RANK 5: The Apartment Altercation:
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THE STORY SO FAR...:
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In Canterlot High School, every student is wild over the world's most popular trading card game: Duel Monsters! Every day, players of the card game, known as "Duelists", go head-to-head to see who among them is the best around. Among the Duelists in attendance at CHS, one of the best is a young teenager named Sunset Shimmer, a girl from another world...
Sunset Shimmer has recently been putting her stellar dueling skills to good use. After a series of dangerous cards known as the "Numbers" began to pop up all over the place, the teenager has been hard at work trying to obtain them from the Duelists that became possessed by them. Her hardest battle yet came when Rarity, one of her best friends, fell under the control of Number 52: Diamond Crab King. The card nearly caused her to ruin the Fall Formal, one of CHS's biggest events. Thanks to Sunset Shimmer and her powerful Chronomaly Deck, she defeated Rarity and obtained her Number, restoring her friend back to her normal self.
Sunset has accomplished a lot ever since the day she forged a strong friendship with her closet friends; now she is no longer hated by the entire school, and her new reputation of being both a good person and a powerful Duelist has been spreading all over the school and Canterlot City. Now, she is about to achieve her biggest accomplishment yet...
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It was another bright and sunny afternoon in the city of Canterlot. The school day had just ended, and all of the students in attendance at Canterlot High School departed from the building, either heading back home, or going somewhere in town to hang out. At Sugarcube Corner, the city's most popular sweet shop, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie were all sitting at a small table, seemingly waiting for something. To pass the time, the five teens talked to one another about various things, mostly about their card collections. After having been involved with the game of Duel Monsters fairly often for the past few weeks, it seemed like the best thing for them to talk about.
"So how's your new Deck coming along, AJ?" Rainbow Dash inquired the orange-skinned country girl.
"The Sylvan Deck? Almost done with it." Applejack answered. "I've actually been makin' a heap o' progress on it lately. Ah can't wait to try it out once Ah'm done!"
"You know... I think I might have a few Sylvan cards in my collection back home." Fluttershy chimed in. "Maybe you could come by and see it? ...Um, if you want to, that is..."
"Sure, Ah'll be there!" the orange teen responded. "Just as long as you keep that li'l ol' rabbit o' yours under control."
"I promise that Angel will be on his best behavior when you come by." the animal-loving girl assured her.
"What about you, Rainbow?" Rarity asked the athletic teen. "Did you build a Deck yet? I only ask because you're the only one of us that hasn't put a new one together recently."
"Yeesh, don't rush me! I actually have been workin' on one for a coupla days." Dash responded. She then looked over at Fluttershy and said to her, "After I'm done with it, though, I'd like to see how well it'd do against your Deck."
"Wha... me??" asked the timid girl. "Oh... I... I don't know..."
"Well, what about you, then?" the cyan girl then asked Rarity. "I've been wanting to take on your Gem Knight Deck for a while, especially after seein' it in action at the Fall Formal last month."
Rarity sighed. "Please... don't remind me of that." she told her friend. "I'd rather try and forget the day that I was acting MOST un-lady-like..."
Pinkie Pie then chimed in and said, "Not to mention that you were TOTALLY loco in the coco when you overdecorated everything! I mean, you HAVE to be a total, crazed NUT to clutter up the snack table and leave no room for stuff to eat!!"
"...Thank you, Pinkie..." Rarity said sarcastically. "I REALLY needed to hear all of that..."
"You're welcome!" the silly girl replied, causing the fashionista to facepalm.
Just then, the doors to the sweet shop opened and in walked Sunset Shimmer with a rather pleasant smile upon her face. It wasn't often that she was in this chipper a mood, but whenever she was, it usually meant that something particularly good happened to her. Walking over and sitting down with her friends, she said to them, "Sorry I'm late; Thunderlane wanted to duel me again, so I played a quick round with him."
"Did ya beat him?" asked Rainbow Dash, who had a feeling that she already knew the answer.
"You bet I did." the otherworldly girl told her.
"Is that why you are in such a good mood right now?" asked Rarity.
"Actually, no. I was in a good mood long before then." explained Sunset. "And it's also why I asked you all to come here today: I have some very big news for you all."
"Big news? What is it?" asked Applejack.
"Are you gonna try out for the baseball team and become captain?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Did you get noticed by a representative of a fashion magazine and they've asked you to be a model for them?" inquired Rarity.
"Ooh! OOH!! I KNOW!!" screamed Pinkie Pie. "Are you gonna try to beat the world record for eating an entire six-layer cake the fastest?!" She then told her red and yellow friend, "No offense, Sunnie, but you'll never beat MY record!!"
"Um... no, no, and DEFINITELY no." Sunset replied, answering all three questions in order. "Actually, this is something I've been looking forward to for a very long time..." The girl took a deep breath and told them all, "I'm finally getting a home for myself!"
The others gasped, both out of shock and out of joy for Sunset. "That's great t' hear, Sugarcube!" Applejack told her, happy for her friend.
"Oh, this is so wonderful!!" Rarity added. "You're finally going to be able to leave the homeless shelter!"
"That's right." the red and yellow girl confirmed. "In fact, today will be my last day there. The people there said that they're gonna miss me, though; it seems kinda sad that I'm leaving them all behind like that."
"Well, ya know what they say: 'A rollin' stone gathers no moss'." Applejack told her friend.
"It's true; I tried it." Pinkie added. Sunset chuckled a little at her pink friend's comment.
"Wait, hold on... How'd ya manage to afford your own place?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Your part-time job pays you well, but not THAT well."
"Well, actually, Vice Principal Luna's the one who was able to get me my own place to live." the otherworldly girl explained. "She knows a few people, and one of them happens to be a landlord of an apartment building in the city. So, she was able to pull a few strings and allow me to get an apartment there."
"Well, that was sure nice o' her t' do that for ya." Applejack commented.
"I believe it's because Sunset had saved the Fall Formal last month." Fluttershy figured.
"I was thinking that too." Sunset responded. "I feel a bit guilty about accepting that from her, though... I don't really know if I deserve such a thing or not..."
"Of course you do, Sunset darling." Rarity told her. "You've done so much to help those around you. I should know: I don't know WHAT would have become of me if you hadn't saved me from that Number card during the Fall Formal."
"You're welcome, Rarity." the red and yellow teen replied. "It was my pleasure."
"So... um... does this mean that you won't be coming by our homes for sleepovers every week anymore...?" asked Fluttershy, feeling a bit down just thinking about it.
"Oh, don't worry; that won't change." Sunset told her shy friend. "I'll still come and spend Sunday nights with all of you, just like before. The only difference is that now you could come and spend the night with me in my apartment if you wanted to."
"That sounds awesome, Sunset!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "We'd love t' come and visit ya!" The others nodded to say that they shared the same opinion.
"Thanks, girls." Sunset told them. Twiddling her thumbs a little, she then said to them, "There's just one thing though; the other reason I told you about this is... well, tomorrow, I'll be gathering all of my belongings from the shelter, and..."
"And you'd like us t' help ya out, right?" asked Applejack, finishing her friend's sentence.
"Um... yeah, that's right..." the otherworldly girl sheepishly replied. "I'm sorry, it's just that... if I were to do it all by myself, it would probably be nighttime by the time I'm done... and not only that-"
"You don't have to say another word, Sunset." Rarity interrupted. "We would be happy to help you move into your new home."
"Yeah!! And after that," Pinkie Pie loudly chimed in, "we could even have a HOUSEWARMING party!!! It'll be SO much FUN!!!"
Rarity, covering her ears a little, said to her hyper pink friend, "Pinkie, didn't we have a discussion about using our inside voices while in public??"
"But this IS my inside voice!" Pinkie told her. "This is how I ALWAYS talk when I'm at home!"
"Annnnnnnd it doesn't bother your folks none?" Applejack inquired.
"They've probably gotten used to it by now." Rainbow answered her.
Sunset then coughed a little for attention and asked her friends, "Anyway... do you think that all of you could come by the shelter tomorrow and help me get my belongings together?"
"Of course, Sunset." Fluttershy responded. "It would be my pleasure to help you out."
"Same with all of us." Rainbow added in a casual tone.
"Ah'll see if Ah can get Big Mac to bring in one'a our delivery trucks to use as a movin' truck." suggested Applejack. "Ah'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"And I'll make sure that everything is as neatly organized as possible." stated Rarity.
"And I'll... uh... And I'll... ummmm..." Pinkie Pie tried to think of something she could do, but couldn't come up with anything. So she simply said, "Well, I can't think of anything that I can do that relates to my personality the best, so I'll just do regular work instead!"
"Thanks a lot." Sunset told them with a smile. "I really appreciate it." The otherworldly girl was happy to know that her friends would help her move into her new apartment tomorrow.
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The very next day, around noontime, Sunset and her friends all gathered together at the homeless shelter to help the otherworldly girl move out. It was a Saturday, so they had all the time they needed to tackle the job. Just as Applejack had promised the other day, she was able to get her older brother, Big Macintosh, to arrive with one of their delivery trucks. Normally, the truck was used to transport the apples from their orchard around the city and elsewhere. But today, it would be used as a moving truck.
"Thanks a heap, big bro." Applejack told her older brother, who was still sitting in the driver's seat after he parked the truck in front of the building. "I guess with you here, it means that Granny Smith was okay with y'all bringin' the truck over, right?"
Big Mac nodded, saying, "Eeeyup."
"That's good t' hear." The orange-skinned girl then walked over to her friends and told them all, "Okay, gals... we've got a lotta work to do, so let's make like ants and start gettin' busy! We don't wanna take too long here, after all."
"Heh, no prob, AJ. We've got this." Rainbow Dash said in a casual tone.
"Just as long as we can all agree that Applejack carries all of the heavy objects." Rarity added.
"Now hold on a sec, Rare..." the farm girl told her violet-haired friend. "Ah certainly hope that y'all will actually contribute to some of the labor, instead of havin' US do all the work fer ya..."
"Of COURSE I will!" Rarity said back. "I'll carry some things!!" She then added, "Just nothing heavy, nothing sticky, nothing with a foul odor, nothing that's loud and tasteless, nothing outright UGLY..."
Applejack groaned, slapping her face with her hand and shouted, "Rarity! You're doin' it again! You're whinin' about the work, and we haven't even started yet!"
"I was NOT whining!" argued the fashionista. "I was complaining! Would you like to HEAR whining?!"
"Girls, that's enough!" Sunset told them both, stepping in between the two quarreling girls. "This is not the time to be arguing over something like that!" She then told them, "For once, why can't you two be like Pinkie Pie right now?" She then pointed over to the silly pink girl, who had already started gathering some of the red and yellow girl's boxed belongings and walked towards the truck while balancing the large boxes on her head... somehow. "You don't see her complaining about the work or anyone else, do you?"
