Chapter 22: The Dragon Ruler's Part 6
The six were all in complete shock, the deck was gone. The podium of which the deck sits upon is empty. Immediately, everyone begins to panic.
"We Failed! we were supposed to keep the deck safe and we failed!" Cried Silverstream.
"whoever stole it couldn't have gotten far! It's only been us 10 who were inside the building." Said Sandbar.
"Well you can count us six out, we would never steal it." Said Smolder.
"Right. hmmmm...Could it have been Neighsay?" Asked Gallus. Ocellus then approaches Neighsay, still tied up.
"Hmmmm...No, He tried everything in his power to make sure it was kept safe, it makes no sense for him to pull off a stunt like this just to steal it." Said Ocellus.
"At least one of you have common sense." Neighsay Mocked.
"What about Roulette and Brisk?" Asked Silverstream.
"WHAT!? No Way!" Shouts Brisk.
"Yeah, we've been guarding the entrance of the school until you beat us, then we stayed with you." Said Roulette.
"Hmmm...Yeah, that's a tight alibi." Said Smolder.
"The only pony who was all alone...... was Cozy Pony." Said Yona.
At that moment, everyone shifted their looks towards cozy, who begins to back up to the wall. All eyes peer on her and she looks at all of them.
"Neighsay, where was Cozy when you were in the main entrance to confront us?" Asked Sandbar.
"I told her to stand guard at the vault till I got back." Said Neighsay.
"So that gives Cozy a moment to be alone with the vault." Said Smolder.
"Cozy...Did...Did you take the deck?" Asked Silverstream, hoping that it wasn't true.
Cozy lowers her head as if to admit guilt, but soon she raises her head, now smirking.
"You mean this one?" Said cozy, reaching behind her and pulling out the deck. Since the six were connected to the elements, they immediately sense the dark aura surrounding the deck.
"C-Cozy! How could you!?" Exclaimed Ocellus.
"How could I? HOW COULD I!? How about you ask Neighsay what happened when this deck was created! Then I will tell you why someone like me would do this!" Cozy said angrily. Everyone turns to Neighsay who looks confused.
"What ever do you mean Child!?" Demanded Neighsay.
"Oh you know, It wasn't that long ago! Don't you recognize me? Or does any part of me look familiar?" Taunted Cozy.
"I...I believe so...are... are you....No...No that can't be." Said Neighsay, slowly realizing who Cozy was.
The Student Six and the other two begin looking at each other in confusion, soon they refocus their attention back on Neighsay.
"What do you mean Chancellor, What are you two talking about?" Asked Sandbar. Neighsay let's out a hard sigh and looks at the group.
"It's has almost been 10 years ago, when the Dragon Ruler's deck was first created. Do you know how duel monster cards are created?" Asked Neighsay, everyone shook their heads no. "Each card is created in the image of an existing monster in the other world, they can use these card during shadow games, or during moments where there is a sudden out burst of magic, they can manifest themselves, Think of the cards as doorways. So we had the Princess Celestia, the only one who could have visions of these monsters at the time to help up make the card's images, after that, it is given to the card makers to finish up and test the cards. I helped in the overseeing of most cards being made, I witnessed the Princess Celestia come into contact with the dragon rulers, immediately the designs were made, but she quickly cut off communication, she had the look of fear on her face and begged for these cards to never be made. For awhile we listened to her, but it only took around a month for me and the rest of the card overseer's to disregard the Princess's fear. Monsters can only manifest during Shadow Games, meaning we thought no threat could ever come from them. Within a week, the deck was finished, all we needed to do was test the deck. That is when...when..." Neighsay looks away in shame. the others were engrossed in the store and they lean in closer towards Neighsay.
"....And then what?" Asked Ocellus.
