A couple of days had passed since Celestia had made her announcement. During that time everybody who had registered was going over their decks and reviewing it to see what improvements could be made. Even the girls were constantly checking their decks and whenever they had a question on how they played or what they could change up they often went to me for advice. Well everyone except Rainbow Dash, she felt like her deck was fine the way it was and didn’t need any tuning. Regardless I still felt happy that I could help the girls in any way. Also I had some students challenge me to a duel but luckily I was able to dispose of them in quick fashion. We made sure to get in some practice everyday after school. Despite everyone preparing for the tournament, I still remembered the promise I made to Aj the week prior. School had just let out and everyone was getting ready for the weekend; I then went to find Aj to discuss about tomorrow.
“Hey Aj, I wanted to know what’s the plan for tomorrow?”
“Howdy, sugarcube. I would appreciate it if you come tomorrow by 8. There’s a lot that’s going to need to be done so we better start bright and early. That’s not a problem for you now is it.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll make sure I’m on time.”
“Great, make sure you come prepared for a hard day’s work.” With that she gave me her address and headed home.
The sun was barely coming up against the horizon. My alarm went off as I forced myself to get up sooner than I’m used to. After taking some time to get myself ready I put on a clean set of clothes and looked at the address Aj gave me. Thankfully it wasn’t too far but it still would take a while to get there. Once I was ready I left my house and began walking to my destination. By the time I got to the place I could see the sun started to barely reach the morning sky. The place was easy enough to find. It had a sign that read ‘Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres’; not to mention the thousands upon thousands of apple trees that existed in the orchard. I knew Aj and her family had an affiliation with apples but it was more like an obsession with apples. I made my way to the door and gave a loud knock hoping someone was awake. The door opened and their stood Aj already dressed.
“Howdy Isaac, seems like you’re here bright and early.”
“I did keep my promise” as I said that I let out a small yawn.
Aj just giggled a bit at Isaac trying to stay awake. “I see you’re a man of your word, I like that about you. Anyways before we get started why don’t we get something to eat? Come on in, breakfast is nearly ready.”
The smells that came from the house when I first stepped in was nothing like I had experienced before. I followed Aj to the kitchen where I saw more of her family members sitting at the table waiting for her to return. Applejack was kind enough to introduce them to me.
“Isaac allow me to introduce you to my family. This here is my little sister: Apple Bloom, this is my older brother: Big Macintosh, and this is my Granny Smith.”
“Hi everybody, my name is Isaac.”
Granny Smith was the first one to speak. “Well now, what’s fine boy like you doing with Applejack? Are you trying to win my granddaughter's hand in marriage?”
I was a bit embarrassed at Granny Smith’s comment; Aj however had a bit of a blush on her face. “Granny it’s nothing like that, he’s just a friend and he’s here to lend me a hand in setting up today’s party.”
“I’m just messing you sweetie. Still he seems like a fine young lad; got some muscle on him too.”
Just then Applejack’s brother stood up and made his way to me. I was a bit intimidated due to him being taller than me, but mostly due to the fact that he was Aj’s older brother and if he got the wrong idea and me and his sister then I was in for a whirl of hurt. He extended his hand to me.
“Uhm… Hi I’m Isaac, I’m a friend of Aj.” I was cautious when I gave him a handshake. His only response was a nod and a “Yep”.
“Not much of talker, are you?”
“Nope,” he said.
“Hi yeah, mister. I’m Applebloom. Are you really here to help us? Oh I can’t wait for all the fun we’re going to have today.”
I could tell Applebloom was the eccentric one of the bunch based on how she tugged at the hem of my shirt and was jumping up and down.
“Alright Applebloom, that's enough bothering Isaac. He’s here to help us get ready for today’s event. Once we’re done setting everything up then you can have time to play. Now come on soup’s on everybody.” With that everybody sat down to eat a filling breakfast.
