Let's Duel!

by Snake Staff

Sibling Duel

Twilight felt her breath catch in her chest as she looked around. Celestia wasn’t there! Her eyes darted to and fro, frantically scanning the area for any sign, anything at all. But, as far as she could tell, there wasn’t a single trace of her mentor anywhere. Her new friends were sprawled out across the ground and she could make out the sight of numerous concurrent duels between armored figures from the Royal Guard and cloaked cultists. But of her beloved teacher there was no sign – nor, for that matter, was there any of Nightmare herself.

Does that mean… the gears in her head began to turn. That she’s still the Shadow Realm? With Nightmare Moon?!

The thought of Celestia’s soul trapped forever in the darkness was enough to send a surge of guilty panic through Twilight’s mind.

If she’s stuck there, doesn’t that mean it’s my fault? I’m the one who challenged Nightmare in the first place, it’s because of me that she called up a Shadow Game at all! Is the princess going to pay the ultimate price for my mistake?!

Twilight’s thoughts were rather abruptly interrupted by the sound of explosions. She looked up to see several of the town’s buildings erupting into flames all around them as more detonations rang out from inside. Columns of black smoke rose high into the air, blocking out the already dim moonlight. Guards and cultists alike shielded themselves with arms and magic, backing off quickly.

Moments later, there was a hissing sound as a blazing blue flare soared into the sky. It hung in place for an instant, illuminating everything and visible for miles around. The next second it too exploded like a firework, raining trails of faint blue flames on the town. This was apparently the signal – as one, the cloaked figures broke from their duels and scattered, bolting in all directions. Even more buildings burst into flames as they fled. With the flames providing light, Twilight could finally make out the overall situation.

Ponyville’s people are still frozen! She realized with a start, before glaring at the already vanishing cloaked figures. Those cowards! They’re setting fire to the town and putting hundreds of lives in danger just for a distraction!

Cowardly it might have been, but it was certainly effective. All around the square Royal Guards were breaking off to pull helpless civilians away from the fire, or making attempts to fight the blaze. The cultists, having no such compunctions, were running for the hills.
Duel disks flared all around as watery monsters began to appear. With the safeguards removed, solid light holograms made for effective weapons – or firefighters. A giant serpentine dragon seemingly made of water demonstrated this quite effectively when it wrapped its body around a burning house, extinguishing large chunks in moments. Twilight witnessed her brother’s golem stomping around, smothering flames that threatened to spread. Those men of the guard who could use magic themselves were doing it.

Containing the fires would take several minutes, actually extinguishing them a good few hours. And then there were injured in need of care, a freezing curse that needed breaking, and of course a town in need of securing. The Royal Guard had quite a lot of work to do.

But Twilight wouldn’t witness any of this. Her mind and body, taxed to their limits by the Shadow Realm, at last gave out. She collapsed into blissful unconsciousness on the spot.

---

“Twilight…”

Twilight twitched, barely aware, at the faint sound of her name.

“Twilight…”

This time the name was louder, the voice somewhat familiar.

“Twilight?”

She knew that she knew that voice from somewhere, but where? Her exhausted, addled brain didn’t seem up to reminding her.

“Twilight!”

The voice was soft… melodious… feminine…

“Twilight! Listen to me! Open your eyes!”

“Oooooh…” Twilight moaned softly, reaching one hand up to rub her head. Only, she didn’t feel her head. Or her hand, for that matter. That was enough to kick start her mind. She opened her eyes – or more accurately, thought about doing so – and she suddenly could see all around her.

She was standing, or perhaps floating, in a land of seemingly endless grey mist. The thick fog covered everything, in all directions, as far as the eye could see. Even the ground itself, when Twilight looked down at it, appeared to be nothing more than still more of the mists. What light existed was weak and hazy, adding to the already oppressive atmosphere of this place. But what really astonished Twilight was that when she looked at herself, she saw absolutely nothing.

Am I… dead? she wondered.

To her astonishment, those very words echoed as though she were inside some massive cavern, reverberating in all directions and only slowly fading away.

My thoughts appear to be… voiced.

“Well, we are in your mind,” said another voice. “So that is rather natural.”

Twilight whirled… whatever she was now towards the source of the voice immediately. A short distance away a small portion of the mist swept aside like the curtains of a stage, peeling back to reveal an extremely familiar woman. And extremely familiar rainbow-haired woman in a white dress.

