//------------------------------// // Duel Vault // Story: Let's Duel! // by Snake Staff //------------------------------// “STOP!” a voice cried out. “Huh?” “What?” Both Twilight and Shining looked away from one another and towards the source. At first all they could see was the latter’s Field Spell, still steaming and churning, occupying the whole of the corridor. But then something else appeared from out of the holographic buildings – a young woman in pale pink, with long, luscious, tricolor hair. The siblings recognized her instantly. “Cadence!” they said as one. Cadence halted her sprint almost exactly between the two, then almost immediately bent over. Hands on knees and sweat dripping down her face, she gasped heavily for air. “Sorry… I’m late…” she panted. “Everybody…” Shining and Twilight looked at one another and nodded. They broke their positions, leaving cards and monsters behind, to race over to Cadence’s side. Shining offered the red-faced woman an arm, which she gladly took, leaning on him heavily with a grateful smile on her face. Her frilled, sleeveless pink top and matching pants running down to her knees contrasted heavily with his grey-black battle armor. “Are you alright?” Twilight asked her. “What happened?” her brother added. “It’s…” Cadence breathed heavily, but managed a friendly smile. “Good to… see you again… Both of you…” Cadence took a minute to catch her breath, leaning on Shining heavily as she did so. It took a little time, but gradually her breaths became slower and slower, long and deep rather than quick and shallow. Twilight couldn’t help but notice, as Cadence pressed herself up against him, that Shining Armor was trying and failing to conceal a blush. What’s up with that? Twilight wondered briefly, before shaking her head. Eh, it’s probably nothing important. “Phew!” Cadence interrupted her thoughts, wiping sweat from her brow. “It’s been way too long since I’ve run anywhere, I think.” “What’s the matter?” Shining asked. “Is it something to do with Nightmare Moon?” Twilight inquired. “Yes,” Cadence nodded, wiping a little more sweat from her face. “Actually it is. The reason I’m here is because Nightmare Moon will be back in this world very soon.” Sister and brother gasped. “Aunt Celestia called out to me in a dream,” Cadence explained. “She said there was only a short time before the battle in the Shadow Realm was over. She said it was absolutely critical that I help Twilight get some very special cards from her vault. So I dropped everything and came running.” “Wait.” Shining frowned. “Celestia sent you too? So that means…” “That Twilight is right?” Cadence nodded. “Yes. We need to get inside that vault, right now. Nightmare could return at time – she could be tearing her way back into this dimension right now! Even Aunt Celestia’s god card isn’t powerful enough to prevent it!” “But…” Shining hesitated. “See?” Twilight seized the moment. “Princess Celestia wants to me to go into that vault! You now have two independent sources saying the same thing! Surely that’s proof enough of what I’ve been saying!” “This… doesn’t…” Shining frowned, visibly struggling to find words. “Feel quite right…” He looked at Twilight, then Cadence, then back at Twilight. “Something just seems… off.” “Come on, BBBFF!” Twilight urged. “Stop trying to fight me and let’s go!” “I can’t just…” He paused again. “Can I?” “Shining.” Cadence pressed herself close to him, her back to Twilight. “Will you do it… for me?” Twilight could just make out her running one thin finger gently down his chest. Twilight barely noticed the furious flush on her brother’s face, or the sweat dripping down his forehead. Her eyes were focused instead on his duel disk, where one armored finger slowly, reluctantly, pressed a button. She immediately hit the same button on her own disk. All around them, the holograms of monsters and face-down cards and buildings faded away as the duel was cancelled and the corridor returned to normal. “Thanks, Shiny,” Twilight breathed. “Now let’s go!” “Fine,” Shining sighed, then straightened up. “But I’m coming along.” A few minutes later, Twilight, Cadence, and Shining Armor all stood before a pair of double doors like no others in the world. Built deep under the ground and buried within the rock of Camelot Mountain itself, Celestia’s vault was free to soar. And soar it did – the doors alone were easily a hundred feet tall and together almost half as wide. Every inch was high quality alchemically-treated steel, interwoven with enough protective charms, matrices, and seals to make Twilight’s head spin. The thickness of the doors was impossible to say from this side, but Twilight had the distinct impression that one could spend fifty years assaulting