• Published 2nd Dec 2018
  • 6,292 Views, 1,623 Comments

The Multiverse in a Nutshell - Pennington Inkwell



What do you do when you accidentally break the multiverse and scatter your friends to the cosmic winds? Go on a ROAD TRIP, of course!

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Time 2 Duel

Sunset could only watch as the stranger closed in on the pile of binders containing Penn's card collection. In a matter of seconds he would have what he had wanted all along and disappear, along with any chances of freeing her from this magical prison. She pounded her fist against the window-like opening back to the real world, screaming at the top of her lungs.

"PENN! PENN, WAKE UP, PLEASE!"

She knew that the odds were against her, nearly impossible. She was clearly making no impact on the outside world, not to mention that when he had gone to sleep, Isis had fed him enough painkillers to keep him comatose for the full night and well into the morning.

Beside her, Missy faded into view, anxiously biting at her nails.

"Oh, this isn't good! This isn't good! This isn't good!" she chanted over and over again.

"Missy? You're HERE?" Sunset interrupted her fruitless pleading to stare at her cellmate. She reached out to grab Missy's hand, only for it to pass through her.

Missy instantly changed gears, turning to face Sunset with an indignant expression. "I'm a duel spirit, I go where I want!" She placed her hands on her hips, nodding her head towards the window to the outside. "And in case you didn't notice, after we lost, he STOLE ME off of your comatose body, along with the rest of my deck!"

Sunset felt a heavy pang of guilt rip through her. She turned back to the window, placing her hand against the square screen to the outside as she finally gave up on yelling herself hoarse.

"I- I'm sorry, Missy... I just met you, and now I've dragged you down into all of this with me! I seem to have a knack for drawing my friends into- OW!" Sunset was cut off as Missy removed her tiny hat and used it to slap her in the face.

"HEY! Wake up, Sunny! No wallowing in misery!" she ordered, glancing nervously from side to side. "In case you haven't noticed, you're in a realm that will literally eat you alive using your negative emotions!"

"What do you mean, 'eat me alive'?" Sunset asked,perhaps allowing more fear to slip into her voice than she intended. Rather than reply, Missy simply waved her hand in front of her face and looked expectantly at Sunset. Sunset mimicked the motion, only to gasp in horror. Her fingertips had all but disappeared, and the rest of her hand was beginning to look translucent, as well.

"This is the Shadow Realm, a place made up of every negative emotion and evil thought ever felt. If you want to NOT dissolve away into an ocean of darkness, then you have to keep a tight grip on what makes you happy. to. exist!" Missy punctuated her point by jabbing her finger into Sunset's chest. Sunset reached down to pull away Missy's hand, only for her to pass through the young spirit again.

"How can you-"

"SHH!" Missy interrupted her again, pointing back to their window to reality.

Joshua stood beside their campfire, flipping through Penn's binders with wide eyes and a smug grin on his face. Along with the rustling of plastic pages and the crackling of the fire, Sunset could hear another sound coming through, faint and high-pitched.

Screaming. Screams of fear, cries for help, hundreds of them rising up together in unison, begging for salvation.

Is it... the cards? Are they ALL alive? They KNOW they're being stolen?

Meanwhile, another phenomenon was taking place just on the edge of the firelight. The tent was beginning to shake. It was slight, just slight enough that one could mistake it for the wind. When Sunset saw a dark silhouette rise up from behind it, however, she knew that wind had nothing to do with it. She could see a wide pair of bat-like wings and, somehow, feel the impression of a hateful gaze lingering on the intruder.

Missy didn't seem perturbed by the apparition, though. In fact, she was...

smiling? Sunset turned to look at her new friend, trying to interpret her reaction. By the time she had given up and turned back to look at the scene, the monstrous figure was gone. Instead, the door to the tent was open, and a dazed-looking Penn was stumbling out the front, eyes transfixed on Joshua. Without waiting, Penn lunged forward, grabbing at the thief. The two struggled back and forth for a moment before Joshua shoved Penn away, sending the larger man to the ground. After a moment, however, it became clear that Penn had gotten what he wanted: the cards were back in his hands, clutched tight against his chest.

"What is your PROBLEM?" Josh cried, dusting himself off. "Are you drunk, or something, you maniac?"