“Princess Celestia!” Twilight cried out, rushing towards her as best she could. “You’re alright!”

The older woman smiled wearily down at her, eyes sunken and worn. Up close, Twilight noticed that her mentor’s face had acquired several new wrinkles, and her flowing hair looked unusually frazzled. Even her smile was weak, looking almost forced.

“Not exactly.” Celestia sighed deeply. “I wish I could tell you that I am back, that the evil is vanquished, and that everything will return to normal. But I am afraid that I can’t.”

“What…” Twilight hesistated. “What do you mean?”

“I am very short on time, my student, so please listen well and do not ask questions until the end.”

“Why not ask – sorry.” Twilight caught herself.

“I am presently still within the Shadow Realm,” Celestia calmly explained. “As is the madwoman you know as Nightmare Moon. At present we are locked in a contest of strength, and it looks to be a rough stalemate. I’m using a small fragment of my power to speak directly into your mind during a slight lull.”

“How is – nevermind.”

“I don’t know long I can keep this link open before our battle picks up. So you must know: this is not end the end, for either of us. The way things are going I anticipate that both Nightmare and myself will be stranded inside the shadows for some time, but not forever. I will return – and so will she. When that happens, I need you to be ready.”

“Ready? How?” Twilight couldn’t resist.

“I want you to go back to Camelot, to the Academy. I trust you remember where my vault is?”

“The Royal Vault…” Twilight might have gasped if she had had lungs. “Of course I remember!”

“Good.” She nodded. “Listen carefully. I want you to go there and place your hand on the central cog. It will open for you.”

“You… you set it to open for me? You trust me that much?!”

“Of course,” Celestia smiled gently. “When you are inside, go down three rows, take a left, walk twenty-three feet and take a right. You’ll see a plain steel case with a star engraved on it. Take that and nothing else. Inside you should find six cards. Listen carefully, I want–”

And then, abruptly and without ceremony, she was gone.

“Princess Celestia?!” Twilight called out after her. “Princess Celestia?! Princess Celestia! PRINCESS CELESTIA!”

But there was no one to answer.

---

“No,” Shining Armor said, several hours later. “No. Absolutely not.”

“I have to,” Twilight declared, meeting her brother’s gaze. “The princess herself told me to do it.”

“A dream told you to do it,” he countered, face firm. “You’ll have to forgive me if I’m not breaching protocol in the middle of a major terrorist incident while the princess is missing over a vision you had. Everything in the vault is staying right where it is barring a direct order from the princess herself.”

“And she gave me that order.”

“Look, Twily.” He sighed, rubbing his forehead. “I’ve had a really hard night. First we get call from Spike telling me that robed crazies have taken over a town, then the princess decides to come along, then out of nowhere she up and vanished on the way here! Now you tell me that not only were my little sister and five other girls almost stripped of the souls, the same thing could be happening to her right now! We spent half the night firefighting while most of the perpetrators slipped through our fingers! Even the ones that we did catch aren’t saying anything!”

“When you put it like that…” Twilight winced sympathetically. “It sounds pretty bad.”

“Tell me about it.” Shining nodded. “I’ve got half the government demanding news on the princess or the terrorists, hundreds of people to reassure, and to top it all off the people responsible are still out there! How do we know they aren’t just waiting to try something else even now? And you want me to let you get anywhere near a vault full of dark and powerful artifacts?” He shook his head. “I’m sorry, Twily, but no.”

“You don’t believe me,” she said.

“It’s not that.” He sighed again, rings prominent under his eyes. “It’s that with Princess Celestia missing, I’m the one charged with safeguarding the nation. We have a crisis situation with anywhere from dozens to hundreds of violent lunatics with access to powerful magic running loose and our leader completely vanished. Knowing what I do about what’s down there, I simply can’t risk opening that door until the situation has stabilized. There’s been enough Shadow Magic around here as it is.”

“You know I’m not one of your guards, right? You can’t order me around.”

“That’s true. But in the absence of the princess I can and will prevent anyone from barging in to a highly dangerous mystical location.”

“Even your own sister? Your LSBFF?”

Shining’s face was grim. “Even you.”

