RANK 45: Atlantean Assault:
RANK 45: Atlantean Assault:
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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...
The WCQ Qualifier Tournament's first round is halfway done, with the first four Duels over and done with. So far, the Duelists moving on include the following: Ember - daughter of ex-Pro Duelist Torch and wielder of a powerful Deck of Dragon monsters, Steel Shadows - a wandering Duelist who used Six Samurais, Gilda - the strongest Duelist in Griffonstone High School with her Raidraptor Deck, and Fluttershy - a Duelist who appeared timid at first glance, but was skilled at using her Naturia monsters to their fullest. Now the latter half of the first round was ready to begin...
However, three individuals that were already well-known to Canterlot High's students and staff (and not in a good way) have also come to the tournament: They are Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, and Sonata Dusk - collectively known as the Dazzlings. The last time they set foot in CHS, they tried to suck the life energy out of everyone in school through their negative feelings, but were stopped by Sunset Shimmer, Twilight Sparkle, and their friends. Sunset believes that the trio have come back for revenge and are planning to disrupt the tournament. Of course, the Dazzlings deny any form of wrongdoing, and claim that they are only here for the competition.
But if Sunset is right in her assumptions about them, just what is their true agenda...? This question, among others, are floating in the minds of Sunset and her friends, as they wait to hear the next Duel's matchups...
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In Canterlot High School's stadium (transformed into a Roman-style coliseum through AR technology), the WCQ Qualifier Tournament had just finished its fourth Duel of the first round. "What an amazing Duel!!" said the MC, Megan Williams, with her usual amount of energy. "Fluttershy has won her battle against Gabby and will be moving on to the next round! This wraps up the first half of Round One!" The audience cheered loudly in response.
Walking over towards Gabby, Gilda told her, "You did pretty well out there, kid. I gotta admit: I'm real impressed with how ya did against Fluttershy."
"Thanks, Gilda." the grey girl replied. "It's a bummer that I won't be able to Duel you next round, though. I guess I'm just not ready to face you yet..."
"Maybe not now, but someday you will." the kindly roughneck told her, giving her a soft pat on the shoulder. "Until then, keep on gettin' stronger so you can come at with everything you've got when we do have our Duel."
"I will! I definitely will!!" Gabby responded cheerfully. It was pretty clear that losing a Duel wasn't even close to enough to bring down her spirits. The younger Griffonstone teen then left the arena to go and find Martin to keep him company.
Looking ahead, Gilda walked over to Fluttershy to speak with her. The shy girl looked over at her rival as she came closer; because they had won both of their respective Duels, they would be facing each other next round. Blushing a little, Fluttershy nervously told her, "So I...I guess it's, um...finally time, right...?"
"You bet it is!" Gilda responded. "We're finally gonna have our rematch. But this time, I'll be the one who's gonna win it!"
"I guess we'll see about that when it happens..." the pale-yellow teen told her. Then, trying to sound as tough as she could, she then said, "But...but I'm not going to let you beat me...! I-I've been getting stronger too, just like you have...! Believe me, I'm not the same as I was back then, either...!"
"Yeah, I'm countin' on that." the Griffonstone student said to her. "In any case - no matter which one of us wins, let's promise each other just one thing, Fluttershy."
"And...and what's that...?"
"...That we only play at our best. No holdin' back!"
The shy girl gasped a little; after hearing Gilda say that, she knew that this would be the toughest battle she fought yet. Normally, something like this would frighten her a great deal. But not this time: She wanted to duel Gilda in the tournament more than anything else, and now she would get her chance. Looking a little more determined, she told her rival, "Of course, Gilda. I promise."
Smirking, Gilda then said to her, "Then you'd better be ready for me, Fluttershy. 'Cause I don't plan on goin' easy on ya like I did before!" She then walked off to the competitors' seating area to watch the next Duel.
"Oh...oh my...!" Fluttershy said, trembling a little. "I...I can't believe it...!"
"You alright, Fluttershy?" Sunset Shimmer asked her. "You're shaking in your boots...literally."
"Oh! I-I'm fine, Sunset..." the pale-yellow teen told her. "I just never thought I could say things like that without stuttering too much...! I mean...I straight-up told Gilda that I wouldn't let her beat me in the next Duel...! How am I not nervous about doing something like this...??"
"It's a natural instinct for a Duelist when they face a worthy opponent." the black jacket-clad girl answered her. "Sometimes, you can get more excited about your upcoming Duel than you are nervous about it."
"And besides that," Twilight Sparkle chimed in, "you become much stronger, not only as a Duelist, but as person in general. Really, you ought to be proud of yourself for getting this far! You've done things that even the bravest of individuals could have a hard time with."
Smiling, Fluttershy then said, "...I guess I have come a long way since before I met you and the others. The old me wouldn't have had the courage to stand up for herself or for others... But I'm not the old me anymore...! I may still have more work to do before I can completely overcome my weaknesses, but I know I can do it! As long as you're all willing to help me, that is..."
"Of course we'll be there for you." said Sunset, smiling warmly. "For now, just do your best when the next round comes. Even though I must remain impartial as the Tournament Judge...I'll secretly be rooting for you as your friend." Twilight and Spike nodded to say that they felt the same way.
"...Thank you." the shy girl replied, happy to hear that from them.
Just then, Megan Williams announced to everyone in attendance, "Alright, our five-minute break is up and it's time to announce the parings for the next Duel!"
The four of them shifted their attention to the big monitor screen above them. "So who's all left?" Twilight then asked Sunset.
"If I recall, the eight remaining Duelists include Octavia, Sweetie Belle, Derpy, Zecora, and Flash Sentry among our friends..." she answered her friend. "Then there's the other two people from out of town: Bright Mind and Sol Burner."
"And then that girl, Sonata..." Spike added in a less-than-enthusiastic tone of voice. This prompted Sunset and Twilight to glance over at the remaining competitors. They spotted Sonata mingling with her fellow Dazzling sisters, Adagio and Aria. They stood off to the side, away from the others. "D'ya still think they're up to something?" the purple puppy then asked Sunset.
"Honestly, I'm hoping they aren't." the red-and-yellow girl told him. "Unfortunately, Big Mac overheard them talking about some sort of 'plan' of theirs, but didn't quite get the full details. As limited as that information is, it gives me enough of a reason to suspect them of something..."
"All we can do for now is hope for the best..." Fluttershy said, "but be prepared for the worst..." The others nodded to say they agreed with her.
Once more, the digital slot machine cycled through the remaining eight Duelists in order to determine who would be competing next. "And the next pair will beeeeee..." said Megan as she awaited the result of the random selection. Finally, the next pair had been chosen: "...Derpy Hooves and Sonata Dusk!!"
Everyone, especially Sunset and her friends, gasped when they heard that Sonata was up next to duel. "So...it finally happened..." Rarity stated.
"Yeah, that Dazzlin' chick's gonna be duelin' next." Applejack spoke in a serious tone.
"Grr...! I hope she gets her butt kicked!" Rainbow Dash said, standing up from her seat. "C'mon on, Derpy!! Mop the floor with her!!"
Derpy was understandably nervous about the fact that she would be fighting Sonata for her first Duel of the tournament, but she was determined to beat her. And it wasn't just because of the fact that Sonata and her fellow Dazzlings - Aria and Adagio, had tried to take control of everyone at school and suck out their life, but she also had her own personal reasons as well...
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Less than a year ago...
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Backstage, in an outdoor arena, Derpy and two other girls (one with light-blue skin and curly purple hair, and a pink girl with long, dark pink hair) sighed sadly as they exited the main stage. They were competing in the Battle of the Bands competition in CHS, but had lost right on the first round. Turning over to her band mates, Derpy told them, "I'm really sorry that we lost the first round girls...but at least we tried our best out there..." The two other girls nodded to say they agreed with her, though they were all still very down about losing.
Just then, the three of them heard the sounds of haughty laughter from nearby. "THAT was your best?!" said the person who was laughing at them. "If so, then I'm surprised they even bothered to let you into the competition!" Derpy and her friends turned around to see who it was that made that nasty comment: It was Adagio, with Aria and Sonata standing behind her, all dressed in extravagant costumes for the event (complete with the red jewel amulets they used to wear).
"Hey! That's not nice!" Derpy told them. "Just because we didn't win, that doesn't mean you have to make fun of us!"
"Heh...! Listen up, Eyeball." Aria told her in a mocking tone, "We're not doin' it 'cause we have to; ridiculing the losers is just one of the fringe benefits when you're as talented as we are."
"Not that you ever will be that talented, of course..." Adagio told them with a smirk. "I mean, seriously: Did you three REALLY expect to win this whole thing? Playing those...'instruments'?"
At that moment, Sonata walked over and snatched up the light-blue girl's instrument - a cowbell. "H-hey! Give that back!" the bell's owner shouted at her.
"Huh? This clunky old thing?" asked Sonata, looking at the bell. She then glanced over at her sisters, who nodded to her with smirks on their face. Smirking herself, the Dazzling then said, "Yeah, you can have it back... All the way over there!" She then tossed the bell towards the back of the room. It hit the back wall with a KLUNK before falling into a pile of boxes.
Derpy and her friends gasped at what they had just seen. Instinctively, the bell's owner ran over to the box pile to find her instrument. She did find it, but it now had a large crack on it from where it hit the wall. "N-no...!" she said, tearing up. "That was my favorite bell...! And now it's ruined...!" She then fell to her knees and started to cry long, hard sobs.
Derpy and her other band mate went over to comfort her after what had happened. Giving an angry look, Derpy then told the Dazzlings, "That was the meanest thing I've ever seen anyone do!"
"Indeed it was..." said Adagio, not caring in the slightest. "And the only regret I have about it...is the fact that I didn't try to do it myself." As she and her sisters turned their back to them, she then stated, "Now, if we're done wasting our time here, we have a Battle of the Bands to win.." She and her fellow Dazzlings continued to laugh at the cruel act they had just committed, leaving Derpy and her friends behind...