It took Penn nearly ten seconds to stagger to his feet, clearly still uneasy with the medication impairing him.

"The HELL you doin'withmy cards?" he spat out, his words slurred and barely audible.

Joshua balked slightly, raising a bemused eyebrow. "YOUR cards? I won those from that girl over there, fair and square!"

Sunset had to admit, seeing her own soulless body laying on the ground was wholly unsettling. The sight had an equally potent effect on Penn, whose eyes went wide as dinner plates. Keeping the binders clutched against his chest, he staggered over to her, giving her shoulder a gentle shake, followed by a more forceful.

"...Sunny?" he whimpered. His tone made it clear that he wasn't expecting an answer. His head snapped upwards (somewhat inaccurately, though he quickly adjusted) to glare at Joshua. "Whadid you DO to her?"

"The same thing I'll do to YOU if you don't give me the rest of my cards, you boozer!" Joshua snapped.

Beside her, Sunset heard Missy gasp in indignation. The little spirit jumped up and pounded her fist angrily against the wall. "He's not DRUNK, he's on pain meds, you JERK!"

Penn didn't seem to hear her, or if he did, he didn't react. He growled and lunged forward again. Josh was ready this time, easily side-stepping his opponent. Penn didn't stop, barreling headfirst into his car and colliding with it. Making the most of the situation, he fumbled for the door handle before tossing his binders into the backseat. His cards safe, he seemed to clumsily flop into the seat along with them. After several seconds, he dragged himself back up, a new object in his hands as he slammed the door shut.

After a few seconds of fumbling and the sound of velcro being torn and re-attached, he had strapped the object to his arm. It was a wide, blade-shaped piece of gray-and-blue plastic, with what looked like slots for different cards. He stared down Joshua with a look that Sunset had never seen on his perpetually-friendly face: pure hatred. It was the same kind of hatred that she had felt from the dark figure that had appeared behind the tent, as if the same spirit was hiding behind her friend's eyes.

"Give. Her. Back."

Joshua rolled his eyes. "Are you serious? A toy duel disk?"

Penn's other hand wandered down to his pouch, and Sunset felt another pang of guilt. That was where Penn kept his deck, the Ghostrick cards... the ones she had LOST. His hand was going to come up empty and-

"Oooooh.... Big Sis is coming out to play..." Missy whispered, a grin spreading over her face.

"Big Sis?" Sunset asked, her eyes widening as Penn's hand emerged from the pouch. Instead of the cards in brilliant blue sleeves that she was used to, the ones he was holding were protected by jet-black sleeves.

"I hate to break it to you, Sunset, but Penn was taking it EASY on you during practice." Sunset felt Missy's elbow poke into her ribs. "My deck is his 'fun' deck..."

Penn slid the cards into their appropriate slot on the toy. Somehow, the rage in his eyes seemed to burn through the haze of the medication, sharpening his focus to a razor's edge.

"THAT is his deck for when he gets serious. He had THAT one long before mine..."

Joshua, however, did not seem impressed. Instead, he pocketed the blue-sleeved cards Sunset recognized as Missy's deck and folded his arms over his chest.

"I already won! Why would I even duel you, easy as it would be?"

Sunset gasped as Penn reached into his pocket, retrieving his car keys and tossing them on the ground. He then pointed at himself.

"A car an'another soul. Double or nothing."

"WHAT?" Sunset cried, taking her own turn to be terrified. "NO! Nononononono, he CAN'T!"

"Yeeeeah... he can. And I think he will." Missy replied. She looked slightly more tense, though her smile was still there.

Joshua smiled, eyeing the Oldsmobile with a greedy look in his eyes. After a moment, he retrieved his sleeveless cards from his pocket and walking back to the place he had stood to duel Sunset. He held out his hand, holding a shiny quarter.

"Call it."

Sunset noticed something different. Every time Penn had started a duel while he was teaching her, there had been that glint of joy in his eye, the eagerness that came with sharing something he loved mingled with a trace of competitiveness spilling out of control. This time, the light in his eyes smoldered and burned, reminding Sunset of a phrase she'd once heard Celestia use many years ago: "Tranquil fury."

"Tails never fails..." Penn muttered. Josh nodded and flipped the coin. Sunset couldn't see from her angle what the coin landed on, but Joshua smiled and tucked it back into his pocket.

