My Little Pony: Friendship is Numerous

by Monty Eggman

RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game:

Author's Note:

This episode was pretty fun to write, as it features two very well-known decks, as well as the premise behind it all. Overall, I'm pretty proud of this one and I hope you all enjoy it as well.

RANK 32: Bloom's Divine Card Game:
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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...

During the Spring Break Week, everyone had planned their own agendas for enjoying their time off. Twilight Sparkle went back home to spend the vacation with her Ponyville friends, but wound up tangling with her dark side in a high-stakes Duel. Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Sweetie Belle went to attend a major fashion show in Manehattan, only to encounter a girl named Diamondbright who had tried to turn their vacation upside-down. Rainbow Dash and Scootaloo spent a day over at Cheese Sandwich Family Fun Center to play games and enjoy themselves... after they had to deal with an obnoxious bully named Garble, who was terrorizing the other patrons. As for Sunset Shimmer, she journeyed to the town of Bloodstone, earned her Duel Runner driver's license, and helped a girl named Ember resolve a spat that she had with her father.

For Applejack and her family, they decided to spend the week off from school doing work around the farm. So far, things have been going swimmingly for them. Nothing intense has happened there since their encounter with Ms. Skyblaze and Lucky, and it seems that all will remain calm and relaxing on the Apple Family Farm. But for Apple Bloom, who is determined to become a strong Duelist like Sunset one day, she's not in the mood to stay calm and relaxed for long...

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"Alright! I activate the Spell Card, Polymerization!" shouted the voice of Babs Seed, who was currently in the middle of a Duel with her younger cousin Apple Bloom. The two of them were competing in the middle of an open field not far from the barn. After playing her Spell Card, the girl from Manehattan then said, "I'll fuse togethah mah Predaplant Chimerafflesia and mah Predaplant Sarraceniant... and Summon a new Fusion Monster!"

"Uh-oh... that doesn't sound good..." said Apple Bloom, knowing that she was in trouble now (Apple Bloom: LP 1,400).

Instantly, a red and blue-colored portal appeared in the skies above, drawing in Babs's strong Fusion Monster (Predaplant Chimerafflesia: Level 7 / ATK 2500 / DEF 2000) and her other Plant-Type monster (Predaplant Sarraceniant: Level 1 / ATK 100 / DEF 600) in order to create something more powerful. "Parasitic corpse flower that feeds on the living!" Babs chanted. "Merge together with my gluttonous plant and bloom a creature whose hunger can never be satisfied! Fusion Summon!" At that moment, the portal shot out a brilliant light that struck the ground, causing something to come out from below. "Emerge now, draconic plant! Predaplant Dragostapelia!!"

Babs Seed's new Fusion Monster appeared to combine the traits of a dragon and a plant, based on its appearance. It was mostly dragon-like in terms of its body structure, but growing out of its mostly-green body were all manner of vines and thorns, adding to its overall frightening appearance. Every breath it took caused it to exhale a poisonous purple cloud from its maw, and its wings were a deep maroon (Predaplant Dragostapelia: Level 8 / ATK 2700 / DEF 1900).

"Oh man..." Apple Bloom said to herself. "I don't like the look that thing's givin' me..."

Applejack - who was watching the Duel with her older brother Big McIntosh, and her grandmother Granny Smith, commented, "That guy looks like he fell outta the Ugly Tree n' hit every branch on the way down!"

"Either that," Granny remarked, "or that thing IS the Ugly Tree. In any case, it looks like this Duel's about t' be over."

"Eeeyup." agreed Big Mac.

Pointing forward, Babs then shouted, "Alright, Dragostapelia! Attack Apple Bloom's Wind-Up Dog with yer Corrosive Vapor!" The creature then exhaled a forced blast of poison straight towards Bloom's only monster on the field (Wind-Up Dog: Level 3 / ATK 1200 / DEF 900). The cloud enveloped the mechanical-like creature and melted it down to nothing more than a fine mist.

"Aw, darnit...! Ah lost...!" groaned Apple Bloom (Apple Bloom: LP 1,400 - 1,500 = 0) (Babs Seed: LP 4,000) (WINNER: Babs Seed) "That's the third time in a row that Ah couldn't even touch ya!"

As the AR images faded away, Babs said to his younger cousin, "Sorry, cuz... maybe you'll do bettah next time."

"At the rate that Ah'm goin'..." said the bow-wearing girl in a disheartened tone, "Ah highly doubt it..."

"Don't get so down in the dumps, Apple Bloom!" Applejack told her, trying to lift her sister's spirits up. "Ah thought y'all did much better that time."

"...You're jus' sayin' that." Bloom replied, not in the mood to be patronized. Sighing, she then added, "This ain't fair! Ah'm supposed to be the head of the Duel Monsters Crusaders! What kinda leader am Ah supposed t' be if Ah can't even win one Duel?! Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo told me that they finally won Duels durin' the week, but for some reason, Ah can't!"

"Now, now Apple Bloom..." said Granny Smith, walking over to her. "There's no need to start cryin' over spilled cider." Putting her hand on her granddaughter's shoulder, she told her, "No Duelist, not even pros like Celestia and Luna, ever got to where they were without hittin' a few bumps in the road. It may seem like it'll never happen, but if you keep workin' n' practicin', you'll start improvin' before ya know it!"

"...You really think so, Granny?" asked the little yellow girl.

"Sure Ah do!" the older woman replied. "It may take y'all a li'l while t' get better... But once you do, Ah know you'll make us all proud! After all, bein' a late... 'bloomer' means that you've got the chance to make the biggest splash of them all!"

Apple Bloom giggled a little at Granny Smith's comment, especially the "late bloomer" part. Snapping out of her discouraged feelings for the moment, the young girl formed a smile and said, "Thanks, Granny... Ah guess you're right. Ah know Ah'll win a Duel someday: Ah shouldn't try n' force it to happen."

"Now that's more like it." said Applejack. "Just 'cause yer friends have won games before ya, that doesn't mean it'll never happen. y'all just gotta keep workin' at it until ya succeed!" The orange-skinned girl then remembered something after making that statement. "By the way, speakin' of work..." she began to ask her younger sister, "did y'all finish that report ya had t' do for your Literature Class next week?"

That question caused Apple Bloom to freeze up a little. Now her earlier Duel Monsters loss became the least of her worries. "Um... m-m-mah report??" she asked, pupils dilated and sweat running down her cheek. "I, uh... I..."

"Hmmmm... Ah thought so." Applejack said, having a feeling that her younger sister was shirking off her homework. "Well," she then started to say, "before y'all work on improvin' yer dueling skills, you oughtta get t' work on that assignment first."

"Aw man..." moaned Bloom, who wasn't too excited about doing schoolwork, especially during Spring Break.

Looking at her watch and seeing how late it was, Granny Smith suggested to everyone, "Well, before that, though... Ah think it's time we all get ourselves into the kitchen n' have some dinner, what do y'all say?"

"Ah'm completely fine with that!" Apple Bloom said instantly, wanting any chance to get away from doing her schoolwork, even if it was just for a brief amount of time.

Applejack sighed a little at her sister's sudden case of procrastination, but decided to roll with it for now. "Well, maybe a li'l brain food'll do ya some good when you get to that report." she stated. She then glanced over to Babs and asked her, "Are y'all stayin' fer dinner?"

"Yeah, I guess I could." the Manehattan girl simply said to her older cousin. "My folks ain't expectin' me t' be back right away, so I'm sure they'll be fine with it."

"Alright then." Applejack said before glancing over to her brother. "Ya comin' Big Mac?" she called out to him.

"Eeeyup!" he replied as he finished putting away some of the heavier farm equipment back into the barn. As he closed the barn doors, he then glanced over at his Apple Bloom, who was walking back to their home with the others and began to think about something to himself. "Hmmmmm..." he hummed, rubbing his chin a little. Eventually, he put his sudden thoughts aside and ran up to join the rest of them as they walked back to the farmhouse.

Inside of the Apple Family home, Applejack, Apple Bloom, and Babs Seed were sitting at the table while Granny Smith and Big Mac were busy in the kitchen making the dinner for tonight. Normally, Applejack would assist them, but this time, she decided to help her younger sister figure out what to do with her homework assignment. "Alright, accordin' to what this paper says," the orange teen began to say as she read the instruction paper that stated what the assignment was and how to do it, "y'allre supposed to write an essay about a book or some other form of literature of your own choice. Has t' consist of at least 500 words, double-spaced, and you have t' be able to read it in front of the whole class on the day it's due."

"Uuugh... thanks for remindin' me, big sis..." groaned Apple Bloom. The tone of her voice told everyone that she had little, if any, interest in the assignment. When it came to working on the farm, Apple Bloom didn't mind that at all. But work from school was an altogether different story. "It's not fair..." the bow-wearing girl complained, "it's like the teachers'r TRYIN' to suck the fun outta Spring Break by givin' us homework..."

"Amen t' that, cuz." agreed Babs Seed.

Applejack sighed a bit at their comments (despite the fact that she somewhat agreed with their opinions). "Now, girls... Ah don't like gettin' assignments over vacation as much as the next person," she told them, "but the fact remains, Apple Bloom: y'all have an assignment t' do, and as far as Ah know, there ain't never been a member of the Apple Family that's shirked off work of any kind, no matter what!"

"Ah guess so..." Bloom replied. "But Ah don't even know what kinda book Ah'm gonna write about! Knowin' the teacher, Ah probably have t' do it on some really long, really borin' book or somethin' that'll take me the rest of the week t' finish readin'..." The yellow girl then asked her cousin, "Say, Babs... you're in mah class, too: What did y'all write about?"

"Uh, me?" asked the Manehattan girl. "I chose The Grapes of Wrath. I liked the sound of the title, so I decided t' go with it. I'll admit, the story wasn't what I was expectin', but it turned out to be bettah than I thought."

"Ah wish it were that easy for me t' choose a book for the report..." Apple Bloom stated.

"Ah'm sure you'll think of somethin', sis." Applejack told her in a reassuring tone of voice. "It's like ya said earlier: You shouldn't try t' force yourself to figure this out, or y'all won't do as well at it. Maybe tomorrow, you'll be able t' come up with somethin', and we'll all help ya out as much as we can!"