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(You hurt my friend's feelings, Sonata...) Derpy thought to herself, (and I don't know what you're trying to do here in this tournament, but I won't let you get away with it!) Sighing, she then said to herself, "Doctor...I know you wanted me to enter the tournament to find anyone that might be using Number cards, and I know that I said that I'm not the kind of person who wants to get revenge on someone..." She then put on a fierce look and said, "But this time, it's different...! This time it's not about me; I'm going to beat Sonata for my friend, and I'll do it on my own!"
Adagio, Aria, and Sonata looked at the screen that displayed the next Duel's pairings. "Derpy...Hooves...?" asked Sonata.
"Don't ya remember?" asked Aria. "That's the girl whose friend's bell ya busted up."
"I THOUGHT she looked familiar..." hummed Adagio, rubbing her chin. Chuckling, she then said, "Well, if she duels about as good as she plays music, she won't be much trouble, even for you, Sonata."
"Yeah, so you'd better not blow it." Aria told her.
"Yeesh, okay! I get it! I know I have to win! I know!" Sonata responded, walking out towards the field.
"Both Duelists to the center of the field." said Sunset, keeping her eyes mostly on Sonata as she and Derpy entered the center of the arena. They then cut and shuffled each other's Decks and returned them to each other. A coin toss then determined that Derpy would get the first move. As Sonata left towards her side of the field, Sunset then whispered to Derpy, "Be careful out there... I don't trust her."
"I know." the grey girl told her before heading for her side of the field.
"Alright! The Duelists have entered the arena and are ready to battle!!" Megan announced. "So let's get this Duel started!!"
Drawing their opening hands, both Derpy and Sonata shouted to each other, "Let's DUEL!!" (Derpy Hooves: LP 4,000) (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000).
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Twilight Sparkle and Spike - along with their other friends, watched with intent as the Duel got underway. But deep within the mind of the Princess of Friendship, another adventure was going on: Discord, the wily Spirit of Chaos and Disorder, was on a mission given to him by Princess Celestia to look after Twilight and Sunset from within their minds. However, he was also instructed to find more information concerning the Number cards and the Astral World.
He wasn't alone, though: With him was another version of Twilight that had been generated within the real Twilight's mind to regulate things that went on in her brain (for that reason, Discord decided to call her "Mind-Twi"). Also with them was Utopia, the Number card owned by Twilight that shared residence in her mind. Discord and Mind-Twi were riding on a tandem bicycle while Utopia flew beside them with the wings built onto his body armor.
Searching around, Discord then asked his bike passenger, "So where is this 'Temporal Lobe' thing you were talking about? You said that's where we were going, right?"
"It should only be a bit further from here." Mind-Twi told him.
"Hopefully, this place could give us more information about the Astral World, as well as the significance of those figures we saw in Twilight's dream." said Utopia. "I am not sure, but I could feel some sort of...familiarity when I saw the two of them. I have no doubt they are of some importance to me, but I do not know what for or why yet."
"Well, with any luck," Discord told them, "we'll find whatever we're looking for very soon! I can feel it in my bones..." He then pulled out a small bone and said, "This bone to be exact: It vibrates whenever I'm onto something." Mind-Twi and Utopia just looked at each other, not commenting on the draconequus's weirdness.
Some time later, the trio approached what appeared to be a large and impressive-looking stone building. It appeared to have a gothic-style look to it, complete with large gargoyle statues (which looked a bit like Spike). Carved over the building front entrance were the words, "Memoria Aula".
"Here we are..." said Mind-Twi. "The Hall of Memories..."
"My word..." Discord said, looking up at the building and bending his body over backwards, "Calling it 'big' doesn't even begin to describe it...!"
"Indeed." said Utopia. "No doubt, we should find whatever we are looking for somewhere within this structure." The warrior then walked forward with Discord and Mind-Twi following close behind.
Upon entering the hall, the group saw yet another Twilight working at a desk. She looked just like Twilight in her pony form, except that she was wearing a pair of black-trimmed glasses. Behind her were what appeared to be stacks and stacks of scrolls and parchments, most of them neatly arranged among the many shelves in the room. Noticing the three individuals coming in, she poked her head up and greeted them, saying, "Welcome to the Hall of Memories! I'm in charge of keeping all of Twilight Sparkle's memories intact and well-organized."
"And also the closest thing this story will get to having Sci-Twi appear." Discord whispered to Utopia with a smirk. Of course, Utopia had no clue as to what the draconequus was talking about.
Mind-Twi then walked up towards the desk and said, "We would like to take a look through Twilight's memories; we're trying to find something in particular."
"And what would that be?" asked the glasses-wearing Twilight.
"If I may," Discord said, walking over to the desk as well. "My good dear- um, do you mind if I call you Memory-Twi at all? Just want to make it easier for everyone here..." The glasses-wearing pony shook her head to say that it was okay with her. "Anyway," he then continued, "we're looking for any memories that have some sort of...connection to something called, 'Astral World'. By any chance, do you have anything of the sort floating around?"
"Hmmmm...Astral World... Astral World..." hummed the spectacled pony. "Doesn't exactly ring a bell..." Chuckling weakly, she told them all, "Ironically, I don't remember every single memory that's passed through here. Still, I'm sure we could find whatever it is you're looking for if you'll allow me to help you."
"That would be much appreciated." Utopia told her. "To be more specific, we are seeking information regarding something known as the 'Order of Astral', if that helps."
"Well, I'll do my best to assist you in any way I can," said Memory-Twi, "but I can't promise that we'll succeed in whatever you're trying to accomplish. Still, that doesn't mean we can't at least try!"
"My thoughts exactly!" said Mind-Twi with a great deal of enthusiasm. "Now let's start looking through all of these papers and find that info!" And with that, the pair of Twilight look-a-likes dashed off towards the back of the room.
"They are...quite ecstatic when it comes to seeking knowledge, aren't they?" asked Utopia.
"Yep, just like the real Twilight." stated Discord. He then told the armored man, "I suppose we should follow them and see what we can dig up ourselves." Utopia nodded as they both calmly walked to the other side of the room they were in.
Meanwhile, back in the "real" world, Derpy Hooves was about to begin her Duel against Dazzlings member Sonata Dusk. As they both looked over their opening hands, Sunset, Twilight, and the rest of their friends kept a close eye on Sonata, just in case she tried to do anything that would cause trouble. Snips and Snails were also keeping their eyes on her as well, just as Sunset had asked them to do.
"So..." Rarity asked her friends sitting next to her, "what sort of Deck do you think Sonata is using?"
"Ah ain't sure." Applejack answered. "'Til yesterday, Ah didn't even know she dueled; Duel Monsters requires a lot of plannin' and strategy, and she never struck me as the deep-thinkin' type..."
"Yeah, ya got a point there, AJ." Dash told her. "Maybe this won't be as bad as we think it is... I mean, how much of a threat can Sonata really be?"
Pinkie, on the other hand, wasn't too sure about that. Something in the back of her mind was telling her that things weren't as they seemed. And experience had taught her to trust that sort of gut feeling.
In the arena, Sonata smirked at her opponent and said to her, "Well, so we meet again..." She then asked in a mocking tone, "How's your friend's rusty old bell?"
Annoyed, but not about to let that comment get to her, Derpy replied back, saying, "I was about to ask the same thing about your necklace." This elicited a grumble out of her opponent.
"You can do it, Derpy!!" cheered the voice of one of her friends, Golden Harvest (or "Carrot Top" as Derpy called her by). Sitting with her were Derpy's former band mates from the Battle of the Bands as well. They were all wearing grey t-shirts with their friend's face on them to show their support for her.
Smiling, Derpy was ready to duel as she began her turn. "Alright, you'd better get ready!" she told Sonata as she picked her first card. "You won't beat me!"
"Y-yeah? We'll see about that!" Sonata spat back. "Now go already!"
"I'll start by playing a monster in Defense Mode." Derpy stated, placing the card on the tray face-down. "And then I'll activate a Continuous Spell! Heart of the Underdog!"
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Heart of the Underdog:
(Continuous Spell Card)
During your Draw Phase, when you draw a Normal Monster(s): You can reveal it; draw 1 more card.
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(Heart of the Underdog...?) wondered Sunset. (Interesting choice...)
"Now, I'll finish my turn by setting two more cards face-down!" said the grey girl as she did just that.
"Then it's my turn!" said Sonata. "I draw!"
As their sister drew her card, Adagio and Aria were watching from the bench behind her. "She'd better not screw this up for us, Adagio..." Aria told her. "After all, it was your idea to have her duel for us."
"Indeed, and I stand by that decision." Adagio told her. "And I have my reasons."
"...And those are...?"
Chuckling, the puffy-haired siren answered, saying, "To trick the competition, of course. After all, who would ever think that Sonata, of all people, could be any sort of threat to them? They drop their guard down, and she finishes them off: It's so simple."
"Hmmm...I guess I see your point." Aria replied. "But how do you know that Sonata'll actually BE able to 'finish them off'?"
Chuckling again, Adagio told her, "Just watch and see for yourself. I assure you, I know what I'm doing." Aria hummed a bit, but decided to go along with her sister's idea for now.
"Okay..." said Sonata as she looked over the six cards she had in her hand. Though she wasn't exactly the heavy thinker among the Dazzlings, she had watched her sisters use her Deck enough times to know how play it effectively. Taking a card from her hand, she shouted, "I Summon this guy in Attack Mode! Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince!" Her first monster was a human man with flowing, black hair and relatively pale skin. He was wearing a large amount of blue body armor, mostly across his chest, waist, and upper legs. In his hand was a long, golden trident (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: Level 1 / ATK 800 / DEF 0).
"Pfft! THAT'S her best opening move?" asked Rainbow Dash, stifling back a laugh. "He's nothin'!"
"Ah ain't so sure 'bout that, Dash." said Applejack.
