//------------------------------// // Turn 36: Gaia-Maiden's Final Victory // Story: Yugioh EQG: Ω Zenith // by Banshee531 //------------------------------// Back in Canterlot, the assault squad had finally arrived at their destination. The armoured trucks came to a stop infront of the warehouse before the SWAT teams leapt out and stormed the building, Cold and Flash leading the others as they moved towards it. "Remember," Cold told him, "nonlethal means should you run into anyone in there!" "Amigos!" They turned to see Tidal and the Dazzlings jump out of their car and join them. "Flash! I'm glad to hear you managed to get your cards back." "Thanks," Flash smiled back. "And I'm gonna put them to good use." "Sir!" One of the soldiers rushed up to them. "We've secured the building." "Good," Cold gestured for everyone to follow and they headed inside. The group stepped up to the area where the secret panel was located. Misty pushed part of the wall back and revealed it. "Here goes nothing," she whispered before typing in the code. When it was finished, a loud beeping sound occurred. "Figures. They've changed the code." Cold turned to one of the soldiers and nodded, that man rushing over with a laptop that he plugged into the panel. "This may take some time," he told the others. "I just hope it's not time we don't have," Trail frowned. At the same time, Fluttershy was still trying to contact the others. "Still nothing," she told them. "Now I'm really getting worried." Rainbow nodded, "I hope everyone's okay." Maud and Pinkie were making their way through the horrific memory, neither wanting to have to watch that heartbreaking sight even once more. "Where's the exit?" Pinkie asked frantically, "I want to be out of here before the scene replays." "MARBLE!" Maud cried out, "answer us." "I'm...over here!" The voice was much louder then before, allowing them to easy pinpoint its location. Hopefully, they sister would be behind the light wall and they wouldn't have to see anything else. But when the two pushed through it, they found they were once again at the farm. They both sighed before hearing a noise, one they knew quite well from their lives back home. The sound of metal on dirt. The two looked around and flinched the second they saw what the cause was. Gaia-Maiden stood infront of a large part of turned up earth, which looked like it had been dug out before returned after something had been placed inside of it. A grave. Two large rocks stood at the head of the grave, each with a name chiselled into it. Scayer Rockwood was on one of them and the name Daisy Rockwood was on the other. Gaia-Maiden was looking horrible. Her hair was a mess, her clothes were filthy and the look on her face was one of misery. It was like she was right back to how she had been during the start of the first memory. She threw the last piece of dirt onto the grave and finally stepped back, looking it over before she finally snapped. She dropped the shovel and fell to her knees, the tears exploding out of her eyes and she wept loudly. The girls couldn't blame her. Having something and losing it was hard. But having something and losing it, only to get something else even better and then losing that was even worse. The girls now understood what Gaia-Maiden had said the day Pinkie Dueled Novo. "I gave them hope,. Hope that they could save her. And then I snatched that hope away from them, the same way it was snatched away from me." They now realised this was what she had been talking about. "It's not fair!" She screamed while slamming her hands into the ground, "it's not fair! It's not fair! IT'S NOT FAIR!" She stopped slamming her fists and simply cried more and more, Pinkie and Maud unable to stop themselves from feeling sympathy for her. "No, it's not fair." The three all gasped as they looked around, seeing none other then Chaos Fiend Draconequus floating above them. "W-who are you?" Gaia-Maiden stood up, looking scared as she stared at the beast in front of her. "I am a friend," he floated down and placed his hand on her shoulder. "And I sense that you are in a great deal of pain." Gaia-Maiden began to tear up again, "I can not imagine the pain you are going through." "I just want them back," she whispered while staring at the ground. "Is that too much to ask?" "Of course not," he told her. "You shouldn't have to suffer like that. But I'm afraid this world is quite a cruel place. As long as it exists, you'll never get to experience true happiness. Any hope you have will be ripped away." "What am I suppose to do?" She asked, only for Draconequus to pull away from her. "Help us create a better one," he snapped his singers before Gaia-Maiden was suddenly consumed by light. When that light faded, she had been transformed into the Gaia-Maiden Pinkie and Maud knew all too well. "Join us," Draconequus held out a hand. "And together, we will create a world where everyone can be happy." "Not everyone," she turned back to the graves. "Without them-" "You can see them again," she turned to him and stared in shock. "In the new world, they