My Little Pony: Dueling is Magic! Chapter 4: The Evolving Magician
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The stunning conclusion to the duel between Yusei vs. Twilight draws near! Yusei must now deal with the powerful Arcanite Magician, and while he has the protective power of Stardust Dragon on his side, he also knows that this is only the beginning! Twilight has proven to be a clever duelist and threatens to increase the power of her newest monster! Meanwhile, a dark force is at work in Equestria, dragging its denizens into a world of despair...
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Author’s Note: It’s come to my attention that some folks are having trouble keeping up with the duel. First off, I wish to apologize to all of you for the heavy use of gameplay terms. Though I have tried to make sure that certain things are explained when they are first used, I fear I may have relied too much on your own memory to carry the story through. I will try to rectify this.
Though it’s probably not necessary, I feel I need to say this for my own peace of mind: This story takes place at the end of the Bonds Beyond Time movie, just before Yusei returns home. The movie itself took place before the Crash Town story in 5D’s. Any cards that appear from that story or beyond will have their anime effects in this story rather than their real-life effects, such as Doppelwarrior in the last chapter.
I appreciate you guys reading this. Thank you for putting up with this longer-than-expected duel.
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Early afternoon was perhaps the most beautiful time of day in Canterlot. Celestia’s sun still hovered high in the sky, but no longer at its zenith, allowing shadows to fall at angles throughout the city. Large, fluffy clouds hung above the city, moved by a gentle wind and adding shade and atmosphere to the cobbled streets below.
The streets were bustling with ponies as they went about their business. For some, it genuinely was business. For others, it was merely time spent exploring the town, visiting the shops, and frequenting favorite restaurants. For most ponies, working or not, today was a good day in Canterlot.
But not for all. Fancypants, the most important pony in all of the social circles of the city, walked somberly toward the palace. He had arranged a meeting with Princess Celestia to discuss a matter of vital importance: A pony he could not remember. It had happened a week ago, when he first noticed the troubling feeling of missing somepony, but he could not remember whom. Though his memory was strong, Fancypants still felt it necessary to keep a journal, and recorded this odd feeling within.
Two days later, he had forgotten all about it. The day after, he decided to read some of his more recent journal entries. Upon reading his words from three days prior, that odd feeling returned, stronger than before. He remembered that other ponies were feeling the same thing as of late. He immediately wrote a letter to the Princess, requesting an audience to discuss this disturbing matter. The reply came the very next day and the meeting was set up.
Fancypants had been reflecting on these things and had not noticed that he had arrived at the doors to the throne room. Two white guards in golden armor stood stoic and unmoving. A yellow pegasus with an orange mane stood at the doors as well.
“Spitfire, what are you doing here?” asked Fancypants. The pegasus turned to him.
“I sent the Princess a letter a few days ago,” she replied. “I wanted to talk to her about-”
“About the missing ponies?” Fancypants finished. “Yes, I am here for that reason as well.”
“You’re missing somepony too?” Spitfire asked.
“Yes,” said Fancypants solemnly. “And I can’t remember who it is...” Several other ponies arrived at the doors. They all stood in silence, waiting.
The doors swung open and the Princess beckoned them inside.
*****
‘My turn!” said Yusei as he drew his card. “Stardust Dragon, attack Arcanite Magician! Shooting Sonic!” The white dragon reared its head back, then flung it forward as a clear beam of energy erupted from its mouth.
“'Assault Mode Activate'!” said Twilight. The face-down card before her flipped up. “By Tributing a Synchro Monster on my field, I can Special Summon an ‘Assault Mode’ monster from my deck whose name contains the name of the Tributed Synchro Monster.”
“What the hay does that mean?” asked Applejack.
“Basically,” said Yusei, “she’s making her Arcanite Magician even more powerful!”
“That’s right,” said Twilight. “I summon 'Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode'!” The Arcanite Magician grabbed the white robe he wore, pulled it off and flung it aside, revealing the black and orange armor beneath. It gleamed in the sunlight and the orange edges of the armor seemed to glow. Stardust Dragon’s attack struck the white robe, blasting straight through it and destroying it.
Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode
ATK/900
LV 9
“When I summon Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode, it gains two Spell Counters,” said Twilight, “and its Attack Points are also increased by one thousand for every Spell Counter he has!” Two green orbs in the magician’s armor lit up and the orange edges glowed even brighter.
“That puts it at twenty-nine hundred Attack Points!” said Rarity.
