For one so young, Twilight Sparkle had experienced more worry and stress than anyone three times her age. And no time was she more stressed then right now, after seeing her boyfriend recklessly rush into a ball of unknown energy. A ball she could not currently get into.
"Come on!" Scootaloo cried as she threw a rock into the orb, only for the lightning around it to blast it back at her.
"Twilight!" They looked around and spotted Sunburst and Starlight rushing towards them, having just arrived. "What's going on?" The former member of team Dominator asked, "where's Flash." Twilight's response was to point at the orb, the two only now noticing its presence in the darkness.
"He's in there."
Sunburst looked around, "isn't this the same spot Flash was first taken?"
Scootaloo nodded, "yeah. This is where we fell into the Void."
Sunburst looked back at the orb. "It's possible this is a residual effect of that occurrence."
"But Void was destroyed," Spike pointed out.
"That doesn't mean the energy from the place isn't around," Sunburst pushed his glasses back up his nose. "And if this thing is made up of the same energy, that means Flash is in danger of being taken over."
Twilight nodded, "Void was created so Zeronull could Dominate the person inside." Her memory flashed back to earlier when she spotted Flash's gloved hand. "This is all my fault!" She cried, placing her hands on her head. "I knew I shouldn't have ignored it."
"Ignored what?" Misty asked her.
"Flash was wearing gloves, just like the Dominators. And why did they do that?"
"To hide the markings on their hand," Misty's eyes went wide.
Twilight looked down at her hand. "When we were in Void, we had an Omega symbol on our hands. When they were complete, that's when Zeronull would take us over. And none of them was more complete then Flash's." She turned to the others, "it's possible the mark was completed before we escaped. And if that's the case..." She couldn't keep going, instead turning to look into the orb. "Flash."
"DARN IT!" Spike cried, punching his hand into his fist. "What were we thinking, letting Flash go off like that."
"We couldn't have known this would happen," Starlight told him.
"Yes we could," Scootaloo cried. "Who else were the Zealots gonna target? It's always my brother that has to be put in danger. Why can't somebody else be the one who has all this stuff happening to them."
"ENOUGH!" They all turned to Misty as he cried out, "Rather than talk about what we should have done or about stuff being unfair, let's actually do something. First things first, we need to contact everyone and let them know what's happened." She then turned to the orb, "there has to be some way in there. With more people helping, we'll get it there and save both Flash and Cold." Everyone remained still for a moment before all nodding, agreeing wholeheartedly.
They were gonna find a way into that orb. And hopefully, it wasn't too late.
Within the dark orb, Flash had just arrived and found the most worrying of sights
Cold on his knees, looking like he was a strong wind away from keeling over. Discord was also there, his ace monster floating behind him. And as Flash rushed over to him, the man almost fell over until Flash caught him. "COLD!"
Discord chuckled, "the Pendulum Singularity."
"Hey," Flash cried as Cold clutched his chest, "pull yourself together." Cold just let out another pained cry, Flash glaring up at Discord. "You did this to him?"
Discord smiled while opening his arms. "You will see my curse in action," he then pointed at Cold's Duel Disk. "Every time he loses life points, his life force is reduced bit by bit." Flash looked confused by this, clearly wondering how he was doing this. "In this form my powers are limited. But thanks to the blessing of Lord Zeronull, I have a one time use of great power. And with it, I will slay he who threatens our most noble quest."
"There's nothing noble about your quest," Flash growled. "Stop this now."
"No," Discord shook his head, "not when I'm so close. With you here, everything is ready." He snapped his fingers, Flash and Cold unsure what it was for until they suddenly felt the world around them move at high speed.
"WOW!"
Twilight and the others were trying to come up with a way to get into the orb when it suddenly flew up, shooting straight into the night sky. "FLASH!"
They tried to keep an eye on the orb, but it seemed to merge into the darkness of the night and completely disappear. "NO!" Scootaloo cried.
"Not again," Misty worried while the others just stood their slack-jawed and terrified. One could only wonder what was happening in that orb at that moment.
"What did you do?" Flash asked once the moving had stopped.