can be there waiting for you. All you have to do, is help us free the one with the power to create that would. His name...is Zeronull." That was it for the memory, causing it to rewind. "So that's how she joined," Maud realised. "This doesn't help us find Marble though," Pinkie told her before looking around. "MARBLE! IF YOU CAN HEAR US, SAY SOMETHING!" "I'm over here!" They heard Marble cry out. It was muffled, but they could hear her clearly. "Please. Help me!" "We're coming!" Maud cried as they continued to rush, "just keep calling out! Help us find you!" Marble's voice continued to echo through the land, directing them towards it. And eventually, both girls found themselves coming up to the edge of the memory. "This is the one!" Pinkie told her sister, "she's through there. I can feel it." They finally reached it and both leapt forward, crying out as they pushed their way through the light and felt themselves get blinded for a second. When the light faded, the two found themselves felling to their knees and panting. They then opened their eyes and found themselves in some kind of black void, but a light was flowing in behind them. They turned around and found themselves staring at a bunch of TVs, each showing reruns of times in Gaia-Maiden's life. Some were the ones the two had already seen, while others were new clips they didn't recognise. "What is all this?" Pinkie asked as the two stood up. "She's been showing me this." The two gasped at the voice, now as clear as day. "It's all I get to see. Day in, day out." The two spun around and their eyes went wide when they saw her. "Marble," they both whispered. Marble Pie was still chained to the stone slab, looking weak and only half-conscious. She was very far away from the monitors, half hidden in the shadows. She blinked slowly and looked up, seeing her sisters staring back at her. "Pinkie. Maud. Is it really-" "IT'S US!" Pinkie screamed, tears begin to leak from her eyes. "It's really us!" "We've come to save you!" Maud told her before the two began to run towards their sisters. "Just hold on!" "We'll get you out of here!" Pinkie cried. "Oh, I think not!" Before they could do anything, a large stone wall appeared between them and Marble. They gasped before looking up, their eyes going wide at the sight of a giant Gaia-Maiden looking down upon them. "So it was you two snooping around my memories." She frowned, "you reminded me of some very painful times." "We know," Pinkie frowned. "What happened to you was horrible, but that still doesn't give you the right to do what you're doing." "Let our sister go!" Maud yelled. "No," Gaia-Maiden glared at them, "I think I'll keep her until I'm done with her. Meanwhile, I think it's time I finally get rid of you two once and for all." In that moment, cracks appeared in the wall before something broke out of them. Those somethings were fists, which helped pull the rest of the creature's body out. Soon enough, several rock monsters stood between then and the quickly repairing wall. "Have fun. I have a Duel to win." With that, Gaia-Maiden vanished before the rock monsters charged. Pinkie and Maud quickly found themselves on the defensive, jumping back to avoid getting broken bones. This was not good. Meanwhile, Applejack and Rarity's Duel against Marble continued. Marble had just summoned her ace, while the girls had only Gem-Unicorn on the field. "It's ma'h turn," Applejack reached for her deck. "And with two Pendulum Monsters in da'h grave, a'h can draw two extra cards." She drew her three cards and smiled. "Then a'll play Xyz Draw!" "Xyz Draw?" Marble asked. "With it, a'h can send an Xyz monster from ma'h Extra Deck to the graveyard." Applejack removed a card from her deck and showed it was Orchard Sheriff. "Then, a can add a card with Rank-Up-Magic in its name to ma'h hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which Applejack took before playing. "Alright Applejack!" Rarity cried as the ground broke open and Orchard Cowboy leapt out of it. "Rank-Up-Magic...ETERNAL GROWTH!" Applejack cried. "This card lets me revive an Earth Xyz Monster and then, a'h can rank it up!" Vines shot out of the ground and wrapped around Orchard Cowboy, as a black hole appeared above their heads. The vines then lifted the cocoon towards it. The cocoon entered the black hole before it began to pulse, as Applejack chanted. "Warrior of justice and nature, unleash ya'h powers on this world and rid it of all that might hurt it!" The black hole exploded, unleashing Applejack's monster. "RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!" The light faded revealing Applejack's monster. "Orchid Marshall!" (A3000/D1500/R4/P5) "Since he was summoned using Eternal Growth, his ATK points increase by five hundred points. (A3500/D1500/R4/P5) "Then, I'll use his skill!" The Overlay Unit flew into his shotgun before he pointed it at Gaia-Maiden. He then fired a beam that hit the woman and made her flinch and glow, then retracted back into the weapon while taking the glow with it. "You dare," Marble growled as she checked her