After breakfast was finished, me and Aj began to make our way to the barn as her family stayed behind to clean up. Once we got to the barn, Aj unlocked it and showed me the inside of it. It was a standard description of what a barn looked like just that it had a lot more barrels of hay stacked. She told me how she wanted everything organized and once she was done discussing we got to work. The amount of work that I experienced was one I’ll never forget. It really started to take a toll on me that I even had to take a couple of breaks since I wasn’t used to this amount of labor. Applejack didn’t mind as long as I didn’t take too much time. Once I got my strength back, I returned back to work. It was about an hour or two after noon when we finally finished cleaning and setting up the barn for the party. Applejack was firmly impressed with what we accomplished that she offered me a bottle of apple cider. I took the bottle and we sat on a barrel of hay. When I took that first sip, my taste buds had felt like they had died and gone to heaven. I wanted more that I took an even bigger sip.
“Woah, nelly. Careful there Isaac, don’t want to choke on that.” chuckled Aj.
“Sorry, it’s just that’s the best damn cider I’ve ever tasted.” I gave her a thumbs up as my seal of approval.
Applejack let out a small smile as Isaac said his comment. “I’d appreciate you for honest input, Isaac. Also for willing to give me a hand in setting up the party. Honestly, if I didn’t find someone to help me I would probably have done this myself. I can be pretty stubborn sometimes.”
“You? Stubborn? Never?” I gave her a sarcastic remark.
“Alright, I get it. It’s just sometimes I think that if you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself.”
“Hey, I get it. Sometimes you want things to be perfect, but that’s just not possible.”
“Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Hey Isaac, I’m going to be honest, do you think we stand a chance at taking down Sunset?”
“To be honest, I’m not so sure. If you girls claim that she’s as good of a duelist as she is then it’ll be tough to beat her. Still you gotta have faith that everything will work out.”
“Yeah. you know despite what happened recently with us, I’m glad that you’re helping us and that you're my friend. I can say I’m proud to have met you.”
“Hey now what’s this, you starting to go all sweet on me Aj? Doesn’t your grandma already think that I’m your ‘boyfriend’ or something?”
Aj had a small blush at what I said but still responded, “I’m just being honest. I’m really grateful to be your friend.”
“Right back at you, Aj”. The final moments of us sitting together was spent sipping the last of our beverages. After that me and Aj both cleaned ourselves up as guests started to arrive for the party. The party was in full swing as the guests were having the time of their life; Applejack even introduced me to some more of her relatives. I merely paid my respects and shook their hands though they did call me something that seemed to have caused Aj to hide her face a couple of times. They called me Applejack’s beau or something; I didn’t know what they meant so I asked Applejack but she ignored my question. Eventually she was called to help with something, so I was left to explore on my own. There were different things that were going on. Most of the adults were talking amongst themselves while the kids were having fun by playing tag and some of them were even playing Duel Monsters on a tree stump. As I was walking around I heard a sigh followed by a very quiet yell. I turned to see if I could find the source of the sound and was surprised to see that it came from Applebloom. You’d think that Applebloom out of all people would be ecstatic about playing with the other kids but here she was sitting in front of a tree stump looking sad. I wanted to see if I could help so I made my way towards her.
“Oh… I’ll never get it right. I’ll never be as good as Aj. Maybe I should just give, I’ll never win a duel.”
“Hey Applebloom.”
Applebloom turned to see who was addressing her and was surprised to see it was Isaac. She would have thought he would be spending time with her sister. “Oh hey Isaac, are you enjoying the party?”
“I can say that I’ve been entertained at least. But what about you? Shouldn’t you be playing with the other kids?”
“I would, if I wasn’t such a horrible duelist. I may just be a rookie but I know at least the basics to understand how a duel works. I even pay attention to when Applejack duels so that I can pick up pointers. I know what strategies to implement when playing but I just can’t seem to do it. It’s like I’m nervous about what’s going to happen that I can’t force myself to do it. Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn’t be a duelist; I’ll never be as good as Applejack.” Applebloom put her head down as the bow in her hair came undone.