Discord smiled, "made sure no one else would disturb us. This'll also make transporting you a lot easier."
"Me?"
"If your friend wins this match, you'll be set free. But if he loses, his life will end and I'll take you to complete your destiny and become the vessel of our Lord."
"That...won't happen," Cold grunted as he tried to pick himself up. But as soon as he tried to stand up straight, another burst of pain flew through his body. "RAAAAARRRRRHAAAAAAAAAAR!"
"COLD!" Flash grabbed him again, his heart aching at the sound of his pain. "Hang in there." He turned to Discord, "we won't die if he wins the Duel?"
Discord nodded, "if he can survive to the end of the match." He then smiled a sinister smile. "But right now, it doesn't look too good."
"Then I'll take over." To say Discord wasn't expecting that would be an understatement.
"What?" He asked as Flash took Cold's Duel Disk off him and placed it on his own arm. "You're offering to Duel in his place?"
"Yeah," Flash nodded.
"Sure you want too? You're aware that if you lose, your friend will die. Sure you want to put his life in your hands?"
Flash looked unsure at this question. But then, Cold grabbed his jacket. "Flash," he turned to him and saw a look of confidence like he'd never seen before. "I'll leave it...to you."
"Cold?" His mentor just nodded, Flash smiling back. "Alright." He held Cold sit down before grabbing the cards he'd dropped before.
"Very well then," Discord smiled as Flash began looking over all the cards. The ones in his hand, the ones on the field and the ones in the grave.
'Life points, sixteen hundred to twenty-eight hundred.' He glanced back at Cold. 'Looking at the cards, I can get an idea of what strategy you were using and how you wanted the Duel to continue from here.' His mind suddenly flashed back to all the Duels they'd had over the time they'd known each other, while a certain phrase echoed.
"In a Duel, a person's true nature is revealed."
"I know I can figure out how he Duels better than anyone," Flash stated before looking back at Cold. "We'll win this and live."
Cold smiled. "Yeah. Go for it."
Discord chuckled. "This is sure to be an interesting exchange. Just don't be too heartbroken when you lose."
"I won't," Flash stated as he drew his card. "My turn!" The portal formed above his head, Cold's strategy fresh in the teen's mind. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a single light shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal Cold's ace monster as it stood behind Flash. "Frozen Heart Neo Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5) "Neo Frozen Heart's skill!" The dragon's hip-mounted blasters aimed at Discord's Shadow Reaper Trap before firing, the card freezing before shattering into multiple pieces. (A3300/D2500/L8/P5)
"Not bad," Discord smirked.
Flash didn't reply, instead focusing on his turn. "Then I summon Frozen Heart Diplocaulus!" An ice egg appeared before shattering to reveal the ice fish. (A1000/D1000/L3/P8) "And when its Normal Summoned, its ability activates." Flash drew five cards, picked one and shuffled the rest back into the deck. "Level six."
Discord thought for a moment before deciding. "Higher."
Flash smirked, "nope. Lower. Come on out, Frozen Heart Fencer!" An ice egg appeared before shattering to reveal a young woman in ice-themed clothing carrying a sword made of ice. (A1600/D1400/L4/P6) "When she's on the field in ATK mode, every Frozen Heart monster gets a four hundred points ATK boost." The three monsters glowed as their attack power rose. (A3700/D2500/L8/P5) (A1400/D1000/L3/P8) (A2000/D1400/L4/P6)
Discord nodded. "You're making good use of the deck. Almost as if it were your own."
"He's my friend," Flash explained. "I've known him a long time. Besides," he glanced back at Cold while smiling, "he's done so much for me." Memorised of all the times Cold had helped him grow and learn to push past his limits, even willing to stand in for him during the dangerous moments. "You've helped me out. And now I'll help you." Cold nodded back as Flash turned to Discord, "starting now! Neo Frozen Heart, ATTACK!"
The dragon leapt into the air as it brought its hands together. "Neo Frozen Heart's skill!" Mantis appeared between its hands before shattering into millions of ice shards, which the dragon used to make a snowball that it tossed towards Draconequus. (A2400/D2500/L8) Seconds later, Neo Frozen Heart flew down and slashed at the serpent-like jigsaw.