monster. (A1500/D2500/L8) "Oh, a'h dare." Marshall then pointed the shotgun at Gem-Unicorn and fired the beam at it, making it glow the same light. (A3100/D1400/L4/P5) "Now Orchard Marshall will take clear shot at your Gaia-Maiden!" The western Duel Monster aimed its shotgun at Gaia-Maiden before firing a shot that struck her in the stomach. Marble also flinched in pain, clutching the same spot as she pressed the button on her Duel Disk. "I activate my Trap!" Her face down flipped up, "Defence Draw!" She drew a card before reaching for her graveyard. "I'm also using Gaia-Maiden's skill, to banish Coal in order to negate her destruction." Applejack frowned before pointing at her again. "Well now Gem-Unicorn will attack!" The horned pony unleashed a blast of magic that once again struck Gaia-Maiden and made her and Marble flinch. Rarity: 1850 Marble: 2350 Applejack: 3400 Marble grunted before groaning out. "I'll banish Corundum, in order to keep her from being destroyed." Applejack frowned before throwing two cards face down. "A'h end ma'h turn." Gaia-Maiden and Gem-Unicorn's ATK points returned to their normal value, while Marble drew her card. She looked over her hand and smiled before playing on the the cards. "I activate my Graceful Charity Spell card. So now, I can draw three cards as long as I discard one." "Well a'm playin ma'h Trap!" Applejack's face down flipped up, "Dust Tornado!" A twister exploded onto the field and sucked up Marble's Land Slide card, destroying it. At the same time, Rarity's Gem-Knight Mirror was destroyed as well. "That's fine." Marble smiled as she drew her cards then discarded two. "One of the cards I discarded was another Different Dimension Salvage. And you know what that means." She drew five cards, seeing one of them and smiling at the sight. "Oh yes." The girls didn't like the sound of it. "I activate Gaia-Maiden's ability!" The ground broke apart before Gaia-Knight Diamond flew out and exploded into eight rocks, which Gaia-Maiden sent flying at Gem-Unicorn. They struck the pony powered her down. (A800/D1400/L4/P5) "Not good," Applejack realised. "GO!" Marble screamed as her monster fired another attack in the unicorn's direction, only this time there was no way to save her from the attack that was coming. It struck and destroyed the unicorn, Applejack crying out and the force struck her and sent her points soaring down. Rarity: 1850 Marble: 2350 Applejack: 1200 "Applejack!" Rarity cried, "you okay?" Applejack moaned, but managed to keep herself up. "A'm fine," she assured Rarity. "Nothing a'h can't bounce back from." "We'll see about that," Marble smiled as she placed three cards face down. "I'll end my turn there." She looked down at her hand, then at the face down card. "Next turn, it all ends for one of you." The two frowned, knowing what that likely meant. Back within Marble's mind, Pinkie and Maud continue trying to keep themselves from getting clobbered by the rock monsters. "WOW!" Pinkie cried as she was knocked back by one, hitting the ground and flinching. "Pinkie!" Maud cried, but was unable to get to her as two more rock monsters stood between them. Pinkie was left on her own, sitting up and the monster moved towards her. She gulped, attempting to crawl backwards the try and get away but eventually felt her back hit the TVs behind her. And as the monster got closer, she suddenly wished she had a shield or something to protect herself with. And then it happened. As the monster attempted to punch her, a brilliant flash of light appeared between the two and the creature suddenly felt itself hitting something metal. "What?" Pinkie asked as she opened her eyes, seeing the light fade to reveal a shield. The creature was staggering back as the shield fell in her lap, Pinkie looking it over and seeing it looked exactly like the one she had envisioned. "Wait..." "Pinkie!" She turned to Maud, "how did you do that?" "I just...thought about it and it appeared!" This made Maud think, an idea appearing in her head. "I wonder." She closed her eyes and thought for a moment before a flash of light occurred infront of her, Maud opening her eyes and grabbing the light as it suddenly faded to reveal a giant war-hammer. "RAAAAH!" She screamed while swinging it around and hitting both monsters, crushing both their heads in a single swing. Pinkie smiled as her monster attacked again. Pinkie's shield vanished as her hands were engulfed by lights, which faded to reveal large red boxing gloves. "Oh yeah!" She slammed her fists together before charging forward and slamming her fist into the creature, destroying it. The sisters fought against the rock monsters and slowly began to whittle them down until they were all gone. But as soon as the last one crumbled to dust, the wall began to break and threaten to start this all over again. "I don't think so!" Pinkie's gloves appeared before she snapped her fingers. "I cast death muffin!" A large cupcake with a stick of dynamite for a candle appeared in her hand, Pinkie tossing that cupcake at the wall. As soon as it hit, it exploded and