//------------------------------// // An Orchard Duel // Story: Let's Duel! // by Snake Staff //------------------------------// “Huh,” Twilight muttered as Pinkie disappeared into the distance. “That was…” “Weird,” Spike finished for her. “Agreed,” she nodded. “But now that that’s over with, we really should get back to what we came here for. The princess is counting on us and we won’t let her down, come rain or storm or supernova!” Twilight raised a fist into the air. Behind her back, Spike rolled his eyes. “Anyway,” Twilight began digging around in one of her bags. “The obvious first step is to locate our residence so that we can set our luggage down and settle in. Hmmm… aha!” she extracted and unfolded a map. “According to this thing, the place where we’re staying iiiiis…” Twilight peered above her map, taking careful note of the street signs and the nearby buildings, her mind quickly plotting out their present location and comparing it to where they needed to be. “Right… here,” she blinked. “You mean inside the tree?” Spike asked. “That’s… what it says,” Twilight walked over to the building’s mailbox and compared it to her map. “The address is correct and everything.” “That’s kinda weird.” “I guess, but if it’s where the princess sent us to, then it should be fine.” Twilight walked right up to the red door of the building and fished out the key she had been given. A lock opened by a physical object seemed a bit old-fashioned compared to the passcodes and biometric scanners to be found back in Camelot, but that was life, she supposed. The golden key fit perfectly and the door swung open, admitting the pair of them to Golden Oak Library, as the sign so proudly proclaimed. Twilight’s first impression was one of some degree of age. It wasn’t the appearance – it was quite dark inside – so much as the smell. Her nose was picking up the unmistakable scent of old books, left in some dusty shelf for ages, just waiting for a worthy pupil to come along and claim their knowledge for her own. She loved the place already. With an idle finger snap Twilight conjured a few glowing balls and sent them flying through the door. The violet light illuminated the building’s interior, rapidly confirming her initial impression. This place looked to be quite old. How old exactly she couldn’t quite guess, but at least a good few decades. Maybe older. More important to Twilight were the bookshelves seeming to overflow with tomes. She hadn’t seen that many good old-fashioned paper books anywhere outside the Duel Academy’s own library. Twilight’s face fell a bit as she realized that a lot of what she could looked dusty. Locating a light switch and dismissing her spell, she discovered to her horror that almost everything inside this place positively reeked of age and neglect. “Country plebs,” she pursed her lips irritably. “Don’t they know just because we have computers that’s no excuse to ignore the printed word?! Not having a librarian is bad enough, but they couldn’t even be bothered to send someone by dust every once in a while? Ugh!” She walked up to one of the bookshelves and brushed a cobweb aside. “Look at the condition this place is in!” “What’s the big deal?” Spike had followed her inside. “They’re only books.” “Only books?” Twilight’s tone was low. “Uh oh,” Spike’s face paled somewhat. “Only… books?” Twilight turned slowly to face him, one eye visibly twitching. “They’re only books?!” “Someone help me.” Spike whimpered. The next morning, after a long and detailed explanation of the importance of books, a great deal of cleaning, and a short rest at the end of it all, Twilight and Spike set out from Golden Oak to begin their appointed duties. The first thing on the list was to make sure that the catering was proceeding on schedule and in good order. For that, Celestia’s note directed them to speak to one Ms. Applejack of Sweet Apple Acres. With her trusty map to lead the way, it was only a short walk to what looked to be about the edge of town. In front of the duo stretched what appeared to be a good few neatly-planted orchards surrounding a great red barn, all of it fenced in with a rather folksy white picket. Twilight and Spike walked through the rather welcoming front gate, looking around to see- “YEE-HAW!” A woman racing past the two of them atop a pony. Twilight jumped back a step as a blonde-haired young woman rode a decent-sized brown horse about a track not far from the barn. The surprisingly nimble creature wove in and out of stacked bales of hay, darted across the track, and for a finale outright jumped the track’s fence. “Whoah there!” the girl atop the equine pulled back on the creature’s reigns. “Whoah there, girl!” The horse slowed itself to a trot, and then a comfortable walking pace. The girl guided it towards the newcomers. At this distance Twilight could see that she was wearing a long orange shirt, worn blue jeans, work boots, and a Stetson hat. Let’s do this, thought Twilight. “Good morning,” she said to the farming girl, extending a hand. “My name is Twilight Sparkle, and I-” That was as far as she got before the girl slid easily off her horse and grabbed Twilight’s pale hand with both of hers. “Well howdy do, Ms. Twilight!” she shook the poor girl’s hand vigorously. “I’m Applejack! We