Seventeen ponies, two dragons, Cerberus, Discord and Yusei have all gathered to confront Paradox at the Singularity, the point of origin for the Equestrian dimension! However, Paradox moves to put the final phase of his plan into action by challenging Yusei to a duel! Will Yusei discover Paradox’s purpose?

Author’s Note: Still a few questions to answer, so I’ll get to those real quick. Also gonna stir in a bit of action if I can.

I brought in just about everyone I could think of, all to confront Paradox and undo what he’s done to Equestria. But the duel is Yusei’s fight alone; the world’s salvation rests in the hooves of the Bearers of Harmony.

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“How?!” shouted Paradox from behind his mask. “When I defeated you... you turned to stone! Malefic World drained the life out of you!”

“This bag landed on me,” said Discord. “The Elements of Harmony freed me. I don’t know where they came from, but I don’t really care. I’m here now.”

“I know where they came from,” said Celestia. “The bag fell from my back in the storm as I flew to Ponyville. It must have fallen through time to you, Discord.”

“Wait a moment,” said Rarity. “Even with the Elements, we don’t know that we can fix this.”

“Rarity’s right,” said Twilight. “Most of the damage Paradox did was done with Momentum, not with magic. They’re two completely different energies, and we know next to nothing about Momentum.”

“You cannot stop this,” said Paradox. “My grand experiment is nearing completion. There is only one thing left to do. Yusei Fudo... I challenge you to a duel!”

“Save me a piece!” roared the grown-up Spike. He spat out a stream of green fire at Paradox, but the masked man revved his D-Wheel’s engines and dodged the attack. Cerberus barked and tried to swat at him, but missed.

“You will not escape my wrath, Paradox!” shouted the Celestia from the future. She fired a massive bolt of magic from her horn. Paradox again dodged the blow.

“My turn!” shouted Rainbow Dash. She flapped her wings and shot at Paradox. A rainbow shockwave erupted behind her as she launched into a sonic rainboom. Her outstretched hoof struck Paradox’s mask and he was thrown off his D-Wheel. The mask flew off his face and disappeared into a portal.

Beneath the mask was just another man. Hurt and anger were reflected in his eyes. Rainbow Dash hesitated.

“Wait!” said Yusei. “We need answers. If I accept his challenge, maybe I can get them.”

“Yusei’s right,” said Twilight. “We need to know what’s going on if we want to fix this.”

Yusei nodded. “Paradox, I accept your-” Yusei felt a tugging on the back of his jacket. He turned around and saw Fluttershy.

“I will, Fluttershy,” said Yusei. He stroked her mane, then turned back to Paradox. “I accept your challenge. We’ll settle the score once and for all!”

“That’s what I wanted to here!” said Paradox. “What you believe to be correct is actually incorrect. My final experiment will prove that to you!”

“They’re gonna play a game with the fate of Equestria on the line!” said the grown-up Pinkie. “By the way, hi! I’m you from the future!”

“Don’t answer that!” said Star Swirl. “We cannot risk tainting the timeline any further!”

“Okay then,” said Pinkie dejectedly. “Can I at least say that it’s fun?”

“I will take the first turn,” said Paradox. “I activate ‘Terraforming’. This lets me add a Field Spell from my deck to my hand.”

“Welcome to the sinful realm, ‘Malefic World’!” said Paradox. Everything around them changed. Stars, nebulas, galaxies appeared in swirling shades of red, yellow and purple. “While I control this card, I can add a random ‘Malefic’ monster from my deck to my hand instead of drawing each turn, but I cannot attack with non-Malefic monsters.

“Now I send ‘Cyber End Dragon’ from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard to Special Summon ‘Malefic Cyber End Dragon’,” Paradox continued. Several ponies gasped as a three-headed metal dragon emerged from one of the portals. Each head wore a mask stylized after Paradox’s.

“I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” said Paradox. “Show me your power, Yusei Fudo!”

“My turn!” said Yusei. “I activate the Spell Card 'Tuning', which lets me add a 'Synchron' Tuner to my hand, and then send cards from the top of my deck to the Graveyard equal to its Level. I add 'Junk Synchron' to my hand and send three cards to the Graveyard. Next I activate ‘One for One’! By sending a monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can Special Summon a Level One monster from my hand or deck. Come on out, ‘Tuningware’!” A little robot wearing a yellow scarf appeared by Yusei.