"My Damage Flipper now activates," another coin appeared in his hand before he flipped it up. The coin landed, showing the tail. "Heads." Flash raised an eyebrow, "all damage is negated."
"Fine," Flash placed a card into his Duel Disk, "well you activate my Spell card." Out of nowhere, a humanoid shark made of ice appeared. "Frostbiter! I can only activate this Spell when you activate the effect of a Spell or Trap card. It then destroys it." The shark dived into the dark ground and swam toward the Trap, its fin visible, then leapt out and began biting down on Discord's Trap until it was destroyed.
"Not bad," Discord smirked.
"Now," Flash cried, "Fencer will attack you directly!" The knight charged forward, sword at the ready. But when it got within striking distance and thrust her weapon, it instead struck a barrier of dark energy. "What?"
"His face down," Cold pointed out. Flash turned to it and saw it flipped up to reveal another Continuous Trap. Infront of it was a strange-looking device that appeared to be made of stone. It was a pillar of some kind and had a large skull on the top with a black crystal orb in its mouth. Under the pillar was a stone cube with a round clock-face on it. The clock only had one hand and was split into four sections, two black and two white.
"Meet my Chaotic Totem." The crystal orb suddenly had a demotic one floating within it. "By placing a counter on it, I can reduce any battle damage I take to a mere five hundred."
Cold: 1600
Discord: 2300
Flash frowned, "Diplocaulus!" The fished swam forward but struck the barrier as well, the number in the orb changing to a two.
Cold: 1600
Discord: 1800
Flash sighed, "I activate the Spell card Exhaustion. This card lets me change an ATK position monster to DEF mode." Frozen Heart Fencer shifted positions, doing so causing her and the other Frozen Heart monsters to lose ATK points. (A3300/D2500/L8/P5) (A1000/D1000/L3/P8) (A1600/D1400/L4/P6) "I end my turn." Neo Frozen Heart's ATK points returned to its normal amount.
"You are an impressive Duellist. Truly worthy of being the vessel of Zeronull." He then frowned, "if only that silly little dragon hadn't gotten in the way." Flash raised an eyebrow at this. "What, you don't remember. Just before you were released, Lord Zeronull tried to Dominate you. You two were seconds away from becoming one in the same, then something happened."
Flash thought back and remembered the event, along with that something that happened. "Flash Heart."
"Somehow, your monster was able to protect you from master Zeronull. How, I do not know, but I look forward to finding it out once your friend is gone and I take you with me."
"Not happening," Flash told him.
"We'll see," Discord reached for his deck. "It's my turn," He drew his card and smiled at it before a coin appeared in his hand. "First, I'll use Draconequus's ability." He flipped it, "heads." The coin flew through the air until it hit the ground, revealing the side representing heads. "Excellent. Now Draconequus revives."
"What?" Flash asked as the dragonoid beast suddenly reappeared behind Discord, "you gotta be kidding me."
"No joke," Discord told him as two more coins appeared in his hands while the number in his Chaotic Totem changed to zero. Now for my totem's effect. I have the flip the same number of coins as the counters it lost. And if I call any of them wrong, it's destroyed." He flipped the first totem, "heads!" It landed on that side and vanished as he flipped the second, "tails." Once again, it landed on the right side.
"I call hacks," Flash almost yelled.
"Oh, no cheating here. I just happen to be on a very lucky streak. Now," Draconequus snapped its fingers as the die appeared before them, "my other ability activates." The die was cast, with Chaos Control kicking in and changing the roll so it landed on a four. "Now my Draconequus...has Piercing Damage." Flash and Cold's eyes went wide. "What, didn't think I knew about Fencer's ability. You put it into DEF mode because her ability makes her the only monster I can attack. But with his effect, I can wipe you out with one shot."
Flash and Cold both appeared worried by this, but where also confident they could protect themselves.
"Oh, and since I know you'll likely find a way to survive, I'm activating the equipped Spell Plunderseeds." The seeds in question appeared in Draconequus's hand. It threw a few into its mouth to snack on before tossing the others at the ground beneath Neo Frozen Heart's feet. "By banishing a Dark monster from my graveyard, I can now take control of a monster on your field." Flash and Cold's eyes went wide as they turned to the dragon, right as a bunch of black tendrils shot out of the ground and began wrapping around him.
