Canterlot City was bustling with activity, as people were living their day to day lives. Either working at their jobs, shopping, hanging with friends and family, or Duelling to their heart's content.
One such person doing a mixture of the first and last option was a girl in one of the laboratories of Freeze Industries. She was a young women of twenty, with purple skin and purple hair that was in a ponytail. She wore black glasses and a white lab-coat. She was currently tapping away at a keyboard before letting out a sigh. "Okay," she adjusted her glasses, "everything seems to be working perfectly." She turned towards the only other person in the room. "You sure you're up for this?"
The other person was an eighteen year old boy with purple skin and green hair. "You bet." He held up a strange looking device that looked like a helmet that would cover everything above his mouth, with several wires attached to a big machine. "Just tell me when."
The girl smiled and turned back to the computer. "Alright. I'm initiating the program now. Whenever you're ready Spike."
"Got it Twi," Spike put the helmet on and took a deep breath. "It's time to link into the VRAINS!" The helmet lit up as the screen in front of his eyes began showing him images. Suddenly, Spike's body went limp and he just stood there.
The woman named Twilight smiled at the screen, seeing everything was going well. "Yes," she whispered, "it's working. it's-" She stopped when he computer started giving out warning signals, making her gasp before sparks started flying off the helmet. "Oh no." She slammed a button on the side as the computer shut down, Spike suddenly flinching as he stopped being limp.
"What?" He quickly reached up and pulled the helmet off, said helmet beginning to spark and make him drop it. "WOW!" He jumped away as Twilight grabbed a fire extinguisher and started spraying the device, which finally stopped sparking. "I guess this means the test failed."
Twilight sighed, "back to the drawing board." As she said that, there was a knock at the door. It then opened and the man known as Cold Steel stepped inside.
He took a look around the lab, then fell on the foam covered helmet. "Any progress."
"He was able to enter the system," Twilight told him. "But we're still having problems."
"Well keep at it," Cold told her. "This could mean big things for the world of Duelling if you manage to pull it off."
"Will do," Twilight nodded as she picked the helmet up. "Was that all you came for?"
"No," Cold shook his head. "I just wanted to make sure you were both ready for today's match."
"We'll be there," Spike smirked. "I wouldn't miss it for the world."
"Me neither," Twilight smiled. "It's sure to be a big event. One Duellist going battle royale against fifty others. If he actually manages to win, it'll be a miracle."
"The only one winning is me," Spike smirked. "First I'll take him out, then everyone else."
"We'll see," Cold told him before leaving. Once he was gone, Twilight and Spike sat down on a couch in the corner, Twilight turning on the TV as the two of them relaxed while they waited for the computer to finish cooling.
"In Duelling news, the World Tag Tournament is reaching its fourth round. The favourites to win this year are still the team of Sunburst and Starlight, who have managed to dominate the competition so far. The European Circuit will soon be starting, with many eyes being on the young Duellist known as Sunset Shimmer. Having come in fifth during her first Euro competition, all eyes are on her. Another top contender is the Glory Heavyweight Champion, Gilda. With her Kickboxing season over, she is now preparing to try and take top in the Euro League. Back here in America, the Double X Tournament is only one month away. I sat down earlier with last years winners, Team Crusaders."
Twilight smiled as the announcer told the viewers that interview would be shown later. This made her switch the channel to another news station, showing its own story.
"The peace treaty between Changeland and the Island of Seaquestria has been finalised. The image of King Thorax and Queen Novo in public together to announce the signing." The TV showed the two, with Skystar standing besides her mother. Twilight and Spike both still found it strange with how different the two of them were.
They remembered back three years, when they had first met the two after they had been freed from their Domination. It was bizarre how hyperactive Skystar was compared to her formally psychotic persona under Rhodos's influence.
Twilight changed the channel again, getting a sports channel this time. "America is set to bring home the trophy in next years world cup, thanks to the skills of two of the team's newest players. Rainbow Dash and Soarin Skies, despite only joining the national team this year, are already set to have a long a promising career. When asked if they had any plans for after those careers end, the two answered simply with the world. Dueling. In other news, rumours of the two dating have been confirmed as-" They didn't hear that last part as Twilight accidently hit the remote and changed the channel.
