//------------------------------//
// The Heart of the Cards Part 1 
// Story: Duel Monsters Are Magic: The Original King of Games 
// by snivygamer97 
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 Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, the Egyptian Kings played a game of great and terrible power. But these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful pharaoh locked the magic away, imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium Items. Now, five thousand years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He is infused with ancient magical energies, for destiny has chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did five thousand years ago.
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Rainbow Dash zoomed faster than lightning across the sky, either spinning the clouds she passed or even busting them to pieces. Much to Rainbow’s glee, all of Ponyville was watching her performance and everyone seemed to love it, especially her friends.
“I can’t believe that Dashie was able to win the grand flight competition of the century and earned the title of fastest flier of all time! Woohoo!” Pinkie Pie cheered.
“Not only that, but she was able to perform a Double Rainboom on top of that!” Fluttershy agreed.
“Yeah! A Double Rainboom shouldn’t even be possible, but Rainbow still pulled it off!” Applejack was in awe, with hearts in her eyes.
“If Rainbow doesn’t end up becoming a Wonderbolt after that performance, I don’t know what will make her become one,” Twilight threw in her own two cents.
“Looks like she may become one right now. Look over there!” Rarity pointed to Spitfire as she flew up to Rainbow Dash.
“So, Spitfire, what are you doing here? Are you here to tell me how awesome I am?” Rainbow asked the yellow pegasus.
“I don’t think I need to tell you about that, Rainbow Dash. You should already be more than well aware of your reputation as a hero and awesomely amazing flier by this point. I was here to ask; Do you want to become a new member of the Wonderbolts, Rainbow Dash?” Spitfire asked the pegasus, who was quick to look excited.
“YES! A thousand times yes! Being a Wonderbolt has been my dream ever since I was a little filly! Part of the reason I love to fly is because of you guys!” Rainbow Dash answered passionately.
“Well, we better get going. Our first show with you as a part of the Wonderbolts starts later tonight. And don’t worry about your friends. They’ll have front row seats to see you perform with us!” Spitfire reassured.
“This…is the best day of my life! Nothing can make this moment bad!” Rainbow cheered ecstatically.
Suddenly, however, the sky was quick to turn dark and stormy, thunder ringing out wildly. All of the ponies that were both in the sky and on the ground were scared for their lives as they grabbed their friends and loved ones and ran for their homes, except for a confused Rainbow Dash and her friends.
“Well, that can’t be a good sign,” Spike muttered to Twilight.
“No kidding. Storms like this would usually come with some sort of warning. Still, whatever this is, I’m sure we can handle it. We just need to get the Elements of Har-,” Twilight was interrupted by a loud roar, scaring Fluttershy and Spike.
“Whoa nelly! What in the name of Celestia could be causing this storm and that roar?” Applejack asked, confused.
“I have no idea, but running to the train station may be a good call right now,” Rarity suggested as another roar rang out. 
	Rainbow Dash flew on down quickly to where her friends were. “Twilight! Do you know what is causing this storm? I mean, today is still great, what with me becoming a Wonderbolt and all, but ponies can still get hurt if we don’t fix things!”
	“You? A Wonderbolt? Uh…,” Pinkie Pie nervously responded.
	“Last I checked you were still trying to get into their academy,” Applejack confirmed.
	“W-w-what?” Rainbow was shocked and saddened.
	“But, I must say you will make for a marvelous Wonderbolt, darling, I mean when the time comes,” Rarity said supportively.
	“Um, sorry to interrupt, but can we save this talk for after we save all the ponies and animals?” Fluttershy asked meekly.
	“Y-Yeah! Saving everyone should take priority!” Spike agreed.
	“I would do something if we had the Elements of Harmony, or at the very least knew where this storm was coming from! Could it be from the Everfree Forest?” Twilight wondered.
	“The Everfree Forest? How naive. No. Your pain and misery will come from a much different force than that old place.”
	Everyone was confused and scared on where this voice had come from and what they had meant.
	“Uh, Twilight? You know where that creepy voice came from?” Spike asked in fear.
	“I wish I did,” Twilight responded.
	All of a sudden, a strange demonic eye started to form into the sky.
	“Ah…one of my beloved loves. And- her soon to be suffering friends. How nice to see you all,” The eye said.
	“Well, this is new, girls. What do y’all think we should do?” Applejack asked.
	“I say we rush it and hit…her?” Rainbow suggested.
	“I am of both genders. I am neither male or female, intersexed. But sure. You can say I am a girl if it makes you feel better. Either way, feel free to hurt me. I know what it means.”
	“Whatever! Time for you to feel the burn!” Rainbow yelled as she was about to fly at the eye…only for Applejack to hold her back.
	“Dash? Why don’t we stay away from the ominous floating eye for now?” Applejack suggested.
	“Also, are you sure about hitting her, Dashie? I mean, the eye could be friendly, after all,” Pinkie Pie suggested.
	“W-Well…seeing as how she said we’d be suffering, I’m not sure. Hopefully we can put a stop to her before things get out of hand,” Fluttershy tried to be brave in spite of her fear.
	“Fluttershy is right. We may need to flee in order to stop her. Hopefully we can make it to Canterlot and find the Elements. I just wish it was for better reasons,” Rarity decided.
“Sure. Believe that your little stones can stop me or those other threats that seek to hurt you.”
	“Look, I don’t know why you wanna hurt me or my friends. But know that we will stop whatever you plan to do and keep Equestria safe from your grasp!” Twilight said bravely.
	“That’s very touching, my little pony. However, you’re not the one I’m interested in. You may be the magical friendship Element, the one which your six stones need to combine into, but my interest does not lie with you.”
	“W-What?! But then what do you want?” Twilight wondered.
	“All will be revealed with time. For now, say hello to my little friends.”
