pad was also a little different, as it was shaped like a crossbow. In addition, Bolt wasn't wearing her glasses this time, opting instead for contact lenses.

"Well, isn't this interesting!" Megan commented. "Seems Ms. Bolt decided to dress up for the occasion! I must say, it sure looks...powerful."

"You better believe it is!" Indigo replied. "Just a little something to help get me in the mood. After all, if I'm gonna be fighting like a warrior, I'd better look the part, as well."

"Well, it's good to see you so enthusiastic for your matches. Just don't get too overconfident." Sunset told her. "After all, you won't be fighting computer opponents this time." Bolt nodded as she walked over to join the others.

Reading the next name off the list, Megan then said, "Our next competitor's origins are also unknown. What is known is that she was a member of a former singing group. And now she makes her debut as a tournament Duelist! Introducing our next contestant...Sonata Dusk!! Along with her coaches, Adagio and Aria!"

As Sonata and her sisters walked onto the field, there was some cheering in the audience. But none of those cheers were coming from CHS students. After all, they knew just how much trouble those three girls were in the past.

"Well, here they come..." Rarity said to her friends next to her.

"Rrrrgh...I can't stand them just walking out there so casually!" Rainbow grumbled. "It's like they forgot about all the mess they caused here before!"

"Well, we can't bust 'em for doin' somethin' like that, Dash." Applejack informed her. "Until they ACTUALLY cause trouble, we'll just hafta sit and stay quiet. So just cool yer jets for now."

"Besides, Sunnie'll keep a close eye on them and make sure they don't do anything bad again! She can do it!" Pinkie assured them all.

Sunset glanced over at the Dazzlings as Adagio gave a sly glance back. (I don't know what you're up to...) Sunset thought, (but whatever it is, it's not going to ruin this tournament...) Looking into the audience, she saw Snips and Snails sitting together. Earlier, she had asked them to keep an eye on the Dazzlings for her and her friends as well. Sunset hoped that would be enough to ensure that the tournament would go smoothly.

For now, the otherworldly girl put her concerns aside and began to introduce the next contestant. "Our next Duelist," she announced, "also comes to us from Griffonstone High School. Although she is said to be relatively new to Duel Monsters, I've been informed that she had been personally trained in dueling by Gilda, one of our other competing Duelists! And it's obvious that her training is paying off, for she now stands here as one of our elite sixteen! Please give a round of applause for Gabby!"

The Griffonstone freshman ran out onto the field with her usual level of excitement and energy. "Yeah! yeah! YEAH!!" she cheered to herself as she joined the others on the field.

Smirking a bit, Gilda said to her school friend, "Congrats on gettin' this far, Gabby! Course, it doesn't surprise me: After all, I taught you everything I know 'bout dueling."

"I know!" said Gabby in a cheerful tone. "And now look at me: I'm gonna be in the main tournament! I could even win it all! I'm so excited!"

"Just don't get too ahead of yourself, Gabby." Gilda warned her. "You got a long ways t' go still before you can get to the end. Just take it one Duel at a time, and only worry about the finals when ya get there. Got it?"

"Got it!" the enthusiastic girl replied with a nod before heading off to where she was supposed to be.

"Our next competitor is another Duelist who wants to make his tournament debut right here in front of all of you in the audience!" Megan stated. "He is a guitarist for a band partially named after him... Not to mention the ex-boyfriend of our tournament Judge here."

Embarrassed and blushing after hearing her say that, Sunset said to the MC, "Urk...! H-hey!! You can't tell them that!!"

"Uh...yeah...I guess that might've crossed a line. Sorry." Clearing her throat, Megan continued, saying, "Anyway, allow me to introduce our next Duelist, Flash Sentry!"

The blue-haired boy then ran out onto the field to join with the other competitors. He then walked over to Sunset and told her, "I'm sorry about that. Believe me, I didn't ask her to mention the thing about us being exes."

"It's okay." Sunset told him. "It was my fault, probably. I mentioned it to her before we got started, but I didn't think she'd tell everyone else about it, not that it's much of a secret to everyone here."

"Again, REALLY sorry about that." said Megan, feeling a little bad about mentioning such a touchy subject.

"Eh, it's probably for the best anyway." Flash admitted. "At least now that everyone knows it, we don't have to keep it a secret." The red-and-yellow girl nodded to say that she agreed with that. "Anyway, good luck as Judge out there: I know you'll do great." he told her.

"Thanks, Flash." Sunset replied as he walked off to join the other Duelists. The Judge then looked at her list and announced, "Our next Duelist competing here today may not seem like the competitive type. But as a Duelist who has battled her once before, I can most certainly say that she is much stronger than she looks! Everyone, give a round of applause for our part-time Duelist, part-time Cello enthusiast...Octavia Melody! Along with her friend/coach, Vinyl 'DJ Pon-3' Scratch!"

On cue, the two musically-inclined friends walked out onto the football field together. As they walked over to meet with the other Duelists, Vinyl said to her friend, "Good luck out there, Tavi. I'll be rootin' for ya all the way!"

Smiling the cello-player said to her friend, "Thank you, Vinyl. With you by my side, I shan't play at any less but my best!" She then stared at her Deck in deep thought before looking over at Sunset next. Then, she took her place with the other competitors.

Taking a look at the next name on the list, Megan told the audience, "Our next Duelist also comes to us from out of town. According to my notes here, he is the son of a former Mixed Martial Arts fighter. But now he comes here to a different sort of fighting ring, where his strength will rely on the power of his mind and his Deck! But he has stated that - whether he battles in the octagon or in a dueling arena, he plans to aim for the top! So now I present to you...Sol Burner!!"

Everyone watched and cheered as a young, medium-sized teenage boy walked out towards the football field. He had ash-grey skin, with bright orange eyes and scruffy blue hair with orange highlights. His outfit consisted of a red checkered shirt overtop a white shirt with a blue fireball imprinted on it, blue jeans, and sneakers with a flame pattern on them. He also seemed a bit on the muscular side, likely due to his training in MMA-style fighting. On his arm was a Duel Pad that was colored orange and blue, just like the rest of him.

"Woah...check that guy out." Gilda said as he took his place with the others. "He looks like he could tear a phone book right in half... Or maybe a phone BOOTH."

"Sure looks like it..." said Sweetie Belle, secretly hoping she wouldn't have to fight him first.

Checking the list, Sunset then told the crowd, "Our next Duelist comes from quite a long ways away as well, coming all the way from Texas! The eldest among his siblings, he is an avid basketball player, having carried his high school team quite far during his senior year. But he claims that he has an even bigger love for dueling, and wants to make his mark here as well! So now, without further ado, allow me to introduce...Slid Diamond!"

