//------------------------------// // Discord's Assault! The Beginning of the End // Story: My Little Pony: Dueling is Magic! // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Author’s Note: If you guys didn’t see my blog post, I had gone back and added a card to Discord’s first turn: Reinforcement of the Army. The reason I did this was so that he could activate Card of Burial Magic, which targets 3 Spell Cards in your Graveyard, removes those targets from play and lets you draw 2 cards. Luna’s despair... I’d pulled a few surprises, but I wanted to make up for the sudden switch to Discord x Celestia since it’s been done so many times before. I hope you guys appreciate it. Also, had to make one final retcon to the duel: Spike uses the effect of King of the Swamp before summoning Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. King of the Swamp is a monster that can be discarded to add Polymerization from your deck to your hand. /*********************\ Yusei and the others found themselves in the castle again, but... it was different. Though the world was still in monochrome, the castle itself looked lively and fresh. The floors were clean and covered in long carpets. Many of the stone windows had stained glass set in them. Pegasus guards stood at intervals throughout the hall. Strong beams of light streamed in from the windows and Yusei realized that the sun was setting. He saw a tall, dark pony walking down the hallway toward a set of stairs. He mane flowed just like Celestia’s. She also had wings and a horn like the princess. “Is that your sister?” Yusei asked. “I... I believe so,” said Celestia uncertainly. “Yes, that’s her,” said Rarity. “She looks so... sad,” said Spike. Yusei looked at the winged unicorn more closely and saw that she did indeed seem unhappy. Her head hung low to the ground and her steps were slow. Her tail dragged along the ground, though it continued to flow and swirl in a nonexistent wind. She reached the staircase and began to climb. Yusei and the others followed her. They arrived at the top of a tower, the tallest in the castle. Celestia was standing there, her horn glowing as the sun set. Luna sighed and turned in the opposite direction. Her horn began to glow and the moon began to rise in the east. For a while, no one said anything. Then the dark pony spoke. “I still don’t understand,” she said. “Why do ponies frolic and play in the daytime, but sleep away the night? It’s so beautiful- the stars, my moon... they are missing it!” “Some ponies do like to stay up and go stargazing, little sister,” said the other Celestia. “But for the most part, ponies need to sleep, and sleep comes easier in the dark.” “I just wish they appreciated it like I did,” said Luna. “I stay up all night to make sure the moon stays on course, and I see the most beautiful things when I do! Why does nopony else wish to see it?” Celestia remained silent. The sun at last disappeared beneath the horizon and the last rays of its light vanished from the sky. Celestia’s horn stopped glowing. “I wish I could answer that question for you, dear Luna,” said Celestia. “It’s not that ponies don’t want to see it; everypony loves everything that is beautiful. It’s just that ponies must slip, and night is the best time to do it. Everything must rest. The day cannot last forever, nor can the night.” “But it’s not fair!” said Luna. “You always got everything when we were growing up! Everypony is awake during the day, but they ignore my night! Mother and Father always payed more attention to you, and it was you who found the Elements of Harmony!” “Mother and Father loved you just as much as they loved me, Luna,” Celestia protested. “If they spent more time with me, it was simply because I would have more to deal with than you. You rule the night, little sister. It’s far less peaceful during the day, so I have royal affairs to attend to.” “And what about Discord?” said Luna. “You even had him!” “Luna, what are you-” “He told me he loved you... he asked me for advice... you knew I liked him and it broke my heart when he said he loved you! I helped him anyway, but I did it because it would make him happy. But you still knew...” “Luna...” “Even if nopony loves my night... even if I never got to spend as much time with Mother and Father as you did... I wouldn’t have cared if I could have just had Discord. I didn’t want you two to stop being friends, I just... and now...” The world around the them faded. Only the past Celestia and Luna remained. “And he’s in stone now, and it’s all your fault!” Luna shouted. “You broke his heart and stopped being his friend, and instead of trying to fix it, you told me we had to turn him into stone! You didn’t even have the courage to face him. You used me as a distraction while you sneaked up behind