I looked at Applebloom and felt sorry for her. I picked up her bow and tapped her shoulder. “Maybe I can offer some assistance.I can’t tell you how you should play your deck but I can give you some suggestions. Let’s take a look.”
Once Applebloom collected herself, she put her bow back in her hair and began to overlook her deck with Isaac. She showed Isaac her deck and told him of the different combos she could pull off. After a couple of minutes, Isaac had given Applebloom some pointers on how to play her cards, including some advice that could prove useful in a duel like knowing when to take damage and when to set up her defenses to counter her opponent. Not to mention Isaac even gave Applebloom a couple of cards to help fortify her defenses. With that Applebloom’s new deck was constructed.
“Here you go, Applebloom.”
“Golly, thank you Isaac. I can’t wait to try this up.” Applebloom was like a kid on Hearth's Warming eve.
“Just promise me that you remember the most important thing I taught you Applebloom. Always put your trust in your deck and your cards will have faith in you. I guess what I’m trying to say is: believe in the heart of the cards.”
“I’ll make sure to remember that. Well I’m going to go try this deck out, see you around Isaac.” With that Applebloom met up with the other kids as Isaac watched on.
“She really is happy, isn’t she?”
I jumped a bit at the voice behind. I turned around and saw it was none other than Applejack.
“Didn’t mean to scare you, sugarcube? I saw what you did for Applebloom and I’m thankful for your help. Ever since we were young our parents weren’t never around, so I took it upon myself to become sort of a mother figure for her. She really loves to duel and I often try to help her whenever I can but seeing as we’re also running a business it’s tough to find time to practice between school and work. That’s why I’m grateful you could help her.”
“It’s no big deal, plus I truly think that she has the potential to become a good duelist.”
“I believe so, anyways I came to find you to let you know that I finished helping my cousin Braeburn. So I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with me to the barn for the final festivities?”
“I’d be glad to accompany you.” With that Aj led me to the barn where music came blaring out from. Once we entered inside I saw people enjoying themselves, I saw a few couples dancing together. I looked around and saw Applebloom sitting at a table surrounded by the other kids having a practice duel. It made me happy to see she was having fun and not having to worry about what she should do. Soon my attention was directed to the sound of a microphone being turned on. On the stage was Aj’s cousin who had orange and yellow hair and was wearing a cowboy hat.
“Howdy, y'all. I just wanted to say thanks to cousin Applejack for putting together a fun family gathering. Let’s give her a round of applause.” Everybody followed suit and showed their appreciation for all of Applejack’s efforts.
Applejack was a blush from embarrassment and she made her way onto the stage. “I’d really appreciate everybody having a good time but I couldn’t do all this without the help of my friend. Isaac, why don’t you join me and take a bow?”
Everybody was cheering me, so eventually I got up on the stage and took a bow with Aj.
Braeburn then took the microphone from Aj’s hands and had another announcement to make. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way. I think it’s time we end the festivities with a bang. And what better end to end it than with a duel. So what do you say cousin, up for a little duel?”
Applejack wasted no time in answering Braeburn’s challenge. “You're on.”
“Excellent, but this won’t be a normal duel. It’s going to be a tag team duel; me and cousin Caramel against you and a partner of your choosing. So who’s going to be your partner, cus?”
“That’s easy I choose the one person who I know has got my back, I choose Isaac as my partner.”
“Choosing to side with your beau? Well time to give the lucky couple a duel to remember.”
I was still confused by what that word meant. “Hey, Aj what does… Ow!”. It seemed Aj had punched me in the arm before I could finish asking my question.
Applejack was a bit fuming. “First of all Braeburn, Isaac is just my friend. Second, you better be ready because we’re going to send you and Caramel packing.”
“Then let's get the duel started.” With that we made our way outside with a crowd of people following behind to see the game. While everyone was getting ready I turned to Aj to mention something.
“Look Aj, I’m glad you chose me to be your partner, but there’s a slight problem. I didn’t bring my duel disk.”
