The World Duel Championships X

by The Avenger

The Stallion who Holds a Hero's Sword

The Stallion who Holds a Hero's Sword

From the moment the first rays of sunshine flowed through his bedroom window, Orion Sparkle woke up without a single ounce of hesitation, threw off the warm covers that enveloped him, and jumped out of bed. The room was cold and the world outside looked even more frigid, but instead of returning to the toasty embrace of his dreams, he only felt more awake than ever. His sister, Andromeda, had just won the first round of the World Duel Championships X, and he knows that another match, this time between the EU team and the Saddle Arabia team will be held sometime today. He was pumped! He rushed out of his room and straight to the kitchen, where his mother, Princess Twilight Sparkle, was already making dandelion pancakes. “Oh! You’re up. I was just about to go get you,” Twilight said as she flips one of the pancakes.

“I really couldn't sleep much last night,” said Orion as he takes his seat at the table. He glances across the table, to where his sister would’ve sat, but it was empty. “I’m so glade Andi won the first match! It was awesome!”

“It sure was,” Twilight said as she places about 4 pancakes on a plate in front of Orion. “I’m still surprised she made that move. What was it called?”

“Shooting Star Attack,” Orion said as he begins to drench his pancakes with maple syrup. “When the World Duel Championships XI come, I’m definitely gonna enter and win!”

“Let’s not ahead of ourselves here,” Twilight said as she takes her seat. “By the way, Taurus said he was leaving today, right?”

“Yeah,” Orion said, slightly sadden that his new friend was leaving so soon.

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Elsewhere in town near the train station, Taurus, with his bags, watches as Celestia raises the sun up into the sky. “The sun is rising, a giant ball of fire that reminds me of my own warriors spirit. Andromeda, your duel in the world championships has relit my fire. The fire that makes my warriors spirit burn. After seeing something like that, I can’t sit around here one more minute,” he said as he turns toward the small, quiet town. “Farewell to all the friends that I made here. No matter what happens, there’s no turning back now! B-b-b-b-b-b-bull!” He said as he runs toward the train, leaving behind a dust cloud in his wake.

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Elsewhere, on the other side of the world, in the country known as the Itallion Peninsula, a tall, pegasus stallion with royal blue eyes, a blonde mane that reaches down to his shoulders, a pale purple coat and a slim physique, wearing a red tuxedo and a white gem on his necklace and a golden rose for a cutie mark, is ridding on a giant lizard that is at least eight feet tall and twenty-five feet long with dark green scales (except along its ventral side) from its jaw to its tail. It appears to be a bizarre mix between an eel and a grey hound, are running through a forest. The pegasus them makes the eel hound stop once the exit the forest. They are on a small hill, overlooking a luxurious estate that has a large mansion, a dome structure out in a small lake, a maze of roses, a fountain, and other things of that sort. He then rides the eel hound out into the clearly rich estate.

Suddenly, a first-class helicopter flies over them. The back hatch opens and the pegasus makes the eel hound jump into it. The hatch closes as the helicopter flies to a private airport. Once it lands, several a butler and four body guards are waiting for him, along with a private jet 50 feet away. The butler then gives the pegasus a sword within it’s sheath and a round shield that has a mare with snakes for a mane on it, with it’s eyes closed for some reason, to him. “We wish you the very best of luck,” the butler said as the pegasus takes the sword and shield, and then trots toward the plane.

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Meanwhile, on an airplane heading toward Saddle Arabia, the passengers are eating lunch. Among them, Team Star Swirl. “You know what, guys?” Sagittario suddenly asked as he eats some bread. “This taking trips overseas to do some dueling is really the best thing ever.”

“But if you get distracted, you're gonna lose,” Yu pointed out. “If you do ever lose, I get to take your place on the team!” Yu teased.

“Fat chance!” Sagittario said. “Because I’m never gonna lose. I’ll keep winning and winning until I get to the finales, and then I’ll win those.”