"....That is when the biggest tragedy in duel monster's history happened." Said Neighsay. we had two testers, one with a random test deck, and one with the Dragon Rulers so we could see our handy work with the deck. As soon as only one of the rulers were summoned, Something felt off. The tester with the deck said they felt something off, they could feel immense pressure coming from his duel disk. The Dragon Ruler that was summoned, roared angrily and then one by one, all 4 of them emerged. They were not holograms though... they looked real, very very real. All of them let out the most horrific roars I have ever heard...and they began to tear our facility to shreds... We almost saw our complete destruction, if it wasn't for Princess Celestia, who felt their presence showed up, and managed to bring the beasts back into their cards."
All the students listened closely, but confusion was still present among them.
"Chancellor, If I may ask, What does this have to do with Cozy Glow" Asked Ocellus.
"The two testers were two of our most loyal employees, they themselves even volunteered to test the deck themselves... during the destruction that the Dragon Rulers were unleashing, we lost 5 of our employees that day, 2 of the 5 were both the testers.... both of which...were Cozy Glow's Parents."
"WHAAAAAAT!?!?!?!?" They all yell at the same time as Cozy Continued to stand there.
"After the whole accident, I personally took her to the orphanage myself, Guilt should have made me adopt her myself, but at the time I felt it would be best if she never even know who I was, i figured it would have been better that way." Neighsay Admitted.
"It didn't, You thought I would grow up and just not make an attempt to learn what happened? I found out the truth a long time ago Neighsay, and I knew it was you who was responsible. The damage destroyed all evidence of who made the deck, meaning no one was blamed for it's creation, but it was you. You made the deck, even after it's creation was forbidden. If this deck wasn't created. I would still have my family. Now, hehehhehe, I will use it to destroy EVERYTHING YOU CARE ABOUT! GAH!" Said Cozy, quickly and forcefully shoving the deck inside her duel disk.
The group lunges towards Cozy, yelling and screaming no at her, but it was too late. As soon as the deck is inserted into the the duel disk, a massive wave of pure magic output is unleashed, it was so strong it send all of them backwards. The walls and ground around Cozy crack and break from the immense power.
"Ahhh...This power...It feels....it feels...Amazing!" Cozy Says smiling like a maniac "I feel more powerful than the princesses!" Cozy began to levitate, despite not even opening her wings. "Power like this, I can bring Equestria, and the whole world to it's knees! Dueling isn't for fun, its for Power!" Cozy started to laugh as the magic aura around her shatters the roof, allowing her to float out, The whole roof began to crumble, causing huge chunks of rocks to fall, about to land on the students.
The students close their eyes and brace themselves for the impact, but a loud slash was heard. They open their eyes to see Sandbar's Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning has manifested, but he now looks solid instead of transparent. He slashed one of the rocks in half with his sword. The rock slashes into two and lands on the ground away from the students, then Gaiodiaz and Gram both appear themselves, Diaz using his axe to crush another rock falling towards them and Gram slices another incoming rock. Insect Princess soon manifests as well, picking up ocellus and quickly moving her out the way of more falling rocks. And finally, just behind Smolder and Silverstream, Red-eyes and Coral Dragon Manifests themselves and shields them with their giant wings from the rocks. Neighsay, Brisk, and Roulette were by themselves as the rocks fell, fearing that no monster would save them, Brisk and Roulette hug eachother and brace. But no rock ever hit them, again a loud slice is heard and they both look up, It was Buster Blader, using his huge sword to protect all 3 of them.
When the dust finally cleared, The two dragons move their wings so that they all could asses the damage, the vault was completely destroyed. They look around a bit before turning their attention to their monsters.
"Gram! Is that you? I thought the lack of magic prevented you from manifesting?" Asked Gallus.
"And how are you able to physical touch the world now?" Asked Sandbar.
"There is a sudden influx of magic, It was so strong that we can finally make contact again." Said Gram.
"It's far worse than that I'm afraid." Said Black Luster Soldier.
"What Soldier guy mean?" Said Gaiodiaz.
