The Duel Runner carrying Yusei and Twilight pierced out of the bright portal onto the rugged terrain, with Stardust Dragon floating just above them. Dark gray clouds filled the sky as lightning shot in random directions. Thunder boomed.
“Where are we?” Yusei asked aloud.
“Celestia…” Twilight sobbed.
“Twilight!”
Twilight raised her head and scanned the area. “This is… the Everfree Forest…”
“Wait, if you know this place, then that means…”
“Yes… we’re in Equestria… but… I’ve never seen it so lifeless… even for here.”
“What?” Yusei suddenly felt a strong throbbing in his arm. He glanced at his glowing Signer mark. “I have a bad feeling about this. My mark is telling me a powerful force is causing all this destruction and decay.”
“That’s right, Yusei!” shouted a voice. Yusei and Twilight became wide-eyed as they looked behind them.
“Callos!”
“But… that’s impossible!” Twilight exclaimed. “The bridge was—”
“Destroyed by your princess, yes,” Callos finished. “But even you should realize this: We have taken the Elements of Harmony, your princesses, and even Yusei's friends, the Signers, on top of that! Compared to that, traveling between worlds is child’s play for us!”
Yusei scoffed.
“Yusei Fudo. Twilight Sparkle. You two are the last and strongest of all your friends. If I eliminate you here, nothing will stop both worlds from falling into our hands! It’s my turn!” Callos drew a card.
Callos
LP: 2800
SPC: 3 + 1 = 4
Yusei
LP: 1500
SPC: 3 + 1 = 4
“From my hand, I activate the Speed Spell – Dissonant Strike! Cards and effects cannot be activated in response to this card’s activation. Since I have at least four Speed Counters, this turn, you cannot activate effects that would alter the ATK of a monster on the field!”
“What?!” Yusei exclaimed.
“Next, I banish Chaos Enhancer from my Graveyard to activate its monster effect! Until the end of your turn, my monsters aren’t destroyed in battle with monsters that have the same number of ATK!” Callos grinned. “In addition, when my Scavenger of Cruelty destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to that monster’s original ATK!”
“Sealing away cards that alter ATK and protection from battle,” Yusei thought. “That could only mean…”
“Battle! Disharmony – Scavenger of Cruelty, attack Stardust Dragon!”
Disharmony – Scavenger of Cruelty
LV: 8
ATK: 2500
Stardust Dragon
LV: 8
ATK: 2500
A loud shriek was heard as lightning from the clouds became absorbed into the winged beast.
“That voice! It’s Fluttershy!” cried Twilight.
“Lightning Animosity!” Callos shouted, as a bolt of lightning darted towards Stardust Dragon.
“I activate the Trap Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!” Yusei declared. A metal scarecrow appeared to intercept the attack before retreating back into the card it appeared from. “This card negates an opponent’s monster’s attack. After it’s activated, it can be Set back onto the field.”
“I can’t begin to imagine the pain Fluttershy must be in now…” Twilight thought, worried.
“We’ll save her,” Yusei said.
“But how?!”
“I’m not sure just yet.”
“Yusei…”
“I’m not done yet! I activate the Trap Card Disharmonic Balance!” Callos continued.
“That card…” Yusei mumbled.
“You remember this card, right? Since you used a Trap Card while I control a face-up “Disharmony” monster, I can draw one card. Then, if it’s a monster, it can be Special Summoned!” Callos sneered, drawing a card. “The card I drew is most certainly a monster! Appear now, the Tuner Monster Disharmony Catalyst!”
Disharmony Catalyst
LV: 2
DEF: 0
“A Tuner Monster now?” Yusei said.
“But… what’s going to happen to…?” Twilight stuttered.
“Unfortunately for you, my assault is far from finished!” Callos stated. “At this moment, I now activate the monster effect of Dark Wing Teerpaak from my Graveyard! During either player’s turn, by banishing it and my Dark Wing Oved, I can perform a Synchro Summon!”
“No way! Even during the Battle Phase?!” exclaimed Yusei.
“I tune Level 2 Disharmony Catalyst with Level 8 Disharmony – Scavenger of Cruelty!” Callos’s two monsters rose into the sky. His Disharmony Catalyst became two black rings surrounding the eight black stars the Scavenger transformed into, one of which holding Fluttershy captive. The rings and stars were engulfed in a pillar of darkness.
"Fluttershy!" Twilight screamed.
