Elements of the Duel

by Dashguy

Duel Seventeen - Fierce Sky Duel Above Ponyville!

It’s a brand new day for the inhabitants of Ponyville. The sun shines brightly above their heads as they carry on their daily duties when a lone figure suddenly appears, flying across the sky on feathery wings.

After stopping for a moment to survey the area, the figure leans forward and descends on the market square like an arrow of darkness, kicking up a cloud of dust upon landing and drawing bewildered looks from the passersby.

The figure, unmistakable female, straightens and dusts herself off. She wears worn-out, brown combat boots and matching pants of a lighter shade. Her white crop top has two vertical cuts on the back from where her brown feathered wings emerge. In her right hand she holds a worn-out, dark brown aviator jacket, complete with a faded white fur collar. In her left, she holds a black Duel Disk that looks like it has seen better times.

The girl is tall, muscular, with well-toned arms, and defined abs. Her face is attractively chiseled, her eyes small and of a light amber color. She has short, boyish white hair with the tip of her long bangs, and eyebrows, of a light violet shade. The girl folds her wings and puts on her jacket, effectively concealing them from sight. She takes a look around, her piercing glare quickly convincing the onlookers to mind their own business and keep walking. “Tch,” she mutters with disdain.

Not too far away, Fluttershy slowly walks with her back turned towards the road. Her attention is fully focused on the mother duck following her and the half a dozen ducklings waddling behind in a straight line. “Easy there, little ones,” she says as she leads the way. “We’re almost there…”

The girl notices Fluttershy, but doesn’t move an inch. Instead, she stays firmly planted in the way with a frown on her face.

“Alright, mama duck, you’re free and cle--” As soon as Fluttershy turns around, she bumps into the girl, her face against the taller girl’s ample bosom. Fluttershy gasps softly and says, “Oh dear, please excuse me.”

The girl narrows her eyes. “I’m walkin’ here,” she says drily.

Fluttershy flinches. “Oh, um, I’m sorry,” she says timidly. “I-I was just trying to help them reach the pond…” Fluttershy points at the mother duck and her ducklings huddling behind her. They peek warily at the taller girl.

The girl scowls deeply, takes a step forward and jabs Fluttershy hard in the chest with her index finger. “Who do you think you are?” she growls. “The owner of the damn road!?” The mother duck let’s out an alarmed honk and rushes in the opposite direction. Her ducklings quickly chase after her, as fast as their little legs can carry them.

Flutteshy gulps. Her whole body trembles like a dried leaf. “I-I-I…”

“In my town,” the girl says as she adjusts her Duel Disk around her left arm and ignites it to reveal a gray blade of magical energy that hums loudly. “Bumping into somebody like that is askin’ for a smackin’!”

Fluttershy hastily retrieves her Duel Disk from her backpack, nearly dropping it in the process, and adjusts it around her left arm. She ignites it and takes several steps back, instictively holding the Duel Disk in front of her like a shield. The girl in front of her may not be a dark magic-wielding minion of a fallen princess, but that only makes her slightly less intimidating for Fluttershy.

Their life points appear above them at 4000 each. Without warning, the girl rips the top five cards of her deck, sets two and ends her turn with no further plays. “Come on!” she urges fiercely.

Fluttershy gulps. “I can do this,” she mutters to herself. “Draw!” She draws her initial five cards plus one more. “Mount Sylvania!” The peak of a snowy mountain surrounds both duelists and several of the passersby stop to watch in amusement.

Fluttershy follows with One for One, discarding Sylvan Guardioak from her hand to special summon Sylvan Cherubsprout straight from her deck. The massive form of Sylvan Sagequoia appears behind her. “Excavate!” She reveals the top two cards from her deck, Sylvan Charity and Sylvan Princessprout. After placing the former on the bottom of her deck, Fluttershy declares level one and special summons the latter. “I Overlay Sylvan Cherubsprout and Sylvan Princessprout! Xyz Summon!” Sylvan Princessprite appears on the field in a shower of vibrant, cherry blossom petals.

The girl remains silent, watching Fluttershy intently like a hawk waiting for the right moment to strike.

Fluttershy hesitates for a second, but shakes her head and wills herself forward. She detaches an Xyz Material from Sylvan Princessprite and excavates Sylvan Waterslide, which she immediately sets. She follows with Sylvan Princessprite’s second effect and discards Sylvan Hermitree to revive Sylvan Guardioak. “Miracle Fertilizer!” She declares as she plays the last card in her hand. Sylvan Hermitree emerges from below, its vibrant red leaves partially covered by snow.