them with magic and high explosives alike without making a dent. “Well, Twily.” Shining gestured at the main bolt. “Go on.” Twilight swallowed, and then nodded. It wasn’t that she was having second thoughts – far from it – it was just that looking at this place made her wonder just what kind of things the vault was built to contain. No one knew what was in here, or even how long the massive storage facility had been down here. It was simply one of the many mysteries surrounding the princess. Shunting her reservations aside, Twilight walked quickly and purposefully up to the doors. They were, for the most unadorned – or at least appeared to be so in the dim lighting. There was, however, one exception to that rule. The central cog on the ground level bore an image of a flaming sun that was so vivid one might even swear it was glowing in the dark. It was this painting that Twilight approached, raised one slightly-trembling hand, and then pressed her right hand firmly onto. Seconds passed. Nothing happened. “Are you sure about what Celestia told you?” Shining Armor asked. “Definitely.” Twilight nodded. “I’m sure she said to place my hand on this cog.” “Well nothing much seems to be happeni–” The earth suddenly lurched and buckled all around them. Shining and Cadence kept their balance, but Twilight hit one of the vault’s doors with her face. She stepped back quickly, rubbing her nose, as great clouds of dust flew in all directions. A sound one part clanking gears and one part booming thunder blasted filled the air. Twilight backed off several more steps, jaw agape. With all the slow inevitability of the changing tides, the doors to Celestia’s vault groaned and swung inwards. Inside, rows of lights affixed to a distance ceiling snapped on one at a time, lending a dim illumination to the interior. She could see shelves going on and on and on and on… seemingly forever. “That’s… big,” she muttered. “Yes, what is it?” Twilight heard her brother’s voice. When she turned around, he had one armored hand on his earpiece and a frown on his face. “How many intruders did you say?” His frown deepened. “You’re sure?” “What is it?” Cadence asked. “Trouble,” Shining answered. “I see. Tell them I’m on my way.” “Shining?” Twilight said. “What’s going on?” “We have confirmed reports of at least two dozen magic-wielding robed maniacs running around the city and wreaking havoc.” Shining gritted his teeth. “And with so many men spread out around on our manhunt…” “You need every man you can get.” Cadence’s eyes were downcast. “Do you need my help?” Twilight asked, gripping her cards. “No.” Shining shook his head. “The vault opened for you, so I can only assume that Celestia really does want you to get those cards. And if that’s the case, then they must be extremely important. Get them, and I’ll deal with these Nightmare cultists.” He snarled and tightened his fist. “They’ll rue the day they ever decided to threaten us!” “I’ll go with Twilight,” Cadence volunteered. “I have training in white magic, it should help if anything in there is hungry.” “That’s logical,” Twilight agreed. “Then I guess it’s settled,” Shining fished out a few cards from his deck. “But just in case…” Both cards flared brightly as he held them up, and then a pair of Ancient Gear Soldiers appeared on the scene. Their massive guns clicked into readied positions. Calling on monster spirits to temporarily incarnate without holograms requires a continuous flow of energy to maintain, Twilight thought. He’s taking a lot of risk going into combat with these out. “Gear Soldiers, see to it that Twilight and Cadence get what they came for and leave this vault unharmed.” The two mechanical soldiers saluted with their left hands, snapping to full attention. “You don’t need to do that,” Cadence said. “We can protect ourselves,” Twilight agreed. “Your energy would be better spent elsewhere.” “Frankly I’d prefer to give you a pair of golems but I’m not that strong.” Shining turned his back. “And I don’t really have time to argue, so just take them and go.” “But don’t you–” “I’ll be back as soon as I can!” Shining began to run, surprisingly fast for being in full armor. “Just get those cards for Princess Celestia!” “Well, uh…” Twilight watched her brother round a corner. “Alright then.” She looked over at Cadence. “Shall we?” She nodded. “Let’s.” This place, Twilight had decided a few minutes later, was less of a vault, and more of a museum. Celestia had told her to walk down three rows, but what she had failed to explain was that each row was more like a six-lane street than the familiar rows of Duel Academy’s library. Each row consisted of two sets of towering wooden shelves more than thirty feet high displayed far apart from one