Let's Duel!

by Snake Staff

A High Class Duel

“So,” Twilight said to Spike as the pair of them walked along one of Ponyville’s roads. “What’s next on the agenda?”

“Let’s see…” Spike flipped through the paper he carried. “Next we have to check in on the town hall’s decorations, which are being set up by someone called Rarity.”

“Decorations?” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Do you think they’ll be setting up their decorations this early? Especially considering they put someone like Rainbow Dash in charge of the duel arena?”

“Says here they should have at least started on them by now,” he showed her a paper, pointing. “At the very they should have in boxes somewhere or something. We can at least look at them and make sure they check out.”

“Good point,” Twilight smiled at her pupil. “You’re learning.”

“It’s a gift,” Spike replied with just a hint of smugness.

“Indeed it is.”

“Alright,” Twilight looked up at the tall, circular building standing in the town square. “Here we are. Ponyville town hall. No sense in wasting time.”

Twilight walked directly up to the front door and pulled it open. She took one look inside, and immediately her eyes went wide. She had expected to see an ordinary village center, with perhaps a few ribbons hung here and there. Instead she beheld a majestic tapestry of color stretching from one end of the building to the next. Banners celebrating moments from the country’s history or the town’s founding were spread out across the room – in chronological order no less! Ribbons hung across banisters or above archways, their ends concealed by tasteful flower arrangements. Celestia’s personal symbol was draped behind the central podium, with gold and white ribbons hung so as to appear to be bright rays of light emanating from the stylized sun.

“Beautiful…” Spike breathed.

“Yes,” Twilight nodded. “The décor looks to be coming along nicely. This ought to take no time at all. Everything looks wonderful!”

“Not the décor,” he corrected, pointing with one hand. “Her.”

“Huh?” Twilight looked to where he pointed.

A young woman stood on the other side of the building, her back to them. Her purple hair was elaborately styled, and she sported a white blouse and violet skirt with matching boots. Golden jewelry shimmered noticeably around her neck and on a few of her fingers. At the moment, she appeared to be comparing several types of ribbon, holding each up to various parts of the building.

“How do I look?” Spike asked breathlessly. “Are my clothes alright? Is my hair neat?”

Twilight smiled faintly and brushed past him, walking directly over towards the fair-skinned woman.

“No,” the woman said, putting one strand of ribbon down on a table. “No… No… Certainly not!”

“Excuse me,” Twilight began. “I’m-”

“Not now,” the woman interrupted without looking up. “I’m ‘in the zone’ as it were, and I’d very much appreciate it if you’d be quiet for just a teensy moment.”

“…Alright,” Twilight’s lips curled a little, and she folded her arms across her chest.

Spike caught up with his tutor and opted to stand beside her, staring longingly at the woman as she worked. They waited in silence for a few minutes as the woman examined, then rejected, design after design. Twilight began tapping her foot against the floor, but Spike didn’t appear to mind.

“Yes!” the women hoisted a ribbon without warning. “Yes! Perfect! This is just the right color to add to the ambiance!”

“Finally…” Twilight muttered.

“Anyhow, my apologies for keep you waiting. My name is Rarity and I-” she had turned to look at them for the first time. The moment her eyes fell on Twilight, she froze. “My goodness, darling, what happened to your coiffure?!”

“What, you mean my hair?” Twilight ran one hand back through it. “It was fine just this morning, and I don’t think that much has happened to it.”

“It’s frazzled! Besmirched!” Rarity moved in for a closer look. “Knotted! What horrible fate befell such fine strands?!”

“Well I was in a few duels today, and I have been knocked around once or twice,” Twilight admitted. “I guess maybe that might have done-”

“This is a fashion emergency!” Rarity declared, grabbing Twilight by the wrist. “You must let me take you to my boutique so I can fix this!”

“Uh, it’s really not so bad. I’m just here to check up on-”

“Nonsense, I insist!” Rarity tugged, her thin arms surprisingly strong. “You’re coming with me!”

“Hey, watch it!” Twilight squirmed. “Spike! Help!”

“She’s pretty…” he mumbled, following dumbly along.

“This seems excessive,” Twilight remarked.

“I don’t believe there is such a thing as excessive when it comes to selecting the perfect outfit,” Rarity declared, tying an elaborate knot behind Twilight’s back. “Now please, hold still.”

“This is the thirty-sixth dress you’ve had me try on!”

“Yes, and I think we should continue trying them until we’ve found that one special gown just destined to be yours!” Rarity finished tying the dress into place, stepping back to take a look. “Though I’m not quite certain if it’s this one, darling. While a wintry blue and white combination is rather fetching, now that I see it on you I worry that it might contrast too much with your hair.”