"Huh? Whaddya mean?" the cyan teen inquired.
"Applejack is right." Rarity spoke up. "I'm quite familiar with that Neptabyss card, as well as the Deck he is used in. He's merely the stepping stone to what I can only imagine will be an even bigger play later on."
"Wow..." said Pinkie. "How come you know so much about that card, Rare?"
"Um...well..." The violet-haired fashionista blushed a little as she tried to come up with an answer.
Pinkie Pie then gave a little smirk, realizing what was going on. "Ohhhhhh...I seeeee...!"
"Now, don't take that the wrong way...!" Rarity told her, a blush still spread across her face. "I-i-it's not like I think he's attractive...! With his luscious locks... his bright blue eyes..."
"You're still talkin' out-loud, Rare..." AJ reminded her, which caused the fashionista to gasp and cover her mouth in embarrassment.
Back at the Duel, Derpy looked at the trident-carrying man in front of her as she asked her opponent, "So...what does he do?"
"Hmph...you'll just hafta wait a little bit," Sonata told her, "'cause now that I've Summoned him, I can bring out this guy! Go, Shark Stickers!" The siren Duelist's next monster was a long, thin shark-like fish creature with blue-violet scales and a large oval that seemed to have adhesive properties on his head (Shark Stickers: Level 3 / ATK 200 / DEF 1000). "I can Special Summon Shark Stickers from my hand right after I Normal or Special Summon a Fish, Sea Serpent, or Aqua monster!" Sonata then explained.
"Her first monster was a Sea Serpent-type..." said Sunset. "So he fit the criteria for Shark Stickers's effect perfectly."
"But...what does she plan on doing with them?" asked Spike.
"That's a good question." Twilight pointed out. "Neither of her monsters are the same Level, so at the very least, she can't Xyz Summon..."
"True, but that doesn't mean Sonata's out of moves yet..." Sunset told them both. Turning her attention back to the Duel, she then thought, (What are you up to...?)
"Now I activate the effect of Neptabyss!" said Sonata. "I send Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to the Graveyard...and add ANOTHER Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to my hand!" After she did that, the Dazzling then added, "But that's not all! Since I used Atlantean Dragoons to pay the cost of Neptabyss's effect, I can grab another Sea Serpent monster out of my Deck! And I choose Atlantean Heavy Infantry!"
"What the-?!" gasped Rainbow. "She just searched out two cards out of her Deck for the price of one!"
"That is because Atlantean monsters have effects that activate if they're used to pay the cost of a WATER monster's effect." Rarity informed her. "That's what makes them somewhat tricky to fight. Though I am surprised that Sonata knew how to do all that..."
"Yeah, that was a pretty complex move she just pulled off..." Applejack pointed out. "Maybe she's smarter than we thought she was... If that's the case, this could mean trouble."
"Still, let's not count Derpy out of this yet, girls." Pinkie told her. "She's got a pretty tough Deck, too. I've actually played against it a few times!"
"Wait, you KNOW about her Deck?!" asked Rainbow Dash, surprised (along with her other friends). She then asked, "Why didn't ya tell us?!"
Giggling, the party-lover simply told her, "You never asked, Dashie." Naturally, this elicited a groan out of the others (except for Fluffle Puff, who just gave a raspberry).
Humming a bit, Derpy then asked her opponent, "Is that all you've got this turn?"
"Not even close!" Sonata answered. "Now I play the Field Spell known as Lemuria, the Forgotten City!" After playing her card, the scenery around them all transformed into a large, white temple with a similar style to the coliseum that they were in previously. After it appeared, a large amount of water rushed in and flooded half the temple. For those in the arena, the water reached up to their ankles after it appeared (of course, the water was merely an AR image, as was everything else).
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Lemuria, the Forgotten City
(Field Spell Card)
(This card's name is always treated as "Umi".)
All WATER monsters on the field gain 200 ATK/DEF. Once per turn, during your Main Phase: You can have all WATER monsters you currently control gain Levels equal to the number of WATER monsters you currently control, until the End Phase.
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"Now thanks to this card, my monsters will get a nice little power boost!" Sonata shouted (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 800 + 200 = 1,000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200) (Shark Stickers: ATK 200 + 200 = 400 / DEF 1,000 + 200 = 1,200).
"That's not good..." said Sunset. "That Field card puts her at a dangerous advantage..."
"Now it's time for my Battle Phase!" the blue Dazzling declared. "Neptabyss, attack her face-down monster! Trident Thrust!" The human-like monster then moved forward and stabbed Derpy's Set monster on the field with his weapon. The monster was revealed to be a some sort of a present covered in wrapping paper with large, colorful spots and tied with a red ribbon (Box of Friends: Level 1 / ATK 0 / DEF 0). Due to it not having any defense points, it was easily destroyed. "Ha! That was WAY too easy!" Sonata mocked. "NOW what're ya gonna do?"
Giggling a little, Derpy told her, "I'll activate my monster's effect, that's what."
"Wha?? Effect?"
"Yep! When Box of Friends is destroyed and sent to the Graveyard, I can Summon two more monsters from my Deck in Defense Mode!" the grey-skinned girl told her. "However, they have to both be Normal Monsters, and each of them has to have an attack power or defense power of zero." Taking out two cards from her Deck, she then added, "So I'll use the effect of Box of Friends to Summon Blazing Inpachi and Megalosmasher X in Defense Mode!"
Derpy's first monster appeared to be some sort of robot-like creature made entirely out of wood. However, it was completely engulfed in flames. Despite the fact that water covered the field, the fires around it kept right on burning (Blazing Inpachi: Level 4 / ATK 1850 / DEF 0). Her second monster was a massive sea creature that looked prehistoric in appearance. Unlike her first monster, this one seemed more suited to the field around them (Megalosmasher X: Level 4 / ATK 2000 + 200 = 2200 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).
"Woah, not bad..." commented Vinyl. "She lost one monster, but then got two more to take its place!"
"Indeed..." said Octavia. "However, Box of Friends Summoned them both in Defense Mode, and they each have very low defense values. Which means Sonata's other monster can destroy either one of them. And even if she doesn't, both monsters will go to the Graveyard at the end of Derpy's next turn."
Grumbling a little, Sonata then shouted, "Go, Shark Stickers! Attack her Inpachi!" The girl's other monster then moved in to attack Derpy's flaming creature.
"That's not gonna happen!" the grey girl said with a smile. "I activate my Trap Card, Wonder Xyz!"
Gasping, Applejack then said, "So that was her plan all along!"
"She set Box of Friends on her field in the hopes that Sonata would attack it, so that she could Summon two monsters with the same level." Rarity explained in detail. "Then she had that Trap Card so that she could Xyz Summon without having to wait until her next turn, since she knew her monsters could be easily destroyed while in Defense Mode."
"With the effect of Wonder Xyz," Derpy continued, "I overlay my Level 4 Blazing Inpachi and Megalosmasher X to create an Overlay Network!" Her two monsters then transformed into a pair of lights (one red and one blue) that flew into a red portal in the center of the field. "She may be small, but she sure packs a punch! Under her rule, boredom is against the law!" the grey-skinned teenager chanted. "Xyz Summon! Warrior of justice and love, Rank 4! Princess Cologne!!"
Out of the red portal came a small figure that looked like a little girl. Her outfit resembled the lolita fashion style, with a bit of goth mixed in as well. The outfit itself consisted of a cute, black-and-white dress with a big, blue bow tied around the waist to secure it. Another blue bow was worn in her long, golden-blonde hair, and she also wore a pair of black-and-blue shoes. Her face was pale-peach in color with some blush on her cheeks, and she had blue eyes that matched her bows. She carried a pinkish-orange balloon with wings, a star pattern, and a funny-looking face, and orbiting her were a pair of yellow orbs (Princess Cologne: Rank 4 / ATK 500 / DEF 2200 / OLU 2).
Immediately, Pinkie's eyes began to sparkle. "Yay! It's Princess Cologne!!" she said excitedly. "I just KNEW she'd Summon it during this Duel! I knew it! I KNEW IT!!"
"But...what kinda monster is THAT supposed to be?" asked Rainbow Dash. "It looks more like some kind of a doll or somethin'..."
"Yeah, Ah wonder what it's supposed t' do..." pondered Applejack.
A little confused, Sonata asked, "THAT'S your big move? Aren't you a little too old to be playing with little dolls?"
"Not when those dolls have the power that my Princess Cologne has!" Derpy told her. "In fact, since she's got 2200 defense points, you can't beat her with either of your monsters!" Derpy's Xyz Monster then smirked before pulling down her eyelid and sticking her tongue out at Sonata.
The siren-turned-human growled a bit, but knew her opponent had a point. Calling off her attack, she simply said, "I'll set a card face-down and end my turn..."
"Then it's my turn! I draw!" Looking at her card, Derpy then showed it to Sonata and said, "And the card I drew is my Galaxy Serpent!"
"And...why are you telling me what card you drew?" her opponent asked her.
"To activate my Spell Card on the field, that's why." Derpy informed her opponent. "Did you already forget about my Heart of the Underdog? If I draw a Normal Monster on my Draw Phase, I can show it to you and draw ANOTHER card!"
"Wait, ANOTHER card?!" asked Spike.
"That's a pretty powerful effect..." Twilight stated.
"It is." Sunset agreed with her. "Especially since she can keep using the effect over and over again if she keeps drawing more Normal Monsters."
Drawing a second card from her Deck, Derpy smiled and said, "I just drew Rabidragon, a Normal Monster! So I draw again with Heart of the Underdog!"
"Aw, c'mon already!!" whined Sonata, getting annoyed.
Derpy then drew yet another card from her Deck. However, she drew a Spell Card, meaning that her Spell on the field was done for the turn. "Well, I guess I'm done using Heart of the Underdog now..." she said.
"Urrrgh...about TIME..." groaned the dueling Dazzling.