here at Sweet Apple Acres sure love makin’ new friends!” “Riiiight…” Twilight managed to extract her aching limb with some difficulty. “So,” Applejack continued. “What can I do you for?” “Well,” Twilight cleared her throat. “I am here to check in on preparations for the upcoming festival, and I was given to understand that you were the woman to talk to about the food.” “We sure as sugar are! You wanna sample some?” Twilight hesitated. The duel and the cleaning had already put her behind schedule. On the other hand, it wouldn’t do to inadvertently allow bad food to go through. Not when Princess Celestia would be there soon. “If it won’t take too long,” she answered. “Great!” Applejack’s face lit up, and she grabbed both of them by their shoulders. “Now come on, I got few folks I’d like ya to meet!” Perhaps half an hour and far too many apple-themed foods and relatives later, Twilight sat behind a picnic table, clutching her stomach. More than a dozen empty plates stretched out in front of her and her protégé. She moaned faintly. “Heh heh,” Applejack chuckled. “Liked the food, huh?” “It was… ugh… great…” Spike managed. “Glad ya’ll enjoyed it. Rest of the family will be too, I reckon.” Twilight just moaned again. “Now, I had a little question I wanted to ask ya’ll. I recognize that ya’ll ain’t from around here – city-slickers if ever I did lay eyes on some. Does that mean Celestia sent ya?” “Yes…” Twilight managed. “She did.” “So ya’ll know her then?” “She’s my teacher,” Twilight elaborated, struggling to sit up properly. Applejack’s eyes widened. “So you’re the student of the Princess a’ Games herself? Well shoot, ain’t that somethin’! I bet she’s taught ya all sorts of duelin’ tricks!” “She has,” Twilight nodded with just a faint hint of pride. “Well, if that’s the case, would ya mind facin’ me in a little duel?” Twilight attempted to rise, but the legs wobbled and her stomach writhed. She collapsed back into her chair within a nanosecond. “Uh, ya can stay seated if ya want,” Applejack offered with a slight blush. “Well it’s not like I’m getting up any time in the next few minutes either way,” Twilight mumbled, managing to scoot her chair a little back from the table. She activated her duel disk. “So I don’t see why not.” “Yee-haw!” Applejack cheered, pumping a fist. She reached into a brown back at the table’s edge, extracting a rather worn-looking duel disk of her own. She affixed it to her wrist easily, and it snapped into active position. “Let’s duel!” they called. Each girl drew five cards, and their life point counters set themselves to the standard 4000. “Since you’re a guest, Apple Family hospitality says I ought to let you go first.” “Fine by me,” Twilight mumbled, drawing a sixth card. She looked down at her hand and trued to concentrate past her aching stomach. Not the best hand ever, she thought. But it’ll do. “I summon my Magical Exemplar in attack mode,” she said. Silver light flared up, and a pale dark-haired woman in elaborate green robes appeared a few feet away from where Twilight was seated. “Next I’ll equip her with Mist Body, which makes her indestructible in battle. Then I’ll activate the Continuous Spell Card Arcane Barrier.” The woman’s body grew faint and insubstantial, tendrils of fog leaking out of her form. Meanwhile, a statue of a wizard holding a staff rose from the ground behind Twilight. “Magical Exemplar gains two Spell Counters for every Spell Card played,” Twilight explained. “Once per turn I can sacrifice those counters to summon a Spellcaster from my hand or Graveyard with the same number of stars. And I choose my Maiden of Macabre.” A deathly-pale woman in a kimono wielding an oversized skeletal scythe and spouting a vicious-looking hairstyle joined Twilight’s other monster. “I’ll lay one card face-down and end my turn.” “Woah-wee! That’s a heck of an openin’ move, Ms. Twilight, if ya don’t mind me sayin’ so!” Applejack drew a card. “I’m afraid I can’t make quite that impressive a move, so I’ll just put one monster in face-down defense mode and lay one card face-down.” Two flat cards appeared on Applejack’s side of the field. “Right,” Twilight drew. “I play Pot of Greed to draw twice more.” She picked up the cards. “Which also gives my Exemplar another two Spell Counters. Then I’ll reveal my face-down card, Pitch-Black Power Stone.” Her Trap Card rose to display the image of a mystic golden triangle on a circular black stone. “This gives me three Spell Counters on the trap. Once per turn I can move one of them to any card on my side of the field that can have them. Like my Maiden,” she pointed, and a golden light flew from the trap to the monster. “For every Spell Counter on her, my monster gains 200 additional attack points.” “That puts her at 1900!” Applejack whistled. “Exactly,” Twilight nodded weakly. “So, Maiden of Macabre, attack and destroy her face-down monster.” The pale woman let out an unearthly shriek and leaped into the air, scythe raised over her head. “Now hold your horses!” Applejack shouted. “Because ya’ll seem to have forgotten all about this here face-down card! Go, Ordeal of a Traveler!” Her card rose to display the image of a red-eyed sphinx glowering down at a hapless traveler. “Now how it works is like this,” Applejack held up