“Look,” Twilight groaned from the mirror-adorned stage. “I like my clothes perfectly fine the way they are! All I had wanted to do is ask you about the decorations for the town hall!”

“Yes, what about them?” Rarity looked away. “Spike, would you be a dear and bring me that rack from over in the corner there. There are a few ensembles that I think might look just darling on Twilight there! And then we can find something for you!”

“Sure thing, Rarity!” he saluted. “Whatever you say!”

As Spike was wheeling the rack of dresses over, Rarity continued examining Twilight with a critical eye.

“So, Twilight, where did you say you were from again?”

“Camelot,” she answered. “I came here from Camelot on Princess Celestia’s behalf.”

“Camelot!” Rarity slapped both of her cheeks, jaw dropping. “You come from Camelot?! How I envy you, darling! Imagine it! The lights, the glitter, the bustle, the high society, and the best purveyors of high fashion from all across the world! It must be simply magical living there!”

“It’s… really not all that,” Twilight shrugged. “Anyway, Celestia just sent me here to make sure everything was proceeding smoothly for the solstice festival.”

“Wait,” Rarity paused. “You mean that you don’t just work for Celestia, she actually sent you here? In person?!”

“Well, yeah. I am her personal student and all.”

“That’s amazing!” Rarity gawked. “You must tell me all about it! How does she look up close? When the cameras are off? How does she dress day-to-day? What are her fashion preferences? If I could get that kind of scoop I might be able to market a whole new line based on her!”

“I’m just kinda surprised you’re not challenging me to a duel. That’s what everyone else seems to do.”

“A duel?” Rarity blinked. “Why darling, you’re in the middle of a fashion transformation! I’d never kick someone while they’re down like that!”

“Huh, weird,” Twilight tapped her chin. “I’d have thought you’d want to get noticed in Camelot.”

“Hmmm? Noticed? How?”

“Well, I am the princess’ personal student and all,” Twilight offered, trying to resist the urge to smile slyly. “If you defeat me, especially in your boutique, it would be big news back home in Camelot. I’m sure the story would get into the gossip columns, and you’d be asked for interviews and everything.”

“Camelot… gossip… columns…” Rarity breathed, her eyes wide.

“And a story like that could really put your business into the public eye in a big way. You might even get visits from the likes of Hoity Toity,” Twilight named the highest-profile Camelot fashion purveyor that she could think of.

“Hoity Toity himself might come here?!” Rarity’s eyes shone like glittering diamonds. “Oooooh… it’s simply too good to pass up!”

Exactly as planned, Twilight thought.

“I’m so very sorry to interrupt the search for your perfect dress, Twilight dear, but we simply must duel! I can’t miss a business opportunity like this!”

“Oh no, it’s fine,” Twilight raised her hands, in part to block the smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. “I’ll duel you right now. In fact, let’s say if I win we call off the dress parade for today?”

“You’re a real spoilsport sometimes, darling,” Rarity frowned slightly. “But very well, I accept your terms. But should I prevail, after our duel we’ll keep going until we’ve got just the gown for you, even if it takes all day!”

Twilight picked up her duel disk from where it had been set, attaching it easily to her bare left arm. She had felt almost naked without it.

“Alright, you’re on!” she called as it activated.

“Then let’s do this!” Rarity slipped a shimmering, gem-encrusted silver duel disk over her own arm.

“Let’s duel!”

Both girls whipped out their first five cards.

“Since this is my boutique, I’ll start us off,” Rarity declared, drawing her first card.

“Fine by me,” Twilight answered, looking down at her hand.

Rarity slipped one card onto her disk. “I’ll start by summoning my lovely Cyber Tutu in attack mode!”

A pink-haired young woman in a skintight red and white suit and tutu appeared on the field.

“Then I think I shall place one card face-down, and turn it over to you.”

“Alright,” Twilight drew her card, and then broke into a smile. “I’ll summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode!”

The red-armored knight materialized across from Cyber Tutu, drawing his blade and dropping a fighting stance.

“Next I’ll place four cards face-down.”

“Four cards?” Rarity blinked. “You’re using almost your entire hand on the very first turn. Isn’t that a bit risky?”

“Who says I’m not using the last card?” Twilight grinned. “From my hand I activate my Card of Sanctity, forcing both players to draw until we each have six cards in our hand!”

“So you gain six more cards, while I only draw two,” Rarity grimaced. “A good start.”

“Thanks. Next I think I’ll use my Breaker’s special ability, sacrificing his Spell Counter to destroy your face-down card.”