"...But that doesn't mean I'm done drawing cards this turn." Playing her card, Derpy then said, "I activate the Spell Card Trade-In! By discarding my Level 8 Rabidragon, I can draw two more cards from my Deck!"
"You've gotta be kidding me!!" yelled Sonata. "Are you just gonna draw cards this turn, or are you gonna play them?!"
Taking her two new cards, Derpy then said to her opponent, "Well, if that's what you want..." Playing one of her cards, she then announced, "I Summon Galaxy Serpent in Attack Mode!" Her next monster was a shimmering dragon that sparkled like starlight, floating high above the arena (Galaxy Serpent: Level 2 / ATK 1000 / DEF 0). "Next," she continued, "I'll activate my Spell Card, Swing of Memories! This card can bring back any Normal Monster from the Graveyard for one turn! And of course, the monster I choose will be...my Rabidragon!"
Her second monster was what appeared to be a rabbit/dragon hybrid creature. It's dragon-like traits included a long neck, a pair of wings, sharp teeth and claws, and a long, powerful tail. Its rabbit-like features consisted of a pair of long ears, a little black nose, paws, and bright white fur (Rabidragon: Level 8 / ATK 2950 / DEF 2900).
"Woah...that's...a pretty weird-looking monster..." said Gilda.
"I know..." said Fluttershy. "It looks almost like my pet bunny Angel...if he transformed into a dragon."
"Finally, before I move onto my Battle Phase," Derpy told her opponent, "I'll switch Princess Cologne to Attack Mode!" Once she was ready, the grey girl then shouted, "Now, Princess Cologne! Attack Shark Stickers!"
Grumbling a little, Sonata then said, "Have it your way, then! It's not like she'll deal a lot of damage to me."
"That's what you think, Sonata!" Derpy told her. "I activate my Trap Card, Inverse Universe! This card switches the attack and defense points of all the Effect Monsters on the field! So Cologne's attack points get even stronger (Princess Cologne: ATK 500 > 2200 / DEF 2200 > 500)! But even better, my Trap also affects your monsters as well!"
"Wh-what?!" gasped the Dazzling as her monster's attack and defense were flipped in reverse (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 1000 > 200 / DEF 200 > 1000) (Shark Stickers: ATK 400 > 1200 / DEF 1200 > 400).
Sunset was a bit surprised by the move Derpy made. (That was ingenious...!) she thought to herself. (She used that card not only to strengthen her own monster's attack power, but also to weaken Sonata! Even though Shark Stickers gained more attack points because of the Trap Card, Derpy's Xyz Monster will be able to inflict more damage than she would have before!)
Sonata cringed a bit as Cologne swung her balloon like a flail and struck Shark Stickers with it. As it turned out, the balloon wasn't as soft as it appeared to be, as it was able to crush the siren's monster with ease and take out a quarter of her starting Life Points (Sonata Dusk: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000).
"And I'm not done yet!" the grey teen declared. "Now I attack with Galaxy Serpent! Go, Starlight Stream!!" The Dragon monster then fired a ray of light straight towards Neptabyss. He was wiped out instantly, and Sonata took more damage from the battle (Sonata Dusk: 3,000 - 800 = 2,200).
"Since Inverse Universe doesn't affect Normal Monsters," Bright Mind then said, "Both of her other monsters remain at the same attack and defense values. And since Rabidragon hasn't attacked yet, she can wipe out the rest of her opponent's Life Points."
"Woah...a One-Turn-Kill...!" said Sol Burner, impressed by Derpy's move. "Never thought we'd see another one after the Prelims."
Ready to wrap up the Duel, Derpy then said to her last monster, "Okay, Rabidragon! Let's do it! Attack Sonata directly and end this Duel!!" The massive rabbit/dragon monster then prepared to launch the finishing strike.
"This is amazing Duel fans!!" cheered Megan. "If this attack goes through, we'll have witnessed a One-Turn-Kill by Derpy!!" Sunset and her friends watched intently, wondering if what the MC said would actually happen, especially since it would mean that the Dazzlings would be out of the tournament if it did happen.
"Go, Rabidragon!! Attack with Frozen Snow Stream!!" shouted Derpy. Her monster then charged up its attack and fired a icy-blue energy stream straight towards Sonata. It seemed that Derpy was about to win the Duel. But then...
"I activate my Trap Card!!" the siren shouted. "Bubble Bringer!!" After the card was flipped face-up, a huge cloud of bubbles sprayed out of the card image and completely concealed Sonata's half of the field. The attack launched by Derpy's monster ended up striking the bubbles instead of Sonata, nullifying all the damage.
"H-hey! What just happened?!" asked Derpy, unsure why her attack didn't work.
"My Trap Card makes it so that no monster that's Level 4 or above can attack directly." the blue Dazzling told her. "Since your mutant bunny is WAY higher than Level 4, its attack is cancelled! So I'm still in this Duel!" Derpy groaned a little after seeing her chance to win this turn slip away.
"So much for that..." said Spike, a little disappointed. "Derpy almost had it won until Sonata stopped her."
"Maybe so, but Derpy's still has an overwhelming advantage." Twilight pointed out. "Even though her Rabidragon will be destroyed at the end of the turn due to the effect of Swing of Memories, she'll still have two monsters on the field, while Sonata doesn't have any."
"Actually, Derpy will have even more than just two monsters after this turn ends." Sunset told them.
"She will?" asked Spike. "How?" Sunset said nothing, but made a gesture towards the field, essentially telling him and Twilight to watch the Duel and see for themselves.
Though she was a little frustrated by the fact that she couldn't win this turn, Derpy refused to give in to Sonata so easily. "You may have stopped me this time," she told her opponent, "but I have a Plan B ready to go!" Taking a card from her hand, she then said, "I'll move onto Main Phase 2 and activate my Non-Spellcasting Area! With this on the field, all non-Effect monsters are immune to Spell Cards!" Taking another card and putting it into her Duel Pad, she added, "Then I'll set this card and end my turn!"
"Don't forget," Sonata reminded her foe, "your Rabidragon is destroyed and the end of the turn, since you Summoned it with Swing of Memories." And just as she said, the giant rabbit/dragon beast vanished instantly.
"Maybe so," Derpy stated, "but because that happened, I can now activate the effect of Princess Cologne, by removing one of her overlay units!" At that moment, the little doll's balloon then wiggled a bit before the top half of it opened. Afterwards, one of her floating yellow orbs flew in-between the balloon's halves before the top half shut closed (Princess Cologne: OLU 2 - 1 = 1). "Now she can use her power to Special Summon another Normal Monster from my Deck or my Graveyard!"
"What?? Another one?!" gasped Sonata.
"And since you seem to like WATER monsters so much," the grey girl told her, "I'll bring out one of my own! I Summon Spiral Serpent from my Deck in Defense Mode!" Her next monster was another massive creature: It was a large sea-faring beast with a long neck protruding from a bulbous, blue body. It had thick, sharp teeth, and fins on the top of its head, on the sides of its head, and on its main body. A long tail that faded from blue to white extended from the back end of its body, making a wave-like motion in the air (Spiral Serpent: Level 8 / ATK 2900 / DEF 2900).
"Due to Derpy's Spell Card," Applejack pointed out, "her new monster doesn't get the power boost from Sonata's Field Spell."
"Yeah, but that thing's still got 2,900 defense points!" Rainbow Dash reminded her. "There's nothing Sonata can Summon that can take it down!"
"I hope so..." Rarity said, "for Derpy's sake."
Sonata grumbled a bit at the fact that her opponent had three monsters on the field, while she had none. If she didn't do something on her next turn, she would most certainly lose on Derpy's next turn. As she drew her next card, Aria then shouted at her, "Whad'ya think you're doing out there, Sonata?! You're supposed t' be beating her, not GETTING beat by her!"
Turning back to her sisters, the blue Dazzling told Aria, "Well, how was I supposed to know she was gonna pull off a move like that?!"
"LISTEN, Sonata..." Adagio told her in a stern voice, "I allowed you to enter this tournament in our name... DON'T make me regret that decision."
Mumbling to herself, Sonata turned her attention back to the Duel and thought, (I'll show those two...! I'll knock her out of the tournament one way or another...!)
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Back in Twilight's mind, Discord, along with Utopia, were following the two Twilight look-a-likes into a large building that housed the young Princess's memories (the draconequus had given them the nicknames Mind-Twi and Memory-Twi in order to tell them apart from each other). They were hoping to discover more about the Astral World; in particular, they were looking for some evidence of any involvement by Twilight and Sunset in regards to that world, based on a dream that they had watched.
The four of them searched through the Alicorn's many memories, going through various rooms in the building they were in. However, they had not yet found anything that could help them figure out the mystery of the Astral World, the Numbers, or the group known as the Order of Astral. Humming a little, the glasses-wearing Memory-Twi said to the others, "I haven't found anything even remotely similar to what you've asked for..."
"I haven't had any luck either..." said Mind-Twi (who looked exactly like Twilight in her pony form, not having any other unique attributes).
"Unfortunately, I haven't found any information about the Astral World either..." Utopia then told them. "As much as it pains me to say it, it doesn't seem like we'll make any progress at this rate..."
"Oh come on, Utopia!" Discord told him. "Of all of us here, YOU shouldn't be the one losing hope! After all, you'd be contradicting your own name if you did." Pacing back and forth, he then said, "Now think, everyone: If this memory exists, it HAS to be somewhere in this place! Where haven't we looked yet?"
"...Hmmmm...I wonder..." Memory-Twi pondered.
"Wh-what? Wonder what?? What are you wondering??" asked the draconequus, picking up the glasses-wearing pony and shaking her frantically. "C'mon! Spit it out!!"
Putting her hoof on Discord's chest to tell him stop shaking her, Memory-Twi then told him, "There DOES happen to be a place that we haven't looked yet... But it could be dangerous; I've never been able to go there."
"And where is that...?" asked Utopia.