	At this point, the six ponies and the young dragon saw many brief glimpses of many threats. These included a few shadows surrounded by seven golden items, several massive dragons, a strange multi-appendaged angel, a strange space machine and a strange dangerous light, a skeletal beast, and finally a massive trio of demons colored red, yellow, and blue. 
	“What the hay is all this stuff?!” Rainbow demanded.
	“I don’t know. But I know it can’t be anything good…,” Twilight muttered before the three demons shot out energy bursts ready to hit and destroy their targets.
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However, before the blast could hit the mare and her friends, Twilight suddenly opened her eyes. She and her friends were no longer being confronted by those three ferocious beasts. She was back in her room at the Golden Oaks library right at the crack of dawn. Looking down, she saw Spike had also just woken up as well.
“Twilight! What are we going to do about…,” Spike yelled only for him to realize that what just happened was a dream. “Oh, thank goodness! All that just happened was a dream! What a strange one, though. One minute I was about to move into an ice cream house with Rarity, and the next we’re being confronted by an evil eye and three massive monsters!”
“Uh…Spike?” Twilight asked nervously.
“What?” Spike asked only to begin to understand that what had just occurred wasn’t a simple dream. “Oh. It wasn’t a dream, was it?”
“I don’t know. All I know is that this wasn’t a normal dream. It appears that we’ve both shared it. I recall from Princess Luna that the only dreams that are shared between individuals are those that a certain magic user allows to be shared. I wonder if any of our friends had that dream also,” Twilight explained.
“Could be. So, what do you think was the deal with those monsters anyhow? Do you think that they could be coming to hurt us?” Spike wondered.
“It’s a possibility. We need to put a stop to whoever plans on summoning them before it is too late,” Twilight said just as she realized something. “Spike. Take a letter to the Princess. We need to tell her what we just dreamed about.” Spike nodded and got out a scroll to write down the warning that the young unicorn had for the Princess.
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Not very long after Twilight woke up from that terrifying nightmare, Rainbow Dash woke up a bit worried. No, a bit worried would be underselling it. Even though she would never admit it to anyone, even herself, she was scared. Some strange monster and her pets, one that she knew felt familiar even though she never met, appeared in a dream that felt almost real and threatened not only herself and her friends, but also the innocents of Equestria. Wanting to calm down about her worries, she decided to go and see the one pony who she knew wouldn’t judge her over her fears; Fluttershy.
And so, Rainbow Dash zoomed past the beautiful sunrise and was able to arrive at Fluttershy’s cottage so fast that the Wonderbolts would be proud. Rather than knock on the door, Rainbow flew up to the bedroom window and knocked on it in rapid succession. After a few seconds, she got a response from Fluttershy who looked very worried, about as much as Rainbow was.
“Fluttershy! I need to talk to you! You see, I had a dream that started off awesomely sweet only for it to turn dark! Some monster and her giant pets appeared and destroyed us!” Rainbow confessed, trying to hide the worry in her voice.
“I know, Rainbow Dash! I had the same sort of nightmare and it has me worried about my pony and animal friends!” Fluttershy squeaked out in fear.
“I know you’ll think it means nothing, but- wait. You had the same dream as me?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“Yes. A-A-And I’m worried about what it means. Is something bad going to happen to us and the creatures of Equestria? I really hope it was just a normal dream and we don’t have to worry about anything,” Fluttershy confirmed.
“Something tells me that this dream is more than just a normal nightmare. What if we or anyone else we know dies as a result of that monster’s sadism. I’m scared something bad is about to happen and that we won’t be able to do anything about it!” Rainbow confessed her worries. 
“Don’t worry, Rainbow Dash. I bet the others are already getting the Elements ready to combat that creature. Plus, Twilight is the smartest mare we know. She’s probably already coming up with a plan to stop them,” Fluttershy reassured. “Oh, and don’t worry too much, Rainbow. I won’t bring up that you were scared to the others.”
“Hey! I’m not…never mind. Still, we should be better safe than sorry. I mean, once that storm started up, things felt a lot more real and we both appear to have had the same dream. I bet the rest of our friends may have had that dream too,” Rainbow Dash guessed.
“M-Maybe we should go and see Twilight and the others to make sure. After all, Twilight and Spike may have contacted the Princesses and gotten some sort of answer on what is going on here,” Fluttershy suggested. “I just hope we don’t have to go on another dangerous quest so soon after the Nightmare Moon incident.”
“And give up being awesome with my friends? Come on, Fluttershy! Let’s go get the others so we can-,” Rainbow said, only for Angel to enter the cottage and try to get Fluttershy’s attention. “Hey, Fluttershy, your jerkish bunny is here and trying to say something.”
“Don’t be rude, Rainbow!” Fluttershy said boldly before backpedaling a bit. “P-please? I’ll see what Angel is trying to say. So, what do you need, my little furry friend?” Angel was quick to run out of the cottage, which Fluttershy guessed meant that they should follow him. “Come on, Rainbow Dash! We should follow and see what Angel is trying to say.”
“But what about the demon in our dreams?” Rainbow asked impatiently.
“We can find out more later! Angel looked worried to me! Now, please! Let’s go!” Fluttershy pleaded while trying to be polite.
“But-Ugh, fine! We’ll see what your bunny wants!” Rainbow begrudgingly agreed, with both ponies flying after Angel to see what he was referring to. A few minutes later, both pegasi reached the location that Angel was leading them to… only to be massively confused at what was there.
“Rainbow…do you know what-,” Fluttershy asked nervously.
“No, I don’t. Maybe Twilight knows?” Rainbow suggested in regards to what was present; a giant stone tablet with a carving of a Blue Eyes White Dragon.
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It didn’t take long for Rainbow and Fluttershy to find Twilight, who with Spike’s help was in the middle of investigating another tablet, this one with Dark Magician carved onto it.