another, with innumerable small shelves, display cases, and chests set up in the space between them. Despite the urgency of her task, Twilight couldn’t help but look around a little as she went. She saw many thousands of Duel Monsters card, some of which she recognized and some she did not. She spotted a glass display case with a trio of cards bearing a passing resemblance to images she had seen of the Egyptian God Cards, though these seemed to her to be far more demonic in appearance. She saw another trio of cards in a case, this one built around a card with the image of a simple black sphere. She shied away from a card displaying an odd six-point pattern inside a glowing green circle, feeling malevolence almost oozing off of it even through its case. But Duel Monsters cards were far from the only things that were in there. Twilight spotted a number of worn-looking weapons, from swords and halberds to chain lengths and bizarre blades whose origins she couldn’t identify. There were books too, in their tens of thousands, ranging from extremely worn tomes bound in cracking leather to fresh titles that might well have rolled off the printing presses yesterday. There were plenty of esoteric odds and ends as well, such as a floating purple being orbited by fifteen smaller orbs, a four-part chain scale that seemed to bob and down at complete random, and a well-preserved world map bearing absolutely no relation to anything Twilight could recall about geography. Given the opportunity, Twilight knew that she could spend years and years in here, just going over what she’d already seen. And there was so much more to look at, so much more to learn! Just imagining how much otherwise vanished knowledge must be buried down in this place practically made her drool. I’ll have to ask Princess Celestia for some study time down here. Twilight privately resolved. Behind her, Cadence and the two Gear Soldiers walked in silence. The former occasionally looked around with an expression that was difficult to read in the dark. The two summoned monsters kept a wary eye out on the darkness as they marched in perfect sync. Their gun barrels darted to and fro in response to movement only spirits could see. But, despite their apparent paranoia, the route Celestia had given her proved to be relatively uneventful. Twilight and co. walked three rows down, and then took a left. The four of them walked the distance she had been told to go. At first, Twilight didn’t understand, as this put them right next to one of the massive shelves, without a steel case in sight. Looking closer, she spotted an illusion conceal a small alcove literally built into one of the towering shelves. Twilight walked through it, and found herself in a small, wooden room lit by only one candle that seemed to have been burning forever. In the dim light she just made out a simple wooden table, on which rested an almost unadorned steel case. Behind that was a glass box containing a deck and… a picture? Twilight took a look at it, and then gasped. There were some minor physical differences to be sure, but the picture showed what was indisputably a brighter, happier Nightmare Moon. Before Twilight had had any time at to contemplate this, her thoughts were cut off by the sounds of gunfire from the outside. She whirled around – just in time to avoid a one-handed chop at the back of her neck. On pure reflex she discharged a wave of kinetic energy, sending her attacker flying back out of the little alcove. Then she blinked, her mind processing who had just attempted to attack her. “Cadence?” she whispered, hardly daring to believe it. Twilight raced outside, just in time to watch two men in purple and black jumpsuits and masks dodge the one remaining Ancient Gear Soldier’s attacks. Its gun barrel tracked them as they moved, shredding several tables unfortunate enough to be in the way. But in doing so it turned its back on “Cadence”… who promptly drove a knife into the base of its neck joint. Shining’s monster halted, then crumpled to the ground, spinning gears coming to a halt. “You…” Twilight breathed, backing up a step from the grinning woman. “You aren’t Cadence.” “Heh.” She smirked, and made a gesture with one arm. Her skin and clothing dissolved away into mere wisps of black smoke, leaving a woman in another purple-black jumpsuit standing there, hands on hips. “What?” Twilight’s eyes were wide. “Pretty good imitation, wouldn’t you say?” the woman said in Cadence’s voice. “Identify yourself!” Twilight demanded. “Certainly.” She put one hand on her chest, Cadence’s high-pitched voice now dispensed with. “We’re part of an elite team of spies, martial artists, and illusionists in service of the Queen of Nightmares. You can call us… the