"...The Subconscious Section." the spectacled Alicorn answered him. "But we have no way of going there; it's heavily restricted, and none of us have the clearance to enter it."
"Oh, now don't let a minor detail like that get you down!" Discord told her, not very concerned by what she had just told her. "We'll get in without a problem, I promise you!"
"But how?" asked Mind-Twi. "If she says it's restricted, then how will we get in to look around?"
"Ohohoho...how soon we forget..." the draconequus replied with a chuckle. "I'M the spirit of Chaos! There's NOTHING I cannot do, and there's NOWHERE I cannot go! Your co-workers can put up all the red tape they want, but it won't be able to keep me out! You just let me worry about getting us all inside."
"Um...I don't know..." hummed Memory-Twi. "It seems like a violation of code..."
"Well of COURSE it will be!" Discord informed her. "But if we're gonna figure out this whole mess with the Astral World and everything, we'll need to break a few eggs along the way." He then snapped his claws, creating a frying pan full of eggs that flipped upside-down and spilled its contents on the floor to emphasize his point.
Memory-Twi was still unsure about the whole thing, but decided that there was no other alternative. "O-oh okay then; we'll try it your way..." she said. "I just hope you know what you're doing..."
"If you knew me well, then you'd know I do my best work when I DON'T know what I'm doing." the draconequus told her with a smirk across his face. Pointing forward, he then told the group. "Now! To the subconscious, everyone! Forward march!" He then walked on ahead, with the others following close behind.
The next few hallways they entered were much more poorly-lit compared to the rest of the building they were in. In fact, it seemed that with every step forward, the area around them all got darker and darker. The two Twilight clones were beginning to worry about what was coming up ahead. Even Discord was feeling a bit uneasy about the whole thing, though he'd never admit to it.
"I-I'm still not so sure about this whole thing..." said Memory-Twi nervously. "This...doesn't seem like a good idea..."
"I know..." Mind-Twi agreed, looking around them (which proved difficult since the hall had very little light).
"W-well, even if it WASN'T a good idea to do this, it's the only thing that we can do if we're ever gonna make any sort of progress." Discord informed them both. "Besides, if we all just turned around and left, this side-story would be pretty anti-climatic. So let's press on!" He then ran on ahead, trying to act as brave as possible.
Gasping suddenly, Utopia called out to the draconequus, "No, wait! Discord, STOP!!"
"Stop?" The draconequus looked ahead at where he was going...and saw a large pit in front of him. Yelping, he instinctively hit the brakes, sliding to a stop before he could fall to his demise (and making a tire-screeching sound effect as he did so). Luckily for him, he stopped just at the edge of the pit. Gasping for air, Discord looked down and saw that the pit in front of him was lined with large, stone spikes. "Hoo boy...whoever said that last step is a doozy hit it right on the money..." he said to himself.
Finally reaching him, Mind-Twi asked, "Discord, are you alright?"
"I-I'm fine, just fine." he assured her. Sighing a little, he glanced at Utopia and told him, "Thanks for the warning...but how did you know about that pit?"
"Truth be told, I didn't." the warrior admitted. "However, I assumed that - since we were told that this area was restricted, I figured there would be traps set to protect against intruders. My warning was merely to inform you that rushing off ahead would be a dangerous idea, and this pit confirmed my hypothesis."
"Oh...I-I see." the draconequus said, sweating a little out of minor embarrassment and realizing that Utopia had a point.
"He's right, Mr. Discord." Memory-Twi explained. "Instead of having guards, the Memory Hall has all sorts of booby traps placed throughout the halls leading to the Subconscious Section. So no one has ever been able to enter it. It's for that reason that the area is restricted."
"Interesting..." Utopia remarked. "In other words, the mental defenses surrounding Twilight's subconscious thoughts are so strong, that even Twilight herself is not able to see them."
Looking down at the spike pit, Discord began to chuckle a little...and then a lot. He then went into a riotous laugh soon after, which perplexed everyone around him.
"...I'm sorry; was my statement amusing in some way?" asked Utopia.
Wiping a tear from his eye, Discord told him, "No, I was laughing because I was actually expecting a little better than this! If this is the best trap they have, then they may as well guard the place with a sign that says, 'Please don't come in'!" Rolling up his...sleeves, the mighty Spirit of Chaos grinned mischievously and said, "Now it's time to do that voodoo that I do!" He then snapped his claws, which caused a light to radiate around the spikes in the bottom of the pit. Seconds later, the spikes vanished and were replaced with...
"A...trampoline...??" asked Mind-Twi curiously.
"Not just ANY trampoline," Discord informed her, "the biggest trampoline ever constructed!" Snapping his claws again, the draconequus made several items appear on him: A snorkeling mask, water wings, a pair of swimming trunks, a duck-shaped inner tube, and a pair of flippers. "C'mon, everyone! Last one in is the back end of a Timberwolf!" He then jumped into the transformed pit in a diving pose. Then, he stopped in mid-air and added, "Which, by the way, is mahogany...in case anyone was wondering." After making that comment, he then dropped into the pit.
Utopia and the two Twilight doubles watched with curiosity as the draconequus dove down into the pit. He then flipped upright and landed feet-first onto the giant trampoline. As one would have predicted, he was then launched back up into the air, flying high as he moved forward towards the other end of the pit, bouncing along the trampoline as he did so. Feeling a bit more confident after watching Discord make it safely to the other side, the other three then hopped down as well, hopping across the trampoline and reaching the other end with ease.
As the two Twilight clones gasped for air after the impromptu workout (even the mind-generated clones of Twilight weren't very physically active), Discord then asked the others, "Well, not bad, eh? Quite an ingenious idea, if I do say so myself."
"Perhaps," Utopia told him, "but...wouldn't it have been easier to simply fly over the pit? We all have wings, after all..."
"Well...well where's the fun in that?" asked the draconequus with a bit of a huff. "Besides, it's not my fault the author forgot about that little fact, too." Turning forward, he then added, "Besides, if this really is the best they have to throw at us, the rest of this'll be a cinch!"
"Let's hope so..." said Memory-Twi, finally catching her breath. "But I'm worried that this might only be just the beginning..." The other Twilight copy nodded in agreement. That being said, the group knew that they had to keep pressing forward now that they managed to get this far in. They bravely moved forward, unsure of what they might encounter next...
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Back in reality, Sonata was ready to make her next move in her Duel against Derpy. The siren had managed to escape a One-Turn-Kill attempt by her opponent, but was still at a major disadvantage, having no monsters on the field and staring down three of Derpy's monsters.
"Now it's Sonata's move..." Spike said. "Whad'ya think she'll do next, Twilight?"
"I can't say for sure..." the young Princess answered him. "I suppose we'll soon find out if she CAN do something."
Sunset watched the Duel closely as she thought to herself, (I never expected Sonata to be able to pull off the moves she has so far... I mean yeah, she was just as dangerous as her sisters were, but she never came across to me as the big thinker in their group...) Upon thinking of the other Dazzlings, the red-and-yellow girl then looked over to the bench behind Sonata, where Adagio and Aria were sitting. (I wonder...) she then pondered in her mind, (I wonder if THEY have something to do with this whole thing...?)
Starting her next turn, Sonata drew her next card and told her foe, "If you think I'm gonna lose to someone like you, you can forget it! There's no way I'd ever let that happen! Not even for all the tacos in the world!" She then hesitated for a second to contemplate that thought. "Well, actually..." She then shook her head and shouted, "N-no! Not even for that!" Looking at her next card, she then said, "I activate my Moray of Greed Spell Card! It lets me shuffle two of the WATER monsters in my hand back into my Deck, and then I get to draw three more cards!"
(A hand exchange card...) thought Steel Shadows, sitting on one of the benches in the section where the other competitors were gathered together. (I guess she's trying to come up with a new strategy after that last move by her opponent...)
After drawing her three new cards, the blue siren played one of them right away, shouting, "Now I'll activate my Sea Lord's Amulet! This card stays on my field for three turns... And during that time, you can't destroy any of my WATER monsters with card effects!" Derpy hummed a bit out of slight frustration; that move meant that her face-down card - Justi-Break, was now useless.
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Justi-Break
(Normal Trap Card)
When an opponent's monster targets a face-up Normal Monster you control for an attack: Destroy all monsters on the field, except Attack Position Normal Monsters.
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"I think her brain's as washed-up as the rest of her band is..." said Rainbow Dash. "She doesn't have any WATER monsters on the field!"
"Maybe not now," Rarity informed her friend, "but I am most certain that she will have one soon enough."
And just as Rarity had said, Sonata played a monster to the field right away. "I'll Normal Summon Atlantean Dragoons in Attack Mode!" The new monster on the field actually consisted of a pair of human-like aquatic beings with armor of gold and silver, each one riding on what appeared to be dragon-like sea horse creatures that each had a pair of arms growing out the front of them (Atlantean Dragoons: ATK 1800 + 200 = 2000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200). "Now! Attack her Galaxy Serpent!!" the siren commanded. The mounted creatures had little trouble as they rode into battle and slashed Derpy's lowest-ATK monster with their swords, wiping it out.
"Urrrgh...!" the grey teen grunted after taking a hit to her Life Points (Derpy Hooves: LP 4,000 - 1,000 = 3,000). But she wasn't going to cry "Uncle" yet: "I activate the effect of Princess Cologne once again!" she shouted. "I use an overlay unit to Special Summon another Normal Monster from my Deck (Princess Cologne: OLU 1 - 1 = 0)! And I choose Gogiga Gagagigo in Defense Mode!"
Derpy's destroyed monster was instantly replaced by a much bigger, more powerful creature: It was a massive humanoid reptile with red-colored skin and metal plating on several parts of its body. The monster appeared to be flowing with power; perhaps more than it could possibly handle (Gogiga Gagagigo: ATK 2950 / DEF 2800).
"Fine then! I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!" Sonata said back as she did just that.