“Trap card open!” the girl announces loudly. She points at her set card and it flips over, revealing Gozen Match. Fluttershy is shocked. The girl swiftly chains the activation of her second set card, Threatening Roar, to prevent Fluttershy from entering her Battle Phase.

Fluttershy bites her lower lip. “Sylvan Hermitree,” she declares dejectedly. The snow around her monsters explodes upwards like a geyser, sparing only the chosen Sylvan Hermitree. Fluttershy thinks she took a heavy loss, but she can still try to build a solid defense. “Excavate.” She reveals Sylvan Mikorange and sends it to the graveyard to increase the attack and defense points of her monster by 300 and draw an extra card. “I activate Mount Sylvania’s effect.” Fluttershy discards her last card, Sylvan Bladefender, to pick Sylvan Marshalleaf from her deck and place it on top. With no more plays available, she ends her turn.

“That was useless,” the girl says drily. “You played a bunch of cards for nothing.” She rips the top card from her deck and declares fiercely, “I’ll show you how it’s done!” Fluttershy winces. The girl activates Magic Planter to get rid of Gozen Match and draw two cards, raising her hand count to five. She activates Black Whirlwind and summons Blackwing – Pinaki the Waxing Moon, fetching Blackwing – Gladius the Midnight Sun from her deck and immediately special summons it.

A-A Blackwing deck…?! Fluttershy thinks alarmed.

The girl orders a Synchro Summon between Pinaki and Gladius. “Cleave the sky and my enemies alike!” A powerfully muscled, half-man half-bird of prey materializes on the field with a gust of wind and a mighty battle cry. “Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight!”

Without warning, the monster raises its sword and launches it like a boomerang. Despite the size of the blade, the sword flies with terrifying speed. It slices several branches off Sylvan Hermitree’s body, lowering its attack and defense points by 800, and strikes Fluttershy on her right shoulder, shaving off 800 points of her life. She squeals in shock and stumbles backwards.

Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight catches the sword back with great dexterity. The girl’s demeanor becomes even more aggressive. Using Nothung’s second effect, she summons Blackwing – Damascus the Polar Night, fetches Blackwing – Oroshi the Squall straight from her deck with Black Whirlwind and swiftly special summons it. “I tune Oroshi and Nothung! Synchro Summon!” Both monsters disappear in a black tornado. “Tame the wind and rend my enemies apart!” A new hybrid takes on the field. Its appearance is far more human, but no less intimidating, with jet-black wings, a crown of blood-red feathers and a massive talon-like claw in place of its right hand. The girl calls the monster’s name loudly, “Blackwing Tamer – Obsidian Hawk Joe!”

Using her newest monster’s effect, the girl brings back Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight to the field. “Homing Sword!” Fluttershy watches horrified as Nothung rears its arm back and launches its sword once again, cutting a chunk of Sylvan Hermitree’s body and lowering her monster’s attack to a measly 1400. She braces herself, but the impact still makes her legs wobble. Her life points decrease even further, to 2400.

The girl does not wait to order an attack. Nothung slices Sylvan Hermitree vertically and the spirit of nature explodes into a cloud of splinters. “Finish her off, Joe! Assault Claw!”

“I-I activate my trap card! Sylvan Waterslide!” Fluttershy excavates Sylvan Marshalleaf and the tiny sprite launches itself like a bullet towards Blackwing Tamer – Obsidian Hawk Joe. Much to her surprise and shock, however, Nothung swiftly moves in to protect Obsidian Hawk Joe, sacrificing itself in the process. Fluttershy doesn’t have the time to react before her remaining life points are shaved off with a single slash across her chest that knocks her down on her back.

All cards vanish from the field. The girl looks around the crowd and, raising her Duel Disk like a weapon, shouts, “Anybody else wants some of this!?” The crowd disperses. She spares one last look of disdain at Fluttershy, who holds her forehead in a daze, and walks away in the opposite direction.

---

Once again, Twilight finds herself at Sweet Apple Acres. Or, to be more precise, at Ponyville’s Duel Monsters School. Sitting comfortably under a nearby tree with her shapely legs extended forward, Twilight watches attentively with pen and notebook in hand as Rainbow Dash addresses a group of half a dozen children separate from the bigger crowd.