Shadowbolts.” “What are you doing here? And what did you do with the real Cadence?!” “Relax, she’s fine. Which I more than I can say for you.” “What do you mean?” “Isn’t it obvious? The Queen realized what your precious princess was doing instant she started contacting you. So she sent a little message of her own. We’ve been following you since you left Ponyville.” “You’ve been shadowing me all this time?!” “Well, it is in our name, after all.” The Shadowbolt grinned. “And yes. We stayed behind to watch the guard when they arrived, and then the Queen sent us after you. But you should be happy we’ve been following you. After all, on your own you’d never have made it past that worthless brother of yours! Be thankful I’m so good at improvisation.” Twilight’s eyes narrowed. “It’s a good thing for you that I know to flood a man’s mind with hormones.” She sniggered. “Men are so gullible.” One of her compatriots reached out a hand and gripped her shoulder roughly. “Nrgh… Present company excluded, of course,” the woman continued. The still-silent man gave a small nod and released her. “Geez…” The Shadowbolt rubbed her shoulder. Then she pointed one gloved finger at Twilight. “Anyway, now we’re going to relieve you of those cards you’ve come for and take back what was stolen! So be a good little girl and hand them over quietly, and maybe you won’t get hurt!” “Not a chance,” Twilight readied her duel disk. “Oh, you want to duel for them?” She managed to produce a duel disk of her own out thin air. “Fine, but if I win, you’ll fork over that case and we’ll take back the deck Celestia stole!” “And if I win, not only will you creeps not touch a single thing from this vault, you’re all going straight to prison!” “I don’t like these terms,” one of the men announced. “Why don’t we just take her out right now and steal the cards?” “Because she’s right next to them, you idiot!” the woman barked at her cohort. “Even if she doesn’t blast them to ribbons so we don’t get them, they could easily be taken out in the crossfire! And besides, many of the dark spirits sealed in here are no friendlier to the Queen than they are to Celestia! You want to be the one who lets a soul-stealing monstrosity loose while we’re right next to it?” “You have a point there,” he admitted in a rather grudging tone. “Besides,” the woman went on, “this girls isn’t much of a duelist anyway! We all saw her lose back at that backwoods hick town, and she was on the verge of losing to that idiot guard when we stepped in! This won’t take long.” Twilight narrowed her eyes still further. We’ll see about that. “Then it’s settled.” The Shadowbolt turned back to Twilight. “We accept these terms. If I win we get the cards, if you win we surrender to you! Now enough talk!” “Let’s duel!” the two called out. “I’ll begin,” said Twilight, already drawing a sixth card into her hand. “And I’ll start with my Silent Magician LV4!” A young, white-haired girl dressed in white and blue shimmered into existence in front of Twilight. She clutched a small, jeweled staff in both of her hands. “And next I’ll activate my Spell Power Grasp! This gives my Silent Magician a Spell Counter and 500 extra attack points to go with it!” A silver aura surrounded the girl, who grew a few inches in a matter of seconds. “As a bonus, it also lets me search my deck for a second copy of Spell Power Grasp and add it straight to my hand! Then I place two cards face-down and end my turn!” “That monster is almost as pathetic as you are!” Her opponent drew, and then smiled. “Excellent. This should spice things up a bit.” “Hold on there!” Twilight raised her hand, pointing at her monster. “Every time you draw, my Silent Magician gains one Spell Counter and the attendant 500 attack points! Now she has two, for a grand total of 2000!” Twilight’s monster grew a fewer more inches as the aura returned. It now looked a little more mature. “Should I be worried?” “Only if you aren’t brain-dead.” “We’ll see about that.” The Shadowbolt picked one card from her hand. “I place one card face-down. And then I’ll activate Card Destruction! This forces both of us to send our entire hands to the Graveyard and then draw the exact same number of cards!” “Hmph!” Twilight discarded three cards, while her opponent put four into the grave. Both drew immediately thereafter. “Don’t forget that because you just drew, Silent Magician gains another counter and 500 points!” “I’m well-aware,” the other woman answered. “And I’m not concerned. Not when I have this! I activate my Dark Eruption! This allows me to choose one Dark Attribute monster from my Graveyard with 1500 or less attack points and add it straight to my hand! And then I’ll summon it right away!” One card slid out of her grave