him! He sang for me, sister! He sang for me...” The other Celestia vanished and Luna collapsed to the ground. “I loved him... but you always got everything, so you took him away... nopony loves my night, so I have nopony with whom I can share... ANYTHING. I don’t...” Luna began to sob. “I don’t want to be alone.” As the last word escaped her lips, the waves appeared and took her. Celestia screamed her sister’s name and they all found themselves back in the room where the duel was taking place. “I swear you’ll pay for this, Discord!” Celestia roared. “I’ve been paying for your mistakes for the last thousand years, Celestia,” Discord countered. “Finish your turn, dragon.” Spike hissed and Set the one card in his hand face-down. Yusei drew but chose to pass. “Yusei... nothing?” asked Spike. Yusei didn’t answer. Discord began to laugh. “Oh, this is just priceless!” he said. “But as much as I’m enjoying this, I will have to end it here and now. My turn!” Discord swiped a card from the top of his deck and grinned when he read it. His eyes darted up from the card to Yusei. “Your Stardust Dragon can’t save you now, Yusei! I activate The Beginning of the End!” The space behind Discord began to warp as fractal patterns began to take shape. Five rings appeared within the pattern, four smaller ones with a much larger one in the center looping through them. Five monster cards flew out of Discord’s Graveyard and planted themselves in the centers of each ring. “If I have at least seven DARK monsters in my Graveyard, I can remove five of them to draw three new cards,” said Discord. The five cards slid backward into the ever-shifting patterns and were enveloped within them, vanishing from sight. The patterns vanished and Discord drew three cards. “Next I play Pot of Avarice, which lets me return five monsters in my Graveyard to my deck so I can draw two cards,” said Discord. “Now I play Burial from a Different Dimension and return two of my removed monsters to my Graveyard.” “What is he doing?” Spike asked Yusei. “I don’t know,” said Yusei, “but I don’t like it.” “The stage is set! When there are exactly three DARK monsters in my Graveyard, I can Special Summon Dark Armed Dragon!” said Discord. A massive dragon with dark green skin and covered in black armor appeared behind him. Much of the armor was either spiked or curved and sharpened into blades. At the end of its tail was a huge, spiked club that it swung about with ease. It roared loud and deep. Yusei and Spike both took a step back as the stared up in shock at the dark monster before them. Dark Armed Dragon ATK/2800 LV 7 “Now I activate The Dark Creator’s effect and Special Summon Darklord Zerato from my Graveyard,” Discord continued. A humanoid creature appeared next to the dark dragon. In his left hand he held a curved blade with a serrated back edge. Wrapped around his head and shoulders was a blood-red cape and hood. The cape spread out behind him, unfurling like a pair of leathery bat wings. Darklord Zerato ATK/2800 LV 8 “I activate Zerato’s effect,” said Discord. “By sending a DARK monster from my hand to the Graveyard, I can destroy every monster on my opponent’s field. Say goodbye to Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon!” The wing-like cape fluttered behind the dark man as he raised his sword above his head. Black lightning erupted from the top and danced about the room. It withdrew into the tip, then blasted out again, focused on Spike’s lone monster. “I activate Stardust Dragon’s effect: Victim Sanctuary!” said Yusei. Stardust Dragon vanished and the lightning stopped just short of hitting the blue dragon. The dark bolts curved around and shot back toward Darklord Zerato. They struck and he exploded. Discord’s Coffin Seller card glowed and a red nimbus appeared around Yusei. Life Point Count Yusei: 800 “As expected,” said Discord, “but I’m not done. Now I activate Dark Armed Dragon’s effect. By removing a DARK monster from my Graveyard, I can destroy one card on the field. I remove Zerato and target that face-down card!” “I activate it in response!” said Spike. “Go, Foolish Revival! This Trap lets me bring a monster back to my opponent’s field. I Special Summon Sonic Chick to Yusei’s field!” “That won’t be enough to stop me,” said Discord. “I activate Return from the Different Dimension! By paying half my Life Points, I can Special Summon as many of my removed monsters as possible, and they are removed again during the End Phase. I Special Summon Dark General Freed, Dark Simorgh and Darklord Zerato!” “Say what?!” said Yusei. “No way!” said Spike. “Discord, stop!” cried Celestia. “No, Celestia, I will NOT stop!” Discord snapped. “I activate Darklord Zerato’s effect once more. This time, Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon WILL be destroyed!” The