"I'll go first, then!"

Penn tilted his head, a series of loud pops coming from his neck that made Sunset grit her teeth.

"Wash your neck and wait..." he whispered.

Sunset cringed, the nonsensical mumbling serving as a grim reminder that he was still thoroughly drugged. Her confidence in him rapidly began to fade as she watched Joshua settle into a cross-legged position and begin his turn.

"First of all, I summon Ra's Disciple!"

An imposing figure clad in golden armor materialized on the battlefield, front and center.

"And, thanks to it's effect, I can special summon two more from my deck!"

"WHAT?" Sunset cried, watching as two identical monsters shimmered into existence, completing the trio on Josh's side of the field. "There's NO WAY that's fair! He already has enough tributes to summon Ra?"

Missy sucked in air through her teeth. "It's not... ideal. But Penn can deal with it."

"He can barely stand up!"

Missy turned a mischievous eyebrow towards Sunset.

"So? That jerk is dueling sitting down! That means Penn's even stronger than he is!"

"Next, I'll activate my field spell, Mound of the Bound Creator!"

All around the two duelists, spires of barren rock began to break from the earth, topped by heavy iron chains. The sky above them filled with dark clouds and crackling lightning. The air was tense, as if the world itself were holding its breath and waiting for the final piece, the entity it had been preparing for.

"Then I'll set two cards face-down and end my turn!"

The two traps (or possibly spells, Sunset supposed) appeared behind his monsters, laying in wait. Penn didn't say a word as he drew the top card from his deck and added it to his hand.

"Hey, I'll be right back!" Missy leaned forward and through the window, dropping out into the real world and flying down behind Penn. Judging from how no one reacted, Sunset supposed that she was the only one who could see Missy's antics as she hovered just over Penn's shoulder, reading the cards in his hand. After a few seconds, she flew her way back up to the window and climbed back through, giving Sunset a wide grin and an enthusiastic thumbs-up.

"He's got everything he needs!"

Sunset watched with anticipation, eager to see what kind of opening move Penn could possibly make that could counter Josh's solid opening.

"I set three cards face-down and set one monster... and end my turn."

The appropriate cards appeared, and Sunset turned to Missy, feeling her eyes narrow.

"Are you kidding me?"

Missy reclined back on nothing, spreading her wings and giving them a gentle flap.

"Give it TIME, Sunset..."

"Time is the one thing he doesn't have!"

Josh seemed to agree with Sunset, laughing at the sight of Penn's meager defenses.

"That's IT? All of that talk and THAT'S your opening play? This is going to be TOO easy!" Josh drew again. "My second turn finally allows me to attack, so that's what I'm going to do! However, first I think I'll summon my most powerful monster!"

"Nononononono!" Sunset pounded her fist against the window. "He already has it in his HAND, too?"

"I tribute my three disciples, and summon my Egyptian God!" Josh cackled, somehow still audible as the lightning above them whipped itself into a fury, crashing and colliding with the stone pillars and chains of the field spell. "Great beast of the sky, please hear my cry! Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight!"

Sunset could see Penn struggling to even keep his balance in the rising winds, but there was no fear on his face. He simply tilted his duel disk, double-checking his face-down cards.

"Envelop the desert with your glow, and cast your rage upon my foe! Unlock your powers from deep within so that together we may win. Appear in this Shadow Game as I call out your name, WINGED DRAGON OF RA!"

Once again, the shimmering golden orb descended from the sky, unlocking and unfolding until it had transformed into the golden phoenix.

"And, with Ra's effect, I can sacrifice my life points in order to boost its attack!"

Above his head, a set of numbers appeared, swiftly ticking down from 8000 to 100. Meanwhile, Ra shone even more brilliantly as an identical counter climbed its way up from 0 to 7900.

"It may have cost me most of my life points, but soon enough we'll be on equal footing! What do you have to say about THAT?"

Penn simply parted his arms, as if encouraging an attack.

Josh's eye twitched slightly. "If you were THAT eager to join your friend, you could have just asked! Ra, attack!"

The arch behind Ra's shoulders began to glow with the light of the sun, growing brighter and brighter until the light all gathered together in its beak, then launching itself as a searing fireball that crashed into Penn's face-down monster. Penn's single defense was engulfed in flames, disappearing in the sun's fury.