“Stardust, stop your attack!” ordered Yusei. The dragon closed its mouth and the clear beam vanished. “I set two cards face-down and end my turn.”
“My turn,” said Twilight. “Arcanite Magician, attack Stardust Dragon! Arcane Assault Flare!” The magician aimed his staff at Yusei’s dragon and fired a burst of green fire at it. It enveloped Yusei’s monster and destroyed it in a matter of seconds.
Life Point Count
Twilight: 500
Yusei: 400
“Next I activate the effect of my powered-up Arcanite Magician!” said Twilight. “By removing both of his Spell Counters, Arcanite Magician can destroy every card on your side of the field! Arcane Explosion!” The gems on Arcanite Magician’s armor as well as the one on its staff began to glow. He flung his arms out to beside him as a flash of bright green light erupted from every gem. Intense wind pushed against Yusei as his face-down cards threatened to be blown away.
“If it’s getting destroyed anyway, then I’ll use the Quick-Play Spell 'Double Cyclone'!” said Yusei. One of his face-down cards flipped up and two tornadoes, one red and one yellow, shot out of the picture. The yellow one struck his other face-down card and destroyed it, and the red one sped toward the green barrier surrounding the tower of Endymion’s Citadel. “Double Cyclone destroys one Spell or Trap on each side of the field, and I’m using it to destroy my other face-down card and your Field Barrier!”
As the light from Arcanite Magician faded, the red tornado struck the green barrier around the Citadel, causing it to shatter like glass.
“Next I activate the effect of my destroyed card,” said Yusei. “When 'Limiter Overload' is destroyed, it automatically Special Summons 'Speed Warrior' from my hand, deck or Graveyard. I’ll summon him from my deck in Defense Mode.” A new warrior in beige armored jumpsuit appeared. It moved far too quickly and seemed to slide across the ground on its feet. Twilight noticed that there were wheels on the soles of the warrior’s feet as it knelt down and crossed its arms in front of its chest.
“Interesting,” said Twilight. “But I doubt there’s a lot you can do without Stardust Dragon. And because you used a Spell Card, my Citadel now has a Spell Counter on it. And if I can activate a Spell Card on my next turn, I can destroy your field a second time! I end my turn.”
“My turn!” said Yusei. He looked at his card. I’ll attack and then go on the defensive, he thought. “I switch Speed Warrior to Attack Mode!” Speed Warrior spun around on its wheels, standing up as it did.
Speed Warrior
ATK/900
LV 2
“Speed Warrior, attack Arcanite Magician/Assault Mode with Sonic Edge!” Yusei ordered. Speed Warrior dashed towards Twilight’s monster. Two jets on its back fired up, causing it to move even faster. Speed Warrior suddenly flipped onto its hands and spun around, slicing its leg into the magician who, in turn, fired a burst of green fire from his staff at Yusei’s monster. There was an explosion and both monsters were destroyed.
“Since both our monsters have the same attack points, they’re both destroyed,” said Yusei. “You won’t be using your magician’s effect again!”
“That’s what you think,” said Twilight. “When an ‘Assault Mode’ monster is destroyed, it can revive its original Synchro form. Be reborn, Arcanite Magician!” The smoke from the explosion faded and Twilight’s magician still stood, donning its white robe.
Yusei grit his teeth. At least I don’t have to deal with that Assault Mode anymore, he thought, but the regular Arcanite Magician can still destroy one of my cards. Guess I don’t have a choice here. “I summon 'Stardust Phantom' in Defense Mode and end my turn,” said Yusei. His new monster was another Spellcaster-type, this one wearing white robes and a blue cape. Its helmet and staff both resembled Stardust Dragon.
Stardust Phantom
DEF/0
LV 1
“A monster with no Defense Points. Out of moves, Yusei?” mused Twilight.
“Not quite,” replied Yusei. “When Stardust Phantom is destroyed, I can bring Stardust Dragon back from the Graveyard in Defense Mode. You’d better think carefully about your next move.”
“I already have,” said Twilight as a card floated from the top of her deck and over to the other card in front of her. “I still have a Spell Counter on my Citadel. Arcanite Magician will use it to destroy your Stardust Phantom!” Just as before, the Arcanite Magician took control of the orb of light circling around the distant tower, and in one swift move, commanded it to strike Yusei’s monster. From the ensuing explosion arose Yusei’s mighty dragon, roaring loudly to make its return known to all, then crossing its wings in front of its body.