her hand. “You’re gonna pick one random card in my hand and guess if it’s a Monster, Spell, or Trap card. Guess right and your attack goes through. Guess wrong and…” she smiled. “Your monster goes right back to your hand!” Twilight sat up a little, and then pointed. “I’ll say that the card on the far right is a monster,” she guessed. “Sorry,” Applejack turned the card long enough for her to make out a spell. “So your Maiden there is goin’ right back where she came from!” The woman froze mid-step, shrieked again, and vanished back into white light. Twilight plucked the card from her duel disk. “And best of all, this here is a Continuous Trap Card!” Applejack said. “That means ya’ll are gonna have to guess every time ya want to attack!” Maybe I should take this a little more seriously, Twilight thought, sitting up a little straighter. “I don’t think so. I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior.” Twilight’s red-armored knight took to the field once again. “He gets his own spell counter when summoned, which I can sacrifice to obliterate any Spell or Trap card on your side of the field. And I think I’ll destroy your Ordeal of a Traveler!” The knight leveled his blade across the field and fired a beam of red energy. It struck Applejack’s trap, which all but disintegrated on the spot. “That ends my turn,” Twilight sat back a little to watch. “You’re pretty good, Twilight,” Applejack tipped her hat. “But I’m just gettin’ started! So look out!” she drew one card, then grinned down at it. “First off I’m gonna place one more monster in face-down defense mode!” A second card appeared down on her field. “Next, I’ll switch my first monster to attack mode, activatin’ his special ability!” Her card flew up and what looked to be a walking stone cabinet complete with a spear clutched in its left hand appeared. “Ya see, whenever Golem Sentry is flipped face-up like that, I can pick any one a’ your monsters and send it right back to your hand!” Applejack smiled. “And I think I’m pickin’ your Exemplar there!” “No!” Twilight cried, alarmed for the first time this duel. “If she goes back I’ll lose her counters and her equipped spell will go to the Graveyard!” “Exactly!” Applejack smiled as her monster’s eyes lit up with power. The green-haired woman got one quick scream before she too was drawn back into her card. Twilight took it from her disk with a frown. “And guess what? This here golem can go right back to face-down defense position once per turn!” Applejack laughed as her monster went right back to where it started. “Your move, partner!” “Fine,” Twilight sat up straight and drew one card. “I’ll move my second counter from my Power Stone to my Breaker, raising his attack by 300 points! Then I’ll summon my Maiden of Macabre back to the field!” The knight flexed his muscles as a gem on his armor lit up. Beside him the deathly-pale women reappeared and swung her scythe, looking menacingly across the field. “Alright, first thing’s first! Breaker, attack her face-down Golem Sentry!” The knight leapt into the air and plunged his sword down into the back of the enemy card, which promptly burst into a thousand pieces. Applejack gritted her teeth. “Now, my Maiden,” Twilight pointed. “Attack her other face-down monster!” The monster, eager for revenge, let out another inhuman wail as she flew across the field. Her scythe swung and buried its blade into the back of Applejack’s other card. The farmer just smiled. Twilight 3400 “Hah!” she gloated as Twilight’s life point counter fell. “Ya’ll just attacked my Stone Statue of the Aztecs! With 2000 defense points against your monster’s 1700 attack points, you lose 300 life points! But it gets better, because his special ability doubles any damage you take when you attack him!” Twilight gritted her teeth as a massive green statue with glowing orange eyes appeared on her opponent’s side of the field. “Then I’ll place one card face-down,” she said. “That ends my turn.” “My draw!” she grabbed another card. “Just what I needed! I summon Mine Golem in attack mode! I also switch my Stone Statue into attack mode!” A towering, faceless mechanical construct with a single red eye appeared in front of Applejack. Her Stone Statue’s eyes seemed to shine brighter, looking over at Twilight. “Next I’ll play my Shield and Sword Spell Card!” Applejack inserted it. “This switches the attack and defense points of all monsters on the field for one turn! That means my boys go up to 2000 and 1900 attack, while yours drop to 1000 and…” she grinned. “0!” Twilight simply clenched her fists. “Alright, boys! Show we do things ‘round here!” Applejack leveled her hand across the field. “Stone Statue, destroy Maiden of Macabre!” The statue opened its mouth and gushed orange flames, which rolled over the deathly woman. She got one last agonized shriek before exploding. Twilight 1400 “Now Mine Golem, crush her Breaker!” The mechanical monstrosity rushed across the field. Towering easily over the knight, it raised a fist and shattered him in a single punch. Twilight 500 “Yee-haw!” Applejack pumped her fist. “That’s all a’ your critters accounted for! And since I don’t need to worry about your Breaker no more, I’ll throw this here card face down, just in case!” Another card appeared behind