Pinkie giggled and told them all, "Why WOULD I complain? It's not often I get to balance lots of boxes on my head like this and call it work!" She then hummed happily to herself as she stopped behind the truck and unloaded all of the things that she was carrying inside of it.
Sunset then turned back over to Applejack and Rarity and asked them, "Now, can we all agree not to bicker with each other and get done what we need to get done?"
"Fine, Sunset..." the orange-skinned girl replied. "When you're right, you're right." She then put her hand out towards Rarity and said to her, "No hard feelings, Rare?"
"Sure... no hard feelings." the violet-haired teen responded. "...As long as you get all of the heavy things."
"We'll BOTH get all the heavy stuff." Applejack informed her. "Together."
"...Fine."
For the next hour or so, the six girls went to work, gathering all of Sunset's personal belongings and putting them into the truck. The back of the vehicle was loaded with all sorts of things, such as her clothes, a video game console, a few stuffed animals, several bath towels, and even a computer.
After they were all done, Fluttershy then said to Sunset, "You sure have a lot of things here in the truck..." She then asked, in a slightly uneasy-sounding tone, "Um... did you... um... get all of these things when you were..."
"Uh huh..." the red and yellow girl responded, feeling a bit guilty; she knew what Fluttershy was asking her. "Back then, I... well... kinda used my looks to get people to give me whatever I wanted... And before you all ask: Yes, I feel really bad about it now."
"It's alright, Sunset dear." Rarity informed her friend. "I must admit: I have done things like that in the past before I realized that it wasn't right." Coughing a little, she then added, "Anyway... changing the subject, where is your new apartment?"
"Vice Principal Luna printed out a map of the city and marked the location for me." Sunset Shimmer answered, pulling out a folded paper from out of a pocket on her jacket. She then unfolded it and pointed to a large circle that had been drawn upon it. "Here it is: The apartment building is on 60 S. Jump Street."
"60 S. Jump Street?" asked Applejack. "Ya mean THAT'S where your new home is?"
"You've been there?" asked Rainbow Dash.
"Just the surroundin' area, really, but Ah've seen the place." the farm girl answered. "It's more like on'a them ginormous fancy-shmancy hotels rather than an apartment buildin'!"
"Really??" asked Sunset, sounding rather surprised.
"You didn't know?" asked Rarity.
"Well, I knew that Luna was giving me a place of my own, but besides giving me this map, she didn't tell me where it was or what it looked like." the otherworldly girl informed them.
"Well, we ain't gonna find out what the place looks like if we're all just standin' here, doin' nothin'!" Applejack reminded the others. "So let's get a move on already!" She and Sunset then climbed into the delivery truck while the others piled into Pinkie Pie's pink Volkswagon Beetle. The gang all drove off soon after, heading further into town.
When they all arrived at the apartment building, the six girls were totally flabbergasted: Just as Applejack had told them all, the towering structure was quite fancy-looking, and rightfully so: Jump Street just so happened to be located in the "richer" part of town, as evidenced by all of the other nice-looking buildings and people that walked around.
"This is asTOUNDING!!" Rarity said with a happy gasp. "I cannot believe we're actually here, in the nicer part of the city!" Looking around, she then spotted some well-known city folk, strolling around like anyone else. "Look!" the fashionista exclaimed. "There's Fancypants! And Jet Set! Even Mayor Mare herself is here!"
"Yeesh, Rare... Don't start makin' a scene." the farm girl told her. "What happened to your usual, 'act as polite an' sophisticated as possible' speech that y'all keep spoutin' at us?"
"Well, I can't help it, Applejack dear." the violet-haired girl told her. "It's not like any of us were expecting to see anyone famous today."
"That's true." AJ then glanced over at Sunset and asked her, "So how 'bout it, Sunset? Ah'll bet that you're feelin' pretty good about gettin' a place here, huh?"
The red and yellow girl said nothing at first: She was still completely amazed that Vice Principal Luna would do such a thing for her, of all people. "This is... this is... oh my..." was all that came out of her mouth, as she tried to describe her feelings right now.
"From your tone and stuttering, I can see that you're quite flattered by our gift." said an older woman's voice from nearby. The group turned their heads to see none other than Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna standing nearby them. "Good to see that you could make it over here alright." Celestia said, adding to her earlier comment.
"What're you two doin' here?" asked Rainbow Dash out of curiosity.
"We came to see all of you, of course." Luna answered. "Mostly Ms. Shimmer in particular." She then asked the otherworldly girl, "So, what do you think? It is nice, isn't it?"
"Yeah... i-it is..." Sunset meekly responded. "Maybe a bit too nice, even... You didn't have to go all out and give me an apartment in the rich part of town; I would've been fine with almost anything."
"I'm sure you would have." Celestia told her. "But Luna and I decided to reward you for all the good things that you have done for both the school and the community recently. And being well-known and very influential people ourselves, obtaining such a place for you was no problem at all."
"It also helps that I am actually a personal friend of the landlord." Luna added. "He and I go way back; we actually met each other during the time that my sister and I were still professional Duelists."
"Oh, were the two of you an item?" asked Rarity in an eager tone.
"Oh, no," the vice prinicpal answered, chuckling and blushing, "nothing like that. He's actually married. No, we're just longtime friends: Nothing more, nothing less. We've performed friendly gestures such as this for each other many, many times in the past. So, he had no problem in helping to get you a proper place to live, Ms. Shimmer."
"Well... thank you both so much..." the red and yellow girl replied, blushing and rubbing the back of her head. "I-I-I don't know how I could possibly repay you for being so kind, especially to someone like me..."
"There is no need to repay us; you have done more than enough for us and the school." Celestia told her. "This is OUR way of repaying you for all of your service so far, and in the hopes that you continue to be the good person that you are truly meant to be."
"I will, Princes- uh, I mean, Principal Celestia." Sunset replied. "I promise to you, my friends, and myself to be the best that I can be, in more ways than one." The white-skinned woman smiled warmly after hearing that, proud of her student for saying that.
"We can discuss things such as that a bit later." Luna suggested. "Right now, I believe there is still some more work to be done." She then picked up one of the boxes inside of the moving truck and told the others, "Everybody pick up a box and follow me; I'll show you where the room is." With a smile, she then added, "If you all were astounded by how the building looks on the outside, I believe that you will be even more impressed by what it looks like on the INSIDE..."
Needless to say, the vice principal was quite right about that, for once the six teens entered the apartment that Sunset would be living in (which was number 14, according to the door), their jaws nearly dropped. The apartment was MASSIVE, almost as big as a small house in the suburbs, complete with a spacious living room, a kitchen, a small dining room, a bedroom, and a bathroom.
The living room was far from empty, though, as there were all sorts of furniture set up, such as an L-shaped sofa set up along the back wall and various tables and desks placed neatly around the floor. To the left of the entrance was a small coat closet, and there was even a small counter set up in another corner nearby the entrance, much like one that you would typically see inside of a tavern, with a soda fountain, coolers, and other things behind the counter.
"Woah... lookit all this..." said a stunned Applejack.
"This apartment is simply ASTONISHING!" cheered Rarity.
"...I... I'm actually a little jealous..." Fluttershy meekly added. "I... I'm sorry."
"Wow, this is so GREAT, Sunnie!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "This place is so mega-super-humongous!!"
"It's almost as big as my place...!" Rainbow Dash chimed in, a bit surprised by what they saw.
"Yeah... it's... it's a lot to take in, that's for sure..." stated Sunset Shimmer, still not believing what was going on.
The group decided to stroll around the apartment to see what the other rooms looked like. Their first stop was the kitchen (to the right of the apartment's entrance), where they saw a nice, clean room complete with a small round table, a counter with several overhead cupboards above it, a stove, a large freezer, a refrigerator, and a double sink. No doubt about it, Sunset could cook all sorts of delicious meals in a nice kitchen such as this one.
The next room was the one that was adjacent to the kitchen: The dining room. There wasn't much inside, but it did consist of a large, rectangular dining table and matching oak wood seats. There was also a desk with cabinets placed off to the side of the table, and a houseplant in the corner to add to the ambiance.
The bedroom, located to the left of the front door, was also quite impressive. The bed was about queen size, measuring six feet wide and six-foot-eight long. The covers were colored baby blue, matching the sky blue walls perfectly, and the pillows were probably just as soft as they looked. On either side of the bed was a small nightstand, each one with a small lamp sitting on it. Along the left wall was a large dresser, made of oak wood, just like the table and chairs in the dining room. Nearby it was a walk-in closet, and next to that, a smaller dresser that was ideal for having a television set placed on top of it. Along the right-hand wall was a writing desk and a bookshelf, perfect for Sunset to work on any and all schoolwork.
Just beside the writing desk was a door leading to the elegant-looking bathroom. The bright-pink sink was the first thing one would see upon entering. To the left of the door was a clothes hamper, to use for storing dirty clothes that would eventually be taken to the washing machines downstairs. Next to the hamper was a bathtub, complete with a shower head and curtain, followed by a small bathroom closet. Even the toilet was fancy-looking, with a fuzzy seat cover and bronze flusher handle. Of course, the one thing that the group immediately took notice of was the...
"HOT TUB!!" screamed Pinkie Pie, pointing to the object in question.
"Dibs!!" shouted Rainbow in excitement.
"Hold on a second!!" yelled Rarity in an annoyed tone. "At least give us all a chance to see it first!" The three of them raced over to the hot tub, fighting over who would get to use it first.
Celestia chuckled a little, saying, "I had a feeling this would happen when they saw it."
"Yeah... y'all would think that they'd consider the fact that Sunset oughtta get to use the tub first, since it's actually hers." Applejack noted.
"Eh, I don't care who gets it first." the red and yellow girl casually stated. "But this does give me an idea..." She then walked over to Rarity, Rainbow, and Pinkie and said to them, "Now, now girls... there's no need to fight over the hot tub. How about this? Whoever does the best job of helping me get all of my stuff set up in my apartment gets first crack at it."
"That is no contest, Sunset: I will do QUITE a good job, being a master of interior design." Rarity informed her.
"Hooooooooold on a sec, Rarity... You're not the ONLY one that can make a room pretty!" Pinkie said to her violet-haired friend. "Have you SEEN the decorations at the parties I helped put together? They've gotten five balloons out of five on the rating system that I made up!"
"And if you think I'm gonna back out of a competition just because it's a decorating contest," the cyan-skinned teen told them both, "then you don't know Rainbow Dash as well ya think you do!"
"So it's on?" asked Rarity.
"It's ON!!" Pinkie and Dash responded. Soon after, all three of them rushed to start getting all of Sunset's belongings into the room and in the proper places.
With a smirk, the otherworldly teen said to the rest of the group, "And that, girls, is how it's done."
"Wasn't that a little underhanded, Sunset...?" asked Fluttershy. "If you don't mind me asking..."
"Well, it was either that, or have those three argue all day while we did all the work." the red and yellow girl responded.
