//------------------------------// // Chapter 24: Coming of Aporia // Story: Dueling is Magic! Many Futures // by Wolfgang //------------------------------// Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Chapter 24 Coming of Aporia /*********************\ “We’ve got to get down there!” said Yeager. “Come on-” “Wait! I’ve got an idea!” said Twilight. Her horn lit up and everyone flashed out of existence, one at a time, reappearing on the ground below. “Did- you just-” Leo started to say. “Teleport us to the ground? Yeah,” said Twilight. “Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Fluttershy, you girls get back inside and help keep things under control.” “On it!” said Applejack. “I’ll get to the infirmary right away,” said Fluttershy. “Boobytrap time!” shouted Pinkie. She and the other two ponies ran off. Rarity remained behind. “Twilight, wait,” said Rarity. “Let me stay here and fight.” “Rarity, it’ll be dangerous,” said Twilight. “We don’t know what will happen.” “I said that I would volunteer, and I am,” Rarity replied. “Can you make a Duel Disk for me?” “Me too!” said Spike. “You know how strong my deck is!” Twilight nodded. “Alright,” she said. She turned to Rainbow Dash. “Can I use yours as a template?” “Sure thing,” said Dash. Her Duel Disk appeared in golden light on her foreleg. A beam of pink light connected Twilight’s horn to the Disk. “Dash, there’s... this is... I don’t know what to say,” said Twilight. “It’s almost like it’s made of... light. How did you make this?” “I don’t know, Twilight,” said Rainbow Dash. “But let’s try and figure it out later okay? We’ve got bigger things to worry about!” “Right,” said Twilight. The line of light withdrew from Rainbow Dash’s Duel Disk. Twilight turned to Rarity and drew the line again, this time to her chest. There was a flash of light that caused everyone to shield their eyes. When it faded, a new Duel Disk floated in front of Rarity, held up by her own blue magic. The body was shaped like one of the diamonds on her flank, while the arm resembled a flowing, white cloud. Royal purple tinge lined the outer edge of the arm. A corner of the diamond slid upward and revealed a deck of cards inside. Twilight then turned to Spike and connected her magic to his left arm. Another Duel Disk flashed into existence. The body was made of layered armor plates, while the arm resembled a leathery dragon wing. The whole thing was in different shades of purple, and a line of green spikes ran along the outside of the arm. Spikes eyes flashed green and emerald flames erupted from his mouth. The fire wrapped around him and began to grow. “Spike!” shouted Leo. “What’s happening?!” said Yeager. The fire died away. Spike had grown and now stood to Jack’s shoulders. “Let’s do this,” growled the dragon. “How... what...” Yeager stammered. “I’m just as curious as you, but we can find out later,” said Twilight. “We’ve only got seconds before Aporia gets here. We need to organize ourselves into teams, otherwise we-” “Hello, Twilight.” “Hi, Aporia. Otherwise we’re fighting an up... hill... oh.” Twilight turned around and looked up at the massive human looming over her. “You won’t escape me this time, unicorn,” Aporia stated. “You and your Synchro Monsters will be food for my Meklord Emperor.” “Spike! Look after Rarity!” shouted Twilight. “Rainbow Dash, see if you can get some of them into Turbo Duels and keep them busy! Yeager, your call!” “Jack, center!” Yeager said. “Leo, Luna, left flank! Aki, you’re with me on the right!” “Sorry we’re late!” came Ushio’s voice. Two D-Wheel’s raced past the group. “That was Sherry!” said Twilight. “Alright! We can do this!” “We’re here too!” came another voice. Spike turned around and smiled. “Kazama!” he said. At least a dozen other humans were running behind the man. “You’re mine!” roared Aporia. He grabbed Twilight by the horn, picked her up and threw her across the front walk. Her horn lit up and a pink bubble appeared around Twilight and she floated slowly to the ground. The bubble popped when she was an inch from the ground. A light flared up in front of her as her Duel Disk materialized. “Let’s do this!” Twilight said. “DUEL!” Life Point Count Aporia: 4000 Twilight: 4000 “I will begin,” said Aporia. “I activate ‘Foolish Burial’, sending a monster from my deck to the Graveyard. Next, I activate ‘Core Reboot’, which allows me to Special Summon a ‘Core’ monster with ‘Wise’, ‘Sky’, or ‘Grand’ in its name from my Graveyard. I Special Summon ‘Wise Core’!” A white egg-shaped object emerged from a portal in the ground. Red lines were drawn all along its surface in intersecting patterns. The egg split and opened, revealing gold circuitry and a blue orb of light within. Wise Core ATK/0 LV 1 “I now activate ‘Core Grenade’, which destroys Wise