"Thanks, big sis." Apple Bloom replied, gaining some hope that she could overcome the daunting task of her homework assignment.

A few seconds later, the phone began to ring. "Ah'll get it! Ah'll get it!" Granny Smith said, walking over to the phone. Picking it up, she spoke into it, saying, "Hello? This is Apple Family Farm! How can we help ya? ...Mhmmm... yes... Really? ...Okay, Ah'll tell her." Moving her face away from the phone, she then called over towards the dinner table, "AJ! It's fer you."

"Alright, Ah'll be right over!' said Applejack. She then gave her little sister a friendly pat on the back before getting up and walking over to the phone. After taking it from her grandmother (who then went back to the kitchen to assist Big Mac), the orange-skinned girl spoke into the receiver, saying, "Hello? This is Applejack speakin'... Hm? Is that you, Cherry Jubilee? How's it goin'? ...Mhmm... well, it's good t' hear from ya after so long! So what's up? ...You're kiddin'! You found it?! How'd y'all get it?!"

As Applejack continued to talk on the phone, Big Mac came out of the kitchen with a large roast chicken, fresh out of the oven. He set it right in the middle of the table, where Babs Seed and Apple Bloom could look at it in all its glory. "Oh man... dat chicken looks so good..." said Babs. Taking a long sniff of the air, she added, "And it smells even bettah!"

"Ah know, cuz...!" Apple Bloom chimed in. "And listen: y'all can even hear it sizzlin'!" Big Mac was happy to hear them say that, since he was the one in charge of cooking the main course.

Soon after, Granny Smith brought out some other food items to go along with the roast chicken, such as white rice, green beans, and carrots (the last of which were generously provided by Golden Harvest's family), along with different varieties of dipping sauces. Big Mac later walked back to the dining table after having set the chicken down with some large bottles for drinks (and as you could probably guess, most of those drinks were made right there on the farm, such as apple juice and cider).

By the time the dinner was all set, Applejack had finished her phone conversation. She sat next to Babs and Apple Bloom, ready for a hearty Apple Family meal. Big Mac and Granny Smith then sat down as well, ready to enjoy the meal with the rest of their family. As they ate, Babs then asked her older cousin, "Say, AJ... Who was dat on the phone earlier?"

"Oh that? That was mah old friend, Cherry Jubilee." the orange girl answered. "She just called to tell me that she found that thing y'all were lookin' for."

"Huh?" asked Babs, a bit surprised. "You mean the thing I was talkin' to ya about last Monday? How'd she get it?"

"Ah'll tell ya about it later, after dinner." Applejack informed her. "Right now, let's just enjoy our meal together as a family." Babs nodded and went back to eating.

As Apple Bloom ate her dinner, she was a bit curious about what her sister and cousin were talking about. But that was pushed out of her mind as she continued to try and figure out what she should do for her upcoming book report. She ate her food slowly as she continued to mull over it in her head. Big Mac, who was sitting across from her, noticed that she was still a bit stressed about her homework and how it seemed to loom over her constantly. He knew how it felt to have tough school assignments and began to wonder if there was anything he could do to help her...

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It was about 10 in the morning on the very next day, and by that point, the members of the Apple Family were already as busy as ever tending to things around the farm. Luckily, thanks to their break from school, they had managed to get a lot more work done than usual, and were ahead of schedule on most of the bigger chores. A good thing too, because Applejack and Babs Seed were heading over to the old pickup truck to take a little trip.

Carrying their backpacks and loading them into the vehicle. Applejack sat in the driver's seat and fastened her safety belt as Babs sat in the passenger's seat and did the same. Getting her key out, The orange-skinned girl said to her cousin, "Alright, let's see if the ol' girl will start up okay..." She then placed the key into the ignition and turned it. The truck then began to start up, but not all the way. "Hmmmm..." hummed AJ as she turned the key again. Again, no luck. "Alright, looks like we're gonna need a bit more elbow grease t' get this thing goin'." Rolling up her sleeves, she then told Babs, "Just gimme a minute while Ah get this all sorted out."

"Alright, whatever ya say, cuz..." the Manehattan girl replied as she watched Applejack get out of the truck and pop open the hood to see what the problem was.

Not long after, Apple Bloom and Big Mac had walked out of the house after hearing the truck sputtering. "Aw man, not again..." said the bow-wearing girl as she and her brother walked over towards Applejack. "That thing's on the fritz again, huh AJ?" she asked.

Applejack managed to, with a bit of effort, pop open the hood, which caused a cloud of hot steam to billow out. Instinctively, everyone backed away from the cloud so that it wouldn't scald them. "Yeah, looks like it." said the orange teen. "The good news is that it don't look too bad: The radiator just overheated a little, that's all." Turning over to Big Mac, she asked him, "Say bro, can ya go n' find where we keep the jug of antifreeze?"

"Eeeyup!" the older brother replied, running over towards the barn to find the item in question.

As Applejack continued to work under the hood, Apple Bloom walked over to the passenger's side door to talk to her cousin. "So... um, where are y'all goin'?" she asked her.

"We're goin' t' see somebody named Cherry Jubilee." Babs answered. "That's who was on the phone last night, when we was havin' dinnah."

"Cherry Jubilee?" asked the bow-wearing girl. "Isn't that the person whose family owns that big cherry farm over in Dodge Junction?"

"Well she certainly ain't raisin' grapefruits, cuz..." Babs told her, "otherwise, she'd be Grapefruit Jubilee."

Apple Bloom giggled a bit in response before asking, "So, why're y'all headin' over that way?"

"Um... Can't tell ya yet, cuz. It's a secret." the tomboyish girl answered. "You'll just hafta wait 'till AJ n' I get back."

"Awwww..." groaned the yellow girl.

As Big Mac returned with the antifreeze that his sister asked for, Applejack then told her younger sister, "Don't worry 'bout it for now, Apple Bloom. We won't be gone too long." She then poured the fluid into the radiator to help cool it down as she continued to speak. "Besides, this'll give you plenty of time to figure out what to write for that report that's due next week."

"...Yeah, Ah guess so." Bloom responded in a less-than-enthusiastic tone. She still wasn't too keen on doing any homework today.

Closing the hood of the truck, Applejack then said, "Alright, Ah think we're good now... But Ah'll take the antifreeze with me, just in case." She then turned to her brother and requested him, "While Babs n' I are out, see if you n' Granny can help Apple Bloom with her schoolwork, okay?"

"Eeeyup." Big Mac replied, nodding his head as he did so.

Applejack then got back into the driver's side and started up the truck. It took a second or two, but this time, it finally started up. "Yeah! Now that's more like it!" cheered the orange-skinned gal. Glancing back over at her brother and younger sister, she told them, "Well, Ah guess we'll see y'all a bit later after we're done with Cherry. Make sure the house is still standin' by the time we get back, okay?"

Waving goodbye, Apple Bloom shouted to them, "See ya, AJ! See ya, Babs! Come back soon, okay?"

"See ya later, cuz!" Babs called out back to her. "When we get back, let's have a rematch!"

"Sure! But I won't lose next time!" the bow-wearing girl promised her cousin. Afterwards, the truck began backing up out of the driveway and onto the road. Then, it drove forward towards its intended destination. Once AJ and Babs were no longer in sight, Apple Bloom and Big Mac walked back to the house.

Once inside the living room, Apple Bloom then said to herself, "Once Babs gets back, Ah wanna make sure that this time, Ah'll give her a REAL challenge! Ah don't plan on letting her win before Ah even get a chance to take out some of her Life Points!"

At that moment, Big Mac then coughed a little to get his younger sister's attention. "...Ahem!"

"Huh? What is it?" asked the little yellow girl. After taking a second to think about it, she then realized what her brother was saying, "Oh yeah... You think Ah should get that report done first, is that right?" she asked him.

"...Eeeyup." said Big Mac with a nod.

Apple Bloom sighed a little, but knew he was right. "Alright, alright... Ah'll work on that first." she promised him. Going upstairs to her room, she groaned a little, saying, "But Ah still don't know what Ah should write about...! This stupid report's so difficult t' do; Ah can't imagine anythin' harder than this!"

Big Mac watched his little sister walking slowly up the steps and dreading all the schoolwork that she had had to do. Remembering what Applejack had asked of him before she left, he thought to himself, (Ah just gotta find a way t' help my li'l sis out... But how?) Thinking a bit, he immediately came up with an idea. (Ah know! Maybe Ah can lend her one of my books... But which one?)

Knowing that he had a good idea going, Big Mac hurried up to his bedroom and looked at his collection of books on the shelf. As he looked through them, he remembered a long time ago that, when he had to do things such as book reports, he always dreaded them, much like his little sister was dreading her own assignment right now. But over time, as a result of having those assignments handed to him, he started to appreciate reading a lot more, and eventually he grew to like it a lot. Now he was hoping that he could help his younger sister go through a similar change.

Eventually, his thoughts were halted when he seemed to have found the perfect literary piece for his sister's assignment. Pulling the book out and opening it to a random page, he thought to himself, (Ah remember this one... Ah did a report on it back when Ah was in Literature Class. In fact, this was the story that changed mah attitude towards reading n' stuff...) Then, he felt a sudden bit of doubt as he pondered, (But... will Apple Bloom go for it? Hard t' say... Ah need to find some way to get her more interested in this story, but right now the only thing on her mind is gettin' better at Duel Monsters... Wait! That's it!) Big Mac came up with an excellent plan to get Apple Bloom more enthusiastic about writing her report...

In her bedroom, Apple Bloom was sitting at her desk, holding a pencil and staring at a blank paper in front of her. She had been there since her brother had convinced her to get her homework done, but she hadn't made much progress. "Urrrgh... this is impossible...!" she said to herself. "What in the name of Johnny Appleseed am Ah supposed t' write about??" She considered writing about the character she had just mentioned, but decided it was too predictable, given her name. She continued to tap her pencil on her desk, completely at a lost for ideas.