"NOOO!" Cold cried as the beast roared while being pulled over to Discord's side of the field.
"Oh yes. Your Dragon's working for me now."
"Give him back!" Flash yelled, but Discord shook his head.
"I don't think so." He pointed at Flash. "I think it'll be quite fitting for Cold's own monster to bring about his end. But first, Draconequus!" The beast's horns sparked with dark energy before shooting off towards Fencer. If it hit, the Duel was over.
"I activate my face down!" Flash cried as the card flipped up to reveal a Trap. Seconds later, a copy of the Chaotic Totem appeared infront of the card. "Trap Pretender!" He discarded a card. "By ditching a card from my hand, this Trap lets me copy the effect of a Trap on your field and give it to this one." A barrier appeared before Fencer that blocked the lighting, though it was still able to break through a zap her. But as the ice knight was destroyed, the totem's number changed to a one.
"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" Cold screamed as his life points were reduced.
Cold: 1100
Discord: 1800
"COLD!" Flash cried as he looked back at him, seeing the man clutch his chest in pain. "Just hold on."
"I don't think he'll be able too," Discord told him as Neo Frozen Heart was forced to attack Diplocaulus. The dragon slashed at the fish, shredding it while the fake Chaotic Totem's number turned to a two.
"GLAAAAAAAAAAHAAARAAAAAAAAAA!" Cold screamed again, Flash needing to clutch his eyes closed to try and drown out the sound.
Cold: 600
Discord: 1800
Discord smiled at the sight before him, giving Flash a sinister look. "I commend you for trying to save him, but you must now see how hopeless it is."
"Nothing's hopeless," Flash told him. "Not while I've still got cards to play."
"If you say so," Discord turned to Neo Frozen Heart. "I end my turn." As he said that, the dark vines wrapped tighter around the dragon and made it cry out in pain as the thrones dug into its body. "During my end phase, the monster equipped with Plunderseeds loses three hundred ATK points." (A2700/D2500/L8/P5)
"My draw," and when he saw what he'd gotten he smiled. But before he could play it, his Chaotic Totem's effect kicked in and two coins appeared in his hand.
"Time to test your luck," Discord smirked.
Flash frowned before flipping the first coin into the air, "heads." The coin landed on the side he'd called, Flash breathing a sigh of relief.
"Don't forget. It's two coin tosses you need to get right." Flash glared at him before flipping the seconds.
"Err...heads again!" The coin hit the ground and bounced around until it landed, showing Draconequus's head sticking its tongue out at Flash.
"Orr, too bad." Flash's fake totem exploded, "no more protections for you."
"Maybe not," Flash then activated the card he's drawn. "But now I play the Spell card, Fissure!" A crack opened up where the Plunderseeds were located, causing them and Neo Frozen Heart to fall into the darkness. "Sorry," Flash told Cold, "had to happen."
Cold nodded, "I'd rather he be destroyed then under his control."
"But he won't be gone for long," Flash told him as the portal appeared above his head before opening up to allow a single light to shoot out. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The light hit the ground and exploded, Neo Frozen Heart appeared from the light. "Skill activated!" The dragon grabbed its blasters before pointing them at both Discord's cards, firing and freezing both Chaos Control and Chaotic Totem before they shattered. (A3600/D2500/L8/P5) "ATTACK!" The dragon flew up before bringing its claws together, as Diplocaulus appeared between them before exploding and forming a snowball that the dragon launched at Draconequus.
Discord watched as the ice pelted the monster dominating him, the mismatched beast's ATK power growing weaker.(A1400/D2500/L8) The dragon then shot down, ready to claw at Draconequus and end this Duel.
"DO IT!" Flash screamed as the dragon slashed Draconequus, cutting it in half and causing an explosion that swept towards Discord. But before it could make contact-
"I activate the effect of Chaos Fiend, Shadow Masquerade!" A dark figure looking like Tuxedo Mask at Halloween appeared and opening his cape, causing a bust of dark wind that struck the smoke and slowed most of it down before it destroyed him and struck Discord. "Augh!"