“Just keep on winning?” Andromeda said as she stops eating for a moment, remembering something that took place at the Beijing International Airport earlier that day…

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Several hours earlier, Team Star Swirl are waiting for their next flight. “Where to next?” Yu asked.

“Saddle Arabia,” Andromeda answered as she reads a book about the country.

“Hey, Andromeda,” a familiar voice called out.

“Dashan?” Andromeda asked as the leader of Wang Hu Zhong walks up to them. “You came to see us off?”

“Yes, my friend,” Dashan answered. “But I also have something to say to you.”

“And what might that be?” Andromeda asked.

“To say this: don’t lose, Andromeda,” Dashan answered, which surprises Andromeda. “Your team defeated ours, Wang Hu Zhong. If you were to lose now, it would reflect poorly on Shaolin Temple’s honor.”

“Right. I understand.”

“The next time we duel, we will defeat you. Chi-yun, Mei-Mei, and even Chao Xin have already started their new training. They will be ready for when we meet again."

“Sounds like everyone is working hard,” Tempest said.

“Yes,” Dashan said. “Well, then until next time.” Dashan said as he bows to the team.

“We will be happy to duel you again, Dashan,” Andromeda said as she and Dashan shake hoofs as friends.

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Andromeda smiles, having made new friends in a place like China. “Man, there sure are a lot of really good duelists out there. I was totally surprised,” Sagittario suddenly said as he and the others finish eating. “How about you guys? What do you think?”

“Absolutely! There were amazing duelist in China! I can’t wait to see who we meet next,” Yu said.

“Next we will see the team from the EU, Excalibur, and the Saddle Arabia team, Desert Blaze. They’re dueling each other tonight.” Firestorm said.

“The word on the street is that both teams have incredibly strong and talented members,” Radiance said.

“Then let's pay close attention as we watch,” Andromeda said. “They’re in the same A-Block with us, so there is a chance we’ll face the winner eventually.”

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Later, in the Saddle Arabian city of Riyadh, Team Star Swirl gets off the bus from the airport near their hotel they’ll be staying at. “Yeah! We’re here,” a happy Yu said. “Wow, the ponies here are as tall as Celestia.”

“That’s because they’re not ponies, but horses,” Andromeda said.

“Wow, it’s super hot here,” Sagittario said, sweating just by standing still.

“It’s the long-awaited World Duel Championships X!” A unicorn with a sand brown coat, a black mane and beard, yellow eyes and wearing a brown cloak and a white scarf acting like a hood said over a nearby jumbotron. “Our representatives, Team Desert Blaze, will finally have their first round duel tonight! Gasur, Karte, and Zidane, the three pegasi who have honed their skills in the harsh desert environment. Will they show us a fierce fight? Tonight, in Yellow Sands Arena, be sure to watch our Team Desert Blaze’s victory with your own eyes!”

“So cool!”

“You totally rock, Desert Blaze!” Several horses cheered.

“Everypony, or should I say everyhorse, sure are pumped,” Radiance chuckled.

“Desert Blaze sure do look pretty good,” Firestorm noted.

“What do you mean ‘pretty good’?” A unicorn asked.

“Desert Blaze is the strongest by far. Gasur and the others are definitely gonna become number 1!” Another said.

“You must be confused,” Sagittario suddenly said as he steps forward. “If you're talking about the world's number 1 duelist, then it is I …” Right before Sagittario could finish that sentence, Tempest places an arm around Sagittario and shuts his mouth with his hoof.

“Sorry about that,” Tempest said to the clearly confused unicorns.

“By the way,” Andromeda said, getting the two horses attention. “Where would someone go to if they wanted to meet this Desert Blaze?”

“Well, they usually train out by the ruins 2 kilometers south of Riyadh,” one of them answered.

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Later, 2 kilometers south of Riyadh, at the ruins of an old temple … “That must be the place,” Bismarck said as they reach the ruins.