At that moment, Big Mac - who was holding the book that he had picked out from his collection earlier, walked up behind his sister. He then tapped her shoulder and asked her, "...Li'l sis? Can Ah ask ya somethin'?"

"EEP!!" Bloom shrieked, not recognizing the voice at first. But after she swiftly turned around and saw that it was her brother, she breathed a deep sigh and told him, "Don't scare me like that! Y'all know Ah can't always tell it's you when say more than one word!"

"Um... sorry." Big Mac replied. "Ah didn't mean t' frighten ya."

"I-it's okay..." the bow-wearing girl told him, knowing that he wasn't trying to scare her. Looking at the book that her brother was holding, she asked him, "What's that ya got there?"

"Hm? Oh! This is what Ah wanted t' ask ya about." he answered, presenting the book he was holding to her. "Ah found this book in mah room... Y'all think this could be good for your report?"

Taking the book he was holding, Bloom looked at the title and read it out-loud: "...The Divine Comedy?" She then looked at the cover of the book, which showed a picture of a man in a red, cloak-like garment holding a book in a fresco-style painting. "Hmmm... doesn't look that funny to me, Big Mac." she commented.

"That's 'cause it ain't THAT kind of comedy, li'l sis." he informed her. "It's a narrative poem that was written a long time ago and is one of the greatest works in all of literature. At least that's what most people say 'bout it."

"And ya think Ah could write a report about it?" asked Apple Bloom. Looking at the book again and seeing how big it was, she sighed a little and said, "Ah dunno, looks awful long to me... This could take forever t' get through..."

"...Ah figured y'all wouldn't be too interested in it at first glance," Big Mac told her with a smile, "but Ah think Ah might have an idea that could get the creative juices a-flowin'."

"How?"

Big Mac answered his sister's question by turning around, revealing that he had a deck box strapped to his belt. He then opened it and pulled out his Duel Monsters Deck that he carried in it. "How about we have a little Duel, sis?" he asked her. "Just the two of us."

"A Duel?" asked Bloom. "But Ah thought-"

"Ah think it'd do ya some good." he then told her. "Help y'all loosen up a li'l bit and get y'all pepped up n' stuff. So whad'ya say?"

Apple Bloom wasn't sure why her brother decided to challenge her to a Duel when she had a big assignment to work on. But in the end, she decided not to question it and took it as opportunity to get away from her book report. "What do Ah say?" she responded. "Ah say, 'Bring it on'!" Getting her Deck, D-Pad, and Gazer, she then told her brother, "Meet me out in the backyard, okay?"

"Eeeyup!" said Big Mac with a nod. As he watched his little sister rush out of her bedroom, he then thought to himself, (Apple Bloom, this Duel's gonna do a lot more than ease you up. By the time it's over, Ah promise you'll have the inspiration y'all need to write the best book report ya can!)

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Outside, in the backyard, Big McIntosh was getting ready to have a special Duel with his younger sister, Apple Bloom. As they got their dueling gear prepped up, Granny Smith suddenly walked outside. Looking at the scene before her, she walked over to Big Mac and asked him, "What're y'all doin'? Ah thought we were supposed t' help Apple Bloom with that homework of hers that's due next week..."

"Ah know that, Granny." he told her. "And that's the whole reason we're gonna duel. See, the thing is that-" He then leaned in close to his grandmother's ear and whispered what he was planning to do in her so that Bloom wouldn't hear it. After he was done, he then asked Granny Smith, "So ya get it now?"

"Ah gotta admit, Big Mac; that's pretty clever of ya!" said the lime-green woman. Taking out her Duel Gazer and fitting it over her eye, she added, "This is somethin' Ah gotta see with mah own eyes!" Afterwards, she then sat down on the back steps of the house to watch the Duel that was about to take place.

With her D-Pad and Gazer ready to go, Apple Bloom then glanced over towards her brother and thought, (Ah've never dueled Big Mac before; he used t' always t' be too busy t' Duel... Ah wonder why he decided to duel me now all of a sudden?) The yellow girl began to wonder if there was something more to this match than what was on the surface. In the end, she decided not to think about it anymore so she could just enjoy her Duel with her brother. "y'all ready, big bro?!" she called out to him.

"All set here!" Big Mac replied, readying his D-Pad and Gazer.

"AR Vision Link established." said a computerized voice as an Augmented Reality projection filled the entire area around them.

Apple Bloom and Big Mac then drew their opening hands and shouted to each other, "LET'S DUEL!!" (Apple Bloom: LP 4,000) (Big McIntosh: LP 4,000)

"Youngest goes first!" Apple Bloom said, offering to make the first move. Taking a card from her hand, she played and said, "Ah'll start with mah Spell Card, Wind-Up Factory!" After the card was played, a large, colorful factory with oversized gears and smokestacks emerged from out of the ground behind her. "As fer what it does," she continued, "we'll get t' that a li'l bit later. Right now, Ah'll call up mah Wind-Up Rabbit in Attack Mode!"

Apple Bloom's first monster was a mechanical-looking toy rabbit that was colored mostly red and white with two large ears sticking out of its head. On its back was a golden-colored wind-up key (Wind-Up Rabbit: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 600).

Chuckling a bit, Big Mac asked her, "Still usin' that Wind-Up Deck of yours, aren'tcha?"

"It's mah favorite, so of course Ah'm gonna use it!" the yellow girl replied back to him. "And because Ah Summoned mah Wind-Up Rabbit, Ah can now Special Summon mah Wind-Up Shark in Defense Mode, usin' his effect!" After playing her second monster, a small, blue-and-white fish creature popped up onto her side of the field. Although it looked like a shark, it was smaller and a lot cuter-looking than the animal on which it was based. It had propellers built onto the end of its tail, and just like the rabbit, it also had a gold wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 / ATK 1500 / DEF 1300).

"Ah see..." Big Mac said. "Ah know what y'allre gonna do."

"Then Ah guess Ah'll go ahead an' do it!" shouted Bloom. "Ah use Wind-Up Shark's effect! By windin' its key backwards, I drop its Level down by one 'til the end of this turn! That makes him the same level as mah Wind-Up Rabbit!" The toy shark then turned its key one full turn, counter-clockwise, reducing its Level (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 - 1 = 3). "And now that Ah've used the effect of a Wind-Up monster," she continued, "Ah can use mah Wind-Up Factory to add a new Wind-Up to mah hand! And Ah'll choose mah Wind-Up Magician!"

(Ah've seen her do this before...) Big Mac thought. (Thanks to that Continuous Spell, she can just keep on addin' more monsters to her hand! That means she'll always have plenty of resources to use later!)

"And now Ah overlay mah Level 3 Rabbit AND mah Level 3 Shark to create an Overlay Network!" The two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one orange and one blue, and flew into a red vortex in the center of Apple Bloom's field. "Let's have some fun, my little toy tank!" she began chanting. "Wind up your key and let loose on the enemy! Xyz Summon!! Roll out, Rank 3! Wind-Up Zenmaines!!" The portal then shot out a red light, and from out of it came a much larger toy-like creature. It seemed to resemble a tank in some areas, but it was very colorful and had a pair of claw-like arms coming out of it. Floating around the monster were two red-colored light orbs.

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Wind-Up Zenmaines:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Machine/FIRE/Rank 3/ATK 1500/DEF 2100)

2 Level 3 monsters
If this face-up card on the field would be destroyed, you can detach 1 material from this card instead. Once per turn, during the End Phase, if this effect was used this turn: Target 1 card on the field; destroy it.

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"Ah'll put mah Zenmaines in Defense Mode to protect me." Apple Bloom told her brother/opponent. "And Ah'll set a card face-down to end mah turn. Now let's see what ya got!"

"If you insist, li'l sis." Big Mac said as he drew his first card for the Duel. After looking at it, he then began to tell his little sister, "But before Ah play mah card, Lemme tell y'all a bit about that book Ah showed ya earlier: The Divine Comedy."

"Huh...? Why now?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah thought we were gonna duel, not write mah report yet."

"Don't worry, we're still gonna duel. But there ain't no harm in tellin' a story while we play." he replied. Taking a few seconds to clear his throat (as this was the most he had ever talked in one sitting), he told his sister, "In the tale of the Divine Comedy, there lived a man who was lost in a deep, dark forest. He was attacked by many vicious beasts, an' he used all of the strength he had t' escape... But no matter what he did, he couldn't get away from 'em. But just when all seemed lost, the man was rescued by someone who promised to help him find his way to a path of enlightenment." Taking a card from his hand, he continued, saying, "But as he would soon discover, that man would have t' journey through the darkness itself before he could find the light."

"Journey through the darkness...?" asked Apple Bloom, still not sure what her brother was talking about.

Playing the card that he chose onto his D-Pad, the skies began to grow dark around them all. Apple Bloom looked around a bit before hearing the sound of a vehicle coming their way. The vehicle was a creepy-looking black bus with a demonic-looking appearance. The doors on the bus then opened, and a young woman stepped out of it. She had short red hair done up into pigtails, with crimson-colored eyes and a fanged smile upon a pale, peach-colored face. she wore what appeared to be a bus driver's uniform that was all navy blue in color, with red streaks running along it, as well as long black socks and small, black shoes. Around her arm was a black purse with a skull and crossbones on it.

Trembling a little, Apple Bloom asked, "W-w-who's that?"

But instead of Big Mac, the woman answered the young girl's question. "Who am I?" she asked. "Just your friendly, ordinary tour guide... From the Underworld." (Tour Guide From the Underworld: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 600).

"The... the Underworld?" the bow-wearing girl asked, a bit scared.

"That's right." Big Mac answered her. "This pretty l'il lady will take us on a little trip into the story of the Divine Comedy. Of course, for a trip like that, she'll need some help..." He then asked his monster, "Ain't that right?"

"I sure do." the red-haired woman told him. "I could use a bit of a hand, on account that my two identical twin sisters aren't available at the moment."

Nodding and turning back over to his little sister, Big Mac told her, "Ah now use the effect of Tour Guide From the Underworld. When she's been Normal Summoned to the field, Ah can then Special Summon any Level 3 Fiend-Type monster from mah hand or mah Deck with its effects negated!" Taking a card from his Deck, he played it and declared, "Ah'll Summon this monster: Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!!"