“Not to worry, sugarcube. Big Mac, mind letting Isaac use your duel disk?”
“Yup.” Big Mac then tossed his duel disk to Isaac. Now that he had a way to duel, Isaac slotted his deck into the device and prepared to battle alongside Applejack.
Braeburn then began to address everyone. “Now that everyone is ready, let’s explain the rules: Both players share 8000 life points and can’t attack until everyone has taken a turn. In addition, you can’t use your partner’s cards without their permission. Furthermore, if your partner has no monsters to defend themselves then their teammate can choose to defend them with the monsters they have on their side of the field. Does everybody understand?”
“I understand, prepare yourself Aj because it’s time to duel.”
“Opponent detected. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel.”
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 8000
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 8000
Turn 1: Braeburn
“I’m kicking things off, I draw. I’ll start by playing the field spell Applelossa Ranch” Braeburn placed a card on his duel disk which morphed the whole field into a similar environment like the one we were previously on. “This little spell has got a few abilities but I’ll explain them in due time. For one, I can send a monster from my hand to my deck and exchange for a different monster. So I’ll send a card back to my deck in exchange for a more well-suited creature. Now I summon to the field my Bronco Bull(1600/1500) in attack mode, I end my turn.”
Turn 2: Isaac
“It’s my turn and I draw. I’ll start by playing the spell Pot of Greed, now I’ll draw two more cards. I just drew the monster Watapon(200/300) now I can special summon him in defense mode. Next I’ll also play Electromagnetic Turtle(0/1800) in defense mode, with that I’ll end my turn with 2 facedowns.”
Turn 3: Caramel
“I draw. I’ll play the spell Sweet Treat, with this I can give a monster of my choosing an extra boost of 300 attack. That’s perfect because I’m summoning to the field my Taffy Knight(1200/1400) in attack mode. Now my spell raises his attack to 1500; I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”
Turn 4: Applejack
“Finally, I’ve been itching for some action. I draw and I’m going for a strong first turn. I play the spell Foolish Burial now I send a monster from mah deck to the graveyard. Ah choose my Dandylion(300/300). Thanks to that I can now activate its own effect with it I can summon 2 Fluff Tokens(0/0) to take its place, rise up my little seeds. I’ll then play the continuous spell Super Solar Nutrient, with this I sacrifice one of my tokens to summon Level 4 or below Plant monster from mah deck. So say hello to my Lonefire Blossom(500/1400) in defense mode. I’ll end my turn with 2 facedowns. Back to you cousin.”
Turn 5: Braeburn
“Now then, I draw. I’ll then activate the other ability of my field spell which means I gain a counter for every cowboy creature that I summon. I’ll then play Cowboy Shooter(1200/800) in attack mode. Cowboy Shooter allows me to deal 800 points of damage when he’s summoned. Ready, aim, and fire. I’ll then send a monster back to my deck in exchange for a new card. Get ready Applejack, cause I’m sending my bull to attack that token of yours. Go attack my pet with Charging Headbutt.”
As Braeburn’s monster charged, I had nothing to save my teammate. “Aj, watch out.”
“Don’t worry about me, Isaac. I reveal my facedown trap Plant Growth, now I’ll cut your monster’s points in half and it prevents my monster from being destroyed. I’ll still take damage, but the more important thing is that my monster is still sticking around.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 6600-
“Not bad cousin, I’ll set a facedown and end my turn.”
Turn 6: Isaac
“I draw; you alright Aj?”
“I’m fine, sugar. It’s going to take more than that to keep me down.” Applejack dusted off her skirt and her hat as she got back up from Braeburn’s assault.
“That’s what I like to hear. Now then what do you say we keep it up a notch. I’ll start by sacrificing my Watapon to summon my Dark Magician Girl.” Just like before, out came a female wizard who wore a magician’s outfit and gave a kiss/wink before landing on my side. “Then I’ll play the spell card Sage’s Stone now since I control Dark Magician Girl, I can then summon the Dark Magician. You’ve seen the apprentice, now prepare to meet the master and my most loyal monster. Appear, Dark Magician.” The duel disk registered my card and out came the star monster of my deck.