"Point taken." replied Applejack. She then said, "Anyhoo, we'd better get back t' work, too. We can't have Rare and the others doin' everythin' by themselves, can we?" The others shook their heads no to say that they wouldn't just sit and not do anything themselves. Soon after that, everyone was busy once again.
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It took almost an hour's worth of work, but at long last, Sunset and the others were able to get everything from the truck inside of her new apartment. All of her clothes were put away in either the closets or the dressers, her computer and game console were hooked up properly, and all of her other things were placed in the spots that the red and yellow girl wanted them in. After it was all over, Sunset decided that Rarity had done the best job of getting all of her things together, and, as promised, the fashionista was permitted to use the new hot tub first, much to her joy.
Rainbow grumbled a little; she didn't like losing at anything, even a decorating contest. But Pinkie Pie did her best to make her feel better by saying, "It'll be alright, Dashie; you know ya can't win 'em all... Tell ya what: You can go before me once Rarity's done."
The silly girl's offer was enough to cheer Dash up a little. "Thanks, Pink." she replied, still a bit miffed at losing to Rarity.
Looking around the new apartment, Celestia praised everyone's great effort, telling them all, "Very good work, everyone. Thanks to all of your hard work here, I'm sure Sunset will feel very comfortable in her new home."
"Anythin' for a friend of ours." Applejack replied with a smile. The others nodded to say the same.
Just then, there was a sudden knock on the door. "Um, I'll get it..." stated Fluttershy, walking over and opening the door.
On the other side of the doorway was an adult man with dark tan skin and short, dark-red hair. He had black eyes and a pair of bushy eyebrows above those eyes. His outfit consisted of a dark brown coat with fuzzy red cuffs on the bottom, as well as on the wrist and neck areas. On the left side of the chest area of the coat was a small picture of what appeared to be a Manticore: A mythical beast that consisted of parts of a lion, a bat, and a scorpion. He also had on a pair of black pants, brown leather shoes, and a brown hat on his head.
"Hello, am I interrupting anything?" he asked everyone in the room. His voice was very gruff-sounding, but also very pleasant.
"Oh, Manny Roar!" exclaimed Luna in delight. "I was hoping that you would show up soon! Come on inside!" The man did just that, walking into the living room and over to the group. The vice principal then said to the six teens, "Girls, this is Manny Roar: He is the building's landlord." Everyone greeted him politely and shook his hand. "Manny, this is Sunset Shimmer." Luna then told the man, introducing him to the red and yellow girl. "She's going to be your new tenant."
"So you're the young lady that Luna's been tellin' me about." Manny then said to Sunset, shaking her hand. "Well, you appear to be just as nice as she told me."
"Um, thank you, sir... That's very nice of you to say." the otherworldly girl replied. "I hope it's not too weird that I'm pretty much going to be living here by myself."
"Don't worry, Ms. Shimmer. Luna explained everything to me." Manny replied. "The deal was that, in terms of any and all paperwork, she is the owner of the apartment, but that you would be the one living in it."
"Really?" asked Sunset.
"Indeed." Principal Celestia chimed in. "Luna has insisted that she would help with most of your expenses, such as your monthly rent. Of course, we trust that you will be responsible for any other small expenses that might come your way."
"O-of course, Principal Celestia!" the red and yellow girl replied. "I was actually just about to say that I didn't want you both to pay for all my things for me. Trust me; I wouldn't feel right if you went and did that."
"Well, we're glad to hear that you've developed a sense of responsibility for yourself." stated Luna.
"Same here." Manny added. "I wish all of my past tenants were more like that."
"Uh, not t' change the subject or anything," Rainbow Dash suddenly said, "but I gotta ask something: Vice Principal Luna, you told us that this Manny guy is an old friend of yours; how'd you two meet?"
"Very well, I suppose you all should know." Luna replied. "It's actually kind of an interesting story..." The dark-blue woman then cleared her throat and began to tell her story.
"It was about several years ago, before we became high school principals." she told them all. "Back then, my older sister and I were well-known throughout the country as professional Duelists. We were among the best of the best; Celestia and I had won well over one hundred tournaments, many of which had very tough competitors participating. We had won more than enough prize money to be able to live off of it for many, many years. It was during one of these many tournaments that Manny Roar and I had met."
"I was in the audience when Luna won the final match and the championship." Manny then chimed in. "You should have seen her back then; whenever she dueled, she pulled off so many powerful moves, that her opponents looked like amateurs in comparison." The vice principal blushed a little upon hearing that. He then continued, saying, "Anyway, after the match, I went to look for her to get an autograph, when all of a sudden, when I wasn't looking, I tripped over a loose tile on the floor and fell over. When I hit the ground, I hurt my leg really bad..."
"Ooooooh... yeah, I know the feeling..." Rainbow Dash told him, sympathizing with the man's plight.
Continuing his story, Manny then told them all, "Anyway, I called out for help because I couldn't stand up, but there was no one around to hear me... or so I thought."
"I happened to be walking around the convention hall after meeting some of my fans when I heard him calling for help." Luna then said. "I rushed over and found him, holding his left leg in pain. I immediately called 911 and asked for an ambulance to come by and pick him up. I then hopped inside and rode over to the hospital to watch over him."
"Thanks to Luna, I was able to recover in just a day's time." Manny then explained. "Since she was able to get me help as quickly as she did, my leg was able to heal itself faster. She even used some of the prize money that she had won in the tournament to pay my hospital bills."
"Really?" asked Fluttershy. "Oh, that was so sweet of you, Vice Principal Luna."
"Well, I felt a bit responsible for what had happened." the dark-blue woman told her. "After all, he had injured himself on the day that he went to see me in the competition, so I did feel bad about it and wanted to do whatever I could to help him in his time of need."
"And I still appreciate it, Luna." Manny informed her. "After all, in the end, some good did come out of it; instead of getting your autograph, I got a new friend."
"You're quite welcome." Luna told him with a smile.
"Awwwwww... that's so wonderful!" said Pinkie Pie, getting a little teary-eyed from hearing the story. "So you've been good friends ever since?"
"Yep. Since that day, we've done all sorts of things, and have done favors for each other without a second thought." said the landlord. "So when Luna told me that she wanted one of her students to move out of the homeless shelter and have a proper place to live, I was all for it."
"Well, thank you very much, Mr. Roar." Sunset said. "You have no idea how much this means to me. And I promise to be the best tenant that I can be."
"I'm sure you will." Manny responded. He then asked her, "Anyway, Luna told me that you're quite a strong Duelist yourself. Perhaps you and I could Duel each other one day. After all, if someone like her says that someone's a strong player, that usually means that they are."
"Well, I do my best; nothing more, nothing less." the red and yellow girl told him. "And I'll definitely have to take you up on that offer sometime."
At that moment, Rarity had emerged from the bathroom, having finished with using the hot tub. Her soaking wet hair was wrapped up in a towel, and she was wearing a crimson red bathrobe that belonged to Sunset (which Sunset herself offered to Rarity prior to her using the tub). "Oh my, what a WONDERFUL experience!" she said, feeling as though she had just finished a lengthy session at a five-star spa. "The water was heated to absolute perfection! And the way the bubbles massaged every part of me just made all of my worries melt away..."
"Finally!!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "My turn!!" She then ran into the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind her in less than two seconds.
Rarity put on an angry face and pounded the door, yelling, "Rainbow Dash, open the door this instant!! In case you weren't aware, my CLOTHES are still in there!!"
"Sorry, can't hear ya!" shouted the athletic teen. "Water's running too loud!"
"It is not!" the violet-haired girl yelled back. "You didn't even turn it on yet!!"
As the two girls shouted at each other from either side of the door, Sunset then said to Manny Roar, "Um, maybe we can talk a bit later; I'd like to uh, ...get settled in and everything."
"No problem, Ms. Shimmer." he replied. "I've got work that needs to be done anyway. You have a good day, all of you." The landlord then left the room soon after saying that.
"We'll see ourselves out as well." Celestia then said to the teens. "We'll see you all at school on Monday."
"Alrighty then, see y'all later." stated Applejack. The two principals then departed from the apartment for their home.
Pinkie then shuffled over to Sunset Shimmer and began to say to her, "Sooooooooooo... about that housewarming party..."
"Of course, Pinkie." replied the otherworldly girl. "I can't think of a better way to enjoy my new home than to share it with the people I care about the most." She then asked, "That is, if you all wanna stay over a little later..."
"Of course, Sunset." replied Fluttershy calmly. "We'd love to."
"I might as well stay for the next several minutes from now while I'm at it..." Rarity chimed in, huffing a little and glancing over at the bathroom door. "After all, it will be awhile before I can get into the bathroom again..."
"You DO know that I have a key that opens any door in my apartment, right?" asked Sunset.
"I do." the fashionista responded. "I just do not like to walk in on someone that is... well, you know. I do not like having it happen to me, so I do not wish it on anybody else... no matter how much they probably deserve it." The others nodded to say that they agreed with her on that one.
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The next morning, at 8:37 a.m., Sunset Shimmer woke up and sat upright in her new, super-comfortable bed. After yawning deeply and stretching her arms, she smiled and thought to herself, (That was the best sleep that I've had since I left Equestria... The last time that I could remember sleeping in a bed this comfortable was back in Canterlot Castle...) The moment she thought of her old life as Princess Celestia's personal student, she put on a solemn expression before moving to open a nearby drawer in the nightstand next to her.
Sunset then pulled out a small photograph from the drawer and stared at it for a long time. It was picture of her (in her pony form) and Princess Celestia in what appeared to be an amusement park of some sort; they were both holding brightly colored balloons and had such cheerful smiles on their faces. Sunset had the photo with her since the day she left Equestria through the mirror portal; apparently, even back then, there was a small part of the red and yellow girl that showed remorse for what she had said and done that day, or she wouldn't have brought it with her.
"I still remember when this picture was taken..." she said to herself. "Princess Celestia knew that I really wanted to go to Whinny Land one day, and she surprised me with a trip there one summer. We had so much fun that day..." She sniffled a little, trying her best to hold back a tear before saying, "Princess Celestia... I wish you could see how much I've changed since the day I left... But most of all, I just hope that you can forgive me for being so stupid back then..."
Sunset then sighed to herself as she got out of bed and walked into her closet to get her outfit for the day (which was actually exactly similar to the outfit that she usually wore; she had more than one of the same shirt and skirt). She then placed her outfit on her bed before heading into the bathroom to wash up and make herself presentable.
After taking a quick shower and putting on her clothes for the day, Sunset Shimmer headed towards the coat rack where her favorite black jacket was hung upon. Right next to it were her long boots with the flame pattern on them. Before she could pick them up, she heard a knock on her door. "Are you awake?" asked the gruff voice of Manny Roar.
"Uh, yeah. I'm awake." she told him. "Come in."
Manny then unlocked the door and walked inside, carrying a small basket. "I just came by to see how well your first night here was... and to give you this little present." he told her.