“Fascinating! Even though these tablets just started to appear, they appear to be thousands to years old. Spike, where do you think they came from?” Twilight asked her brother/assistant.
“No clue. Maybe it’s like it was in one of my old comics and it came from space,” Spike suggested.
“No, it can’t be that. There would be craters much bigger than the ones surrounding the tablets if they came from space. Besides, objects this big crashing down would have done much more damage. I don’t quite understand it, Spike. First our shared nightmare, now these strange tablets. What in the name of Celestia is going on?! Are we all going to be invaded by monsters? Will there be another tablet crashing down that will destroy Equestria?! What are…?!” Twilight began to panic with tears in her eyes.
“Aw, don’t worry, Twilight! I know things seem stressful right now, but we’re here to help you figure things out,” Fluttershy said as she hugged Twilight.
“Fluttershy is right, Twilight! We may not have the whole story yet, but we will! Celestia and Luna already received your letter and are sure to be thinking of a way to fix everything and solve all these mysteries. In the meantime, please don't give yourself a heart attack from stress,” Spike comforted while hugging Twilight as he half-joked.
“Yeah. Spike has a point. No use in figuring everything out if you can’t live long enough to see things get fixed,” Rainbow said as she reluctantly hugged her as well.
Twilight cried in relief as she said, “Thanks, you three. I needed that. Now, I take it that you girls had the same thing happen? You know, a scary dream involving dangerous and unfamiliar creatures straight out of Tartarus?”
“Correctamundo, Twilight. Of course, I wasn’t scared of the dream,” Rainbow lied badly.
“Seriously? You weren’t scared by the monsters bigger than the Princesses’ castle?” Twilight snarked.
“Well, it looks like Twilight may be calming down,” Spike teased as Twilight blushed..
“So, it looks like all of us may have had the same dream then?” Fluttershy asked as Twilight nodded.
“Worse still, from the sounds of it, you know even less than we do,” Rainbow asked, with disappointment present on her face as Twilight nodded slowly.
Suddenly, before Rainbow Dash could say anything else, Pinkie Pie popped up between her and Twilight. “So guys, what are you doing here? Were you all chatting over the same dream I had last night involving mean old evil beasties?” Pinkie asked as she finally noticed the tablet in front of them. “Oh, are we going to throw a party involving that strange rock in the middle of town? Because that would be so cool!” Pinkie Pie cheered at the idea of throwing a party for her friends, wanting to think of something else.
“I don’t think that this is what is going on, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said as she walked towards the growing group. “However, I believe that I could potentially make some interesting outfits back at home based off of it.” Rarity said with sparkling eyes as she was getting inspired. 
“Rarity? Maybe focus on the shared dream part and the mystery rather than your business right now?” Applejack said.
“Sorry. But as an artiste, you have to be able to find and follow any opportunity to grow and create your craft. Still, you have a point. First we have the same creepy dream and then these alluring yet mysterious and dusty old stones? Something is going on here all right,” Rarity said.
“So, wait, there’s more than just the ones here and in the woods?” Rainbow asked.
“I heard that there are apparently more of these stone pieces in towns all across Equestria,” Applejack said as she approached them, having found this out due to her connections with the rest of the Apple family.
“Yeah, and these stones have even gotten the animals confused,” Fluttershy revealed. “Plus, it’s kinda terrifying.”
“What do you think is going on, Twilight?” Applejack asked the purple mare.
“I don’t know. I know as much about this as you do. Maybe the princesses know more about this. I had Spike write a letter asking Celestia and Luna what they currently know,” Twilight wondered, looking a bit disappointed for not knowing more.
“Hey, don’t worry, darling. It’s not like we’re really much in the know either. Besides, how exactly could we know more about these things anyhow?” Rarity asked.
“Yeah! It’s not like you know something we don’t,” Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. Suddenly, Spike belched up a letter from Princess Celestia.
“So, what does the letter say, Twilight?” Rainbow Dash asked. 
“It says for all of us to meet Celestia and Luna at the castle in Canterlot,” Twilight admitted the news to her friends. 
“Does it say we need to go get the Elements of Harmony and defeat whatever threat is popping up?” Rainbow asked, feeling amped up.
“I hope it isn’t that serious,” Fluttershy hoped.
“We may just be getting invited to the next party at the palace after the Gala,” Pinkie suggested, trying to be optimistic.
“As fun as that would be, I have a bad feeling that the news may not be good,” Rarity warned.
“I wouldn’t count my chickens before they hatch. We should let Twilight continue talking before we judge the situation,” Applejack said.
“Well…it just says we should meet them in Canterlot and that we have things to discuss,” Twilight responded.
“Well that was very unhelpful,” Rainbow grumbled in annoyance as Twilight started to look annoyed with Rainbow.
“Uh, to be fair we may get a better understanding of what is going on when we reach the castle,” Spike said supportively to his older sister.
Twilight sighed before responding, “Thanks, Spike. Girls, we’re all heading off to Canterlot!” 
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It took a few hours, but the group of seven eventually made it to the castle in Canterlot. 
As they walked down the hall, or flew in Rainbow Dash’s case, they were in the middle of thinking up an explanation as to the origin of the tablets.
“G-girls? So, what do you think about this whole mess? I mean, first the shared nightmare and now strange tablets with unfamiliar creatures? Who or what do you think is responsible for this?” Fluttershy meekly managed to ask with some difficulty.
“I don’t know, darling. I may not be a historian, but what I do know is that there is a strong chance that these things are connected,” Rarity suggested.
“No duh! What I can’t get over is how the strange eye monster appears to be familiar with us and was aiming for us specifically,” Rainbow admitted.
“You have a point. Do you think it has to do with us being the bearers of the Elements of Harmony?” Applejack wondered.
