September 19, 2015
"Say," Twilight said as she talked on the phone. "Did anything weird happen with the puzzle when you had it, Celestia?"
"Weird?" Celestia looked confused as she spoke to Twilight from Canterlot. "Not really. It pretty much just collected dust inside the box when I stored it. Why do you ask?"
"Well, since I solved the puzzle, I've been having memory blackouts at random times." Twilight rubber her forehead. "I've told nobody because I fear they might think I'm crazy or something."
"Crazy? Twilight, you're one of the sanest people I know. You're not crazy. If you have more blackouts, call me and I'll head over right away." Then, a guard called to her. "I gotta run. See ya later, Twilight."
"Bye, Celestia." She then hung up. "I wonder... Who will be the next opponent Nightmare Moon sends my way?"
Later that day, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, and a friend of Rainbow Dash named Flash Sentry were playing Duel Monsters at her house. Twilight was explaining the rules to Flash Sentry, a new player of the game. "There are 4 types of cards: Monsters, Magic Cards, Viruses, and Traps. Monsters battle each other. Magic Cards can be activated only on your turn unless they are quick-plays. Viruses can be played on any player's turn once you set them. Traps can only be activated the turn after you set them. Rainbow Dash, wanna duel and show your friend how it's done?"
"Of course," Rainbow Dash replied. "Flash, watch carefully." Rainbow Dash went first.
Twilight said, "At the beginning of the duel, each player draws 5 cards. Additionally, each player draws 1 card per turn automatically, unless otherwise affected by a card effect."
Rainbow Dash said, "I'll summon Ancient Brain with 1000 attack. I'll then end my turn."
Twilight then went. "I'll summon Battle Warrior with 700 attack. Then, I'll activate the virus card Earth Shattering*. I'll sacrifice my Battle Warrior and half of my 2000 life points to destroy all cards you control and send all cards in your hand to the graveyard. You also take 150 points of damage for each card sent to the graveyard. I'll then set 1 card and end my turn."
RAINBOW DASH: 950
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 1000
"Crap," Rainbow Dash. "I did not factor that in."
Flash laughed and said, "You seem pretty weak in this game, Dash."
"No matter. I'll summon The 13th Grave with 1200 attack. I'll attack you directly."
"I'll stop you right there," Twilight replied once she flipped her set card up. "I activate Negate Attack. Your attack gets cancelled."
"Aw man..."
"I'll go next." Twilight then drew her card. "I'll summon Blackland Fire Dragon with 1500 attack. It will attack your 13th Grave and deal you 300 damage."
RAINBOW DASH: 650
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 1000
Suddenly, the 3 of them heard a noise behind them. Twilight looked and said, "What the hell is that?!"
Some form of gas was coming out of the air vents in the house. Rainbow Dash said, "Oh shit!"
Flash Sentry was the first to fall, collapsing to the floor, unconscious from the gas. Rainbow Dash and Twilight tried to cover their mouths as they heard 2 more thuds upstairs from Rainbow Dash's parents going unconscious.
Eventually, Rainbow Dash tried to stand up and bolt for the door. However, halfway there, she fell too. When Twilight saw this, she gave up and lapsed into unconsciousness.
About 5 minutes later, after the gas cleared, a man entered the house. As he checked the house, he found the interrupted Duel Monsters game on a table. He said, "Hmph. This duel is very amateurish. There are elementary schoolers in the regionals better than this."
Then, a voice suddenly beckoned to him, "So there is?"
The man turned around and saw Twilight, having transformed through the puzzle, standing in a doorway. "How did you wake up?!"
"It's a good thing I was holding onto the Alicorn Puzzle when I fell unconscious," Twilight replied. "Let me guess, you're with Nightmare Moon?"
"Indeed I am," the man said. "I am Ivory Spark, the third horseman, and Lila Love's girlfriend."
"Well, well, well," Twilight replied as she sat down at the table where she had previously been dueling. "Can you play?"
"Of course! I'll kick your ass for hurting my girlfriend, Twilight!" He then sat down as well as she grabbed his deck.