The next Duelist to enter the football field was a tall male with light-brown skin and short black hair, along with brown eyes behind a pair of glasses. Although he was apparently the oldest among his siblings, his outfit suggested that he had a great amount of youth still inside of him: His clothing consisted of a black and white baseball cap, a short-sleeved red shirt, black shorts, and a pair of red shoes with long, white socks sticking out. His D-Pad was red in color as well, matching most of his outfit. He then took his place with the other competitors, seemingly ready for anything.

"Next," Megan continued, "we would like to introduce a Duelist who prides himself on trying all sorts of new things and always planning ahead! And as a Duelist, such valuable traits are highly desirable to becoming a champion! So now, I introduce to you, the Duelist who is always in pursuit of something new to learn: Bright Mind!"

The next person to walk out onto the field was a younger-looking boy - not as young as Sweetie Belle or Indigo Bolt, but close to it, with grey skin, dark-green hair, and dark-green eyes with a pair of glasses. He wore a grass-green sweater vest overtop a plain white undershirt, blue jeans, and green sneakers. Even his Duel Pad had a shade of green to it as it shimmered in the sunlight.

"Safe to assume what his favorite color is." Octavia stated.

"Yeah...I bet he never has t' worry about gettin' pinched on St. Patrick's Day." Vinyl commented.

Sunset then read the next name on the list and said, "And finally, our last competitor. Like a few of our other Duelists here, this one's origins are unknown, but he's traveled all over the country atop his Duel Runner, with no set destination in mind. But today, he has come here with a goal, and that is to become a tournament champion and get a shot at the World Championships! So please help me greet our last competitor, Steel Shadows!"

Everyone cheered as a boy in his late teens walked onto the football field. His skin was a metallic grey in color, complimented by long, black hair done up into a ponytail that drooped to his upper back area. Part of his hair was white, which covered his left eye. His eyes were a bright blue, suggesting that - underneath his rough-looking exterior, lied a pure soul. His outfit consisted of a black leather jacket with a grey shirt underneath, black pants, and large work boots. On each of his wrists was a black spiked band, and his D-Pad was also jet-black in color.

Steel Shadows then glanced over at the rest of the competing Duelists, particularly Ember. He walked over and said to her in a stoic tone of voice, "You must be Ember."

"Uh, you know about me?" asked the blue-skinned girl.

"...I stopped by Bloodstone on my way here." he told her. "I heard rumors about how good your were, and that you were planning to join this tournament." Turning around and preparing to walk away, he then said to Ember, "...I'm looking forward to a Duel with you." As he walked off, the girl from Bloodstone - as well as some of the other contestants, just looked on, wondering what he meant by that. One thing that they could see however, was his enormous fighting spirit; they could tell that he wasn't going to go down easily.

"And with that, we have our sixteen Duelists for the WCQ Qualifier Tournament!" announced Megan as the crowds cheered loudly. "And now," she continued, "Mr. Jay Dunstan - our tournament host, has come to make an announcement of his own!" She then handed the mic over to the man as he made his way to the center of the field.

Speaking into the mic, Mr. Dunstan said, "For a tournament as significant and momentous as this one, I think we should have a more appropriate setting for our Duels here. So I ask everyone to put on their Duel Gazers and switch them on right now!"

Everyone, including the audience, the contestants, and even the event organizers did as he said and activated their gazers. And when they did, they were surprised at what they saw. "Holy horseapples!!" exclaimed Applejack. "It's a giant arena!!" Through the use of AR programming, Canterlot High's football field had been transformed into a Roman-style coliseum.

"InCREDIBLE!!" said Rarity. "This absoLUTELY remarkable!"

"Yeah, this is so awesome!!" added Rainbow Dash. "Havin' the Duelists fight each other in a place like this! So cool!"

"It sure is, Dashie!" Pinkie chimed in. "Though I think Kaiba had the idea first."

In the center of the football field-turned coliseum, Sunset spoke to the audience, saying, "And now, with all of that said, we are ready to begin the WCQ Qualifiers!" Smiling, she then added, "But before we begin the tournament proper, I'd first like to introduce our two special guests. I'm sure many of you are wondering just who these surprise guests are... Well you'll wonder no more, because I'm going to introduce them both right now!"

Sunset then pointed over to the building where all of the tournament participants had previously been in as she said, "I've asked these two guests to make an appearance here today; after all, what better way to kick off the tournament than to have these two come out here and hold a special exhibition match right here, right now?!"

"An exhibition match?" asked Babs Seed.

"But who's goin' up against who?" asked Apple Bloom.

Smiling a little, Sunset continued her speech, saying, "Allow me to introduce two very special people who have agreed to give you all a mere taste of what to expect in major tournaments such as this one! Many of you here might already know who they are, whether it's from their previous roles as Pro Duelists...or their current employment as school principals!"

"Wait a sec..." said Applejack as she and her friends realized who the surprise guests were. "Is she sayin'-?"

"Please give a well-deserved round of applause...for Celestia and Luna!!" shouted Sunset with great enthusiasm.

Just as she said, the principal and vice principal of Canterlot High School walked into the arena, a smile on each of their faces. On their left arms, they each wore their customized D-Pads: Celestia's was shaped like a sun, while Luna's was in the shape of a crescent moon. As they walked out into the arena, the crowds were going wild, excited to see a Duel between former Pros.

"Did you hear what Sunset said, girls?" asked Rarity. "Our principals are about to Duel against each other!"

"That's awesome!!" cheered Rainbow. "I've never seen 'em Duel in person before!"

"I know, Dashie!" Pinkie added. "After all, it's been about 36 episodes since they showed up, and now we're finally gonna see them Duel!"

Looking around at all of their cheering fans, Celestia wiped a small tear and said, "Oh my...I never realized just how much I missed this, Luna."

"I feel the same way, sister." the younger sister responded. "I feel younger just standing here, in front of these cheering crowds..."

"Oh, Luna...stop talking like you're seventy. You're not that old." The elder sister said with a slight giggle. "But you are right: This really takes me back to our glory days as Pro Duelists. It still amazes me that we went from such a highly-competitive life to the humble positions we have now..."

"I agree, sister." said Luna. "But that's life: You never know where it's going to bring you next." She then walked over to Sunset and told her, "Ms. Shimmer, I wish to thank you for convincing us to Duel here for the tournament."