Stardust Dragon
DEF/2000
LV 8
“Oh yeah! Stardust Dragon is back!” shouted Spike. He jumped up and down and cheered loudly for Yusei, but then caught Twilight’s eye and stopped. “Oops. Sorry, Twilight.”
“That’s okay, Spike,” she said. “I understand why you’d be excited. But don’t get used to Stardust Dragon staying around. Yusei, you have no more cards in your hand and no other cards on the field. But I still have one card I can play: The Spell Card ‘Miracle Synchro Fusion’! By removing a Synchro Monster and one other monster on my field or in my Graveyard from play, I can summon a Synchro Fusion!”
“Synchro Fusion?!” exclaimed Yusei. His mind flashed back to the mysterious D-Wheeler and his ultimate Synchro, formed by combining Synchros... but this couldn’t be the same thing, could it?
What if it’s all I can do? thought Yusei.
“Delving into arts new and old and combining them with the works of the arcane, my servant grows even stronger, becoming the ultimate wizard! I Fusion Summon the 'Supreme Arcanite Magician'!” A proud grin spread across her face as orange and green flames engulfed the white-robed magician, obscuring him from Yusei’s vision. The flames danced with each other as they shifted into a lavender hue that matched Twilight’s coat. A green staff was thrust up from the flames and they died down instantly.
Twilight’s monster was now robed in a more elaborate outfit than ever, armored robes that mimicked the lavender flames from before. Green jewels were embedded in the armor at the shoulders, chest, wrists, the waist, and even the helmet. A white cape fluttered behind the magician, then softly floated down around his ankles.
Supreme Arcanite Magician
ATK/1400
LV 10
“Ah gotta say, that is one mighty impressive critter, Twilight,” said Applejack.
“Yeah, that looks totally awesome!” exclaimed Rainbow Dash.
“I bet it’s SUPER-DUPER strong!” said Pinkie, bouncing from one hoof to another.
“The outfit seems a bit much to me,” said Rarity. The others glared at her. “...but it’s probably your ace in the hole,” she added. “Go Twilight!”
“Like his previous forms, when Supreme Arcanite Magician is Fusion Summoned, he gets two Spell Counters,” said Twilight as two of the gems on the magician’s chest lit up. “And also like the other two forms, he gets 1000 extra points for every Spell Counter he has!”
Applejack leaned over to say something to Dash, but the cyan mare put a hoof to her mouth and said, “I got it this time,” she said. “Three thousand and four hundred, right?”
“Eeyup!” The four ponies jumped and turned around to see a red stallion behind them.
“Big Macintosh!” said Applejack, giving the stallion a shove. “You gotta stop sneakin’ up on ponies like that!”
“Nnnnope!” he said with a grin. Applejack gave him a smile and turned back to the duel.
“Supreme Arcanite Magician, attack Stardust Dragon,” she said. “Spell of Supremacy: Arcane Ultima!”
Purple rings of runes appeared above the magician and on the ground beneath him as the green jewels on his armor all lit up. The rings began to move toward each other. The runes turned upright, interlocking with each other and rotating around the magician. He held his staff out in front of him, pointing the jewel and the pen-like tip at Stardust Dragon. The runes gained speed, moving faster and faster. Rays of light stood from the jewels on the armor, then bent down to the jewel on his staff. The rays of light and the spinning runes disappeared into the jewel and it glowed with a blinding light. The light faded and a wide ray of purple magic blasted out of the jewel and raced toward the white dragon.
“I activate Stardust Phantom’s effect!” said Yusei as the ghostly image of Stardust Phantom appeared in front of his dragon. “By removing it from the Graveyard, I can give a Dragon-Type Synchro Monster an effect that saves it from being destroyed in battle by having it lose 800 Defense Points!” The blast struck Stardust’s wings and slid off to the sides. Every pony watching shielded their eyes with a hoof. Stardust Dragon roared and ducked its head behind its wings. As the ray of light shrank and faded, a small counter appeared next to Stardust displayed its Defense Points.
Stardust Dragon
DEF/1200
LV 8
“You’re more resourceful than I thought,” said Twilight. “But I’m not done yet. Since I used a Spell to summon my Supreme Magician, the Citadel of Endymion has a Spell Counter on it. I’ll use it to activate Supreme Arcanite Magician’s effect. Once per turn, I can use a Spell Counter on my field to destroy a card on the field or draw a card from my deck.”