Core and inflicts one thousand points of damage to you!” Aporia continued. The white egg exploded, the force of the blast pushing against Twilight. LIfe Point Count Twilight: 3000 “When Wise Core is destroyed by a card effect, its own effect activates. All monsters I control are destroyed, and these five monsters are Special Summoned from my hand, deck or Graveyard: ‘Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity’, ‘Wisel Attack’, ‘Wisel Carrier’, ‘Wisel Guard’ and ‘Wisel Top’!” Five new monsters appeared before Aporia, each one a glossy white machine with a smooth surface. The first was oval-shaped and had gray markings on its front that resembled a mobius strip, and dark spikes on the sides. Wisel Attack was shaped like a white almond and had a large blade running along the side of it. A hand shot out of the end and drew the blade with it. The Guard, which resembled a clam, began to unfold, revealing another hand. The two arms attached themselves to the spikes on the side of the first machine. Wisel Carrier resembled a pair of leeches that were connected. The underside of the first machine opened and the Carrier attached itself to it, forming the legs of the machine. The white spaces in the mobius strip flashed open like eyes, revealing a spinning, green core. The final piece, which resembled a snake, attached itself to the top, its front folding down and revealing a face made of red markings against a black screen. Wisel Attack ATK/1200 LV 1 Wisel Carrier ATK/800 LV 1 Wisel Guard DEF/1200 LV 1 Wisel Top ATK/500 LV 1 Meklord Emperor Wisel ∞ ATK/2500 LV 1 “You don’t stand a chance, Twilight Sparkle!” Aporia laughed. “I Set one card face-down. That ends my turn.” “My turn!” said Twilight. “I summon ‘Defender, the Magical Knight’ in Defense Mode. And when he’s Normal Summoned, he gains a Spell Counter. I’ll Set two cards face-down and end my turn.” A warrior in thick blue armor and holding a blue and gold tower shield appeared before Twilight. The red jewel in the center of the shield began to glow. Two large face-down cards appeared behind the man. Defender, the Magical Knight DEF/2000 LV 4 SC: 1 “My turn,” said Aporia. “I activate my Continuous Trap ‘Parts Exchange’. Once during each of my turns, I can destroy one of my Meklord Emperor Parts and place a counter on Parts Exchange, and then Special Summon the same part from a different family of Meklord. I destroy Wisel Guard and replace it with ‘Skiel Guard’.” The right arm of the giant robot in front of Aporia exploded. A blue portal appeared and the tail piece of Meklord Emperor Skiel appeared and attached itself to the right shoulder of the robot. The blue casing changed to a brilliant white sheen, the same as the robot. The tail, now the arm, waved and thrashed about, then pointed directly at Twilight. She grimaced and dug her hooves into the ground. Skiel Guard ATK/200 LV 1 Meklord Emperor Wisel ∞ ATK/2700 LV 1 “You can use different parts?” Twilight gasped. “Yes. And just like Skiel, Meklord Emperor Wisel gains the Attack Points of its attached parts,” said Aporia. “Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Defender!” The red eyes of the Meklord flashed as it raised its arm, and the thin blade along the outside of it. It brought the blade down and struck the shield of the Magical Knight. “I use Defender’s effect!” said Twilight. “Once per turn, if any Spellcasters would be destroyed, I can remove one Spell Counter from my field for each of them instead!” The red jewel on the tall shield faded. The robot stopped its attack and returned to Aporia’s side. “Very well. I Set two cards face-down. Your move.” Twilight drew and looked at the cards she was holding. No Endymion, no Fusion Summons, no way to summon anything bigger than that Meklord Emperor... Twilight looked up from her cards at Aporia’s field. Skiel Guard can negate an attack, but I bet the other Meklord parts don’t do anything special on their own... he’ll probably swap them out for bigger pieces. In that case-! “I summon ‘Arcane Apprentice’!” Twilight said. A short wizard wrapped from head to toe in robes appeared. His eyes gleamed from the shadows beneath his hood. Arcane Apprentice ATK/1000 LV 2 “A Tuner, eh?” said Aporia. “And just what do you plan to do with that?” “This! Arcane Apprentice, tune with Defender!” Twilight said. “The magic of fire and light combine in an explosion that shakes the earth! Synchro Summon! Erupt into battle, ‘Explosive Magician’!” Twilight’s white-robed magician emerged onto the field, explosions and lightning flashing all around him. Explosive Magician ATK/2500 LV 6 “Arcane Apprentice adds ‘Assault Mode Activate’ from my deck to my hand,” Twilight said. “Now I play a Continuous Trap of my own: ‘Pitch-Black Power Stone’! When it’s activated it