Twilight and Spike flipped a coin. Spike called Heads while Twilight Tails. Whoever won the toss would go first. As the coin fell, they let it land on the table, waiting for it to stop its bouncing and see who'd won. When it finally finished, Spike was the victor.
"My play." Spike was feeling nervous as he drew his seven cards. It'd been a while since he'd played anypony that really knew the game well. He swore that he wouldn't play again, but he knew that if he didn't Twilight would become hopelessly addicted. Also, it's still pretty fun to play if you manage to find somepony.
He looked at his hand and decided that it was a good start. For this duel he decided to go and use his favorite deck combination. It was a Red-White Deck that had served him well many times. Not only that, but he was certain that it would come in use for whatever card combination Twilight had in store. From the way she was acting she had probably created a deck that works less on dealing damage and more on winning the game through technicality. That's the kind of strategist Twilight is; find the rules and use them to your advantage.
"I play Forgotten Cave and end my turn."
"Alright. I draw and play an Island, ending my turn." Twilight looked like she was starting to glow with a disturbing aura. Spike had never seen this side of her before and didn't know what to expect. He was sure that he needed to defeat Twilight, lest he lose her to card games.
"I draw and play a Plains and end my turn."
"I draw and play Hallowed Fountain, ending my turn." Spike was sure that Twilight was intending to use spells to defeat his creatures now more than ever. He looked at the creatures in his hand and worried about being able to play them before she enacted her finishing moves.
"I'll draw and play a Mountain and tap to summon Lightning Rift. Whenever a player Cycles a card, I can tap a land to deal 2 damage to a creature or player," Spike explained. the CMC watched the game carefully, hoping to learn from this game.
"Interesting. Luckily I have no need for that in this deck. I draw and play a Plains. I now tap and summon Chromatic Lantern. This grants my lands the ability to generate mana of any color, as well as being able to be tapped and do the same as well." Twilight already had a powerful artifact out on the field. Hopefully Spike could come up with a good combo fast.
"I draw and play Secluded Steppe. I tap and cast another Lightning Rift as well, ending my turn."
"Alrighty! I draw and tap to summon Wall of Frost. I end my turn." Twilight smiled as she placed the powerful Defender spell down, Spike groaning as he saw it played.
"What's wrong?" Apple Bloom asked in response to the guttural noise the dragon was making.
"Wall of Frost has a ton of health. I'll need to find some way to destroy it or else I won't be able to do much directly against her life points," he explained. "Anyway, my turn. I draw and play a Plains. I then summon Silver Knight to the field."
"Nice card. Too bad it won't be able to do much. I draw and play an Island and then play another Wall of Frost. That's all." Twilight was certainly building up her defenses.
"I draw and play a Plains. I also tap and summon another Silver Knight, ending my turn."
"Okay then. I draw, play a Plains, and summon Elite Arcanist to the field." Spike knew it had begun. "With his ability, I Exile the Instant Silence. Next turn I'll be able to activate his ability and there's nothing you can do about it." Twilight started to cackle as she believed that she had just won the game. She stopped doing so when she saw Spike unmoved. "Anyway, I end my-"
"I tap a Mountain and cast Shock, dealing 2 damage to your Elite Arcanist." Twilight's eye twitched for a moment as Spike said this. She thought she could counter it, but then realized that she didn't have enough mana. "Now, it's my turn. I draw and summon another Lightning Rift. I end my turn."
"Hmm. I think I see a problem here," Twilight said to herself. She looked at her field and saw Spike sitting at his spot, feeling big at that moment. Soon he'd be out of cards in his hand however, giving Twilight the opportunity to strike. "Well, I draw a card and play Hallowed Fountain. I then end my turn."
"I draw a card and end my turn," Spike replied. He didn't want to have no cards in his hand. Otherwise Twilight might develop a new strategy that'd leave him without any plans to block her attempts at Lockdown (a term used to describe when a character is unable to play any new cards).