Understanding what had happened, Flash Sentry then said, "I have a feeling that Derpy had Galaxy Serpent out in the hopes that Sonata would attack it; that way she could use her Xyz Monster's effect again."
"Now Derpy's got three monsters on the field again...!" Sweetie Belle said. "And they're all really powerful! She could still beat her!"
"Hmmmm...will she? We'll see..." Zecora said with a very short rhyme.
"My turn! I draw!" said Derpy as she drew her next card - the Trap Card Birthright. Looking at it, she then said, "First, I'll put this card face-down on the field..." After setting the card she had drawn, the grey-skinned girl continued, saying, "Then, I'll switch both of my defense monsters to Attack Mode!" Immediately, Gogiga Gagagigo and Spiral Serpent were ready to battle, along with Cologne. "Now, Gogiga Gagagigo! Attack her monster!" Derpy ordered. The powerful monster then rushed in with its claws raised.
"Not so fast!!" shouted Sonata. "I activate my Trap Card, Tornado Wall!" After her card was flipped face-up, the water in front of her instantly formed into several raging water spouts, forming a sort of barrier. Although Derpy's monster was successful in destroying Atlantean Dragoons in the battle, nothing else happened: Sonata's Life Points remained as they were.
"Huh? Why didn't you take damage?" Derpy asked her opponent.
"While Umi is on the field," the blue siren explained, "Tornado Wall keeps me from taking any damage during battles when your monsters attack me. That means the damage I would have taken just now doesn't happen, and you can't hurt me even if you attack with your other two monsters!"
"Hang on a sec...!" Vinyl began to say. "The only Field Spell in play is that Lemuria Spell Card that Sonata played on her first turn!"
"Yes, but according to the card text," Octavia informed her friend, "Lemuria is always treated as Umi. Therefore, Tornado Wall will still function."
"Oh, I see..." said the DJ, understanding what she was talking about.
Derpy sighed a bit out of frustration, knowing that her opponent had survived another turn. "In that case, I'll end my turn."
"This isn't good for Derpy..." Sunset said to Twilight and Spike. "Now she can't damage her in battle during her own turn, thanks to both Tornado Wall and Bubble Bringer."
"Sh-she can still win, can't she?" asked Spike, a bit unsure.
"Let's hope so..." Twilight replied, wishing Derpy the best of luck.
Looking at her Deck, Sonata prepared to take her next turn. (Alright...) she thought to herself, (it's about time I show that girl that I'm not gonna just let her beat me...!) Looking at her sisters sitting behind her, she then added, (But more importantly, I'll show Adagio and Aria that I'm not the blundering airhead they think I am...!)
"It's my turn!" the Dazzling Duelist shouted as she drew her next card. Looking at it, she wasted no time in playing it right away. "I activate Foolish Burial from my hand! I'll use it to send Shark Stickers from my Deck to my Graveyard!"
As Sonata disposed of the monster card in question, Applejack said to her friends next to her, "Whatever that gal's sendin' to her Graveyard must be important to her strategy..."
"Yes, but what sort of strategy is she planning?" asked Rarity.
"For the first time in my life..." Pinkie began to say, "I have no idea what's gonna happen next..." Fluffle Puff simply gave out a raspberry in response to the party lover's comment. "Yeah, I'm pretty worried for Derpy, too." Pinkie said to her fluffy friend.
"Next," Sonata continued, "I'll activate my face-down card, Call of the Haunted! I use it to re-Summon Neptabyss from my Graveyard!" A violet portal then appeared on the field, and Sonata's long-haired human-like monster came out of it before it closed up (Neptabyss, the Atlantean Prince: ATK 800 + 200 = 1,000 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200). "And now that he's back, I can activate his effect!" the siren then told her foe. "I'll send my last copy of Atlantean Dragoons from my Deck to the Graveyard to put Atlantean Attack Squad into my hand! And because I used my Dragoons to pay the cost, I'll use their effect to add another Sea Serpent to my hand from my Deck!"
After Sonata took her chosen card from her Deck, Sunset then began to wonder what she was up to now. Unfortunately, she had a slight idea to what it could be. (No...) she thought, (is she trying to do what I THINK she's trying to do?)
"Next, I'll Summon Atlantean Heavy Infantry in Attack Mode!" said the siren as she played her next monster onto the field. The creature was another armored, humanoid-shaped sea creature. In each of its hands was half of a giant shield, which it used to protect itself in the heat of battle (Atlantean Heavy Infantry: ATK 0 + 200 = 200 / DEF 1600 + 200 = 1800). "And then I'll Normal Summon my Atlantean Attack Squad alongside it!" she then announced. Another monster that looked very similar to the previous one then appeared on her field, wielding a sharp blade and a shield that was decorated with a fish-like design (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 1400 + 200 = 1600 / DEF 0 + 200 = 200).
"Huh?! How'd she do that??" asked Rainbow Dash. "How'd she Normal Summon two monsters to her field??"
"The effect of my Atlantean Heavy Infantry allows me to Normal Summon an extra monster each turn, as long as it's a Sea Serpent that isn't higher than Level 4." Sonata explained, sounding a teensy bit smug as she did. "So deal with it." Looking over at her second Normal Summoned monster, she then added, "And speaking of effects, my Atlantean Attack Squad gains another eight hundred attack points, since I have another Sea Serpent on the field with it (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 1600 + 800 = 2400)! That's just enough to take out your little doll monster!"
"Maybe so," Derpy told her, "but not enough to defeat my other two monsters! They're both still too powerful, and next turn, I can use them to destroy your monsters!"
Chuckling a little and still having a smug look on her face, Sonata then told her, "That's if you even HAVE a next turn. And spoiler alert: You're not getting one."
"Wh-what do you mean?" asked the grey girl.
"Just watch..." said the blue siren. "I activate the second effect of my Bubble Bringer Trap Card: By sending it to the Graveyard, it lets me Special Summon 2 Level 3 or lower WATER monsters from the Graveyard that have the same name to the field with their effects negated! So I'll use it to bring back two copies of Shark Stickers, both in Attack Mode!" And with that, she brought back her two shark-like monsters to her side of the board (Shark Stickers (x2): ATK 200 + 200 = 400 / DEF 1000 + 200 = 1200).
"But those guys are so much weaker than all of Derpy's monsters!" said Spike.
"Yeah, just what is Sonata trying to accomplish...?" asked Twilight. "What IS her strategy?"
"...I think I know what it is." Sunset told them. "When she stared Summoning out so many weaker monsters at once, I immediately remembered something: The Atlantean Deck's most powerful card..."
"Most powerful card...?" asked Spike, shaking a little. "Wh-what kind of card is it, Sunset??"
Sighing, the jacket-wearing teen solemnly told him, "I have a bad feeling that I may not have to tell you what it is...because I'm certain Sonata's about to unleash it right now...!" Spike and Twilight looked at each other with worried expressions on their faces. Based on what Sunset had told them, they both had the feeling that this Duel may not last for much longer...
Chuckling a little, Sonata then told her opponent, "You didn't have a chance of winning the Battle of the Bands, girl...Just like you didn't have a chance at winning this Duel!" Taking a card from her hand, she then shouted, "I release three of my monsters: Neptabyss, Heavy Infantry, and Shark Stickers!!" Everyone gasped as a large pillar of water swallowed up the three monsters in question.
"She's...releasing them??" asked Sweetie Belle. "But why??"
"...I think I know, and it is as we fear:" Zecora told her. "Sonata's strongest card is about to appear!"
Everyone watched as the massive water spout began to change into a massive, dragon-like creature. "Great and mighty ruler of seas, appear before us!" Sonata chanted. "Unleash your fury and swallow your enemies into the depths below!! Arise, dragon with the name of a sea god! Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon!!"
Everyone watched as the dragon-like figure in the water began to take its true form: A massive, dark-blue sea-beast. It had powerful limbs with sharp claws at the ends of them, and its head consisted of several sharp horns and a mouth filled with equally-sharp teeth. It had an underbelly that was as blue as the water around it, a large, orange fin on its back, and a powerful tail with a steel trident at the end of it. It gave out a vicious roar after it had fully emerged (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon: ATK 2800 + 200 = 3000 / DEF 1600 + 200 = 1800).
"O-o-oh my...!" Fluttershy gasped out of fear. "L-l-look at the size of that thing...!"
"Woah...!" said Gilda, a bit shocked as well. "Whod've thought she had a card like that ready to go?!"
Sunset growled a bit to herself. (I knew it...) she thought. (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon... And I'm willing to bet that she had drawn that card into her hand when she used the effect of her Atlantean Dragoons earlier this turn...)
Huffing a bit, Aria grudgingly said to Adagio, "Hmph...I guess Sonata didn't disappoint us after all... At least for now." the leader of the Dazzlings simply nodded in response to Aria's comment, saying nothing else.
Derpy began to sweat bullets after Sonata unleash her powerful monster. "L-l-look at the size of that thing...!" she said, trembling. "How am I supposed to beat THAT?!"
"You won't need to worry about figuring that out, because you won't beat it!" Sonata told her. "And I'll show you why!" Pointing forward, "Poseidra, activate your effect!!"
"Effect?" asked Spike. "What kind of effect?"
"...A dangerous one." Sunset told him. "After Poseidra is Summoned through its effect, it sends every Spell and Trap on the field back to their owners' hands."
"...Well, that doesn't sound too bad, actually..." the little dragon-turned-puppy responded.
"But that isn't all:" the red-and-yellow teen continued. "If Poseidra manages to send at least three cards off the field as a result, then all of Derpy's monsters lose 300 attack points for every one of those cards!" This caused both Spike and Twilight to gasp in shock.
Their friends in the audience knew about that effect too. "So wait, lemme see...:" Rainbow Dash said. "On Sonata's side of the field, there's that Lemuria Field Spell, Tornado Wall, Sea Lord's Amulet, and Call of the Haunted..." She then looked over to Derpy's side of the board and continued, saying, "And Derpy's got Heart of the Underdog, Non-Spellcasting Area...plus two face-downs..."
