Author’s Note: I had originally planned to have one last duel at the end, but then decided to just end the story and send Yusei home. I'm happy with what I've got here. I don't think I need to do anything more.
The last chapter ended up being longer than I expected, but I guess that worked out for the better. This chapter will be where I make my last stand against Darkness. It’s not just the characters in the story anymore. This is me. Stardust Dragon may be Yusei’s Ace, but it means so much more to me.
For better or worse, it’ll be over after this. I know what I want, and I know how I want this to end. I intend to fight for it. I’m a wuss. I don’t have the strength to fight. But I’m going to fight anyway. Because I don’t want to believe I’m alone. I don’t want to believe that the World of Darkness would be better. I want to believe that I can create a future that would make me happy. I want to believe that my choices are real, and that I have the power to make my life what I want it to be. This is my way of fighting for that.
Thank you all for fighting with me.
/*********************
“I’ll never give up on my friends, Darkness!” said Yusei. “The bonds I’ve forged with them are too precious and too strong!”
“Yusei’s right,” said Twilight.
“Yeah!” said Dash. “When friends are together, they can do the impossible!”
“They can find hope when there’s none left,” said Applejack.
“They can inspire each other when they cannot go on,” said Rarity.
“They help us see that we can try again,” said Fluttershy.
“They make us laugh when the whole world is gray and dull and flat!” laughed Pinkie Pie.
“When your friends need you, you find the the strength to be there for them,” said Twilight. “That’s the kind of magic that’s more powerful than anything. That is the magic of friendship!”
“You won’t win this duel, Darkness,” said Yusei, “not while I’ve got my friends with me! I end my turn!”
Life Point Count
Darkness: 4000
Yusei: 3000
“My turn,” growled Darkness as a card materialized in its skeletal right hand. “You have forgotten the full power of Darkness Neosphere. Not only am I allowed to check my face-down cards, but I can rearrange all face-down cards as I see fit. You have only three thousand Life Points, Yusei Fudo, so I will use Zero and Infinity to end this duel once and for all.”
“You won’t get that chance, Darkness,” said Yusei. “During your Standby Phase, the effect of Darkness Seed activates! Two turns ago, you Released it to summon Darkness Bramble. And now it’s time for Darkness Seed to come back!”
“How will that stop me from using Darkness Neosphere’s effect?” Darkness asked.
“It’ll stop you by letting me activate Majestic Star Dragon’s other effect!” said Yusei. “By Releasing it when you activate a card or effect, I can negate that activation and destroy every card on your field!”
“What?!” Majestic Star Dragon flew up into the air and stretched its wings to stop. Then it tucked its wings back in and dove straight for Darkness Neosphere. It collided with the abomination and the force of the explosion swept away all of Darkness’ cards. Once the dust and smoke had cleared, Yusei saw that Darkness’ wings had returned to their original gray color.
“You will pay for that, son of Dr. Fudo,” said Darkness. Its eyes flashed red and the creature roared. Powerful winds kicked up, pushing Yusei and the others toward the ledge behind them. Discord yawned and snapped his fingers. The wind was still blowing- they could see it pushing against the trees- but it moved around them. The wind eventually died down, but Darkness’ eyes remained red.
“It is still my turn. I do not care about this world. Every dimension will eventually fall to the darkness, but the world of man is the key! I activate Bait Doll from my hand!” A small voodoo doll appeared and rushed toward Yusei, raising its left arm which had a nail stuck through it. “Bait Doll forces the activation of a face-down Trap Card, but negates and destroys it if its activation conditions cannot be met. I will destroy your Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!”
Yusei’s Trap started to flip up, but was stopped when a giant hammer appeared above it and smashed it into the ground. Scrap-Iron Scarecrow was destroyed, and the doll and hammer disappeared.
“You have nothing left to defend you, Yusei,” Darkness remarked. “I summon Darkness Necroslime, and sacrifice it to revive Darkness Neosphere! Be reborn, O envoy of judgment!”
A black blob oozed out of the cracks in the stonework of the roof and formed itself into abhorrence of Darkness Neosphere.