“Alright, listen up! You see this slot right here on your disks?” Rainbow Dash asks while pointing at her Duel Disk. “This is were you put your cards when in mid-air! Like this!” she takes the five cards from the top of her deck and slids them all in a single, smooth move. The cards remain perfectly still in a vertical position, even when Rainbow Dash swings her arm around to demonstrate.

Twilight giggles. Rainbow Dash’s teaching methods may be a bit rough on the edges, but she does know how to get the attention of the kids.

At Rainbow Dash’s behest, the kids pair up and, spreading their little wings, take off. They remain relatively close to the ground, flying in circles at a slow pace. “That’s the way, guys,” she says with a smile. “Keep it slow and steady! You’ve just started, so no crazy stuff in my watch, okay?”

A chuckle catches Twilight attention and she turns her head to see Applejack standing next to her, carrying a bale of hay over her left shoulder as if it weighed nothing. Her white shirt is tied down at the middle, exposing her well-toned abs. Sweat cascades down from her forehead, drops falling on her shirt and making it slightly traslucent. Her chest goes up and down with every breath she takes in an almost hypnotic motion. She looks tired, but content. “Ain’t somethin’ you see everyday, uh?” she asks. “Rainbow talkin’ about slow.”

Twilight admits it’s a pleasant surprise.

Applejack tilts her hat and grins. “Eeyup! She may not look like it, but she does take her lessons with the little ones seriously.”

Twilight smiles as she thinks about how Applejack’s mood has improved substantially since her match with the elite of the Eos Dueling School. Thanks to Princess Celestia placing an order for apple cider, her family now has enough money to handle the harvesting season smoothly. Their little little session to work on her Superheavy Samurai deck went well too; she caught up pretty quickly and managed to improve her deck considerably. Twilight sighs softly. Looking back at it, that night at Manehattan felt so distant now. Still, she kept the whole thing about the Underworld Duels to herself.

Rainbow Dash instructs the kids to ignite their Duel Disks and draw their initial hands. A sudden gust of wind catches one of the boys by surprise, ripping the cards from his hands. Swiftly, she spreads her wings and shoots up, catching the cards with ease and handing them back to the boy, who thanks her with an awed smile. Rainbow Dash smiles and winks, patting him in the head before descending.

Just as her feet touch the ground, a voice from behind suddenly catches her attention, “You’re pretty fast for a shrimp!” Rainbow Dash’s eyes widen and she quickly turns around to see the girl with the aviator jacket looking at her with a wide grin. “Gilda?” she asks dumbfounded. “Is that you?”

Gilda approaches casually, with both hands on her pockets, and replies sarcastically, “No, the other one, you doofus.”

Rainbow Dash laughs. Both girls hug tightly. Rainbow Dash asks, “The hay are you doing here, you bird-brain?” Gilda shrugs and answers she was just passing by and decided to pay a visit. Rainbow Dash nods. “Gimme a minute,” she says and turns to wave at Twilight and Applejack, motioning them to come over.

Both, Twilight and Applejack share a brief look. The latter sets the bale of hay aside and they approach. “Gilda,” Rainbow Dash says motioning to the two of them. “These are my gal pals, Twilight and Applejack.” Both girls introduce themselves. Gilda responds with half-hearted nod.

“Girls, this is my old friend Gilda.” Rainbow Dash adds, “We met back in my days at the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp!” Gilda puts her right arm around Rainbow Dash’s neck and hugs her tightly. “That’s right,” she says proudly.

Rainbow Dash’s expression brightens. “Hey, G, remember the chant?”

Gilda rolls her eyes. “Yeah, they made us recite it every morning.” She snorts and adds, “I don’t think I’ll ever get that thing out of my head…”

Rainbow Dash tilts her head, looking with pleading eyes. “Sooo…”

Gilda chuckles. “Only for you, Dash.” Both girls perform a series of movements, including crouching and throwing their arms upwards as they chant,

Junior Speedsters are our lives,

Sky-bound soars and daring dives

Junior Speedsters, it's our quest,

To someday be the very best!

The chant earns a good-natured chuckle from both, Twilight and Applejack.

“Say, girls,” Rainbow Dash begins tentatively. “Would you mind watching the kids for a while?”