"It's no big deal, really." the otherworldly teen said. "I just overheard you two as you left the party I had in my apartment. I heard you wanted to Duel like Pros again, so I figured it would be a good idea. Twilight agreed too, so she helped arrange everything with Mr. Dunstan."

"Well, we truly appreciate this, Sunset." Celestia told her. She then turned to her sister and told her, "And we promise to show that appreciation by giving this audience the performance of a lifetime, right Luna?"

"Indeed, sister!" the younger sibling replied. "But don't expect this Duel to be like all our others: I plan to defeat you this time around!"

"I'm ready for whatever you have!" said Celestia with vigor in her voice. "And I don't plan to lose, either!"

"And now, ladies and gentlemen," Megan began to say, "our special exhibition match between former Pros Celestia and Luna will now begin!" The two sisters then walked over with Sunset to the center of the arena to prepare for their Duel.

"Alright, you know the rules: Cut and shuffle your opponent's Decks." said the red-and-yellow girl. Celestia and Luna nodded as they took each other's Decks and mixed up the cards in them. Once they were done, they handed the other's cards back to them. "Next, we'll determine the order of play with rock-paper-scissors." The two sisters then shook their hands and showed their choices: Celestia threw scissors, and Luna threw rock. "Luna gets to decide the turn order." Sunset stated.

"I think I'll go first, if you don't mind." the dark-blue woman said.

"Fine with me." said Celestia. The two sisters then walked in opposite directions, taking their respective places in the dueling arena.

"The Decks have been shuffled, the order of play has been determined..." Megan began to say, "and now we're ready to begin what will no doubt be a great Duel between former Pros! Duelists, are you ready?"

"Ready!" shouted both Luna and Celestia as they drew their opening hands (Luna: LP 4,000) (Celestia: LP 4,000). "Let's duel!!" And with that, the battle began...

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With the Duel between Celestia and Luna underway, Sunset stayed in the center of the arena in order to carefully watch both sides' moves. At that moment, Twilight walked up to her friend, carrying Spike in her arms. "Sure is exciting isn't it?" asked the young Princess. "Is it okay if I stand here with you? I'm not disturbing you, am I?"

"It's okay with me, Twilight." Sunset assured her. "Just remember that I'll need to pay close attention to the Duel and make sure it goes smoothly."

"I understand." said Twilight. "I promise that I won't distract you too much."

"So...Celestia and Luna..." said Spike. "Just how good are they, Sunset?"

"They're former Pro Duelists, so naturally, they're both tough customers." the red-and-yellow teen answered him. "Not only that, but they both have wildly different Decks and strategies from each other, so it'll be interesting to see how things go between them." Twilight and Spike looked at each other before turning their attention back to the Duel in progress.

(Sister...) thought Luna, (I've accomplished many great things during our years as Pros... But the one thing I've never managed to do during that time...was defeat you in a Duel. In every major competition that we entered, I always lost to you whenever we were paired up. But I don't plan on letting you beat me so easily this time... This may be a mere exhibition match, but I plan to win it!) Taking a card from her hand, she announced, "I'll start by setting a monster in Defense Mode. Then, I'll place two cards face-down and end my turn."

"Hmmm..." hummed Applejack. "That's usually how Luna starts all'o her Duels: Placin' cards face-down an' keepin' her opponents guessin'."

"Yes, she could be planning just about anything..." Rarity noted. "All we can do is wait and see what she has prepared for her..."

Looking out at her younger sister's field, Celestia thought to herself, (I see you're still up to your old tricks, Luna... But if you think keeping me in the dark about your moves will be enough to scare me, you're in for a surprise!) Preparing to draw her first card in the Duel, the elder sister said, "It's my turn. I draw!" Looking at the card she pulled, she took out a different card from her hand and said, "I'll begin with this Continuous Spell Card: Lightsworn Sanctuary!"

After playing the card, a large, golden shrine appeared behind Celestia. The light that shone on it reflected back in rainbow colors. "Woah...check that thing out!" said Rainbow Dash. "I wonder what that does?"

"I'll explain the effect of my Sanctuary a bit later." Celestia said. "But first, I'll play the Spell Card known as Solar Recharge! First, I must discard this card from my hand to use it: Gragonith, Lightsworn Dragon!"

As the principal of CHS discarded her card to the Graveyard, Sweetie Belle said, "Oh yeah...that's right: Principal Celestia uses a Lightsworn Deck."

"That's a tough Deck..." Ember stated. "Almost all of their monsters have massive attack power and strong special abilities."

"True, but they come at an equally-massive price." Gilda added. "They force their users to mill cards off the top of their Decks. So losing by a Deck-Out is a constant danger. Anyone using Lightsworns has to win quickly, before that happens..."

Continuing her turn, Celestia then said, "Now I can draw two more cards from my Deck. After that, I send two more to the Graveyard off the top of my Deck." She then did just that, drawing two cards and removing two more. "And now that cards have been sent from my Deck to the Graveyard, I now play the effect of Lightsworn Sanctuary! It gains one Shine Counter every time that happens!" At that moment, a glowing ball of light appeared next to the shrine behind her and began to orbit around it (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 0 + 1 = 1).

"With that card out," Sunset told Twilight, "she's turned the disadvantage of losing the cards in her Deck into an advantage. Because that card will get more Shine Counters EVERY time her cards go from the Deck to her Graveyard."

"But what does she plan to use those counters for?" asked Spike.

"I'm sure we'll find out pretty soon..." Twilight told her. "Celestia's one of the smartest people I know back home... And I'm sure her counterpart in this world is every bit as intelligent as she is."

Looking at her hand, Celestia then declared, "Now I'll Summon my Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn in Attack Mode!" The principal's first monster in the Duel was a tanned human man with well-defined abs and short, black hair. He wore a long, purple cloth around his neck like a scarf, and a pair of dark grey pants equipped with white and gold armor. His weapon of choice was a pair of short swords, each colored similarly to his armor (Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000).

"Not a bad first choice..." Rarity noted. "That monster starts out with a decent attack power, but can increase it even more with his ability... And with how Lightsworns work, there is no doubt in my mind that Principal Celestia will use that ability."