---

A short while later, Twilight stood in a small, dark hospital room housing six beds. Five were full – as was a chair beside the empty bed, where a young boy snoozed. Twilight gazed at the six sleeping faces, feeling a twinge of guilt for what she knew would be worry all around. But if her brother and his men weren’t going to cooperate… she had to do it alone. Turning, Twilight walked towards the door, enchanted shoes not making the slightest sound. She paused only to slip a small piece of paper onto a nightstand.

Dear friends,

Apologies for leaving so suddenly. Urgent task. Will be back soon.

Get well,
TS

---

Midmorning found Twilight Sparkle creeping silently through the corridors of Celestia’s Duel Academy like no one else could. She had spent much of her life in these hallowed halls, and she knew them like few others did. The princess herself had shown her many of these passages, some of which almost no one else had even heard of. She certainly had been there longer than almost any guard, which made dodging their patrols even more easy.

Not that there was much to dodge. Many of the usual men had been called away to Ponyville on short notice, or else were occupied on the mounting manhunt for the cultists. The school’s remaining faculty had closed down the academy, at least for the day, and sent the students home. The last thing anyone wanted were more robed freaks taking elite students hostage.

Getting to Camelot had simply been a matter of hitching a ride onboard one of the guard-occupied trains as it trundled back. Between magic and family connections, she’d had plenty of time to herself. Time enough to plan her move, and time to make a few adjustments to her deck. She had lost, and that was bad enough, but to lose when she had… to force Celestia to take the fall for her… that was intolerable. Simply intolerable. When she got access to her full card collection again, Twilight vowed to reorganize her deck into an unbeatable fighting force that could send any Nightmare Cultist or the madwoman herself packing.

So it was something of a shock to round the corner of the vault corridor to find her brother already waiting for her.

“Twily,” Shining said, face stone-like.

“…Shiny.” Twilight grimaced. “You knew I was coming, huh?”

“Since I came to check up on you and found the empty bed. You’re stubborn when you think you’re doing the right thing.”

“Right back at you.”

“The difference is, I’m following orders and common sense, while you’re listening to a voice in your head. A very suspect voice, I might add.”

“I think you’re wrong,” Twilight said calmly. “I don’t like to fight you…”

“The feeling is mutual, sis.”

“But I have to do what I have to do.”

“Funny.” Shining chuckled slightly. “That’s just what I was going to say.”

“I think it’s sufficiently clear that words aren’t going to end this,” Twilight observed. “I think I’m right and you think you’re right. So I guess there’s only one fair way to settle this.”

“I think you’re right, Twily.”

Two duel disks snapped into active position.

“Let’s duel!” the two siblings called out.

“I’ll start this time,” Twilight declared, drawing. “After all, you got to last time!”

“If that’s the way you want it.” Her brother shrugged.

She scrutinized her hand. Suboptimal. Mirror Force is no good against most of Shining’s best monsters, and as for the rest…

“I place one card face-down.” She slipped the card into her duel disk’s slot. “Then I’ll summon my Royal Magical Library in defense mode!”

A half-dozen towering bookshelves rose up around her, green magical spheres low and dull.

“And next I activate my Arcane Barrier!”

The ground behind Twilight quaked as a grey stone statue of a powerful wizard rose up behind her. The gem at the end of the man’s staff glittered brightly in the darkened corridor. One emerald orb on Twilight’s Library brightened considerably.

“I’ll end my turn right there.”

“Then I’ll go,” Shining declared, drawing a card. “I place one card face-down and summon one monster in face-down defense mode.”

Two cards appeared in front of him, backs high to the sky.

“And I think that’ll do it for now.”

More conservative than he usually plays, Twilight thought as she drew her card. Is he holding back, or setting something up?

“I summon Apprentice Magician in defense mode!”

A young, blonde-haired man in purple armor appeared on one knee. He clutched a green staff in one hand.

“I take it you remember how my monster works,” she asked her brother. “I can place one additional counter on a card I control, and I’ll choose my Magical Library!”

A second orb on her bookshelves brightened, bathing Twilight in more emerald light.

He smiled slightly. “You think I’d forget so easily? It hasn’t been all that long, Twily.”

“No, it hasn’t.” Twilight shook her head at him. “And that’s why you need to trust me and let me into that vault.”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…” Shining hesitated. “It’s the opposite. You know I trust you completely.”

“Then why won’t you get out of my way?” Twilight frowned. “I need to get to some cards in there!”