“Sure thing, Rainbow!” Applejack replies cheerfully. Looking at Gilda, she says, “Make yourself at home, Gilda. Any friend of Rainbow is a friend of us!”

“I hope we can hang out later,” Twilight says with a smile. Again, Gilda’s response is a mere nod.

As she leads Gilda towards the snacks table, Rainbow Dash chuckles and says, “There’s no need to be shy, G.” She adds enthusiastically, “Twilight and Applejack are cool girls; you’ll get along with them in no time.”

Gilda huffs. “Yeah.”

Rainbow Dash grabs an empty glass from the table, fills it with apple juice and, as she offers it to Gilda, she asks, “So, how’s Griffonstone these days, G?”

Gilda’s expression turns sour. She takes the glass of apple juice, gulps it down in a single swing and sets the empty glass on the table. “A gigantic dump,” she answers drily. She shrugs and adds, “You know, like always.”

Rainbow Dash cringes. “Sorry ‘bout that.”

Gilda waves her hand dimissively. “Forget about it.” She leans against the table, smirks and says, “I’m more interested in what are you doing teaching a bunch of brats about Sky Duels behind some farmhouse.”

Rainbow Dash chuckles and says she’s just giving Applejack a hand. “I’ve already got my job as the captain of the local weather patrol.”

Gilda nods and looks to the sky with eyes filled with nostalgia. “So we’ve left the dreams of being pro-duelists behind, uh?”

Rainbow Dash scratches the back of her head. “Yeah, about that…” she says hesitantly. “I haven’t given up yet, G.” Gilda tilts her head and asks what she means. “I practice flying and dueling every day,” Rainbow Dash explains. She raises her left arm, taps her Duel Disk and adds, “Twilight—she even got me a ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala where the Wonderbolts will appear…”

Gilda’s left eye twitches. “Really now?”

At that moment, Fluttershy suddenly comes over running from the side of the barn. She stops in front of Rainbow Dash, gasping for air. “R-Rainbow—I—saw—”

“Hey Shy! Great timing,” Rainbow Dash says cheerfully. “Remember Gilda from the Junior Speedsters Flight Camp?” She takes a step aside, pointing with her thumb behind her and Fluttershy freezes like a mouse having spotted a large, hungry cat.

Fluttershy stutters, “I-I-I…”

Gilda growls, “You?”

Rainbow Dash looks dumbfounded between the terrified Fluttershy and Gilda, who looks ready lay a beating. “Uh…is there something I missed here or…?”

Gilda stomps forward and Fluttershy quickly takes cover behind Rainbow Dash. “So, this is how it is, eh Dash?” she asks between clenched teeth. “You kept this scaredy cat at your side, got some new friends and left lame ol’ Gilda behind?”

Rainbow Dash frowns in confusion. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t give me that crap!” Gilda says, slamming her foot down a patch of dirt and sending a small cloud of dust swirling into the breeze. “A ticket for the Grand Galloping Gala? Why don’t you admit you ditched me and got yourself a better deal!?”

Rainbow Dash frowns. “What the—” She shakes her head and retorts angrily, “You know exactly why I left, G! And it had nothing to do with you!”

“Oh really?” Gilda asks tilting her head mockingly. She throws her arm aggressively and says, “And I guess that chicken behind you just happening to be here is only a friggin' happy coincidence!”

Fluttershy flinches at her words.

The commotion draws the attention of the children, as well as Twilight and Applejack, whom quickly approach. “The hay is goin’ on here?” Applejack demands to know.

“Stay out of the way!” Gilda replies.

“I can handle this, girls!” Rainbow Dash adds.

Fluttershy quickly moves away from Rainbow Dash and next to a stunned Twilight and Applejack.

“So this is how you plan to become a Pro, Dash? Hanging in some backwaters town and teaching brats behind a farmhouse?” Gilda scoffs antagonistically, before sneering at Rainbow Dash. “I knew you were an idiot, but I never thought you would be brain-dead.”

Rainbow Dash explodes. “Shut up!” Her wings flare up and she ignites her Duel Disk like a fencer drawing her sword. “I will achieve my dream! I will become a Pro Duelist even if I have to crawl in the mud!” She points to herself with her thumb. “And I’ll prove it anytime, anywhere!”

