//------------------------------// // Chapter 21: Gentle Work // Story: Dueling is Magic! Many Futures // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Chapter Twenty-One Gentle Work /*********************\ Rainbow Dash poked her head through the bottom of her cloud. The convoy below her trundled along. She tapped her the head piece she wore and spoke into the microphone. “Rainbow Dash to Truck One. Things look quiet from up here. How’s it look on your end?” “Same same down here,” came a human voice. “How long until we reach the outpost?” Dash asked. “Another ten minutes.” Rainbow Dash sighed. “Roger that. Dash out.” “Wait,” said the human. “What is it?” Rainbow Dash asked. “There’s someone in the middle of the road up ahead.” “A survivor?” “No... it’s a Dark Trooper! Stop the convoy!” Alerts started shouting across the comm channel. Rainbow Dash poked her head through the cloud again and saw the Dark Trooper. “Oh, this is bad,” she muttered. She looked at her Duel Disk. “I can’t...” ***** Twilight, Applejack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie ran to the clinic. Luna was standing outside of the doors. “Girls!” she said. “Rainbow Dash,” panted Twilight. “How’s Rainbow Dash? Is she okay?” “Her wing got clipped, but she’s fine otherwise,” Luna answered. “If it weren’t for her, this could’ve been a lot worse.” “What happened?” Rarity asked. “The convoy was ambushed by Dark Troopers,” Luna said. “But they weren’t interested in dueling. They... they brought guns.” “What’s a gun?” asked Pinkie. “It’s... well, it’s a machine that shoots pieces of metal called bullets,” said Luna. “Like a slingshot?” “Much worse than a slingshot. Guns are a lot more dangerous. At the speed it fires a bullet, it can puncture the skin and...” “Luna, are guns... weapons?” Twilight asked. Luna nodded. “Just how dangerous are they?” “They can kill.” Four ponies and a baby dragon gasped. “We got lucky, though. No one was killed, but there are a lot of people that are hurt really badly. And if we don’t hurry, some of them might not make it.” The doors behind Luna opened and Aki walked out. “Luna, there you are,” she said. “Oh, Twilight, Rarity, you’re here too! I was just about to send Luna after you. Listen, we need your help. My clinic can’t keep up with all the injured and I can only do so much. I can handle some of the worst injuries, but I have to keep up with everyone else too.” “We can take care of those that aren’t too bad,” said Rarity. “I happen to know a thing or two about dressing wounds.” “You?” said Twilight. “That’s great, but I didn’t really expect it.” “I figured that as long as I was learning about stitches and cloth for my trade, I might learn to patch up other ponies just in case,” Rarity explained. “It was easy enough to pick up, and now it’s going to come in handy. What about you, Twilight?” “I read plenty about basic first aid in my studies at Canterlot,” Twilight said. “I kinda had to since I also had to raise Spike. Let me tell you, he used to be quite the troublemaker! He-” “Okay, Twilight? Two things,” Spike interrupted. “First, please don’t embarrass me in front of Rarity. Two, not the time for stories. We need to get in there!” “Right, sorry,” said Twilight. “Applejack, Pinkie Pie, look after Spike for me.” “Wait! I wanna help too! Kazama was on that convoy!” “Spike, a lot of people are badly injured, and you’ve never seen a drop of blood in your life,” Twilight said. “I can handle it!” “Spike, dear,” said Rarity, “what Twilight is trying to say is that this will be too much even for you. We all know just how brave you are, but this isn’t just about bravery. It’s also about a strong stomach. You might get sick or pass out from seeing those injuries.” “Besides,” said Aki, “Kazama’s fine. Fluttershy is tending to him. He was shot in the leg, but it’s not serious. He’ll be fine.” “Oh... alright,” Spike said, dejected. “You’re a good dragon, Spike,” said Rarity. “Just for showing this much concern, I’m proud of you.” “Me too,” said Twilight. “Come on, Rarity!” Twilight, Rarity and Aki dashed through the doors, leaving their friends out in the hall. Aki strode over to a nearby sink and turned the water on. “You two need to scrub before we get in there,” she said. “We don’t want anyone we treat to get an infection.” Twilight and Rarity nodded and took turns after Aki scrubbing their hooves and forelegs. When they had finished and donned medical robes, Twilight used her magic to open the doors to the clinic and the three of them walked in. Almost immediately, Twilight’s ears were assaulted by groans and screams of pain. She winced at the noise. “This is... this is terrible!” said Rarity. “Girls!” came a voice. Fluttershy approached the unicorns. “Those two patients need their wounds bandaged right away!” “Fluttershy, can we talk?” said Twilight. “Not now, Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “Just do your job.” “But Fluttershy-” But Fluttershy