“It’s because I know some of the cards that are in there!” Shining answered. “Princess Celestia only ever told me about a few of the most dangerous, but that’s all I need to know to understand how vital security is! While she’s missing and there’s a maniac cult with Shadow Magic running amok, I can’t allow the slightest breach! What’s down there is far too dangerous to just let someone wander through.” He sighed. “Even you. Not without Celestia’s permission.”

“I told you, I have Princess Celestia’s permission!”

“What you have, by your own account, is a voice in your head! Right after you barely escaped the Shadow Realm with your soul! For all I know it could be one of the cards down there calling out to you through the darkness still clinging to you. Or that Nightmare woman! She was strong enough to freeze hundreds of people in place for hours and invoke a Shadow Game on a whim. Why are you so convinced a ventriloquist act is beyond her?”

“Do you think I don’t know the voice of my own teacher?” Twilight asked. “You’re my BBBFF! Why won’t you just believe me?”

“I do believe you.” Shining met her gaze with a firm expression. “I believe you hear a voice in your head telling you to go down into Celestia’s private vault and retrieve cards I’ve never heard of. I believe you think it’s the princess. But as Captain of the Guard, it’s my sworn duty to prevent anyone from entering that place without Celestia’s explicit permission, and right now you can’t prove you have it. So I have to stop you.”

“You’re that paranoid?”

“You’re that gullible?” Shining retorted. “Twily, I know you’re smarter than this! You can’t seriously expect that I can take a voice in your head as proof that it’s perfectly alright to send you down into a vault full of sealed dark magic! Think! What if it’s a trap? Or Nightmare Moon is somehow following you and just waiting for that door to open? What then?”

“And what–” Twilight replied, eyes pleading. “–if I’m right, and the fate of us all rests on retrieving those cards? What if you’re wrong, and Celestia is speaking to me? If you want you can come with me to get them, but I need to get in there!”

“You know I can’t just pop in whenever I please. Celestia only ever let me glimpse the interior once – it’s the most secure location in all of Camelot.” Shining’s expression softened. “I have to do this, Twily. For everyone’s sake.”

“So do I,” she answered, with utter conviction.

The two siblings stared at one another in total silence for a few seconds, eyes meeting unwaveringly. Neither one moved. Neither was willing to back down. Both seemed utterly certain of their righteousness. Once could almost hear the sound of a fly’s footfall in the dark palace corridor.

“Fine,” Shining broke the silence. “If my words won’t convince you, then perhaps my cards can!” He drew one card with an armored glove, took one look at it, and smiled. “Perfect. I’ll begin my turn by switching my face-down Ancient Gear into attack mode!”

One of his face-down cards rose up, revealing a small mechanical contraption lacking both face and legs. Its small gears spun gently, powering two thin arms.

“Next I’ll play the card I just drew, Machine Duplication!”

Twilight’s eyes widened. “Not that card!”

“Too late.” Shining inserted it into his duel disk, and in a flash one Ancient Gear on the field became three. “I’m sure you don’t need a reminder of how it works. So instead I’ll play a card I just recently got, my Spell Gear!”

All three of the miniature machine monsters were abruptly enveloped in pillars of golden light, vanishing from the field a moment afterwards.

“This card lets me sacrifice any three Ancient Gear cards that I control,” Shining explained. “In return, I get to summon two legendary monsters from my hand and my deck! So come on out, my Ancient Gear Golems!”

Twilight took a step back as the ground trembled. Ruby-red towers of energy erupted out from behind her brother as he folded his arms and smiled confidently. Behind Shining Armor, the reasons for that confidence took form and solidified. Twin mechanical giants, each easily twice her brother’s height with crested helmets all but piercing the ceiling, gazed down at her and her creatures. She was used to thinking of the golems as benevolent protectors, but now, with two glowing red eyes seeming to glare balefully down, they appeared far more sinister.

“Gear Golem, attack her Royal Magical Library now!” Shining ordered. “Mechanized Melee!”

The monster drew back its fist, enormous gears spinning.

Since he’s attacking with Ancient Gear Golem, Twilight grimaced. I can’t activate my Trap Card.

Shining Armor’s monster threw one massive punch, a phantom copy of its fist launching itself into the air. The attack soared through the hallway and connected with the central bookcase. The ancient wood shattered on impact, raining countless thousands of priceless works of literature down onto Twilight. The other shelves groaned and toppled as well as Twilight shielded her head with her arms.

“I’m sure I don’t need to remind you of Gear Golem’s other effect.”