"And because I played Mound of the Bound Creator, when Ra destroys a monster, YOU take 1000 points of damage!" Josh cackled. "Next turn, I'll be able to wipe you out in a single blow!"

Sunset stared into the inferno, waiting for the telltale sound of Penn's life points falling... until she caught a glimpse of something in the fire. As the flames burned themselves out, a monster remained on Penn's side of the field. It looked like a gigantic marshmallow with eyes. Its face appeared to be upside down, boasting a wide smile at the top of its head. It was by far one of the most adorable things Sunset had seen all day. Beside her, Missy snickered, drawing her attention.

"Penn only needed one card to beat him!"

Sunset turned back to the battlefield, hope blossoming in her chest as she watched Penn give a half-lidded yawn.

"My Marshmallon can't be destroyed by battle. An'cause you attacked it face-down..." The creature's mouth opened wide, revealing a row of disturbingly sharp teeth.

"YOU take the thousand points of damage."

"WHAT?" Josh shrieked as the creature lunged forward, snaking around Ra to attack the duelist directly. Just as it was poised to chomp down on Josh's throat, he motioned to one of his face-down cards. "I activate my spell: Poison of the Old Man! I choose the effect to gain 1200 life points!"

The card flipped itself face-up, revealing the spell in question that depicted a decrepit old man holding two vials of liquid. The vial holding green liquid began to bubble and smoke, letting loose a cloud of vapors that surrounded Joshua and sent his life point counter climbing upward.

100 >1300

With the interruption finished, Penn's monster lunged forward again, this time sinking its teeth into his arm with a squeaky-sounding snarl.

1300 > 300

Its wrath spent, Penn's monster retreated back to its proper place. He simply yawned again, as if the duel against a LITERAL GOD was boring him. Sunset couldn't tell if he really WAS bored, or if the painkillers were just making him sleepy. Missy snapped her fingers in frustration at the missed opportunity to end the duel.

"I'm not going to lose to easily to someone while they're DRUNK!" Josh chided, his spell disappearing now that it was spent.

"I'm not, you know!" Penn retorted.

"What?"

"I hurt my back! I'm on enough painkillers to knock out a baby elephant!" he shrugged. "I'm half-asleep, but I'm not drunk!" There was a brief pause as the two duelists stared one another down, one trying to process the new information.

"You're- you're JOKING, right?"

Penn shook his head.

"Barely conscious, dude."

Even Ra appeared to find the moment awkward, its massive head turning to look back and forth between the two duelists. Marshmallon simply snickered, as if the entire thing were a giant joke.

Sunset could see Josh turning several shade of red, ready to explode with rage until Penn spoke up again.

"So... are you going to end your turn, or what?"

His eye twitched again, but he set another card face-down where his prior spell had been, then motioned for Penn to take his turn.

Penn drew a card off of the top of his deck, looking at it with a bemused expression.

"I'll set another face-down monster and end my turn."

Another monster card appeared beside Marshmallon. The mystery of its identity suddenly felt much more threatening than it had on Penn's first turn.

Joshua drew, and a wicked grin spread across his face.

"First, I play Lightning Vortex! By discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy all of your face-up monsters!"

The spell card did its work swiftly, bolts of lightning slamming down from the clouds above and raining across the battlefield. They simply deflected off of the back of his face-down monster, but Marshmallon wasn't so resilient. When it was struck, it turned a delicious-looking shade of brown before shattering and disappearing from Penn's field.

"Next, I'll activate The Shallow Grave..." he smirked. "Each of us summons a monster from our graveyard face-down. I know yours, do you know mine?"

Penn simply shrugged as he retrieved Marshmallon from his graveyard pile and placed it back onto the field.

Sunset tilted her head in confusion. "I don't get it... why destroy Marshmallon just to bring it back again? And it's face-down, so it can deal more damage to him all over again!"

Missy leaned forward, clicking her tongue. "It was never about getting rid of Marshmallon, it was the card he had to discard to do it! It's clearly a monster with some kind of cost to summoning it, so he circumvented that by putting it in the graveyard and bringing it back with his other spell. That was actually halfway clever, if it's something that could turn this around for him. Whatever it is, he's locked into it now, those were the last cards in his hand!"