slot, and was promptly picked up and slammed onto the duel disk. “Meet my Cyberdark Edge!” A darkened steel machine with a thin body and long, sharp wings made its appearance across the field from Silent Magician. “A Cyberdark deck?” Twilight looked at the creature warily. “You know that research has proven prolonged use of that deck to have strong statistical associations with severe cardiovascular problems, right? The spirits of those cards are very difficult to tame.” “Who cares? I’m more than strong enough to control these beasts, and I’ll prove it by crushing you! Now, my Edge’s special ability activates!” Wires raced out from the machine’s underside, piercing the ground and digging deep. A few moments later, they resurfaced with a small, sleek, black-orange dragon in tow. The cables bound the squirming beast to the cyber monster’s underside. “Whenever my Cyberdark Edge is Normal Summoned, I can take any Dragon monster from either Graveyard and equip it to my machine! Like my Hunter Dragon!” The machine monster let out a grind roar as energy flowed from the trapped dragon through its body. “See, Edge can take that monster’s attack points and add them to his 800! Since Hunter Dragon has 1700, that puts his total at 2500 attack points!” “As many as my Silent Magician!” Twilight exclaimed. But… she glanced at her face-downs. Not for long. “Right you are!” She smirked. “Cyberdark Edge, attack now!” “Reveal face-down card, Dark Spell Regeneration!” Twilight cried. “It lets me take a Spell Card from my Graveyard and activate it instantly! I’ll choose Spell Power Grasp, adding a third copy to my hand as well as boosting my magician another 500 points! Now, she has 3000, so your monster is toast!” The Shadowbolt grinned. “Not quite.” Cyberdark Edge spread its wings and soared up and over Silent Magician, coming to rest almost directly above Twilight. “By cutting its points in half, Cyberdark Edge can attack you directly! Now go!” The machine beat its wings once, and fierce winds nearly blasted Twilight from her feet. Twilight 2750 “Heh,” the woman chuckled, her monster settling back in front of her. “I’ll place one more card face-down, and then end my turn.” “Big mistake!” Twilight drew her card. “Your monster is in attack mode and has only 2500 points! Now you’ll pay the price for your lack of perspective! I activate my third and final Spell Power Grasp, giving my monster an additional 500 attack points! At 3500, your beast pales in comparison to her!” Twilight’s monster grew still further, now resembling more of a teenager than the young girl it had so recently been. “Is that all?” the Shadowbolt shrugged. “Celestia must have been an even poorer teacher than I thought, if that’s all you can do. No wonder her soul will be screaming in the darkness forever.” “How dare you.” Both of Twilight’s fists were clenched tight, her eyes were virtual slits. “How dare you insult the rightful ruler of this land? How dare you mock her when she’s fighting to save everyone from your demented mistress? How dare you?!” “Ooooh, I think I’ve got her mad, boys.” Her opponent just laughed, both of her fellows jeering along. “You’ll regret those words! Silent Magician, attack Cyberdark Edge right now!” The young woman leaped into the air, her staff aglow with brilliant white magic. She came down all but on top of the cyber monster, blasting it at almost point-blank rage. “Hah ha ha ha ha!” The woman laughed. “Idiot girl, you’ve just triggered my Trap Card! Activate Eradicator Epidemic Virus!” Her card rose up, and dozens of tiny skulls wiggling with loathsome grey feelers appeared between the two monsters. The Silent Magician paused her attack, glow fading away as she looked uncertainly at the newcomers. “All I need do to activate this lethal virus is sacrifice one Dark Attribute monster with 2500 attack points or more. And guess what? Cyberdark Edge fits the bill!” The machine monster exploded into pieces on the spot. The army of skulls seized bits and pieces of it, then swarmed around the magician to encircle Twilight. “Now I declare either Spell or Trap Cards, and then I can check every card in your hand and on your field, then destroy every card of that type! And I choose Spells!” Twilight’s face-down card rose up, revealing Magical Dimension. It was promptly buried in the skulls, whereupon it exploded. Then, she slowly turned her hand around to reveal… three monster cards. “Hmph.” The Shadowbolt crossed her arms. “Not quite as many as I’d expected, but no matter! I know your deck relies on Spell Cards to win! But my virus also lets me check every card you draw for the next three turns, and then eliminate every Spell Card among the lot! You’re finished!” “Am I?” Twilight asked. “You