had already flown off. Twilight’s head sank. “Twilight, now isn’t really the time for that heart to heart,” said Rarity. “We have an emergency on our hooves. Let’s take care of that first, alright?” “Yeah... yeah, okay,” said Twilight. ***** The doors to Yusei’s office slammed open as Crow stormed into the room. “Yusei!” he roared. “What’s the matter with you?!” Yusei looked up from his datapad. “What are you talking about, Crow?” he asked. Crow slammed his hands onto the desk. “You know what I’m talking about! You ordered the Dark Troopers to open fire on that convoy!” Yusei set the datapad down with a sigh. “Who told you?” “Does it matter?” Crow yelled. “You fired on them! And don’t bother trying to tell me those were warning shots or something stupid like that! They were told to make kill shots!” “And you think I liked giving that order, Crow?” Yusei replied. “Or maybe you believe I feel nothing about it.” “So you’re telling me you feel bad? If that were true, then why did you tell those men to do it in the first place?!” “It was a calculated move, Crow. I didn’t want to do it, but it was what needed to be done. There’s more to this war than you can possibly imagine.” “Then you’d better enlighten me, or you’ll have to shoot me next,” Crow growled. Yusei sighed again and stood up. “Fine. Follow me.” ***** The steady beep of the pulse monitor was an unusual sound, but it somehow kept Fluttershy focused. Perhaps a bit of background noise is what helped her work. But the steady pulse of noise was interrupted by Aki’s voice. “Fluttershy, don’t you think you should talk with Twilight?” she asked through her surgical mask. Fluttershy just continued to unroll the bandage around their patient’s arm. “Maybe it’s none of my business,” Aki continued, “but friends really shouldn’t fight like this. Not without making up afterward.” “I know,” said Fluttershy. “Twilight wants to talk, but... I’m afraid.” “Afraid of what?” Aki asked. “Afraid she won’t forgive me for not staying with her like Pinkie Pie did,” she said. “Twilight is one of my dearest friends. I couldn’t live with myself if I drove her away.” “I can understand that,” said Aki. “I used to be afraid of that all the time.” “You were? Why?” “Because of my powers. I used to be able to bring Duel Monsters to life. In the past, I used this power to hurt a lot of people. But then I met Yusei... he changed my life. But every day, I was so afraid that my powers would hurt him or his friends and that they would abandon me. Once, I really did hurt him... but he was the best friend I could have ever asked for. Even after everything I’d done, he stuck with me. That meant more to me than he’ll ever know...” They continued working in silence. “Point is, Fluttershy,” Aki said after many moments, “Twilight’s the kind of friend that Yusei was to me. She went out of her way to talk to Rarity and Applejack. She won’t give up on you either.” ***** “Welcome to the Neo Momentum Primary Control Station.” Crow stood in awe of the massive room. Numerous platforms jutted out from the walls, each one manned by various technicians and engineers. The room seemed slightly darker than the rest of the building, but the light from Momentum made it easy enough to see. And Momentum itself... the reactor was enormous, bigger than any machine Crow had ever seen in his life. But there was something... off about it. “Yusei, is it spinning in reverse?” he asked. “Yes it is,” Yusei replied. “I’ve found a way to do that without allowing it to go berserk.” “You did what?” said Crow. “How?” “Darkness,” said Yusei. “When in reverse, Momentum generates Minus Energy. This is the same sort of energy that the Dark Signers used to create the Dark Synchros.” “What exactly is Minus Energy?” Crow asked. “It’s not as insidious as you might believe,” Yusei answered. “Just like how a charge can be positive or negative, energy can also be positive or negative. It’s nothing more than a term used for energy that acts in the opposite way of what Momentum usually gives off.” “So how do the two energies act?” “Regular energy flows rather smoothly and along its assigned path. It can be used for a number of things. We use it to power the city, but you and I know that it can also be used to accelerate human evolution or to create new monsters. Essentially, it is a ‘giving’ energy. “Minus Energy is much harder to produce, but also much harder to get rid of. Unlike most forms of energy, Minus Energy actually consumes things.” “What do you mean?” “Do you remember the Dark Tuners? When one was used to create a Dark Synchro, their stars combined with the stars of a non-Tuner monster, but some would vanish and the rest would turn dark. Those other stars were consumed and used to turn the rest of them into Minus Energy. The resulting Dark Synchros were usually very difficult to destroy, and always insanely powerful. This is what happens when Minus Energy is created by isn’t controlled or