“I’m well-aware,” Twilight said. “If your Golem attacks a monster in defense mode with fewer defense points than its attack points, the difference comes of out my life points.”

Applejack would hate that, she added mentally. Fluttershy too.

“Right you are!” Shining pumped one fist.

Twilight
3000

“Do you give up?” he asked her.

“What do you think?” she countered.

“You never give up.” A smile tugged at the corner of his mouth. “That’s Twily for you.”

“Right you are!” she echoed with a faint smile of her own. Twilight could almost pretend they were back home again, playing Duel Monsters in the backyard with not a care in the world.

“But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t!” he said suddenly. “Now, my second Gear Golem, attack her Apprentice Magician!”

The ancient machine pulled back its own fist and punched out. Once again, a phantom fist almost as big as Twilight herself raced across the field to shatter her monster.

Twilight
800

“Don’t forget!” she called out. “My monster has a special ability as well! Whenever it’s destroyed by battle, I can summon one two star Spellcaster from my deck in face-down defense mode!”

Twilight hurried looked through her deck, picked out one card, and place it face-down on the field. She then shuffled her cards and returned them to their proper place.

“I think I’ll end it there,” Shining said. “Your move, Twily. Better make it count.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that. It will!” she declared. “I have to get through to that vault, Shiny! So I’ll flip my face-down Magical Plant Mandragola into attack mode to place one Spell Counter on my Arcane Barrier! And don’t forget that it got two from the other monsters you destroyed last turn!”

“I take it you plan to sacrifice it now?”

“That’s right.” Twilight nodded. “I can trade in my Arcane Barrier and Magical Plant to draw the same number of cards as it has counters. So three more cards for me!”

“Good luck,” Shining said as his sister drew.

“Thanks!” She smiled. “Next I play the Ritual Spell Incandescent Ordeal! This allows me to sacrifice the Ice Queen in my hand to summon my Legendary Flame Lord!”

A beautiful, pale woman in a white dress appeared on the field, only to be immediately enveloped by blazing orange flames. She cried out briefly before the rising tide consumed her utterly. In her place, emerging with a great shout, came a well-muscled man with long red hair and light armor. The new monster clutched a purple staff with a fiery orb the end in one hand, and grinned cockily at his opponent.

“Not bad.” Shining grinned back. “But not good enough! Because you’ve just triggered my Trap Card!”

“What?!”

“Reveal…” Shining gestured, and his card rose. “Compulsory Evacuation Device!”

“No!”

“Yes! This sends one monster on the field right back to the owner’s hand, and I choose your Legendary Flame Lord!”

The blazing magician suddenly found himself dissolving into golden energy, which promptly rushed back into his card. Twilight reluctantly retrieved it from her duel disk.

“Such a shame you just used up his Ritual Card, Twily. Now all he can do is sit uselessly in your hand. At least it won’t be for long.”

“We’ll see about that!” Twilight grabbed another card from her still-large hand. “I activate Monster Reborn! This allows me to bring my Apprentice Magician back from the Graveyard!”

The blonde-haired magician appeared once again in a flash of golden light.

“I beat that monster once, I can do it again.” Shining shrugged.

“Maybe you beat him…” Twilight fingered another card. “But let’s see how your golems stand up to my Blizzard Princess!”

The young man dissolved away into blue and white light, which quickly reformed itself and solidified. A tall, blue-haired young woman with an elaborate jewelry dangled from the side of her head and golden crown atop it appeared. She smiled, twirling a flail with a massively oversized icy head.

“I’d say pretty well, considered she’s only got 2800 attack points.”

Twilight smiled confidently. “Not once I play my Mage Power, granting Blizzard Princess 500 extra attack points for every Spell and Trap Card I control!”

“So she goes up to 3800…” Shining grimaced.

“Right! And if you had any Trap Cards left, her special ability would prevent you from using them this turn anyway! Now them,” Twilight pointed down the hallway. “Blizzard Princess, attack his Ancient Gear Golem now!”

Twilight’s monster grinned cheerfully, spinning her massive flail high above her head as blue and white energy built up around it. Then, with a seemingly effortless flick of one hand, she sent the boulder-sized head whipping around. It crashed into one of Shining’s golems, smashing the ancient machinery into so many tiny bits and pieces that flew in all directions.

Shining Armor
3200

“That’s it,” she said with a nod.