It was a music channel, showing a trio of familiar women dancing and singing together with a trio of mermaid Duel monsters.
"Well," Twilight turned the TV off, "we'd better get back to work. Maybe we can figure out what the problem is with this system before we have to leave for the stadium."
"I still don't get why this is so important," Spike told her. "What does a Duelling company have to do with virtual reality?"
Twilight rolled her eyes. "If we can get this to work, we can create a global Duelling network. People from all over the world will be able to log on and both meet and Duel people on the over side of the planet. You could be here in America, but Duelling against someone in England or France. You could even have a face to face conversation with Thorax, without needing to get on a plane or waste money on phone or video calls."
"Huh," Spike smirked at that, "I like the sound of that." He grabbed the helmet, "let's get this thing working." As he said that, Twilight's phone went off.
She smiled when she saw who it was and answered, "hey there BBBFF."
"Hey Twily," Shining smiled while walking through his house. "Just making sure you're not so focused on your work you forget what time it is."
"I'm not gonna miss the Duel!" Twilight cried out in annoyance, causing Shining to laugh as he arrived at the living room. There, Cadance and Flurry were sitting on the ground with a bunch of Duel Cards scattered around it.
Cadance looked up and smiled, having heard Twilight's voice through the phone. "Are you teasing your poor little sister honey?" Shining pouted at her as he put his phone on speaker.
"And I'm not going to miss it," Twilight said halfway through her speech.
"Hey Twilight," Cadance smiled as Flurry laughed.
"Aunty Twi-Twi," the toddler cheered.
"How's my favourite niece," Twilight's voice said back happily.
"Hey Flurry!" Spike called back, making Flurry laugh and clap.
"Spike!"
"So what are you guys up too before the match?" Twilight asked.
"Flurry wanted another Duelling lesson," Shining replied. "At this rate, she might be able to compete in today's match." His daughter laughed as she picked up three cards. She stacked them one on top of the other, the one on top being an Xyz monster which was the same rank as the levels of the monsters below. "She's already learning some pretty advanced skills." He tried not to look upset at his daughter's Xyz interest. "So, are you guys gonna need a lift to the stadium later?"
"No," Twilight replied, "We've already made arrangements to get to the arena."
"We'll meet you there," Spike told them.
"Well then we won't keep you any longer," Cadance told them before picking Flurry up and holding her over the phone. "Say bye bye Flurry."
"Bye bye Flurry," the toddler said. The adults all laughed.
"We'll see you later Flurry," Twilight told her. "Do me a favour and cream your daddy in a Duel for me. It was hilarious the last time that happened."
"That only happen because I had a deck of high level monsters and no Pendulums!" Shining told her, making everyone laugh again as Twilight and Shining hung up. "Alright sweetheart." He pulled out his deck while his daughter reached for her own cards. "I'm settling the score," he put the cards on the floor while Cadance placed Flurry in front of him.
"Bring...it," she forced out while Cadance grabbed her phone and started recording.
Back at Freeze Industries, Cold was making his way through the building until he arrived at the cards department.
He stepped inside and found a large office cubical like structure in the room. Several boxed in areas where artists were working on the designs of new cards, some of them working on an electronic arts board while others were going old school and creating the art from scratch and scanning them into the computer. Whatever works.
Cold made his way through two lines of cubicles, catching the attention of several artists. Some of them looked worried about his sudden appearance while others were more relaxed and gave him a courteous node as he passed.
He came to a stop next to one cubicle and looked inside, seeing a young man who his company had just recently hired. "What are you working on?" The man was scared by the sudden question and quickly leapt to his feet, sweating.
"I'm...I'm just working on some rudimentary sketches for a possible new archetype...sir."
"What's it called."
"I haven't landed on anything permanent, but I was thinking maybe...Salamangreat."