“I doubt it. It appears that they had other reasons, possibly more personal, for wanting to hurt us,” Twilight said.
“Twilight has a point. She wanted to hurt us, but showed no interest in going after Twilight or the Elements,” Applejack reasoned.
“But what could that reason be? We never hurt anyone without at least apologizing afterward,” Rarity noted.
“You’re right. Also, it appears that they loved at least one of us at some point,” Fluttershy agreed.
“Maybe this is all a big misunderstanding and she wants to do nothing bad at all and believes pain is love. I bet if we hash things out we could be good friends!” Pinkie Pie suggested as the others stared at her.
“Uh, not a bad idea, Pinkie Pie, but perhaps a bit too optimistic,” Spike whispered.
“Well, regardless of what harm she’ll do to me or my friends, I’m gonna find out what’s going on and save all of my friends and Equestria!” Rainbow cried out.
“But first we should talk with the princesses and see what they know,” Twilight reminded the group as they opened the door to the throne room, with both princesses sitting down next to each other looking a bit worried.
Upon arriving at the throne room, the group all bowed with respect towards the reigning princesses. Shortly afterward, Twilight was quick to bombard Celestia with questions. “It’s nice to see you, princesses. Now…What was that dream we had about? What are these stone tablets? Why are they showing up now? Are they the work of another villain?”
“Relax, Twilight.” Celestia calmed down her faithful student.  “I don’t think that any villain is the source of these stone tablets. No, I think that these tablets come from another world entirely.” At this, the six ponies and one dragon gasped. 
“Hold on. Other worlds exist? That sounds a bit far fetched if you ask me,” Rainbow Dash said.
“I don’t think this is a lie, darling. They seem to be serious,” Rarity whispered.
“You see, in ages past my sister and I used to travel through different worlds through a pair of Dimensional Scissors that allow for travel through different dimensions. I believe that another world may be sending these stone tablets out as a means of getting our attention and perhaps are asking for help,” Luna explained.
“That poor dimension! Perhaps we should go over and cheer it up,” Pinkie Pie sympathetically said as everyone but the princesses comically fell.
“Um, Pinkie? While you have the right idea, perhaps it was someone from that dimension asking the help,” Applejack suggested.
“Still, whoever needs help may be terrified. We may need to do something,” Fluttershy said.
“Especially if our home may end up in danger as well,” Twilight said grimly before she thought of something. “Do you think that the creature in our nightmare is the one responsible for the chaos we are being asked about?”
“It’s possible. I apologize for not interfering with your nightmare sooner, but there was a strange light magic that was keeping me from helping you all out,” Luna bowed apologetically. 
“It’s okay, Princess Luna. We didn’t experience that much trauma,” Spike genuinely apologized before Twilight covered his mouth.
“So, what should we do, Princess? Do we go to the dimension that needs help and give it to them?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“I was thinking just that,” Celestia agreed. “After all, for all we know the suffering of that dimension could come back to affect ours as well. However, before you all go I need to make something clear. Not many are aware of there being different dimensions outside of a select few different dimensions. Said knowledge would be bad to get out into the public eye as there are those that would attempt to damage the different dimensions for their own purposes. So, for that reason I think that you should avoid tipping off others that there are different dimensions as much as possible. Understood?”
All of the ponies agreed with this, ready to do what was necessary to save the different dimension and their own. 
“Uh, I just realized something, everypony,” Pinkie Pie realized something.
“What is it Pinkie Pie?” Rarity asked.
“How are we supposed to give the creatures of this other dimension help if we can’t ask questions about the situation?” Pinkie Pie asked worriedly.
“Pinkie Pie has a point, believe it or not. What are we supposed to do? Ask the local animals if they know what’s up?” Rainbow rhetorically asked.
“Now that would be cute!” Fluttershy squeed.
“Right…So, Princesses, what should we end up doing?” Applejack asked.
“I understand your concerns, everypony, but we happen to know a few trusted individuals in certain dimensions that you can talk to,” Luna reassured.
“That sounds good! They know what is going on, right?” Spike asked.
“Yes, he does. While most creatures are not aware of other dimensions, there is at least one ally in the dimension you will be going to that knows of the existence of different dimensions. His name is Maximillion Pegasus. He will be sure to help set you on the right path.” Celestia got out her pair of Dimensional Scissors and opened a portal. After opening the portal, Celestia proceeded to give the pair of scissors to Twilight to hold onto. “Now, keep in mind, time flows a lot differently in the dimension you are about to go to. One day there can be as small as a few seconds here. The dimensional scissors can remain synched up with both times for a few hours, but after that the difference in time will start to be felt. So, if you want to head back home, you will be able to. Also, this means that even if time does go slower in the other dimension, you will not miss much of anything at home. So, good luck to each of you.”
“Don’t worry Princess Celestia.You can count on us to save that world that needs our help!” Twilight said in determination. “Right girls?”
“Right!” All of Twilight’s friends said at once.
“Are you sure? You all may be gone for a very long time, even if it isn’t felt in the time you are absent from this world,” Celestia tried to give everyone an out just to be safe.
“We could always go instead of you if you really want to,” Luna suggested.
“We can handle this mission, Princess. Don’t worry about a thing,” Twilight reassured her teacher.
“Hey, wherever Twilight goes I go,” Spike made clear.
“Hey, sometimes heroes need to make sacrifices for the good of many,” Rainbow Dash reassured the Princesses.
“Yeah, we can’t just leave this place to suffer,” Rarity said.
“Whatever that world throws at us, we can take it on if we stick together,” Applejack said.
“And who knows? Maybe we can have super fun parties with the residents of this new place,” Pinkie Pie said optimistically.
“Um, right.” Fluttershy agreed.