gains three Spell Counters. Next, I’ll remove two Spell Counters from it to activate Explosive Magician’s effect, which destroys one Spell or Trap Card you control. Go,Chain Flash!” Lightning crackled between the prongs of the magician’s staff. He thrust it forward and a chain of electricity shot away from it, zigzagging its way toward Aporia’s “Parts Exchange” card. “I play a Trap: ‘Infinity Guard Formation’,” Aporia said calmly. “During this turn, the effects of monsters I control are negated, but so are all effects that would destroy any cards that I control.” The giant robot disassembled, the cavity in its chest closing, and each piece folding back into its initial form. The five machines spread out and an energy barrier appeared in front of them shaped like a mobius strip. “Then that means your Meklord Emperor has zero Attack Points, and Skiel Guard can’t stop me,” Twilight replied. “Explosive Magician, attack Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity with Chain Flare!” “A futile endeavor,” Aporia said. “Counter Trap, ‘Negate Attack’. Your attack is negated, and the Battle Phase ends.” A chain of explosions erupted from Explosive Magician’s staff that raced toward the Meklord Emperor, but disappeared into a swirling vortex in the air. Twilight grit her teeth, Set a card and ended her turn. Aporia drew after that, and the giant robot reassembled itself. “During my Standby Phase, I activate Parts Exchange’s effect,” said Aporia. “I destroy Wisel Attack and replace it with ‘Granel Attack’.” During his Standby Phase? thought Twilight. Why would he do it then? The left arm of the giant robot detached itself from the main body and exploded. A blue portal opened up and a giant, orange robotic fish emerged from within. The head extended out of its body, and its tail and back half did the same. The tail swung around on a thin cable while the rear half of the body attached itself to Wisel’s shoulder. The orange casing of the machine flashed and turned the same bright white as the rest of the robot. Granel Attack ATK/1300 LV 1 Meklord Emperor Wisel ∞ ATK/2800 LV 1 “In that case, I’ll activate ‘Forbidden Dress’,” said Twilight. One of her face-down cards flipped up, revealing itself as a Quick-Play Spell. “During this turn, Explosive Magician loses six hundred Attack Points, but it can’t be destroyed or targeted by other effects. Which means you can’t absorb him!” “Is that what you think?” said Aporia with a chuckle. “I move to Main Phase One. At its start, I activate ‘Electro-Meknetic Pulse’! This card can only be played at the start of Main Phase One while I control a ‘Meklord Emperor’ monster. For the rest of this turn, Trap effects on the field are negated, and Trap Cards and their effects on the field cannot be chained to this card.” “Oh that’s not good,’’ muttered Twilight. “Meklord Emperor Wisel Infinity, attack Explosive Magician!” Aporia ordered. The robot pointed its new left arm at Twilight’s monster and fired a thin beam of yellow energy from the narrow mouth of the fish. The beam pierced the magician and destroyed him. Twilight shielded her eyes as wind pushed past her. Life Point Count Twilight: 2100 “That’s not all, dear Twilight,” said Aporia. “Granel Attack’s effect activates! When an ‘Infinity’ monster I control destroys a Synchro Monster in battle, it absorbs that monster!” The robot fired another beam at the ground. A large, purple portal opened up. Wisel’s chest shined and opened as several tendrils made of light snaked their way down into the portal. They became taut and pulled a prostrate Explosive Magician out of the portal. As he approached the Meklord’s chest, he turned into light and was absorbed into the greater light inside. The front of the chest cavity closed and the glow faded. Meklord Emperor Wisel ∞ ATK/5300 LV 1 “Oh, this is not good,” said Twilight. ***** “Chaos King Archfiend, attack!” ordered Kazama. “Black Rose Dragon’s effect activates! Go, Black Rose Gale!” shouted Aki. Explosions and whirlwinds echoed all across the battlefield that had become the front of the base. “Kazama, take those three on the right flank!” Yeager yelled across the yard. “Leo, if you’re finished, give him backup!” “On it!” Leo replied. “You can’t stall forever, little man,” said Yeager’s opponent. “I don’t have to,” Yeager said as he drew a card. “I summon ‘Jester Lord’!” Jester Lord ATK/5000 LV 1 “Jester Lord, attack!” A short explosion later, the Dark Trooper in front of Yeager was lying on the ground. Two more stepped up beside him and activated their Duel Disks. “These guys just don’t let up!” said Leo. “We have to hold them here!” Yeager said. “If Twilight defeats Aporia, we have a chance of driving them out of the base!” “Then we don’t have much of a choice, do we?” said Luna. “No, we