Everybody in the crowd was stunned by the creatures that I had managed to summon. Even Aj was impressed with how I had managed to bring both of my spellcasters out. I couldn’t really see it, but Applejack was having a smile on her face. I then proceeded to continue with my attack.
“Now time for my monsters to lay waste to your side of the field. Dark Magician attacks Braeburn’s Bronco Bull and Dark Magician Girl takes out Caramel’s Taffy Knight.” Both of my wizards launched themselves at the monsters and delivered a powerful double team which knocked Braeburn and Caramel to the floor. “I end my turn.”
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 6600-
“Yee-haw, now that’s some fine dueling. Good job Isaac, not only did you manage to even it up but you took out two monsters.” Applejack was happy with what had recently transpired.
“Thanks, but don’t get too comfortable. We’re not out of the woods just yet.”
Turn 7: Caramel
“I’ll admit that was an impressive turn, but your actions come with some consequences. Now since a monster equipped with Sweet Treat was destroyed I can draw a card. Now it’s my turn and I draw. I’ll summon Candy Lord(800/1000) in defense mode; next I’ll play the spell King’s Court now I can summon another monster that’s level 4 or below and I choose my Appletart(1300/1100) in attack mode. Now I’ll activate my facedown Orchard’s Grove, with this I can place a fruit on my tree whenever I summon a monster. Since I have 2 monsters on my field, my tree grows 2 fruits on its branches. With that I’ll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn.”
Turn 8: Applejack
“I was expecting more after taking a beating from my partner, oh well. I draw and I’ll activate my Blossom’s ability and sacrifice mah other token to summon another plant monster from mah deck, ah special summon Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms(2800/1200) in attack mode. Now for my last treat, I’ll activate my continuous spell Miracle Fertilizer, this allows me to revive a Plant Monster in my graveyard once a turn. I choose my Dandylion(300/300). My princess has an ability that allows her to gain 100 attack points for every plant I control. Now time for my princess to flaunt her beauty, take out Braeburn’s shooter.”
“Don’t think so, I’ll activate my trap Sticky Situation. Now I trap your monster with taffy to stop your attack, but more importantly it can’t move or change battle positions.”
“I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”
Turn 9: Braeburn
“I draw and summon another Cowboy Shooter, now you both take another 800 points of damage. Then I’ll gain another counter thanks to my field spell but don’t worry I’ll be using those counters right now. I send both counters and my field spell to draw 2 cards. Yee-haw, just what I needed. Now since I drew my Cowboy Wrangler(700/700) I can summon him straight to the field.”
Applejack was the first to speak about Braeburn’s move. “What good does that do if it doesn’t have enough attack points to take down even our strongest monsters?”
“You’re right cousin, but you should know that my wrangler is a tuner monster.”
When Braeburn said that it took me a moment to realize what was about to happen. “A tuner? What? You don’t mean?”
“That’s right I now tune my level 2 Cowboy Wrangler with both of my level 3 Cowboy Shooters, I synchro summon my level 8 Cowboy Vigilante(2700/1300). My monster’s got a sweet ability and let’s show it off. Go Roulette Gallery.” Soon all of Isaac’s and Applejack’s monsters were placed on a large spinner wheel and began to spin. “Now once per turn, my monster can destroy a monster and you take damage equal to their attack points. Now time to find out who’s the lucky winner. Stop spinning.” The spinner started to slow down and it landed on Aj’s princess.
“Sorry cousin, but my cowboy destroys your monster and you take damage.” Braeburn’s monster then had Aj’s monster in his sights and quick as lightning fired its rifle and blasted the creature into a million petals. “I’ll end my turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 3900-
Turn 10: Isaac
“I’ll go and I draw. I’ll play my spell card Thousand Knives now my Dark Magician will destroy your Cowboy. Say goodbye to your monster Braeburn.”