As the fashionista predicted, Celestia then said to her sister/opponent, "I now use Raiden's effect: I send the top two cards of my Deck straight to the Graveyard." After pulling the cards out of her Deck, she looked at them and added, "And since one of the two cards is a Lightsworn monster, my Raiden gains an extra 200 attack points, which lasts until the end of your upcoming turn." She then placed the two cards in her Graveyard, and her monster became surrounded by a faint aura of light (Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn: ATK 1700 + 200 = 1900). "And since cards were once again sent to my Graveyard from my Deck," the woman continued, "my Lightsworn Sanctuary gains another Shine Counter." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 1+ 1 = 2)

"Is that all, dear sister?" asked Luna, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm afraid not, Luna..." Celestia responded. "Since the Lightsworn monster that was just sent to my Graveyard was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast, he automatically Special Summons himself. I place him in Attack Mode." The woman's second monster was an anthropomorphic wolf with bright white fur, wearing armor that was similar in color to Raiden's. Wulf was also bare-chested, and he wore a sarong-like cloth around his waist with a pair of green shorts underneath. He carried a trident as his weapon, and it was the same color as his armor (Wulf, Lightsworn Beast: Level 4 / ATK 2100 / DEF 300).

"Wowee!! Cellie got two monsters on the field already!" said Pinkie Pie in her usual excited tone.

"That's two monsters to Luna's one," Applejack pointed out, "so it looks like Celestia's got 'er outnumbered..."

"Or maybe that's what Luna WANTS her to think..." Rarity told her.

Looking out onto her sister's field, Celestia thought to herself, (Luna only has one monster on the field, but it's face-down... Even so, I'm sure that it has some sort of effect, if I know my sister well... Still, I have to take a chance.) Pointing forward, she shouted, "Raiden, attack Luna's face-down monster!" The human man then jumped forward, brandishing his twin blades.

"I thought you might attempt an attack, sister!" Luna told her. "Which means I can now reveal my Ghostrick Jiangshi!" After her monster revealed itself, it was shown to be a small boy-like creature wearing Chinese-styled robes, colored purple and black. He also wore a similarly-colored hat on his head, and had a yellow paper stuck onto his bleached white face (Ghostrick Jiangshi: Level 3 / ATK 400 / DEF 1800).

"A Ghostrick Deck..." said Sunset. "I thought so. Luna's always considered it her favorite."

"What kind of Deck is it?" asked Twilight.

The red-and-yellow girl answered her friend, saying, "It's comprised of mostly Fiend, Spellcaster, and Zombie-Types... And their main gimmick is that they can force themselves - or enemy monsters, face-down. But Ghostricks thrive on being flipped face-down, as that's how they get most of their best combos working. To most Duelists, it's actually not that strong a Deck, but Luna always seemed to make hers work well, and even win with it."

"I guess that sounds pretty impressive..." Spike figured.

Back at the Duel, Luna told her older sister, "Now that you've revealed my Ghostrick Jiangshi by attacking it, you've activated his effect! Now I can add any Ghostrick monster from my Deck whose Level is equal to or lower than the number of Ghostrick monsters I have in front of me. Of course, since all I have is Ghostrick Jiangshi, I can only add a Level 1 monster. So I'll pick my Ghostrick Lantern."

"Nevertheless, my Raiden still destroys your Jiangshi in battle!" Celestia reminded her sibling. And just as she said, her Lightsworn monster had little trouble defeating the small ghost.

"Indeed he does." Luna replied casually. "But that only serves to activate the effect of yet another of my Ghostrick monsters! You see, when one of my Ghostrick monsters is destroyed, I can place my Ghostrick Specter on the field in Defense Mode! And in addition, I can draw another card from my Deck." She then placed her next monster on the field face-down, then drew a card from her Deck.

"That is quite an impressive effect." said Bright Mind. "Now she has another monster to defend herself, and she even got to draw another card from her Deck. A very efficient effect."

"Oh, but I am not done taking cards out of my Deck, sister..." Luna told her sibling. "I now activate one of my face-down cards. The Trap Card... Metaverse! This card takes a Field Spell out of my Deck, and then I can either put it in my hand, or activate it! And I choose the latter option!" Taking her chosen card from the Deck, she then declared, "I activate Ghostrick Mansion!" After she played the card, the arena around them began to change once again, this time turning into a stereotypical haunted house, complete with cobwebs, wrecked furniture, and even a spooky mist all around.

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Ghostrick Mansion
(Field Spell Card)

Monsters cannot attack face-down Defense Position monsters, but can attack directly if all monsters their opponent controls are face-down Defense Position. All effect damage, and battle damage inflicted by monsters other than "Ghostrick" monsters, is halved.

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"Now that the field is more to my liking, sister," Luna told her opponent, "My victory is all but inevitable!"

"Don't be so sure, Luna." Celestia told her younger sister. "I knew you would activate one of your three Field Spells sooner or later, and I'm prepared to take advantage of it right now!" Pointing forward, she then said, "Now that you have one out, I'll use its effect and have Wulf attack you directly!" The principal's second monster then jumped forward with a roar, his trident pointed forward as he rushed in.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow that move." Luna said, taking a card from her hand. "I now activate the effect of Ghostrick Lantern from my hand! Since you've initiated a direct attack against me, I can negate the attack and Summon Lantern face-down!" After placing her monster on the field, a ghostly figure with a pumpkin for a head and carrying a small lantern popped up in front of Wulf, cackling and giggling as he shone a bright light from his lantern. The light blinded Wulf and forced him to back off. Satisfied, the little ghost then flew down into the ground, reappearing on the field in card form.

"Looks like Luna managed to survive the turn, huh?" Vinyl asked Octavia.

"It appears so, Vinyl." the sepia-skinned girl replied. "Not only that, but she now has more monsters on the field than she did when Principal Celestia's turn began."

Smirking, Luna then asked her sibling, "Sister, did you honestly think I would allow you to attack me so easily?"

"...No, I didn't." Celestia answered her with a smile. "I know your style, and am aware of how hard it is to land a blow on you." Taking a card from her hand and placing it into her D-Pad, she then said, "I'll set a card face-down, and end my turn."

"Don't forget, sister." Luna reminded her. "Since Raiden is on your field, his effect forces you to send the top two cards of your Deck to the Graveyard."

"Believe me, I know." Celestia said as she did just that. "Of course, that also means my Lightsworn Sancturay gains an additional Shine Counter (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 2 + 1 = 3). Plus, one of those two cards was Felis, Lightsworn Archer. So due to its effect, I can Summon it in Defense Mode." She then played her next monster, which was another anthropomorphic creature - this time of a cat-like beast, with green hair and wielding a bow as their weapon (Felis, Lightsworn Archer: Level 4 / ATK 1100 / DEF 2000).

"Now Celestia has Luna outnumbered again." Twilight pointed out. "She has one more monster out than she does, just like before."

"Maybe for right now," Sunset said to her, "but if I know Luna's Duels well, it won't be that way for much longer..."

