//------------------------------// // Chapter 1: Black King Rising // Story: Dueling is Magic! Many Futures // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Chapter One Black King Rising /*********************\ It was inevitable that this would happen. At least, that’s what he believed. And why shouldn’t he? All the evidence pointed to the darkest of results, a silent future painted sanguine by a dying sun, the shadows of stone tablets thrown across the ruins of man’s existence. In the end, there would be only silence. Oh, he still clung to hope. But it was different from before. Though he still hoped for life, he had abandoned the idea that it could not exist in silence. It could, it certainly could. The cost would be great, and it would never speak again... but life would go on all the same. Salvation could only be achieved within the silence that was the end. Resistance would lead only to death. And so he cloaked himself in darkness and cold, brute strength. His face became clouded by a hideous mask tinged red at the very edges. Everything about him changed and was concealed. It was on this day that he declared war on Neo Domino City. ***** “Twilight!” called Spike as he walked through the front door of the library. “I’m back with your quills!” No answer. Spike looked around. “Twilight?” he called again. There was a flash of purple light from upstairs. Spike heard Twilight yell, “Aha!” The little dragon dropped the bag of quills and ran as fast as he could up the stairs. “Twilight! Are you okay?” he said. Twilight stood before him, her horn glowing, and a familiar object floating in front of her. “Is that... what I think it is?” said Spike. “It sure is, Spike,” said Twilight. “I think I’ve successfully recreated my Duel Disk and deck!” “Oh wow!” said Spike. “That’s so cool!” A crack appeared in the blade of the Duel Disk. It spread, splintering as it did. Suddenly, the object shattered and exploded, sending fragments everywhere. Twilight quickly erected shields around herself and Spike. The fragments of the Duel Disk bounced off the magical bubbles before vanishing. “Oh, shoot!” snapped Twilight as her shields vanished. “I thought I had it that time.” She sighed. “What do you think went wrong?” Spike asked. “I don’t know,” said Twilight. “Maybe I didn’t do something right in stabilizing it, or maybe I put too much energy into it.” “Well, we can figure it out later,” said Spike. “You got a letter from the Princess.” Spike held up a piece of parchment, rolled up and bound by a red ribbon. Twilight’s horn lit up and she took the scroll, unrolling it in front of her. “‘My dearest Twilight,’” she began reading, “‘I have been debating with myself for some time over a very important matter. I’ve come to a decision. Please come to Canterlot as quickly as you can. There are things I must tell you, truths long forgotten by ponykind. Sincerely, Princess Celestia.’” Twilight rolled the scroll up again and set it down on a nearby table. “‘Truths long forgotten’? What’s that mean?” Spike shrugged. “I’ll go get your bags and start packing,” he said as he turned and left. “Truths long forgotten,” Twilight muttered. ***** His war was silent at first. Stealth was important. He had to establish his position first, lest he be stopped. He needed an army. Silently, he recruited his soldiers. Victims of accidents; sufferers of loneliness; the violent and selfish; anyone who held great darkness in their hearts, whether it be fear or longing, cruelty or scorn. Silently, his army grew. Neo Domino City’s nights became darker. Fewer lights were turned on every night. The city was slowly blanketed in darkness. On some days, the morning brought with it a strange fog, a dark mist that groaned with the sun’s rise. Strange shapes moved within the fog. But as the sun rose higher in the sky, the fog withdrew into the dark corners of the city. At night, the fog followed him, trailing behind him, awaiting his orders. As the weeks wore on, he became bolder. He preyed on even the smallest seeds of darkness. Jealousy. Envy. Loathing. A lack of understanding. Apathy. Frustration. All of these things were amplified in the fog. At last, when he felt his army was more than strong enough to hold their own, when he was confident that none could undermine his position, he made his move. He and his dark soldiers marched into the Momentum control room. Securing the various consoles, he moved between them, entering commands that would bring the reactor under his control. Momentum darkened. ***** A strange fog had rolled into Canterlot that morning. The city’s own weather ponies couldn’t move it, so a special team had been called in from Cloudsdale, under the direction of Wonderbolts captain Spitfire. The fog itself was untouchable, a phenomenon that had occurred so little in Equestrian history that it was nearly unheard of, baffling even most of the special team. Beyond its immovable nature, the fog behaved as it should. It could be penetrated to a degree with light, though remained incredibly thick. Twilight had lit her horn as bright as she and Spike could stand and navigated