Cold: 600
Discord: 700
As the smoke faded, Discord smirked. "Shadow Masquerade's effect kicks in whenever a Chaos Fiend is attacked, allowing me to discard him and cut the damage I take in half." Flash growled hearing this, knowing Cold would now have to suffer another round of pain from the damage he'd take.
"I end my turn." Neo Frozen Heart's ATK returned to normal. (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)
Discord chuckled as he drew his next card, his eyes going wide at what it was before his chuckle turned into a full-on maniacal laugh. "I commend you on making it this far. But fate has destined you to lose in this moment." He held up the card, "and this is the card that'll make that destiny into a reality."
Flash and Cold both glared at him, "destiny isn't something that's written. It's what we make of it."
"Oh how foolish you are," Discord told him. "Strangely enough, I was once just as naive. Believing my fate was my own to, until I learned the truth. The truth of my existence."
"What?" Cold asked.
Discord held his arms out. "Lord Zeronull created the Zenith Dragons. But they were not the only heralds of his design. Others were created and given the purpose of sowing chaos and anarchy into the world. And I was one such creation."
"You were created by Zeronull?" Flash asked in shock.
"Yes," Discord nodded, "though I wasn't as destructive as his other creations I was by far the most crafty. His other creations prefer the more direct approach, but you've seen how well that worked out."
"We have?" Flash raised an eyebrow.
"When I learned of the truth behind my creation, I realised my destiny had always been set in stone. When I found no way of reviving our lord, I felt that destiny was one of failure." A smile then adorned his lips. "But fate, has a mischievous way of showing itself." He pointed at Flash. "Thanks to you, the Pendulum Singularity, our worlds became connected. We could enter it and reclaim the keys needed for lord Zeronull's resurrection." Flash growled at this. "Coming here was something I never imagined would be possible, even with my great power." He placed his hand on his heart and bowed, "Flash Sentry. I can never thank you enough for enabling this to happen. You were brought into existence for only one purpose. To enable we Zealots to come here and to become the vessel of he who will reshape the world. Everything up to this point. Every moment. Every Duel. Every loss and victory were all leading to this inevitable outcome. You, becoming Lord Zeronull."
"NEVER!" Flash and Cold both cried.
"Oh, it'll happen alright." A coin appeared in his hand before he flipped it. "Tails." The coin landed, revealing Draconequus's head letting out a maniacal laugh. "Fate has declared it so." The demonic creature appeared behind him before the die appeared and fell to the floor, eventually landing on a six. "Just as fate has declared this moment to be the moment of awakening." Flash and Cold grew tense. "By rolling a six, Draconequus's ability lets me add another copy of it to my hand from my deck." A card slotted out of his deck that he took.
"Now he has all that he needs," Cold realised while picking himself up. "Be careful." Flash nodded back.
Discord smiled. "You two truly share a close bond. I look forward to seeing how well it holds up, against the power of Lord Zeronull." He held up his card, the mark on the back of his hand beginning to glow brighter. "With this card, I put my entire future on the line." Flash and Cold both grew worried, knowing that that meant. "Should I happen to lose this Duel, then every card in my deck will be destroyed.
"Here it comes," Cold growled.
"First," he discarded the Draconequus card he'd just gotten, "I must tribute a Dark Attributed monster while also discarding a monster in my hand with the same name." As he did this, Draconequus flew up into the air before the darkness that surrounded them began to fly towards the mismatched beast and began to wrap around it into a dark cocoon that began to grow larger and larger by the second.
"Augh!" Flash cried, feeling another pulse of pain from his hand. Was the mark reacting to the Zenith Dragon?
They both looked up into the cocoon as the shadows began to turn into some kind of purple slime that started dripping of it, slowly fading to reveal the beast beneath.
"Awaken," Discord chanted, "beast of darkness!" He slapped his card down on the Duel Disk, the last of the sludge exploding off the monster that was revealed. "Zenith Dragon of Chaotic Darkness, GRANEBRIS!"