"If you say so. I draw, play an Island and cast Divination. I draw two cards and end my turn." Twilight now saw her perfect opportunity to win. She'd simply need to wait until Spike was finished his turn.
"I draw and end my turn."
"Now," Twilight grinned, "I draw and play a Plains card. I now tap and summon Elite Arcanist to the field, Exiling Silence with it."
"Too bad it won't survive another Shock!" Spike tapped his Mountain and played the card, but Twilight laughed as soon as he did that.
"Silly Spike. I knew you might try that, so here you go." Twilight tapped several cards on her side of the field and played Render Silent. "Now you won't be able to counter with any other spells for the rest of my turn. I also doubt that you happen to have another Shock on hand so soon."
"Drats," Spike mumbled to himself.
"Anyway, that's my turn. Your move."
"Very well. I draw and end my turn." Neither Twilight nor the the CMC could believe what Spike had just said.
"Spike! If you don't summon anything or cast anything she'll defeat you next turn!" Apple Bloom thought Spike had lost it. "You won't be able to do anything else the entire game!"
"I know," he replied solemnly.
"It doesn't matter anyway. He just said that he ended his turn. Now it's mine." Twilight's evil laugh echoed around the room. "I now draw and tap to summon Azor's Elocutors! In five turns, you will automatically lose!"
"You know what my favorite thing about Lockdown decks is?" Spike asked. "The pony playing them always assumes they've already won."
"What're you talking about?" Twilight asked. "No. I don't think you really can do much at this point. I end my turn and tap my Elite Arcanist to activate Silence for your turn."
"Okay then. I draw a card and then I Cycle Renewed Faith from my hand, drawing another card and gaining two life as well, making my total hit points 22."
"Wait, what?" Twilight had not expected such thing to happen.
"Yeah. Don't you know that Cycling doesn't actually count as a spell, but as an ability? I can Cycle and not worry about Silence. Also, remember several cards that would activate when I Cycled?" Spike was now the one with a smile as he saw Twilight understand what was about to happen. "Now, I use one of my Lighting Rifts to destroy your Elite Arcanist and use the other two to do a total of 4 damage directly to your life points, taking you down to 16."
"Well, at least my other creatures are safe. I honestly doubt that you'll be able to penetrate through two of my Defenders. Anyway, my turn. I draw and tap to summon Jace, the Mind Sculptor! I tap him to use his ability to look at the first card of your library and place it on the bottom of your deck."
"Hey! You can't do that with a creature you just summoned!" Sweetie Belle yelled out.
"She actually can. See, that card is what's called a 'Planeswalker'. It has a bunch of special abilities and doesn't count as an actual creature, but more of a sorcery." Spike explained this as Twilight revealed the top card of his library and then placed it on the bottom of library. "Also, he gains points that not only determine the abilities he can cast, but also their hit points."
"When I reach 12 points with him, I'll activate his ultimate ability and Exile your entire library! My Defenders will defend from your attacks while I wait to win." Twilight once again showed flaws in her strategy. "Also, I'm finished for this turn."
"Very well." Spike drew from his deck and smiled when he saw how fortunate he was that Twilight used her ability to save him. "I think I need to thank you, Twilight." He flipped the card he just drew to reveal that it was another Renewed Faith. " First play a Mountain and then I Cycle this card, gain 2 life for a total of 24, and with my Lightning Rifts I target your Planeswalker directly, dealing 6 damage and destroying it!"
"No!" Twilight yelled out as she once again tasted failure. It seemed like nothing she did was good enough. "Wait a moment. I still have my Azor's Elocutors card counting down with the tokens. While you did manage to get rid of one when you directly damaged me, I only need 3 more turns and I'll be the victor!" Spike knew this as well and knew that he had one shot. He'd have to wait until it was his turn however.
"Now, I draw and end my turn. Only two turns left," Twilight teased.
"I draw," Spike said, slowly reaching his hand over his deck and lifting up the card, "and play a Plains, ending my turn."
"I draw as well!" Twilight said, certain that she'd win soon. "I'll also play another Island and that's all."