Cold slowly nodded. "I look forward to seeing what you turn out." He walked off while the man sighed in relief, Cold arriving at the door to an office and stepping inside of it. There, he found an interesting series of decorations. Several drawings and sketches covered the walls, some looking like only doodles while others looked like something Leonardo would work on.
On the other side of the room was the office's owner, Misty Vail. She was working on another portrait, making slow careful brush strokes. "Did you need something?" She asked without looking away from her work.
"Your daughter is blowing up my lab again," Cold explained while Misty laughed.
"She's not my daughter yet. But hopefully, I'll get to start calling her that soon." She pulled the brush away and turned the picture towards Cold. "What do you think? My first creation of a new archetype. Trickstar Rhodode."
Cold looked at the image of the young women in the picture, "not bad. What type of play-style will this archetype use."
"I haven't decided yet," Misty sat back. "I can't even decide which summoning style it'll fall under. It needs more then just Standard Summoning, but Fusion, Ritual, Synchro or Xyz summoning doesn't feel like the right fit either. Heck, I can't even think of any Pendulum monsters for them."
"I've been noticing that problem with some of our other creators," Cold nodded. "I think they're starting to plateau on ideas for new cards. The time of the Pendulum Summon may be drawing to a close."
"Possible," Misty sighed. "Though it'll always have a place in the world of Dueling, it's time in the spotlight is growing shorter."
Cold nodded, "any idea what the next new style will be? The world of Duelling must evolve, or be left in the dust."
"I have no idea," Misty explained. "Even with my abilities, I can't see how this game will change next. If the Duel Monster Spirit World is in a time of peace, there may not be any new types of monsters appearing. Without an enemy to fight, they have no reason to push themselves into the unknown."
"I guess that is a good thing," Cold told her. "But we cannot forget what we were told on that day. A new evil will one day rise. And though we shouldn't let that fact make us paranoid, we must be prepared for when that day comes. Even if it isn't in our life time, we must be ready. That's why we must constantly be evolving, to have something that that evil will not see coming."
"You're right," Misty nodded. "But it may take years for that new power to arise. We can't just sit around waiting for that to happen. We have to find a way to evolve the world of Duelling ourselves."
Cold nodded before heading towards the door, "my thoughts exactly. And until we find that way, we have to make do with what we have at our disposal." Misty nodded as Cold left the room. Once he was gone, she let out a sigh before reaching for her phone and calling someone.
In a museum across town, a man was in an office with his head hidden behind a mountain of papers.
He then heard a loud ringing noise and looked over the piles of paperwork to reveal the man known as Relic Fragment. He stared over at another desk where the ringing was coming from, the source being a phone that wasn't his. He quickly got up and grabbed the phone, answering it. "Hello?"
"Relic?" He heard Misty replied, "why do you have Trail's phone."
"He left it in the office," he stated before the door opened and the phone's owner stepped inside. "Here he is." He threw the phone and Trail caught it with barely a glance and a single hand.
"Hey honey," Trail sat down. "You ready for the Duel later."
"Of course. Just making sure you'll be there."
"I'll be there," he assured her. "Wouldn't miss it for the world. He's been so busy lately, I haven't had any time to even talk to him other then quick phone calls."
"Same. Let's hope he has some time to stick around after the Duel."
"Is your dad going to be there as well."
"Of course. This'll be the most exciting thing he's gotten to do since retiring."
In another part of the city, on a golf course, we find Grand carrying a bag of golf clubs.
He then put a T down along with a ball before pulling out a club, which he used to hit the ball and send it flying through the air. It then landed a few hundred yards from where he was now. Grand then put his golf club back in the bag and picked it up to head towards the ball. As he did, he let out a sigh.
"My god this is boring. How do old men not die of boredom?" He sighed again, glad he at least had the Duel later to look forward too.
In another area of Canterlot, a truck rolled down the street before coming to a stop outside the back of a building.
The door of the building opened to show a twenty year old Pinkie Pie, skipping out of her bakery and clapping when she saw the arrival of her fruit delivery. "Applejack!" She screamed as the older farm-girl stepped out of her truck with Big Mac,
"Howdy Pinkie," she smiled as she headed to the back of her truck. "How's business."