"That's a total of eight cards!" Rarity spoke up with a slight gasp. "Which means that - if that behemoth sends all of them back to their hands, each of Derpy's monsters will lose a total of 2,400 attack points!"
"Oh no...!" exclaimed Applejack. "That means all'o her monsters'll be vulnerable to attack!"
"I should've known the villain wouldn't go down that quickly..." sighed Pinkie sadly. "Unfortunately, that's just how stories like this often play out..."
Sonata's massively-powerful monster that whipped up a fierce maelstrom that moved wildly around the field, sucking in all of Sonata's and Derpy's Spell and Trap Cards and tossing them out of the field, including Sonata's Field Spell Card (Poseidra, the Atlantean Dragon: ATK 3000 - 200 = 2800 / DEF 1800 - 200 = 1600) (Atlantean Attack Squad: ATK 2400 - 200 = 2200 / DEF 200 - 200 = 0) (Shark Stickers: ATK 400 - 200 = 200 / DEF 1200 - 200 = 1000). But it didn't end there: The cyclone's water and wind then struck all of Derpy's monsters, heavily weakening them (Princess Cologne: ATK 2200 - 2400 = 0) (Gogiga Gagagigo: ATK 2950 - 2400 = 550) (Spiral Serpent: ATK 2900 - 2400 = 500).
"N-n...no...!" the grey girl said. "M-my monsters won't survive this turn...!"
"Heh... with their attack points so low, YOU won't survive the turn either!" Sonata smugly said to her. Snickering a little, she then told her foe, "This Duel is over!!"
Everyone couldn't help but watch as the blue-skinned siren readied her finishing move. Sunset, Twilight, and all their friends looked on, knowing full well that there was nothing Derpy could do to save herself now...
"Alright!! I attack with all of my monsters!! Wipe her out for good!!!" shouted Sonata as her three monsters unleashed their attacks: Atlantean Attack Squad slashed Derpy's Spiral Serpent with its powerful sword, slicing the massive creature in half (Derpy Hooves: LP 3,000 - 1,700 = 1,300), Shark Stickers swam forward and used its tail to strike Princess Cologne, wiping her out and dealing more damage (Derpy Hooves: LP 1,300 - 200 = 1,100), and Poseidra then finished things up by firing a torrent of water at Gogiga Gagagigo, blowing it away completely and depleting the rest of Derpy's Life Points (Derpy Hooves: LP 1,100 - 2,250 = 0) (WINNER: Sonata Dusk).
"No way...! Derpy lost..." said Spike, shocked at what had just happened. Twilight and Sunset were also distressed by it as well, knowing that it meant that Sonata would still be in the tournament, and whatever plan she and the other Dazzlings had in mind could very well come to pass...
Chuckling a little and smirking, Adagio then said, "Well, I say that this is going well so far..."
"I guess so..." Aria stated, still annoyed that she wasn't the one dueling instead. "Let's just hope Sonata doesn't screw this whole thing up...or I'll make sure she never hears the end of it."
"Don't concern yourself, Aria..." the orange-and-yellow siren told her confidently. "With what I have planned, the rest of this tournament won't be any challenge, even for Sonata..." Adagio then smirked again; she was confident that whatever she was plotting would help Sonata win the tournament, no matter what...
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Back in the mind of Twilight Sparkle...
"Run away!! Run away!!" screamed Discord as he and Utopia, along with the two mind-generated Twilight clones, were scampering to avoid what appeared to be a massive version of Spike in his baby dragon form: Of course, it wasn't the real Spike; it was another mental defense designed to keep people out of Twilight's subconscious. Also - for whatever reason, Discord was wearing a gold king's crown on his head that looked like it came out of King Arthur...or something like it.
Looking back at the Godzilla-sized dragon behind them, Mind-Twi asked in a panicking tone, "I-i-it's getting closer...!!" Turning towards Discord she asked him in a somewhat scolding tone, "Why didn't you think that dragon might have been another mental trap??"
"Well, how was I supposed to know that?!" asked the draconequus. "I thought that Tim the Enchanter guy was just pulling my leg when he told us about it!" Just then, the giant Spike clone breathed a powerful green-colored flame at them. "INCOMING!!!"
Reacting quickly, Utopia flew straight towards the flames, deploying his left wing and transforming it. "Light Wing Shield!" he shouted after his wing expanded, creating a barrier that nullified the fire attack. Looking back at the others, he told them, "I can only hold this attack for so long... We must do something quickly, or it will be the end for us all...!"
"But...how can we stop it...?" asked Memory-Twi. But then, upon looking at the glistening crown on Discord's head, she figured something out. "Of course! Dragons are attracted to valuable items!"
"Aha! That's it!" Discord exclaimed. Knowing what had to be done, the draconequus removed the crown and tossed towards the giant dragon as hard as he could. The massive Spike clone - upon hearing the sound of the crown hitting the stone floor and seeing the golden glow, smiled and chased after it, completely forgetting about the intruders. Chuckling a little, Discord then said, "And you all thought that crown was just to make a passing reference."
"Luckily for us, that mental trap was generated based on Twilight's past memory of Spike giving into his greedy side..." Mind-Twi noted. "Otherwise, we may not have gotten away from it."
"In any case," Utopia began to suggest, "we had better move on before that dragon decides to return for us." The other agreed and swiftly moved onwards.
A few minutes later, the four finally reached a set of extremely tall double doors. On the top were the words, "Praetorium Memoriam Vetitum". Looking up at the doors, Memory-Twi then said, "Well...here we are... This is where all of Twilight Sparkle's subconscious memories are stored."
"Hopefully, our efforts will pay off here, and we can solve the mysteries surrounding the Astral World..." said Utopia.
"Then let's get in there and do what we came here to do!" Discord said with the utmost confidence. He then opened the doors and allowed himself and the rest of the group inside. Much like the rest of the chambers in the building, there were hundreds and hundreds of bookshelves, each one filled with all sorts of different books. However, the chamber was quite dark inside, with only a few lit candles to provide any form of light.
"Wow... There's so much in here...!" said Mind-Twi, very much impressed by the large amount of reference materials. "But...which one are we looking for?"
"We must find some sort of memory that relates to either the Astral World, the Number cards, or this 'Order of Astral' that we heard about after watching that dream..." Utopia told her. "However, with all of the books and papers scattered about, this could take quite some time..."
"...Perhaps I might be able to help you?" said a woman's voice from somewhere in the room.
The four of them were a bit surprised: They did not expect anyone else to be here, as the subconscious was supposedly forbidden to everyone. "Wh-who's there...??" asked Memory-Twi, getting a little worried.
At that moment, a hooded figure came out of the darkness, dressed in a violet cloak that matched Twilight's coat color, walking on all fours. "Do not be afraid," the figure told them, "I mean no harm... After all, it isn't often I have visitors."
"No kidding..." Discord said. "I probably wouldn't have a lot of guests if my home was guarded by a giant pit, a massive version of Spike, and let's not forget about the worst of those traps we faced: The Clown Room..." Shuddering a bit, he then said, "S-so...many...red noses and honking sounds... Pies thrown in every direction... And I thought I was evil back in Season Two..." Snapping out of his uncomfortable feelings, he then asked the cloaked woman, "Anyway, just who are you?"
The figure didn't answer with words; instead she pulled off her hood, revealing her face: It looked sort of like a grey pony head, but it had no visible mouth, its mane was made up of dark grey pieces of yarn, and its eyes were a pair of buttons - one blue and one red (and the red button seemed to be dangling by its string).
The figure's strange face surprised the others in the room. "Wh-wh-WHAT THE-?! It can't be!!" Discord said in shock. "Aren't you that old doll that Twilight used to have? Um...what was your name now...um..."
"Ms. Smarty Pants." Memory-Twi told him.
"Right! Of course!" the draconequus responded, remembering the name. He then asked the figure, "But...why is Twilight's doll in a place like this? Well, Ms. Smarty Pants?"
Humming, the doll-faced (quite literally), told them, "First off, it's DOCTOR Smarty Pants: My former owner awarded me with my doctorate during one of our playtime sessions. Second, if you recall, you are currently IN the mind of my former owner; everything and everyone you see is merely a mind-generated illusion, including myself. Which in turn, explains how I can speak to you despite not possessing a mouth of any sort."
"Oh yeah..." said Discord, remembering that as well.
"Still, that doesn't explain why you are here in Twilight's subconscious..." Utopia reminded their mysterious guest. "Why are you here and not somewhere else? Twilight has told me about you, so you clearly are not a forgotten memory..."
Humming a little, Smarty Pants then answered him, saying, "I am the manifestation of Twilight's love for the real-life doll that I resemble. After Twilight grew too old for me, I decided to find a new purpose for myself... That's when I discovered the Hall of Memories and found out about the supposedly forbidden room where my former owner's subconscious memories were stored."
"But how did you manage to get all the way in here?" asked Memory-Twi. "How did you get past all of the traps?"
"Twilight was still relatively young at the time, so her mental defenses - powerful as they may have been, weren't quite as strong as the ones you had likely faced." Smarty Pants answered. "I was able to make my way here without much trouble. I then spent a good amount of time reading each and every one of her subconscious memories and I was amazed at what I had found...and fearful."
"Fearful?" asked Utopia.
"I knew that my former owner had a dark side as well," the cloaked figure continued on, "and if I could make my way here easily, I knew that evil part of her could do so as well... So I decided to devote myself to guarding this hall and the memories within it, to keep them out of the wrong hooves. I strengthened Twilight's mental defenses to make sure that not just anyone can come in here... Since then, you four are the first ones to ever enter this place; I truly believe that this is not simply a random occurrence that you should appear here..."
"You mean that...you believe that were MEANT to come here?" asked Mind-Twi.