“Woah, steady there partner. I activate my facedown, my Sheriff's Badge and equip it to my monster. Now thanks to this, my monster can’t be destroyed by card effects. Better luck next time. Hey Aj, it seems your beau really is trying to impress you. Gutsy move he just played.”
Again with that word, what does it mean? I tried to ask Aj but when I turned to her, she looked away really quick.
“In that case, I’ll play this Magic Formula which raises my Dark Magician Girl attack by 700. Now my magicians take out Caramel’s monsters go, Double Dark Magic attack.”
“I knew you do that, I activate my trap A La Mode. Now your attack is stopped and your battle phase comes to an end. In addition, I can summon an Apple Squire(100/200) to my field.”
“I’ll end my turn.”
Turn 11: Caramel
“My turn and I draw. First my Orchard’s Grove grows another fruit thanks to my Squire. I’ll then play the spell card Bushel of Apples which means I can summon another from Apple Squire from my hand, come forth Apple Squire #2(200/300). Since I have Apple Squire #1 and #2 on the field, I can summon Apple Squire #3(300/400) from my deck. Then my grove gains 2 more fruits. Now I have a full tree and it's time to harvest, I’ll send my entire tree to the grave. Now based on how many counters it has determines what I can do, since it has at least 3 counters I can draw 2 cards and add 1 level 7 of below monster straight to my hand. Now I’ll sacrifice my 3 squires to summon my most tasty monster, come out my Apple King(2800/2500) in attack mode. My king has an ability that allows him to raise his own stats using my other monsters so now my king has a total of 4900. Now my king express your power by taking down that magician.”
“I activate my trap Monster Drain now by sending my turtle to the grave. I can cause your monster to lose 1000 points.”
“That may be, but my king still has enough to take out your spellcaster.” With that Caramel’s king landed a punch on Isaac’s monster as it was sent to the graveyard. The force of the attack caused Isaac to land on his back. “I’ll end my turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 2500-
Turn 12: Applejack
“My turn, I draw. Now it’s time I shake things up; I’ll activate Polymerization and fuse my Predaplant Cordycep(0/0) with my Predaplant Chlamydosundew(600/200). I fusion summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000) in attack mode; once per turn I can banish a monster whose level is lower or equal to my chimera’s. So I banish your Cowboy Vigilante.”
“Think again, I reveal my other facedown Sour Apples. Now I can redirect your attack to another target and I choose my Appletart; next you get slammed with damage equal to your monster’s attack points. It’s all over!”
“Don’t be too sure, I activate my trap Sturdy Tree now any damage inflicted is cut in half. Talk about some bad taste buds. Fine, I still have my fertilizer spell card which lets me revive 1 plant monster from the grave and I choose my Predaplant Chlamydosundew. I’ll then back off this turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 1250-
Turn 13: Braeburn
“I draw and I’ll activate my cowboy’s ability. Now time to see which monster gets destroyed, don’t forget you take damage equal to the monster that’s selected.”
“I’m well aware Braeburn, we have 3 monsters on our side and two of them have over 2000 points which means if it lands on one of them, we lose.”
“Let’s hope that luck is on our side, Aj.”
“Go Roulette Gallery.”
As before our monsters were set on a large spinner and the wheel began to spin. Despite having 2 monsters with over 2000 points we still had a chance to stay in the duel due to Aj’s other monster. If it landed on her Predaplant Chlamydosundew, we would take damage but it means we’re still in this duel. Just then the wheel started to slow down. As the arrow slowly came to a halt I saw the expression on Aj’s face as even she was worried about our chances; then it stopped and the arrow revealed our fate. It had landed on the choice we wanted as her Chlamydosundew was being targeted.