her way to the castle. The few local unicorns she spotted had lit up their horns as Twilight had. Aside from these few ponies, Twilight saw no one until she reached the castle gates. Two unicorn guards stood watch at the gates. They greeted Twilight happily, though they still seemed uneasy in the fog. Twilight continued to the front steps of the palace. Twilight stopped, her ears perked, her eyes wide. “What is it, Twilight?” asked Spike. Twilight pointed with a hoof at the top of the steps. A tall, shapeless figure stood there. “Hello?” called Twilight. The figure turned and Twilight felt its gaze on her. She shrank back. “Don’t be afraid of old me,” said the figure. It moved again, then slowly descended the steps. As the figure approached, Twilight could make it out better. It was tall, as tall as Princess Celestia, and it seemed to be limping. It was also using a cane. “Who are you?” asked Twilight. “What... what are you?” “I could ask you the same thing,” said the figure. It- he sounded old, yet oddly youthful. In the violet light of her horn, Twilight saw that he was wearing a hooded cloak that covered most of his face in shadow. She looked at the cane again. The figure held it in his hand. “You’re a human!” said Twilight. “Yes,” said the figure. “But what are you? Am I in the Duel Monsters Spirit World?” “The what?” asked Twilight. “No, this is Equestria, a land inhabited by ponies. I’m a unicorn.” “Twilight, he said ‘Duel Monsters’,” said Spike. “I think he’s a Duelist.” “You know Duel Monsters?” said the old man. He suddenly began asking question after question, like a little child. “Oh, wow! What’s it like in this world? How often do you duel? What sort of deck do you run?” “Um... it’s kind of a long story,” said Twilight. “But I use Spellcasters... or I did.” Twilight saw the stranger smile. He reached into his cloak and pulled out three cards. “Here,” he said. “Let these by symbols of our friendship.” Twilight’s horn lit up and her magic surrounded the cards. The stranger let go of them and they flew into Twilight’s saddle bag. “Thank you,” she said. “But I don’t even know your name.” A sudden wind began to pick up. The stranger’s cloak fluttered but stayed wrapped around him. The hood waved about his head. Twilight caught a brief glimpse of his eyes. “It looks like I have to go,” said the old man. “But I have a feeling we’ll see each other again.” The fog enveloped him and he was gone. ***** His title was appropriate and somehow blasphemous. His throne was the chair at the main control terminal of Momentum. His crown was only the achievement of conquering Neo Domino City. His subjects were the ones who lived in darkness. The royalty he possessed now, however.. that he had earned long ago, when he still clung to childish dreams. As with any kingdom, though, there was resistance. A small rebellion had formed to battle against him. He did not necessarily blame them; they simply couldn’t see what was so clear to him. With the darkening of Momentum, the entire city had lost power. Several other cities in Japan had also shut down because of their link to the reactor in Neo Domino City known as the Central Pillar. Many others that had not yet been linked to the Fortune mainframe remained unaffected: Sendai, Sapporo, Heartland, Osaka. Many others, such as Tokyo and Kyoto, were left without Momentum’s power. Backup power plants that relied on older forms of energy were quickly turned on to combat the blackout, but it wouldn’t last for long. It was only a matter of time until they learned of the resistance and its reason for being. He had no intention of waiting until then to make a move. He would weaken their position before they could establish it. ***** Twilight stood before the massive doors to Princess Celestia’s throne room. The hall was dim because of the weather outside and the doors seemed so much taller because of it. She gulped and pushed the doors open with a shaky hoof. Celestia and Luna waited for her at the end of the room. “Twilight, good,” said Celestia. “I’m glad you made it.” “Twilight Sparkle, there are things which you must know,” said Luna. “But before we can reveal these truths to you, there must be a test.” “A test?” said Twilight. “Oh no! I should’ve known there’d be a surprise test! I should’ve studied! I-” “Twilight, it’s not that kind of test,” said Celestia. “This will not be a test of your magical skills.” “Then what kind of test is it?” Twilight asked. Two curved objects appeared before the princesses. A familiar noise rang through the royal hall- the noise of a shuffler. ‘It... it can’t be,” said Twilight. “This test...” “That’s right, Twilight,” said Celestia. “This test is a duel!” TO BE CONTINUED /*********************\ Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Twilight is shocked when both princesses challenge her to a two-on-one duel! The game kicks off and the two sisters show unbelievable skill! How is it that they know how to duel so well? With two powerful dragons staring her down, can Twilight hold on against their combined might? Chapter 2 Royal Rumble: Twilight vs. Celestia and Luna!