"It's my turn! I draw!" Luna declared as she drew a card from her Deck. She then looked at and smirked. Looking back up towards her sister, she then said to her, "Now I shall Flip Summon both of my face-down monsters, Specter and Lantern!" She then revealed the two monsters on her field; one of them was the same pumpkin-headed ghost that had been seen earlier, and the other was a white ghost with a goofy-looking face painted on it. (Ghostrick Specter: Level 1 / ATK 600 / DEF 0) (Ghostrick Lantern: Level 1 / ATK 800 / DEF 0).

"But...neither of those monsters are anywhere near Celestia's in attack points." said Rainbow Dash. "If they attack, they're toast!"

"Maybe, but Ah've got a funny feelin' that Luna's not goin' after Celestia's monsters..." Applejack informed her cyan-skinned friend.

Taking out the card she had drawn for the turn, the dark-blue woman then announced, "Now I activate the Continuous Spell, Swords of Concealing Light!!" After playing the card, several swords rained down from the dark ceiling above, each one bathed in a pitch-black shadow, and scattered all over Celestia's field.

"Oh no...!" the lighter-skinned woman said to herself, knowing that she was in a tight spot now.

"Thanks to my Swords of Concealing Light," Luna explained, "all three of your monsters are flipped face-down. And furthermore, as long as my Spell Card is active, you cannot change the battle positions of your monsters. That means for the next few turns, you won't be able to attack me with any of those monsters you Summoned last turn!"

"Woah, not bad...!" said an impressed Gilda. "Not only can Celestia not attack with those monsters, but thanks to Luna's Field card, she can attack her directly, since all of her opponent's monsters are face-down!"

"Oh my..." said Fluttershy. "I've seen Luna do this before in her Duel videos, but it's very different seeing it in person...!"

Celestia looked at her now face-down monsters and sighed a bit, saying, "Well, this certainly isn't going to help me..." Smiling, she then said to her younger sister, "Looks like you haven't lost your touch, Luna."

"Just because I'm retired from Pro Dueling doesn't mean I've been slacking off, sister." the vice principal told her. "And this is just the start!" Taking a card from her hand, Luna declared, "Now I'll Summon my Ghostrick Stein in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was based on Frankestein's monster, though it was smaller and was in different colors: Its face was blue, though it still had the stereotypical bolts embedded in its neck, and it outfit was made up of a red, button-down shirt, brown pants, and black shoes, all of them in a tattered state (Ghostrick Stein: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 0).

"And now it's time for my Battle Phase!" Luna announced. "I use the effect of Ghostrick Mansion and attack you directly with all three of my monsters!" Her Ghostrick Stein was the first one to attack, delivering a strong punch to Celestia and deducting some of her Life Points (Celestia: LP 4,000 - 1,600 = 2,400). "And as an added bonus," the dark-blue woman told her, "whenever Stein damages your Life Points in battle, I can add a Ghostrick Spell or Trap Card from my Deck to my hand! I select Ghostrick Break!" after putting the card in her hand she then shouted, "And now for my next attack!"

Celestia shielded herself as best she could as Luna's Ghostrick Specter attacked next, knocking away another six hunderd of her Life Points (Celestia: LP 2,400 - 600 = 1,800). Looking at the face-down card on her field she thought, "My face-down card...it only works if I have a face-up Lightsworn on the field... But as things are now, it won't work...)

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Lightsworn Barrier:
(Continuous Trap Card)

When a "Lightsworn" monster you control is targeted for an attack: You can send the top 2 cards of your Deck to the GY, then target the attacking monster; negate the attack.

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Celestia looked back up in time to see Luna's third monster - Ghostrick Lantern, coming her way. It then reached into its lantern and pulled out what appeared to be a blue fireball. The ghostly monster then tossed the fireball, dealing even more damage to the light-pink woman (Celestia: LP 1,800 - 800 = 1,000). "Urrrgh!" she grunted as she took the hit.

"No way...!" said Sweetie Belle. "She just took out three thousand of Principal Celestia's Life Points in one turn!"

"One more attack like that, and Luna'll beat her!" Apple Bloom said to her friends sitting in the audience with her.

"Yeah... How's the principal gonna come back from that?" asked Scootaloo. "There's no way!"

"Don't forget, Scoots..." Babs Seed told her, "Celestia's a former pro, too. I'm sure she's gonna be just fine out there. After all, you don't get t' be a Pro Duelist without havin' a trick 'r two up yer sleeve..."

"That's all for my Battle Phase for this turn, sister." Luna told her. "On my second Main Phase, I'll set two cards face-down... And then, to make sure that my Specter and Lantern aren't left exposed on the field, I'll Overlay my two Level 1 monsters and build an Overlay Network!" Instantly, her two monsters on the field transformed into a pair of purple lights that flew into a red vortex in the center of the field. "Dark Fiend without a head," she then chanted, "emerge from the blackest night and strike your deathly fear into the souls of mortals! Xyz Summon! Arise, Rank 1! Ghostrick Dullahan!"

Leaping out of the vortex was an armored man on a white horse with a light-purple mane and a silver bridle. The man's dark-colored armor was certainly creepy-looking, but not nearly as much as the fact that he had no head...at least in the spot where it was supposed to be. Instead, he carried his head in his left arm while holding the reins with his right. Floating around him and his horse were a pair of purple orbs (Ghostrick Dullahan: Rank 1 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0 / OLU 2).

"My Xyz Monster gains an additional 200 attack points for each Ghostrick card I have on my field." Luna then explained. "As I currently have Stein and Mansion out, that raises his power by 400." (Ghostrick Dullahan: ATK 1000 + 400 = 1400)

"I see..." Sunset said to herself. "By using her two Level 1 monsters for an Xyz Summon, Celestia can't attack them and do a lot of damage to Luna's Life Points."

"Next," the dark-blue woman continued, "I'll activate Ghostrick Stein's effect, which allows me to change him to Defense Mode and flip him face-down." She then did so, causing the image of the monster to vanish, being instantly replaced with the image of a face-down card. "Of course, this does reduce my Dullahan's attack points, since I now only have a single Ghostrick card that is still face-up (Ghostrick Dullahan: ATK 1400 - 200 = 1200), but now you cannot attack him, due to my Field Spell's effect." Giving a slight smirk, she then said to Celestia, "It's your turn, sister."

"Yes, I suppose it is." the light-pink woman replied, drawing a card from her Deck and looking at it. (Thanks to that Field Spell of hers,) Celestia thought, (I can only attack her Dullahan... But her Swords of Concealing Light prevent me from using any of the monsters I currently have out. So first, I have to get rid of those cards...) Taking the card she had just drawn, the principal declared, "I play my Spell Card, Solar Recharge!"