Darkness Neosphere
ATK/4000
LV 10
“Darkness Neosphere, attack Yusei directly!” bellowed Darkness. With a sickening crack, Darkness Neosphere’s head spun completely around. Its hair parted and revealed the giant side-turned eye on the back of its head. The eye fired a violet beam at Yusei.
“I play the Trap ‘Synchro Spirits’!” said Yusei. “By removing Majestic Star Dragon from my Graveyard, I can Special Summon the monsters I used to summon it! I summon Stardust Dragon, Majestic Dragon, and Sonic Chick in Defense Mode!” Yusei smiled as all three monsters appeared before him.
“That will not stop me from destroying you, Yusei!” Darkness replied. “From my hand, I activate the Quick-Play Spell ‘Enemy Controller’ to switch Majestic Dragon to Attack Mode! Darkness Neosphere, destroy the incarnation of the Crimson Dragon!”
Neosphere’s head swiveled and the beam swerved toward the tiny pink dragon.
“I activate Superior Protector!” said Yusei. “This Trap equips to Stardust Dragon and negates all Battle Damage I take from battles that don’t involve Stardust!”
As the beam struck the little dragon, Stardust Dragon stretched its wings out, shielding Yusei and his friends from the blast.
“So, you are trying to seal my attacks,” muttered Darkness. “Then next turn, I shall simply eliminate your Stardust Dragon. The Attack Points of Darkness Neosphere far surpass those of Stardust Dragon. I end my turn.”
Darkness is right, thought Yusei. I can fend off Darkness Neosphere’s attack with my remaining face-down card, and even if that doesn’t work, I can protect Stardust Dragon from being destroyed in battle by destroying Superior Protector. But I have to find a way to get at Darkness’ Life Points if I’m going to win. I can’t risk putting Sonic Chick in Attack Mode either. The only way out of this is to get rid of Neosphere and-
Yusei’s thoughts were interrupted when Rainbow Dash placed a hoof on his hand.
“Don’t think, Yusei,” she said. “Just do it. Duel the way I fly: With nothing but instinct!”
Yusei blinked. “Dash,” he said. Then, with determination on his face, he nodded and announced, “My turn!” Yusei looked at the card in his hand. Of course! he thought. “I Set a card face-down and end my turn!”
“My turn,” said Darkness. It glanced at the card in its hand and chuckled. “Darkness Neosphere, attack Stardust Dragon!”
“I activate Power Frame,” replied Yusei. A metal cube frame appeared in front of Stardust Dragon. The beam entered the cube and was absorbed into the center, creating a purple ball of light. Darkness Neosphere stopped her attack and twisted her head back around. The light in the frame changed to bright blue and flowed out of the frame to Stardust.
“Power Frame negates your attack and equips itself to Stardust Dragon, and increases its Attack Points by the difference in our monsters’ points,” Yusei explained. “You’re gonna have to try harder, Darkness!”
“That will not be a problem,” said Darkness. “My return was inevitable. Humanity will always return to the dark, for I am the future of all things."
“I don’t believe that for a minute!” Yusei shouted.
“And what of the events in your world?” asked Darkness. “Abnormal weather. Constant warfare. Terrorism. Zero Reverse. The future you were told of by the man Paradox will come to pass, Yusei.
“And to you denizens of this world: You live on the very precipice of the abyss. Disharmony exists amongst your own kind. The dragons of this world are a warlike race. The spirit of chaos himself stands in our midst. The Gates of Tartarus close this world off from pure evil, but what would happen if those gates opened? It is only a matter of time before your world goes to war, Princesses Celestia and Luna. You asked me if I was the dark force that took your sister from you; I am not, but its mere existence supports what I say.”
“You’re wrong, Darkness!” said Yusei. “They have the Elements of Harmony to protect Equestria!”
“And what’s more, I did not break free from your world on my own,” Discord added. “It was Yusei who gave me the power to be free. Harmony can come from chaos, Darkness, because that is the nature of chaos. It doesn’t have to make sense, and I am in control of my own actions.”
“We have our bonds, Darkness,” said Twilight. “And together, we can do anything!”
“Believe what you like,” said Darkness, “but it is nothing more than wishful thinking. A vain hope. All things return to darkness. Even this duel shall return to the dark. Allow me to illustrate my point. I activate the Field Spell ‘Darkness’!”