Smarty Pants nodded yes and then asked the group, "Now...I believe you mentioned something about the Astral World, am I correct?"
"Yes." Utopia confirmed. "We are seeking any possible connection that Twilight might have with the Astral World. It is of the utmost importance that we figure that out as soon as possible."
Smarty Pants hummed a little more before she noticed the 39 mark on the warrior's shoulder pad. "I see..." she said. "As unlikely as it may seem, I think there might be ONE book here that could help you do just that..." She then walked over towards a far-off shelf to retrieve a ladder and pulled it with her front hooves. Once she got it where she needed it, Smarty Pants then climbed up the ladder to one of the higher shelves. Discord and the others watched on as the doll-like creature grabbed a book with a golden cover from the shelf and carefully climbed back down.
Handing them the book, Smarty Pants then said to them, "Here...I believe this might aid you in finding what you seek..."
Looking at the book's shimmering cover, the four guests saw that it showed a large symbol on the front of it. But it wasn't just any symbol: It was in the shape of the Emporer's Key, the very symbol of the Astral World. Surrounding the image in a ring were the numerical symbols for 0 all the way up to 9.
"Hey! Those symbols look like the ones on your shoulder!" Mind-Twi said to Utopia.
"Yes, it does appear that way...!" the golden warrior said. He then figured that Smarty Pants knew to get this book from seeing the symbol that he himself possessed. "This book could contain the answers to everything we have been looking for."
"Then I say 'mission accomplished'!" Discord said triumphantly. "Let's get this book out of here so that we can look it over!"
"Wait! We can't do that!" protested Memory-Twi.
"What?! We can't??" asked the draconequus.
"She is right to show concern." said Smarty Pants. "Even though the memory you hold was one that was stored in Twilight's subconscious mind, it is still a part of her. If you remove that memory from her completely, it could have drastic consequences. You could very well run the risk of permanently damaging her mind..."
"Oooooo...that doesn't sound good..." said Discord, getting the message. "Well then, let's try Plan B!" He then snapped his claws and made a large, grey-and-white machine appear before them.
"What is that?" asked Mind-Twi.
"A copy machine." he answered her. "I heard about it from Twilight's trips to and from the human world. It can make an exact copy of anything put into it!"
"I see now..." said Utopia, understanding Discord's plan. "You plan to make an exact copy of this book, so that we can take it with us, but still allow the original to remain here in Twilight's mind."
"Exactly!" the draconequus told him. "That way, we don't cause Twilight to go completely brain-dead!" He then told the warrior, "Okay, I just need you to give me the book so that I can make a copy of it for ourselves."
Utopia nodded and was about to hand the book over, but as he did, a small object suddenly fell out of it. "Hey...what's that?" asked Memory-Twi, pointing down at the small item.
The others looked at it themselves and saw that it appeared to be a Duel Monsters card. "Hmmm...well that's pretty odd..." said Discord. "Where did that come from?"
Putting the book down on a nearby table, Utopia bent down and picked up the card. Once he got a look at it, he gasped and said, "I...I don't believe it...! C-could it be??"
"What is it??" asked Discord. "What's got you all wound up and everything??"
Looking at the card again, Utopia answered the draconequus, telling him, "Of all the places we could have conceived of...even I would have never guessed that this where we would find another Number card!"
Everyone in the room gasped in shock after hearing Utopia say that. But it was true, and Utopia himself proved it by showing them all the card that had fallen out of the book. In the box that showed the card's name, there was the written text of the Astral World: It read, "Number 78: Number Archive"...
-- To Be Continued...
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TOURNAMENT RESULTS (Round 1):
1. Indigo Bolt vs. Ember [WINNER: Ember]
2. Steel Shadows vs. Slid Diamond [WINNER: Steel Shadows]
3. Gilda vs. Night Switch [WINNER: Gilda]
4. Fluttershy vs. Gabby [WINNER: Fluttershy]
5. Derpy Hooves vs. Sonata Dusk [WINNER: Sonata Dusk]
6. ??? vs. ???
7. ??? vs. ???
8. ??? vs. ???
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Derpy with a Normal Monster deck and Sonata with an Atlantean theme...I can dig it 🙂 Also, can I just say it is so fitting that Twilight somehow ended up with that card being added to her deck? 😅
Incredible episode like always! Plot twists, awesome duel, and even surprising us with a new Number Card! Worth the wait, and looking forward to when you can release the next one!
i was so hoping derpy would win. it be fun to see all of the main 7 tease the sirens that they lost to derpy of all gals.
Certainly caught off guard with there being a new chapter today.
In fact yesterday I was just thinking about posting a comment on a past chapter(well.. it was about the one where Spike got that blasted kuriboh costume instead of getting something cool and he ended up looking like a joke again due to the Kuriboh costume..)
Seeing Sonata using a Atlantean deck sure brings up memories of buying that Structure Deck many years ago during the Zexal era.
Interesting in seeing she's pretty smarter than she looks with how she is able to understand the deck due to watching the other Dazzlings demonstrating it.
Wonder how bad the lost will affect Derpy down the line?
Kind of surprised the gang found a new Number in Twilight's subconscious. Kind of strange since how while Utopia and the Harmony Numbers(plus Dragoulong, can't freaking spell it at the moment..) was an exception, I figured the rest of the other Numbers were with when Sunset unintentionally unleashed them into the world. Makes me wonder what other Numbers were not among the ones that got blown into the world?
Though I still wished Luna got to join in and make full use of her powers in learning about the information of Astral world and other stuff in the subconscious(like with any of the girls to find out more about what they need to know) and such and well.. redeeming her credibility. Like also addressing her "failure" of being kept out by that door when Midnight Sparkle happened, I feel like that issue should be bothering Luna alot.
I did like the bit about the gang being chased by a manifestation of Spike in his huge form. For some reason its pretty hilarious that not even Utoptia or Discord can stand their ground against that and had to run.
Honestly seeing more and more about what duelists experience such as instincts happening when finding a rival just makes me even more bummed on how Spike doesn't get to experience all of that due to not getting to duel because he's stuck as a freaking dog when in the human world. Doesn't help that he's brushing this aside instead of being bothered by this, since not getting to duel is really a huge deal here, both serious-wise and fun-wise(like really, the girls get to have fun dueling but Spike gets left out from that big time). I am seriously thinking he's actually bottling everything up whenever he gets the short end of the stick so many times.
The EQG writers really screwed Spike over in the long-run by not letting him get to be human..
Maybe if they made him freaking human then things would be different for him in this fic and other crossover fics where he gets ultimately left out of the fun/stuff due to being a dog..
Sorry if I am being bothersome about that...
So Twi's got a new Number monster cool.
You have no idea how much I missed having updates for this story, or how great it is to see it update again!
I feel really bad for Derpy, I hate it when a bully manages to defeat nice people like her. Sonata might be a fan favorite, but she is just as nasty as her sisters. I think I know who I want to take her down though. Both Derpy and Sonata had good decks though.
Discord’s adventures in Twi’s mind continue to amuse me. His 4th wall breaking is hilarious, as are the companions he makes and the obstacles he encounters. I also liked how you managed to include Smarty Pants. Also, that number card at the end was a shocker. I don’t know how it got inside Twilight’s mind of all places, but I hope it will make a good addition to her deck. She will definitely want to include it for the fact it is a library if nothing else.
I am glad to see you with an update, so I know you aren't indisposed by the events of the year.
While I didn't expect the Atlantean monsters for the Sirens, I suppose it does work for them. I'm kinda sad My Dear Steel Shadows (whose backstory and family tree I've been working on) won't get to face her, as I do love the Dazzlings even as unrepentant bad girls, since they're in different tourney brackets, unless the tournament decides to spin the randomizer up again for the quarter and semi finals (which I really feel 16 man tournaments should do, as it adds that extra layer of randomness of not knowing who your opponent is until the match itself). Still, it is how it is. Just three more duels in the first round to go, hopefully we'll see them before the years end!
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I'm glad that all of you were very patient with me during this whole mess, and I hope to try and get more updates up whenever possible.
So yeah, even I'm bummed about having Derpy lose the Duel, but I had my reasons. And Derpy might not be as bummed out about her loss as you might think...
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its all good. trying to remember all those cards can be tuff.
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Wonder how would you try to update during this pandemic and such?
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It's not easy, as I do the majority of my writing and uploading at libraries.
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You upload your stuff only at libraries?
Is there a reason for that?
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Less distractions, quiet environment. It was the absolute perfect setting for writing and stuff.
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So it often gets noisy and such back at home?
I know how it feels with getting disrupted alot by something back at home.
Like how my grandpa keeps bothering about stuff and how often it disrupts me in what I wanted to do and such.
Bleh..
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Pretty much, yeah.
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Well, I suppose that the reference would make sense since the chapter retells the events that came before Zexal took place.
I'm finally caught up, and this has been amazing. When I saw how long it was I was worried it would drag and be unreadable, but this has flown by and has been so easy to read and enjoy. It's going to be weird not having this to read every day, but I hope there will be an update soon. I may even work on my own Yugioh fic I've been planning while I wait
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I'm glad you really liked the series so far. I tried my absolute best to try and capture the best of Yu-Gi-Oh! and Equestria Girls while writing this. The current mess that's going on now has caused a bit of a speed bump, but I'm going to try and figure out a way to keep on going despite that speed bump.
Anyway, thanks for the comment, and I hope to have some more episodes soon.
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That's certainly true.
Gaia drake, The Universal Force was the first to come to mind.
As a side note, it's nice to see the Legendary Planets, I'm not sure I've seen another story on Fimfic use them, or even mention them.
The only ones I have IRL are Neptune and Venus.
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What's wrong with Miracle Synchro Fusion?
...what?
I just got the Monty Python reference at the end of the chapter. XD
Rabidragon looks like Angel if he was turned into a dragon.
This is quite possibly the most terrifying thing humanity has ever thought of.
I can't to see how Number 78: Number Archive will be used