“Yeah, but where are they?” Tempest asked. Suddenly, they all the flapping of wings not far away, on the other side of a sand dune.

“What was that?” Andromeda asked.

“Let’s check it out,” Sagittario said as they all run toward there. Once they reach the top of the sand dune, they all see three pegasi. One, the apparent leader, has a blue coat, orange eyes, a white mane, and is wearing a light green military uniform with goggles around his neck. Another one has a yellow coat, purple eyes, a black, spiky mane, a light brown vest and is wearing goggles on his head. He is accompanied by the last one, a pegasus who has a red coat, a mustard-yellow mane, green eyes, and is wearing a white scarf and a brown jacket. All of them have crows for cutie marks.

“That’s must be them,” said Tempest as they see the three pegasi fly among the stone rubble. “What incredible control they have,” Tempest said as they see the three fly past the broken walls and pillars with ease, despite the heat and the sand.

“That totally rocked, Gasur!” The yellow one said to the blue as he lands. “Zidane, looks like it’s out turn, buddy,” the yellow said to the red.

“Leave it to me, Karte.” The yellow one said as he and the red soon take off.

“What are they up to now?” Andromeda asked as the two fly close together, before…

“Crow Crusher!” They two shouted as they spin around one another, speeding up at an incredible pace before they blast right through a large boulder. The boulder now shattered to pieces, the two fly out completely unharmed as the land by the blue pegasus.

“Whoa! Unbelievable!” Sagittario shouted, which gets the blue pegasus’ attention.

“Who’s there?” The blue pegasus demanded as he looks up the sand dune.

“Uh, nopony!” A panicking Andromeda tried to say. “Sorry, we didn’t mean to bother you. We just wanted to see your practice routine.”

“Huh! You’re her, aren't you! You’re Andromeda!” The blue pegasus said after he took a good look at Andromeda, while the other two stare at him in shock.

“What?! Did you say ‘Andromeda’?” The yellow one asked, while Team Star Swirl just look on in shock.

“Jeez, Andi. Is there anywhere in the world where people haven't heard about that spell?” Tempest asked as they all walk down the sand dune.

“I see,” the blue one said as he puts two and two together. “So, you all came here just to see tonight's duel.”

“Well, since we’re in the same division of the world championships, we’ll probably face each other at some point,” Andromeda pointed out.

“It’s best to know a little something about your opponent, ya know,” Yu said.

“Sure, that makes sense,” the blue one said. “We saw your duel with Wang Hu Zhong too.”

“It was an excellent fight,” the red one complimented.

“Yeah!” Said the yellow, while Andromeda blushes slightly.

“Really? Thanks.” A blushing Andromeda said.

“My name is Gasur,” the blue one said before he points toward the red one. “This is Zidane and Karte. Nice you meet you.”

“Nice to meet you, too,” Radiance said.

“You guys are all pretty amazing pegasi,” Tempest said. “Looks like tonight's duel will be a fun one to watch.”

“It should be. And we’re gonna win for sure,” said Gasur.

“But we can’t let our guard down. Our opponents are all duelist trying to win for their countries or regions too,” the yellow one, Karte, added.

“That’s why we practice like this everyday. So that today we can become a little better than yesterday. And tomorrow, a bit better than today.” Zidane finished, while Team Star Swirl all nod in understanding.

“Andromeda, hopefully we can both keep winning and meet in the stadium and duel,” Gasur said to a slightly surprised Andromeda.

“Yeah, that’ll be great. Let’s try to make that happen,” Andromeda said as she extends her hoof out.

“Sure. It’s a deal,” Gasur said as he and Andromeda shake hoofs.

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Later, back in Riyadh, Team Star Swirl are walking toward their hotel. The sun is setting as the temperature begins to go down, through it’s still a pretty warm 32° C. “So that was Team Desert Blaze?” Bismarck asked.