“Alright then. Take care,” Celestia said. At this, the six ponies and dragon entered the portal to a brand new reality.
—----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
In an instant, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack appeared out of the portal into this new world. However, as soon as the trio had arrived, they suddenly fell over.
“Man! That was some trip we just had. Are you girls okay?” Twilight asked in concern as she looked over…only to see that Fluttershy and Applejack were no longer ponies, but humans. 
“Oh, I’m fine! You don’t have to worry about me,” Fluttershy said shyly.
“Yeah! I’ve dealt with some rough tumbles before. That was nothing I can’t handle,” Applejack agreed.
“Um, girls?” Twilight asked nervously.
“Yes, Twilight? Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.
“Do you have any idea why you two turned into humans?” Twilight asked.
“Hu-what? Look, Twilight, I don’t know what y’all are tryin’ ta pull, but I happen to still be a…,” Applejack said as she looked at what was once her hoof and now a hand. Applejack looked around at last, seeing that Twilight and Fluttershy were also humans and was quick to yell out. “Land sakes! What in the name of Celestia happened ta us?!” 
“Are you okay, Appleja-?” Fluttershy asked before seeing that they were no longer ponies. “I think…I need to lie down,” Fluttershy said before she fainted.
“I don’t know what happened to you, but I assume I may also be human?” Twilight asked as Applejack nodded as she tried to calm down. “Well…this is a lot to take in. Strange. I read about humans in a few books, but I never thought they’d actually be real. Since we transformed into humans, I’d say that we’re more likely to run into more of them then.”
“If ya don’t mind me askin’ Twilight, what exactly are these ‘hoomans’?” Applejack asked as she tried to wake Fluttershy.
“It’s humans. And humans are creatures with a variety of varying skin tones that walk on two legs and have claw-like appendages on their front and back limbs. They also wear clothes at nearly all times except for when they’re alone like when changing clothes or bathing,” Twilight answered.
“Sounds…weird. I guess it must be good we came here with clothes in these forms then, huh? Strange. I don’t see Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Spike, or Pinkie Pie around anywhere. Where do ya think they are?” Applejack asked.
“I guess so…wait. The others aren’t here?!” Twilight cried out as she looked around, trying and hoping to see them nearby. “Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Rarity! Spike! Where are you?! Please tell me this isn’t a sick joke!” Twilight cried out with massive worry present in her voice, the yelling finally waking up Fluttershy.
“Um…are you okay, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked as she placed a hand on Twilight’s shoulder.
“Okay? OKAY?! Of course I’m not okay! Our friends have vanished and we have the entire world on our shoulders right now! How can I be okay?!” Twilight screamed, scaring Fluttershy.
“Twilight…I know this situation must be stressful. However, please keep in mind that the others are strong…even Rarity. They’ll be fine. They may have just gotten lost around here. From the looks of it, it appears ta be some sort of forest, so it makes sense to get lost,” Applejack tried to console her friend.
“Applejack is right. The others are more than capable of helping themselves. We shouldn’t worry too much. We’ll find them. It’s only a matter of time before we will be able to do so,” Fluttershy agreed.
Twilight appeared to be calming down at long last. “You girls are right. We’ll find them. I just hope we can find this Pegasus person and get help finding the others,” Twilight said.
“May be a bit easier if we knew where this Pegasus man was,” Applejack said.
“Do you think we should ask the animals to see if they’ve seen the others?” Fluttershy asked.
“Possibly. Well…considering we are able to find any animals,” Twilight noted. “This could be a problem judging by the size of this place.”
“Ah agree. Just wish we could narrow down the search,” Applejack said.
“Um, girls? I think I may have an idea,” Fluttershy said as she pointed towards a massive castle on the top of a hill.
“Whoa nelly! That place looks almost as big as Celestia’s castle back in Canterlot. So, y’all think that Pegasus is in there?” Applejack asked.
“Probably. There aren’t many other places where he could be, seeing how much forest there is,” Twilight noted.
“Well…let’s go…,” Fluttershy nervously said. “Let’s just hope he is friendly.”
“Don’t worry. Ahm sure he will be,” Applejack tried to comfort Fluttershy.
“Same here. If Celestia trusts him, then we should too. Well…let’s go,” Twilight said as the trio began to walk on up to the castle.
The trio began to walk on up to the castle via a staircase they found close to their location. It took some time, seeing how many stairs there were and how the trio had to get used to walking on two legs, but the trio had finally managed to make it up the stairs and to the front door of the castle. 
“Phew! We finally made it up to the front door! I must say that this Pegasus fella really loves his stairs. Still, I guess it got us a good workout and some walking practice along with it,” Applejack noted.
“Yeah. Now, we should probably let this Pegasus person know we are here,” Twilight said as she knocked on the door of the castle. The trio began to wait for Pegasus to make it on up to the front door.
“So, what do you think that this Pegasus person will be like anyway?” Applejack asked.
“I’m not sure. He could be a wise mentor figure or a grumpy man with a heart of gold or…,” Twilight said just as the front door opened.
“Halt! Who goes there?” A man in a black suit demanded.
“Um…no one. We can go look elsewhere now!” Fluttershy fearfully said.
“Fluttershy…now isn’t the time for this! Sir, our names are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy. We’re here to see Pegasus. Are you him?” Twilight asked.
“No, I’m not. And I’m sure that he isn’t looking for the paparazzi with strange names to bug him while he’s busy coming up with new cards. Now, beat it!” The man rudely yelled.
“Now hang on! We’re here on important business, where this world will be at stake if nothing is done! So, please let us see this Pegasus fella now!” Applejack demanded.
“Likely story! You paparazzi make me sick, breaking onto private property to bug Maximillian Pegasus. Now, leave or we’ll be forced to give you a not so nice welcome and goodbye!” The man threatened.