red-winged man fired black lightning at Spike’s monster again. This time, the dark electricity struck it and it was destroyed. Discord’s Coffin Seller glowed again. “Spike!” cried Rarity as the stone crept up her chest. Life Point Count Spike: 1700 “Now I activate Dark Armed Dragon’s effect three more times!” said Discord. “You can use it more than once?!” said Spike. “That’s right, my purple friend,” said Discord with a grin. He picked the remaining three monsters from his Graveyard and threw them into the air. The black-armored dragon caught all three of them in its mouth and roared as the wing-like blade on its back began to glow. “Go, Dark Mambele!” ordered Discord. The dragon reached back and grabbed the two blades, then threw them forward. One blade swept across the room and destroyed Spike’s ‘Dragon’s Rage’ card and Yusei’s ‘Scrubbed Raid’. The other blade cut through Sonic Chick, causing the tiny bird to explode. The blades flew back around the room and landed perfectly on Dark Armed Dragon’s back with a loud clink! The Coffin Seller card glowed once more and Yusei’s Life Points went down even farther. “Both of you are wide open now,” said Discord. “Go, my monsters! Destroy them once and for all! Arrivederci!” “Spike! Yusei!” shouted Celestia. “Spike!” cried Rarity. “Twilight, do something! You have to do something!” Twilight looked up at Rarity with tear-filled eyes and whispered, “I’m sorry.” “Yusei!” shouted Spike. “Come on, do something! YUSEI!” Yusei glanced over at Spike... and smiled, holding up the one card in his hand. “It’s never that easy, Discord,” said Yusei. “I activate the effect of Swift Scarecrow! By discarding it when you declare a Direct Attack, I can negate that attack and end the Battle Phase!” Yusei slid a card into his Graveyard and another metal scarecrow appeared. Atop its head was a brown, pointed hat. Beneath the hat waved long, unruly green hair. The scarecrow held two long sticks, one in each hand. On its back was a small, blue jet that propelled it forward. Discord’s Dark Armed Dragon swiped at the scarecrow and it exploded, forming a wall of black smoke between the monsters and their targets. “NO!” roared Discord. “No no no! You slippery little... humph! It doesn’t end here! During the End Phase of the turn that Darklord Zerato used his effect, he’s sent to the Graveyard. That’ll give Dark Armed Dragon fuel for later. As for Freed and Simorgh, both of them are removed from play once more.” Darklord Zerato simply vanished from the room while Dark General Freed and Dark Simorgh were sucked into the swirling black clouds above them. Two monsters remained on Discord’s field, however: Dark Armed Dragon and The Dark Creator. “During the End Phase of the turn that Stardust Dragon negated an effect, it’s Special Summoned back to the field,” said Yusei as his dragon reappeared. “Yusei, we’re down to the wire here,” said Spike. “You’ve only got two hundred Life Points left, and I don’t have anything else on the field. If Discord forces you to use Stardust’s effect...” “I know, Spike,” said Yusei. “This means we’ll have to find a way to defend ourselves.” Spike nodded and drew. “I play Pot of Avarice,” he said. “I return Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to my Extra Deck, and I send Blue-Eyes Shining Dragon, Luster Dragon, Ruby Dragon, and Blue-Eyes White Dragon back to my main deck so I can draw two cards.” Spike drew his cards and looked at them... and fell to his knees. “Spike?” said Yusei. “Spike, what is it?” “Darling, what’s wrong?” asked Rarity. “We can’t win....” said Spike. “If I destroy Dark Armed Dragon, he’ll just bring back Darklord Zerato next turn... and if he gets a monster in his hand, then that’ll be the end of it. But if I don’t destroy it...” “Spike, maybe you’re looking at the wrong card,” said Yusei. “What do you mean?” asked Spike. Then he looked at Discord’s field again. “Coffin Seller... if I don’t get rid of that, then he’ll beat you no matter how Stardust goes to the Graveyard.” “Trust your cards, Spike,” said Yusei. “They’ve given you an answer.” Spike looked down at his hand. Then he looked up at Rarity. “Rarity... I’m sorry I couldn’t save you,” he said. “It’s all right, Spike,” said Rarity. “You... you did your best. And I’m proud of you for it.” Spike gave a sad smile before turning back to Discord, a green fire burning in his eyes. “I might lose this duel, but I’m gonna make sure Yusei can take you down! I activate Swing of Memories and Double Cyclone!” Two Spells- a Normal Spell and a Quick-Play- appeared on Spike’s field. Two cyclones, one red and one yellow, erupted from the Quick-Play Spell. “Double Cyclone destroys one Spell or Trap on each side of the field. I choose Swing of Memories and Coffin Seller!” “Why would you destroy your