“You had another one?!” cried Yusei. Darkness laughed loudly as its wings turned jet-black once again. The last of the cards in Darkness’ hand vanished and reappeared on its wings with two other cards. Five giant cards materialized face-down in front of Darkness.
“No matter how many times you think you have escaped it, the darkness will always find you,” said Discord. “With Darkness Neosphere’s effect, I will rearrange my face-down cards in any order I see fit!”
“That’s not good, is it?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“No, it’s not,” Yusei answered. “The ‘Darkness’ Field Spell puts five cards face-down on the field at random, and Darkness cannot check them. But Darkness Neosphere not only lets its controller see those cards, it lets Darkness put them in any order it wants! The Zero and Infinity cards can activate every card between them, and those cards have powerful effects.”
“What are they?” asked Twilight.
“Darkness One destroys a card for each ‘Darkness’ Trap; Darkness Two gives a thousand Attack Points to a monster for each one; and Darkness Three will hit me with a thousand damage for each one,” said Yusei.
“You mean he can hit you with every single one of those at once?!” cried Spike.
“No, he only gets the effect of the first card activated,” said Yusei. “But no matter which one it is, I can’t stop it. No doubt Darkness will go for the damage effect to wipe out my Life Points. The moment I start my turn....”
“Have you accepted your fate, Yusei?” asked Darkness. “Have you realized the hopelessness of your situation?”
Yusei looked around at the ponies, at Spike, and at Discord. Every one of them smiled at him. “The situation might seem hopeless,” said Yusei, “but I won’t give up as long as I can draw a card!”
“You are a fool,” said Darkness. “I end my turn.”
Yusei slid the top card of his deck into his fingers. “This is the final turn,” he said. “I draw!” Yusei glanced at his card and narrowed his eyes.
“Zero!” bellowed Darkness. “Infi-”
“I play Double Cyclone!” shouted Yusei. “This card destroys one Spell or Trap on both sides of the field, so I’ll have it destroy my ‘Stay Force’ and your ‘Zero’!”
“No! NO!”
Two cyclones ripped through the sky and struck the two cards Yusei listed, blasting through both and destroying them. Just then, blue arcs of electricity danced along Darkness’ wings and the giant face-down cards before it. Each of the remaining cards exploded, and a huge ball of fire blasted out of Darkness’ back. The creature roared in pain and fell to its knees.
“What just happened?” asked Rainbow Dash.
“It was the Field Spell,” said Yusei. “If one of Darkness’ Spells or Traps leaves the field, then the ‘Darkness’ Field Spell destroys ALL Spells and Traps that it controls.”
The smoke was blown away by the night wind. Darkness struggled to stand up. Much of its cloak had burned away. The creature beneath was, indeed, a skeleton, but one of demonic appearance. Its shoulders and hips rose into sharp spikes and a long tail ending in a long, narrow spike slithered about on the ground behind its owner. The creature growled as it rose to its full height.
“You were right about one thing, Darkness,” said Yusei. “Every living thing will venture into the dark and the shadows, maybe more than once. But every single time we do, we have the power to break free! This duel entered your world twice, and both times I brought it out again.”
“You... cannot be... this strong!” gasped the skeleton. “How are you this strong?! HOW?!”
“I told you, Darkness,” said Yusei. “I get my strength from my friends!”
For a brief moment, Yusei felt his friends back home. In that same moment, he felt the strength of the new friends he had made that day.
“Battle! Stardust Dragon, attack Darkness Neosphere!” ordered Yusei. “Shooting Sonic!”
Stardust Dragon roared and fired its clear ray at Darkness Neosphere. The foul woman swung her head around and revealed her giant eye, launching its own violet beam. The two attacks slammed into each other and then began to twist around one another. Stardust and Neosphere were struck at the same time. The two monsters exploded. Darkness staggered backward.
The smoke cleared and Stardust Dragon still stood.
“Impossible!” cried Darkness.
“Oh, it’s quite possible!” Yusei replied. “The monster equipped with Superior Protector can survive one battle by sending Superior Protector to the Graveyard.”
“You still only had one attack, Yusei,” said Darkness. “If you can believe so strongly in hope for yourself, then a creature such as myself can hope as well!”