"Oh, last night was great!" she told him with a smile. "The bed I slept in was like a dream! It's definitely a step up from the beds that the shelter had." She then added, "I just hope that my friends and I weren't too loud last night, what with our housewarming party and everything..."
"Oh, you don't have t' worry about that: The walls here are virtually soundproof, so you don't need to worry about disturbing me or any of the other tenants." the landlord explained.
"Oh... good to know." Sunset then pointed to the basket and asked him, "So what's in that basket?"
"Oh this? Just a little welcoming present that I give to all my new tenants." Manny explained, handing her the basket. "There's some fresh fruit, some high-end bath products, and a few other doo-dads here and there."
"Well, thank you very much, sir." she told him politely.
"No problem, Ms. Shimmer." The landlord then asked her, "So what're you gonna be doing today? Just curious."
"Well, Fluttershy is doing some volunteer work over at the animal shelter today, and I agreed to help her out." Sunset answered him. "There's a charity thing going on down there, and it's actually something she and I thought of together: See, people can pay to try and take me on in a Duel. And if they win, they can get one free pet adoption to use at any time. Either way, all of the proceeds go towards improving the shelter."
"Sounds pretty interesting, Ms. Shimmer." said Manny Roar. "I hope you and your friend do well."
"Thanks, Mr. Roar." Sunset then put on her boots and jacket and told him, "Well, I'll talk to you later; I can't keep Fluttershy waiting too long."
"Okay, have a good day!" the landlord said to her, waving goodbye. He then smiled a bit to himself, happy to have such a kind tenant as her living in the apartment building. He then walked down the hall, heading to another apartment next to Sunset's. He then stopped in front of the door, which had a number 16 bolted on the front and unlocked it.
Manny walked inside of the room, which was completely dark and mostly empty. The room had been previously occupied, but the tenant that had lived there had been forced to leave some time ago. The landlord sighed and said to himself, "Well, I'd better give this room a good looking-over before I send the cleaning staff in." He then switched on the lights, revealing that the room was extremely messy, with things such as spilled drinks, pizza boxes, and dirty clothes scattered all over the place.
The man held his nose and stated, "Ugh... the other tenants said it smelled bad in there, but this is just AWFUL!!" Walking inside, he added, "Normally, I dislike having to evict anyone from my building, but in the case of THESE slobs, I can make an exception. They can mess up the apartment they live in, but they crossed the line when they trashed the main foyer during one of their rowdy parties..."
Just then, Manny noticed that one of the things that had been dropped on the floor was a Duel Monsters card that, oddly enough, seemed to be in mint condition, unlike everything else in the room. This might have been one reason that the landlord noticed it. "Now what could something like this possibly be doing in here? I don't remember the previous tenants here having any interest in Duel Monsters..." he said as he picked up the card.
But just then, a shadowy cloud formed around both the card and Manny himself, and the landlord began to get a very bad headache. "AAAAARRRGHH!!! What the-?! What's going on?!?" he shouted.
"Yes, Manny..." said a dark voice in his head. "Let the Number take hold..."
Before he could ask the voice anything, the cloud phased into his body completely. As it did, a picture then formed on the blank side of the card, and a bright blue symbol resembling the number 16 began to glow on his right arm...
Much later in the day, at about 3:00 p.m. or so, Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer were sitting in a bus, heading back to the city after finishing things up at the animal shelter. "Thank you so much, Sunset..." the shy girl told her friend. "Thanks to you, the shelter was able to raise a lot of money to stay in business for a very long time!" She then added, "I'm just really sorry that you lost some of those Duels you participated in for the event..."
"Actually, I have to confess something, Fluttershy:" Sunset began to tell her. "I actually lost some of the Duels on purpose, like with that little girl, Twist... She really wanted that little black kitten, and I was willing to throw the game so that she could adopt it right away."
"Awwww, that was so sweet of you, Sunset." Fluttershy praised her.
"Well, you said it yourself: The main goal of the shelter was to get pets adopted, and I wanted to help you do just that." the otherworldly girl reminded her. She then asked her friend, "So, you want to come over to my place for a while? I'd like to teach you how to play that video game that I was playing at Rainbow's house a couple days ago."
"Um... really...?" asked the animal lover. "Are... are you sure I won't be a burden to you when you play...?"
"You'll do just fine." Sunset assured her, just as the bus came to a stop at a corner not far away from where the apartment building was. The pair stepped off and began walking towards the building, but just then...
"This is HIGHLY ridiculous!!" said a posh, but angry-sounding voice. It was coming from an adult man with pure white skin and bright yellow hair, wearing a fancy suit that was the same color as his skin. "Just who does that UPSTART think he is?!?"
"Um... isn't that Blueblood?" asked Fluttershy meekly. "What is he doing here...?"
"Well, Vice Principal Luna said that he lives in the same apartment building that I do..." stated Sunset Shimmer. "Not all the time, though; just when he's visiting the city." She then asked herself, "I wonder what's got him so riled up? Maybe I should try and ask him."
"Um, are you sure...?" asked the shy girl. "He looks really angry..."
"It couldn't hurt to try." replied the black jacket-wearing teen. She then calmly approached Blueblood and asked him, "Um, Mr. Blueblood?"
The white-skinned man stopped in front of Sunset and said to her in a posh, but rude, manner, "I do not have the time to speak with you, whomever you are. So would you please be so kind as to leave me alone?"
"I just wanted to know what you were angry about." Sunset told him, still trying to be polite despite his rudeness. "I figured I'd care, since you live in the same apartment building as I do."
"...Oh you do, do you?" Blueblood replied, changing his demeanor a bit. "Well, if I were you, I wouldn't step foot in THAT establishment today, that's for sure!"
"And why's that?" asked the otherworldly girl.
"Because that dolt of a landlord is charging me a RIDICULOUS amount of money for this month's rent!!" Blueblood snapped back. "And he is not letting me into my room until I pay him what he thinks I owe him!!"
"He's what?" asked Sunset, surprised to hear him say something like that. "That doesn't sound right... Manny Roar's one of the nicest people I've met besides my friends..."
"Well, YOU can believe whatever you wish to, young lady." the man responded. "As for me, I have a lawyer to contact, so good day to both of you..." And with that, Blueblood walked off in a huff.
Sunset grumbled a bit, not liking the man's attitude. "I guess being rich and being polite are two very different things..." she commented. "How could he say all of that?! There's no way that someone like Manny would ever do something so cruel..."
"Still, something had to have made him so angry..." Fluttershy told her.
"That's true, I suppose... I guess we should figure out what's going on before we jump to any conclusions." the red and yellow girl stated. "And we'll start by getting a hold of Vice Principal Luna."
"I have her home phone number on my cell phone." the animal lover informed her friend. "I had to put it in when Luna decided to adopt that oppossum from the shelter a while ago."
"Good. Then go ahead and call her and see if she can figure out what's going on." Sunset then pulled out her own phone and added, "Meanwhile, I'll call the rest of our friends and see if they can help out, too."
In just a few minutes after making all of the necessary phone calls, the rest of Sunset's friends showed up in Pinkie's car. Not far behind them came both Luna and Celestia, who pulled up in a white 70's Fastback Mustang that was quite impressive to look at. Once the two principals got out of their vehicle, they walked over to the six teenage girls to meet up with them. "We came as soon as we could." Celestia told them. "So what's going on that you needed us out here so quickly?"
"Well, the thing is," Sunset began to explain, "I think something's happening over at the apartment building, and Mr. Roar might be involved..."
"Manny?" asked Luna, showing some concern. "Whatever do you mean by that, Ms. Shimmer?"
"Well, Fluttershy and I were heading to the building when we came across Blueblood." the red and yellow girl told them all. "He was angry because he claimed that Mr. Roar was overcharging him for his rent today, and that he wouldn't be allowed in his apartment until he paid it."
"Hmph, he's always over-dramatic over the silliest things." Luna informed the otherworldly girl. "And I'm fairly certain that he could pay the amount regardless of how high it may be." But then she said to them, "However, there is something unusual about this... This is not usually the day that Manny collects rent payments from his tenants..."
"I thought that Blueblood was just complaining for no reason also..." Sunset then said. "But after thinking about it for a little bit, the whole situation started to sound very familiar, and not in a good way."
"What d'ya mean by that?" asked Applejack.
"Well, think about it: When we all met Manny Roar, he was just about the nicest person we've ever met." the red and yellow girl informed them. "In fact, just this morning, he came by and gave me a fruit basket as a present! But then all of a sudden, he overcharges the tenants and refuses to let them in until they pay? No one changes their personality THAT quickly..."
"Well... you did, kinda." Rainbow told Sunset.
"...Okay yeah, I did. But there was a reason for that." the otherworldly girl. "Just like there's a reason behind what's going on right now. I think something's happened to Mr. Roar that causing him to act out like this, and I'm pretty sure I know what that something is..."
Rarity gasped. "Are you saying that... that he found a Number card?" she asked, knowing first-hand just how much those cards were able to change people.
"Oh dear..." Luna said, getting worried about her long-time friend.
"I don't know for sure if he has one or not, but I can find out if we can get to him." Sunset stated, answering Rarity's question. She then turned to Luna and told her, "That's why I need your help; besides me and Mr. Roar, you're the only one with a key to the apartment, in case he tries to keep me from going in there. And besides, if anypo- er, anybody can get through to him, it'll be you."
"I understand, Ms. Shimmer." the vice principal replied. "I'll gladly do whatever I need to in order to save my friend."
"Then what're we all standing out here for?!" Pinkie asked everybody rhetorically. "Let's go and subtract that Number card!"
"...'Subtract that Number card'?" asked Rainbow with a groan. "Really?"
"Okay, Dashie... fine..." the pink girl responded. "I'll think of something better on the way up to Sunnie's place." The group of eight then ran towards the apartment building to confront the landlord and figure out what happened to him.
Once inside the building, the eight of them took the elevator up to Sunset's apartment. Once they got to the right floor, they made a beeline for room number 14. Luna used her key to the apartment and unlocked the door. Sunset turned on the lights inside and saw that everything in the room was just as she had left it before leaving earlier in the morning.
"Well, it seems that Manny has not come in here yet..." stated the dark-blue woman. "Right now, I just pray that he's okay..."
"So what now?" asked Rainbow Dash. "Where do we even start looking for that Manny guy? This place is huge; he could be anywhere!"
"Such as right behind you..." said a gruff-sounding voice. The group quickly turned around and saw that Manny was standing right there, with an angry look in his now-bright blue eyes.
"Manny!" Luna exclaimed. "There you are!"
"What's going on, Mr. Roar?" asked Sunset. "I've heard rumors that you're not letting anyone in their apartments until they pay you the rent."
"Well, you've heard right, Ms. Shimmer..." Manny told her. "And on that note, I believe that you owe me some payments yourself."
"She doesn't owe you anything!" yelled Rainbow Dash on impulse. "And neither does anybody else here! If you think that you can jack up the rent and expect people to just be okay with it, you're crazy!!"