seem to have overlooked one important fact. My Silent Magician still has 3500 attack points, and you just destroyed your only monster. Now, Magician, attack her life points directly!” The magician rose high once again, this time with her staff aimed directly at the Shadowbolt. “Oh I did, did I?” She smirked fearlessly at Twilight’s monster. “I have one more face-down to play! I activate my Hallowed Life Barrier! Now, by simply discarding one card from my hand, I can reduce all damage this turn to 0!” Silent Magician aimed her staff and fired a pearly-white beam of magic. A shimmering, bright blue orb rose up around the costumed woman as it approached. The magical attack hit the protective bubble and exploded harmlessly against it. “Nice try,” she said as the barrier faded away. “But as I thought, you’re a hopeless amateur in way over her head.” “We’ll see. I summon Crusader of Endymion in defense mode!” A thin mage in blue and gold armor took shape on knee before her. “That’ll do it for now.” “Goody, now it’s my turn.” The woman drew. “You may have saved yourself temporarily, but don't forget that my Silent Magician still has 3500 attack points!” “I find I don’t much care. And just to prove it I play Pot of Greed, letting me draw twice more!” This time, though, the silver aura did not envelope Twilight’s monster. “My monster maxes out at 5 Spell Counters,” she admitted reluctantly. “Let’s see how your creature handles my Cyberdark Horn!” Another machine of darkened steel appeared, this one a more serpentine creature with massive, rib-like spikes jutting from the sides of its body. As before, wires emerged from its bottom and pierced the floor, returning with Hunter Dragon in tow. The spikes bent down to form an impromptu ribcage, pinning the smaller dragon against the machine’s chest. “Just like last time, my monster absorbs the power of my dragon to up its attack strength to 2500 points! Now attack her Crusader with Dark Spear!” The cyber monster roared, four of its largest spikes rising and leveling themselves at Twilight’s monster. Four streaks of purple-black energy crossed the field, slicing the Crusader into so many tiny pieces. “And just like that Gear Golem you were dueling against,” her opponent explained. “My Cyberdark Horn hits you for the difference between its attack points and your monster’s defense points!” Twilight 1450 “I’ll place one more card face-down, and end my turn.” “My move!” Twilight drew, then frowned. “Let’s see that card,” the Shadowbolt beckoned. Twilight slowly turn the card around, revealing Burden of the Mighty. “A Spell Card!” she crowed. “To the Graveyard with it!” “Fine,” Twilight discarded the card. “I don’t need it anyway.” “Oh no? Seems to me that you need every card you can get right about now.” “Looks can be deceiving. Since my Silent Magician has five Spell Counters, I can sacrifice her during my Standby Phase to automatically summon Silent Magician LV8 straight from my deck!” The girl was enveloped in the silver aura one final time. On this occasion the light grew brighter and brighter than it ever had before, illuminating the dark underground vault with all the force of a second, silvery sun. When the blinding rays finally faded away, a full-grown woman in blue and white stood in front of Twilight, staff at the ready. “Is that it?” Twilight’s foe smirked. “That creature doesn’t have a single attack point more than her weaker form! That was utterly pointless!” “Wrong,” Twilight answered with a slight smirk of her own. “You see, my new monster has a very special ability. She’s immune to all of your Spell Cards!” “She’s what?!” “Silent Magician, attack her Cyberdark Horn!” The enchantress smiled and gripped her staff with one hand, pointing it across the field. It shone brightly in the darkness, unleashing waves of pearl-white magic that washed over the dark machine. “I activate my monster’s special ability!” the cultist shouted. “By sacrificing Hunter Dragon, my Cyberdark Horn is spared!” The pinned dragon shrieked in pain as it was destroyed yet again, dissolved away by the tide of magic. “But you still take battle damage,” Twilight pointed out. Shadowbolt 3000 “Is that all you’ve got?” the other woman demanded. “For now, yes.” “Then it’s my move!” She drew, then frowned at her card. “I’ll set one monster in face-down defense mode and switch Cyberdark Horn into defense mode. And that’s… all I can do for now.” “My turn again.” “Then let’s see the card you drew!” This time, Twilight revealed her freshly-drawn Solidarity. “Another Spell Card bites the dust!” “I don’t need it,” Twilight announced. “In fact, I don’t need any more cards at all. I’ll defeat you here and now with just the cards I hold in my hand.” “Big talk from