With sweat on his brow, Spike drew the last card he needed and said, "I now play another Plains. And now," Twilight's expression of certain victory was shot down, "I tap all lands to cast Starstorm, dealing a total of 7 points of damage to each of your creatures! They're all gone!"
"No! I thought I had won! So close!" Twilight's hooves were pressed against her face as she witnessed her defense be annihilated.
"And now, Silver Knights, attack her directly!" Spike declared his attack and, with no defense left, she took 4 damage, reducing her health down to 12. "That'll be my turn."
"I need to do something. Anything." Twilight started freaking out, her hair somehow becoming more frizzled as she scanned her hand for anything that could help. "Oh right. I need to draw. I do that and-" She stopped talking as soon as she witnessed the card in her hand. She giggled just a little bit and then grew to full on laughter. She soon realized what she was doing and stopped. "I just remembered a funny joke is all. Anyway, that's my turn."
"Okay? I guess I'll draw a card and then summon Akroma, The Angel of Wrath." Spike tapped all his cards as his new creature entered the field. The CMC saw the shiny card as it was played and were sure that Spike would win now. "Since she has Haste, I can attack right now. All units, attack!"
"Not so fast! Quicken and Supreme Verdict!" Twilight quickly tapped her lands and slammed the card down. "Now you lose all your creatures!"
"Uh oh," he replied.
"Exactly. Now that it's my turn, I draw and summon Elite Arcanist with Exiled Silence!" Twilight's smile became horribly wide as she announced that. Spike realized that he was in a bit of a bind then. He could only hope that his next card let him deal directly with that creature, or else he was doomed. He reached his hand toward his library and reached out. When he drew the card, he knew that it was his only hope.
"I draw and Cycle Decree of Annihilation. Because I Cycled a card I choose one Lightning Rift to destroy the creature while the another to deal damage directly to you, reducing your health to 10. As a result of me Cycling this card as well, we both lose all of our lands." Spike cleared his side while Twilight did the same. The difference with Twilight's side is that she had her artifact Chromatic Lantern to give her a head start with mana.
"I draw and end my turn," she said, her face crumpled up out of anger and being so close to victory several times now.
"I draw and play a Plains," Spike declared, knowing that he was now running on luck.
"I draw and play an Island," Twilight told him. It was now a race to see who could draw the most lands and play them before the other player could manage to summon something.
"I draw and end my turn." Spike had managed to pick up another one of his Akroma, The Angel of Wrath cards that he had in his deck. If only he'd gotten it a bit sooner.
"I draw and summon Judge's Familiar." Twilight now had a creature out on the field. Not only that, but if she sacrificed it she could prevent one of Spike's Instants or Sorceries. To override it he'd just need to pay one mana, but right now that was one too much.
"I draw." Eternal Dragon. Normally Spike would be excited to draw this card, but not under these circumstances. Too much to cast. However, Spike just noticed something that could save his hide. He remembered that with 2 mana you could Cycle the dragon and search for a Plains card. All he needed now was one more Land and he'd cast that. However, he realized that he'd need some more mana first if he want to activate his Rifts. "That's all".
"I draw and play another Island. Also, I attack." Spike lost only 1 life point from that, so it didn't hurt much. He was at 23, so things could be worse. "That's my turn."
"Alright." Spike silently picked up the next card on the top of his library and hoped it could help him. Temple of the False God. It was a land card that could only be used if he had five other lands on the field. Useless. "Your move."
"Thank you," she said sarcastically. "I draw and play a Plains. I also attack." Down to 22. His move.
"Okay." This time he picked up his last Lightning Rift. He'd never realized how much he depended on that card until now. He also realized that with this last card he could win the game. First he'd need to get some mana first however.
"My go." Twilight picked up a card and played the Plains. She now had a total of 4 possible mana on the field. "I attack once more."
"Don't get too excited," Spike told her. "Let's see what we've got." He picked up his next card and found it to be another Silver Knight. "Go ahead."