don’t,” Aki answered. “We have to buy Twilight more time!” “If it were me in her place, this would be over by now!” Jack yelled. “Twilight knows what she’s doing!” shouted Spike. “Just trust her! If she could go toe to toe with Yusei and nearly beat him, she can win against this Aporia guy for sure!” “Spike’s right!” said Rarity. “Twilight is strong enough to win and save the base. She has to be!” “What makes you so sure?” Jack spat. “Why should I believe she has even a remote chance of winning against Aporia when I’ve experienced his power firsthand?” “You know why, Jack!” said Yeager. “If she loses, she’s as good as gone!” Jack snorted and turned back to his duel. “Exploder Dragonwing, attack!” he ordered. ***** “I Set one card face-down,” said Aporia. “That ends my turn.” “My turn,” said Twilight. “I play the Continuous Spell ‘Arcane Barrier’. Next, I Normal Summon ‘Apprentice Magician’ from my hand in Defense Mode.” A young man with cropped, blonde hair appeared on the field and knelt in front of Twilight with his arms crossed in front of his chest. A large Continuous Spell appeared off to Twilight’s left. Apprentice Magician DEF/800 LV 2 “Apprentice Magician’s effect activates. When Summoned, he places a Spell Counter on a card I control,” said Twilight. The young man turned and aimed his staff at the giant Spell Card. A flash of light shot away from the jewel at the end and hovered over the card. “I also activate Pitch-Black Power Stone’s effect to move one of its Spell Counters to Arcane Barrier,” said Twilight. The last light of the black stone to Twilight’s right faded and the stone shattered. Another light appeared above the “Arcane Barrier” card. Arcane Barrier Spell Counters; 2 “Your turn,” said Twilight. Aporia drew a card and looked at it with a smile. “I activate Granel Attack’s final effect,” said Aporia. “Any Synchro Monsters equipped to Wisel can attack your monsters!” “What?!” cried Twilight. The chest cavity of Meklord Emperor Wisel opened up and Explosive Magician emerged from within, still bound by the light tendrils that captured him. “And what’s more,” Aporia said, laughing, “a monster that attacks this way inflicts piercing Battle Damage!” Chain explosions raced toward Twilight’s monster and threw him into the air with enough force to destroy him. Life Point Count Twilight: 400 “Each time a Spellcaster-Type monster I control is destroyed,” Twilight said, “Arcane Barrier gets a Spell Counter. On top of that, Apprentice Magician’s effect activates! When he’s destroyed by battle, I can Special Summon another Level Two or lower Spellcaster from my deck in Defense Mode. I summon a second Apprentice Magician, then activate his effect to place a Spell Counter on Arcane Barrier.” “Meklord Emperor Wisel, attack Apprentice Magician!” Aporia ordered. I’m holding the only other Level Two monster I’ve seen in my deck, Twilight thought, so I can’t let that attack through! “I activate ‘Spellbinding Circle’!” she shouted. A mystic circle of light constructed from four other circles and many strange runes appeared around the midsection of the Meklord Emperor. “As long as it’s trapped in that circle, it can’t attack.” “That I see,” said Aporia. “I Set one card face-down and end my turn.” “My tu-” An explosion interrupted Twilight and threw her to the ground at the bottom of the steps. She quickly got her hooves underneath her and looked up to the doors of the base. A group of humans ran inside, Duel Disks raised. Another human stood by the doors, holding a card in his hand. He grinned and gave a tiny salute to Twilight before running inside. “Spike! Rarity!” she called. “Some of them got inside! Get in there and support Pinkie and Applejack!” “Roger that!” Spike replied. “Come on!” he said to Rarity. The two quickly ran through the billowing smoke. Rarity’s horn lit up and began clearing their path and their vision. “The ones that escaped the ambush will not be so lucky this time,” Aporia said. Twilight spun around and glared at him. “My friends are more than capable of handling yours,” said the unicorn. “Besides, Spike and Rainbow Dash are the strongest duelists I know next to Yusei. My turn!” Twilight drew a card and glanced at it quickly. Time to replenish my resources. “I activate Arcane Barrier’s effect,” she said. “By sending it to the Graveyard along with a Spellcaster-Type monster I control, I can draw one card for each Spell Counter that was on Arcane Barrier.” The giant Spell Card and Apprentice Magician both vanished in swirls of light. Twilight’s deck lit up and she drew four cards. “Good,” said Twilight. “Time for a change of scenery. I play the Field Spell ‘Magical Citadel of Endymion’!” Light began to rise behind Twilight, transforming the base into a massive tower that radiated energy. “I