“Alright then.” Shining drew. “I place one card face-down and switch my Ancient Gear Golem into defense mode!”

The remaining machine dropped to one knee, crossing both arms in front of its chest. Even so, it was still easily the tallest monster on the field.

“My move!” Twilight drew a card and glanced at it, then slipped it into her duel disk. “I place one card face-down, increasing my Princess’ attack points to 4300! Now attack his Ancient Gear Golem!”

Blizzard Princess smiled again and began to skillfully spin her weapon.

“Not quite!” Shining shouted. “I reveal Negate Attack, stopping the attack and immediately ending your Battle Phase!”

The princess’ flail slowly died down, returning to a still position at her side. Both monster and mistress frowned in disappointment.

“Stalling won’t save you!” Twilight told her brother. “But I’ll end my turn for now.”

“It only had to work once,” he answered. “I switch my Gear Golem into attack mode and summon my Ancient Gear Soldier in attack mode.”

A smaller mechanical construct with a massive gun in place of a right arm appeared even as the massive machine beside it resumed its full height. The chambered cylinder on the small monster’s arm rotated, clicking ominously.

“Now,” Shining smiled. “I win this duel. I activate my Heavy Storm, destroying all Spell and Trap Cards on the field!”

“I activate my face-down card, Emergency Provisions!” Twilight countered, even as fierce winds began to emerge from her brother’s card. “Since it’s a quick-play, it allows me to sacrifice both of my other Spell and Trap cards for a 2000 life point boost!”

Both of Twilight’s vanished in a flash of light, just in time to avoid getting obliterated by the gale-force winds now racing down the corridor.

Twilight
2800

“You’ll need those points.” Shining gestured at Blizzard Princess with one hand. “Because now her attack points drop back to 2800! Gear Golem, attack her monster now!”

The golem once again drew back its hand and punched at Twilight’s creature. The phantom fist pulverized the princess with ease.

Twilight
2600

“And now, Gear Soldier, it’s your turn! Attack her life points directly!”

The monster’s cylinder spun rapidly as it leveled its gun barrel at Twilight. It promptly opened fire, spraying her wildly with holographic ammunition.

Twilight
1300

“I’ll think I’ll call it quits there.” Shining folded his arms across his chest.

“Fine. I draw!” Twilight said, doing just that. “And here’s Card of Sanctity, filling up both of our hands!”

Shining and Twilight both drew until they had six cards in their hand, both more focused on the other the entire time.

Twilight looked at her cards and smiled. “Alright, BBBFF, let’s see you get out of this! I activate my Enemy Controller!”

A silvery-blue video game controller appeared on her side of the field, a wire at the end reaching out towards her brother’s monster.

“I’ll use it to take control of your Ancient Gear Golem!”

The controller’s cord snaked around the golem and plugged itself into the back of its head. All at once Shining’s monster stiffened, straightened, and then vanished. It reappeared on Twilight’s side of the field.

“That only lasts for one turn,” he pointed out.

“One turn is all I need.” Twilight smiled. “Ancient Gear Golem, attack Ancient Gear Soldier with Mechanized Melee!”

It felt a little reassuring to see the towering monster raise its fist in her support this time. Its ghostly fist attack smashed the smaller machine into rubble with consummate ease.

Shining Armor
1500

“Now we’re just about even,” her brother noted rather cheerfully. “You’re as good as ever, Twily!”

“You’re not so bad yourself. Shiny!” Twilight gave him a friendly smile. “But I’ve got to win this! So I sacrifice your Gear Golem in order to summon my Dark Red Enchanter!’

Behind Twilight, the massive mechanical golem shuddered and crumbled into pieces, each chunk rusting and degrading into dust before even hitting the ground. In its place rose a blonde woman in red robes and armor, clutching a quarter-moon staff in one hand.

“Is that all?” Shining Armor asked, a little playfully.

“I think you’ve had enough punishment for now.” Twilight grinned cheekily. “So I’ll place one card face-down and spare you for the moment.”

Magician's Circle should come in very handy next turn, she thought to herself.

“We’ll see who’s sparing who,” said Shining Armor as he drew.

“Whom.”

“What?”

“Whom. The correct usage is: we’ll see who’s sparing whom.” Twilight folded her arms. “Didn’t they teach you grammar in the Guard Academy?”

“They had other priorities.” Shining shrugged helplessly.

“So I see.” Twilight giggled.