created a giant hole that the sisters leapt through. It began to seal itself up as the two pushed themselves back to their feet and rush over to Marble. But as they did, more monsters began to break free. "We've got to get her out of here," Pinkie said as they started grabbing at the chains. But no matter how hard they pulled, they chains wouldn't break. And in all the time they spent pulling, the monsters finally escaped the wall. Maud turned back to them and quickly imagined something that could help, a flash of light signalling the appearance of pitching machine. It began firing the balls at the monsters, the impact smashing them up. Meanwhile, Pinkie imagined a buzzsaw that she tried to use on the chains. But all it did was create sparks with neither piece of metal giving way. "Just hold on Marble," she told her half away sister. "Please." "It's my turn!" Rarity drew her three cards and smiled when she saw one of them. "Perfect." "Great," Marble sighed. "What's it this time. Another Fusion Card." "Not quite!" Rarity said before playing one of the cards, "I play Spell Recovery! Now, by banishing the top card of my deck, I can return a Spell to my hand from the graveyard!" She drew her card and revealed Crystal Rose before removing it, as her Duel Disk slotted out a card. "Now," she instantly played the card, "for that Fusion Card. Gem Compression" "I knew it!" Marble growled as the ground broke open, with three gems flying out of it. "Now I banish Brilliant Diamond, Lapis Lazuli and Topaz, in order to fusion summon something extraordinary!" "Ya'h fusing three Fusion monsters?" Applejack asked in wonder. "That's what this monster requires in order to be summoned," Rarity announced. In that moment, a vortex appeared and the three diamonds were sucked inside. "Now watch, as the power residing within each of these gems unite to create a radiant beauty that the world has never seen before." The vortex exploded, unleashing a rainbow of light that blinded all but Rarity. "I FUSION SUMMON!" The light faded, revealing an all new Gem-Knight monster. This one was wearing armour similar to Lapis Lazuli, though this one's were purple instead of blue. It also had a head of purple stone hair, styled just like Rarity, while the body underneath the armour was snow white. Its face was almost exactly like Rarity's, with purple paint for eye-shadow and three blue diamonds on the edge of her hair. She was also holding a large sceptre in her hands, which had a white crystal orb on the top with four fingers spiralling around it that had multiple gems embedded within them. Other small gems were also embedded in her cloths, light around the cuffs of her sleeves and the trim of her robes. She was also wearing high-heeled saddles similar to Rarity, which were also gem-encrusted. "Gem-Knight Lady, CRYSTAL RARITY!" (A?/D?/L10) "What?" Marble asked, "you've never used that monster before." "One should always be equipped with the latest fashion accessory," Rarity smiled while flickering her hair. "Crystal Rarity's skill. Her original ATK and DEF becomes the number of monsters used in order to Fusion Summon her times by one thousand." (A3000/D3000/L10) "Now for her other skill!" Rarity announced as her monsters raised it staff. "By tributing another Earth monster, I can increase her ATK points by half of its." She turned to Applejack, "mind lending me a card darling?" "Go for it," Applejack smiled. Rarity nodded before Orchard Marshall glowed, that light flying into Crystal Rarity's staff before the Xyz monster vanished and the Fusion Monster powered up. (A4500/D3000/L10) Marble frowned as Crystal Rarity then pointed its staff at Gaia-Maiden. "Now I'll attack with Crystal Rarity!" "And with that, you've activated my Trap card!" Her face down flipped up, "Late Reinforcements! This Trap allows me to take a Monster from anywhere in my deck and place it on the top of my deck!" A card slotted out, which she took before placing it onto her deck. But this didn't stop Crystal Rarity's attack from firing. The gems on the staff unleashed a beam of light, heading straight for Marble's monster. "I'll also use Gaia-Maiden's skill," she stated before the beam struck. "AUGH!" Rarity: 1850 Marble: 850 Applejack: 1200 She banished a card from her graveyard before pressing a button on her Duel Disk. "Now I play my Numinous Healer Trap, to power my Life Points back up." Rarity: 1850 Marble: 1850 Applejack: 1200 Rarity frowned, "I place one card face down." She an Applejack shared a look, knowing what was most likely coming now. All they could do was hope they had everything they needed to stop it. "It's my turn," Marble drew her card and without even looking, she held it up. "And now, with this one card, I now put my entire future on the line." "No," Rarity whispered. "First, I must tribute an Earth Attributed monster while also discarding a monster in my hand with the same name." The ground was ripped apart once again, the pieces of earth flying out and forming a moon around Lady Marble. "Here it comes!" Applejack cried as the rock solid cocoon