After playing his second monster, a geyser of flames then erupted from underneath the bus that Tour Guide had used earlier. Out of those flames emerged a creepy-looking demon with a human-like appearance. However, it had wings where its arms would have been, and its feet were bird-like in their appearance, with razor-sharp claws. Long, silvery-white hair flowed from the back of its horned head, and a few chains were seen attached to his shoulder from the waist (Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 1900).

"Wh-what's that?!" asked Apple Bloom.

"This is just one'a the many creatures that dwell within the deepest, darkest pits of the Underworld, accordin' to the story." Big Mac told her. "They were known n' feared for their vicious nature, and how they would deliver punishment to those trapped there with them." Taking a card from the box attached to his hip, he then continued, saying, "But even in the face of such vicious fiends, that man, along with his newfound friend, charged bravely through the Underworld, no matter how difficult it seemed! And now it's time to bring these heroes to the field!"

"To the field?" asked Bloom.

"Ah now overlay mah Tour Guide and mah Farfa - both Level 3, to create the Overlay Network!" shouted her big brother. The two monsters on the field began to radiate a purple light as the Xyz Summoning process began.

Winking, Tour Guide then said to the little yellow girl, "Remember, no flash photography or outside food is permitted during the tour. But otherwise, enjoy the trip!" She then chuckled a little as she transformed into a purple light along with the other monster before being sucked into a red summoning portal in front of them all.

Big Mac then began to recite the Summoning Chant, saying, "Bravest man among mortals... Overcome the hardships before you and let nothing stand in the way of what you seek! Xyz Summon!" After that part was said, a red light shot out of the portal, and before long, a human-shaped image could be seen within it. "Traveler of the Burning Abyss, Rank 3! Dante!!" Big Mac finished.

Apple Bloom watched as the light faded away, revealing a handsome young man with teal-colored hair underneath a crown of leaves on his head. He wore a red vest-like tunic with a black undershirt. He also had on brown pants and a pair of lighter-brown boots. Strapped to his belt were all sorts of supplies, such as a hunting knife, a sack with food, and smaller pouch with a book and map inside. Orbiting around him were two yellow orbs (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: Rank 3 / ATK 1000 / DEF 2500 / OLU 2).

"Oh my..." said Granny Smith. "Now don't he look like a strappin' young man...!" She seemed to be a bit enamored by Big Mac's newly-Summoned monster.

"Allow me to introduce the hero of the Divine Comedy: Dante!" Big Mac told everyone. "After being rescued in the woods, Dante and his partner journeyed to the Underworld. There, they endured many hardships all so that Dante could find the light he was searchin' for. And with his help, Ah plan on winnin' this here Duel!"

"But how?" asked Apple Bloom. "His attack power ain't high enough to defeat my monster. And even if it was, mah monster's special ability would save it!"

"That won't be an issue fer very long, li'l sis." Big Mac replied. "Ah remove one'a Dante's Overlay Units and activate his effect!" One of the two orbs then flew into Dante's chest, allowing him to absorb its power (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now by sendin' the top three cards of mah Deck to the Graveyard, Ah can increase Dante's attack power by five hundred for each of 'em! That's an extra 1,500 points!" (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 1000 + 1500 = 2500)

"T-twenty-five hundred?!" exclaimed Apple Bloom. "That's higher than my Zenmaines!"

"That's right, li'l sis, but that ain't all!" Big Mac then showed his sister the card that he sent to the Graveyard to use his monster's effect. "Since Farfa got sent to the Graveyard," he informed her, "his effect lets me banish any monster on the field for one turn!"

"But how?" asked Apple Bloom. "Ah thought that your Tour Guide negated his effect!"

"Only on the field." he answered. "But once Ah used him for an Xyz Summon, he got his effects back! Which means that his effect will now banish your Wind-Up Zenmaines!" The bow-wearing girl gasped as her monster vanished from sight. "Since Farfa's effect banishes your monster without destroying it, Wind-Up Zenmaines can't stop it!"

"Aw no...!" said Bloom, not expecting that move.

"And it don't end there, Ah'm afraid..." the elder sibling continued. "Since Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss got sent to the Graveyard 'cause of Dante's effect, his ability now activates!"

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Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss:
(Effect Monster/Fiend/DARK/Level 3/ATK 1000/DEF 1500)

If you control a monster that is not a "Burning Abyss" monster, destroy this card. You can only use 1 of these effects of "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss" per turn, and only once that turn.
* If you control no Spells/Traps: You can Special Summon this card from your hand.
* If this card is sent to the GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your Deck, except "Graff, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss".

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"Now, from mah Deck... Ah Special Summon Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Defense Mode!" said Big Mac as he played his next monster. Like the first of his Malebranche creatures, this one was also frightening in appearance, with its fanged mouth, creepy wings, and long, pointy claws on the ends of its hands. It also had messy grey hair some slightly scorched armor plating (Scarm, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 800 / DEF 2000). "But Ah'm not done yet!" he continued to say. "Ah'll now Special Summon a monster from mah hand, since Ah currently control no Spell or Trap Cards! Ah play the Tuner Monster, Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Attack Mode!"

Big Mac's next mean-looking monster was more humanoid in appearance compared to the previous Malebranche monsters. It was a purple-colored bland man with two sets of horns on his head, carrying a staff and holding a purple fireball in his hand. Of course, it was just as scary as the other Malebranche fiends (Rubic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 100 / DEF 2100).

"Yeesh... how many monsters are y'all Summonin' this turn?!" asked Apple Bloom, wondering if her brother's turn was going to end anytime soon.

"Just one more, li'l sis." Big Mac answered. "As Ah told ya earlier: Dante didn't make his difficult journey alone. He had a lot of help from the man who rescued him that day. And it's time you met 'im! Ah tune my Level 3 Rubic to mah Level 3 Scarm!" The purple-colored demon then transformed his fireball into a ring of flames. Afterwards, he began glowing in a bright light and transformed himself into three smaller lights that shot into the air. They came back as three green rings that surrounded Scarm, turning him into three more lights (Level 3 + Level 3 = Level 6).

"Most noble of men, guide those who are lost in shadows..." Big Mac chanted. "Let your music become a light of hope for the weary! Synchro Summon! Rock Star of the Burning Abyss, Level 6! Virgil!!" After the chant was complete, a column of bright light shot down and engulfed the rings and lights. When it vanished, another young man was standing there. He had short, red hair underneath a large hat, and wore a very colorful tunic that was topped off with a long, red scarf around his neck. He wore striped pants and a pair of brown boots, and carried a shiny electric guitar (or rather, an electric mandolin?) that seemed to emit flames from the end of it (Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss: Level 6 / ATK 2500 / DEF 1000).

"Oh mah stars... Another handsome young man!" said Granny Smith, becoming a little smitten with Big Mac's Synchro Monster. "Why can't all'o these Duel Monsters cards look like them??"

"Now, Ah'll use the effect of Virgil by discarding mah Fire Lake of the Burning Abyss from mah hand." Big Mac told his sister. "That lets me take your Wind-Up Shark in the Graveyard and shuffle it back into your Deck!" Once that was done, he then said, "Now that the way is clear, it's time for mah Battle Phase! Dante, attack Apple Bloom directly!" The teal-haired human man then pulled out his hunting knife and ran forwards towards her, ready to strike.

"Hold on! Ah play a face-down card!!" shouted Bloom as she tapped her D-Pad's screen. "Go, Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light!!"

"What??" asked Big Mac, a bit surprised.

"This Continuous Trap lets me negate any attack you throw at me!" Apple Bloom told her older brother as five swords made out of light energy fell down in front of her, creating a powerful shield that repelled Dante's attack. "That means mah Life Points'r safe!"

As Big Mac's Xyz Monster reeled back from the failed attack, the big brother then said, "That's not ENTIRELY true, li'l sis. To negate mah attack with Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light, you've gotta pay a thousand of your Life Points each time."

"It's still better than losin' 2,500 of 'em." said the yellow girl (Apple Bloom: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).

"Well y'allre about t' lose a few more!" Big Mac shouted. "Go, Virgil! Attack her directly!" The Synchro Monster then attacked next, using his musical instrument to fire a sound wave at Apple Bloom.

"Ah use mah Trap Card's effect again to negate the attack!!" shouted Bloom as the swords absorbed the wave and prevented her from taking damage (Apple Bloom: LP 3,000 - 1,000 = 2,000). Breathing a bit heavily, the young yellow girl then glanced up at her brother and smirked saying, "Ah'm not goin' down that easy, big bro! Ah'll beat you somehow, y'all can bet on it!"

Chuckling a little, Big Mac smiled and said, "Ah guess we'll see 'bout that in time. For now, Ah'll use Dante's effect and switch him to Defense Mode." After he said that, the teal-haired human took on a defensive stance. "Ah'll also set a card face-down and end mah turn."

"Good, that means your Dante goes back to his original attack power again." Apple Bloom pointed out (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 2500 - 1500 = 1000). "And not only that, mah Wind-Up Zenmaines also returns to the field!" As she said that, her Xyz Monster was back on her side of the board once again.

"That's true, but there's one other thing:" said Big Mac. "Since my Scarm was sent to mah Graveyard earlier in the turn, Ah get t' use his effect and add Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from mah Deck to mah hand."

(Great... now Ah gotta worry about what that thing might do next turn...) thought Apple Bloom. (But first things first, Ah gotta get past those two monsters he's got on the field! Ah just hope Ah can draw somethin' good...) She then drew a card from the top of her Deck and looked at it. "Alright! That'll help!"

Big Mac looked up, wondering what his sister drew. Granny wondered the same thing. "Ah wonder what that young'un's got planned...?" she asked herself.

"First, Ah'll Summon mah Wind-Up Magician in Attack Mode!" the bow-wearing girl said loudly. After she played her card, a small, toy-like magician colored purple and white appeared in front of her. It had the appearance of wearing a long, magician's robe, carried a long staff, and like her other monsters, it had a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Magician: Level 4 / ATK 600 / DEF 1800). "And now that it's been Summoned, Ah can now Special Summon the Wind-Up Shark Ah just drew!"