Yusei smiled. “There’s no hope for pure evil like you,” he said. “I play the Trap ‘Synchro Overlimit’! If a Synchro Monster I control destroys a monster by battle, it can attack a second time! Stardust Dragon is still equipped with Power Frame, so it still has four thousand Attack Points- exactly what I need to wipe you out! Go, Stardust Dragon! Attack Darkness directly!” The giant white dragon cried out and flew into the air.
“Okay, girls!” shouted Twilight. Her eyes and the jewel in her tiara lit up. “Get ready!” The six small ponies rose up into the air with their Elements. Rays of light shot out of the six jewels into the air. Stardust Dragon roared and fired its clear beam at Darkness. The rays of light from the elements twisted around the beam, merging with it and forming a glittering, prismatic ray.
Together, Yusei and the six ponies named the attack: “Shooting Rainbow Sonic!”
“NO!” cried Darkness as the beam struck and engulfed it. As the creature’s silhouette began to vanish within the beam, it roared out, “So long as there is even the slightest shade of darkness within so much as one heart, I WILL return, Yusei Fudo! Mark my words, I will return!”
“And if you do, we’ll be ready,” said Yusei.
*****
Yusei and the others emerged from the forest, tired but happy. The moon had disappeared behind the trees, and the eastern horizon was turning a faint shade of powdery blue as the sky began to brighten. Yusei pushed his D-Wheel beside him.
“We went through a lot back there,” said Twilight.
“We all did,” said Celestia.
“Sister... I still don’t fully understand what happened,” said Luna. “All I could see was...”
“I know, little one,” said Celestia.
“This is going to make things awkward between us, isn’t it?” asked Discord.
Celestia stopped.
“Discord, there’s something you should know,” she said. “I did not refuse you because I didn’t feel the same way.”
Discord blinked. “You didn’t?” he said.
“No.”
“Then why?”
Celestia sighed and closed her eyes. “Because of Luna,” she said. “I knew how she felt about you. It would break her heart to see us together. I couldn’t do that to her.”
“Sister...” said Luna.
Discord nodded. “I understand,” he said. “Perhaps we can talk about this later.”
“I’m so sorry that I hurt you that way, Discord,” said Celestia. “I didn’t know how to explain it to you. I didn’t want to tell you because I was afraid I would be betraying Luna’s trust in me.”
“I said that I understand, Celestia,” Discord replied. “Let’s talk about this another time, just the three of us.”
Celestia nodded and said no more.
They continued to walk.
Twilight spoke after a while. “I did fail you girls,” she said. “When Discord broke free the first time. I gave up on all of you.”
“Twilight, we forgive you,” said Rarity. “Besides, you came back for us. You truly are the best friend a pony could have.”
“Thanks, Rarity,” said Twilight.
“It seems I wasn’t far off,” said Discord.
“What do you mean?” asked Yusei.
“I may have been acting under Darkness’ influence, but everything I said about all of you was right, wasn’t it?” Discord frowned. “And I suppose I’m not too different from you.”
“We all have things we need to work through,” said Celestia. “My feelings for you, Discord...”
“My faithlessness,” said Twilight.
“My fear of being alone,” said Dash sullenly.
“Mah hypocrisy,” said Applejack.
“My fear of pain,” whispered Fluttershy.
“My self-worth,” said Pinkie Pie.
“My manipulation of others,” said Rarity.
“My selfishness,” said Spike. “Rarity, you don’t know, but... Discord told me he would change you back if I went into the world of darkness. I’m... I’m sorry. I’m a big disappointment, huh?”
“No, Spike,” said Rarity. “You’re still the most selfless dragon I’ve ever met, and you’re more selfless than most stallions I’ve met.”
“I think we’ve all learned a valuable lesson in friendship,” said Celestia. “Yusei? Would you do us the honor?”
“What do you mean?” asked Yusei, looking over his shoulder as he continued pushing his D-Wheel. Twilight trotted up beside him.
“When I first came to Ponyville and met my friends, the Princess gave me an important assignment,” said the lavender unicorn. “She told me that I should study the magic of friendship and report back everything that I learn. I think she wants you to give the report this time.”