“Anyway, I suppose I should thank you.”

“For teaching you English 101?”

“For destroying my monsters.” He smiled, revealing the card he had just drawn. “Otherwise I couldn’t use my Pot of Avarice! It lets me–”

“Shuffle five monsters from your Graveyard back into your deck, and then draw two cards.” Twilight finished. “I know.”

“I might have known you would.” Shining smiled, choosing his monsters, shuffling his deck, and then drawing. “Excellent.”

“Good cards?”

“You might say that. First up is my new Field Spell, Geartown!”

The ground around the two shifted and quaked, as massive buildings rose up one after another to form a miniature city. Gears and clockwork were everywhere, spinning in ceaseless industry. Mechanical parts for a dizzying array of creature types were carried along conveyer belts between the buildings as steam hissed from innumerable small vents. The Academy corridor completely vanished.

“This is a very rare card, and I only got it recently,” Shining said with a touch of pride. “So I’ll explain how it works. Any and all Ancient Gear monsters now require one fewer tribute to be Normal Summoned. In the spirit of that my next card is Double Summon!”

“You don’t need to explain that one to me.”

“Thought not. So I’ll just use my Geartown’s effect to summon my Ancient Gear Engineer in attack mode!”

A mechanical humanoid appeared next to Shining Armor, single green eye alight and the massive drill it had for a right hand whirring,

“Your Engineer might not be strong enough to destroy my monster, but in this Field Spell…” Twilight grimaced. “It effectively counts as two sacrifices.”

“Right you are, Twily!” Shining beamed at her, seizing another card in his hand. “So I sacrifice Ancient Gear Engineer to summon Ancient Gear Golem!”

The mechanical engineer shuddered briefly, then exploded into pieces on the spot. Rising from the rubble was yet another of the massive, legendary machine monsters.

Or maybe the same one, Twilight thought. He’s sure to have shuffled both of them back into his deck… She shook her head. He really likes that monster.

“Ancient Gear Golem!” Shining clenched his fist. “Attack her Dark Red Enchanter now! Mechanized Melee!”

The golem’s gears spun in overdrive as it launched yet another copy of its fist. The projectile, larger than Twilight’s entire monster, had absolutely no difficulty in shattering it to pieces.

Twilight
600

“Next I think I’ll activate Ancient Gear Drill, which lets me discard one card to set any Spell Card straight from my deck face-down on the field.”

He always liked to use that to get Limiter Removal. Twilight remembered. 6000 points of angry golem that can shred defense monsters is a real game-ender.

“I’m going to have to call it quits right there,” Shining said. “Your move, Twily.”

“I draw,” she acknowledged, doing exactly that. She winced at Dark Spell Regeneration.

This card doesn’t help me at all right now, she realized, adding it to her hand. Not if he attacks with Ancient Gear Golem. I don’t have any monsters I can summon that could actually protect my life points from it… especially if he doubles its attack... do I have any good cards left at all? I have to win this duel! Celestia’s counting on me and I can’t let her down! There has to be something–

“STOP!”

Comments

[cyberlord4444]

Ooh, Cadance perhaps?

[MrAskAPirate]

You know, Shining doesn't exactly have anything to lose by letting her try to open the vault... if it doesn't open to her handprint, then he was right and they can both move on... if it does open, then he'd know Celestia always wanted Twilight to have access to what's inside.

But then we wouldn't've gotten a chance to see this here Duel.

Yeah, why would you want to skip this?

... Oh. Nevermind. Carry on, x.x

(Also, the link to Ancient Gear Golem when Shiny first summons it leads to the wrong card, ) Hooray!

[Marwile]

6806496
Or the villain knows that Celestia made the handprint thing for emergencies and uses this knowledge now to make Twilight getting her some of these dangerous cards.
In that case Shining is right and tries to prevent the end of the world.

[MrAskAPirate]

6807069
Bah! Details!

[Marwile]

6807090
I just like to make things clear

[Aaron1248]

6806331 That's what I was thinking >3>

[nightshroud96]

Honestly not fond of how Spike missed out on the whole NMM thing and robbed of getting to fight with the girls against Nightmare Moon all because Twilight sidelined him.
I know he was able to call for help(Celestia) but he really should be a equal with the girls instead of being a sidekick that delivers something and then gets sidelined.
It felt like destiny ensured he is blocked from being part of the girls' bond