“Yeah. They sure are nice guys,” Radiance said. “Won’t they, Andromeda?” Radiance said in a teasing manner to Andromeda, who blushes. Suddenly, a white limousine rolls up to a luxury hotel they were passing, which makes them stop. “Whoa! A limousine.” Radiance said as a red carpet is rolled out to the limo’s passenger door. Two bodyguards then run up to it, one of them opening the door. An Itallion pegasus stallion with royal blue eyes, a blonde mane that reaches down to his shoulders, a pale purple coat and a slim physique, wearing a red tuxedo with a golden rose for a cutie mark then gets out, while a butler carries two objects in white cloth from the back, as several maids and other butlers wait for them.

“Whoa, who’s that? Some kind of movie star?” Yu asked.

“I don’t know,” Radiance said.

“Probably some spoiled, rich kid,” Bismarck said as the pegasus walks into the hotel, with the butler close behind.

“Well, whoever he is, it has nothing to do with us,” Andromeda said. “Let’s go get something to eat.”

“Yeah. I’m hungry,” Yu said as the 7 walk off to look for a good restaurant.

“Humph! It appears that coming all this way will be worth while after all,” the pegasus said as he enters the hotel.

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Back in Ponyville, Twilight and some of her friends are eating in Sugarcube Corner. “It fells wired, not having Andi, Biz, Radiance or Tempest here,” Berry said as he gives Orion a slice of pie.

“Tell me about it,” Bucky said as he just swirls his soup with a spoon, clearly missing his older brother.

“Relax, guys,” Flora said. “Eventually they’ll be home for a match here.” Flora pointed out, when she sees the TV screen. “Hey, Berry, can you turn up the volume on the TV?”

“Sure,” Berry said as he goes up and turns up the volume, to where everyone can now hear.

“Now, here at Yellow Sands Arena, our home team is ready to rumble as they aim to become number 1 in the world, Desert Blaze starts it’s journey at last!” A Saddle Arabian unicorn with a sand brown coat, a black mane and beard, yellow eyes and wearing a brown cloak and a white scarf acting like a hood said.

“The match between Team Desert Blaze and Team Excalibur is about to start,” an excited Cherry said as everyone watches intently.

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Halfway across the world, in Riyadh, Saddle Arabia, in the Yellow Sands Arena … “Just what kind of big, bad duel will they show us tonight? Here come the teams!” The commentator said to a very excited crowd, with Team Star Swirl among them. They all watch as Team Desert Blaze rises up to the stage on a platform, making the audience go crazy.

“Good luck to you all, Desert Blaze!” Tempest shouted from the stands.

“Don’t forget the promise you made with us!” Andromeda added, while Gasur turns toward them and shouts…

“I won’t!”

“Their opponents are the EU representative, give it up for Team Excalibur!” The commentator said as Team Excalibur’s platform is raised, but the only one there is an Itallion pegasus stallion with royal blue eyes, a blonde mane that reaches down to his shoulders, a pale purple coat and a slim physique, wearing a red tuxedo with a golden rose for a cutie mark, carrying a round shield that has a mare with snakes for a mane on it, with it’s eyes closed, and a sword within it’s sheath on his back. “Why is there only one duelist?”

“What?” Gasur asked.

“What he say?” Both Karte and Zidane asked.

“It’s that rich kid from before!” A surprised Tempest said.

“He’s the EU’s representative?” Andromeda asked.

“That guy is a duelist?” A shocked Firestorm asked.

“Apparently, the only member of the EU team to show up is a pegasus named Julien Konzern,” the commentator said. “Does he plan to fight Desert Blaze on his own?”

“What’s your angel, Julien?” Andromeda asked, while Julien just stands there, calmly like he won already.

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“Can anyone tell me what’s going on here?” Berry asked as everyone watches the match back in Sugarcube Corner.

“The world championships uses a three on three, sometimes a five on five or three on five team duel style,” the commentator pointed out. “Did the EU team forgot to pick someone up at the airport?”