"That magic outburst was released by the dragon rulers. That is where all the magic went, they were absorbing all of the magic, just so when they were activated, the outburst would be so strong that the could manifest physically." Said Soldier.
"That...That's not good! Twilight and our professor's thought it could have been Tirek responsible for the lack of magic, They won't be able to come back to fix this!" Exclaimed Silverstream.
The group slowly begins to panic at this realization. Slowly however, their monster kneel down to their level to comfort them.
"We don't need them, you all are just as powerful as they are, you are now element bearers now too." Said Insect Princess
"But we are not as skilled or as experienced as they are!? How can we possibly take on the strongest deck ever created!?" Yelled Ocellus.
"Master Yona is strong! Strong as Gladiator! Gaio knows master Yona can beat Big Bad Dragons!" Said Gaiodiaz.
"Yona not as strong as Dragons! Yona Scared!" Yona replied.
"You Can take on Cozy Glow, We are unstoppable together." Said Gram.
"I lost to Cozy even with her original deck. How can I defeat her when she has an even better deck!?" Said Gallus.
"I can't do it, I just can't do it, She will destroy me." Said Sandbar to Black Luster Soldier. Gently, Black Luster soldier places his hand on Sandbar's shoulder. Slowly Sandbar looks up at him.
"You can do it, Your father gave you this deck, a deck of a champion. You have done your best to update this deck to make sure it wouldn't become outdated, one card you added to it, was me. You know I've never let you down in a duel, I won't now. If anyone can defeat these dragons it's you. If you trust me as much as you really do, then you need to believe that I know you will be able to do this." Said Black Luster Soldier.
Sandbar listens to his words carefully, he slightly smiles upon hearing his words and then gently nods his head. he takes one large breathe before deciding.
"Alright, I will face Cozy Glow." Said Sandbar. Black Luster Soldier smiles at him.
"Sandbar! You can't, Not on your own!" Exclaimed Smolder.
"You're right, he can't do it alone." Said Black Luster Soldier.
"What do mean Soldier? All 6 of them cannot her on at once, it would be chaotic." Said Gram.
"No, That's not what I am Suggesting, What I am though, is we need to combine ourselves into his deck." Said Soldier.
"Gaiodiaz only belong in Master Yona's deck!" Said Diaz sternly.
"This may be our only option. By ourselves we cannot overcome the power of the dragon rulers, but together, combining our powers into one deck, We may have a chance." Said Soldier. The monsters look at each other, unsure if this was a good idea. Finally, they all look at the students waiting for their answer. Gallus was the first one to respond.
"If we need to combine our powers into one deck, Then I trust you with Gram Sandbar." Gallus said with a smile. Sandbar smiled back. Gallus then reached into his deck and pulled out two cards. Your going to need a good tuner to go with him, so here is my Gram and Steam the Cloak." As Gallus was about to hand over the cards, Gram approached then, He kneeled before Sandbar stoically as a bright aura surrounded him, he was soon engulphed by the light as his essence slowly is absorbed back into the card. Sandbar takes a deep breath and takes both cards.
"Thank you Gallus, I will take good care of him." Said Sandbar.
"Yona also give Sandbar cards." Said Yona approaching Sandbar. "Yona give Gaidiaz, Spartacus, and Attorix. Sandbar need these two to summon Gaiodiaz." Just Like Gram, Gaiodiaz is slowly absorbed back into his card as he is given to Sandbar.
"Sandbar, Here Is my Insect Princess, You can power her up with my DNA surgery trap card." Said Ocellus giving Sandbar her cards as Insect Princess is absorbed.
"You better treat Red-Eyes with respect Sandbar. Here, take the Red-Eyes Spirt trap card with you, it could have Red-Eyes protect you if you need him badly." Said Smolder handing over her cards.
"You can have coral dragon as well Sandbar. OH! you are gonna need a tuner, Here, take my deep sea diva as well, and my Atlantean Prince to use for diva's effect." Silverstream says finally giving her cards as well.