Twilight picked up her cards and reshuffled them into her deck. "Do NOT underestimate me." They both then drew their cards.
Ivory said, "I'll go first. I assume the monsters will come to life again?"
"Of course. This is a Shadow Game, where the loser faces a punishment beyond comprehension."
"I'll summon Beautiful Beast Tamer, with 1750 attack. I'll then end my turn."
"Well then." Twilight then drew her card. "I'll summon Blackland Fire Dragon with 1500 attack. Then, I'll activate Big Bang Shot and equip it to my dragon to boost its attack to 2100." As both monsters formed and stared each other down, Twilight said, "Now, attack!"
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 2000
IVORY SPARK: 1650
Ivory replied, "Not bad, not bad. You're better than I thought. Now it's my turn again. I'll summon Cyber-Tech Alligator with 2500 attack. I'll also activate Swords of Revealing Light to prevent you from attacking for 3 turns. Now, destroy her dragon!"
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 1600
IVORY SPARK: 1650
Twilight thought to herself, "Crap! I'll need to defend for now." She quietly set a monster and ended her turn.
"I'll just demolish it like that dragon of your's!" Cyber-Tech Alligator easily obliterated Twilight's set monster.
Twilight then drew her next card and smiled. "I'll summon Giant Soldier of Stone with 1300 attack. Then, I'll activate Earth Shattering. By sacrificing my soldier and paying half of my life points, I'll destroy all of your cards on the field and make you discard every card in your hand! You'll be taking 1350 damage."
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 800
IVORY SPARK: 300
"How did you get a virus card?! Those were just introduced! They're super rare! Even I have only one!" Ivory was in shock. "Whatever. It's my turn." He then drew his card. "I'll set this monster and end." The monster he set was Battle Footballer, with 2100 DEF.
Twilight said, "Okay then. I'll summon my trump card, Dark Magician!"
Ivory Spark thought to himself, "Dark Magician AND a virus card?! HOW?!"
"Then, I'll take care of that set monster you have by equipping Dark Magician with Fairy Meteor Crush, which will inflict the difference between my attack and your defense as battle damage." Twilight then smiled. "You lose. Now, Dark Magician, attack!" As Dark Magician formed and got ready, Twilight triumphantly said, "Black Magic!"
Dark Magician stuck his palm out as a shattering sound echoed through the house. Battle Footballer formed and was instantly destroyed, shattering into numerous pieces.
TWILIGHT SPARKLE: 800
IVORY SPARK: 0
Ivory said, "No way!"
Twilight then stood up and pointed at him as her eyes, puzzle, and horn glowed, shouting, "Penalty Game!"
Ivory Spark suddenly began to hear a beating. He said, "What the-?! What is this?!" As the beating got louder, he tried to cover his ears, but to no avail. He screamed, "Oh dear God, make it stop!" He then darted out of the house, screaming.
"Now you shall be cursed to hear your own heart beat for the rest of your pathetic life. Game Over!" Twilight then remembered, "Wait... Rainbow Dash's parents!" She then panicked and suddenly changed back to her normal self as she ran upstairs.
As she did, Rainbow Dash and Flash Sentry woke up. Rainbow Dash said, "Flash? Twilight? What happened?"
When Twilight ran upstairs, she found Rainbow Dash's mother, who had also just woken up, crying in a bathroom. Twilight said, "What happened?!"
"My husband drowned," Rainbow Dash's mother said as she continued to cry. Twilight looked over and gasped.
Apparently, when Rainbow Dash's father went unconscious, he had fallen into a toilet, fracturing his skull, giving him a cerebral haemorrhage, and making him drown in water and his own blood.
Twilight pulled him out and said, "Call 911 now!"
Rainbow Dash ran to the room and screamed, "Oh my God! Dad!"
As Rainbow Dash's mom ran out to call 911, Twilight began to do CPR. As she did, Flash Sentry arrived and said, "Holy shit!"
After 2 minutes of chest compressions, Twilight said, in tears, "He's... He's gone..."
Rainbow Dash cried out, "DAD! NO!" She collapsed into Twilight, sobbing, as the police arrived at the house.