“Hey, you! Where are the other two members of your team?” Gasur asked.

“I don’t need them,” Julien replied.

“So does that mean you’re going to face all three of us by yourself?” Zidane asked. “That makes no sense.”

“It won’t be a problem, for me,” Julien said.

“What was that?” Karte asked.

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“Even if one of you can defeat me here, then your team will win the duel. Does that sound okay?” Julien asked.

“Are you putting us on?” Karte asked.

“This match isn’t a joke to us, pal,” Zidane said as the audience all begins to talk about Julien, some saying he’s nuts.

“He’s planning to fight all three matches himself?” A surprised Andromeda asked.

“I can’t understand what this guy is even thinking,” said Tempest.

“I don’t know what his deal is, but it’s amusing.” Sagittario said, while Yu groans in annoyance.

“That’s a big mouth you got,” Gasur said. “I’ve seen this before, guys like you who overestimate their own skills and power. Fine then, we’ll teach you that your conceited way of thinking won’t fly out here in the real world.”

“Humph! In that case, let’s get started,” Julien said.

“DJ!” Zidane said to the commentator.

“Me? Oh, right! Sorry,” the DJ said as he realizes what’s gonna happen. “The World Duel Championships A-Block, round 1, the Desert Blaze verses Excalibur duel, will be an irregular three against one competition. If Julien is defeated once, Desert Blaze will win and move on to the second round.”

“Be careful with this guy,” Karte said to Gasur, who’s walking out to the ring.

“Don’t sweat it, Karte. I’ll end this with the first match,” said Gasur as he and Julien enter the ring.

“The first match is Gasur verses Julien,” the DJ said.

“Don’t mess with us, Julien!”

“Take this guy out with one move, Gasur!”

“Let’s see you kick some butt, Desert Blaze!” Three members of the audience all shouted.

“Ready to throw down, big mouth? Because I’m sure am!” Gasur said in a serious voice.

“Ha! At least try to last long enough to hear the melody. My Sword of Perseus’ melody,” Julien said as he places the shield on his left arm and pulls out the sword from it’s sheath, which has an empty slot in it’s hilt and a black gem embedded in the blades tip.

“What’s a Perseus?” Tempest asked.

“A Greek mythological figure that is said to be the very first pegasus,” Andromeda answered.

“Buckle up fans, ‘cause here we go!” The DJ said as Gasur and Julien get ready. “Three … two … one … GO!” Right away, Gasur flies toward Julien, and tires to hit him, but Julien uses his shield to block it, but before he knew it, Gasur is beginning to hit him and different angles and points around Julien, who either gets hit or blocks it with his ugly shield. “There it is! Gasur’s signature hit and run attacks! Julien is showered in blows!” The DJ added, while the crowd all cheers for Gasur.

“That’s what I’m talking about!”

“Come on, keep it up, Gasur!” Zidane and Karte both said, while Julien just stands still, as if he’s listening to something while Gasur keeps up his attacks.

“For someone who asked for a one against three fight, he’s no big thing.”

“Yep. He’s just got a big head,” Sagittario and Yu said, while everyone else just looks on.

“And that’s not all!” Gasur said as he jumps off the edge and attacks from above to continue his barrage by using diving attacks, though Julien just blocks them.

“Gasur continues with his endless diving attacks! Is Julien not going to fight back at all?” The DJ asked while the audience all cheers.

“All right! That Gasur really is something!” Tempest said.

“I guess…” Bismarck said.

“I know, it looks like Julien isn’t really feeling his attacks,” Firestorm noted.

“You think so too?” Andromeda said after she took out here Zapple Brick. “It must be because of the shields composition. Look, that shield is made up of 80% adamantium and 20% vibranium, both incredible rare metals. That adamantium makes the shield, quite literally, indestructible, while the vibranium absorbs any and all vibration. Which means, even if a fully grown dragon were to hit it, Julien would only feel the force of a kitten.”