“Looks like you both live another turn, but I can’t say the same for your monster or your life points. Now my cowboy takes aim and fires. I’m not done either because I activate my spell card: Firearms, now I can have my Cowboy destroy 1 of your spell/traps. So I choose to get rid of your facedown on the far right. With that I’ll end my turn. It’s only a matter of time before you lose cousin; don’t worry I’m sure your beau will make feel better after this defeat.”
Turn 14: Isaac
“My turn and I draw. I play the spell card Graceful Charity now I draw 3 cards and discard 2.” It all comes down to this. If I don’t pull the right card then both me and Aj are done for. Here goes.
“Hey Aj, you ready to win?”
“Of course, sugarcube. But what do you have planned?”
“I’ll show you, in fact I’ll show everybody. Now I’ll play the spell card The Eye of Timaeus with this I can conduct a fusion summon using this and my Dark Magician Girl. Now merge you two and unveil a new monster. Appear Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight(2600/1700).” Out came a dragon that was humongous as it spread its wings and let out a loud roar. In addition, there was also a rider on the dragon’s back. The rider was a female and she dawned a silver outfit that not only resembled her previous outfit but also looked like a suit of armor; instead of her trusted wand she wielded a sword. The sight of my new monster received some interesting noise from the crowd. While the adults were fascinated by my monster, the kids were a bit scared about how big my dragon was and the fangs that it had attached to its mouth.
Applejack saw the sight of Isaac’s new monster and to say she was impressed was an understatement. This new creature showed a fierce look and the way it stood by Isaac’s side gave her a new feeling in herself.
“Now time to show my monster’s ability by sending 1 card from my hand to the grave I can destroy 1 face-up card on the field.”
“You must have some cotton in your ear. Did you forget about my Sheriff’s Badge and how it protects my cowboy from being destroyed?”
“You’re right Braeburn, that badge protects your monster from being targeted but it doesn’t make the badge itself immune. So I choose to destroy your badge.”
“Alright, I’ll give you that one.”
“Now my dragon knight takes out that Candy Lord. With that I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”
Turn 15: Caramel
“My turn now time to end this duel. I attack your Dragon knight with my Apple King, time to pay your respects to the king.”
“I don’t think I will see my knight bows to no king, especially when I activate my turtle’s ability from the grave.”
“From the grave!? You can’t do that!”
“I can because when he’s in the grave, I can banish him from play to end your battle phase. So now your monster’s attack is canceled.”
“I’ll end my turn.”
Turn 16: Applejack
“That was some quick thinking on your part Isaac.”
“Thanks Aj, but now it’s up to win this.”
“Don’t you worry bout a thing, I’ve got this. I draw. Now to secure the win, now my Predaplant will attack your cowboy. Time for feeding frenzy.”
“You know that your monster’s weaker than my?”
“I know that’s why my predaplant has an ability see when it’s involved in an attack it gains 1000 attack and your monster loses 1000 attack points. So now my creature is the stronger one on the field.” With that Aj’s monster lunged it’s set of jaws at Braeburn’s monster and devoured it in one swallow.
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 4800-
“Next I’ll activate a facedown called Mighty Seed, now by giving up 1000 life points my monster can conduct a second attack so go attack that Apple King. It’s effect will also activate meaning your monster loses 1000 while I gain 1000.”
“I’ll back up my partner with these 2 facedowns, first is my Spellbinding Circle which attaches your monster and not only makes it lose 700 points but it can’t change battle position. Now my other card: Magician’s Helping Hand. Since I have a ‘Dark Magician’ in my grave I can target 1 monster on the field and double its attack points for the rest of the turn and I choose Chlamydosundew. Now it’s attack rises to 9000 which is more than enough to win this duel.”
“Now my monster finish this duel.” Predaplant Chlamydosundew then had a growth spurt as it was powered up by the effects of our cards and grew till it looked like a giant beanstalk. It then unleashed its jaws on the fruit as it devoured the monster and caused both Braeburn and Caramel to fall on their backs.
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 0
Winner: Isaac and Applejack
Once the duel ended both me and Aj gave each other a high five.