"You drew another one?!" asked Big Mac. It was true: Apple Bloom drew another copy of her reliable Wind-Up monster. And the proof of that was right there on the field, as the small toy creature reappeared on the field. He then asked his sister, "So Ah'm guessin' you're gonna Xyz Summon again?"

"...Not just yet." Bloom answered with a smirk. "Ah've got a few more plays t' make before Ah do that!" She then thought to herself, (Ah just hope Ah do it right, just like how Ah practiced it...!) She then told her brother/opponent, "Ah activate mah Shark's effect! I wind him forward one more Level!" And just like that, Wind-Up Shark turned its key clockwise and increased its own Level (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 + 1 = 5).

"But why'd ya do that?" asked Big Mac. "Now their Levels're different, so y'all can't Xyz Summon..."

"Maybe, but now that Ah've used a Wind-Up monster's effect, Ah can use my Factory to pull Wind-Up Soldier outta mah Deck! But not only that, Ah can also use mah Wind-Up Magician's effect to Special Summon another Wind-Up monster from mah Deck in Defense Mode! And Ah choose mah Wind-Up Kitten!" Her next monster was a tiny, orange-and-yellow kitten toy with large, adorable eyes, and of course, a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Kitten: Level 2 / ATK 800 / DEF 500).

"Uh oh... Ah remember that li'l guy." said Big Mac, knowing what was going to happen next.

"Then that means y'all remember its ability!" said Apple Bloom. "Now Ah can bounce any monster you've got on the field back t' your hand! And Ah choose your Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" The kitten toy creature then wound up its key and let out a loud (but cute) "MEOW!!!". The force of the loud sound was enough to send Dante back into Big Mac's Extra Deck. "Now that just leaves your Virgil!" said the young girl.

"Not bad, li'l sis..." said Big Mac. "However, none of your other monsters are strong enough to take him down! And since your monsters are all different Levels, y'all can't use 'em for an Xyz Summon!"

"Maybe not... but that'll change once Ah play my Spell Card, Weights & Zenmaisures!" said the bow-wearing girl as she activated her Spell Card.

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Weights & Zenmaisures:
(Normal Spell Card)

Target 2 face-up "Wind-Up" monsters you control with different Levels; your opponent chooses 1 of them, and the Level of the other monster becomes the same as the chosen monster's, until the End Phase, then, if your opponent chose the monster with a lower Level, you can draw 1 card.

*******************************

"Alrighty then... Ah'll select mah Wind-Up Shark and mah Wind-Up Magician." said Apple Bloom. "Now you gotta choose which one'll apply its Level to the other!"

(Ah see... That's why she had no problem with raisin' her Shark's Level.) thought Big Mac. After thinking some more, he then said to his sister, "Ah suppose Ah'll let your Magician apply its Level to your Shark!" (Wind-Up Shark: Level 5 > 4)

"Thanks, big bro! That means Ah get to draw another card since you chose the lower-Level monster!" said the girl as she drew a card from the top of her Deck. Looking at it, she saw that it was a Trap Card; possibly something that could come in handy later. Placing it in her hand for now, she then shouted, "Ah overlay mah Level 4 Wind-Up Magician and Wind-Up Shark to create an Overlay Network!" The two toy monsters then transformed into a pair of lights - one red and one blue, that were drawn into another red vortex.

(Hmmm... A Rank 4 Xyz Monster...) pondered Big Mac. (She must be goin' for Wind-Up Zenmaister; it's the only Rank 4 she has in her Deck... But its attack power isn't high enough to defeat Virgil...)

Apple Bloom then began reciting the Summoning chant, saying, "Take the stage, master maestro! When he leads the band, there's never a sour note! Xyz Summon!!" After that part, a column of red light, followed by a pleasant, merry melody, came out of the vortex. "The friendly fiend with an ear for music, Rank 4! Maestroke the Symphony Djinn!!" The monster that came out of the summoning portal was a young man in an elegant uniform that was colored black, red, white, and gold. On his head was a cylindrical hat, the front of it bearing an emblem of a gold musical note with white wings. In his right hand was a conductor's baton, which he wielded with pure elegance (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: Rank 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 2300 / OLU 2).

"What?? Maestroke the Symphony Djinn?" asked Big Mac, surprised. "Ah didn't know you had that card!"

"Sunset traded it to me a few weeks ago." the yellow girl informed him. "She said it would be a big help in mah Deck, and Ah've been waitin' to try him out!" Taking out one of the cards under her Xyz Monster, she declared, "Ah'll remove an Overlay Unit from Maestroke to activate his ability (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: OLU 2 - 1 = 1)! It allows me t' change any of your monsters from Attack to Defense Mode, and flip it face-down! And Ah choose your Virgil!"

"Aw no!" shouted the big brother as Maestroke waved his baton (which had earlier been super-charged with one of the two purple orbs that surrounded him) at Virgil, flipping him face-down and switching him to Defense Mode.

"Now Big Mac is open to an attack..." Granny Smith said to herself. "That new card Apple Bloom's got'll help her catch up t' him for sure!"

"Now that Ah've taken care of that, Ah'll switch mah Zenmaines to Attack Mode!" said Bloom. "And now it's time to attack! Maestroke the Symphony Djinn, attack! Baton Blade!!" Her Xyz Monster then transformed his baton into a long, fancy-looking sword and slashed it across Big Mac's face-down monster, destroying it with no trouble at all.

"Ah activate the effect of Virgil, Rock Star of the Burning Abyss!" shouted Big Mac. "When he's destroyed an' sent to mah Graveyard, Ah can draw another card from mah Deck!" He then drew his next card. Like his sister, he also drew a Trap Card during this turn.

"Now you're wide open, big bro! Which means mah Zenmaines can hit ya directly!" shouted Bloom. "Go! Wind-Up Mortar!!" He other Xyz Monster then fired a barrage of mortar shells, which succeeded in taking out a good portion of Big Mac's Life Points (Big McIntosh: LP 4,000 - 1,500 = 2,500). "Alright! Ah did it!! I just gave Big Mac a ton of damage! Ah might be able t' win this after all!" Taking the card she drew with her earlier Spell Card, she then said, "I'll wrap up mah turn with one card face-down!"

"Hold on a sec, li'l sis." said Big Mac, recovering from the blow his younger sister had dealt to him. "Ah'm not gonna let your turn end JUST yet..." Tapping his touch screen, he then said to her, "Ah activate mah Trap Card, The Traveler and the Burning Abyss!"

"Huh? What's that do?" asked the bow-wearing girl.

"It lets me bring back any'o my Burning Abyss monsters that were sent t' the Graveyard durin' this turn." he explained to her. "Which means that Ah can return Virgil to the field in Defense Mode!" And in the blink of an eye, Big Mac's Synchro Monster was back on the field.

"Aw no... not him again." Sighing, Bloom then told her brother, "Okay, go ahead with your turn, then."

"Gladly, li'l sis." he replied, drawing a card and putting it into his had. "Now it's time for the second part of Dante's tale to begin."

"Second part?" asked Apple Bloom.

Big Mac then said to his sister, "After havin' survived the hardships n' trials set before them in the Underworld, Dante and Virgil emerged in a world known as Purgatory. Standin' before a tall mountain, their journey would only become that much more difficult..." He then repositioned the Monster Card in his D-Pad, saying, "First, Ah'll put Virgil in Attack Mode, and then activate his effect. By discardin' Libic, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss from mah hand, Ah can return your Spiritual Swords of Revealing Light to your Deck!" And with that, Virgil then played a tune on his instrument that caused Bloom's Trap Card to vanish.

"Aw no...! Now Ah can't stop your attacks!" she said in despair.

"And since Ah sent Libic to mah Graveyard to use that effect," Big Mac continued, "Ah use his effect t' Special Summon any Level 3 DARK Fiend from mah hand with its effects canceled out! And Ah choose t' Summon another copy of Scarm in Attack Mode!" He then played the card, causing the grotesque creature to rise from the ground again. "And next, Ah'll Normal Summon mah Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss in Attack Mode!"

His second Malebranche monster was a blue-violet pig-faced creature with horns as dark as night growing out of his head. He had a very muscular body and around each of its wrists was some sort of shackle with a broken chain hanging off of each of them (Cir, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1600 / DEF 1200).

(Now he's got two more Level 3 monsters on the field...) thought Granny Smith. (If Ah know mah grandson as well as AH think Ah do, it means that he'll bring back that Dante guy again!)

And her assumption was true as Big Mac once more performed the Xyz Summoning process, overlaying his Scarm and Cir and turning each of them into a small purple light, each of them drawn into a red portal. "Now return! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!" shouted Big Mac as his star Xyz Monster returned to the field in Attack Mode.

"He's back?!" asked Apple Bloom.

"Dante is the star of this tale, li'l sis." he reminded her. "There's no way that he'll stay gone for long." Removing one of the cards from under his Xyz Monster, he told her, "Ah'll use Dante's effect to mill the top three cards of my Deck and raise his attack power!" (Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss: ATK 1000 + 1500 = 2500)

"This ain't good..." said Apple Bloom, finding herself in the same situation as before: staring down two monsters that each had 2,500 attack points.

"Now for mah Battle Phase!" shouted Big Mac. "Virgil, attack her Wind-Up Zenmaines!" His Synchro Monster then played a loud tune on his mandolin, sending a powerful sound wave aimed straight at her Wind-Up monster.

"Ah activate mah Trap Card! Zenmaiday!" shouted the bow-wearing girl as she flipped her face-down card face-up.

"What does that do?" asked her older brother.

"It lets me attach any of mah Wind-Up monsters on the field as an Overlay Unit to one of mah Machine-Type Xyz Monsters that Ah've got out!" she told him. "So Ah'll use it to attach mah Wind-Up Kitten to mah Zenmaines!" In a flash, her kitten toy monster then transformed into a small, orange light that flew over towards Zenmaines and began orbiting around it. As it did, the orb gradually changed to a red color (Wind-Up Zenmaines: OLU 0 + 1 = 1).

"But that means that..." began Big Mac.