Gilda takes off her jacket and follows suit, flaring her wings and igniting her Duel Disk. Glaring at each other, both girls crouch slightly, much like predators ready to jump and rip each other apart at the slightest hint of weakness from the opposing side.

The whole crowd of children approach, unaware of the hostility, cheering and talking with each other in awe as if Rainbow Dash and Gilda were merely about to put a show. There is a moment of silence before both duelists shout simultaneously, “Let’s soar!” They take to the sky with a single mighty flap of their wings, forcing Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy to shield their faces, and knocking the plates and glasses on the nearby table all over.

“D-Dang it,” Applejack says astonished. “Did ya’ll get a look at those wings?”

“She’s a Lamassu,” Twilight notes. Applejack asks what does that mean. Twilight explains, “They’re a race that is said to possess traits from both, lions and eagles. Unlike Equestrians with Sky Magic, who generate wings using the natural magic of their bodies when needed, the Lamassus’ wings are basically another pair of limbs.” She turns to Fluttershy and asks, “Do you know what the deal with them is?”

Fluttershy explains she only saw Gilda a couple of times back in the day and they never spoke much. She even admits she had practically forgotten about Gilda until their encounter at the Ponyville’s Market. “I came here to let Rainbow Dash know,” Fluttershy says with her head hanging low. “But I think I only made things more difficult…” She sniffs and apologizes.

“No need to apologize, surgarcube.” Applejack comfortingly, placing a comforting hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder. “This ain’t your fault.”

Far above them, Rainbow Dash and Gilda cross the sky over Ponyville like arrows in the direction of the Town Hall. None of them says a word. They don’t need to; they already know the first one to reach the building will get the first turn.

Both duelists remain head-to-head while the Town Hall gets closer with every second. Suddenly, Gilda lets out a roar and launches herself straight at the building. At the last second, she does a sharp turn around it, while coming dangerously close to the balcony railways, and takes the lead.

The daring maneuver takes Rainbow Dash by surprise. “When did she become this fast!?” She grits her teeth, resigning herself to the second turn, and flies around the Town Hall building while keeping a safer distance.

Ahead of her, Gilda draws five cards, slids them on the slot of her Duel Disk and immediately activates Black Whirlwind, then follows with with Foolish Burial to dump Blackwing – Damascus the Polar Night into the graveyard from her deck. She normal summons Blackwing – Blizzard the Far North, brings back Damascus to the field and fetches Blackwing – Breeze the Zephyr directly from her deck, special summoning it thanks to its own effect. The three bird monsters fly at Gilda’s sides in a perfect arrowhead formation.

“Synchro Summon!” Gilda tunes Blizzard and Damascus into Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star and uses her newest monster’s effect to special summon Blackwing – Shura the Blue Flame with its effects negated. “Synchro Summon!” she orders again, even more aggressively. Zephyr and Shura disappear and Blackwing Tamer – Obsidian Hawk Joe materializes, flanking Gilda together with Gram.

Gilda sets the last card in her hand. She suddenly turns around to face Rainbow Dash. The wind carries her voice as she shouts, “I’m not the same as before, Dash!” She ends her turn and her life points counter flashes behind her at 4000.

Rainbow Dash grits her teeth. She spreads her wings wide, losing some of her speed, and then flaps with all her strength to rocket herself upwards in a straight line. With both arms extended forward and her fists tightly clenched, her body pierces the clouds like a spear. Once she has gained enough altitude, she stops, leans forward and dives down. With the aid of gravity, she swiftly gets head of Gilda.

“I’m not the same either, G!” Rainbow Dash shouts back. She draws her initial hand of five cards plus one and sets them on the appropriate slot of her Duel Disk to keep them safe against the wind. Picking two cards between her index and thumb, Rainbow Dash summons Speedroid Horse Stilts and Speedroid Razorang, the latter with the effect of the former.

Gilda swiftly unveils with her set Gozen Match. Rainbow Dash answers harshly, “That cheap trick won’t work!” Gilda scowls, but says nothing.

Rainbow Dash special summons Speedroid Taketomborg, tributing it to bring Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice straight from her deck to the field. After lowering the level of Horse Stilts to three, she tunes it with her level one Red-Eyed Dice. “Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Puzzle!” A tall, gangly automaton jumps from inside a cloud. It runs through the sky at astonishing speeds with both arms outstretched at its sides like the wings of a bird. Rainbow Dash points at Obsidian Hawk Joe and orders, “Get him, Razorang!”