grew larger and larger. Applejack turned to Rarity, fearing what might happen to her friend. "Awaken," Marble cried as the rock egg began to break apart, "beast of the earth!" The rocks fell away, revealing the tortoise-like Duel Monster that hovered above the building. It stared down at them, ready to crush them under its enormous bulk. "Zenith Dragon of Unbreakable Continents, GREATERRA!" (A6000/D5000/L12) Within Marble's find, Pinkie and Maud were still fighting off the rock monsters. Maud once again had her war-hammer while Pinkie had her shield. "Augh!" Pinkie cried as a rock fist slammed into her shield and made her stagger back. At the same time, Maud destroyed another one only for it to be replaced by two more. "There's no end to them," she sighed before something happened. The stone wall they were coming from suddenly crumbled, allowing them to see the TVs that filled the void. "Now what?" The TVs all changed. Instead of showing memories, they showed them something else. A Duel. "Rarity!" Pinkie cried in horror, "Applejack!" "I thought I'd let you see one of your little friends lose their soul," Gaia-Maiden's voice called out. "No," Pinkie whispered. She then turned to her captured sister. "Please Marble! You have to stop her!" Marble's eyes opened, "I can't stop her. I'm...too weak." "You're not weak!" Maud told her before crushing another rock monster. "You have something that's a million times stronger then Gaia-Maiden. You have a strong heart." "Greaterra's skill!" Marble cried as the giant dragon unleashed a roar that sent a bunch of rocks flying down towards her opponent's field. "No!" Rarity cried before every card in their Spell and Trap Zone was buried under a bunch of rubble. Even Apple Fairy and Stag of Great Seedling were trapped beneath the rocks. "Now all your cards are trapped," Marble smiled. "Unable to be activated until next turn." "Then there's no way to stop it," Rarity whispered. Applejack turned to her, fearing what would happen the minute her life points hit zero. "Rarity..." "Marble!" Pinkie cried, "please. Don't let that witch turn you into a monster." "You have to fight it!" Maud cried. Marble heard this and was, the girl using all of her strength to pull against the chains. But no matter what she did, she couldn't seem to get her body to stop. "I'm...I'm sorry." Marble smiled as she stared down Rarity, "It's time to claim my first soul for Lady Midnight." She pointed at Crystal Rarity. "Zenith Dragon of Unbreakable Continents, ATTACK!" The beast opened its mouth as a giant rock appeared within it, Greaterra roaring with enough force to send the rock flying out and rocketing towards the Gem-Knight Lady. "CONTINENTAL CRUSHER!" "RARITY!" Applejack, Pinkie and Maud screamed as the giant rock flew towards Rarity and her monster. But then- "Skill of Crystal Rarity!" She cried as her monster raised its staff and unleashed a light, causing the same light to fly out of the rocks covering their cards. "What's happening?" Marble asked. "By tributing face down cards in our Spell and Trap Zone, I can increase Crystal Rarity's ATK power." "What?" Marble cried in horror. "Four hundred points for every card sacrificed. And with four face downs, that's sixteen hundred points." The others gasped in joy, realising Rarity was going to survive the attack. But Marble had other ideas. "I don't think so," she smiled. "See my face down," she pointed to the card. "That's Divine Wrath." Everyone's eyes went wide. "This'll not only negate your monster's ability, but also destroy it. Meaning you'll be taking even more damage from a direct attack." "No," Rarity whispered. "I-" But before Marble could activate the card, she suddenly froze. "What?" She tried to touch the button, but her hand wouldn't do as sh said. "What's...happening?" Rarity and Applejack were just as confused. Pinkie and Maud both turned to their sister, gasping when they saw her glowing and struggling. "No," she groaned, "I...won't...let you!" With that, the chains around her began to break. "You stole...my body. You made me do...terrible things. No more. No...MORE!" She screamed as the light exploded off of her, causing the chains to be ripped off her body while the stone slab and monsters shattered. "MARBLE!" The sisters cried, rushing over to grab her before she fell to the ground. "We're here," Pinkie told her. "Just keep fighting," Maud said. "Just a little longer." "I...I... "I...don't activate my Trap card." Rarity and Applejack gasped as the Gem-Knight Lady's skill activated, the rocks covering their face down exploding to reveal the cards. Those cards turned into a light that flew into Crystal Rarity's staff, increasing her ATK points seconds before the attack hit. (A4600/D3000/L10) Crystal Rarity was soon crushed under the rock, destroying her but the ATK difference wasn't enough to beat Rarity. "AUGH!" She cried as the force from the attack struck. Rarity: 450 Marble: 1850 Applejack: 1200 Rarity then smiled. "One of the cards sacrificed was Magic Retrieval, a Trap that activates when it's sent from the field to the