"Great!" Pinkie smiled back as Applejack lifted a large crate of apples off the back of her truck and headed towards her, Pinkie keeping the door open so she could walk inside without issue. "I only opened a year ago, but I'm already being called the best bakery in the city."
"That's great," Applejack smiled as she dropped the crate down and wiped her brow. "Ya'h deserve it."
"Thanks," Pinkie smiled before looking over at a nearby picture on the wall. Said picture was of her, Marble and Maud. "I can't wait to show those two how popular this place as become since they last saw it."
"Are they gonna be at the Duel later?" Applejack asked, Pinkie shaking her head.
"No. Maud's still overseas and Marble's still in school. But I'm sure they're gonna watch. And since you guys are early, I should have time to make some new batches of pies before I have to head off to the stadium."
"Want some help?" Applejack asked, "Mac an a'h don't have anything else we need doing. We shut the store early today so we're as free as a bird. Right Mac?"
"Eyup," he nodded while Pinkie smiled and clapped her hands.
In another part of the city, the twenty year old Rarity had just entered the Canterlot vets center with a carry case.
There, the receptionist looked up and smiled at her. "Ah, Miss Rarity. You're right on time. Please go through." Rarity nodded and headed into the next room, where she found her friend Fluttershy wearing scrubs.
"Oh," she turned to smile at her, "hello Rarity."
"Hello Darling," she placed the carry case onto the table. "Thanks for squeezing us in. I have a big project starting in a few days and I'll probably not have any free time afterwards. Big order for Trixie."
Fluttershy laughed as the vet named Dr Fauna stepped into the room. "Ahh, Rarity. Come for Opalescence's boosters are we?" Rarity nodded. "Well Fluttershy, why don't you do that. You're the only one who can actually get near her with a needle without getting a million scratches."
The vet assistant nodded before opening the cage and reaching inside. "Come on Opal. No need to be afraid." She took out the cat and held her, the feline not looking at all worried as Fauna prepared the injection. As she did, Fluttershy turned to Rarity. "So what kind of order is Trixie asking for?"
"Ten different outfits she can wear for ten different shows around the country. I never would have thought she'd become such a popular magician."
Fluttershy nodded as she took the needle. "Doesn't she just need one outfit. If she's going to be in a different city for each show-"
"Heavens no. How can she be expected to keep the audience entertained if she's wearing the same thing again and again. It's all in the appeal darling." Fluttershy laughed at this while injecting Opel, who didn't even flinch.
"Whose my brave girl?" She asked before putting her on the table, "will Trixie be at the Duel later?"
"I'm not sure," Rarity replied. "I am interested in seeing who's going to be there." Fluttershy nodded, being just as interested. They continued making small talk as Fluttershy did a general check up of Opal, finding nothing else wrong with her. "It will be nice to see everyone again. And after the Duel, there's going to be a big party so we can properly catch up."
"I can't wait," Fluttershy smiled as she stroked Opal. "I want to hear all about what everyone's been doing recently."
"Same," Rarity nodded, "I'm sure whatever it is will be spectacular.
In another city entirely, Cloudsdale, a limo was being driven down the street.
Inside said limo, the former members of Team Wonderbolt were sitting there after being picked up at their differing airports. "How much longer," Gilda moaned. "I'm itching to get Duelling."
"We can tell," Soarin laughed. "But you'll just have to relax and be patient. The Duel's not for another couple of hours yet."
"Ahh!" Gilda cried, "this bites. What's a girl gotta do to get some action around here?"
"Well we've got some time," Rainbow smiled. "How about seeing how the old stomping ground's doing?" She moved forward and opened the limo's hatch to talk to the driver. "Hey, man. You know how to get to the Wonderbolt's Academy?"
"Of course," he nodded. "You wanna head there?" Rainbow nodded and he indicated to change into a different lane, Rainbow smiling as she sat back. The three continued to talk amongst themselves, discussing what strategies they should use in the Duel later until they finally arrived at their destination.