"Dashie's right!" shouted Pinkie Pie. "When it comes to charging rent, you don't know jack!"
The cyan teen groaned and said to her silly friend, "Okay, Pink... all you did there was take some of the words that I already said in order to make your comment. Usually you put a lot more thought into the silly stuff you say."
"Give me a break, Rainbow Dash... I can't make silly comments off the top of my head ALL the time!" Pinkie informed her. "I NEED a lot of time to come up with funny stuff to say! I mean, why else is there always a break between the FIRST thirteen episodes of a season and the LAST thirteen?" Of course, no one had any idea what she was talking about.
Glancing over to Sunset, Applejack then asked her, "So what about it, Sunset? Does he have a Number card or what?"
The red and yellow teen squinted her eyes and took another look towards Manny Roar. At that moment, she then spotted a symbol that looked like the number 16 on his right arm. "Oh yeah... he's got one all right." Sunset answered. "See that thing on his arm? All of the other people that had Numbers had symbols like that somewhere on their bodies."
"I noticed that too..." stated Fluttershy. "One of them was on Rarity's forehead when she had her Number card..."
"So what now?" Luna asked Sunset. "Are you going to duel him, just like before?"
"Mhmm. It's the only way to get the card away from him." the otherworldly girl replied. "Just leave it to me. I promise that I'll save him."
"I know you will. Just be careful, Sunset." the vice principal told her.
Sunset Shimmer then walked towards Manny Roar and said to him, "So... you won't allow me to stay here until I pay you something, right? Then how about I make you an offer that, if things go your way, will allow you to obtain something FAR more valuable?"
The landlord hummed a bit and said, "I'm listening..."
The red and yellow teen then pulled out her deck box and reached inside of it, taking out one of her Number cards; specifically, Number 33: Chronomaly Machu Mech. "See this card?" she asked him. "I could explain to you what this card is, but I'm pretty sure I won't need to, since you already have one yourself, am I right?"
"How did you know that I have a Number card?" Manny asked. "More importantly, where are you going with this?"
"Here's what I'm proposing to you:" Sunset told him. "You and I have a Duel. And if you win, you get this Number card, along with the other four that I have in my Deck. But if I win, I get your Number card, and you stop trying to force everyone to pay their rent today as opposed to the end of the month."
"Hmmmm... interesting..." hummed Manny. "You're saying that I'll get ALL of your Numbers if I beat you?" The black jacket-wearing teen nodded yes to say that she would do that. The landlord then smirked and told her, "Very well, I'll agree to that. Those Number cards will be more than sufficient as a payment from you."
"Alright then." Sunset then pulled out her Duel Pad and strapped it to her left arm. "Duel Pad, activate!!" she shouted as the card tray unfolded from out of the device. She then put on her Duel Gazer and said, "Duel Gazer, activate!!"
Manny Roar got out his Duel Pad and Duel Gazer, activating them as well. "AR Vision Link established." said the computerized voice as a digital copy of Sunset's apartment projected around everyone.
Sunset and Manny pulled out their Decks and placed them into their respective Duel Pads, ready to begin their battle. "Let's Duel!!" they both shouted to each other (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000) (Manny Roar: LP 4,000).
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As both Sunset Shimmer and Manny Roar drew their opening hands, the rest of the group put on their Duel Gazers in order to watch the Duel. "Well, here we go..." said Applejack. "Now Sunset's gonna have t' save this guy from turnin' into a complete lunatic."
"Let me tell you, it's NOT a pleasent feeling, darling..." stated Rarity. "Having that... whatever it was inside of my head, forcing me to do things against my will..." She then shuddered a bit before adding, "It makes my spine shiver just thinking about that horrible experience..."
"Well, don't you guys worry! Sunset'll stop that thing from causing any more trouble!" said Rainbow Dash with complete confidence in their friend.
"I do hope so..." Luna replied, still worried about her friend, as well as for Sunset.
"Alright, Ms. Shimmer," stated Manny Roar, taking out a large half-dollar coin. "We'll flip a coin to see who gets to go first. Call it in the air." The landlord then flicked his thumb, sending the coin into the air.
"Tails!" the red and yellow girl shouted.
Manny then caught the coin and slapped it onto the back of his left hand. He then looked at the half-dollar, grumbled and told her, "...Lucky guess."
"I'll take that as evidence that I called it correctly." Sunset assumed. She then looked over her hand and tried to think of what she would do first. She then glanced over at the card that she had drawn last from her Deck. (Hmmmm... Breakthrough Skill... I managed to draw it on my first turn, even... This will definitely come in handy...) Taking out two cards from her hand, she then announced, "I'll set one card facedown, and then I'll Summon a monster facedown in Defense Mode. And that will end my turn."
"My turn, then." said Manny. "I draw!" After taking his card from his Deck, he then asked his foe, "Why don't we start things off in a big way? I'll Summon Vylon Ohm in Attack Mode!" Manny's first monster appeared to be a cross between an angel and some sort of machine. Its hands were large, with bright lights on its palms, it had a pair of gold, metallic wings, and a diamond-shaped protrusion coming from out of the bottom of it (Vylon Ohm: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 200).
"And next," the man continued, "I'll play this card: A handy little Spell called Photon Lead!"
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Photon Lead:
(Quick-Play Spell Card)
Special Summon 1 Level 4 or lower LIGHT monster from your hand in face-up Attack Position.
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"And now I'll call up Vylon Cube to the field from my hand, using my Spell Card!" announced Manny. His next monster, as its name suggested, was a floating, white cube with a bright core that could been inside of it. It had a small head poking out from the top of it, and two long arms coming out from its sides (Vylon Cube: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 800).
"So what? They don't look so tough..." thought Rainbow Dash.
"Don't be so sure, Ms. Dash." stated Luna. "I know what he is trying to do... That second monster that he just Summoned happens to be a Tuner Monster..."
"Wait, a Tuner??" asked Fluttershy in surprise. "That means he's going to try a Synchro Summon!"
"That don't sound good..." Applejack commented.
"Now... I tune Vylon Cube, Level 3, to Vylon Ohm, Level 4!" announced Manny Roar. The cube monster's core began to glow very brightly, and soon the entire creature itself was bathed in a bright light. Eventually, it transformed into three smaller lights that shot into the air. They soon came back down in the form of three green rings that surrounded the landlord's other monster. "Almighty warring angel, arm yourself with your holy weapons and annihilate those who oppose your will! Synchro Summon!" Manny chanted as Vylon Ohm transformed into four smaller lights before both they and the rings were engulfed in a large pillar of light. (Level 3 + Level 4 = Level 7) "Descend now! Level 7! Vylon Sigma!!"
From out of the pillar of light came two large arms, wrapped completely in gold rings, followed by a pair of huge, metal wings. Soon the rest of the monster emerged from the pillar, with a main body that sort of resembled the Greek letter Sigma (Vylon Sigma: Level 7 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1000).
(That's weird...) thought Sunset as she stared at Manny's Synchro Monster. (For a Level 7 monster, its attack points are a little low... Something's up...)
"Now! Vylon Sigma!! Attack her monster!!" yelled Manny. As the creature began its attack, Sunset's facedown monster revealed itself (Chronomaly Golden Jet: Level 4 / ATK 1300 / DEF 1400). The man then smirked and stated, "And now I use Sigma's effect!"
The others gasped, wondering what his monster's effect was.
"Now," he then explained, "since Sigma is the only monster on my field, his ability allows me to give him one Equip Spell Card from out of my Deck!"
"ANY Equip Spell?!" asked Sunset in shock.
"That's not good..." stated Rarity. "Equip Spells are designed to strengthen any monster that it's placed upon. And more often than not, it doesn't go away until the monster that has it goes first."
"Now let's see... what to pick...?" thought Manny. Coming up with an idea, he then said, "Of course! What else? I'll give him one of my Vylon Components!" His Duel Pad's auto-shuffle function mixed up his cards; when it stopped, the card that he declared was left sticking out of the Deck, allowing him to easily take it and play it on his monster. After he did so, the gold ring that was closet to his Synchro Monster's right hand vanished and was replaced by a white ring with some sort of power core inside of it. "And even though this Spell Card doesn't increase Sigma's attack power, it DOES allow my monster to deal piercing damage!"
"Oh no...!" gasped Sunset, not expecting to take a hit this quickly.
"Now, Sigma! Attack her monster!!" ordered the landlord. "Light Beam Mark 025!!" The large creature then shot a bright beam of light at Sunset's only monster, wiping out both it and some of her Life Points (Sunset Shimmer: LP 4,000 - 400 = 3,600).
"Whoo-ee... that didn't look pretty." Applejack commented.
"Yeah..." Pinkie chimed in. "If he can do that just by shining a light on Sunnie's monsters, then I'm REALLY glad that thing doesn't have a laser sword or something! Just think of the damage that Sigma guy could cause with one of those things!"
Sunset brushed herself off, recovering from the hit. Manny then told her, "I'll finish my turn by placing one card facedown... Your move."
"Alright, Manny... you've had your fun." the otherworldly girl informed him. "But now it's my turn! I draw!" After drawing her card, she then announced to her opponent, "I play the Field Spell, Chronomaly City Babylon!" After she did so, the area around them all changed from an apartment to an ancient floating stadium.
"So what does this rock heap do?" asked Manny Roar.
"You'll see a bit later." Sunset responded. "For now, I'll do this: I'll Special Summon Chronomaly Tula Guardian from my hand in Attack Mode, which I can do if there's an active Field Spell Card in play!"
The ground in front of Sunset then broke apart as her large, blue statue-like monster rose up and stood tall in front of her (Chronomaly Tula Guardian: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 900).
"Next," she continued, "I'll discard my Chronomaly Crystal Skull in order to take Chronomaly Moai from my Deck and put it in my hand!" After she did so, she then shouted, "Last, but not least, I Summon the Tuner Monster, Fire Ant Ascator!!" After she performed the Summoning, a large, burgundy ant with yellow markings around its eyes crawled along the digital stone floor, standing right beside her first monster.
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Fire Ant Ascator
(Effect Monster/Insect-Type/Tuner/EARTH/Level 3/ATK 700/DEF 1300)
When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: You can target 1 Level 5 monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target, but its effects are negated, also send it to the Graveyard during the End Phase of this turn.
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"What the-? You have a Tuner Monster, too?!" asked Manny in surprise.
"You bet I do!" she answered him with a smirk. "You're not the only one here that can Synchro Summon!" She then shouted, "I tune my Level 3 Fire Ant Ascator to my Level 5 Tula Guardian!"
At that moment, Sunset's ant monster burst into flames, causing everybody in the room to gasp and step back a little. After the flames started, it split itself into three fireballs that turned into pure light energy. Afterwards, they shot up into the air, coming back down as a trio of green rings that surrounded her other monster (Level 3 + Level 5 = Level 8).
"Dragon deity of the Sun, illuminate all the darkness!" chanted Sunset Shimmer. "Brighten the day with your benevolent light! Synchro Summon! Show yourself! Level 8! Sun Dragon Inti!"