“Yee-haw, not that’s the kind of excitement a gal can get used to. I’m mighty proud to have you as my partner Isaac.” Applejack gave Isaac a playful punch in the arm.
“Ow, thanks Applejack but next time try not to hit me so hard especially my dueling arm. You’re right though that was a fun duel and I can’t wait for the tournament. Now that I’ve seen what you can do I’ll have to really strengthen my deck if I want to beat you.”
“I'd like to see you try, who knows maybe we might end up facing each other. The way you commanded your spellcasters and summoned out that new monster of yours I’ll have to work twice as hard to come up with tactics like that.” Applejack then let out a laugh with Isaac soon joining in. Eventually Braeburn made his way to the both of them.
“Well, I’m impressed. You really gave me a fight to remember cousin, I now see why you’re the best duelist in our family not to mention you’ve got some powerful friends. I heard your school is about to have their annual tournament; I want to wish you luck.”
“I’d appreciate it.”
“Hey Isaac, right? Just want to say thanks for a memorable duel also I have a favor to ask. You mind keeping an eye on Applejack in the tournament? I know she’s a tough girl and can take care of herself, but sometimes she’s a bit stubborn. Make sure she doesn’t run into trouble?”
“You’re asking the wrong guy for that job. Aj’s a strong independent woman who is going to do what she wants the least I can do is make sure that she has friends who are always going to back her up.”
“That’s all I ask. Well Applejack, until we meet again take care of yourself. Also you’re lucky, many girls would kill to have a beau like him make sure you don’t mess it up” Braeburn left with a snickering laugh/smile and left with a hurry before Applejack could hunt him down.
As I saw Aj scream at her cousin to get back here, I still didn’t manage to figure out what that word meant. Eventually, we both made our way back to the barn as the other members of her family began to show us their appreciation. The party continued well into the night and everyone had a blast. Soon everybody started to leave and expressed how much fun they had; they said their goodbyes and went on their way home. The only ones left were me and Applejack’s family as I stayed and helped to clean up. Aj however said it was fine and decided to offer me a ride home. I felt bad about leaving them to clean up, but she said it was alright.
The drive home was a smooth ride with me and her making small talk. We wanted to learn more about each other so we told stories about each other when we were kids. I even laughed when I learned that when she was young she fell into a pit trap she made as a way to catch what she called ‘The Great Seedling’. Apparently it was supposed to bring a bountiful harvest to whoever caught it, but all it did was get her trapped for a whole day. Eventually, we arrived at my place and just when I was about to get out she addressed me.
“Listen Isaac, I had a real blast with you and I’m grateful for helping me to set up the party.”
“Anytime Aj, I also had fun today. I got to partake in an awesome duel and I helped Applebloom to overcome her fears.”
“For that I’m ever so grateful, but know that it won’t be like this in the tournament. Once that event begins, it’s every duelist for themselves. Celestia said it best this kind of event can change a person’s life, if I won it would mean tons of new connections for me and my family. We could expand our business and bring in a ton of money, especially when it comes time for Granny to hand over the farm. I want to make sure that she knows that our home is in good hands when it’s time for her to step down. So know this we will always be friends no matter, but once it begins you best believe I’m going all out and if I have to beat you to realize my dreams then may the best duelist.”
“May the best duelist win.”
Applejack then spat in her mouth and extended for me to shake. It was a bit unorthodox, not to mention unsanitary, but I eventually did the same and shook her hand to seal the deal. With that I exited out the car and waved goodbye to Aj as she drove off into the distance. I entered my house and found my parents fast asleep, so I quietly made my way to my room without waking them up. I changed my clothes and laid on my bed staring up at the ceiling before falling asleep. There were a thousand thoughts racing in my mind, but one thing they all had in common was Sunset Shimmer and she needed to be defeated. It was easier said than done, but I had to trust in my deck and skills if I was going to help the girls to liberate the school from her tyranny. Soon sleep started to come upon me as my eyes started to close and I drifted off to dreamland.