graveyard." A card slotted out of her Duel Disk. "It lets me add a Spell back to my hand from the graveyard. And the Spell I pick is Spell Recovery." She took the card whilst the two of them focused on Marble, who was now clutching her head. "AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" She screamed as she fell to her knees and her body shook, the two beginning to fear for the girl currently possessed. Then, she turned to them. "I'm...so sorry," she whispered in a shy tone. "Huh?" Applejack asked, "Marble?" "I'm sorry for everything," she began to cry. "Marble," Rarity yelled, "before it's too late. End this Duel." Marble nodded and let go of her head, instead reaching for her Duel Disk. "I...I..." All she had to do was place her hand on her Deck and she would forfeit. But before she could, she gasped as her body froze in place. "AUGH!" Pinkie and Maud screamed as they were sent flying backwards by a force of energy that exploded from their sister, hitting the ground as chains shot out of the darkness. "NO!" She screamed. "This isn't over," Gaia-Maiden told her. Marble's eyes shot open and she pushed herself up. "I set two cards face down and end my turn." Greaterra and the rocks on their cards vanished, Gaia-Maiden appearing in its place. But as she did, Marble screamed again and clutched her hair. "MARBLE!" Applejack and Rarity cried. "AAAAARRRRRHHHHH!" Marble screamed, "stop it you little whelp!" "NO!" Marble cried as she pulled at the chains, breaking them off of her. "I won't let you control me anymore!" Pinkie and Maud smiled before a light made them turn to see Gaia-Maiden appear, looking incredibly peeved. "I'll make you pay for this!" She charged at Marble, only for Pinkie and Maud to jump in the way. "I don't think so!" Pinkie yelled as she grabbed her staff, "we won't let you touch our sister!" "That's right!" Maud jumped behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist, "just stay away from her!" "Get off me!" Gaia-Maiden screamed. "Marble," Pinkie cried, "hurry. End the Duel." Marble nodded and pulled at more of the chains, shattering them all and taking control once again. Marble opened her eyes, Rarity and Applejack seeing the pain in them. "Please," she whispered, "I can't hold on much longer. Before she takes control again." The two nodded with Rarity turned to Applejack, "it's all on you now." Applejack nodded and drew her card, "here goes!" She saw what it was and a plan formed. "Alright. First, a'm flipped ma'h Pendulum Monsters back up!" The pillars reappeared with her monsters flying back into them, forming the portal above their heads. "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened before a light shot out of it, hitting the ground and exploding to reveal her Xyz monster. "Orchard Marshall!" (A3000/D1500/R4/P5) "Then I'll play the Spell card, Honest Guess!" Rarity smiled, knowing what that card did. "With that, a'h can guess a card an if it's in any Duellist's hand, a'h can add it to ma'h hand." She pointed at Rarity, "Spell Recovery!" "Right here darling!" Rarity tossed the card in Applejack's direction, the girl catching and playing it. "Alright. Now that I've got this, a'h can banish the top card of ma'h deck to recover a Spell card from ma'h grave." She banished said card, which was Apple-Buck Pony, then removed a card from her graveyard. "Go Applejack!" Pinkie cried as her friend played the card. "NOOO!" Gaia-Maiden screamed. "Here we go!" The ground ripped open before Orchard Cowboy flew out of it and landed infront of Applejack. "A'm playing Rank-Up-Magic...ETERNAL GROWTH!" Vines flew out of the hole and wrapping around the gunslinger "Once again, a'h can Rank-Up ma'h Cowboy an summon somethin new." A black hole opened above their head, the vines then lifting the cocoon towards it. "Please hurry!" Marble whispered. "Just hold on!" Rarity told her as the cocoon entered the black hole before it began to pulse, as Applejack chanted. "Warrior of the desert, fight against all odds and stand as the lone surviving gunslinger!" The black hole exploded, unleashing Applejack's monster. "RANK-UP XYZ EVOLUTION!" The light faded, revealing Applejack's monster. It looked like Orchard Cowboy, only his clothing looked more rugged and his hair was longer and less well kept. He was wearing a brown overcoat with apple patterns on the shoulders. His mouth bandanna was brown and his pistols were longer. He still had an apple on his hat, but her also had them on his boots and the cuffs of his sleeve. "Orchard Desperado!" (A2800/D1700/R4/P6) "Eternal Growth's effect activates!" (A3300/D1700/R4/P6) "There's more." A flash of light caused Orchard Sheriff to appear, it and Orchard Marshall glowing before they morphed into Overlay Units that flew around Desperado. "Since he was summoned using Eternal Growth, Desperado can add any Orchard Xyz monster on the field or in the graveyard to him as an Overlay Unit!" "I won't let this madness continue!" Gaia-Maiden screamed before throwing Pinkie off of her staff before grabbing Maud and pulling herself off of her. She