"Again with that card, I see..." Luna said. "Very well, let us hope for your sake that you draw something decent."

"I don't think I need to worry too much about that." Celestia told her as she discarded one of her Lightsworn monsters, drew two cards, and then sent two more to her Graveyard (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 3 + 1 = 4). Looking at her hand, she then said, "Now I release my Raiden and Tribute Summon...Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!"

Everyone - including Luna, gasped when one of the principal's face-down monsters was immediately removed from the field. In Raiden's place, a female angel with long, blue hair, wearing white and gold armor and a golden yellow halo over her head, floated down from above on a pair of large, white wings. In her gloved hands was a long staff, which radiated a powerful light over the entire field (Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: Level 5 / ATK 2300 / DEF 200).

(Rrrgh...I should have figured that my sister would have that card in her hand by now...) Luna thought.

"Wow...check it out, girls!" Pinkie said to her friends next to her. "Our principal Summoned a monster that's named after her! Orrrrrrr...was SHE named after the monster?"

Smiling, Celestia (the principal, not the angel) told her sister, "I now activate my Lightsworn Angel's effect. After she is Tribute Summoned by releasing a Lightsworn monster, I can send the top four cards of my Deck to the Graveyard and destroy two of your cards!"

"Oh no...!" said the vice principal.

"With that effect, Celestia can break Luna's combo and even possibly get an attack this turn." Sunset said.

"Uh, wait: Which Celestia are ya talking about, Sunset?" asked Spike, getting a little confused from there being TWO figures out there with that name.

"Actually, her statement could apply to either one of them." Twilight pointed out to her puppy assistant.

After ditching four cards off the top of her Deck, the light-pink woman then said, "Now, my angel! Destroy Luna's Ghostrick Dullahan and Ghostrick Mansion!"

"Not so fast, sister!" Luna shouted. "I can't allow you expose my combo's weak point that easily! So I chain my Ghostrick Dullahan's effect! By removing one overlay unit, I can cut the attack points of any of your monsters in half! And I choose your angel!"

"Nevertheless," Principal Celestia told her sibling, "my monster destroys it and your Field Spell all the same."

"I'm afraid my Field Spell isn't going to be subject to her effect after I do this!" Luna then tapped her D-Pad and shouted, "I activate my Trap Card, Ghostrick Renovation!"

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Ghostrick Renovation:
(Normal Trap Card)

Target 1 "Ghostrick" Field Spell in your Field Zone; return it to the hand, then you can activate 1 Field Spell from your hand or Deck. You can banish this card from your GY, then target 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster you control; Special Summon from your Extra Deck, 1 "Ghostrick" Xyz Monster with a different name, by using that target as material. (This is treated as an Xyz Summon. Transfer its materials to the Summoned monster.) You can only use this effect of "Ghostrick Renovation" once per turn.

*******************************

"With my Trap Card's effect, I return my Ghostrick Mansion to my hand!" the vice principal explained. "As a result, it is no longer within your angel's range! But in addition, I now replace it with a new Field Spell from my Deck! And I select...Ghostrick Museum!" Immediately, the area around them changed from a haunted house to a haunted museum. Like the first field card had done before, the surrounding area was bathed in a shadowy cloud, making everything dark around them.

"My word..." Octavia said to her friend, "Luna certainly knows how create such a frightening setting for her Duels."

"I know, it's so awesome!" Vinyl replied, since she was into all of that scary, creepy stuff.

"Now that Luna's Trap Card has resolved," Sunset stated, "the next card in the chain - Ghostrick Dullahan, gets its effect, and Celestia's monster loses half her attack points until the end of this turn (Celestia, Lightsworn Angel: ATK 2300 ÷ 2 = 1150). Then, Lightsworn Angel's effect resolves, and Dullahan is destroyed." And just as the red-and-yellow girl had stated, the powerful angel then raised her staff and shone a holy light on Luna's monster, destroying it completely.

"And don't forget:" Principal Celestia then added, "My Lightsworn Sanctuary gains a Shine Counter, since I had to send cards from my Deck to the Graveyard in order to activate my angel's ability." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 4 + 1 = 5)

"That may be so, sister," Luna said to her, "but thanks to my new Field Spell, any monster that damages a player during battle is automatically flipped face-down. In addition, like my Mansion, my Musuem also prevents either of us from attacking face-down monsters."

"Hold on..." said Rainbow Dash, "I thought that Swords card of Luna's prevents the monsters from switching modes."

"That only applies to switching their positions manually." Rarity told her. "It doesn't prevent against card effects that switch a monster's battle position. That means that angel will be flipped face-down after she attacks, and the principal won't be able to switch it back until the Swords card wears off."

"Man...Ah wonder she'll get outta this one?" asked Applejack. "Seems like too tough a situation t' get out of, even for her."

Smiling a little, Luna then said to her sister, "While you mull over how you could possibly escape my trap, I'll activate another! I play Ghostrick Break! Since a single Ghostrick monster was just destroyed by your monster's effect, I can use my Trap Card to bring back two of them from my Graveyard and place them face-down! So I return my Ghostrick Jiangshi and Ghostrick Lantern to the field in Defense Mode!" In an instant, two more face-down card images appeared on the field. "Furthermore," she continued, "due to the effect of Dullahan, I can now return my Ghostrick Specter to my hand!"

"Hmmm...I see." said Principal Celestia. "Not a bad move, Luna. It's good to see that our retirement from Pro Dueling hasn't affected your skills one bit. But you should know, I haven't slacked off on my dueling either!" Playing her next card, she announced, "I activate another copy of Solar Recharge!"

"What?? Another one??" asked Luna.

After resolving her Spell Card, the light-pink woman then told her sister, "With the two cards I sent to my Graveyard just now, my Sanctuary gets another Shine Counter (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 5 + 1 = 6). Also, because I had sent my Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden to the Graveyard from my Deck, I must send an additional card along with her... But that means I can place yet another counter on my Sanctuary!" (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 6 + 1 = 7)

"Hmmm...quite a costly turn for you, dear sister." said Luna. "Your Deck is almost nearly gone, and you haven't found a way to break through my defenses."

"Actually, thanks to my Minerva, I now have a way to break your board and win the Duel." Principal Celestia told her.

"Wh-what?!" exclaimed the dark-blue woman.

(I wonder what Celestia has planned...?) thought Ember. (Whatever it is, she seems pretty sure she can win the Duel with it.)