After the chant was finished, Tula Guardian transformed into five smaller lights within the rings before everything was engulfed in another light pillar. When the light faded, a large rock in the shape of a sun appeared in front of the red and yellow girl. Then, from out of the rock came four red dragon heads with long necks. They let out a quartet of powerful-sounding roars that shook the area around it (Sun Dragon Inti: Level 8 / ATK 3000 / DEF 2800).
"Woah!! Look at that thing!" said an impressed Rainbow Dash.
"Yeah, that dragon looks like it could burn a whole 20 square-mile field just by breathin' on it!" added Applejack.
"Go, Sun Dragon!! Incinerate his Vylon Sigma!" shouted Sunset. "Solar Breath!!" The four-headed dragon then created large fireballs in each of its mouths before exhaling powerful flame streams at Manny's Synchro Monster. All that was left was a charred smudge on the floor where it stood as the remainder of the blast struck the landlord himself (Manny Roar: LP 4,000 - 1,200 = 2,800).
"Alright!! Nice shot, Sunnie!!" cheered Pinkie Pie. "Of course, it wasn't like you could miss him; you DID have four chances to hit the guy."
"It's a good start," stated Celestia, "but this Duel is far from over..."
"Indeed, Sister." Luna chimed in. "And I know for a fact that Manny doesn't take such blows too lightly... And that was BEFORE he picked up a Number."
The man grumbled to himself and said to his adversary, "You'll pay for that, Ms. Shimmer... I promise that!" He then told her, "I activate the other effect of Vylon Component! When it goes to the Graveyard, I can retrieve any Vylon Spell Card that I want from my Deck! I choose to take Vylon Material into my hand." And he did just that.
"Fine. I end my turn, then." stated the black jacket-wearing teenager.
"Alright then... I draw!" After Manny drew his next card, he then smirked and said, "Just what I needed..." He then played the card that he just drew, saying, "I summon Vylon Soldier in Attack Mode!" Manny's next monster was what appeared to be an armored angel with long, golden arms (Vylon Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1700 / DEF 1000). "Next," he added, "I'll play the Equip Spell Vylon Material, which grants my Vylon Soldier an additional 600 attack points!" Manny's monster then acquired a weapon on its right arm that appeared to be a cross between a cannon and a bayonet (Vylon Soldier: ATK 1700 + 600 = 2300).
"That's still less than my Sun Dragon's attack power." Sunset reminded him.
"I know that!" grumbled the landlord. "That's why I have this card ready to go! I'll also equip my Vylon Soldier with the Spell Card, Mage Power!"
"Oh no... not that card...!" gasped Luna. Sunset also showed an expression that suggested that she wasn't too thrilled about seeing that card either.
"Thanks to this card, my monster will gain an extra 500 attack and defense points for EVERY Spell and Trap Card that I have on the field!" He then placed the card into his Duel Pad, which caused a bright green energy to flow around his monster. "I currently control two Spell Cards, including Mage Power itself, along with my facedown card! That's 1,500 attack and defense points total!" (Vylon Soldier: ATK 2300 + 1500 = 3800 / DEF 1000 + 1500 = 2500)
"Aw no..." Applejack responded, showing sings of worry. "And just when Sunset was takin' control of the game!"
"I hope she'll be okay..." added Fluttershy.
"Now!! Vylon Soldier! Attack her dragon!!" ordered Manny. The armored angel then charged up tremendous amounts of energy into its arm-mounted weapon, firing off a huge shot that obliterated Sunset Shimmer's Synchro Monster in one blast, and damaged the young girl as well (Sunset Shimmer: LP 3,600 - 800 = 2,800). The landlord then snickered and said to his opponent, "I told you that you'd pay, Ms. Shimmer, and I'm planning to get my money's worth by pounding away at your Life Points!"
But just then, his smirk disappeared when he and everyone else heard Sunset giggling and chuckling to herself. Everyone else was confused as to why the otherworldly girl was laughing after her powerful monster was destroyed. "She's... laughing?" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's up with that??"
"I dunno," Pinkie answered her, "but whenever a character starts chuckling like that in a Yu-Gi-Oh! story, it usually means that their opponent's in maaaajor trouble!"
Manny sure wished to know why Sunset was giggling the way she was. "What's so funny?!" he asked her.
"Heh heh heh... you just made a REALLY big mistake, Mr. Roar." she told him.
"M-mistake??" he asked, sweating a little.
"You heard me." she responded. "You see, by destroying my Sun Dragon Inti in battle, you activated its special ability." Showing him the card, she then explained to him, "This allows me to destroy the monster that destroyed him; after that, half the attack power of that monster gets dealt to you as damage!"
"What?!?" exclaimed Manny, having been taken completely off-guard.
"So say goodbye to your Vylon Soldier, Mr. Roar!" she told him. After she put her Synchro Monster in the Graveyard, Manny's only monster then exploded into a fireball and was destroyed. Some of the debris then struck the man, causing him to take some damage (Manny Roar: LP 2,800 - 1,900 = 900).
"That was AWESOME!!!" cheered Rainbow Dash.
"Indeed it was!" added Rarity. "They both lost their monsters, but Manny took some heavy damage, and now he's totally defenseless!"
"Which means that if Sunset can Summon a monster with 900 or more attack points on her next turn, and deal a successful attack with it, she'll win the Duel!" stated Celestia.
"Let's hope that happens, then..." Luna responded, hoping that everything would turn out okay.
Manny growled, gritting his teeth. "That was such a cheap shot, Ms. Shimmer... I'm NOT impressed."
"That's just the beginning, Mr. Roar." Sunset informed him. "So finish up with your turn, already."
"Very well, then..." he replied. "Since you sent my Vylon Material to the Graveyard, I can take a new Vylon Spell Card from out of my Deck. And I choose to take Vylon Matter!" After taking his card, he then played it, saying, "Next, I'll activate my Vylon Matter! Now I'll send three Equip Spell Cards from my Graveyard back to my Deck, and then after that, I'll draw one more card!" He then took his Vylon Component, Vylon Material, and Mage Power cards and shuffled them back into his Deck. After drawing his next card, he then placed it onto his Duel Pad, saying, "I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."
"Then it's my turn! I draw!" declared Sunset. She then drew her next card, hoping that it was a powerful enough monster. Luckily, that's what she managed to get. "I Summon Chronomaly Nebra Disk in Attack Mode!" she shouted, playing her new card onto the field. In an instant, the red and yellow girl's disk-like monster took center stage (Chronomaly Nebra Disk: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1500).
"And since I Normal Summoned Nebra Disk," she continued, "I can move one Chronomaly card out of my Deck and put it in my hand! And I choose to take Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet." After taking her card, she then ordered, "Now! Nebra Disk! Attack his Life Points directly!!" Her monster then spun wildly and flung itself at Manny Roar. Everyone else prayed that the attack would be successful.
"Not so fast!!" shouted the landlord. "I activate a Trap Card! Magic Cylinder!!"
The others gasped as a pair of large, hollow tubes materialized in front of the man. Nebra Disk ended up flying right inside one of the tubes, only to come shooting out of the other one and right into Sunset herself (Sunset Shimmer: LP 2,800 - 1,800 = 1,000). "AAGH!!" she grunted after taking the hit.
"That's not good..." stated Rarity. "Magic Cylinder stops a monster from attacking, and then the monster's controller takes damage equal to its attack power."
"Shoot... and Sunnie was SOOOOOOO close, too!" whined Pinkie.
Luna sighed sadly a bit. (He managed to save himself from losing this turn...) she thought. (And next turn, he will have a chance to strike back... Please... be careful, Sunset...)
Sunset took a deep breath and said, "Well, looks like you get another turn, then... So make your move."
"First sensible thing you've said all day, Ms. Shimmer..." taunted Manny. "Now I draw!" Once he picked up his card, he began chuckling softly to himself, slowly increasing in volume until he was laughing hysterically. "At last! I drew just the card I needed!"
"Uh oh... I don't like the sound of that..." said a trembling Fluttershy.
"Join the club, Sugarcube..." added Applejack.
Manny then smirked evily and said, "I now Summon Vylon Pentachloro in Attack Mode!", playing a card that he already had in his hand. The creature appeared to be a mechanical being of some sort, but its design seemed to be impossible; it looked like a living optical illusion with long, sharp claws (Vylon Pentachloro: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 400).
"What... the heck is that thing??" asked Rainbow Dash.
"That's not fair!" shouted Pinkie Pie, pointing out the monster's seemingly-impossible physical nature. "If anyone breaks reality for a laugh around here, it has to be me!!" She then paused for a second and added, "...Okay, me and Discord, but that's it!!"
"Who...?" Rarity asked at a low volume.
"And now... I activate the Spell Card, Machine Duplication!!" announced Manny, playing the card he had just drawn. "This card lets me Special Summon up to two more copies of any Machine-Type monster I control with 500 or less attack points! So I play two more Vylon Pentachloros from my Deck in Defense Mode!" And with that, two more of the same monster appeared on his field (Vylon Pentachloro [x2]: Level 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 400).
"Uh oh... he's just Summoned three Level 4 monsters in one move..." noted Sunset, already having a gut feeling about Manny's next move. "This is it..."
"Y'all think he's gonna summon his Number card now?" Applejack asked the others.
"I'm positive, Applejack dear." Rarity confirmed. "Sunset had better be on guard... I have a feeling that this is only going to get a whole lot worse..."
Manny then grinned a wicked grin as the glyphs on his arm began to glow even brighter than before. He then shouted, "I now overlay all three of my Level 4 Vylon Pentachloros!!"
"Hold up...! All THREE of them?!?" asked a surprised Sunset Shimmer.
Manny's monsters then transformed into a trio of yellow lights that were sucked up into that ever-so-familiar galaxy portal, which had formed in front of the landlord. "I use my three monsters to create an Overlay Network!!" The portal then exploded, leaving behind a blue symbol that resembled the one on his arm. "I Xyz Summon... Number 16: Shock Master!!!" The others watched as a large purple object in the shape of a cube descended from above, with a trio of yellow lights swirling around it. The object then began to open up, forming into a robot-like creature with a triangle-shaped head. As it transformed, it shot out bolts of blue electricity everywhere. After its transformation was complete, the number 16 could be seen on its underside.
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Number 16: Shock Master:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy-Type/LIGHT/Rank 4/ATK 2300/DEF 1600)
3 Level 4 monsters
Cannot be destroyed by battle except with "Number" monsters. Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to declare 1 card type (Monster, Spell, or Trap); that type of card (if Spell or Trap) cannot be activated, or (if Monster) cannot activate its effects, until the end of your opponent's next turn.
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Everyone else in the room was surprised when Manny used all of his monsters to bring out his Number card. "H-he used all THREE of his monsters as Overlay Units??" asked Rarity.
"But I thought you only need two monsters to summon an Xyz Monster!" Rainbow protested.