then charged at Marble once again, but suddenly found her legs being grabbed. "Applejack, HURRY!" Pinkie cried as Gaia-Maiden tried to pull them off. "Desperado's skill!" One of its Overlay Units flew into its pistol. At the same time, ghostly image of Crystal Rarity appeared and morphed into a light that wrapped around Desperado's body and made it glow extra bright. "By removing an Overlay Unit, Desperado's ATK goes up by the Level of an Earth monster in ma'h graveyard times one hundred." (A4300/D1700/R4/P6) "That's not enough!" Rarity told her. "Maybe," Applejack smiled before the other two Overlay Units flew into its gun. "But a'h can use this skill as many times as a'h want." Suddenly, the twin ghosts of Crystal Rarity appeared and flew into Desperado. The aura around him grew brighter. (A6300/D1700/R4/P6) "NOW!" Applejack yelled, "ATTACK!" Marble watched as Desperado pointed its pistols at Gaia-Maiden before firing. The twin blasts morphed into the forms of Desperado and Crystal Rarity, both flying towards her monster. "I activate my Trap!" Gaia-Maiden screamed, "Mirror Force!" But nothing happened, "activate the Trap!" "I don't think so!" Pinkie told her as Gaia-Maiden tried to reach out and touch Marble. "Your days of controlling out sister are OVER!" "NOOOOOOOOOO!" The spirits of the two monsters turned back into lights, which merged into a single blast that continued towards Gaia-Maiden. And as the attack came, Marble's eyes closed and tears formed in her eyes. "Thank you. Everyone." With that, the blast struck Gaia-Maiden and exploded with enough force that Marble was sent flying backwards. Rarity: 450 (Winner) Marble: 0 Applejack: 1200 (Winner) A loud cracking sound made Sunset look up and see the Omega Field begin to break apart before exploding, unleashing a powerful light that blinded her as the pieces vanishing into mist. When the light faded, Sunset opened her eyes and saw Applejack and Rarity standing tall while Marble lay on the floor. A pair of gasps made her turn back to see Pinkie and Marble sit up, panting. "You guys okay?" She saw the two look themselves over. "Yeah," Pinkie nodded, "I'm fine." "Same," Maud agreed before they noticed their sisters. "MARBLE!" They yelled as they rushed over to her and knelt down besides her, helping sit her up. "Marble, speak to us!" They looked down at her hand and saw the mark was still there, all wondering what was happening. Inside her head, Marble was floating in the void staring at a panting Gaia-Maiden. But the look on her face wasn't one of hatred or anger at what she did. Instead, it was one of pity. "I'm sorry for what happened to you," she told her. "I know it must have been awful. But, I don't think they would have wanted this." Gaia-Maiden looked up at her, glaring. "What do you know?" "A lot," Marble told her. "Don't forget, I've been watching your memories for a while. I know you and I know Scayer. He wouldn't have wanted to live at the cost of millions of others." Gaia-Maiden didn't say a thing, instead looking away. "I know this is hard, but you have to move on with your life. I'm sure that's what he-" "ENOUGH!" She shot a glare at Marble. "You may have seen what he was like but you don't know him. So be quiet!" She suddenly felt herself being pulling into the air, towards a light that was beginning to appear. "Don't think this is over. It's barely begun." With that, she vanished into the light and Marble felt herself gasp. When her eyes opened, the first thing she saw were her sisters. Both were staring down at her, tears in their eyes. She blinked several times before crying herself, finally getting to talk for the first time in months. "Pinkie...Maud." That was all Pinkie needed to start balling her eyes out as she pulled her twin in close, Maud hugging both of them protectively. The others all smiled until they noticed Marble's deck glowing. Except this glow wasn't as bright as the other ones they had seen. Instead of her entire deck slotting out, only a few of them flew out while others remained in Marble's deck. "What's going on?" Sunset asked as Marble looked the cards over, seeing which ones they were. "Those are the cards Gaia-Maiden added to my deck." As she said this, the cards exploded into flames while the Zenith Dragon remained between them. One by one, each card Gaia-Maiden had placed in the deck she stole turned to ash. Marble's eyes fell of the three copies of her Dominator and eventually, they too disintegrated. At the same time, the mark that had been on the back of Marble's hand vanished. With the cards destroyed, the Zenith Dragon fell to the ground. Applejack stepped over to it, crouching down to pick it up. "Finally," she sighed, "it's over." She turned to the others as they all smiled, the Pies all continuing to hug one another. "Oh, it's far from over." The girls gasped before looking up, their eyes going wide at the sight before them. Gaia-Maiden was floating in the air, the Void Cube besides her. Her body was ghostly, showing her Duel Monster Spirit form. "A family reunited. The relief that comes after