Blackwing Tamer – Obsidian Hawk Joe repels the attack of the boomerang-shaped automaton with a single swipe of his mighty claw, but not without cost. A gash appears over his forearm. Gilda grits her teeth at the sight of her monster, his attack points lowered from 2600 to 1800.

“Go, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle! Destroy Obsidian Hawk Joe” The automaton extends its left arm to reveal a wicked-looking dagger and its attack points double up to 2600. It zig zags at alarming speeds, almost too fast for the untrained eye to follow, with its blade ready to pierce its intended target.

Gilda’s eyes narrow. “Take it, Gram!”

To Rainbow Dash’s surprise, Blackwing – Gram the Shining Star shields Obsidian Hawk Joe from the attack. The blade of Hi-Speedroid Puzzle pierces Gram’s chest and the half-man half-bird monster falls from the sky followed by a trail of black feathers. It vanishes before touching the ground. Hi-Speedroid Puzzle’s attack points return to its original value of 1300.

Gilda’s life points go down to 3600. She taunts, “Is this the best you can do after your dumb farm training, Dash?”

Now it’s Rainbow Dash’s turn to scowl. “Turn end!”

“My turn!” Gilda declares fiercely. She flaps her wings to gain altitude. “Draw!” She immediately activates her newly draw Magic Planter to get rid of the useless Gozen Match and draw two cards. Her lips twist into a satisfied smirk. “Blackwing – Jin the Rain Shadow!” A small humanoid bird appears on the field. Despite its size, it wields a sword confidently.

Using Black Whirlwind’s effect, Gilda adds Blackwing – Etesian of Two Swords from her deck to her hand. She follows with Allure of Darkness to draw two cards and pockets the banished Etesian. “Come back, Gram!” she orders. Obsidian Hawk Joe let’s out a mighty battle cry. The wind twist and turns, and from a explosion of black feathers emerges Gram the Shining Star Once again. Rainbow Dash is shocked by this powerful effect.

Gilda tunes the level five Gram with the level one Jin. “Synchro Summon! Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight!” The savage half-man half-bird takes on the field and, setting its predatory eyes on Hi-Speedroid Puzzle, launches its sword with deadly accuracy, slicing the automaton’s left arm clean and lowering its attack and defense to 500 and 800 points respectively.

The blade keeps going and strikes Rainbow Dash on her back, taking 800 of her life points. She grunts in pain and flaps her wings rapidly as not to lose speed, but she still ends up behind Gilda.

Gilda orders the attack of Obsidian Hawk Joe. “Assault Claw!” The half-man half-bird dives forward. Hi-Speedroid Puzzle’s attack points double up to 1000 as it attempts to block, but without a weapon of its own, it’s a futile effort. The automaton’s body is ripped apart and Rainbow Dash’s life points go down to 1600.

“How do you like that, Dash?” Gilda taunts again. She adds harshly, “Maybe you should try a hair salon instead of a farm next time!”

Rainbow Dash suddenly grins. She takes a single card and slaps it on her Duel Disk. “Speedroid Gum Prize!” A small, colorful box materializes on the field and immediately transforms into an automaton. Despite its cool appearance, it has zero attack points. Gilda angrily asks Rainbow Dash what is she planning to do with it. “This,” Rainbow Dash replies. “I tune my level one Speedroid Gum Prize with my level four Speedroid Razorang! Synchro Summon!” Hi-Speedroid Chanbara appears, cutting the clouds in its path like a hot knife through butter. Rainbow Dash reveals the top card of her deck, Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke, sending it to the graveyard to boost her newest monster’s attack points to 3000. She laughs. “Looks to me like you’ve only got better at running your mouth, Gilda!”

Gilda growls under her breath. She sets a single card and declares the end of her turn.

Rainbow Dash begins gaining speed, until she’s head-to-head with Gilda. “Draw!” She summons Speedroid Double Yoyo and brings back Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice from the graveyard with its effect. Then, after increasing the level of Double Yoyo to five with Red-Eyed Dice, she tunes them both to Synchro Summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama. She banishes Speedroid Razorang from her graveyard and orders, “Fire!”

Hi-Speedroid Kendama fires a beam of light that hits Gilda for 500 points of damage. She squawks and stumbles, furiously flapping her wings to avoid losing too much speed while leaving behind a small trail of brown feathers.