This new dragon was just as big as the others. It looked like a giant skeleton of a quadrupedal dragon, with the purple slim filling its rib-cage and the other section that would usually be empty. The only part of it with any skin was its wings, which had a dark purple membrane. Its skull-like head had six horns, four near the back with two curving up and two curving down along with two coned horns coming out the hinge of its jaw. Its eye-sockets had a purple glowing light shining within them and on its forehead was a round purple crystal with the Dark symbol inside it.
The dragon skeleton stared down at the two before unleashing a mighty roar that deafened them, both forced to cover their ears and almost miss Discord's explanation. "Zenith Dragons can only remain on the field for one turn and then they are banished. But until then, Granebris's ATK and DEF points become the combined total of the monsters used as tribute for him. (A6000/D5000/L12) "And while Granebris is on the field, he casts a curse on your field."
"What?" Flash asked before the dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a purple mist from its mouth that struck his side of the field. Neo Frozen Heart and the monsters in the Pendulum Zone began to clutch their necks like they were having trouble breathing. "What's happening?"
"My curse," Discord explained as Neo Frozen Heart fell to his knees. "Now the effects of all the monsters, Spells and Traps on your field are negated as long as Granebris is on the field." Their eyes went wide hearing this as he continued. "What's more, the ATK and DEF of every monster on your field are cut in half." Flash turned to Neo Frozen Heart, seeing it become limb as the curse took effect. (A1500/D1250/L8/P5)
"So that's...its power," Cold grunted.
"With this, my victory is assured." Discord pointed at them. "Time to say goodbye, Cold Steel. And thank you, to you. Pendulum Singularity." The dragon took a deep breath, charging up its attack.
"No way," Flash gasped as Discord announced the attack.
"CHAOTIC OBLIVION!" The dragon unleashed another roar, firing a burst of purple smoke that headed straight for Neo Frozen Heart. "YOU'RE MINE!"
"NEVER!" Flash cried as he discarded a card, "FROZEN HEART SHIELD BEARER!" In a flash of light, a knight in ice armour appeared infront of the dragon carrying a large shield. "His ability lets me nullify your attack and end the Battle Phase."
"What?" Discord asked in absolute horror, all the while Flash looked back at Cold.
"But to do it, I have to discard him and pay five hundred life points." Cold nodded, understanding before he let out another scream of agony.
Cold: 100
Discord: 700
Discord was still in absolute shock at the idea of his Zenith Dragon being so easily beaten. "I...I place two cards face down and end my turn." Granebris vanished and was replaced by Draconequus, while Flash started his turn.
But before he drew his card, he thought for a moment. "If I'm the reason, our two worlds became connected. And if...because of that," he turned to Cold. "A good friend like him has to suffer like this." He closed his eyes, "then that's why-" He turned back to Discord as his eyes shot open in a serious glare. "I have to win this Duel. I'll do whatever it takes to save his life. Whatever it takes to protect...OUR FUTURE!"
Cold smirked as the stared at Discord. "So you believe your life is controlled by fate." He pushed himself back to his feet, being shaky but stood strong. "In fact, true destiny...can be influenced by our own actions."
Discord looked at Flash's hand and saw it empty, making him smile. "You've got no cards left."
"I DRAW!" Flash drew his card and smiled seeing what it was. "Go, Icicle Crash!" The card appeared infront of him before unleashing a powerful burst of freezing wind, Discord crying out as he was bombarded by the blizzard while the darkness around him turned to ice. And there, between him and Flash, were five ice spikes coming out of the ground. And inside them were the five Frozen Heart monsters in Cold's grave, Wolf, Mantis, Diplocaulus, Statue Norr and Shield Bearer. "By banishing these monsters from my graveyard, I can add the same number of cards to my hand from my deck." The icicles exploded as Flash pulled out Cold's deck and selected the cards he needed.
"So now you have five cards to use against me?" Discord added and Flash played the first one.
"That's right and the first one I'll use to help Cold," Flash explained as Neo Frozen Heart exploded. "Mystic Wok! Now Cold's life points increase by three thousand!" The ice from his dragon snowed down upon Cold, who suddenly felt almost all the pain and agony vanish as his points increased.