“But sir! It’s an emergency! If we don’t do something fast, some evil demon could hurt everyone or worse!” Fluttershy pleaded, ignoring her shyness for a moment.
The man still looked unconvinced. However, before he could respond, a man in a red suit and with white hair covering his left eye came to the door. “Now, now. What’s all the ruckus? I was in the middle of watching some of my favorite cartoons with my son and daughter only to get interrupted by a knock on my door! Richmon, who are these kids?”
“Ah! Master Pegasus! So sorry to interrupt you! These crazy paparazzi just showed up and tried to get in to see you, likely looking to catch you drunk on your red wine or something. I was just telling them to beat it!” Richmon explained.
“That’s not it at all! You see, we’re here to help save your world and ours from a dangerous threat related to some stone tablets!” Twilight explained.
“Really…? And who, mind you, told you about all of this?” Pegasus asked skeptically.
“We were sent by Princess Celestia. She said you knew of other worlds,” Fluttershy answered innocently.
“Princess Celestia?” Pegasus asked as he look contemplatively.
“Yeah! She said for us to talk to you in order to learn more of a variety of magical threats to our wor-!” Fluttershy responded before being interrupted.
“Maybe we shouldn’t say that in the other guy’s presence,” Applejack whispered as she covered Fluttershy’s mouth.
“Look, I don’t know what you are cooking up, but know that we’ll have you arrested if you don’t give up right now!” Richmon warned.
“But please! You have to believe us! We are trying to help!” Twilight pleaded.
“You know what…? I do believe these kids, Richmon. You may go. I can handle these three on my own,” Pegasus said as he motioned for Richmon to leave. “Please, follow me Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack.” 
“Wait! How did you know our-?” Twilight asked, confused.
“Now. come on! This way, Twilie and pals!” Pegasus called as he began to lead the trio into the castle.
“Did ya think he would seem to be this strange of a po-er-person?” Applejack asked Twilight.
“Not really,” Twilight answered as the trio followed after Pegasus. 
The trio were lead through the many long hallways of the castle, with there not being many people present here in spite of the castle’s massive size. Every so often, the man would motion them to turn down a hall, but otherwise was quiet for some time. Eventually, however, they were finally brought over to a large door.
“So, Twilie and pals, if I’m right, which I usually am, you’re here to try and stop some dangerous threats related to the Shadow Games and Light of Destruction?” Pegasus asked.
“I guess….Wait! How did you already know that? And what are these games and evil light?! And what about our friends? Do you know where they are?” Twilight demanded in confusion.
“Oh, I’m not sure where your friends are currently. However, chances are they are safe. If my people run into them, then we’ll let you know. Anyways, as for the threats, I guess I’ll give you a brief rundown. You see, the Light of Destruction is an ancient evil that craves only death and destruction. It will stop at nothing to cause the death and destruction of everything in existence! Fortunately, it hasn’t made it here to Earth…yet. As for the Shadow Games, they are connected to a game called Duel Monsters. I take it you’ve heard all about it from Celestia then?” Pegasus asked the trio…who looked on in confusion. “Seriously? Well, Duel Monsters is a card game that was invented a while ago by me. It is starting to become very popular and soon there will be a tournament being held here on this very island.”
“Wait…island?! We’re on an island?!” Twilight was shocked.
“Well…at least that gives us a smaller area to look fer them in,” Applejack sighed in relief.
“I guess…,” Twilight said.
“I just hope that they don’t get scared or hurt out there,” Fluttershy said.
“There aren’t many, if any, animals on this island, so I wouldn’t worry. Now then it’s about time we get to dealing with these threats. Chances are they are connected to Duel Monsters,” Pegasus said. 
“So, wait. How is a card game going to affect the fate of our worlds?” Applejack demanded.
“I’ll tell you more later. For now, the card game is connected to an ancient game where real monsters were summoned. Dark magic brought the monsters on tablets to life and those that lost could end up dead, or, if lucky, locked away in the empty Shadow Realm forever!” Pegasus said with a grin.
“S-Sounds terrifying!” Fluttershy shivered.
“I-I know. I just hope we won’t have to deal with these Shadow Games!” Twilight noted.
“I wouldn’t be so sure if I were you…but the card game on it’s own is safe and harmless. So…, wanna learn how to play?” Pegasus asked the trio.
“Well..,i-if the card game is safe, I’ll give it a try…,” Fluttershy agreed reluctantly.
“Ahm more for physical activities, but ah’ll give it a go if we need to,” Applejack agreed as well.
“What about you, Twilight?” Fluttershy asked the former unicorn.
“Well…I guess we can take some time to learn. How bad can it be?” Twilight asked.
“Perfect! Now, to begin with, here is a rule book that will tell you how this card game will play,” Pegasus said as he gave Twilight a small booklet.
“Sounds good! I’ll be sure to read it from cover to cover!” Twilight said.
“Also, I have a pleasant surprise for you three! You see, behind this door lies a chamber that happens to hold nearly every card that currently exists in Duel Monsters. You will build your decks using these cards. With them, you’ll fight for the fate of our world,” Pegasus said ominously as Twilight and Fluttershy looked a bit nervous. “Well, enough talking. Let’s get on with the show and  begin your Deck building good luck!” 
At this, the door opened, showing a massive room filled with thousands of various cards of all types, ready to be built into viable Decks to be used.
“Do y’all think this is a good idea, Twilight?” Applejack asked.
“I’m not sure…but if this really will help us save the world, we should at least give it a try,” Twilight answered before looking a bit giddy. “Wow! I can’t believe we have so many options to build a Deck with! This may be a blast…once we read the rules.”
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Around the same time where all of this was taking place, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Spike ended up in Domino City…and both Rarity and Rainbow fell over almost immediately.
“Ow! That really hurt!” Rarity complained.