her monsters. “Your move, sugarcube.” “Thanks,” Twilight drew one card. Alright, time to get serious. “First off I’ll play Monster Reborn, to revive my Breaker!” The knight appeared on her side of the field once again, glaring at Applejack’s monsters. “And I’ll use the last counter on my Power Stone to trigger his special ability one more time! Destroy her face-down card!” Breaker swung his sword and shattered Applejack’s hidden card with ease. Behind him, Twilight’s card faded away. “Next I’m gonna sacrifice my Breaker, so I can summon my Dark Red Enchanter!” A woman in red and gold armored robes appeared on Twilight’s field, clutching a crescent moon staff with a large red gem in its center. “She comes with two Spell Counters, raising her attack points by 300 each, for a total of 2300!” “Whoa nelly!” Applejack took a step back. “And there’s more! I activate my face-down card, Mage Power! Granting her an additional 500 points for every Spell or Trap card I control! And I count two, giving her 3300! Now go!” she pointed. “Destroy her Stone Statue!” The woman twirled her staff in her hands before leveling it across the field. A ruby-red energy stream crossed the space between them and exploded against the massive stone construct. The fires in its eyes dimmed, and it crumbled away into nothing. Applejack 1000 “Alright,” Twilight said. “That ends my turn.” I don’t like leaving my monster unprotected like that, but I really don’t have a choice. “Then I’ll draw!” Applejack declared, doing just that. “I’ll set another critter in face-down defense mode. And then I’ll switch my Mine Golem into defense mode as well.” A card appeared in front of her while the golem got to one knee, crossing its arms in front of its chest. “And I’m sure that a well-educated duelist such as yourself knows that whenever my Mine Golem is destroyed in battle, you take 500 points of damage.” Twilight could only grit her teeth, stomach pain long forgotten. Applejack smiled confidently. “So that makes him the perfect defense! And on that note, I’ll end my turn.” “Back to me.” Twilight drew, then grimaced. “I’ll summon my Magical Exemplar back to the field in defense mode.” The green-robed woman reappeared on one knee, arms crossed. “Then I’ll…” Twilight hesitated. Did she dare attack an unknown monster with so few life points left? “…end my turn.” “Alrighty then,” Applejack grinned as she drew. “I’ll be flippin’ my Medusa Worm into attack mode, which lets it automatically destroy one of your monsters!” The ground beneath the two women rumbled for just a moment before exploding outwards into a rain of holographic rocks. An enormous, many-toothed worm burst from underneath to swallow the Enchanter whole. She didn’t even get the chance to scream, and the Worm vanished back the way it had come. “And just like my golem, this here critter can go right back into face-down defense mode once per turn!” True to Applejack’s words, the card reappeared next to her Mine Golem. “Now I think I’m gonna place one more monster in face-down defense mode. Your go, sugarcube.” Alright, Twilight thought. I’ve got to draw a good card. She drew. …So much for that plan, she looked out across her field. But maybe there’s a way I can draw more. “Alright, Applejack, I’m activating the power of my Arcane Barrier! By sacrificing it and my Exemplar, I can draw a card for every Spellcaster that’s been destroyed since it was played. And that’s three monsters!” “Go ahead, if ya feel like it, sugarcube.” “I will!” Twilight plucked three more cards from her deck and studied them. “Perfect! I activate my Stop Defense, which lets me switch your Worm into attack position!” “Uh-oh,” Applejack muttered as the ground at her feet shook and her worm popped its head out. “Since there’s no monsters for it to destroy, its effect is useless! And it can’t change back to defense position until your turn! So I summon my Crusader of Endymion!” A masked man in blue plate armor answered Twilight’s call, appearing and folding his arms across his chest. “And since my Crusader has 1900 attack points while your Worm only has 500,” Twilight smiled. “You lose! Crusader of Endymion, attack her Medusa Worm and end this duel!” Twilight’s monster raised both hands high and seemed to chant for just a moment before both hands seemed to explode with blue-black energies. They swarmed over the field in a great tornado, enveloping Applejack’s great beast. It screeched its death agonies, and then vanished as if it had never been. Applejack 0 “Whew!” Twilight sat back in her chair and wiped the sweat from her forward while the holograms faded away. “Well I’ll be!” Applejack put her hands on her hips. “That was some mighty fine duelin’ there, Ms. Twilight!” “Thanks,” Twilight nodded. It was nice to have opponents that didn’t curse or weep when she won. “But I think I’d better be going. I have a lot more stuff to do today.” “Well alright,” Applejack walked over and extended a hand. Twilight took it, and the farm girl helped hoist her to her feet. And then two shook. “It’s been mighty nice meeting the two of you Ya’ll come back around any time, ya hear?” “I’ll see what I can do,” said Twilight, nudging Spike to rise. “But for now, it’s goodbye.” “Then I guess I’ll be seein’ ya.” “I guess you will.”