"It means that now that mah Zenmaines has an Overlay Unit, Ah can remove it to keep it from bein' destroyed by your attack!" Bloom finished, doing just that (Wind-Up Zenmaines: OLU 1 - 1 = 0). The red orb then flew into the monster's chest area, and allowed it project a shield to save it from harm.

"You'll still take the damage, since Zenmaines was in Attack Mode, li'l sis." Big Mac reminded her (Apple Bloom: LP 2,000 - 1,000 = 1,000). "And not only that, but once Dante attacks it next, your Life Points'll drop to zero! If y'all had just let your monster be destroyed, you would've survived this turn. That li'l blunder's about to cost you everything." Ready to make his final move, he then shouted, "Go, Dante!! Attack Zenmaines and end this Duel!" His monster then leapt forward and ran straight towards Apple Bloom's Zenmaines, ready to destroy it for good.

"...This Duel ain't over yet, big bro!" Apple Bloom shouted. "Ah activate the OTHER effect of Zenmaiday!"

"Other effect??" asked the orange-haired boy, a little surprised.

"That's right! Mah Zenmaiday has TWO effects!" Bloom answered him. "By sendin' it to the Graveyard, Ah can use one of the Wind-Up Xyz Monsters on mah field to Summon a new one that's one Rank higher!"

"What?!" gasped Big Mac. "A Rank-Up?!"

"Oh my... Ah sure didn't see that one comin'..." stated Granny Smith.

Once her Trap Card was removed from the field, Apple Bloom's Wind-Up Zenmaines then transformed into a large red light that flew into a portal that flashed between red and yellow. "Time for some fun, little toy jet!" she chanted. "Wind up your key and dive-bomb my enemies! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!!" At that moment, a powerful ray of golden yellow light shot out of the portal as a large figure came out of it. "Take flight, Rank 4! Wind-Up Zenmaister!!"

Displaying all sorts of colors, such as red, green, cyan, purple, and white, Apple Bloom's new Xyz Monster flew into the battle field from out of the ray of light, using the jets equipped to the bottom of it. With its arms outstretched and a single orange light orbiting around it, the new Wind-Up finally took its place in front of its controller and took a defensive stance (Wind-Up Zenmaister: Rank 4 / ATK 1900 / DEF 1500 / OLU 2).

Big Mac was visibly shocked at his sister's move, now understanding why she had protected her monster earlier. (Ah don't believe it...! Apple Bloom managed to pull off such a great move like it was second nature! Ah guess that training with Sunset Shimmer is finally payin' off for her.) He then smiled, happy to see how much his younger sibling had improved.

"y'all remember mah Wind-Up Zenmaister's effect, right?" asked Apple Bloom. "It gains 300 attack points for every one of its Overlay Units. And right now he's got one!" (Wind-Up Zenmaister: ATK 1900 + 300 = 2200). She then added, "Also, Ah Summoned Zenmaister in Defense Mode, which means Ah won't take damage if ya attack it!"

(And since my original attack target ain't on the field anymore,) pondered the orange-haired boy, (that means Ah gotta choose a different attack target for Dante or abandon the attack altogether...) Deciding what his next move would be, he then shouted, "Dante! Attack her Maestroke instead!" Dante then stopped moving towards Apple Bloom's Zenmaister, changed direction and lunged towards her conductor monster instead.

"Ah use Maestroke's effect to remove one of his Overlay Units!" said the yellow girl. "So he won't be destroyed!" After ditching his last material (Maestroke the Symphony Djinn: OLU 1 - 1 = 0), her monster then used his baton sword to block the attack and push Dante back. However, the damage wasn't blocked, and Apple Bloom still lost some of her Life Points (Apple Bloom: LP 1,000 - 700 = 300).

"Ah'm impressed, li'l sis." Big Mac told her. "y'all may only have three hundred Life Points left, but ya managed to survive attacks from two of mah strongest monsters! You're gettin' a lot better, Apple Bloom. No doubt about it!"

"Ya really think so?" asked the yellow girl.

"Just as how Dante was determined t' see his journey through to the end, you too have that same amount of determination to pursue your own goals." he replied. "In fact, if you were to put that determination to good use, you'd be able t' do anythin' y'all set yer mind to, even the stuff that seems like it's impossible."

"You mean like mah schoolwork?" asked the yellow girl. "y'all really think Ah could get it done that easily?"

Big Mac nodded. "Ah do." he answered. "You're a strong girl, Apple Bloom. And y'all can only get stronger from here." Taking a card from his hand, he continued the Duel and said, "Ah'll switch Dante to Defense Mode with his effect and set one card face-down. Then, at the end of mah turn, I'll use the effect of the Scarm that I detached with Dante's effect to get Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss out of mah Deck. It's your turn now, li'l sis."

Pleased to hear such encouraging words from her older brother, Apple Bloom was more than happy to start her turn and show just how much stronger she had become. "Ah draw!" she shouted, drawing her next card and looking at it. Placing the card into her hand for the moment, she then said, "Ah'll switch mah Zenmaister to Attack Mode and use his effect! By removin' an Overlay Unit, Ah can switch one of the monsters that Ah've got to face-down Defense! And Ah'll choose mah Symphony Djinn!" Her jet-equipped Xyz Monster then absorbed the orange orb that flew around it and used it power to flip Bloom's other Xyz Monster face-down (Wind-Up Zenmaister: ATK 2200 - 300 = 1900 / OLU 1 - 1 = 0).

"But that don't make no sense..." said Granny Smith. "Her monster lost some of its attack points by droppin' its last Overlay Unit! And furthermore, why did she wanna flip her monster face-down anyway?" She may not have known what was going on, but the look on Big Mac's face told him that he knew what his little sister was trying to do.

"It may seem weird at first," Apple Bloom began to say, "but now that Ah've used the effect of a Wind-Up monster, that means that mah Wind-Up Factory lets me add a new Wind-Up to mah hand! And Ah'll choose mah Wind-Up Shark!"

(Ah knew it...! she's plannin' another Xyz Summon...) Big Mac figured. (She only used her Zenmaister's effect t' get that Shark outta her Deck again. But what is she gonna bring out with it?)

"Now Ah Summon Wind-Up Soldier in Attack mode!" Her next monster was a green-and-white human-like toy with (you guessed it) a wind-up key on its back (Wind-Up Soldier: Level 4 / ATK 1800 / DEF 1200). "And by Summonin' him, Ah can also Special Summon mah Wind-Up Shark again in Attack Mode!" And she did just that, bringing her Fish-Type Wind-Up monster back to the field once more. "Next, Ah activate mah Soldier's effect!" the bow-wearing girl continued. "By windin' him up, Ah can raise his Level by one, and his attack points by 400 'til the end of the turn!" The monster then activated his wind-up key and became stronger as a result (Wind-Up Soldier: Level 4 + 1 = 5 / ATK 1800 + 400 = 2200). "But then Ah'm ALSO gonna use Shark's effect and raise his Level too!" (Wind-Up Shark: Level 4 + 1 = 5)

"T-TWO Level 5 monsters?!" gasped Granny Smith. "That means she's gonna try and Summon a really powerful monster!"

"You've got it, Granny!" Bloom confirmed. "And since your Deck's all about the Underworld, Big Mac... Ah think Ah'll bring out a Fiend of mah own to fight ya with!" Thrusting out her hand she then shouted, "Ah overlay mah Level 5 Soldier and Shark to create the Overlay Network!" The two monsters then transformed into an orange light and a blue light, respectively. The two lights then flew into yet another red portal as the Xyz Summoning process began. Remembering the Summoning chant that she and Sunset came up with when she gave her the Xyz Monster, Apple Bloom said, "Angel of darkness, descend! Emerge in the darkest hour and bring with you an age of destruction! Xyz Summon!!" A ray of red light then came out of the portal as a pair of black wings came out of it. "Ruler of the Apocalypse, Rank 5! Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon!!"

Once the red light had faded, the creature that had come out of it was a truly frightening one. He looked like he was once an angel, but had been corrupted by darkness and transformed by it as a result. His all-black color and intimidating look gave off an aura of fear that seemed to follow him wherever he went. In his hand was a small, glowing, red dagger with a spiky blade (Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon: Rank 5 / ATK 2600 / DEF 1700).

"You... you actually managed t' get that card??" asked Big Mac, shocked at seeing such a strong and rare card being Summoned right in front of him.

"You bet Ah did!" answered Apple Bloom. "Now lemme show ya what he can do! By removing one of Adreus's Overlay Units, he can destroy any of your face-up cards!" After absorbing one of the two purple orbs that surrounded him into his blade (Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon: OLU 2 - 1 = 1), Adreus was ready to do his dirty work. "Now, destroy his Dante!" The dark angel then flew towards Big Mac's Xyz Monster and slashed at him with his dagger, destroying him.

"Urrgh... Ah activate the effect of Dante!" Big Mac began to tell his sister. "When he's destroyed, Ah can add any other Burning Abyss monster in mah Graveyard to mah hand! And I'll choose Farfa!" After he took his card back into his hand, he then noted that Cir was sent to the Graveyard along with Dante. However, he decided NOT to use Cir's effect.

"That's fine by me! Since he's not goin' on the field, he can't protect you from my monster's attacks!" the yellow girl told him. "Now I'll Flip Summon mah Maestroke and put him back in Attack Mode!" The conductor then reappeared onto the field, ready to fight. Moving onto her Battle Phase, she then shouted, "Adreus! Attack his Virgil! Armageddon Storm!!" The dark angel then whipped up a powerful black-colored tornado that eliminated Big Mac's Synchro Monster with ease (Big McIntosh: LP 2,500 - 100 = 2,400).

But the eldest of the Apple Family offspring wasn't ready to give up yet. "Ah use Virgil's effect and draw one new card since he was destroyed!" he declared. He then drew his next card... and seemed a little pleased at what he drew.

"Now you're wide open, big bro!" shouted Apple Bloom. "Once mah last two monsters hit you directly, Ah'll win!" Pointing ahead, she then gave out her next order. "Wind-Up Zenmaister, attack Big Mac directly!!" Her Wind-Up monster then zoomed forward on its jet engines and delivered a powerful punch that knocked off more of her brother's Life Points (Big McIntosh: LP 2,400 - 1900 = 500). "This is so great!" cheered Apple Bloom. "Ah'm finally gonna win a Duel!!"