“I know! How did I fall? And better yet, why did I stop flying? I shouldn't have fallen over so easily!” Rainbow agreed.
“Oooh! Look at our new claws!…or was it hands?” Pinkie Pie cheerfully said.
“Um, darling? We’re ponies. We don’t have what we’d call claws,” Rarity responded.
“Yeah. I get that you’re weird, but this is new to me,” Rainbow said.
“Uh…actually…you do have claws-er-hands,” Spike broke the news to the others.
“Wait. What?!” Rarity overdramatically yelled as she looked and saw she had new appendages where her hooves used to be. Not only that, but after feeling her forehead, she realized that she no longer had a unicorn horn either. “I have these weird claws. I lost my horn and tail. What in the world is happening?!” The former unicorn overdramatically cried.
“I wouldn’t worry too much, Rarity. You’re still beautiful regardless of these changes,” Spike complimented his crush.
“Yeah, casanova, real subtle. Now, calm down, Rarity. If we’re gonna fit in and not reveal the big secret, we need to remain calm,” Rainbow said as Rarity puffed her cheeks in annoyance. Now, I just need to take to the sky and-,” Rainbow stopped upon realizing she couldn’t feel her wings on her back. “What?! My wings! W-Where are my wings?! Okay! Whoever is responsible for this is definitely gonna pay big time!” Rainbow yelled, trying to hide her sadness.
“Who’s the one who needs to calm down now?” Rarity snarked.
“Aw, don’t worry Dashie! We’ll probably get our missing parts back once we return home! For now, isn’t it fun to be able to walk on two legs like those ‘hoomans’ Twilight’s book mentioned?” Pinkie Pie asked excitedly.
“No offense, darling, but why aren’t you more worried or upset?” Rarity asked her silly friend.
“About what? The big city we’re in?” Pinkie Pie questioned back as the group realized they were in the middle of a big city.
“Oh! This is just like Manehattan or Canterlot! Maybe we should take a look around once we’re done here!” Rarity gushed.
“Sure we can, Rarity. But first, like Rarity asked earlier, why aren’t you worried about becoming human and stuff like that?” Spike wondered.
“Oh! That! Well, I read a book Twilight was reading about other hyper-hypno-...guessed worlds and creatures and hoomans were one of them. Right, Twilight?” Pinkie Pie asked…only for everyone else to realize that Twilight was currently absent…and so were Applejack and Fluttershy. “Uh…is Twilight playing the same vanishing game the Princess played a short while back or is this bad and we need to find our friends?”
“Pinkie Pie? It’s the bad one. Where did the others go?” Spike wondered in worry.
“No clue! To be honest, they could be anywhere in this big city! But…where did they go? Twilight isn’t the type for abandoning others out of nowhere. I know she wasn’t peachy keen with us when we first met, but she at least talked to us before leaving,” Rainbow noted.
“I don’t know where the others went. Perhaps…they got distracted by someone and got lost?” Rarity suggested.
“Or…the scissors got us all separated somehow?” Spike suggested.
“Oh! Do you think the scissors are playing hide and seek with us?” Pinkie offered up a guess.
“What should we do, Rainbow Dash? The others could be in danger without our powers!” Rarity asked in worry.
“I know! Twilight can handle herself part of the time, but she’d have a panic attack without me to keep her in line!” Spike agreed. “So, Rainbow, you have any ideas?”
“Uh…,” Rainbow looked a bit awkward for a moment, not sure what to do. She could be a leader when it came to weather or Winter Wrap Up, but leading an adventure with no easy to stop villain was something else. Eventually, however, she came up with an idea. “Perhaps we should look around and possibly find them or at least where the demon or her pets are hiding?”
“Good call! But where should we get started at?” Spike asked.
“Oh! Perhaps we should look over there!” Pinkie Pie pointed to a large multi-story building behind a fence. “‘Domino City High School.’ Maybe we can find them there. I mean, Twilight loves to read and learn!” Pinkie Pie cheerfully quipped.
“Not a bad idea Pinkie Pie! Twilight probably sat down for class or something. Let’s get this show on the road and get looking!” Rainbow said as she ran towards the school, with the others following after.
“Do we have to run? It’s not like we’re in a rush after all!” Rarity complained.
“Our friends are missing and and our worlds are at stake and somehow that isn’t something to rush over?” Rainbow asked rhetorically.
“Sounds a little troubling to me!” Pinkie Pie said.
And so, the group ran towards the school and entered inside. As soon as they entered, they were told off for both running in the halls and for not wearing the school uniform. In order to avoid getting in trouble, Rainbow and the others sneaked off before they could be taken to the office and given detention.
Shortly after, the group began to split up and looked inside of each of the classrooms one by one. Unfortunately, the quartet had no luck, not having seen anyone that looked like their friends in any of the classrooms.
“Seriously?! Where are Twilight and the others? You’d think that it would be easy to find them in a school when they aren’t wearing the school uniform! I guess they aren’t here…well…I better go and find the others and look elsewhere,” Rainbow was about to give up the current search when she suddenly heard a voice come from one of the classrooms.
“Hey Joey! Earth to Joey! Hey, are you in there? It's your turn,” a boy with red, yellow, and black hair told his friend in regards to a card game they were playing. There were no cards on Joey’s side while his friend had a card called Alpha the Magnet Warrior on his side.
“Ummm…,” Joey looked over his hand as he thought over his move.
“Oh, isn't he cute when he's thinking?” Another boy teased Joey.
“What? Whenever I was in Flight School, I only had to do boring nerd work, not get to play a nerd game! What are they playing, though?” Rainbow wondered.
“Hey Tristan, Yuugi here's teaching me how to play Duel Monsters,” Joey told his friend.
“Drooling monsters?” Tristan asked in confusion.