Rainbow Dash takes the lead. Flanked by her two blade-like monsters, she points and orders, “Spiral Blade!” Hi-Speedroid Chanbara’s attack points go up by 200 as it charges Obsidian Hawk Joe. Gilda orders Nothung to intercept the attack and loses 800 life points with the destruction of her monster. Her life points flash at 2300. Rainbow Dash’s expression becomes serious.“It’s over, Gilda! Hi-Speedroid Chanbara can make a second attack!” Hi-Speedroid Chanbara makes a sharp turn and charges again, its attack points further increasing to 3400.

Gilda shouts furiously, “Nothing is over, Dash!” She throws her hand out and reveals her set card, “Black Sonic!” The card releases a flash of lightning that forces Rainbow Dash to shield her eyes and vaporizes her monsters.

Muttering a curse under her breath, Rainbow Dash pockets her banished monsters. She thinks Gilda let her destroy Nothung the Starlight on purpose before activating Black Sonic. After briefly glancing at the remaining two cards in her hand, she sets one and ends her turn.

Gilda rips the top card of her deck. She wastes no time bringing back Nothung to the field with Obsidian Hawk Joe and shave 800 life points from Rainbow Dash with its effect, leaving her with a mere 800 points. “Destroy her, Nothung!” Rainbow Dash answers by special summoning Speedroid Menko. Nothung the Starlight makes a sudden stop and switches to defense position along with Obsidian Hawk Joe. With a growl of frustration, Gilda sets a single card and ends her turn.

Rainbow Dash draws. She looks over her shoulder to see Gilda glaring daggers at her from not too far away. Gritting her teeth, Rainbow Dash banishes Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke to revive Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice and increase the level of Speedroid Menko to six. “Synchro Summon!” She throws her hand up and chants loudly, “Spread your wings and strike down my enemies at the speed of light! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!” The light of the sun shines on the dragon’s emerald wings as it manifests, making it look like a star shooting across the sky.

Back at Ponyville’s Duel Monsters School, Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy watch the duel with trepidation. “They’re coming back,” Twilight mutters to herself.

Gilda throws her hand out and shouts, “Trap card open! Threatening Roar!” The shockwave from the card pushes Rainbow Dash back, allowing Gilda to take the lead with one mighty flap of her wings.

Rainbow Dash has no choice but to end her turn. “Cut it out, Gilda!” she suddenly pleads. “My Clear Wing can negate both of your monsters’ effects! You can’t win this one!” Gilda’s answer comes in the form of an obscene gestue. Rainbow Dash grunts annoyed.

“Draw!” Gilda’s eyes widen triumphantly at the sight of her newest card, her second copy of Black Sonic. “Your little prize is not gonna stop me, Dash!” She switches both Nothung and Obsidian Hawk Joe to attack position and orders the attack of the latter, “Destroy that dragon! Assault Claw!”

“Trap card open!” Rainbow Dash points at her set card. “Dice Roll Battle!” She banishes Speedroid Taketomborg in her graveyard and Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice in her hand to Synchro Summon Orient Dragon. Obsidian Hawk Joe halts its attack. Rainbow Dash explains that when Orient Dragon is Synchro Summoned, she can banish a Synchro Monster her opponent controls.

Gilda snarls in frustration, but she thinks she still has her Black Sonic. Much to her surprise, however, Rainbow Dash activates Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s effect to negate Orient Dragon’s and destroy it. Clear Wing Synchro Dragon’s attack points go up to 4800. “What are you playing at!?” Gilda asks angrily.

“This,” Rainbow Dash answers solemnly. She banishes Dice Roll Battle from her graveyard. “Now one of your Synchro Monsters in attack position has to fight one of mine.” Gilda is horrified. She watches helplessly as Blackwing – Nothung the Starlight charges Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. The dragon dives in corkscrew fashion and tears its foe to pieces, reducing Gilda’s life points to zero and knocking her from the sky in the process. It vanishes along with the remaining cards on the field.

“Gilda!” Rainbow Dash shouts alarmed. She dives at full speed, reaching the dazed Gilda and holding her tightly from behind. Fully spreading her wings, Rainbow Dash takes advantage of a wind current to safely glide down and land back on Ponyville’s Duel Monsters School. The crowd of children cheer loudly for her, still believing it was all a show. Twilight, Applejack and Fluttershy rush to her side in concern.