But before she could continue her self-praise, Big Mac then asked her, "Didn't Granny used to say 'never count yer chickens before they hatch'?" Granny Smith nodded to say that she had, indeed said something like that.

"Huh?" Bloom responded, not sure what he meant by his remark.

"What Ah'm sayin' is that this Duel - and our story, ain't over just yet!" Tapping his D-Pad's screen he declared, "Ah activate mah Trap Card, The Golden Apples!!"

"The WHAT?!" exclaimed the bow-wearing girl in surprise.

"Ah can activate this card whenever Ah take any battle damage while Ah have no monsters out." the orange-haired boy explained. "Now Ah recover all of the Life Points Ah just lost (Big McIntosh: LP 500 + 1,900 = 2,400), but that ain't all: Ah also get t' Special Summon a monster known as a 'Malus Token'." At that moment, a small creature that looked like a multicolored flame with an eye and mouth appeared on Big Mac's side of the field in Attack Position (Malus Token: Level 1 / ATK ? / DEF ?).

"And what does that do, exactly?" Bloom inquired.

"After it's Summoned," Big Mac told her, "mah Malus Token then gains attack n' defense points equal to the amount of Life Points that Ah got back with the Trap Card. That's 1,900 points." (Malus Token: ATK 1,900 / DEF 1,900)

"Aw man! You've gotta be kiddin' me!!" said Apple Bloom, dismayed by the fact that she was so close to winning the Duel, only to be stopped in her tracks by Big Mac's face-down card. "Now if Ah attack with Maestroke, he'll just destroy himself!" Looking at her hand, she then thought, (But that don't mean Ah'm gonna give up that easily... Ah still have that card I drew at the beginnin' of the turn: Mirror Force! If Ah set it, Ah can save mahself from his attacks next turn, and then Ah might be able to still win this Duel!) Taking the Trap Card and placing on the field, she told her brother, "Ah set a card and end mah turn!"

"Then it's mah move! Ah draw!" said Big Mac as he pulled his next card. Looking at his sister, he noticed the fierce look on her face. (She doesn't look too afraid of what Ah might do this turn... She must be plannin' some sorta counterattack in order to survive the round... Ah had better play this move carefully, and this card I drew with Virgil's effect earlier might do the trick...) He then said to his sister, "Well, it looks like we're reachin' the end of our li'l story, Apple Bloom... It's time t' tell y'all the third part of the Divine Comedy."

"The third part?" asked the bow-wearing girl.

Big Mac then continued telling the story, saying, "After overcoming the challenges set before them on the Mountain in Purgatory, Dante and Virgil reached the entrance to Heaven itself. However, while Dante would be allowed to enter the divine realm, Virgil could not. Thus, he remained within Purgatory while his friend continued on."

"That seems pretty sad that he had stay behind like that..." Bloom noted.

"Virgil always knew that he wouldn't be able to lead Dante through his entire journey, and was willing to accept that, knowing that his companion would be ready for whatever he faced next." he told her. Taking a card from his hand, he then said, "Now Ah'll Summon mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior in Attack Mode!" After playing his card, a rhino-headed man with a long, thin sword appeared on his side of the field (Fiendish Rhino Warrior: Level 3 / ATK 1400 / DEF 900). And next, Ah'll use the effect of the Canga in mah hand to Special Summon it in Defense Mode!" His next Malebranche monster was very dog-like in appearance, much more than that of Graff, though it still had a very demonic appearance (Cagna, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss: Level 3 / ATK 1500 / DEF 300).

"Wait, hold on! Dont the Burning Abyss monsters destroy themselves if ya have a different kind of monster on the field??" Apple Bloom pointed out.

"That is true, li'l sis." Big Mac replied. "But thanks to the effect of mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior, none of mah Fiend monsters can be destroyed by card effects! And that even includes their own effects!" Putting his hand out, he then added, "A good thing too, because Ah'll need 'em both to bring our hero right back to the field!"

"You mean-?" began Bloom, already having a feeling as to what was coming next.

"Ah Overlay mah Fiendish Rhino Warrior and mah Cagna - both Level 3, and create the Overlay Network!!" shouted Big Mac as he once more initiated an Xyz Summon. "Come back! Dante, Traveler of the Burning Abyss!!" For the third time, his trusty Xyz Monster had entered the field.

"Aw man... this guy's really overstayin' his welcome..." muttered the yellow girl.

Taking another card out of his hand, the big brother then told his sibling, "Now Ah'll play mah Spell Card, Dark Eruption. This lets me go into mah Graveyard n' pull out a DARK monster with 1500 or fewer attack points! And Ah'll pick out mah Scarm!" After adding his Spell Card's target to his hand, he then said, "And this will bring us towards the conclusion of Dante's journey: Once he entered Heaven, the brave traveler was aided by a young woman; she was the love of his life ever since they were young and the driving force behind his quest for enlightenment. Guided by the love he had for her, Dante continued on with an even greater hope in his heart!" While leaving his sister with that thought, he then made his next move, saying, "Ah now send Farfa from mah hand to the Graveyard!"

"Huh? Why're ya doin' that??" asked Apple Bloom. "And how?"

"By sendin' a Burning Abyss monster from mah hand to the mah Graveyard," Big Mac explained, "and by usin' Dante as the Overlay Unit, Ah can now call to the field the woman who guided Dante through the challenges that awaited him in Heaven!" Holding up a card that he took out from his Extra Deck, he then chanted, "Blessed angel of Paradiso! Awaken now and bestow upon your love the guidance and hope that he needs! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!! Angel of beauty and kindness, Rank 6! Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal!!"

After the chant was completed, Dante was then bathed in a pillar of bright light as their surroundings changed to that of a Heavenly scene: Dante then rose up into the sky as he was transformed into light energy himself. He, along with the two orbs that were his Overlay Units, flew into a glowing yellow version of the Xyz Summoning portal. Seconds later, Apple Bloom and Granny Smith gasped as a beautiful woman emerged from the portal, descending down to the field where Big Mac was standing. Her dress was made up of silver, white, and light-pink colors, she was adorned with sparkling jewelry that shone in all the colors of the rainbow, and she radiated a powerful light that could light up even the darkest of places.

*******************************

Beatrice, Lady of the Eternal:
(Xyz-Effect Monster/Fairy/LIGHT/Rank 6/ATK 2500/DEF 2800)

2 Level 6 monsters
You can also Xyz Summon this card by sending 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your hand to the GY, then using 1 "Dante" monster you control as material. (Transfer its materials to this card.) If Summoned this way, the following effect cannot be activated this turn. Once per turn (Quick Effect): You can detach 1 material from this card; send 1 card from your Deck to the GY. If this card in your possession is destroyed by your opponent's card (by battle or card effect) and sent to your GY: You can Special Summon 1 "Burning Abyss" monster from your Extra Deck, ignoring its Summoning conditions.

*******************************

"Oh... mah stars...!" said Granny Smith as she saw the beautiful, but also powerful being that had just appeared on the field. "That's amazin'...! So Big Mac really DID have that card...!"

"Wow... she's so pretty..." Apple Bloom complimented.

Big Mac nodded and told her, "This is Beatrice: A beautiful and mighty angel that took over Virgil's job as guide to Dante after he entered Heaven. With her help, Dante took on the last remaining challenges set before him so that he could become more than what he was when his journey began."

"Well Ah gotta say," the yellow girl told her older brother, "it's a nice change from all'o them creepy demon-monsters you've been usin'."

"...And speaking of those guys," he said to her, "Ah now activate Farfa's effect from mah Graveyard! And Ah'll use it to banish your Adreus, Keeper of Armageddon from the game until the end of this turn!" And just as he had told her, the dark-winged angel vanished into a dark-violet portal on Apple Bloom's side of the field, to her dismay. "But Ah'm afraid this Duel's gonna end before you CAN get him back, li'l sis!" Pointing forward, he shouted, "Go, Beatrice!! Attack her Wind-Up Zenmaister!! Light of Paradiso!!" Beatrice then gathered up a large amount of light energy in her hands and released it in the form of a sphere that hurtled itself towards Apple Bloom's Wind-Up monster.

"If that attacks hits," Granny noted, "this game's all but over!"

But Apple Bloom wasn't scared. "Ah ain't gonna let ya win that easily, Big Mac!" she informed him as she tapped her D-Pad's screen. "Ah play mah Trap Card, Mirror Force!!" And after her Trap Card flipped face-up, a large, reflective dome materialized around Bloom to protect her. When the light ball struck the dome, it bounced off and shot high into the air, exploding into smaller rays of light. "Now all'o your monsters in Attack Mode r' destroyed! Meaning that next turn, Ah'll attack you and win the Duel!"

Big Mac watched as Beatrice was struck by one of the rays of light and was destroyed. It seemed that there was nothing else he could do... until he lifted his head up and smiled, saying, "Ah'm sorry t' tell ya this, Apple Bloom... but this Duel ain't over for me yet! Ah knew you'd try somethin' like that!"

"You... you did??" asked the bow-wearing girl, not sure what her brother meant.

"Eeeyup." he responded. "That's the whole reason Ah Summoned Beatrice. Y'see if SHE is destroyed by one'a your cards an' sent to mah Graveyard, her effect activates!"

"Her effect?" asked Bloom. "What kinda effect?"

Taking another card from his Extra Deck, he then chanted, "Bravest man among mortals, your journey is complete! Through the dark trials you faced in the Inferno and Purgatorio, you have been reborn by the light and hope of Paradiso!" He then played the card onto his D-Pad's tray and finished the chant, saying, "Shine forth!! Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!!"

Everyone gasped as a powerful column of light quickly shot down to the ground where Beatrice once stood. Then, emerging from that light was a familiar face: It was none other than Dante, only his appearance was considerably different: Instead of his usual clothes, the man was now wearing white and gold robes with an intricate white cape flowing behind him. Based on his appearance, he now looked very much like an angel, just like Beatrice (Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss: Level 9 / ATK 2800 / DEF 2500).