discard one card from my hand to Special Summon ‘The Tricky’! And alongside it, I Normal Summon the Tuner monster ‘Night’s End Sorcerer’!” Two new monsters appeared in front of Twilight. The first was humanoid in shape only. It was dressed from head to foot in black and yellow. Bright blue gems glittered on its shoulders and a blue cape fluttered behind it. Two red question marks adorned its body, a large one on its chest and a smaller one upon its face. The second monster was a young human boy with long, dirty blonde hair, worn clothes, and a tattered scarf. In his hands was the handle of a scythe with a transparent blade. The Tricky ATK/2000 LV 5 Night’s End Sorcerer ATK/1300 LV 2 “Level Two Night’s End Sorcerer, tune with the Level Five Tricky!” said Twilight. The Tricky bowed as the young man spun his scythe in front of him. Two stars appeared in the spinning blade and began to follow its path. The young sorcerer tossed the scythe into the air and vanished in a flash of light. The scythe also disappeared, leaving the two stars spinning in its wake. They drew two green rings in the air above Twilight. The Tricky jumped into the rings and turned into a bright orange outline. “Stars gather and shine light on the arcane arts, illuminating the way to the future!” chanted Twilight. The Tricky’s outline vanished and left a line of five stars behind. The stars and rings were enveloped in a pillar of green light. “Synchro Summon! Adept of the arcane arts, rise! ‘Arcanite Magician’!” A new wizard emerged from the fading light. He wore white and purple robes over black and orange armor. In his left hand he held a green staff with a bright yellow jewel at the tip. Arcanite Magician ATK/400 LV 7 “This weakling again,” said Aporia. “What can you hope to gain from these Synchro Monsters, especially one with so few Attack Points?” “So few? Look again,” said Twilight. “Arcanite Magician gains two Spell Counters when he’s Synchro Summoned, and he gains a thousand Attack Points for each Spell Counter he has.” “Twenty-four hundred is still far less than what my Meklord Emperor currently stands at,” Aporia snorted. “Then this is where the real fight begins!” said Twilight. ***** “Hold it right there!” shouted Spike. The Dark Troopers stopped and turned around. “Go on,” their leader said. “Take anyone you can into the shadows. I will take care of these two.” The others nodded and ran off down the hall. “You caused quite the explosion out there,” said Rarity. “How did you do that?” “I have certain abilities,” the human said. He took off his helmet, revealing scarlet hair that covered the left side of his face. “I’ve never seen beings like you before. Are you from the world of Duel Monsters?” “No,” Rarity answered. “But that won’t stop us from beating you!” said Spike. His Duel Disk appeared on his arm in a green flare. Rarity’s horn lit up and her own Duel Disk appeared before her. “Two against one hardly seems fair,” said the man. He smirked. “You might get hurt.” “Ah, shut it,” Spike growled. “You have no idea what you’re in for. “Nor do you, little one,” said the man. “My name is Sayer. My I ask your names?” “Spike,” said Spike. “Rarity,” said Rarity. “Very well,” said the man. “Shall we begin?” “DUEL!” ***** “Pinkie, do you hear that?” asked Applejack. Pinkie was twitching. “I feel that,” she replied. “You go warn Fluttershy that we’ve got company. I’ll keep them busy.” “Think you can handle ‘em?” the orange mare asked. “I remember every birthday in Ponyville, my special talent is throwing parties, and I am a master prankster,” Pinkie replied. “I think I can handle a few meanie humans.” “If’n ya say so,” said Applejack. “Good luck, Pinkie Pie!” With that, she ran down the hall as fast as she could. “Okay then,” said Pinkie as she rubbed her hooves together, a wicked smirk on her face. “Who wants a piece of Pinkie Pie?” TO BE CONTINUED /*********************\ Next time on Dueling is Magic! Many Futures Dark Troopers have stormed the base! Spike and Rarity are held up by their apparent leader, the vicious Psychic Duelist, Sayer, while the remaining troopers attempt to locate the infirmary. Pinkie Pie and Applejack fight desperately to keep them away, but can they manage all of them? Chapter 25 Stop the Intruders!! Rarity of the Gem-Knights /*********************\ Featured Card Meklord Emperor Wisel ∞ DARK Level 1 Machine/Effect Other monsters you control cannot attack. Once per turn: You can target 1 face-up Synchro Monster your opponent controls; equip that target to this card. This card gains ATK equal to the combined ATK of all other “Wisel”, “Skiel”, and “Granel” monsters you control, and the original ATK of all Synchro Monsters equipped by its effect. When this card is destroyed: Destroy all monsters you control. ATK/0 DEF/0