2 + 8 = 10
“Balance is disrupted, as kindness turns to hate! Behold the power that controls it all, and watch it destroys what remains of harmony! Synchro Summon! Descend, Ultimate Disharmony – Vulture of Antipathy!”
A much larger winged beast emerged from the pillar, its talons easily capable of ensnaring any human or pony.
Ultimate Disharmony – Vulture of Antipathy
LV: 10
ATK: 3500
“Ultimate Disharmony?” Yusei mumbled. “And 3500 ATK? What is this monster?”
“I can’t… I don’t have enough energy to save her…” Twilight cried, struggling to maintain the glow on her horn.
“Even if I Summon a monster with enough strength, he’ll just have his creature make Fluttershy take the hit… What should I do?” wondered Yusei.
“Ultimate Disharmony – Vulture of Antipathy! Attack Stardust Dragon!” Callos commanded. More electricity was absorbed into the creature. Another shriek was heard.
“Fluttershy!” Twilight shouted. “You monster! Let her go!”
“I can’t do that, Your Highness! She and the rest of your friends belong to us!”
“But if you keep this up, she’ll… she’ll die!”
“So what?”
The coldness of Callos’s response hit Twilight like a bag of bricks. “Wha…?”
“Your friend is nothing more than temporary battery, only needed until her purpose is served. Same for the rest of your friends. None of them ought to die until then, but if that’s what needs to happen in order to wipe out what little resistance you two have left… then so be it.”
Twilight found herself unable to speak, tears rushing down her cheeks.
“To think we could force your resistance down with her alone... but soon you and the rest of your friends will join her.”
“How could you treat other living creatures like this?!” Yusei yelled.
“The same could be said to every human and pony as well! Now go! Enmity Blaze!” Callos commanded. A large burst of electricity and fire compressed into a single beam of energy shot towards Yusei’s dragon. “Just like Scavenger, when Vulture of Antipathy destroys a monster in battle, you take damage equal to the destroyed monster’s original ATK! Now perish!”
“From my Graveyard, I banish Shield Warrior to activate its effect! During this battle, Stardust Dragon can’t be destroyed by your attack!” An image of a warrior holding a large shield appeared to intercept the blast, despite some of it managing to strike Yusei and Twilight causing them to scream in pain.
Callos scoffed. “Your dragon may be safe, but you still take the Battle Damage!”
3500 – 2500 = 1000
Yusei
LP: 1500 – 1000 = 500
SPC: 4
“Just a little more. I’ll place one card face-down and end my turn!” Callos concluded. “On my next turn, you’re finished.”
“Twilight, are you alright?” asked Yusei, recovering from the attack. “Twilight?”
“Fluttershy…” Twilight muttered. Her expression grew dull.
“This is bad… we can’t fight back like this! There must be a way to draw Fluttershy out!” Yusei thought. “Ultimate Disharmony… this power… is this the evolution of Disharmony Synchro Monsters?”
Twilight screamed, suddenly yanked off the Duel Runner.
“Twilight!” exclaimed Yusei.
Callos laughed as his monster held Twilight in its talons. “And then there was one!”
“Let her go!”
“You’re not in a position to be making demands, Yusei Fudo! Once I have you, we’ll be one step closer to our goal! But hey, look on the bright side. You’ll be reuniting with all of your friends!”
“Everyone…”
“There’s nothing to do but surrender.”
“Let… me… GO!” Twilight squirmed within the beast’s talons.
“It’s no use. You’re in no condition to fight, princess.”
Twilight screamed as her horn lit up. An explosion occurred.
“Twilight!” Yusei called out.
Callos emerged from the smoke. “Troublesome equine,” he scoffed, noticing small sparks on his Runner. “I’ll have to fix this as soon as I’m done here.”
Twilight moaned as she became limp in the grip of the vulture. “I can’t… do anything…” she muttered. “I just… don’t know what to do…”
“It seems your friend here has lost the will to go on. Now it’s time for you to give up as well, Yusei,” Callos sneered.
Yusei remained quiet for a moment. “No,” he replied. “I won’t give up… and I won’t allow you to have your way. It’s my turn!” he declared, drawing a card.
Callos
LP: 2800
SPC: 4 + 1 = 5
Yusei
LP: 500
SPC: 4 + 1 = 5
“I activate the Speed Spell – Angel Baton! Since I have at least two Speed Counters, I draw two and discard one!” Yusei glimpsed at the drawn cards. “Maybe… just maybe…” He then discarded one of the two drawn cards.