Sandbar looks at all the cards he was given, all of these were his friends favorite and most powerful cards. He feels his throat getting tight as he looks up and smiles at his friends.
"Thanks guys, I honestly don't know what to say other than...I won't let you down."
"Don't get too mushy on us Sandbar, You need to be pumped if you want to win" Said Smolder. Sandbar smirks and nods
"Got it." He said before turning to look at Black Luster Soldier. He smiles at Sandbar before being absorbed back into the deck as well. Sandbar puts the cards into his deck and then looks back at his friends. "Alright, we need to get out of this vault and look for cozy." They all nod and are about to leave when Sandbar looks over at Neighsay, Roulette, and Brisk and his Buster Blader who was still there. "Brisk, Roulette. Untie Neighsay and follow us, we may need you."
"Untie Neighsay!? Are you sure!?" Said Ocellus.
"Yes, I have a feeling that he won't stand against this time." Replied Sandbar. Neighsay lets out a deep breath as he is untied.
"Thank you young colt, now let us get out of here." Said Neighsay. They all rush out of the vault and make it to the main corridor. They are halted in place by something huge in the middle of the corridor.
It appeared to be a monster, it was tearing up the wall. It turns to see the group, it looked exactly like a monster, it turns to face them, growls loudly.
"EEEK!! what is that!?" Yells Yona.
"Is...Is that a Duel Monster!?" Asked Smolder. The monster then roared at them and it looked as if it was going to attack.
"That is, It appears to be a monster called Tri-Horned Dragon. It's a vanilla monster with 2850 attack ponts and 2350 defense points." Said Ocellus.
"We don't need a lesson Ocellus, We don't know why it's here or how we can defend ourselves." Said Smolder
"Hey...My Buster Blader is still here, he can protect us." Said Brisk.
"Didn't you hear Ocellus Brisk? It has 2850 attack, Your Buster Blader only has 2600!" Exclaimed Silverstream.
"But it's also a Dragon, Buster Blader's Attack goes up to 3100 when up against a dragon." Said Brisk with a smirk. His Buster Blader steps forward to protect the group. The Tri-Horned Dragon roars at Buster Blader and then charges at him. "Buster Blader, Annihilate!" Buster Blader lifts his sword, and brings it down hard on the dragon's head, Destroying it.
"Oh Yeah! Nice Job Brisk!" Yells Sandbar. Brisk smiles at him as the group goes back to running. They approach the front door, they were almost there. They burst through the door and was horrified by what they saw.
There were Duel Monsters everywhere, Dragons in the sky, Knights sword fighting, Zombies chasing screaming students, it was total chaos.
"More Duel Monsters! How can this be!?" Yells Roulette.
"It has to be that massive outburst of Magic, The Dragon Rulers absorbed as much magic as they could so that they could release a strong enough outburst that the monster from duel monsters realm could crossover no problem, it's an outright invasion. We must defeat the dragon rulers now so we can send them all back from where they came from!" Says Neighsay "Sandbar, You find Cozy, the rest of us need to protect the students!"
"Alright Chancellor, I won't let you down!" Said Sandbar.
"Good Luck!" Said Yona, hugging Sandbar. Sandbar Hugs her back as eventually all six began hugging each other in one big ball.
"Colt, If you are going to defeat Cozy, You are also going to need these very powerful cards as well." Said Neighsay handing Sandbar a few more cards from his pocket. Sandbar looks over some of them til he gets to the last one.
"Hey, I don't recognize this one." Said Sandbar.
"That card is very very powerful, only a few have ever been made. Use it wisely." Said Neighsay. Sandbar looks at it again and then back at Neighsay, he then nods at him. Sandbar lets of his friends so he could look for Cozy Glow.
"Alright young ones, Let's clean this mess up." Said Neighsay as he and the others charge outside to get rid of the other monsters.
End of Chapter 22