Rarity winced as her card exploded in front of her.

“Now Breaker, destroy her Cyber Tutu!”

Twilight’s swordsman leapt across the field and swung his sword right across the girl’s midsection. Both halves exploded a second later.

“And with that, it’s you move!” Twilight placed her hands on her hips. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“You know, normally I adore knights in shining armor,” Rarity glared at Twilight’s monster. “Of course, normally, they don’t slice ladies in half!”

Breaker’s expression was untroubled.

“Fine, be that way!” Rarity growled. “I play my Reinforcement of the Army! This lets me search my deck for one Warrior monster and add it to my hand.” She glanced through her deck, plucked out a card, and then shuffled it. “Next we’ll see you like my Cyber Gymnast!”

A more athletic-looking woman in a blue-black bodysuit appeared before Rarity.

“And my new monster has a special ability as well! By discarding one card from my hand, I can destroy any monster you have in attack mode! So, Cyber Gymnast, destroy that Breaker!”

Rarity’s monster made her own leap across the field as her mistress discarded a card, shattering Twilight’s monster with a single punch.

“Next I play my Monster Reborn to bring back my Cyber Tutu!”

The pink-haired girl returned to Rarity’s field.

“Next I’ll have them both attack your life points directly!”

Twilight grimaced as both monsters surged across the field. She glanced briefly at one of her face-down cards, but ultimately only shielded her face with her hands as both monsters slammed into her hard enough to send her sprawling onto the boutique’s floor.

“Yeah, wahoo!” Spike cheered from the sidelines. “Go Rarity!”

Twilight glared balefully over at him.

“Maybe I should have had you change out of that dress before we started. It isn’t meant for dueling in,” Rarity considered as Twilight pushed herself back onto to her feet. “Ah well, too late for that now. I place two cards face-down and end my turn.”

“Alright then, you wanna play rough?” Twilight drew. “Fine! From my hand, I activate my Spell Absorption, which will grant me 500 life points every time a Spell Card resolves! Like this one!” she gestured. “Reveal face-down card, Mystical Space Typhoon! I’ll use it to destroy your right-hand face-down card!”

A tornado raced across the field, shattering one of Rarity’s cards.

“Next I’ll summon out my Maiden of Macabre!”

The deathly-pale woman rose onto the field with a murderous smile on her face.

“Ugh!” Rarity winced. “What is that ghastly thing?!”

“About to destroy your Cyber Tutu! Attack!”

The maiden flew across the field, scythe raised.

“And why stop there? I activate my face-down card, Magician’s Circle! This allows us both to summon one Spellcaster monster from our decks with 2000 attack points or fewer!”

“Very well. I’ll play my Summoner Monk!”

A blue-skinned man in purple materialized on one knee, hand folded over his chest.

“Come on out, Skilled Dark Magician!”

A man appeared in dark blue armored robes, carrying a metal staff in his hand.

“Now my attack will continue!”

“Not quite! I reveal my own Trap Card, Half Counter!” Rarity smiled. “This card allows my monster to gain half of the attack points of your revolting creature until the end of this turn! Putting her at 1850, strong enough to destroy your monster!”

Just as the Maiden brought down her scythe on Cyber Tutu’s head, the young woman caught it in both hands. For a moment they wrestled, and then Rarity’s monster tore the weapon from Twilight’s before kicking her in the face. The Maiden flew back across the field and exploded.

“No problem! Skilled Dark Magician will attack your Cyber Gymnast!”

Her monster spun his staff and unleashed a burst of dark magic that consumed Rarity’s weaker monster instantly.

“Next I’ll place one more card face-down and activate Mist Body to make my monster indestructible by battle!”

“Not only do I gain 500 life points, but my magician gets one Spell Counter as well!”

One of three gems on his robe lit up.

“I think I’ll call it a turn.”

“Then it’s my draw!” Rarity picked up her card. “I place one card face-down and play my own Card of Sanctity to fill up my hand!"

Twilight watched as Rarity drew even more cards and her life points rose, idling rounding out her own cards.

“Now, once per turn my Summoner Monk allows me to play one four star monster from my deck. I think I’ll choose my lovely Etoile Cyber!”

A good-looking blue-skinned woman with long brown hair appeared on Rarity’s field.

“And next I’ll use my Polymerization to fuse Etoile Cyber with the Blade Skater in my hand to form my incomparable Cyber Blader!”

Both of her monsters disappeared into a swirling dimensional void. A moment later they were replaced by a graceful-looking woman with blue hair and a purple-red body suit. Cyber Blader struck a ballerina pose, only one of her skates touching the ground.