“Yusei… why…?” Twilight hung her head. “You’re just going to hurt her more…”
Yusei then grabbed the remaining card. “I Summon the Tuner Monster Mono Synchron!”
Mono Synchron
LV: 1
ATK: 0
“Since I can control a face-up Tuner Monster, I can Special Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my Graveyard!”
Quillbolt Hedgehog
LV: 2
DEF: 800
“When Mono Synchron is used as Synchro Material, I can make the other monster become Level 1! So Quillbolt Hedgehog goes from Level 2 to Level 1!”
Quillbolt Hedgehog
LV: 2 – 1 = 1
DEF: 800
“I now tune Level 1 Mono Synchron with Level 1 Quillbolt Hedgehog!”
1 + 1 = 2
“Gathering wishes will call out a new speed's horizon! Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon! The power of hope, Synchro Tuner, Formula Synchron!”
Formula Synchron
LV: 2
DEF: 1500
“When Formula Synchron is Synchro Summoned, I can draw one card from my Deck!” Yusei continued, glancing at his drawn card.
“A Synchro Tuner?” said Callos. “Please don’t tell me you plan on attacking. Or have you forgotten about Twilight’s friend? And speaking of… I doubt she would appreciate your actions now, continuing to put her friend in more danger.”
Yusei remained silent.
“But no matter… you will all belong to us very soon.”
“I will…”
“Hm?”
“I will protect Twilight and her friends!”
“What’s that?”
“Princess Celestia asked me to protect Twilight. And I will do exactly that! As long as at least one of us is able to fight, we will never give up! I won’t stop until all of my friends—Twilight’s friends as well—have been rescued!” Yusei’s Runner began to pick up speed.
“What?” Callos grunted. Twilight’s ears perked up as she raised her head.
“And this world—no… our worlds will never belong to you! We will do everything in our power to protect them! Clear Mind!” Yusei’s Duel Runner appeared to be piercing a barrier. The image of the full mark of the Crimson Dragon appeared before him.
“Yusei…” Twilight mumbled.
“I tune Level 2 Synchro Tuner Formula Synchron with Level 8 Synchro Monster Stardust Dragon!”
“Yusei, what are you doing?!”
Yusei continued to pick up speed. His Formula Synchron transformed into two green rings. The rings positioned themselves on the ground in front of Yusei like a tunnel that he and his Stardust Dragon passed through.
2 + 8 = 10
“Gathering crystal dreams will open the door to a new evolution! Become the path its light shines upon! Accel Synchro!”
“He disappeared?!” Twilight exclaimed, as she watched Yusei and his Duel Runner, along with his two monsters, vanish into a bright light. They suddenly felt a powerful force behind them. Twilight and Callos turned their heads to see Yusei reappear from another flash of light with a single dragon.
“Be born, Shooting Star Dragon!”
Shooting Star Dragon
LV: 10
ATK: 3300
“I now activate the Speed Spell – Silver Contrails! Since I have at least five Speed Counters, one WIND monster I control gains 1000 ATK until the End Phase!” Yusei continued.
Shooting Star Dragon
LV: 10
ATK: 3300 + 1000 = 4300
“Battle! Shooting Star Dragon! Attack Vulture of Antipathy!” Yusei’s dragon charged forward towards the vulture.
“You idiot! It seems you have forgotten after all!” Callos said. “Take the fall, O Element of Kindness!” Just as before, as if growing an extra limb, his beast expelled and held Fluttershy just in front of its body.
“Twilight, now!” shouted Yusei.
“What?!” Twilight replied.
“Save your friend now! You’re the only one who can!”
“But I… I’ve used up too much magic…”
“She needs you right now! This is your chance! Go!”
“This is ridiculous… but I don’t have a choice…” Twilight squirmed as her horn slowly began to glow.
“It’s useless,” Callos grinned. “You honestly ca—what?!” He watched as Twilight teleported onto the vulture’s extra limb.
“Here goes nothing…” Twilight said, struggling to pull Fluttershy out of the beast’s grip.
“Twi… light…” the pegasus mumbled.
“Hang in there, Fluttershy…”
“You honestly think you can free your friend?! I can’t let you do that!” said Callos. “I activate the Continuous Trap Harmonic Reverse! I Special Summon a “Disharmony” Synchro Monster from my Graveyard in Attack Position with its effect negated! Revive, Scavenger of Cruelty!”