“I think the bigger question is what he’ll do to attack,” Firestorm said.

“That tone, it really hurts my ears.” Julien said, referring to Gasur’s attacks and wing beats. “A harsh, uninspired rhythm. A melody lacking even a hint of beauty. Why it’s nothing more than a noise. I can’t stand to listen to it anymore! I’ll bring it to it’s finale!” Julien said, when he suddenly tosses his shield at a surprised Gasur.

“Say what!?” A shocked Gasur said as he just barely ducks as the shield flies by him, before a cord attach to the shield pulls it back toward Julien.

“Okay. That was cool,” Tempest said.

“According to legend …” Julien began to say.

“Excuse me?” Gasur said.

“The Greek hero, Perseus,” Julien continued, “went on a journey to defeat a fearsome monster; Medusa, the serpent-mare with snakes for a mane, that turned anyone she looked at into stone. After a heated fight, Perseus emerge victories by cutting off Medusa’s head. He then used Medusa’s eyes as a weapon to defeat his enemies by turning them into stone.”

“What is that dude talking about, Zidane?” Karte asked.

“Beats me.”

“Ha! You’re a very strange guy,” Gasur said in a skeptical tone. “If you think you can beat me by using Greek myths, then bring it on!”

“I’ll show you the power of a hero, starting with this!” Julien said when, unexplicitly, the eyes of the snake-mare on Julien’s shield suddenly open, showing two blood-red gems with serpentine irises, that look like their made of liquid metal.

“What the hell!?” A surprised Gasur said.

“What’s that?” Sagittario asked.

“The eyes opened!” A just as surprised Andromeda answered.

“Can you believe it? It looks like the eyes on Julien’s ugly shield opened up,” the equally surprised DJ commentated.

“It’s useless! No one is able to run from these, Medusa’s eyes,” Julien said as the ‘eyes’ begin to glow while he aims the shield toward Gasur.

“If he’s using some weird magic gems, then I’ll just fight back with my speed,” Gasur said as he takes to the air. However, he glances at the shield for just a moment, and he suddenly drops like a rock. “What’s going on? I can’t move!” Gasur said through gritted teeth.

Suddenly, Julien runs toward Gasur, and knocks him out of the stadium with the shield, which makes Gasur’s teammates gasp in shock. “Gasur!” Andromeda cried as Gasur hits the wall, and falls, able to move again.

“Julien’s devastating attack nails big time,” the DJ said while the audience gasps in shock. “Gasur’s day is over as he was sent flying out of the stadium with a swift, single blow.”

“So that was Medusa’s eyes,” an intrigued Andromeda said.

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“What the hay just happened?” Bucky asked.

“It looked like Gasur was paralyzed somehow,” Flora said. “But how?”

“I have heard about a special metal called gravitonium, which is said to be able to manipulate gravity,” Twilight said. “Those gems in that shield must have some. Which means that, when the eyes are opened, Julien can make someone stop moving for a period of time.”

“Well, whatever happened, Gasur isn’t taking it well,” Rainbow said as Gasur begins to hit the ground with his hoof, while his teammates come to his aid.

“This -- This can’t be!” Gasur said.

“Calm down, Gasur,” Karte said. “You just got a little careless, and that’s all.”

“But now, thanks to you, we now know the opponents secrets,” Zidane said, which makes Gasur smile a little as he realizes this.

“What’s the big deal about some freaky gems that can paralyze you? I can easily beat that with one wing tied to my back,” said Karte as he walks up to the stadium.

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“For the second match, Karte steps forward. Will he win for his pal Gasur?” The DJ asked, making the audience all cheer, saying yes.

“You came alone?” Julien asked as he places the white gem around his neck into his swords hilt.

“What?”

“You and that other one over there should come at me together,” Julien said as he points toward Zidane.