Taking the card that she had just sent from her Deck to the Graveyard, Principal Celestia showed it to Luna and asked, "Do you remember this card?"

"Oh no...!" said Luna, becoming a bit frightened by the card she was looking at. "Not Lightsworn Judgment!"

"It is, Luna." the principal told her. "And after it is sent to the Graveyard through the effect of a Lightsworn monster, I can add my Deck's most powerful card from my Deck to my hand..."

"Most powerful card?" asked Sweetie Belle. She then asked Gilda, "What card's that?"

"Judgment Dragon." the Griffonstone student answered her. "One of the most devastating Monster Cards ever printed, and the boss monster of Lightsworn Decks. I had a feeling that your principal wasn't just blowin' smoke when she said she'd win the Duel this turn..."

"Oh my..." was all that Fluttershy could respond with, wondering just what would happen next.

Taking the card in question out of her Deck and putting it into her hand, Principal Celestia then said, "Before I call upon this monster, I have a few other moves to make first. So I play Monster Reborn and revive Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, which I had previously discarded to activate one of my Solar Recharge Spells." Right after she played her card, however, the woman then added, "But in addition to that, I also chain my Emergency Provisions Quick Play Spell. I now send Monster Reborn and my face-down Lightsworn Barrier to the Graveyard to regain two thousand more Life Points." (Celestia: LP 1,000 + 2,000 = 3,000)

"Wow...she just recovered from most of the damage Luna gave her last turn!" said Derpy.

(Not only that,) the ever-quiet Steel Shadows thought to himself, (Celestia still gets the effect of Monster Reborn, even though she sent it to her Graveyard. So she still gets her monster back.)

After Celestia resolved her Monster Reborn card, she then Summoned her second monster this turn. It was a female human wearing white robes with gold trims (similar to the armor worn by Celestia's other monsters), with a bit of her midriff exposed. She had short, blond hair and tanned skin, wore a small tiara on her head, and both of her hands were glowing brightly (Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1000).

"And what do you plan to do with her?" asked Luna.

"I'm glad you asked, Luna." the light-pink woman replied. "By discarding a card from my hand, Lumina allows me to bring back any Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster back from the Graveyard." After discarding a card from her hand, she then stated, "I select my Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn, Level 4!" And just like that, her first monster of the Duel had returned to the field. "And since Raiden happens to be a Tuner Monster...I can now do this! I tune Raiden, Level 4...to Lumina, Level 3!"

"She's Synchro Summoning...!" exclaimed Fluttershy as she and the other competitors watched on. Raiden bathed himself in a mighty light as he then split into four smaller lights that flew up into the sky. They came back down as four green rings that surrounded Lumina, transforming her into a trio of small lights as well (Level 4 + Level 3 = Level 7).

"Almighty leader of the Lightsworns," Principal Celestia chanted, "lead the souls of fallen warriors and banish the evil that dares to oppose you! Synchro Summon! Come forth from Heaven above, Level 7! Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn!!" After the chant was finished, the green rings and white lights were engulfed in a pillar of light that shone all over the arena. When the light finally faded away, a powerful man was now standing there. He wore golden armor, with a set of metallic wins on his back and carried an enormous sword in his right hand. His powerful, muscular form told everyone around him that he was not one to be trifled with (Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn: Level 7 / ATK 2600 / DEF 2000).

Luna gulped a little upon seeing her sister's Synchro Monster gracing her side of the field, but calmed herself down a little, thinking, (Calm down, Luna...even if both of my sister's monsters attack me, I'll still have Life Points left; their combined attack power right now is only 3,750...that would still leave me with 250 points...)

"Now I use the effect of Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn." Principal Celestia then said. "By paying one thousand Life Points (Celestia: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000), I can banish any one card on the field. And I choose your Ghostrick Museum!" Luna gasped as her sister's monster used his power to wipe out her Field Spell Card. This caused the arena to revert back to its default appearance.

"Why'd she do that?" asked Gabby. "She could've attacked Luna directly with her two monsters and give her a lot of damage..."

"Yeah, but if Celestia did that," Flash said to her, "then the Field card would've flipped all her monsters face-down and left her vulnerable next turn. But now that the Field Spell's gone, she doesn't have to worry about that anymore."

Luna huffed a little and told Principal Celestia, "You may have rid the field of my Museum, but by doing so, you no longer are able to attack me directly, sister. After I survive your next attack, I'll reactivate Ghostrick Mansion and use the monsters I have left to deplete the rest of your Life Points!"

"But unfortunately for you, Luna," the light-pink woman began to tell her, "you WON'T survive my next attack." Taking out a card from her hand and showing it, she then asked her, "Did you already forget about my Judgment Dragon?"

"Oh no..." the vice principal uttered, knowing that she was in trouble.

"Oh yes." Principal Celestia told her. "And since I have at least four different Lightsworn monsters in my Graveyard now, I can call him to the field!" Holding up her card, she then chanted, "Almighty dragon with the powers of a god...come to us from the heavens above and pass judgment upon the wicked and evil! Descend now! Judgment Dragon!!"

Everyone watched with amazement and some fear as the dark skies above began to shine a powerful light down to the earth below. From out of that light came a beautiful - yet powerful, dragon. Its head, body, wings, and limbs were all pure white in color. The only parts of it that were not white were its claws and eyes, each of them a brilliant red. The dragon roared loudly to show it amazing power (Judgment Dragon: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2600).

"Incredible..." said Ember, impressed by the powerful beast that had now appeared. "In all my years dueling, I never got to see Judgment Dragon right in front of me..."

"It looks so pretty..." Sweetie Belle complimented. "And it looks so fluffy, too! I just wanna go over there and hug it!"

"Seriously...what is it with you people and hugging things?" the Bloodstone girl then asked her.

Staring into the face of her sister's most powerful monster, Luna knew that she was in the worst possible situation. "No... I was hoping to win this Duel BEFORE she could call up her Judgment Dragon...!"

"I'm afraid this Duel's over." said Principal Celestia. "I now activate the effect of Judgment Dragon. At the cost of one thousand more of my Life Points, my dragon can destroy every other card on the field!"

"Did ya hear that, guys?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "Celestia's gonna nuke the whole board!"

"That's why she used her Emergency Provisions card..." Applejack figured out. "So that she could use those extra Life Points t' activate both of her monster's effects!"

"But...if Judgment Dragon destroys everything on the field other than itself," Rarity pointed out, "that means all of Celestia's other cards will be destroyed, too! Even though Judgment Dragon will get a clear shot at Luna afterwards, she won't lose the Duel right away."