"That isn't always the case, Ms. Dash..." Principal Celestia told her. "There are a few Xyz Monsters that may require many more monsters to serve as Overlay Units... And most often, those Xyz Monsters are far more powerful..."
"Just great..." sighed Applejack. "Ah should've known things weren't gonna stay easy for us for very long..."
Sunset Shimmer stared at the new Number monster before her, wondering whether or not she would be able to defeat it and Manny Roar. Of course, her primary concern was figuring out what it was capable of. "So this is the card that's caused him to go berserk..." she muttered to herself.
The landlord chuckled wickedly and told his tenant, "Now it's time to show off this Number's true potential!" Taking out one of the Monster Cards that were underneath his Number card, he then announced, "I remove one Overlay Unit from Shock Master in order to use its ability!" In an instant, one of the orbiting spheres flew right into the Xyz Monster's chest area (Number 16: Shock Master: OLU 3 - 1 = 2). "This ability, when activated," the man continued, "allows me to prevent the use of one type of card effect, until the end of your next turn! And just in case you had a backup plan in mind, I'll stop any attempt on your part to eliminate my Number card..." He then pointed towards Sunset and yelled, "I choose to prevent the use of any and all Spell Card effects!"
(Oh no...!) thought Sunset in despair. (Now I can't use my Chronomaly Pyramid Eye Tablet card to power up my monsters next turn!)
After his declaration, Manny's monster then projected a green electrical field around the area, which was designed to suppress the use of Spell Cards. "Now, I attack Nebra Disk with Shock Master!!" the landlord shouted. The Xyz Monster then started to draw in large amounts of energy into itself, releasing it in the form of blue lightning bolts that shattered the otherworldly girl's only monster.
The force of the attack hit Sunset hard, causing her to fall down on her rear end. "AAAACK!!!" she grunted upon landing on the floor (Sunset Shimmer: LP 1,000 - 500 = 500).
Manny smirked and said to his opponent, "Right then, I suppose that's enough for now... I'll end my turn."
"Rrrrgh... My turn..." said the red and yellow girl, slowly getting up and drawing her next card. Looking over her hand, she scrambled to try and figure out a way out of her predicament. (This isn't good...) she thought to herself. (He's already gotten his Number card out, and the cards in my hand aren't suitable for summoning any of mine!) Groaning, she then thought, (If only those Numbers didn't have that effect that keeps them from being destroyed in battle by anything but other Numbers!) But right at that moment, an idea came to her. (Wait... that's it! There is one way I can get out of this! It's been right in front of me this whole time!)
Sunset then looked down at her facedown card, thinking, (This Trap Card has a very powerful effect... It can stop any monster's effects for one turn. I just hope that'll be enough to help me beat him...) Taking out the card that she had just drawn, she then said, "First, since you have a monster on the field while I don't, I can Special Summon Chronomaly Crystal Bones from my hand!" She then placed her shiny skeleton monster onto her Duel Pad's tray in Defense Position (Chronomaly Crystal Bones: Level 3 / ATK 1300 / DEF 400).
"And since I Summoned Crystal Bones with its effect," she then added, "I can then bring out another Chronomaly monster, either from my hand or the Graveyard." Taking out another card in her hand, she then told her opponent, "So I play Chronomaly Moai to the field in Defense Mode!" The girl's head-shaped statue monster then rose out of the floor in front of her to serve as wall between her and Manny's Number card (Chronomaly Moai: Level 5 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1600). "Finally," said Sunset, "I'll use the effect of Nebra Disk and bring it back from the Graveyard, since I only have Chronomaly monsters on my field." She then placed her disk-shaped monster back to the field in Defense Mode to protect herself. "And with that, I end my turn."
Applejack breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good..." she said. "She was able to put up a whole bunch of monsters to protect her Life Points. At least she'll be safe for a li'l while..."
"Yes, but it will not be much longer before Manny is able to get past her defenses and attack her..." Rarity noted. "Hopefully, she'll be able to come up with a way to strike back before that happens..."
"...I'm sure she's working on it." said Fluttershy. "She'd never let anyone get to her without a fight..."
Manny didn't seem too worried as he drew his next card. "Is that really the best you've got, Ms. Shimmer?" he asked, taunting her. "If that's so, evicting you from here will be easier than I thought!" Once he got a look at what he drew, he smirked evilly and added, "Especially since I was able to get this card again..." Showing his adversary what he drew, he then asked her, "Does this look familiar, Ms. Shimmer?!"
"Oh no! Not Mage Power again!!" the red and yellow girl responded, getting a little worried.
"Correct! And I assume you know what that means?" the landlord asked. "It means I can power up my Number monster to even GREATER levels!!" He then played the card on his monster, raising its attack power by a large amount (Number 16: Shock Master: ATK 2300 + 1000 = 3300 / DEF 1600 + 1000 = 2600).
(Great... what are the odds that he'd draw that card AGAIN??) Sunset asked in her mind. (With two cards in his Spell & Trap Zones, his monster got a thousand more attack points...!) But then she realized something: (Wait... his Spell Card only gives his monster more power if he has cards in his Spell & Trap Zones...) She then figured out exactly what she would do next; it all depended on what Manny did on his turn.
"Now, once more! I activate the effect of Shock Master!" shouted the landlord. "I remove one Overlay Unit in order to prevent the use of monster effects until your next turn is over!" His monster then absorbed another of its orbs in order to use its power (Number 16: Shock Master: OLU 2 - 1 = 1).
"Not so fast!" said Sunset, tapping her pad's touchscreen. "I'll chain this Trap Card to your monster's effect! Go, Breakthrough Skill!!" After she made that move, her facedown card then revealed itself to everyone else. "This card allows me to negate the effects of any monster on the field for one turn! And I choose your Shock Master!!"
"Nice try, but I KNEW you'd attempt that! Which is why I decided not to stop you from playing Trap Cards instead!" Manny told her. "I'll play my Dark Bribe Counter Trap! It has the ability to negate the effect of your Trap and destroy it!!"
Sunset and the others gasped as Manny's Trap Card shot a beam of energy at the otherworldly girl's card and disintegrated it. "Oh dear...!" said Celestia. "He knew that she would do that..."
Manny snickered to himself and stated, "And since your Trap Card lost its power, my Shock Master's effect still works!" And just as he had said, the Number card then projected an orange field of energy, preventing the use of all monster effects. (Number 16: Shock Master: ATK 3300 - 500 = 2800 / DEF 2600 - 500 = 2100).
"This is bad..." said Rarity. "Shock Master's effect will keep either of them from activating any monster effects... The only effect that will still work is the one that protects his Number card from being destroyed by anything but other Numbers, since it's a continuous effect that stays active as long as it's on the field."
"That effect is so unfair!!" shouted an annoyed Rainbow Dash. "That's the kinda thing that gets cards put on the banned list!"
Despite what Manny had done so far, Sunset's confidence wasn't shaken; she was still determined to win. The landlord then told her, "Of course, there is some risk with my last move; Dark Bribe does allow you to draw one card from your Deck. So go ahead and take the card I was generous enough to let you have."
Sunset then drew her next card and placed it into her hand, telling herself that she'd make it through okay, no matter what.
"Now! Shock Master!! Destroy her Nebra Disk again!!" ordered Manny Roar. Once more, his Number card attacked and destroyed Sunset's disk monster, sending it back to the Graveyard.
"I see... that's why he decided to stop monster effects..." Luna noted. "That was to prevent Sunset from bringing back her Nebra Disk on her next turn... He's trying to remove her defenses so that he can finish her off in a few more turns..."
"You might as well start packing your bags now, Ms. Shimmer," Manny told her, "because I'll soon have you clear out of here once you're defeated!!"
But Sunset told him, "I'm not giving up that easily, Mr. Roar... I promised Vice Principal Luna that I'd save you, and that's what I plan on doing!" She then looked at her Deck and prepared to draw her next card.
As she began to draw her card, the otherworldly girl then glanced back over at her friends; she then noticed that Principal Celestia was smiling at her warmly. She nodded to her and said, "You can do it, Sunset... You can do anything as long as you truly have faith in yourself."
Those words really spoke to the young teenager; it was something that Princess Celestia had said to her while she was still in Equestria, as her personal student. With a smile and a nod, Sunset assured her that she would succeed in saving the landlord from himself. "It's my turn! I draw!!" The teen then swiftly pulled her next card. But when she got a look at it, she was shocked, but happy, to see what it was. (This card...!) she thought to herself. (This is the one I needed! But I didn't think I'd draw it THIS soon!) She then began to wonder about something to herself for a few seconds before deciding to dwell on it another time.
"Just give it up, Ms. Shimmer... There's not a card you can draw that will save you from my Shock Master!" Manny taunted.
"...You're wrong, Mr. Roar." she told him.
"What was that?"
"I said you're wrong." Sunset repeated. "Because I just drew something that WILL stop that Number card!"
"You're bluffing!" the man protested.
"Oh you'll see soon enough if I'm bluffing or not..." she told him with a smile on her face. She then pulled out another card from her hand and said, "I'll play the Spell Card, Foolish Burial! I'll use its effect to send my Chronomaly Moai Carrier from my Deck to the Graveyard! Then I'll banish that monster in order to use the effect of my Chronomaly City Babylon Field Spell! So now I can bring back one Chronomaly monster from the Graveyard that's the same Level as the one I banished!" As she took out two cards from her Graveyard (which included the one that she had just sent there), Sunset added, "Since Moai Carrier was a Level 5 monster, I can then bring back Tula Guardian!" The girl then put Moai Carrier away in her deck box before placing her other monster back onto the field in Attack Position.
Manny watched carefully, not sure what the otherworldly girl was up to. But he had a feeling he'd know very soon.
Still smirking, Sunset then said to him, "Now I think it's time for you to see MY strongest monster!"
"Strongest?" asked Applejack. "Is she talkin' about one of her Number cards?"
"If she is, I'm afraid it won't be enough..." Rarity answered. "The only one she can bring out is Chronomaly Machu Mech, and its attack power isn't high enough to beat his Shock Master."
Manny figured that too. "So you're finally going to Summon a Number to try and save yourself?" he asked.
But the black jacket-clad teen surprised everyone when she said, "Actually... I'm not."
Sunset's friends gasped upon hearing that. "Wait, she ISN'T bringin' out a Number?!" asked Rainbow Dash. "What's she thinkin'?!" But Celestia and Luna smiled and nodded to each other, knowing full well that Sunset had a plan for victory brewing.
"I release both Crystal Bones and Moai!" she declared, sending two of her three monsters straight to the Graveyard. "And now," she added, "I can call this monster to the field!! I Summon The Surpremacy Sun!!!"
At that moment, everyone watched as a gigantic ball of extremely bright light began to slowly descend from above the red and yellow girl. Once the ball of the light stopped coming down, it then began to form into a different shape, transforming into a dark red-skinned man wearing black armor and showing off several bright, bizarrely-shaped wings on his back. The figure definitely was not shy about showing how powerful he truly was.