“Isn’t my Cyber Blader simply magnificent?!” Rarity clasped her hands together. “She combines the elegant atheistic of a ballerina with all the burning inner fire of a dragon! It’s a combination that simply can’t be beat, in dueling or in art!”

“We’ll see about that,” Twilight smiled.

“Yes we will,” Rarity smiled right back. “Oh Cyber Blader? Attack that Skilled Dark Magician, won’t you?”

Cyber Blader skated across the boutique’s floor as easily as if it were an ice rink, sliding past Twilight’s monster so quickly as to appear a blur. He winced, but did not fall.

“Don’t forget, thanks to my spell my magician can’t be destroyed in battle!”

“I’m well aware of that, darling,” Rarity looked unimpressed. “But it hardly matters, for my Cyber Tutu’s special ability allows her to attack your life points directly! Go!”

The pink-haired woman danced easily across the field and around Twilight’s monster, delivering a swift kick to Twilight’s stomach.

“And with that I'll end my turn with a second face-down. Back to you, darling.”

“Fine, I draw!”

“And I activate my Trap Card, Dust Tornado!” Rarity smiled. “This allows me to destroy one Spell or Trap Card on your side of the field, and then set another card of my own! And I choose your bothersome Spell Absorption!”

A tornado once again blew across the field, this time shattering Twilight’s card. Rarity added a second face-down card to her side of the field after it faded.

“You’re not the only one with face-down cards, Rarity! I reveal my Spell Power Grasp! This card lets me add one Spell Counter to any card on my side that can have one, and I choose my Skilled Dark Magician! Then he gets a third because a Spell Card was played, and as a bonus I can add a second Spell Power Grasp from my deck to my hand!”

All three of Skilled Dark Magician’s jewels were now glowing. Twilight shuffled through her deck and added the card to her hand.

“And next I’ll activate my monster’s special ability! When he has three Spell Counters on him, I can sacrifice him immediately to summon something very special from my deck!”

Skilled Dark Magician raised his hands and disappeared in a column of purplish black light. Twilight again rooted through her deck for a certain card. When she pulled it out, she took a moment to stare at it.

This may not be my very favorite card, she thought, her mind going to the one that was. But it will always have a special place in my heart.

“I summon my Dark Magician!”

The column of light vanished, revealing a tall, well-built spellcaster in purple armor. He gripped a green staff in his right hand and folded his arms across his chest.

“The legendary Dark Magician…” Rarity breathed, taking a step back. “They say it was favored by the King of Games himself…”

“And this one was a personal gift from the Princess of Games!” Twilight continued. “But I’m not through yet! I summon my Crusader of Endymion, and then reveal my face-down Magical Dimension! This lets me sacrifice my Crusader to summon my Dark Red Enchanter from my hand, then destroy one monster on the field! Like your Cyber Blader!”

“You wouldn’t!” Rarity cried.

“Oh yes I would!”

A blue-armored man appeared on Twilight’s side of the field, only to immediately enter into a golden sarcophagus. It vanished into a black void, then reappeared a moment later. When the sarcophagus opened, a red-robed woman clutching a staff stepped out. On the other side of the field, Rarity’s Cyber Blade screamed and exploded.

“And now my Dark Magician, attack her Cyber Tutu!”

The Dark Magician twirled his staff in his hands before blowing away Rarity’s monster in a wave dark magic.

“Dark Red Enchanter, blow away her Summoner Monk!”

This time a red beam of magic crossed the field, destroying Rarity’s defense position monster.

“I think that’ll be all for now.” Twilight said.

Rarity’s mouth hung open, and her hands were clenched.

“How… could you…” her fists shook. “How could you destroy something as elegant and lovely as my Cyber Blader? How?!”

“You do know that’s the point of the game, right? Destroy your opponents’ monsters, eliminate their life points?”

“You won’t get away with such a high crime against fabulosity!” Rarity declared as she drew. “I reveal my face-down card, Call of the Haunted! This lets me bring my Etolie Cyber back from the Graveyard!”

Her blue-skinned monster reappeared in attack mode.

“Next I’ll summon my Warrior Lady of the Wasteland from my hand.”

A sword wielding, blonde-haired young woman took her place on Rarity’s side of the field.

“My monsters are my treasure, Twilight,” Rarity said. “A treasure you have just defiled!”

“Huh?” Twilight raised an eyebrow.

“And like any treasure, they have a guardian! I play my face-down Ultimate Offering and sacrifice my two monsters to summon my White Night Dragon!”