“Twilight, you’re not actually going to try to destroy Stardust Dragon, are you?” asked Rarity.
“Yeah! You know what’ll happen if you do!” Pinkie chimed in.
“I know,” said Twilight. “That’s why I’m drawing a card from my deck instead.” Twilight levitated a card from her deck, looked at it, then moved the other one to her Duel Disk. “I summon 'Defender, the Magical Knight' in Defense Mode. When he’s Normal Summoned, he also gets a Spell Counter.” A man wearing blue and gold armor and a blue cape emerged from a blue circle in the air. In his right hand was a (laughably) small sword, while his left wielded a blue and gold wall shield with a red gem in the center. The gem lit up as Defender moved the shield in front of himself.
Defender, the Magical Knight
DEF/2000
LV 4
“That ends my turn,” said Twilight.
Pinkie cocked her head to the side. “Wait, what? Why’s Twilight playing a guy with a big shield?” she asked. “She’s got a SUPREME wizard on her side!”
“She’s getting ready, Pinks,” said Dash. “Twilight expects Yusei to turn things around since she couldn’t get rid of Stardust Dragon.”
“You seem awful sure about that,” said Applejack.
“That’s because I’d expect the same thing,” Dash replied. “You don’t get this good at flying and racing without learning how to anticipate surprises.”
“It’s my turn now,” said Yusei as he drew his new card. “Perfect! I summon 'Synchron Explorer' in Attack Mode!” A very round, red robot with a large hole in its front emerged before Yusei. The hollowed front began to glow and a shadow appeared within. “When I summon Synchron Explorer, I can bring back another ‘Synchron’ monster in my Graveyard. Come on back, Quickdraw Synchron!” The caped robot emerged from the belly of the red robot and fired one of its pistols.
“I substitute Quickdraw Synchron for Junk Synchron, and tune it with my Level two Synchron Explorer! Gathering roars form an echoing arrow that pierces the sky! I Synchro Summon 'Junk Archer'!”
Yusei’s new monster was tall and thin, an orange robot holding a large bow with an arrow resting on the string. It had two green eyes within a tall, orange helmet. One eye was covered by little orange bars.
Junk Archer
ATK/2300
LV 7
“I activate Junk Archer’s effect. Once per turn, it can remove one monster on the field from the game until the End Phase,” said Yusei. “I’ll remove Supreme Arcanite Magician from play. Go, Dimensional Shot!” The arrow on Junk Archer’s bow began to glow with a blue aura. The robotic warrior drew the arrow back and aimed it at Twilight’s magician, then let it go. The arrow flew fast and pierced the magician in his middle, going straight through him. The arrowhead then pushed at the space around it and tore through the air, opening up a rift behind Supreme Arcanite Magician. He was pulled through it and the rift closed after him.
“When he comes back, he won’t have any Spell Counters,” said Yusei. “I switch Stardust Dragon to Attack Mode. And now to take care of your other monster. Junk Archer, attack Defender, the Magical Knight with Scrap Arrow!”
Junk Archer drew another arrow on its bow and fired it. Defender moved his shield into the arrow’s path. It struck the red gem in the center and bounced off, flying upward before falling and embedding itself into the ground and vanishing. The gem on the shield lost its light.
“Once a turn, Defender can save any number of Spellcasters from being destroyed by using that same number of Spell Counters on the field,” explained Twilight.
“Then Stardust Dragon, attack Defender with Shooting Sonic!” said Yusei.
Stardust Dragon opened its maw and fired a clear, sparkling beam at Defender. The beam made contact with the shield and broke through, destroying the Magical Knight.
“That’s all I can do for now,” said Yusei. “I end my turn.”
“During the End Phase, Supreme Arcanite Magician returns to the field,” said Twilight as her monster reemerged from a tear in the air.
Supreme Arcanite Magician
ATK/1400
LV 10
“My turn!” said Twilight. “Instead of drawing a card, I’ll add Magical Blast to my hand from the Graveyard, and I’ll activate it! You take two hundred points of damage, Yusei, and this puts a Spell Counter on the Citadel of Endymion.” Twilight’s Arcanite Magician fired a blast of energy at Yusei, pushing him back a small bit. A small light appeared in the sky and started circling the tower in the distance.