Sunset stared at Josh's face-down monster, realizing Missy was right. If he KNEW which face-down card was Marshmallon, he could just avoid it and avoid that damage, and he had gotten a potentially high-level monster for the cost of a couple spells!

Penn began his next turn, drawing a card. He stared at it for a moment, and Sunset could see a frustrated frown on his face.

"I end my turn."

He's not going to DO anything?

Josh cackled, drawing another card. "What's the matter? Do you know your only trick isn't going to work twice?"

Penn simply shrugged. "You still hafta get through my monsters t'get me, an y'know at least one of 'em is Marshmallon. I'm not worried."

Josh grinned another wicked grin, one that set a chill down Sunset's spine.

"I know, alright! I'm counting on it! First, I'll set another monster! Then... I'll flip my other one into attack position! Come on out, Prime Material Dragon!"

Another card appeared, followed by Josh's monster from the previous turn turning face-up. Another dragon appeared on the field, though not one as massive as the Winged Dragon of Ra. It was a four-legged beast with three sets of wings and a narrow, pointed head. Its entire body appeared to be made of a golden clay-like substance. It let loose a roar, hungrily staring down Penn's side of the field.

"Uh-oh..." Missy whispered.

"Uh-oh? What do you mean, 'uh-oh?'"

Missy cringed slightly. "'Uh-oh' means 'That's one of the WORST cards for this situation.'"

"WHAT? What is it? What does it do?"

"Attack, Prime Material Dragon!"

Sunset watched as the dragon breathed a blast of fire across the field, striking straight into Penn's first face-down card. Just as before, when the flames parted, Marshmallon was unharmed. When it went to strike back at Josh, however, Prime Material Dragon interfered, pinning it down with its tail.

"Now, Marshmallon may not be destroyed, but my dragon's special ability turns any damage due to special effects into fresh life points!"

Josh reached down, tearing a chunk off of the sugary creature and taking a gleeful bite before motioning for his dragon to release it. Marshmallon retreated, fearfully returning to Penn's side of the field.

300 > 1300

"And now it's Ra's turn again! Attack!"

Just as before, Ra blasted Penn's other face-down card. Sunset's eyes widened as a second Marshmallon was revealed, and the process repeated itself.

1300 > 2300

Josh smiled smugly as he finished off his second sugary snack.

"I think I've had my fill, I end my turn!"

Penn drew his next card, adding it to his hand with a sigh.

"I've got nothing. Your turn."

He's... he's not giving up, is he?

Josh drew his next card. "You were SO eager to duel me before! What happened, did you fall asleep from all those drugs?" He pointed to his other card. "I'll flip summon my other monster, Aroma Jar! Your'e not the only one who has monsters that can't be destroyed by battle! Not only is this card immune to battle, every end phase that it's on the field, I gain 500 life points!"

The "monster" itself was a large, ornate-looking oil warmer with scented candles heating it.

"So, since attacking you won't do much good, why don't I just go to my end phase, anyway?"

Just like the spell that had restored his life points before, the steam let off from Aroma Jar surrounded Josh and sunk into his skin.

2300 > 2800

Sunset turned to Missy as Penn drew his next card. "At this rate, he's going to get all of his life points back and more!"

Missy shook her head. "Life points aren't everything, Sunset."

"They're not everything? Isn't that how you WIN?" Sunset retorted, folding her arms over her chest. Or, at least, what was left of them. She gasped in horror as she realized that her hands were completely gone, and her arms had vanished almost all of the way to her elbows. Looking down, she could see that she was in a similar predicament with her legs, her feet rapidly fading away into the darkness. Missy's eyes widened, and she flew up to grab Sunset's face, forcing her to look into her aqua-colored eyes.

"Sunset, you need to stay calm, okay? Listen closely: I have seen Penn win more duels by making his opponent run out of cards in their deck than THAT chucklehead-" she pointed to Joshua, "-has probably ever played! I know his style and I know his deck, and he's doing everything in his power to get you out of here! But it's going to take TIME! You've been letting this place get inside your head, and the more you think and feel bad things, the less of you that there's going to be left to rescue! So have a little faith and survive long enough to see him win!"