“Next I Normal Summon the Tuner Monster ‘Junk Synchron’!” said Yusei. A larger robot wearing orange armor appeared and shouted “Hah!”

“When Junk Synchron is Normal Summoned, I can Special Summon a Level Two or lower monster from my Graveyard in Defense Mode with its effects negated. I Special Summon ‘Nitro Synchron’!” Yusei’s new monster resembled a can of nitrous with arms and a face. Its arms were crossed in front of its body.

“I activate ‘Doppelwarrior’s’ effect from my hand! When I Special Summon a monster from my Graveyard, I can also Special Summon this card from my hand. Appear, Doppelwarrior!” A soldier dressed entirely in black and trailing an orange shadow appeared.

“Level Three Junk Synchron tunes with Level Two Doppelwarrior and Level One Tuningware,” said Yusei. Junk Synchron pulled a ripcord under its front armor plate and the two engines on its back roared to life. Junk Synchron disappeared and three bright stars appeared. They drew green rings that encircled the other two monsters. Their bodies disappeared, leaving only stars behind, and the stars and rings were enveloped in a massive pillar of green light.

“When wishes of steel gather around the messenger of the gale, those wishes will become an invincible shield! Become the path its light shines upon! I Synchro Summon ‘Junk Gardna’!”

Yusei’s monster emerged from the pillar. It was covered head to foot in green armor and had two massive shields for arms. It slammed them against each other, forming a wall in front of itself.

“A similar move to when you first faced me,” said Paradox. “You are nothing without Stardust Dragon.”

“Who says I don’t have it?” said Yusei. He pulled a card from his deck box and revealed it to Paradox. “I defeated you two years ago, Paradox. You were destroyed and I got Stardust back.”

“No. Not yet. When Tuningware and Doppelwarrior are used for a Synchro Summon, Tuningware lets me draw one card, and Doppelwarrior can Special Summon two ‘Doppel Tokens’ to my field in Attack Mode.” Yusei drew as two imp-like soldiers appeared on his field.

“My turn,” said Paradox. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell ‘Malefic Whirlwind’. All of your monsters are switched to Defense Mode, and I draw one card.”

“I play the Trap ‘Card of Sacrifice’!” said Yusei. “If all my Attack Mode monsters have less combined Attack Points than your weakest monster, I can draw 2 cards. Currently, I have two Doppel Tokens with 800 Attack Points total, and you have Malefic Cyber End Dragon at 4000.” Yusei drew two cards and his imp-soldiers knelt down on one knee.

“Increasing your resources will not help you,” said Paradox. “I send ‘Red Dragon Archfiend’ and ‘Black-Winged Dragon’ from my Extra Deck to the Graveyard. Appear by my side, ‘Malefic Red Dragon Archfiend’ and ‘Malefic Black-Winged Dragon’!”

Two more dragons appeared from the portals surrounding everyone. One was a blood-colored dragon with three massive horns protruding from the back of its head, and the other a thin, bird-like creature. Each one had a mask and armor covering their faces and bodies. Black and white spirals extended from the mask of the red dragon and wrapped around its horns. Eye-like patterns covered the knife-like feathers of the black dragon’s wings, and a yellow beak rested beneath its mask.

“Battle! Malefic Black-Winged Dragon, attack Junk Gardna! Noble Stream!” ordered Paradox. The bird-like dragon spat out a roaring beam of black and red energy.

“I activate Junk Gardna’s effect!” said Yusei. “Once per turn, when you declare an attack, I can change the attacking monster to Defense Mode!” The beam struck Junk Gardna’s shield-like arms and slid off the armor. Black-Winged Dragon snapped its jaw shut, cutting off the stream, then folded its wings in front of itself.

“Just the play I was waiting for,” said Paradox. “Malefic Red Dragon Archfiend, attack! Absolute Powerforce!”

Flame-wreathed claws slammed down onto Junk Gardna and crushed it. Junk Gardna exploded, the fire from the burst mixing with the fire in Malefic Red Dragon’s hand.