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The Surpremacy Sun:
(Effect Monster/Fiend-Type/DARK/Level 10/ATK 3000/DEF 3000)
Cannot be Special Summoned, except by its own effect. During the next Standby Phase after this face-up card is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard: You can discard 1 card; Special Summon this card from the Graveyard.
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Everyone watching was astounded by Sunset's move, but even more so by the card she played. "What on Earth is THAT thing??" asked Rarity, still in shock.
"Don't lookit me, Rare... I ain't never seen a card like that one before!!" Applejack responded, eyes wide.
"Aiyiyi!! That thing is HUUUUUUUUUGE!!!" commented Pinkie Pie.
"Oh... m-my..." was all that Fluttershy could get out.
Rainbow Dash then turned towards Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna, asking them, "Hey, you two are Duel Monsters experts; have you ever heard of a card like what Sunset has out right now?
"Actually, we have." answered the light-pink woman. "It's called The Surpremacy Sun... It's part of a series of cards that are extremely rare, known as the Legendary Planets."
"But... the Sun isn't a planet." reminded Fluttershy.
"No, but this card is similar enough to the others in its line, that it's part of the archetype." Luna told the shy girl. "The Legendary Planets are a group of very powerful monsters based on the bodies in our Solar System. But the cards were printed in limited supply, and thus, not many Duelists possess even one of them... How Sunset managed to obtain one is beyond even me..."
"Well, Ah know she didn't get that back when she was acting like a jerk to everybody, because she didn't start playin' Duel Monsters until AFTER last year's Fall Formal..." Applejack noted. "Right now, though, all Ah care about is if that card is powerful enough to stop even a Number card."
Manny was just as shocked as everyone else was; he NEVER expected her to play one of the Legendary Planets. "A... Planet card..." he said, trembling, "I... I never thought that I'd even SEE one of those cards..." Trying to regain his composure, he then reminded Sunset, "You might have Summoned a very powerful and very rare monster, but not even that can destroy my Number card in battle!"
"You're right, it can't..." stated Sunset. "Not yet, that is. So it's a good thing that I have just the card I need at this very moment." She then tapped her Duel Pad's touchscreen, and a card image then appeared in front of her; it was none other than her Breakthrough Skill card.
"What?!" asked Manny Roar in shock. "But I got rid of that card!!"
"Not completely." stated the otherworldly girl. "Unfortunately for you, Breakthrough Skill has a second effect that lets me activate it from my Graveyard." Taking the Trap Card out of her Graveyard, she added, "All I have to do is banish it, and then I can negate all of the effects of any one monster you have on the field. And I choose your Shock Master!!"
Manny gasped as her card shot a purple bolt at his Number card, which suppressed its abilities. "What is the meaning of this?!?" he asked, getting scared.
"You're right that your Number can only be destroyed by other Numbers in battle." stated Sunset Shimmer. She then smirked and told her opponent, "However, thanks to Breakthrough Skill's effect, that ability has just been negated, which will allow me to destroy it with any of my monsters!"
Manny gasped; he hadn't realized that. He then looked at his monster and thought, (No... this can't be! She managed to remove the one thing that makes the Numbers practically invincible!!) He was also horrified to find out that his Shock Master's attack points were lower than her monster's by just 200 points. (Not only that, my monster's attack power was weakened when I played Dark Bribe... So Mage Power now only gives my monster 500 more attack points!) The landlord now realized a bit too late that Sunset had tricked him into using his Trap Card, just to weaken his Shock Master.
"So she had that planned this whole time..." stated Celestia. "She knew that the Numbers' defensive effect was just like any other monster's special ability... and that it could be negated."
"And now that Manny's Number card has lost that power, there's nothing that can stop Sunset from winning now." Luna chimed in.
"Alright! Way to go, Sunset!!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Now finish him off!"
"It would be my pleasure!" the red and yellow girl replied. She then ordered, "Go! Surpremacy Sun! Attack with Solar Flare!!" And with that, the incredibly rare and powerful monster let out a powerful flash that did the seemingly impossible and destroyed the landlord's Number card completely. Not only that, the rest of the attack then struck Manny as well, slightly damaging him (Manny Roar: LP 900 - 200 = 700).
"No... my Shock Master... it's gone...!" Manny Roar said in disbelief.
"And I'm not done just yet!" shouted Sunset Shimmer. "Tula Guardian! Attack his Life Points directly!!" The giant blue statue then raised its fist and slammed right on the man's head, taking out the rest of his Life Points and ending the Duel (Manny Roar: LP 700 - 1,800 = 0) (WINNER: Sunset Shimmer).
"She won!!" Applejack shouted happily. "Sunset won!!"
"I knew she'd win, I knew it!!" replied Pinkie. "And that's not just because she's a main character in the story!!"
Luna was happy, both for Sunset's victory and the fact that Manny would return to his old self again. She sighed in relief and thought to herself, (Thank you, Sunset Shimmer... I knew you would come through and save him...)
The otherworldly girl then looked over at the defeated Manny Roar, who was knocked out and lying on the floor. She then raised her hand forward as a ball of light came out of his chest and flew towards her. After she caught it, the light transformed into the landlord's Number card. She then took a deep breath, happy that this ordeal was over.
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It was around quarter after seven when Principal Celestia decided to head over to the apartment building to visit Sunset Shimmer. After the Duel, Sunset and the others helped Manny Roar onto the bed in her room, letting him rest there until he awoke from his unconscious state. Luckily, Celestia and Luna were able to convince all of the other tenants, even Blueblood, not to sue him for what he was doing earlier. Manny had no memory of what had happened during the time that he was possessed by the Number card, so no one told him about the events that had occurred.
The principal walked over to the door and was prepared to knock on it, only for it to open in front of her. Sunset looked up and was surprised to see the woman standing there. "Oh! Principal Celestia!" she said in surprise. "I-I wasn't expecting to see you here."
"I just came by to see how you were doing, Ms. Shimmer." said the light-pink woman. "I know you fought a very difficult Duel, and I just wanted to be sure that you were okay."
"Uh, don't worry about it... I'm just fine." the red and yellow girl told her. "A bit tired, but fine."
"So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day?" asked Celestia out of curiosity.
"I'm heading over to Fluttershy's house for a sleepover." Sunset answered. "We still agreed to have them even though I have a place to live in now."
"Well, I hope you two have fun tonight." the principal said to her with a smile.
There was a slight pause after Celestia's comment before Sunset decided to ask something: "Um... Principal Celestia? C-could I talk to you about something... one on one?"
"Um... sure. Anything you want." the woman responded.
Sunset nodded and motioned her to come inside. The two of them walked into the red and yellow girl's bedroom. Once inside, Sunset walked over to her nightstand drawer and opened it, pulling out the picture that she had brought with her from Equestria. She then handed the photo to Celestia and said, "Here... this is something that I think you ought to see... It's a photo that was taken before I came here."
The principal looked at the photo and was alarmed by what she saw. "Oh my..." she gasped. "Is this... you?" The woman was pointing to the yellow-coated Unicorn pony with the red and yellow mane. Sunset Shimmer nodded yes. Celestia then looked at the other pony in the picture and asked, "And this one... the one with the white coat and large wings... Is that-?"
"Yep..." the otherworldly girl responded. "That's you... Or at least, the you that lives in the world I came from..."
Celestia was certainly shocked to see her pony counterpart for the first time, but she wasn't sure where the young girl was going with this. "So... is this what you wanted to talk to me about?" she asked her.
"No... but it will help support what I do want to discuss..." replied the girl. The two sat on Sunset's bed as she told the principal, "Lately... I've been thinking about a lot of stuff... concerning the day I left Equestria and came here... Back then, I never really gave it much thought; I mean, I came here without even thinking about what I would do, where I would live... All that I was thinking about was how angry I was at the Princess when I wasn't getting what I wanted quickly enough..."
"I see..." hummed Celestia, listening to every word.
"In my rage, I didn't realize what it was that I was leaving behind..." Sunset continued solemnly. "I was leaving my home, my friends, my family..." She then sniffled a little and added, "And the Princess, who believed in me so much back then... And how did I repay her? By being stubborn, impatient, and rebel a without a clue... In fact, the last memory I have of her and myself were the harsh things that I said to her just before I jumped into the portal and came here..."
Principal Celestia really could tell that Sunset was feeling very down right now. She put her hand on the girl's shoulder and did her best to comfort her.
"People have always asked me why I changed so quickly after Twilight showed me that what I had been doing here was wrong..." she then told the woman. "Well... it's because I knew all along that I wasn't doing the right thing... And I'd been trying to fool myself into thinking otherwise. To fool myself into believing that I wasn't a failure as a student or a failure as a person... so that I wouldn't consider myself as Princess Celestia's mistake..."
"...You are not a mistake, Sunset Shimmer." the principal told her.
"Huh...? Why do you say that?" asked the red and yellow girl. "I was a menace back then! I hurt a lot of people, I stole a magic item and mutated into a she-demon! Heck, I blew UP the front entrance of the school in my rage! How am I NOT a huge mistake?!"
"Well... because if you were," the woman told her, "then you wouldn't be trying to be the good person that you are now. You only made mistakes; you are not one yourself. You've learned from your experiences, and are doing your best to become a better person... And from what I've seen from you so far, I believe that you've succeeded in that venture."
"You really mean that?"
Celestia nodded yes. "And if this Princess is anything like me - and she most likely is - she would be very proud to know that you've made such great progress." she told her.
Sunset smiled upon hearing that. She was pretty sure that the woman's words were true, seeing that both her and the Princess were essentially one and the same. "...Thanks, Principal Celestia." she said to her. "That really means a lot to me..." She then added, "I know I still have a lot to learn when it comes to friendship and just simply being a good person... but one day, I hope I can go back to Equestria, even for just a little while, so that I can personally tell the Princess how sorry I am to her... I just hope she can forgive me for what I did..."
"I'm sure she will. I guarantee it." Celestia said to her. Looking at her watch, she then said to Sunset Shimmer, "Well, you had better get to your friend's home; you don't want to keep her waiting too long, do you?"
"You're right, I'd better start moving." Sunset then grabbed everything she was taking with her and said, "Thanks for talking with me. You said some things that I really needed to hear."
"You're very welcome, Ms. Shimmer." Celestia told her. "Come back to me anytime if you wish to talk about anything else."
"I will. Thanks a lot." The red and yellow girl then left the apartment to go and visit her friend Fluttershy for the night.
As she watched her leave, Principal Celestia then prepared to leave as well. She took one last look at the photograph that Sunset had shown her and smiled a bit. She then placed the picture back in the nightstand drawer that Sunset originally had it in before exiting the apartment and going back home herself.
-- To Be Continued...
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NUMBERS OBTAINED:
Sunset Shimmer (6 Numbers total):
- Number 16: Shock Master
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