//------------------------------// // Duel 18-Discovery and Death // Story: It's Time to Duel! // by thisissparta789789 //------------------------------// As Twilight and Cloud Tail's Capsule Monster Chess duel went on, Flash Sentry, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie discovered another room that took the place of Moon-T 4A. It was empty except for 2 desks that had game controllers on them, as well as 2 sets of armor, all of which were paired together on opposite ends of the room. Pinkie Pie said, "What is this place?" Then, Fluttershy looked up and yelled, "Look at that!" Above the gang was a glass room that contained Rainbow Dash. She had been banging on the glass floor for a while trying to get their attention. She yelled, "About damn time you found me!" Flash Sentry said in shock, "Rainbow Dash?! We thought you were dead!" "Dead?! No way! I was stuck in that room of falling cubes until some guards entered and brought me here for some reason." Then, another voice said, "Welcome to the Battle Arena." Everyone turned to the other doorway at the end of the room and saw 2 of the old Horsemen of Death: Lila Love, who had spoken, and Aqua Lily. Lila said, "Aqua, put on your battle suit." "Of course," Aqua replied as she picked up one of the suits of armor and put it on. "Now, you see, one person will put this battle suit on, and another will control their movements. When one of us reaches a hit count of 100%, our suits will deactivate, and that person will lose." Flash Sentry said to the group, "I'll put on the suit of armor." Fluttershy walked over to one of the desks and confidently said, "I'll be the controller." Pinkie Pie said to her, "Are you sure?" "Yes. I'm not being a burden this time around." Fluttershy then turned on her controller. "Ready, Flash?" "Of course." Flash Sentry looked at and admired his suit of armor as Aqua Lily and Lila Love got ready. Rainbow Dash yelled, "Good luck!" As the other Twilight exited the glass box towards the elevator to the next arena, Cloud Tail feared how Nightmare Moon would react to his loss. He thought to himself, "I screwed up... I really screwed up this time..." Suddenly, the TV screens above the glass box flashed on as Nightmare Moon's face appeared on them. The other Twilight turned around in shock and said, "Nightmare Moon!" "I see you've beaten my apprentice," Nightmare Moon said to her. "Now, go to the elevator to the final stage and prepare for a real challenge, Twilight Sparkle." The other Twilight defiantly said, "I will! Don't you worry, I'll rise to your challenge, and I will win!" "We'll see about that." The youthful-looking businesswoman then turned her sights onto a frightened Cloud Tail. "Now, I see you have lost." "I... I'm sorry..." "Sorry won't cut it, I'm afraid." She then pressed a button on her control panel. "You know the rules, right? Only the winner leaves the box alive. The loser will face the Experience of Death before being cast off to the pitch black nothingness that is after one dies." Then, as smoke enveloped the box, Cloud Tail's worst fears became a reality. Virtual simulation monsters formed in the smoke, with their teeth sharpened and yellowed by blood, and their eyes transfixed on Cloud Tail as they began to inspect their newest snack. As they inched closer, he screamed bloody horror, grabbing the other Twilight's attention. She yelled, "Cloud Tail! No!" "Impossible," she thought to herself. "Nightmare Moon is going to kill her own apprentice with a Penalty Game! I never thought I'd see such cruelty in my life!" She then ran back over to the glass box, sticking her hand in the enclosure and yelling, "Cloud Tail! Grab my hand!" Cloud Tail, frightened and breathing heavily, instinctively reached over to her hand and grabbed onto it. The other Twilight then yanked him out of the box to safety just as one of the virtual simulation monsters was about to bite off his head. After he came to his senses, he looked up at her and said, "Why? Why me? Why did you go back and save someone like me?" "Because," the other Twilight began. "I'm not that cruel. Look, Cloud Tail, I won because I had people who actually believed in me behind me. They honestly believed I could win, and they trusted me with their very lives, given your threats at the beginning of the game." Cloud Tail then said to himself, "Trust..." "Listen, I never really had that much faith in you actually beating Twilight as part of the Horsemen run-up plan. What makes you think I expect you to win this time around? Besides, I bet it all on Moon-T 5, which is my Duel Monsters duel with her." Cloud Tail, now angered, said, "You WHAT?! I'm your prized pupil! You trained me exactly as you wanted to, and yet you still had no faith in me?! You even bet against me?!" "I actually opposed your participation in Moon-T from the beginning," Nightmare Moon harshly replied. "Be glad that you're lucky enough to still be in it!" "But... But what about the deal we made? You're my mentor! You're supposed to care for me and cherish me!" Cloud Tail, by now, was getting upset. Nightmare Moon yelled, "ENOUGH! Cloud Tail, in this world, caring and cherishing don't matter AT ALL! Now, go!" Cloud Tail growled and said, "Fine! I'll go!" He then slammed his fist on the ground and yelled, "Why?!" After he calmed down, he grabbed his wallet and pulled out a picture from about 3 years ago. In it, he and Nightmare Moon were at a party and were dancing happily. "I remember those days..." He then said to the other Twilight, "Hey, Twilight." "Yes?" "Do me one favour, please... Beat Nightmare Moon. She has become nothing like she was when I first met her. She has been corrupted by greed and power." He then sighed. "I just want things to be like they were before she went mad... When she didn't think of me as worthless..." The other Twilight felt a deep pang of sympathy for the young man. "I'll try, Cloud Tail." She then thought to herself, "I can only imagine what he went through. I'm glad Celestia was never slowly corrupted by power and greed like Nightmare Moon was." As the other Twilight entered the elevator to get to the Duel Monsters arena, an armed guard told Spike, Rarity, and Applejack, "You 3 will enter through a different entrance so you can see the duel from the ground level." "Front row seats, please," Applejack defiantly replied with a grin. "I'd like to see, up close and personal, the moment when Twilight kicks Nightmare Moon's ass." Spike said, "Exactly." Rarity nodded as well. "Hah," another guard replied. "I wouldn't count on that."