Both Etolie Cyber and Warrior Lady of the Wasteland disappeared into columns of white-blue light. Frigid winds whipped across the field, giving Twilight goosebumps on her bare arms and through her dress. The white and blue energy streams merged together into a ball, and then rapidly coalesced into a solid shape. The monster that emerged looked for all the world as if someone had made a solid ice sculpture of Red-Eyes Black Dragon.

“This noble dragon may look fierce,” Rarity continued. “But inside he has the heart of a true knight! He guards my weaker monsters from your attacks!”

“And he has 3000 attack points, 500 more than my Dark Magician!”

“Next I’ll play a card from my hand, March of the Monarchs! It protects all of my Tribute Summoned monsters from being targeted or destroyed by Spell, Trap, or Monster Effects! So my dragon can only be destroyed in battle! Your face-down card won't be of any use!”

Twilight’s face was expressionless.

“Yeah!” Spike cheered again from the chair he was seated in. “That’s the way to make a comeback Rarity!”

“Why thank you, Spike,” she smiled over at him briefly, before turning back to Twilight. “And he is stronger than either of your monsters. So which to destroy? Hmmm…” she tapped her chin. “Since it was her summoning that destroyed Cyber Blader, I think I’ll have White Night Dragon destroy your Dark Red Enchanter!”

Her dragon opened its jaws and lunged forward. A miniaturized blizzard erupted from its mouth, crossing the field and washing over Twilight’s monster. The Enchanter screamed for a brief second before becoming entirely frozen over. A second later, her body exploded into a glittering shower of ice crystals.

“And with that,” Rarity put her hands on her hips. “I think I’ll end my turn.”

“Go Rarity!” Spike cheered. “You’ve got her on the ropes! Just a little more and the duel is yours! Don’t let up!”

“Oh don’t worry,” Rarity grinned in a surprisingly vicious manner. “I won’t.”

“Heh,” Twilight chuckled as she drew her own card. “You just made a fatal mistake. You should have destroyed my Dark Magician.”

“I beg your pardon?”

“Destroying my stronger monster would have been the better choice. But you didn’t, and now it’s going to cost you. Because you aren’t the only one with Fusion Monsters, Rarity!” Twilight pointed to her face-down. “I’ll reveal my last face-down card, Polymerization! I’ll fuse the Dark Magician on my field and the Buster Blader in my hand to create my all-powerful Dark Paladin!”

“Not that!” Spike wailed. “She was so close!”

Both of her monsters disappeared into a whirling dimensional vortex. A few seconds passed, and then a new monster tore its way out onto Twilight’s side of the field. This one was a green and black armored figure wielding a polearm in his right hand. Dark Paladin wore a hard look on his face as he stared across the field at Rarity’s dragon.

“So? He only has 2900 attack points,” Rarity countered.

Twilight smiled. “But he gains 500 for every dragon on the field or in either of our Graveyards. At the moment, that’s one.”

“So he has… 3400…” Rarity swallowed. “Oh dear.”

“And now my Dark Paladin, attack her White Night Dragon!”

Dark Paladin crossed the field in a single bound, plunging his weapon through the dragon’s chest. It burst out the other side, and Rarity’s monster exploded with enough force to send her toppling over backwards.

“Rarity!” Spike cried, running to where she had fallen as the holograms vanished. “Are you alright?! Speak to me!”

“Ugh…” Rarity moaned, pushing herself up into a sitting position. “No need to worry, Spike, I’m quite alright. Just damaged pride is all.”

“Thank goodness,” he let out a breath.

“Well, Ms. Twilight,” Rarity looked back at her. “It looks as though you’ve won. And we had an accord. You are free to go.”

“Thanks,” Twilight answered. “I’ll need to get changed back into my clothes first, though.”

“About that. Keep the dress,” Rarity said.

Twilight blinked. “What?! But-”

Rarity cut her off with a raised hand. “Now that I’ve seen it on you in a duel, I’m convinced that it suits you utterly. And I feel that it’s only fair you should have some reward for winning, as I might have had.”

“Hmmm…” Twilight looked around the boutique, hand under chin. “You know, I may not be a fashionista, but I think this is a lovely place you have here. And your products are very impressive.”

“Why thank you.” Rarity got to her feet. “I do take pride in my work.”

“When I get back home next week I think I’ll tell the princess what a great place you have here. See if she might like to order something.”

Rarity’s jaw dropped. “You would do that?!”

“Of course,” Twilight nodded. “You have a nice place here, and-”

Whatever she had been about to say was lost as Twilight found herself in a grip comparable to a hungry python’s.

“Oh thank you thank you thank you thank you THANK YOU!!!”

“Need… air…”