"HUH?! Wh-where'd he come from?!" exclaimed Apple Bloom, not expecting this to happen.

"After all his hard work and grueling hours through many difficult trials, Dante had finally succeeded in his mission." Big Mac told his sister. "Thus, he gained new and extraordinary power. Together with the love of Beatrice by his side, Dante became an angel himself and did many great things from that day forward." Taking the Beatrice card that was just sent to his Graveyard, he added, "And in Duel Monsters, the same general idea applies: When Beatrice is destroyed by your card n' sent to the Graveyard, she automatically replaces herself with any Burning Abyss monster from mah Extra Deck! And Ah chose mah Fusion Monster, Dante, Pilgrim of the Burning Abyss!"

"That's... it can't be..." said Apple Bloom. "Ah didn't know she could do that!"

"And there's more, li'l sis." Big Mac continued. "Since he was Summoned as a new monster durin' mah Battle Phase, Ah can now attack with him!"

"...That means you'll win this game." the bow-wearing girl realized. She sighed sadly a bit at the thought of losing, but knowing that she put up an amazing fight regardless, she didn't feel very bad for long. She then told her brother, "Give me all ya got, big bro! Ah can take it!"

Happy to see that his sister wasn't bummed out at all, Big Mac then shouted, "Go, Dante!! Attack her Wind-Up Zenmaister and end this Duel!!" Dante then held up his staff as a tremendous amount of light energy flowed into the golden crest on top of it. The green jewel in the crest's center then shone brilliantly as more and more power was drawn into it. Once it was charged up, Big Mac shouted, "GO!! Great Radiance of Paradiso!!"

Dante then fired a massive beam of light from out of his staff, aiming it straight towards Apple Bloom's Wind-Up monster. Zenmaister couldn't handle the attack and was reduced to scrap in seconds. Though she didn't win the Duel, Apple Bloom did her best to remain positive about it. (Ah didn't win this time, Sunset...) she said mentally, (but Ah promise t' learn and practice as much as Ah can! Next time, Ah'll win fer sure!)

(Apple Bloom: LP 300 - 900 = 0) (WINNER: Big McIntosh)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Once the Duel was over, Big Mac walked over to his little sister and asked her, "Y'all okay there, Apple Bloom? Ah'm sorry that you didn't win..."

While the young girl did wipe a small tear from her eye, Apple Bloom wasn't sad or angry about her loss. One thing that Sunset had taught to her was to always remain positive, even if you lose a Duel. Smiling and looking up at her brother, she said to him, "You don't have t' apologize, Big Mac; that was the best Duel Ah ever had! And even though Ah didn't win, Ah still feel like Ah did pretty well out there!"

Happy to hear that, Big Mac then told her, "Ah agree, li'l sis: You did amazin' out there! In fact, when you pulled off that trick with your Zenmaiday Trap Card, Ah nearly thought Ah was gonna lose! You've really improved a whole lot, Apple Bloom: If it was possible fer both players to win a Duel, it would've happened with this one, Ah know it."

"Gee, thanks Big Mac..." said the little yellow girl with a giggle. She then asked her grandmother, "What about you, Granny? What did you think of mah duelin'?"

Smiling, Granny Smith answered, "You were amazin' out there, BOTH of ya! y'all remind me of me when Ah was just a li'l whipper-snapper. Yep, those were the days, Ah tell ya... Collecting all those cards, duelin' with my friends... fantasizing about spendin' an island vacation with Yugi..."

"Uh, what?" asked Apple Bloom, a bit weirded out by that last part.

"Oh, nothing! Eheheh... ehhh..." Granny responded, pretending that she didn't say the thing about the island vacation.

Quickly changing the subject, Big Mac then said to his sister, "Ah just realized: This was the first time y'all saw mah Deck in action! Tell me, what did ya think of it?"

"Well, while Ah still think those demon-monster things were creepy-lookin'," she admitted, "Ah think your Deck was really cool! And really strong, too!"

"Ah'm glad ya think so, li'l sis." the older boy replied. Looking at his Deck in the D-Pad, he then said, "T' be honest, Ah chose t' use this Deck t' get ya more interested in the story of Dante's Divine Comedy. Ah just thought that, if Ah made the story come alive - especially in the form of a Duel, you'd start t' like it a lot more."

"And that's why you challenged me to a Duel, right?" asked Apple Bloom, figuring it all out.

"Eeeyup." Big Mac simply replied, smiling as he did so.

"Well, thanks for doin' that for me, Big Mac." the bow-wearing girl told him. "Ah really appreciate it. For once, Ah'm actually excited to get started on mah literature report after seein' your monsters in action!" Apple Bloom then walked over to the steps that Granny Smith was sitting and picked up an object that had been left there before the Duel started: It was the book that Big Mac had given to her earlier, which had the story of the Divine Comedy written inside of it. Looking at the book, she then added, "Besides that, compared t' what that Dante guy went through in this story, doin' homework doesn't seem so hard anymore."

Big Mac and Granny Smith shared a small smile and chuckle at Bloom's comment. All in all, things turned out as well as they had hoped, and the young girl was finally motivated to work on her report.

About an hour or so later, the sounds of Applejack's pickup truck could be heard by those in the Apple Family Farmhouse. Big Mac and Granny Smith exited through the front door to greet Applejack and Babs Seed after they had returned from visiting Cherry Jubilee earlier in the day. "Welcome back, AJ! And you too, Babs!" Granny Smith greeted. "How'd everything go over at Cherry's place?"

"Oh, pretty well as a matter of fact!" Applejack answered. "Ah tell y'all 'bout it a bit later." She then asked them both, "So how'd things go with Apple Bloom? Did ya manage t' get her to do her schoolwork?"

"Eeeyup!" Big Mac replied, pointing up towards the top of the house to say that Apple Bloom was in her room, working on it as they were speaking.

"Wait... you did?" asked AJ, honestly not expecting that answer. "That... that's incredible! How'd y'all do it? Care t' tell me the secret?"

But Big Mac smiled and told her, "Nnnope!"

"Not gonna talk, huh?" Applejack asked. "Never were much of a talkative type, are ya?" Shrugging, she then told him, "Aw, whatever. Ah'm just glad that Bloom's gettin' her work done like she's supposed to."

Just then, the four of them heard the sounds of feet running down a staircase. Then, bursting through the front doors came Apple Bloom, holding a pile of papers in her left hand. "AH'VE DONE IT!!" she proudly proclaimed. "Ah finally finished mah report!!"

"Oh you did, did you?" asked Applejack, gently taking the papers from her younger sister. "Lemme see that..." The older sister then read the papers thoroughly to see if Bloom really did write well enough. After about a few seconds of looking over the report, the orange-skinned girl then said, "This is incredible! It's so well-written! It's... it's almost like y'all were in the story t' see everything that happened for yourself!"

Big Mac and Apple Bloom then glanced at each other. The two of them then winked at each other, as a way of telling the other not to reveal the true secret behind how the report was so well-done.

"Dat's great t' hear, cuz!" said Babs, happy to know that her sister didn't have any more schoolwork to do now. "Ah was hopin' you'd be finished when we got back!" Showing the D-Pad strapped to her arm, she then asked the yellow girl, "So now that dat's outta the way, whad'ya say t' havin' dat rematch we was talkin' about?"

"You're on, Babs!" said Apple Bloom, psyched to Duel her Manehattan-born cousin. "But Ah won't let ya beat me this time!"

"We'll just see 'bout dat, cuz!" the tough little girl responded.

As the two young girls got ready to have another fun Duel against each other, Applejack, Big Mac, and Granny Smith all shared a smile with each other. Eager to see the match between the younger members of the family, the three of them followed Babs and Bloom to the backyard behind the house to watch their Duel.

-- To Be Continued...

Comments

[Ze1a7in]

9371094
Uh no. That was Sunset's card reacting. I would have thought the part about "Sunset's necklace" in the quoted portion would have been enough of a giveaway.

[Mr-Astounding]

Big Mac with a Burning Abyss deck...have to admit: I didn't see that coming; don't get me wrong: I'm intrigued by the idea, but it kind of threw me through a loop, you know? also, I'm guessing we're going to see what AJ and Babs were up to in the next chapter

[Ze1a7in]

Taking the book he was holding, Bloom looked at the title and read it out-loud: "...The Divine Comedy?" She then looked at the cover of the book, which showed a picture of a man in a red, cloak-like garment holding a book in a fresco-style painting. "Hmmm... doesn't look that funny to me, Big Mac." she commented.

Huh. Guess I know where the title came from.

Nodding and turning back over to his little sister, Big Mac told her, "Ah now use the effect of Tour Guide From the Underworld. When she's been Normal Summoned to the field, Ah can then Special Summon any Level 3 Fiend-Type monster from mah hand or mah Deck with its effects negated!" Taking a card from his Deck, he played it and declared, "Ah'll Summon this monster: Farfa, Malebranche of the Burning Abyss!!"

Oh you sly bastard......well played! I forgot about that archetype!

Nice chapter!

[ArcanaMaverick7]

That was pretty cool! I loved this chapter. You know, I kinda think that playing music from Devil May Cry or Bayonetta would be fitting with this "episode".

[SuperSonicHeroes]

Burning Abyss is tough. A bit surprised Big Mac has it, but he certainly used it well.

[Monty Eggman]

9421707

I actually hinted at his Deck in an earlier rank.

[Shifter489]

"Oh mah stars... Another handsome young man!" said Granny Smith, becoming a little smitten with Big Mac's Synchro Monster. "Why can't all'o these Duel Monsters cards look like them??"

For reasons, Granny Smith.

[Bahamut Omega]

Love that meta joke about Tour Guide being limited.

[DanaO]

Hm. On the one hand, I'd like to believe Big Macintosh is more perceptive than his oral report on Alighieri's work implies. On the other, I cannot deny that what Big Mac said is just about exactly what I'd expect Apple Bloom would think happens in the Divine Comedy if she read it, so those would be the right things for him to say regardless of his own opinion.

[Brian Sheil]

9672989
Easy, Granny Smith. No need to have a heart attack.