Cold: 3100
Discord: 700
"You destroyed your best monster, just so you could protect your friend?"
"Mostly," Flash smirked as the portal formed above him formed, "but it also means I can Pendulum Summon him back!" Discord's eyes went wide. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened before a pair of lights shot out, revealing his monsters. "Frozen Heart Fortress Golem!" (A0/D2500/L6/P6)
"And Frozen Heart Neo Dragon!" Cold turned to Flash's hand, seeing two of the cards he'd gotten were Traps. Seems he was prepared for if Discord was able to protect him. Though he doubted that would happen. "Neo Frozen Heart's skill!" The dragon grabbed its hip-mounted blasters and fired at Discord's face down, freezing them before exploded and the dragon's power increased. (A3600/D2500/L8/P5)
Discord growl as he moved his Traps to the graveyard.
"Now, I activate the Equip Spell Freeze Cannon!" The dragon's arm morphed into the robotic gun barrelled arm. "Now, let's go!" He was about to announce his attack, but before he could he felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see Cold smiling at him. Both stared at one another before Flash smiled back and they both nodded, then turned back to Discord before calling out in unison.
"Attack!" The dragon flew up as Frozen Heart Fencer appeared before exploding, the snow raining down and hitting Draconequus. (A1800/D2500/L8) "Now for Freeze Cannon's effect!" They both announced as the cannon was pointed at Draconequus before a barrage of snowballs was fire, hitting the mismatched beast dead on and covering its body in ice. (A200/D2500/L8)
Flash turned to Cold, "I won't let you die."
Cold turned to him, "I won't let you become the vessel." They smiled at one another once again before turning back to the battle, once again speaking in unison.
"ATTACK!" The dragon flew down, claws primed, and slashed at the Dominator.
Both Draconequus and Discord cried out as the beast was cut in half, exploding with the shockwave flying towards the Duellist and sending him flying backwards. "NOOOOOOOOOO!"
Cold: 3100 (Winner)
Discord: 0
Cold took a massive gasp of air as the pain he'd been suffering completely vanished, Flash managing to catch him before he fell to his knees. "You alright?"
Cold nodded, a smile on his face. "Yeah, I'm fine." He turned to Flash, "and it's all thanks to you." Flash smiled back but his focus was then pulled away by movement coming from Discord, both turning to see him pick himself up.
"Things are now clear," he stated as he picked himself up. "My role in these events have now come to an end." His cards suddenly started glowing a purple light before they flew out of his deck, graveyard, extra deck and pocket. Every single card he owned floated infront of him, including the Zenith Dragon. Then, before anyone could say anything, the cards burst into flames and turned to ash that fell to his feet. Now only Granebris remained, falling down to the ground between them.
"No matter. Everything else is working perfectly." He cried out and clutched his hand, pulling his glove off to reveal the mark as it started to vanish. "Once an actor completes their role, they must graciously leave the stage." He then shot a look at the two, "however." He pointed at them, "don't think you can stop the march of fate. Pendulum Singularity. Flash Sentry." His body began to sway. "The dramatic climax and final curtain draw near." The two glared at him as he looked up at the ceiling of their prison. "And so, the stage is yours-" He fell backwards as his mark now completely faded from his hand. "Ouravas."
With that, he fell to the floor. Flash focused his concentration and was able to see Draconequus's spirit phase out of the man before he hit the ground, watching as the beast smiled at him for one final second before vanishing into the darkness as Discord lay unconscious on the ground.
Outside the orb, back where it had first been when Flash and Cold fell into it, Twilight and the others were waiting on news.
Sunset had Freeze industry's best scientists trying to track down the orb, but so far they hadn't had any luck. So now all they could do was wait and hope the orb would return to the spot they were. And to pass the time, everyone did different things.
Spike simply sat on the ground, curled up. Sunburst and Starlight were discussing possible ways of finding the orb. Misty was clutching Scootaloo as the young girl did her best not to cry. And Twilight paced.
This went one for a while before they were suddenly caught off guard by Twilight's phone.