Disharmony – Scavenger of Cruelty
LV: 8
ATK: 2500
Twilight continued to pull Fluttershy away until she saw the pegasus’s eyes open and heard her faint voice. “Twilight… look… out…” She turned her head to see the smaller winged beast approaching with its talons.
“Kill them!” Callos commanded.
Twilight shrieked.
“Go, Shooting Star Dragon!” Yusei shouted. His dragon pierced through the Scavenger, creating an explosion. Callos and Twilight screamed.
4300 – 2500 = 1800
Callos
LP: 2800 – 1800 = 1000
SPC: 5
“Why you…” Callos groaned, as the smoke cleared. More sparks flew out of his Runner. “Huh?” He noticed the end of his vulture’s extra limb was missing and that Twilight and Fluttershy were no longer present. He glanced further behind him to see Yusei’s Duel Runner—with Fluttershy behind Yusei sharing his seat and Twilight gripping the armpiece—moving in a different direction.
“Fluttershy, are you alright?” Twilight asked her. Fluttershy’s only response was a low moan. “She’s in bad shape. Yusei, we have to get out of here!”
“Got it,” Yusei replied.
“You’re not going anywhere!” Callos yelled furiously. “You won't escape from me!”
“He’s still after us?!” Twilight exclaimed.
“I activate the Trap Explosive Breakout!" Yusei declared. "If the only monster on my field battles a Level 8 or higher monster you control and your monster is destroyed, I can lower my monster’s ATK by 800 and have it attack once again! One more time! Shooting Star Dragon, attack Ultimate Disharmony – Vulture of Antipathy!”
“What?” Callos replied, turning his head to see Shooting Star Dragon behind him.
Shooting Star Dragon
LV: 10
ATK: 4300 – 800 = 3500
Ultimate Disharmony – Vulture of Antipathy
LV: 10
ATK: 3500
“You fool! They have the same ATK!” Callos stated. “But due to the effects of Chaos Enhancer and Vulture, you’ll lose! It’s suicide!”
“Is that so?” Yusei smiled.
“What?!” Callos and Twilight looked at Yusei, confused and curious.
“I activate the Trap Card Synchro Striker Unit!” Yusei declared. “This card can be equipped to a Synchro Monster and increases its ATK by 1000!”
“This can’t be!” Callos glanced at the Shooting Star Dragon behind him once more.
Shooting Star Dragon
LV: 10
ATK: 3500 + 1000 = 4500
“4500 ATK?!” he exclaimed.
“Shooting Star Dragon! Stardust Mirage!” Yusei shouted, his dragon speeding up, creating afterimages of itself as it flew, and piercing through the giant vulture.
Another explosion, leaving Callos screaming.
4500 – 3500 = 1000
Callos
LP: 1000 – 1000 = 0
SPC: 5
“That should slow him down,” Yusei said. “Are you okay, Twilight?”
Twilight’s head jerked up. “Y-yeah…” She looked over at her unconscious friend.
“Your friend will be fine.”
“I hope so…”
“I won’t be defeated like this!” Callos shouted.
“What?!” Yusei exclaimed. He and Twilight noticed sparks pouring out of Callos’s Runner. “His Runner…”
“I won’t let you escape…” Callos opened his palm towards the sky. A lightning bolt shot from the clouds into his hand.
“How is he doing that?”
“I’ll drag you all with me to the deepest pits of Tartarus!” Holding his arm forward, Callos released the lightning bolt towards Yusei’s Runner, just as his own Runner burst into flames.
Another explosion.
Yusei suddenly found himself and the ponies elsewhere and slowed to a stop. “What just happened?” he asked. He then noticed the glow on Twilight’s horn fading. “Twilight?”
“I got us out… just in time… Duel Runners… not the easiest thing to teleport… especially at that speed…” she panted, her hoof on her forehead.
“Are you okay?”
“Yeah… I’m… fine…”
“Where did you take us?”
“We should be… near… Po…” Twilight’s voice trailed off. Losing her grip on the Runner’s armpiece, Twilight collapsed onto the dirt.
Yusei raised the armpiece Twilight was gripping and gently leaned Fluttershy on the armpiece on the other side. Yusei quickly got off of his Runner and knelt down next to Twilight, shaking her. “Twilight! Wake up!”
Twilight was unresponsive.
“Twilight? Twilight!”