Sunset blinked, and she felt the dark curtain that had been pulled over her thoughts begin to part. Missy was right, she had to keep hope! Penn was putting his own soul on the line, and she was writing him off just because he wasn't on an all-out offensive! She leaned up to the window, getting a better look at the field with her new perspective.

He was holding back a dragon and a god with a pair of marshmallows! It was like something out of Pinkie Pie's dreams! He wasn't even nervous!

"If this is what he can do with a couple pieces of candy, imagine what he can do with the rest of his deck?"

"That's the spirit!" Missy cheered, pounding her fist against the window. "KICK HIS BUTT, PENN!"

Even if he couldn't hear them, the sentiment seemed to make it to their friend. He smiled and set another card behind his monsters.

"Just another trap, then I'll end my turn. I suppose Aroma Jar does its thing?"

2800 > 3300

Joshua added another card to his hand.

"You can't hide behind those monsters forever! I'll equip Ra with this spell: Fairy Meteor Crush!"

"OH COME ON!" Missy screamed.

"Now, when Ra attacks a defense-position monster, the difference in power is inflicted to you as battle damage! Ra, attack his Marshmallon!"

Sunset felt despair beginning to creep back in, but she pushed it out. Penn had four trap cards set! He had to have something that could stop this. He was too good to have staked everything on Marshmallon alone! Just as she expected, Penn pointed to one of his face-down cards.

"You activated my trap card! Gravity Bind!"

A grid of glowing blue lines appeared above the field, falling onto all of the monsters like a net. It passed easily through Penn's Marshmallons and Aroma Jar, but Ra and Prime Material Dragon were both dragged to the ground with roars of displeasure.

"No monsters level four or higher can attack as long as this card is on the field." Penn folded his arms over his chest and returned Josh's smug grin.

Joshua, on the other hand, was no longer smiling.

"I'll change Aroma Jar to defense position and end my turn."

3300 > 3800

Penn drew again, and his content smile grew even wider. He placed another card face-down with his traps, bringing the total cards in his back row up to five.

"I have almost everything I need. How about you?"

3800 > 4300

Josh drew again.

"Oh, really? Because I DO have everything I need! It's time I finally cut you down to size! Starting with those pesky monsters of yours!" He held out yet another spell card. "Let's see how you like Raigeki! This card will destroy all monsters on your side of the field!" The effect was nearly identical to his earlier spell, completely obliterating both of his monsters and leaving his field wide open.

"And for my next trick, I'll activate Mystical Space Typhoon! With this, I can destroy Gravity Bind!"

As the second spell resolved itself, a cyclone of wind and clouds tore across the battlefield, crashing into Penn's trap card and tearing it to shreds. The effect binding Ra and his dragon vanished, allowing both of them to return to their full stature.

Now, Prime Material Dragon, attack him DIRECTLY!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Sunset saw Missy bite down on the back of her hand with anxiety.

"Take it, Penn, just take it..."

Penn, however, seemed to have different ideas.

"I activate the effect of Ghostrick Lantern from my hand! Your attack is stopped and it summons itself in face-down defense position!"

The blast of fire from Prime Material dragon stopped dead in its tracks, and a new face-down card appeared on Penn's side of the field. Missy screeched and buried her face in her hands. "No no no no NO!"

Josh grinned, though Sunset couldn't see the problem. Penn had stopped the attack, right?

"Did you FORGET Ra can still attack? And with my equip spell, the difference is still going to be dealt as damage!" Josh cackled, pointing at Penn's monster. Ra obediently turned its burning gaze on Penn's last line of defense.

"He slipped up, the drugs stopped him from thinking ahead..." Missy whispered, covering her eyes with her hands. "Lantern doesn't even have ANY defense points!"

Ra's attack charged forward, blasting through Penn's defensive monster and washing over him in a torrent of flame.

"GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

His scream was gut-wrenching as his life points plummeted, as if he were truly being burned alive by the attack.

8000 > 100

"AND I activate my set spell: Sebek's Blessing!"

Josh's set card revealed itself, an evil-looking crocodilian figure with a shining staff.

"With this card, I gain life points equal to the damage I dealt to you!"

4300 > 12200

"AND, Mound of the Bound Creator's effect will finish you off!"