The limo came to a stop and the three stepped out and smiled at the sight of the newly constructed Wonderbolts Academy. Built two years ago, the place looked exactly like the original one had looked. Though the materials were newer and the dorms were more up to date, it looked exactly the same as the one that had originally be obliterated by the Zenith Dragon of Limitless Skies.
"Awesome," Rainbow smiled as they stepped into the schoolyard. As they did, the doors of the place opened up and several students on break stepped out. And upon seeing the three, they went wild and rushed forward. For the students of Wonderbolts Academy, meeting the three most famous alumni was a dream come true. The three were quickly surrounded, getting asked questions and requests for autographs.
"Alright, that's enough!" Another voice cried out, making the students quickly disperse and the reveal the school's principal. Spitfire stared at the three of them as she walked forward, rising an eyebrow at their suddenly appearance. "Well this is a surprise." The three quickly stood to attention, while Spitfire stepped up in front of them. "Would it have killed you to call first."
"Sorry ma'am," Rainbow told her. "This was a spur of the moment idea. We had a little free time before we had to be somewhere, so we thought we'd come and see how things were going here." She turned to Spitfire, "how are things here?"
"Good," Spitfire smiled back before stepping back, "thing are good here. You can relax now." The three sighed as they let their bodies un-tense. "I was actually hoping you three would show up when I learned you were coming for the Duel."
"Glad we didn't disappoint," Soarin told him. They then noticed the many students still staring at them with stars in their eyes. "I think they might be close to exploding from excitement." Spitfire laughed.
"It's not everyday the school's biggest heroes just show up on your doorstep."
"Well I think I might know a way to entertain them," Rainbow smiled before turning to Gilda. "Still itching for a Duel?" Gilda smiled while the rest of the kids gasped, then cheered as the two took out their Duel Disks.
Back in Canterlot, another limo was making its way through the town.
This one had also been to two different airports. The first one had been where it had picked up its first passenger, while the second one had been where it had picked up two of them. "Ahh," Starlight sighed as she watched the cityscape fly by. "It's good to be home."
"Indeed," Sunburst nodded as he pushed his glasses up. "Even if we have to leave again tomorrow."
"Talk about timing," the last member of their trio announced. Sunset Shimmer smiled at them as she too stared out into the city. "You have just enough time between rounds to fly here, compete in this Duel, then fly back with more then enough time before your next tag-Duel."
"Just fate I suppose," Starlight smiled. "Though even if we didn't have the time, we would have found a way. I wouldn't have missed this for the world."
Sunburst nodded. "It's the first time we've all been together again in so long."
"Are you sure everyone will be there?" Starlight asked. "With how busy all our lives are, it seems hard to believe that they'd all be able to make it to this one Duel."
"They'll be there," Sunset assured her. "Cold's been working on this for months, trying to work around everyone's schedules. I was even impressed he managed to get the Dazzlings here."
"I can't wait," Sunburst smiled. "Hopefully, we'll have enough time to properly talk before the game starts. I wanna hear how everyone's doing."
On the streets of Canterlot, Tempest Shadow was making her way through the town.
She hadn't really change much in the last three years, the girl walking with a large duffel-bag slung over her shoulder. She came to a stop outside a music store and spotted a CD with the image of someone she recognised as Heath Burns on the front, stating that it was the best tracks from the famous DJ and even had a DVD part that showed off some awesome skateboarding tricks set to his tons.
Tempest smiled and put the CD back before continuing to head down the street. Unlike the rest of her friends from back in the day, she hadn't really done anything extraordinary with her life yet. She had spent the last two and a half years travelling the world, both learning new Duelling techniques and teaching techniques to those that didn't have anyone to teach them.
She stepped out of the market place onto the main street, only to find a limo suddenly come to a stop besides her. That limo opened up and a well dressed Adagio Dazzle stepped out of the car, smiling when she saw her. "Hey. Need a ride. I'm guessing we're going to the same place."
Tempest smiled back and nodded before the two women climbed back into the limo. There, a smiling and waving Sonata did just that at Tempest while Aria just crossed her arms and looked away. Once they were buckled in and the car door closed, the limo pulled away and continued its journey to its intended destination.