Yusei smiled. “I’d be honored,” he said. “My father’s work led to the deaths of a lot of people. Ever since then, my father was blamed for what happened. Once the information was made public, I became afraid that people would blame me too. I felt so guilty. I always felt like I had to carry my father’s burden. And I guess that’s my flaw... I feel like I have to carry everyone’s weight on my shoulders.
“But I still made friends. I was misunderstood, betrayed, even abandoned, but I still stuck by my friends and they’ve stuck by me. I came here and made so many new friends too. All of this has taught me that we all have flaws, and that they can run very deep, but our friends will stay with us in spite of these flaws, and they’ll help us overcome them. In turn, we can do the same for them.
“Even if you give up on your friends, or they give up on you, it doesn’t matter. Real friends always come back to each other.”
“Real friends inspire us!” said Rarity.
“They remind us of how strong we are,” said Fluttershy.
“They give us a reason to keep goin’,” said Applejack.
“They give us a reason to smile!” laughed Pinkie Pie.
They cheer us on so we can do the impossible!’ said Rainbow Dash as she swooped into the air.
“Your friends will love you no matter what happens,” said Twilight. “When everypony else has abandoned you, and even if you’ve abandoned them and yourself, they still love you, and they help you to love yourself.”
“The battles we fight show us our weaknesses,” said Yusei, “but our friends more than make up for them, and even help us get rid of them. Your friends are your greatest strength. Always hold on to them. So I guess the lesson is that you should never give up on yourself because your friends never will.”
“Well said, ape,” said Discord. Yusei laughed.
As the group approached the town, they saw a strange sight. Sleeping ponies lay scattered all about the street. A few of them began to stir.
“Apple Bloom!” shouted Applejack as she ran forward. The yellow filly groaned and stood up, shaking her head.
“Applejack?” she said. “Whu... what happened? I had this awful nightmare! I grew up an’ I never got mah Cutie mark!”
Applejack didn’t say anything. A single tear escaped her eye as she embraced her little sister.
“...Applejack?”
“I’m just... glad you’re okay, sis,” said Applejack with a sniff.
Apple Bloom looked around. “What’s everypony sleepin’ in the street for?” she asked.
“I’ll explain everything later, sis,” said Applejack.
“Yusei,” said Celestia. Yusei turned around to face the princess. “I would like to give you a royal celebration, honoring what you did to save Equestria.”
“Thank you, your majesty,” said Yusei, “but I have to return to my own world. Paradox told me that he came from a future that was destroyed by Duel Monsters. I have to figure out what he meant. There are still a lot of things I need to do back home, and I would like to see my friends as soon as possible.”
“Very well,” said Celestia. “Safe travels, Yusei.”
“Thank you for everything, Yusei,” said Twilight.
“Come back and race me sometime, okay?” said Dash.
“I’ll try,” said Yusei with a smile. Then he looked at Fluttershy and his smile faded. He walked up to her and knelt down to look her in the eye.
“Fluttershy,” he said, “you were right before. I didn’t try to save Paradox. But I promise you here and now that I’ll try to save him by stopping the future that he was talking about.”
Fluttershy smiled and nodded.
“Before you go, Yusei,” said Twilight, “I have something for you.” Twilight shut her eyes and ignited her horn with magic. A blank card appeared just above the tip. Yusei took the card and watched it change before his eyes.
“Dragon Knight... Draco-Equiste,” said Yusei. “Thanks, Twilight. I’m sure this will come in handy.” Yusei slipped it into his deck box. He opened up the seat of his D-Wheel and took out his helmet.
“Thank you again, Yusei,” said Celestia.
Yusei gave the princess a smile and a nod, then put on his helmet and mounted his D-Wheel. He revved the engine and took off. The Crimson Dragon appeared above him, roaring loudly.
“You’re gonna take me home for real this time, right?” Yusei asked. The Crimson Dragon just roared. Yusei smiled.
*****
“Look over there!” shouted Leo. A white portal had appeared in the air and Yusei’s D-Wheel shot out of it, landing roughly on the ground. Yusei took off his helmet and looked out at Neo Domino City.
“It’s Yusei!” shouted Crow. They all started running toward him.
“Yusei!” they all shouted happily.
THE END