"I'm not so sure about that..." Pinkie then said. "I think Cellie's got it allllllll figured out!"

Once Celestia paid the cost of her monster's effect (Celestia: LP 2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000), she then shouted, "Now, Judgment Dragon! Destroy all of the other cards on the field!!" The principal's monster then lifted its wings up and used the light shining down on it to charge up an enormous ball of energy. Once the sphere was fully powered-up, the dragon roared as the sphere exploded, engulfing everything on the field.

The powerful blow wiped out all of Luna's monsters at once, along with her Swords of Concealing Light. But the vice principal then shouted, "I activate the effect of Ghostrick Specter in my hand! When any of my Ghostrick monsters are destroyed, I can Special Summon Specter face-down and draw one card!" Once she did that, Luna then thought to herself, (With this, I can at least survive one more turn...) But when the dust settled after Judgment Dragon's blast, the dark-blue woman gasped and said, "WHAT?! But how?!? Your Micheal and Celestia are still on your field?!"

"What happened?" asked Derpy Hooves. "I thought that dragon was supposed to destroy every card on the field except itself... So how come Celestia's other monsters are still there?"

"I'd tell you," the light-pink woman said to her sister, "but I believe that's Ms. Shimmer's job to explain what just happened, am I right?"

Getting the message, Sunset then said to everyone, "Normally, when Judgment Dragon uses its effect, it destroys all of the other cards on the field. However, Celestia still had her Lightsworn Sanctuary on the field. Its effect allows Celestia to remove 2 Shine Counters from her field in order to save one of her own cards from being destroyed by a card effect. By this point, her Sanctuary had acquired a total of seven Shine Counters, so she removed six of them to prevent Celestia, Lightsworn Angel, Micheal, the Arch-Lightsworn, and the Sanctuary itself from being wiped out by Judgment Dragon's effect." (Lightsworn Sanctuary: Shine Counters 7 - 6 = 1)

"She had this Duel all planned out from the start." Twilight noted. "She sent her cards to the Graveyard as often as possible not only to help Summon her dragon, but also build up the counters on her Spell Card in order to protect the monsters she had out."

"That's amazing...!" said Spike. "She knew what she was doin' the whole time!"

All of the tournament participants were equally as amazed by Principal Celestia's strategy. Ember in particular, was the most impressed. (So...this is what a Duel in the Pro Leagues is like...) she thought. (If that's the case...I can't wait to get in there myself!)

Luna was no doubt devastated by how easily her sister had managed to eliminate her advantage. Sighing, she said to her, "That's it then... There's nothing I can do to stop you from winning now." Even in the face of defeat, the dark-blue woman smiled and told her sibling, "But don't count me out yet, sister! One day, I'll surpass you and never let you back on top!"

Smiling as well, the principal chuckled and told her younger sister, "I'll always be happy to take you on again, Luna. I'm looking forward to it." Pointing forward, she then shouted, "Now for my Battle Phase! I attack your monster with Celestia, Lightsworn Angel!" Even though its attack power had been cut in half, it was more than powerful enough to destroy Luna's remaining monster on the field.

"Well, seems like it's over now." said Applejack. "Once Celestia attacks with her other two monsters, this Duel's done."

"It's a bit sad to see Luna lose after fighting so well..." Rarity commented.

"Yeah, tell me about it..." added Rainbow Dash. "She came real close, too."

"Maybe, but they fought such an amazing Duel and had so much fun out there!" Pinkie chimed in. "In my book, that makes them BOTH winners! I know, it sounds a little cliché, but it's totally true!" Celestia and Luna felt the same way: Deep down, they knew that enjoying the game was far more important than winning or losing. As long as they had fun while playing, nothing else really mattered, and that was something that they hoped all of the Duelists watching them would always remember, even in the thick of competition.

"Now, Micheal and Judgment Dragon! Attack Luna directly and end this Duel!!" Celestia ordered her other two monsters. The armored man then leapt on top of Judgment Dragon's back as the mighty white beast flew towards Luna. The two them each fired a beam towards the dark-blue woman; Micheal shot his through his sword, while Judgment Dragon launched its beam from its mouth. The two streams then merged together and struck Luna directly. The vice principal just stood there smiling, satisfied from a Duel well-fought even as she took the combined attacks of both Micheal (Luna: LP 4,000 - 2,600 = 1,400) and Judgment Dragon (Luna: LP 1,400 - 3,000 = 0) (WINNER: Celestia).

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"This Duel is over!!" announced Sunset Shimmer. "The winner is Principal Celestia!" The crowds cheered for not only Celestia, but also for Luna as well for their incredible Duel.

"Wow!! What an amazing start to our tournament!" spoke Megan Williams. "These two former Pro Duelists have just proven that they've still got it even after their retirement! Do we know how to kick off a tournament or what?"

Walking over to Sunset, Celestia said to her, "Thank you again for having us come here and Duel. That was the most fun that I've had in quite a while, don't you agree Luna?"

"I must admit, I did enjoy myself...despite my loss to you." answered the vice principal. "Even so, I shall not give up trying to outdo you, sister. So don't expect me to go so easy on you next time."

"I'm always happy to Duel you anytime, anywhere." said the light-pink woman. And with that, the two Pro Duelist siblings shook hands with each other, congratulating the other for a battle well-fought.

"That was the coolest thing ever!" said Scootaloo.

"Yeah it sure was, huh?" asked Babs. "Now I can see how they got t' be Pro Duelists all'o those years ago... I'd love t' see how I'd do against 'em myself. What about you, Bloom?"

"Um...maybe." replied Apple Bloom. "But maybe I'll first try t' beat mah big bro and big sis before Ah even think about fightin' Celestia or Luna."

"And now that our special exhibition match is through," Megan began to say to the crowds, "Let's begin the tournament proper with our first Duel of Round One! To ensure fairness during the Round One Duels, each pair of Duelists will be chosen at random before each Duel starts! According to the rules, no Duelist may change the contents of their Deck after they have registered it for the tournament! Therefore, no one will be able to prepare for their opponents ahead of time!"

"That means these Duels must be won using your own power alone, without having any inside information about your opponent!" Sunset then added. "So without further ado, let's select our first pair of Duelists!"

Everyone then turned their attention to the big screen monitor, where two empty squares were displayed. But the squares didn't stay empty for long: Each square then cycled through portraits of each of the competing Duelists, slot machine style. To further emphasize this, the monster Slot Machine stood in-between the portrait areas, bobbing up and down.

Microphone in hand, Megan then spoke into it, saying, "And the first two Duelists to compete will be..."

-- To Be Continued...