“Now I’ll use that Spell Counter to activate Supreme Arcanite Magician’s effect so that I can draw a card,” said Twilight. A card floated away from her deck. She looked at it and smiled. “I summon 'Apprentice Magician' in Defense Mode! And when he’s Summoned, he puts a Spell Counter on my Supreme Magician!” The purple-robed young man appeared and pointed his staff at the taller magician. A green light shot out of the jewel on the end and connected with the one in the center of Supreme Arcanite’s chest plate. It lit up with a bright green aura.
Apprentice Magician
DEF/800
LV 2
Supreme Arcanite Magician
ATK/2400
LV 10
“Supreme Arcanite Magician, attack Junk Archer! Spell of Supremacy: Arcane Ultima!” shouted Twilight. In a flash of light, Yusei’s Archer was destroyed.
Life Point Count
Twilight: 500
Yusei: 100
“I’ll place a card face-down and end my turn,” said Twilight. “But on my next turn, I’ll bring back Magical Blast to win the duel!”
“But if I get a monster, I can destroy both of your magicians by attacking them,” Yusei pointed out.
“That won’t work,” said Twilight as she pointed a hoof at Apprentice Magician. “When Apprentice Magician is destroyed by battle, he summons a Level Two or lower Spellcaster from my deck. There’s no way you can destroy three monsters next turn!”
Yusei drew a card from his deck. When he saw what it was, he smiled. “I won’t need to,” he said. “Stardust Dragon, attack Supreme Arcanite Magician! Shooting Sonic!”
Twilight smirked. “Your attack has triggered my Trap, Yusei!’ she said. “Go, 'Skill Successor'! With this card, Supreme Arcanite Magician gains four hundred Attack Points! I guess I win a turn early.”
Supreme Arcanite Magician
ATK 2800
LV 10
“Are you sure about that?” said Yusei with a smile. Twilight’s smirk faded. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell Card ‘Blind Spot Strike’! This card increases the Attack Points of a monster on my field by the Defense Points of a Defense Mode monster on your field. Apprentice Magician’s Defense Points are eight hundred, so Stardust Dragon gains eight hundred Attack Points!”
Stardust Dragon
ATK 3300
LV 8
“Stardust Dragon, finish the duel!” he said. “Shooting Sonic!” The white dragon, threw its head forward, launching the crystalline beam of sound from its jaws. Supreme Arcanite Magician fired his own beam of green magic, but the sonic stream tore through it like tissue paper and struck the magician, destroying him. The beam continued on and hit Twilight, knocking her to the ground.
Life Point Count
Twilight: 0
Yusei: 100
“Twilight!” shouted Rarity. She and the other mares rushed over to their friend. Yusei and Fluttershy also ran up to help her.
“Twilight, are you okay?” Yusei asked.
Twilight lifted her head and shook it quickly. She stood up and shook her head again. The Duel Disk had fallen to the ground. She looked up at Yusei with a smile.
“Yeah, I’m fine,” she said. “That... was a ton of fun!” She flashed Yusei a wide grin. Yusei smiled back.
“I’m glad you enjoyed it,” he said. Then he heard a noise and looked around him. The other ponies were cheering and stomping the ground.
“I guess everypony else had fun too!” said Pinkie. “That was super-duper!”
“That was pretty cool,” said Dash. “Wish it could be more like a race, though. There’s nothing like a good burst of speed!”
“Speed, huh?” said Yusei. “I bet I can help out with that. You see, there’s actually another way to duel that involves speed.”
*****
The darkness was maddening. The silence was deafening. Discord tried desperately to break free, but could do nothing. His body was stone and he knew it would remain that way until the Elements of Harmony were passed on to new guardians.
He roared in his own mind and threw his consciousness against his prison, ramming against it again and again.
And then he stopped.
He could envision himself in his mind. He sat in the darkness. He looked around him and realized that it was hopeless. Discord brought his lion’s paw up to his eyes and wept.
There was a hiss. A word. He couldn’t make it out. Discord looked up. He heard it again. He stood up.
“Who’s there?” he tried to say, but the words never came. He was still stone.
He heard the hiss again. And then he saw it. A black cloak and two eyes glowing blue beneath the hood.
The darkness around him deepened as he fell.
Discord landed on the ground with a thud. He groaned and stood up.
“Wait a moment,” he said. He felt himself, moving his hands along his body and up to his face. “I’m free... I’m free!” He yelled and whooped and laughed. And then he stopped. He heard the hiss again, like a soft whisper in his ear.
“That’s right,” he said. “I will have my revenge! This time... this time I WILL turn ponies to stone!” He laughed deeply and then vanished.