"Thanks." Twilight picked up her next card and then attacked once more. Spike remained cool while this was all happening. He looked to his left and saw that Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle we absolutely quiet. They were too intent on watching this game unfold that they hadn't noticed that the room around them had gotten darker. Spike didn't care about that as much right now.
"I draw," he said confidently. He looked and saw that he'd managed to get it; a Mountain. "I play my Mountain and tap to summon-"
"I play Render Silent," she interjected. "It's not gonna happen." Spike grit his teeth as he lost his Lightning Rift. "Now I'll draw and play another Island. Attack as well."
"I'm at 19. Hope you remember that," Spike told her as he drew his next card. It was a Mountain. Just what he needed. "I now Cycle my Eternal Dragon and tap one land, not only dealing 2 damage to you, but also letting me search my deck for a Plains card. You're now at 6 health." The room seemed to darken as Twilight's expression became more intense. It was almost too difficult to read the cards now.
"My move," Twilight ripped the next card from her deck and said, "I attack. Your move."
"Didn't even bother to see if I could counter, huh?" He got nothing out of her. "Very well." Spike drew and hoped that he could find something to else to Cycle. Spike recalled that he had another card, Decree of Justice He felt as if he had forgotten it until then. The card he drew that turn however what another Mountain. Things were looking good.
"Now I'll draw." Twilight was becoming more impatient."I summon Elite Arcanist and Exile Silence. I also with my bird." Not only was Spike at 18 now, but also he was wondering exactly how many of those cards Twilight had in that deck.
"Okay. I draw now," Spike saw his fifth land, a Plains, "and also summon Silver Knight."
"I draw and summon Nightveil Specter. I also attack. Looks like you're at 17 now." Twilight was starting to get on a roll. Hopefully that was about to end.
"Come on, cards." Spike carefully drew his next card and felt like it was a miracle. The card he picked up was his last Renewed Faith. "Now, I Cycle Renewed Faith and activate three Lightning Rifts, dealing 6 damage to you. Twilight, you lose."
"NO!" She yelled out, shaking the entire library.The room had officially become pitch black before a giant light shot right out of Twilight. It burst an opening into the sky and lit up all of Ponyville. As quickly as it began, the room returned to normal, light once again restored.
"What just happened?" Apple Bloom asked. As if to complicate the matter even more, Princess Celestia suddenly burst into the room.
"Twilight! Are you alright?" she asked, seeing the frazzled pony. "I saw the bright beam of light and instantly knew what had happened. I feared that you had succumbed to the same corrupting force as my sister had and become a creature of absolute darkness."
"I...I think I did," Twilight said, regaining her balance. "I think I became so determined to be the best at the game that I became corrupted. I think I would have tried to take over the world!"
"Yes. It makes complete sense. After all, what you were just playing right now was not any normal game, but a Darkness Game. Had Spike lost, his soul would have been forfeit to the Dark Realm."
"Are you serious?!" Sweetie Belle asked, the only pony there who seemed to realize how ridiculous this was. "It's a card game! How could somepony's soul be on the line just because of some trading cards?"
"Some say that this game is based off of an ancient card game in an ancient faraway land that-"
"What?" Sweetie Belle interrupted. "No it isn't! You can actually see the copyright date of when the card was made and who illustrated the artwork! Somepony named 'Sound Barrier' drew this card," Sweetie Belle said as she pointed to Terra; The Awesome Wolf. "This is not ancient!"
"Well, yes, you're right." Sweetie Belle thought that Celestia was about to say something else, but she suddenly flew away, leaving the five of them wondering what had just happened.
"Anyway, I think I need a shower. I smell like death and feel like it as well," Twilight said as she went to the bathroom. "Also, Spike, you can have those cards back. I think I may have gotten a bit carried away with them."
"No problem, Twi. Just one question though. Who was it that kept on defeating you at Magic that you went crazy?"
"Oh. That's simple." Twilight rested on the doorway before telling him, "It was Rarity."