a little girl with only two monster cards to her name.” “You underestimate me at your peril.” Twilight picked a card from her hand. “You people have invaded my home, threatened my friends, terrorized the innocent, and trapped my mentor in the Shadow Realm! I’m sick and tired of you goons and your demented queen! I’ll make you rue the day you thought you could mess with this land!” The Shadowbolt crossed her arms. “Only words.” “Then here’s some action!” Twilight slapped her card onto the duel disk. “I sacrifice Endymion the Master Magician and Crusader of Endymion from my Graveyard to summon Black Luster Soldier – Envoy of the Beginning!” The ground all around the duelists began to quake, then rock, and then crack open. A golden pillar of light ten feet wide exploded out as if from a volcano, immediately blinding everyone present. Twilight and the Shadowbolts alike doubled over, frantically shielding their faces and rubbing their eyes. And then, they opened them. Standing on Twilight’s side of the field was a lean, well-muscled knight. Easily seven feet tall and enclosed inside magnificent armor of black and gold, the monster carried a matching shield in his left hand. In his right, the soldier clutched a lengthy, curved silver sword that shone with all the radiance of the rising sun. He leveled the blade’s tip at his mistress’ enemies, hard face promising nothing but pain. “This extremely rare monster is one of the most valuable cards that I own,” Twilight informed them. “And you’re about to see why! Black Luster Soldier, attack Cyberdark Horn!” The monster took one look at his mechanical opponent, braced his legs, and then leapt across the field in a single bound. Cyberdark Horn had been cut into ten pieces before his legs ever touched the ground. “Now destroy her face-down monster!” The soldier whirled and plunged his sword into the back of the Shadowbolt’s other monster. It pierced right through the card and several inches of armored floor below. “That card just attacked twice! That’s illegal!” one of the spectating Shadowbolts shouted. “He’s right!” Twilight’s opponent pointed an accusing finger. “You’re cheating!” “Wrong.” Twilight shook her head. “If my Envoy of the Beginning destroys a monster by battle, it can immediately attack a second time! And as you may have noticed, that was your last monster.” “Oh... hell.” “Silent Magician, attack her life points directly! End this duel!” The magician raised her staff high, conjuring what seemed to be a pearl as big around as a human’s head. She jerked it like a conductor’s baton, and the orb went flying. The explosion rattled the vault itself. Shadowbolt 0 “And I think that’s just about it,” Twilight informed the rising pillar of smoke. “What do you think of me now?” In the enclosed, under-ventilated environment, it took a good little while for the smoke to be sucked up into vents, but eventually it was. Twilight crossed her arms and smiled to see her opponent sprawled across the ground, twitching softly and moaning. As for herself she felt better than ever as she claimed her prize – the mystic energies generated by the duel spirits. Though she knew the effect was temporary, for now victory multiplied her magical powers twice over. The other two Shadowbolts looked at their fallen comrade, then at one another. A small nod passed between them. Then, as one, they charged. Idiots. Twilight held up one hand, signaling for them to stop. Then there was a lavender flash and… they did. The two men froze right where they stood, locked in mid-step by a faint purple aura surrounding their bodies. Neither could so much as move his eyes. On the floor, their third member had suffered the exact same fate. Twilight brushed off her shoulder, collected the briefcase, and calmly strode in their direction. “Did you think I wouldn’t expect that?” she asked her frozen adversaries as she walked between two of them. “Do you I think I don’t know that you’re treacherous slime? I knew you’d never keep the terms of our bargain. I just wanted a power boost before I dealt with you.” Twilight passed between the two men without a care in the world. She stepped indifferently over the prone woman and began making her way back towards the vault’s entrance. “You see, I’m going to defeat your queen and everyone who follows her. Every last one of you will fall, and it starts with these cards.” Twilight looked down at the briefcase she carried and smiled. Celestia would be proud, she just knew it. In satisfied silence, her legs carried her a good distance back the way she had come. “Oh.” Twilight turned slight back towards her foes. “I’m sure my brother will be wanting to have words with you.” She allowed herself a slight smirk. “Don’t go anywhere.”