focused. “The Meklord Emperors took a different approach. Instead of creating Minus Energy, they were Minus Energy. And what’s more, they were focused and controlled to an extent. They still ravenously consumed Synchro Monsters, however, and this made them even stronger and that much more destructive.” “So they still weren’t completely under Yliaster’s control, huh?” “No, they weren’t. But I’ve found a way to fix that. Momentum, whether it gives off positive or negative energy, is a light-based machine. To control its destructive aspects, one only needs darkness.” Yusei pointed at the central band of the machine. “Look closely, Crow. What do you see?” Crow squinted his eyes. After several seconds, they widened again and he gasped. “Yusei... what is that?” he asked. “It’s like there’s some kind of... I dunno, a dark cloud or something. What the heck is that?” “Most people believe that darkness is just the absence of light. They’re not entirely wrong, but they aren’t entirely right either. Darkness is just another wave-particle, like light. But it’s impossible for them to occupy the same space, and when they try, one is always destroyed.” “They don’t destroy each other?” Crow asked. “No. There is always a survivor,” Yusei said. “And in most cases, it is darkness that wins. It’s particle properties will disappear temporarily in some cases, but the wave is still there. The energy is still there. In a void, there is always darkness. And in the end, darkness is what will become the eternal world.” “Yusei... did something happen to you?” Crow asked. “What’s this war really about? Come on, buddy, talk to me!” Yusei turned to face Crow. Crow collapsed to the ground. He glared up at Yusei, his hand rubbing his cheek. Yusei looked at his closed fist. “You failed in your mission, Crow,” said Yusei. “You beat Jack, but you were supposed to use the card I gave you to do it. His heart is erratic and unstable, but it’s nothing more than taint. If we’re to get Jack to join us, the darkness has to be complete inside of him. Go back and duel him again, and this time, make sure that card delivers the final blow.” ***** Fluttershy floated over to Twilight and Rarity. They were busy bandaging a man’s leg in various places. “Twilight?” said Fluttershy. “Could I talk to you for a minute?” Twilight looked up from her work at Fluttershy. Then she looked at Rarity. “Go on, Twilight,” said the white unicorn. “I can finish up here.” Twilight nodded and followed Fluttershy to a corner of the room. “Fluttershy, I’m so sorry I kept that secret from all of you,” Twilight said. “I really, really wish I hadn’t.” “Twilight...” “And I hurt everypony because of it! I can’t even begin to imagine what it did to you!” “Twilight...” “Fluttershy, I’m so, so, so sorry! I don’t want to lose you or anyone else, and I-” “TWILIGHT!” Fluttershy shouted. Twilight stopped talking. “Twilight, I don’t want to lose you either. I was so scared that I would lose you because I didn’t stay with you like Pinkie, and that I didn’t come talk to you about it.” “But... but I thought you were angry with me,” said Twilight. “I was never angry with you, Twilight,” said Fluttershy. “I was a little disappointed, but mostly I was just confused. I didn’t know what to think.” “So... do you-” “Of course I forgive you.” ***** The Black Bird raced along the highway, matching every twist and turn the road produced. The wind stung Crow’s still-sore cheek. Something was wrong with Yusei. He was falling into darkness. It was like he’d lost hope in the world. Loyal as he was, Crow new he would have to face Jack again. But before he did, he decided to get some answers. Paradox, he thought. That stinkin’ android had better be around here somewhere. /*********************\ Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Many of the resistance forces have been severely wounded and are unable to carry out their duties, forcing Yeager and the others onto the defensive. Rainbow Dash reports that Dark Troopers are closing in on the base, and when Yeager orders her to duel, she refuses! But when Twilight challenges her, she accepts out of anger. Can Twilight make Rainbow Dash see the truth of her own duel before the Black King’s forces reach the base? Chapter 22 The Sealed Crystal Beasts - Break Through, Twilight! /*********************\ Featured Card Frozen Fitzgerald WATER Level -5 Fiend/Dark Synchro/Effect 1 non-Tuner - 1 Dark Tuner In order to Special Summon this card, subtract the Level of a Dark Tuner monster from the Level of 1 other monster you control; the value must equal the Level of this card. If this card attacks, your opponent cannot activate any Spell/Trap Cards until the end of the Damage Step. When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard while you control no other monsters: You can Special Summon this card in face-up Defense Position. At the end of each Battle Phase: Destroy all monsters that attacked this card. ATK/2500 DEF/2500