“Whoa! Now what?” The DJ asked. “This time, Julien is saying that he wants to fight two at the same time. Just how far will the pegasus go to insult Desert Blaze?”

“Come on! Just play the match fairly!”

“Don’t pay any attention to him! Teach him a lesson he won’t forget! Come on Karte! Come on Zidane!” Two members of the audience yelled.

“Oaky, then let's get on with this thing!” Karte said as Zidane walks up.

“Yeah! If it’s two against one you want, then we’re more then happy to accommodate you,” Zidane said.

“Team Desert Blaze accepts your challenge!” They both said, which makes Julien smile.

“This is getting crazy!” The DJ said, having a hard time believing what he’s seeing and hearing. “The second match will be an irregular two-on-one duel. Now that he is taking on both Karte and Zidane, will Julien possibly escape unharmed?”

“Yes, sir! This’ll be great!” An excited Sagittario said.

“I can’t believe this guy. Going out of his way to put himself at a disadvantaged like that? What a dummy,” Yu said.

“He must not know that Karte and Zidane have a combo move that they can only do together,” Radiance said.

“Maybe, or is Julien still hiding something pretty nasty up his sleeve?” Andromeda said.

“Come on! Let’s go, Julien!” Both Karte and Zidane said.

“I see. This time I’ll play a song for you: your funeral march!” Julien said as he puts the shield on his right arm, as he points the sword at Karte and Zidane.

“Now then, let the duel begin,” the DJ said. “Three … two … one … GO!” At that, Julien does something that not only shocks Karte and Zidane, but everyone in the stadium…

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…And in Sugarcube Corner as well. “I don’t believe it!” Twilight gasped.

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In the Yellow Sands Arena, the entire audience is gasping as Julien does it again. “This just can’t be! It just can't! That guy is…” Andromeda tried to say as Julien appears above Karte and Zidane, before he disappears in a flash of light, only to reappear at the center of the ring, smiling. “Teleporting by using magic! Impossible! I cannot believe that there are artifacts other than the Elements of Harmony and the Alicorn Amulet that give their holder such abilities!”

“Huh? Is he really a hornless unicorn with fake wings or something?” Sagittario asked.

“Andi!” Tempest said.

“Oh, right!” Andromeda said as she slaps herself back into reality and looks at the analyzer. “No, that’s not it! The only thing different is that the white gem Julien had around his neck is now in the swords hilt. When the white gem is implanted into the hilt, not only does it counteracts the black gems weight, but it also creates a powerful magic field.”

“So that means that Julien can decide whether or not he can or cannot use unicorn level magic,” Tempest said.

“Huh? A pegasus that uses unicorn magic?” Karte asked, completely shocked.

“Don’t freak out, Karte,” Zidane said. “When he reappears again, let’s do our move.”

“Yes, Zidane. Understood.” Karte said as the two take off. Flying close together, they begin to spin around one another, speeding up at an incredible pace. “Crow Crusher!” They both shouted as Julien reappears below, not worried.

“Now, listen to this, your funeral march! The Black Excalibur!” Julien shouted as he charges his sword with a powerful dark energy, before he fires the blast at the two. The blast not only stops the Crow Crusher, but sends Karte and Zidane out of the ring and straight into the wall.

“That … didn’t happen,” Karte said, in denial of their lose.

“It can’t be true.”

“Desert Blaze lost,” two members of the audience said.

“Unbelievable!” The DJ said. “Julien has single handedly defeated all three members of Team Desert Blaze. The EU representatives, Team Excalibur, move on to the second round.” The DJ added as Julien puts up his sword, and looks up into the stands, right where Team Star Swirl is sitting.

“Did you see that?” Tempest asked. “Those three were just defeated by just one guy.”

“He has a shield that can paralyze someone, and a sword that lets him use unicorn magic?” Yu asked.

“So, who is this Julien Konzern?” Andromeda asked, as Julien leaves.