own card?” asked Discord as his the cyclones ripped the chosen cards apart. “Because,” said Spike, “Normal Spells don’t have to stay on the field to do their thing. They just have to be played. Swing of Memories Special Summons a Normal Monster from my Graveyard, but destroys it during the End Phase. Return to my side, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!” The massive, white dragon reemerged onto the field, spreading its wings and claws wide and roaring. Blue-Eyes White Dragon ATK/3000 LV 8 “Rarity... one last battle,” said Spike. “Yusei can handle one powerful monster, but not two.” “You’re absolutely right, Spike,” said Rarity. “If Discord recovers Darklord Zerato and draws a DARK monster...” “He can stop Zerato’s effect, but that’ll leave him vulnerable to The Dark Creator,” Spike finished. “Then you know what you have to do,” said Rarity. Spike nodded. “Battle!” shouted Spike and Rarity. “Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack The Dark Creator! Burst Stream of Destruction!” As the white dragon charged its attack, the metal giant formed a black ball of energy between his hands. A stream of white lightning erupted from Blue-Eyes’ maw just as The Dark Creator threw the black ball. The beam struck the dark giant in the head and destroyed it, but the black ball hit the dragon in the chest, causing it to explode as well. The room became clouded in smoke and fierce winds pushed against everyone. The smoke finally began to clear and Yusei saw that only his and Discord’s dragons remained. “I end my turn,” said Spike. “I’m proud of you, Spike,” said Rarity. “And Twilight is too. Yusei! It’s up to you now. Get back the Elements of Harmony and save Twilight!” Yusei nodded. “My turn!” said Yusei. He looked at his card. This won’t help me now! he thought. No, I can’t give up yet. But what about Spike? And Rarity? “Yusei,” said Spike. “We’re done for. I can’t go any further. You have to save Twilight. I’ve... I’ve lost.” “Spike...” said Yusei. Then, with determination in his voice, he said, “I’ll save you. I’ll save all of you, I promise. I switch Stardust Dragon to Defense Mode and place one card face-down. Your move, Discord.” “Time to end this,” said Discord as he drew. “I Set a card face-down. Dark Armed Dragon, attack Spike directly! Dark Armed Punisher!” The black dragon roared and brought its claws down on Spike. The purple dragon stood firm. Dust flew up as the black dragons claws struck the floor. Spike and Rarity became hidden from view. Yusei heard a scream. Spike flew backwards out of the cloud, but he was tiny once again. The Duel Disk slipped off his arm and crashed to the ground, shattering like glass before disappearing completely. The cards within it scattered across the floor. “Spike!” shouted Yusei. The little dragon did not move for several seconds and Yusei feared the worst. Then Spike groaned and turned over onto his belly. Yusei let out a relieved sigh. Spike rubbed his head for a moment. Then his eyes shot wide open and he jumped to his feet. “Rarity!” he cried. He ran up to where the unicorn still hung in the air. She had turned completely into stone. The white of the marble gleamed in the moonlight streaming in through the windows. Spike fell to his knees and tears streamed down his face. “We’ll get her back, Spike,” said Yusei. “No you won’t,” said Discord. “You have no guarantee that you’ll win. I’m clearly at an advantage. And even if you turn the tables and defeat me, you don’t know how the Elements work. None of you fully understand them. You don’t know that they’ll turn your friends back to normal.” “Maybe not,” said Yusei, “but we can hope.” “What good is hoping?” said Spike. Yusei looked over at him. “Spike, what are you talking about?” he asked. “I failed Rarity... I failed Twilight...” “You didn’t fail, Spike,” said Yusei. “You fought with everything you had. I promise you, I’ll beat Discord and get the Elements of Harmony back.” “And then what?” said Spike, pounding the ground with his fist. “Twilight will be turned to stone and you don’t know that the Elements can change her back.” “There are a lot of things I don’t know,” said Yusei. “But even when I had no idea what would happen, I still hoped for the best. Even in the darkest situations, I hoped. Hope is all we have, Spike. We can’t give up on it.” “Spike, you have fought long and hard,” said Discord. “For that, I commend you. But it obviously was not enough. The pony you loved is no more. But I might be willing to change her back myself.” Spike looked up. “Come into the world of darkness, and I will free her from her stone prison,” said Discord. “Spike, don’t!” said Yusei. “Rarity wouldn’t want this!” “Yusei, she’s my friend,” said the baby dragon. “I can’t leave her like that.” The room became dark for several