Eventually, everyone began their own journey to the Freeze Stadium.
Cold, Twilight, Spike and Misty were in a car heading there, Misty turning to Twilight. "So how's your little experiment going? I can't wait to see what the fruits of your labour finally reveal."
"Well it won't be for a while yet. There's still a lot that I need to figure out before I we can make my virtual world public. Maybe another ten years or so. But it'll be worth the wait."
"I'm sure it will be," Cold nodded. "The World of Duel Monsters is always in a state of evolution. From the ancient Egyptians, to Maxamillion Pegasus's recreation of the game and the invention of the solid vision systems. To the standard summoning mechanics to the addition of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and others. This may be as far as the game can go in the physical world. But your virtual world may grant it an all new future to carve."
Twilight smiled before looking out the car window and staring into the sky. "I wonder what Harmonica and the others are doing right now. I hope their world is still as peaceful as ours is."
"I can assure you that it is," Misty smiled. "It's rare now that I'm able to see Duel Spirits, but when I do I can sense that they're happy and don't have a care in the world." This made the others smiled. "The worlds aren't perfect and at least one person on both of them are having a hard time, but that's life."
Cold nodded. "As long as they know that and have someone around to help them, they can work through those hardships."
The others smiled as the limo finally arrived at their destination, turning into the well packed parking lot of the stadium. There, multiple people were waiting to enter the stadium and watch the Duel. At the same time, several other cars arrived and was directed to the private section of the lot.
This included the Wonderbolt's car, along with the Dazzlings and Tempest, Sunburst, Sunset and Starlight, Big Mac with Pinkie and Applejack in the back and Fluttershy with Rarity sitting in the passenger seat.
These cars parked up and they all got out, smiling at one another before being ushered into the stadium while the crowd were kept back by security. Once inside, they began splitting off and happily embracing one another. "It's so good to see you!" Fluttershy smiled as she and Rainbow hugged.
"Same," Rainbow smiled back before pulling away and turning to the others. "Man I missed you guys."
"And we missed you," Twilight laughed before hearing the door open. Tidal Wave stepped inside, with Team Crusaders there with him.
"Hola!" He cried with joy as Scootaloo moved over to her mother, "I'm so very happy we could all be here for this momentous occasion."
"And we're happy to have you," Cold told him as the door opened again before Trail, Grand, Shining, Cadance and Flurry stepped inside.
"Hey," Shining waved to them all as they moved towards them. "Looks like we made it just in time." Twilight moved over to grab her niece and start lifting her up and down, the toddler letting out cries of enjoyment while clapping her hands.
Cold let out a chuckle before looking around. "It seems the only one we're missing is the man of the hour."
"Where is he anyway?" Spike asked. "He can't be late for this. There's no event without him."
"I'm sure he'll be here soon," Twilight assured them. "He's not gonna miss such a big event, especially if it gives him a chance to see all of us."
Back outside the stadium, the near silence of the town was broken by the sound of a supercharged engine.
That engine was powering a blue Duel Runner with orange trim, which raced down the street and zipped between the other vehicles and around the bends of the town until it finally came out on the street leading to the Freeze Stadium. Tires screeched as the bike spun on its back wheel so it was pointed into the parking lot and then revved before shooting forwards. And finally, it came to a stop in one of the empty parking spaces.
The driver then got off the bike and took several steps forward, looking up at the stadium before reaching for something on his wrist. In a flash of light, the figure's clothing changed so that they were wearing a black jacket and blue pants. "Alright," the figure began to walk forward, "time to get down to business." With that, he walked towards the stadium while pulling out a Duel Disk and a deck of cards.
Inside the stadium, cheers and cries of enjoyment filled the air as many fans sat waiting for the Duel to begin.
Misty, Cadance and Flurry were making their way down the stairs until they reached their section and politely passed those sitting. They finally took their seats and sat down, while up in a box Cold was watching the whole event from on high. He looked around and saw all the Duel fans sitting in their seats, looking forward to seeing what would happen.