She took it, expecting it to be Sunset, but gasped when she saw who's name was on the screen. "It's Flash!" It caught everyone's attention as she answered the call, putting it to her ear. "Flash! Are you okay? Where are you? Is Cold with you?"
"He's with me," Flash smiled.
He and Cold were both in a random street, the dark orb having deposited them there for seemingly no reason. Cold was sitting on the ground, leaning against a metal fence and looking like he hadn't slept in a week.
"Sorry if we had you worried." Flash suddenly had to pull his ear away from the phone so Twilight's yelling wouldn't make him go deaf. She was so loud Cold thought he'd put the phone on speaker. "Twilight. Twilight. TWILIGHT!" The girl finally stopped and let him speak, "I get it. I'm an idiot. I'm reckless. All that stuff. But can by head biting wait a little while. A lot of stuff's happened and I think Cold might need a doctor."
"I'm fine," he tried to tell him but Flash wasn't buying any of it.
"Try and get over here as quickly as you can. I don't wanna risk moving him, so could you bring some of Freeze Industry's medical staff."
"Got it. I'll call Sunset and let her know. Sit tight until we get there. Your mom's got your location already and by the look of her, a few choice words to give you as well."
"Great," Flash said drily, "see you then." He cut the call before turning to Cold, "the others will be here soon."
"The medical team's really not necessary," Cold told him as he tried to get up. But his legs gave out and he slid back to the ground and a grunt.
"Yeah, you're in tip top shape. I'm surprised you're not running a marathon." Cold shot him a glare, "there's nothing wrong with taking it easy."
"Stop treating me like I'm an old man."
"Fine." Flash watched as Cold reached into his pocket, then pulled out a card.
"Here," he held the card out to him, "call it a present."
"Really?" Flash took the card, "I don't remember the last time you gave me a gift." He turned the card over and gasped when he saw what it was. The Granebris. "You sure," he turned back to Cold. "You really want to give me this?" Cold nodded back.
"It's clear the Zealots plan on targeting you. I don't intend to let them anywhere near you, but this should help if you find yourself facing them."
"Yeah," Flash looked down at the card, "but still. It's pretty risky. So much power in this one card." It was then he felt a hand on his shoulder, making him look up at Cold.
"I trust you. You're not one overtaken by power. I know you'll be able to use it for good."
Flash nodded before looking back at the card. He swore he'd use it for good, no matter what happened. He'd finally but the power of these dragons to good use and save not only himself but the whole world from the Zealot. That was his responsibility, as the Pendulum Singularity.
Germany.
The snow was beginning to fall from the sky, littering the ground by Guto's feet as he and Trixie stood there.
"He's been gone too long," the man told the teen. "We would have heard something by now if he'd won." He let out a sigh, "that can only mean one thing."
Trixie sighed, "now we're down two dragons." She then turned to see Skystar heading their way, "but luckily we still have enough to revive him." She was about to say something to Skystar, but the girl froze as she spotted something behind the two of them.
"You!" She cried, Trixie and Guto spinning around and spotting Marble as she stepped out of the darkness. Before either of them could say anything, Skystar passed them and grabbed the girl by her dress. "You're gonna pay for what you did!"
"What I did?" The girl raised an eyebrow, "what did I do. It wasn't me that sent your dear old mommy back to our world."
"That only happened because you were off messing around!" Trixie yelled at her, "you put our entire mission in jeopardy!"
"I guess you've got a point," Marble turned back to Skystar. "What's say, to make it up to you, I'll help you get your own back on the ones that did all that."
"I DON'T NEED YOUR HELP!" Skystar screamed.
"ENOUGH!" Everyone froze before turning to Guto, "we don't have time mess around with these petty arguments." He turned to Skystar, "is it done?"
The girl snarled at Marble one last time before letting her go, then took something out of her pocket. It was some kind of cube, that appeared to be made of four grey cubes linked together. "It's right here." She tossed it at Guto, the man catching it easily. "You get one use out of that before it's completely useless. But while it's working, Void will be back in business."
"Good," Guto smiled as he looked down at the cube. "It's time for us, the remaining Zealots, to fulfil our final mission."