"I activate 'Revenge Return'," said Yusei. "When a monster I control is destroyed by battle, I draw one card."

“It matters not. Now Malefic Red Dragon’s effect activates,” said Paradox. “When it attacks a monster in Defense Mode, it destroys all of your other Defense Mode monsters after the battle. Go, Archfiend Meteor!”

Fireballs erupted from the dragon’s maw and slammed into Yusei’s three remaining monsters.

“Junk Gardna’s second effect activates,” said Yusei. “When it’s destroyed, I can change one of your monsters to Defense Mode!” Malefic Cyber End Dragon folded its wings in front of itself.

“Do not count me out yet, Yusei,” said Paradox. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell ‘Malefic Lunge’! If a monster I control is changed to Defense Mode by an opponent’s card effect, it switches that monster back to Attack Position!”

“Malefic Cyber End Dragon, attack!” shouted Paradox. “Eternal Evolution Burst!” Each mechanical head fired massive streams of yellow energy at Yusei.

“You didn’t really think it’d be that easy, did you?” asked Yusei. “I play the Trap ‘Spirit Force’! This reduces the damage from this battle to zero and lets me add Junk Synchron from my Graveyard to my hand!” A white barrier appeared around Yusei, intercepting the beams.

“Phew!” said Rainbow Dash. “That was too close, Yusei! Try not to do that again!”

“Players in this game get what are called Life Points,” said Twilight. “You start with four thousand and if you lose them all, you lose the duel. If Paradox’s attack had gone through, Malefic Cyber End Dragon would have dealt four thousand points of damage to Yusei and he would have lost.”

“I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” said Paradox. “During the End Phase, if the monster affected by Malefic Lunge attacked, it is switched back to Defense Mode and both of us draw one card.”

“Fine by me,” said Yusei. “It’s also my turn!” He drew two cards. Just what I needed! he thought. “I call Junk Synchron back to the field, then use his effect to bring back Nitro Synchron!” The two Tuner monsters reappeared on Yusei’s field. “Next, I can Special Summon this card from my hand by Releasing a Warrior-Type monster I control. I release Junk Synchron and summon ‘Turret Warrior’!”

Junk Synchron vanished in a ball of colors and a new monster appeared. It was a massive warrior covered completely in bricks, like a fortress. Two swiveling turrets rested atop its wide shoulders.

“Turret Warrior gains the Attack Points of the monster that I Released to Special Summon it,” said Yusei, “but it won’t be sticking around for long because I’m having Nitro Synchron give him a tune up!” The pressure dial atop Nitro Synchron’s body moved to show maximum pressure. The little Tuner vanished and two stars appeared, drawing green rings around Turret Warrior. The giant warrior’s body vanished, leaving five stars that formed a line in the rings. Another pillar of light enveloped them.

“Gathering thoughts will now become a new force! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! Blaze on, ‘Nitro Warrior’!”

A green, horned warrior stood tall above Yusei and the others. Fire erupted from the jet on its tail as it rose into the air and shouted.

“Just what do you plan to do with that?” laughed Paradox. “It’s not strong enough to destroy any monster but Malefic Black-Winged Dragon.”

“Maybe not on its own, but together, my friends and I can overcome anything!” said Yusei. “The bonds I have with my friends have never failed me!”

“Then show me the power of your bonds,” said Paradox, “and I will show you just how feeble this power is.”

TO BE CONTINUED

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Next time on Dueling is Magic! A Rip in Time

Yusei unleashes a devastating attack with Nitro Warrior, but Paradox survives and quickly turns things back against Yusei! Both players’ Life Points are halved and a fierce battle unfolds as Paradox unleashes card after terrifying card, relentlessly pounding against Yusei’s defenses!

“Paradox! How did you survive our last duel? Why are you destroying Equestria? And why do you need me?”

As the duel rages on, Paradox reveals the truth to Yusei. Yusei, in turn, reveals his new power! Will it be enough to stop Paradox’s ambitions?

Chapter 14
Truth

Dueling is Magic! A Rip in Time

by Wolfgang

Chapter 13: Duel