victory and confidence in the future. The hope." She smirked, "I still have a way to crush it all. And what a joy that will be. Such pleasure in your pain." "You've already lost!" Rarity told her. "There's no way you can take our souls." Sunset nodded. "You can whine all you want, but there's nothing you can do. Not now that your Soulink is broken and your in this state." Gaia-Maiden let out a small chuckle, which got louder and louder while growing more and more psychotic sounding. "YOU THINK YOU'VE WON!?" She clutched her head, "YOU THINK I'M DEFEATED THAT EASILY!?" The girls grew fearful, especially when a blackish red light began to seep out of the Void Cube's seams. "What's happening?" Pinkie asked. "I...don't know," was all Sunset could say as they were forced to look away from the cube. "MY PERFECT WORLD WILL COME TO PASS!" Gaia-Maiden screamed, "EVEN IF I CAN'T BE THERE TO SEE IT!" The cuber floated above head head. "LADY MIDNIGHT, I WILL GIVE YOU WHAT YOU NEED! A SOUL STRONG ENOUGH TO AWAKEN YOUR FULL POWER! MY SOUL!" Marble's eyes went wide as she tried to pick herself up, "don't!" But it was too late. "BEHOLD, MY FINAL VICTORY!" Gaia-Maiden's ghostly body wobbled and waved as she began to glow the same light that was coming from the Void Cube. Then, she was suddenly consumed by that light. And as it did, the smile vanished from her face. "AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRHHHHHHHHHH!" She screamed in agony before she was sucked into the cube, the girls all watching in horror. Seconds passed and nothing happened, only for the cube to then explode with light as it divided into the four cubes. The girls all screamed as the light flew over them. The others had been watching from the control room and gasped when the Void Cube activated. They then felt something in the air and turned to see the light phase through the walls and head towards them, everyone crying out as they were hit. But instead of hurting them, it simply passed over them without pain or injury. "What's going on?" Starlight asked. "I'm...not sure," Cadance turned to the monitor and tried to get an image of the outside. She finally did and gasped at what she saw, Sunburst and Starlight moving to see the same thing. The Void Space had engulfed the entire building, creating a cube of blackish-red energy. "This can't be good," Starlight gulped before looking inside the hanger and seeing the energy pass over the Omega Field before engulfing the shield. "Really not good." Inside the Omega Field, Midnight and Shining were still Duelling. But all that stopped when the energy passed over them. "What the?" Shining asked before the energy flew over him, Midnight letting out a gasped when it happened to her. A smile then appeared on her lips, one that Shining did not like the look of. "It's time," she whispered before a light appeared around her. "My awakening is here...AT LAST!" With that, the light exploded off of her and formed a beam that struck the ceiling of the Omega Field. The force knocked Shining backwards as their Duel Disks sensed a danger and shut down, their monsters vanishing. "Don't tell me." Outside the Omega Dome, they all heard cracking before the dome exploded and unleashed a light that blinded everyone once again. "What is happening?" Sunburst yelled, while Starlight tried to open her eyes and see through it. But what she saw was another glow, one yellow and one blue. She turned towards those glows and saw the Zenith Dragons were the cause, Starlight's eyes going wide as she rushed over to try and grab them. But before she could, they completely vanished. And they weren't the only ones. Within the shield, the Zenith Dragons of Limitless Skies and Endless Inferno glowed red and green. They too suddenly vanished. Back at the last remaining generator, Sunset and the others moaned as they recovered from the energy passing over them. "What was that?" Pinkie asked. "I'm not sure," Sunset replied. As she did, a brown light caught their attention and made them turn to the card in Sunset's hand. Greaterra glowed brighter and brighter by the second before it completely vanished, shocking them. "What the hey?" Applejack cried. "Where'd it go?" Rarity asked. Sunset felt panic swell up inside of her, remembering what Gaia-Maiden had just done. "No," she turned to the generator, "it can't be. The shield should still be up." "Except Gaia-Maiden said it didn't matter," Rarity explained. The others turned to her. "She said that when Zeronull's power awakened, it could get through the shield even if one of the generators survived." This made everyone worry. At the source of the light, Shining stood infront of his sister and gasped when he saw a light appear next to her. That light was from a card, the Zenith Dragon of Unbreakable Continents. Another light appeared, this one being the dragon of light, followed by the dragons of water, wind and fire. A flash of light from her deck revealed the appearance of the dark dragon, the six now floating around her. Meanwhile, Midnight just smiled a sinister smile. "Finally."