But then, their attention was drawn to an explosion on the made stage. The burst of smoke signalled the arrival of two women who still looked amazing given they were well passed the point in their lives of being idols.
The Celestic Sisters waved at the crowd as they stepped out onto the stadium, holding microphones and preparing to announce the start of the Duel.
Celestia: Duel fans, young and old. Professional and armature alike.
Luna: Welcome, to the Freeze Stadium. Today's match will be an exhibition match featuring some of the greatest Duellists from around the world, who will all be competing in the Duelling Battle Royale.
Celestia: Fifty Duellists will attempt to defeat a single opponent. Many would think this would be a simple task, but that one opponent is someone who's done the impossible before.
Luna: And now, let's introduce our competitors into the stadium.
With that, the doors of the stadium opened before the fifty Duellists stepped out onto the field. Those included the likes of Twilight, Spike, Shining, Sunset, Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Sunburst, Grand, Starlight, Tempest, Mac, Gilda, Tidal, Trail, Team Crusaders, the Dazzlings and so much many more.
The stadium exploded with applause as the Duellists reached the center of the stadium, waiting for their one opponent. Each of them took out their Duel Disks and placed them on their arms, then took out a deck and shuffled before slotting them into place.
Meanwhile, in a corridor leading out to the field, the figure from before was leaning up against the wall shuffling his deck.
He then turned to his Duel Disk and saw it showing the broadcast of the upcoming Duel, a smile appearing on his lips before he looked back at his cards. "Alright guys. Let's show them how it's done." He gave the deck one last shuffle before slotting it into his Duel Disk.
Celestia: And now, let's all please welcome their opponent.
He pushed away from the wall and headed towards the exit.
Luna: The number one Duellist in all the world.
Celestia: Champion of the Celestic Cup, Double X, Euro and Asian circuit.
Luna: And not to mention hero of two worlds.
Both: FLASH SENTRY!
With that, the crowd exploded into applause once again. As they did, the twenty year old stepped out onto the battlefield. Barely looking any different from when he had saved the world three years ago, though with a slight air of maturity in his expression. Flash Sentry found himself staring down the army of opponents he had to defeat.
But despite the large number of Duellists looking to take him down, he wasn't scared. He was excited.
He looked up at the crowd and saw them all cheering and chanting, spotting Cadance, Misty, Flurry and Grand in the stands. He also spotted Cold, up in the box smiling down at him. He then turned back towards his opponents and smiled. "I want you all to come at me with everything you've got. Show me the very best each of you has to offer and I'll respond with my very best." He raised his Duel Disk and pressed a button, causing holographic images of all his monsters to appear around him.
Flash Heart Dragon Alpha and Vail Pixie Alpha stood behind and in front of him, while the rest of his monsters got into a battle ready pose with smiles on their faces. "No matter what you throw at us, me and my friends will endure it and push back just as hard."
The rest of the Duellists smiled at all the monsters before those holograms transformed into lights that flew into his Deck. "SO BRING IT ON!" He cried before the floor beneath their feet began to shine as it projected the Duel Field, as a robotic female voice spoke out.
"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."
As the Duel Field began to form around them, everyone activated their Duel Disks and drew their cards before calling out. "DUEL!"
On a random street of Canterlot, one of the megascreen was showing the Duel. Currently, it was focused on Flash as he stood in the standard Duellist pose.
Many people in the street were watching him, but none more closely then a young girl of around eight years old. She smiled at the megascreen before holding up a deck of cards and looking down at them. "One day...that'll be us." As she said that, the card let off a faint glow that only she could see. This glow made her smile as she looked back up at the megascreen.
Duel Monsters. This amazing game connects those who play it to one another, even if they have never met before. The bonds forged by this game are stronger then any other, creating friendship not just between those in different countries, but those from different worlds.
And though evil will inevitably rise to break those bonds, they will fail. Because while they may use the power of this game to try and destroy the world, they will never truly understand that power. The power the unite two worlds. The power to overcome the odds. The power...of Duelling.