seconds. The darkness vanished and Yusei saw that both Spike and Rarity were gone, as were Applejack, Fluttershy and Pinkie. “Discord, what did you do?” Yusei demanded. “Where are they?” “In the world of darkness,” said Discord. “I end my turn.” “You’ll pay for this,” said Yusei. “My turn!” “Go, Battle Mania!” shouted Discord. “This Trap changes all of your monsters to Attack Mode and forces you to attack with them this turn! You lose, Yusei!” Discord began to laugh. “You sure about that?” asked Yusei with a smile. Discord stopped laughing. “I equip Stardust Dragon with Fighting Spirit,” Yusei continued. “Stardust gains three hundred Attack Points for each monster on my opponent’s field.” Stardust Dragon ATK/2800 “Battle! Stardust Dragon, attack Dark Armed Dragon with Shooting Sonic!” Yusei ordered. Stardust Dragon reared back and threw its head forward, firing its beam of sound at the black dragon. Dark Armed Dragon threw its clawed hand forward to try and stop it, but the beam pushed past it and struck the creature in the chest. The monster exploded, filling the room with smoke. Discord coughed. “This changes nothing!” said Discord. “If I draw a monster next turn, you still lose!” The smoke cleared and Discord’s eyes widened. “No... no! How is Stardust Dragon still there? How?!” “If the monster equipped with Fighting Spirit would be destroyed by battle, I can send Fighting Spirit to the Graveyard instead,” Yusei explained. “And there won’t be a next turn for you, Discord. I play the Trap Card ‘Synchro Destructor’! When a Synchro Monster I control destroys a monster by battle, you take damage equal to half the destroyed monster’s Attack Points!” “What?!” The ghostly form of Dark Armed Dragon appeared above Discord. It flew at him, piercing his chest and knocking him to the ground. Discord roared as he struck the floor. Life Point Count Discord: 0 Spike: 0 Yusei: 200 Discord stood up with a grunt. “Return the Elements of Harmony, Discord,” said Celestia. Discord glared at her. “Fine,” said the draconequus. He snapped his fingers and six pieces of jewelery appeared on the ground in front of him. There were five necklaces and a large, ornate tiara. Each piece had a differently colored gem set in the gold framework. Yusei noticed that each gem was also shaped like the Cutie marks of Twilight and her friends. “But they’re useless to you,” said Discord. “You’re not even from this world, much less a pony. And what’s more, the Elements are not connected to Celestia or Luna anymore, and Twilight and her friends are gone. Yusei turned around. Rainbow Dash had vanished, as had Twilight. “Discord, return Twilight and the others at once!” said Celestia. “That wasn’t part of the deal, Celestia,” Discord replied. “But if you want to see them that badly...” Yusei and Celestia were suddenly floating in the black water of the dark world where Discord was keeping the ponies. “Learn of their suffering, Celestia!” said Discord. Black tendrils appeared and wrapped themselves around the princess. One embedded itself in her forehead just below the horn. Celestia screamed. “NO!” she cried as she struggled against the darkness that held her. “No, no, stop it! You can’t do this to them! Stop, please!” “Discord, what are you doing to her?” shouted Yusei. “Showing her how every single one of her subjects suffers,” said Discord. The color began to drain away from Celestia and her screams began to fade. “And now I will show you!” More black tendrils appeared and each one headed straight for Yusei. Suddenly, the mark on Yusei’s arm began to glow bright red and a crimson orb of light appeared around him. The tendrils struck the orb and vanished. “Why you-!” growled Discord. “That is enough,” came a new voice. “You have served your purpose, Discord.” The black tendrils reappeared and wrapped themselves around Discord, pulling him deeper into the darkness. Discord struggled against his bonds. “What is this?!” he roared. “Let me go!” “You have served me well, Discord,” said the voice. “Your reward is peace.” “I don’t want your peace!” Discord shouted. “I want chaos! Let me go!” “Discord!” shouted Yusei. “Celestia, do something!” But Celestia had stopped moving. The dark tendrils had released her and she floated in the water, not moving, her eyes closed. “Yusei Fudo,” said the voice. “The Signer chosen by the Crimson Dragon. You are a human and have no place in the world of Equestria, though you may have a place in my world.” “Who are you?” said Yusei. “Show yourself!” The dark world around him vanished and he again found himself in the room with the strange stone carving. The Elements of Harmony still lay on the floor. A deep growl echoed throughout the room. “Follow the path to the roof of this wing,” said the voice. “I will reveal myself to you there.”