“Duel Monsters, you nimrod,” Joey chided his pal that teased him earlier.
“Sheesh,” Tristan huffed.
“Well…I guess at least some people found fun at this school. Now…where are my friends at?” Rainbow wondered as she pushed against the door and accidentally pushed it open, falling over as she did so. “Aw, my back!” Unfortunately for the brash girl, she managed to get the attention of the entire class. “Uh…oops?”
“Oh, hey there! How is it going?” Yugi, the boy with the weird hair, greeted.
“I don’t know?” Rainbow was confused.
“Well, you may wanna go to the office and get yourself a uniform. The school has a bit of a strict dress code and you have to wear a uniform,” A girl, named Tea, warned.
“I know! I know! I’ve been warned already! But…before I go, have you seen three girls named Twilight, Applejack, or Fluttershy here at all?” Rainbow asked.
“Uh…nope, sorry! You may wanna try a different class!” Tristan responded.
“Aw! But I already checked nearly all of them!” Rainbow complained. “Well…I guess I’ll get going then. Have fun with…whatever this nerd game is.”
“Uh…Duel Monsters isn’t a nerd game! It just so happens to becoming a massive hit with almost anyone of any age. You should try it once we’re done with our Duel!” Yugi said.
“Okay…fine. I’ll bite. How does this game work…?” Rainbow offered as she asked for their names.
“I’m Téa. And these are my friends Yugi, Joey, and Tirstan. It’s nice to meet you Miss…” Tea introduced herself and her friends.
“Rainbow Dash! Soon to be a household name where I’m from! So…the game?” Rainbow asked.
“Oh, right! You see, these two have been at it for hours. Joey's starting to get the hang of the game, but Yugi's like an expert at the game!” Tea began.
“Well…maybe Joey can still win! I mean, I’ve won a few sports without knowing the rules much before,” Rainbow said.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence, Rainbow! Okay Yugi. It's time to duel,” Joey cried out.
“See, each card has an attack number and a defense number. They also have a level that helps to determine if the can be summoned without Tribute or not. The monster cards battle each other during the battle phase, and the monsters with the higher points win! You must battle in order to reduce the opposing player’s Life Points. Spells and Traps can be used to support the monsters in a variety of ways. The first player to eliminate the other player's Life Points wins the duel,” Tea explained.
“I guess…that sounds kinda cool. Do the monsters come to life to battle?” Rainbow asked with excitement.
“Uh…no. Sorry, but they don’t,” Yugi apologized. "Though they kinda do with the new Duel Disk. We can't use them in class, but we can try and buy them later on..."
“Okay. Well…maybe the Duel will still be interesting?” Rainbow asked, not quite believing what she was saying.

	Joey-500 LP


	Yugi-2700 LP

“It will be! I play the spell card Flame Sword Revival! With it, I can summon my most powerful monsta, Flame Swordsman, from my Extra Deck (1800 Attack)! Now, attack and wipe out his Alpha the Magnet Warrior (Yugi-2300 LP). Pretty good move, huh Yugi?” Joey asked, hoping he impressed his pal.
“Yup! Pretty good move, but not good enough. I now play the spell card Monster Reborn! With it, I can revive a monster from my Graveyard. And I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian(1400 Attack)! Next, I’ll release my mighty warrior in order to Tribute Summon Dark Magician Girl(2000 Attack)!” Yugi summoned one of his favorite monsters.
“Well…I guess she looks pretty-uh pretty cool!” Rainbow said with a blush.
“Not bad, Yuge. But I’ll still have some Life Points left,” Joey pointed out.
“Not after this you won’t! Next, I’ll play the spell card Magic Formula! With it, I’ll increase my Magician’s power by 500 points (2000->2500 Attack)! Now, Dark Magician Girl, wipe out Joey’s monster! Dark Burning Attack!” Yugi cried out as Joey lose his remaining Life Points.
“What?! Thanks a lot. A card that powerful totally wipes me out,” Joey grumbled.
“Wait. That’s it? That’s all this game is? Kinda boring if you ask me,” Rainbow grumbled.
“Well…give it a try or two. I trust you’ll have a good time,” Yugi suggested.
“Yeah! I didn’t immediately love this game,” Tea agreed.
“I do have to say, you stink at this game, Joey,” Tristan teased as Joey looked ready to hit him.
“I can’t really judge myself as I’m new to the game, but judging by the remaining points on this…thingy,” Rainbow said as she pointed to a calculator. “I’d say you did poorly as well.”
“What is this? Roast Joey day?!” Joey grumbled.
Yugi laughs good-naturedly before saying, “You did fine, Joey. I just have better cards. See, my Grandpa owns a game shop and I get all my best cards from him.”
“Really? You do? So…does that give you an advantage over the competition then?” Rainbow asked.
“Well…a little. But really, my Deck is pretty basic compared to some of the pros. My Deck doesn’t even have Synchro, Link, or Xyz monsters,” Yugi admitted.
“Really? But doesn’t your Grandpa have some cool cards or something?” Rainbow asked.
“My Grandpa doesn’t have a lot of those types of cards and the ones he does have don’t suit me very well, so…,” Yugi noted.
“Hold on. Your own game shop? Your Grandpa owns a game shop? What're we waiting for? Let's go!” Joey cheered.
“But guys! Class isn’t over for another ten minutes!” Tea reminded.
“You’re right, Tea. We can wait a little bit before going. So, Rainbow, you game?” Yugi asked.
“Well…sure. Why not? Just let me find my friends and we’ll meet you outside and go there together. See you outside!” Rainbow said goodbye as she began to leave the classroom.
“Okay, maybe I could even get my Grandpa to show us this super rare card he's got,” Yugi said.
“Rare card? Could they have found the card that I've been searching for?” An older teen wondered as he looked over at Yugi and the others.