“Don’t touch me,” Gilda hisses, pushing Rainbow Dash away. She turns her back to Rainbow Dash and the others, before looking over her shoulder and calling back to Rainbow Dash, “Have it your way, Dash. I don’t give a flying feather…” She picks up her jacket, pauses for a moment and then takes into the sky.

Rainbow Dash clenches her fists and looks down. “Damn it,” she mutters bitterly. A little girl calls out her name. Rainbow Dash puts up her best triumphant grin, turns around and says, “Alright, everybody, show’s over! I wanna see your moves now! And remember, take it easy, okay?” The children quickly return to their practice with renewed enthusiasm. Rainbow Dash’s smile vanishes.

“You alright there, sugarcube?” Applejack asks with a frown of worry.

Rainbow Dash sighs heavily. “Back at the camp, Gilda was an easy pick for the bullies—you know, not being Equestrian and all. I stood up for her and we hit it off pretty quickly…” She pauses, looking upwards nostalgically, before continuing, “Later we made a promise: that we would work together to become Pro Duelists.” She finally admits, “I broke it when I moved here…”

“I’m sorry, Rainbow,” Fluttershy says looking down.

Rainbow Dash shrugs. “Eh, no worries. It was my decision after all.” She tilts her head towards the children and asks, “Can you girls cover me for a while? I need to unwind a bit…”

Applejack tilts her hat. “Say no more.”

As Rainbow Dash walks past them, Twilight calls out her name. She pauses, somewhat unsure and then says, “We’re here for you, okay?”

Without turning around, Rainbow Dash chuckles. "Thanks."

Author's Note:

I'm aware the activation window for the second effect of Dice Roll Battle is during the opponent's Battle Step. Consider it a small deviation for storytelling purposes.

Comments

[Speculore]

Interesting duel, though I'd like the characters to explain the effects of the cards as opposed to having them be told through expositional text. Also, kinda disappointed that we don't see Applejack's improved deck right away, but I'm willing to wait.

[Omega C]

I kind of want to see a duel with spike

[SIRasdf]

So here's the main six and Spike's record of wins and losses and ranking as of duel 17 Counting the battle royal in the Ticket Master as one duel and not including in-complete duels or duel puzzles. These records don't really mean anything in the grand scheme of things but are interesting for those who like keeping track of stats.

Rainbow: 4 Wins (one in a battle royal ), no Losses.

Twilight: 3 Wins, 1 Loss.

Rarity: 2 Wins, 1 Loss.

Fluttershy: 1 Win, 2 Losses:

Pinkie Pie: 1 Win, 2 Losses.

Spike: 0 Wins, 3 Losses

Applejack: 4 Wins (counting the first 2 of her gauntlet), 8 Losses (she was doing really well until she got goddamn dominated for an entire chapter)

[DiscordDraconequus]

You know what I think would be interesting? If Queen Chrysalis got her hands on Starve Venom Fusion Dragon.

[RBronyReader446]

1 year later no update. Question, is this story dead?

[Kye Belmont]

Huh, why is this story cancelled?

[Fluttershylover3]

9825872
im wondering why as well

[Kye Belmont]

9827463
I really liked it. Guess you like this story too?

[nightshroud96]

9223550
Haven't read the story yet but..
From what I saw far on the comments, really not liking how Spike hasn't won a single duel and how he got taken out during a bad guy crisis(had his soul taken during the NMM fiasco). It just shows he's screwed since he's not a "chosen one" like the girls are..
Which really bothers me a bunch..

[sinewystatue382]

continue it dont let it die

[nightshroud96]

I finally managed to read this fic fully.(Took me about a month to get going)
It really caught my eye as it being a YGO/MLP fic.
Interesting ideas too.

Shame this was cancelled though.

Not really liking how Spike was handled though.
Why was he done so dirty here?
Him losing on his debut duel(and then lose again) was bad, but him getting taken out by NMM and reduced to needing rescue(essentially fodderized) did him so dirty.
(The consequences of what he went through being brushed aside is making it worse too)
The fact this fic is left off with Spike losing in all the duels he is in(doesn't help that his last duel for the remainder of the fic is him being fodder to Nightmare Moon doesn't help either) made him look so weak too.

Sorry if I am commenting about Spike alot.
I just feel frustrated on how Spike got shafted.

Wished we knew what was planned for Spike if this story continued