High above them, the lightning began to build and charge, and Sunset's eyes widened. "Penn, get up! You have three more traps! Get up, you have to have a card for this! GET UP!"

From the place he was laying on the ground, Penn raised a smoking arm and pointed to one of his face-down cards. The lightning struck down, only to stop just short of his chest. The card he had pointed to rose up, revealing itself.

"You're not... the only one... who hazza MST..."

Penn's Mystical Space Typhoon shot up into the sky, obliterating the storm and exposing the clear night sky. The stone spears retreated back into the ground as the Field Spell vanished. With excruciating slowness, Penn staggered back to his feet, his breathing labored and forced through his nose.

Josh gave another cackle as Aroma Jar's effect once again caressed his skin. "You bought yourself one more turn, well done! I can't say that this has been an interesting duel, but you've certainly kept me entertained longer than most!"

12200 > 12700

Penn sighed and shook his head.

"Stupid mistake... such a stupid mistake... I'm better than that." he muttered. He moved to draw a card from his deck, only to hesitate. His hand was shaking. He lowered his hand for a second, turning to look at Sunset's comatose body. She wished more than anything that she had a way to let him know she was there, that she was still watching and rooting for him with every ounce of hope she had.

In that moment of pause, Missy dropped down through their window, peeking at his hand again. To Sunset's surprise, Missy screeched with joy and covered her mouth, her wings fluttering excitedly. As his moment of hesitation continued, Missy reached into her hat, slipping a card in on top of his deck before flying back to her vantage point beside Sunset.

"There! Now he has everything he needs to win!"

Sunset blinked, staring between Penn and Missy.

"Wait, isn't that cheating?"

Missy shrugged. "Only as much as any other Yu-Gi-Oh protagonist does! Haven't you ever heard of the 'heart of the cards?' What did you THINK it meant? Card spirits can shuffle stuff around if we're really close to our duelist's heart!" She leaned forward, watching with anticipation. "But it's going to be up to HIM to figure out how to use it right!"

Sunset looked down, holding her breath. How much of a difference could one card make?

When Penn turned back to his opponent, his eyes were steely and his hand steady. He reached up and rested his hand on his deck for just one more second, then drew the card Missy had left for him. His eyes widened when he saw what he had drawn, and Sunset could see a hint of a smile on his lips. "Thanks, Missy..." he whispered.

Does... does he KNOW?

"I'm going to summon a monster!" he declared, picking four cards from his hand. "But it comes at a heavy cost! I have to discard three OTHER monsters to do so!" He placed three of the cards into the graveyard. As he did, Sunset couldn't make out the card art at this distance, but she could see that each of them had a long line of stars at the top indicating their levels.

"I discard monsters with levels of ten, eleven, and twelve in order to special summon MONTAGE DRAGON!"

The creature that descended from the heavens was MASSIVE, almost as large as Ra. It was a titanic, bipedal, three-headed blue dragon. Each of its faces wore a white mask, and its arms ended in huge clawed hands, each one large enough to crush a monster on their own. It gave a single flap of its wings before roaring, a noise so loud it even shook the air inside Sunset's prison.

"You made two mistakes..." Penn stated, his eyes narrowing. "First of all, you messed with Sunset Shimmer, a girl who can take the power of friendship to a whole 'nother level."

"That's a load of CRAP!" Josh pointed an accusing finger at Penn's monster. "There's NO WAY you had three monsters THAT high-leveled to just throw away!"

Beside Montage Dragon, a counter indicating its attack appeared. It started at 0, then began to slowly tick upwards, increasing in speed until the digits were just a blur. When it finally stopped, Sunset could barely believe her eyes.

0 > 9900

"Yes he DID! And Montage Dragon's attack is equal to 300 times the combined level of the monsters discarded to summon it!" Missy cheered, punching the air as she did, "AND YOU CAN SUCK ON IT, JERK!"

Penn ignored Josh's protests, the card's effect speaking for itself.

"Your second mistake was burning all the painkillers out of my system with that last attack. I can finally think CLEARLY." He pointed at Josh's god card with a smile. "Montage Dragon? Sic 'em."

Montage Dragon seemed more than happy to oblige, advancing on Ra and seizing its wings with both hands. As its hands held it in place, its three heads bit down into its neck, causing the phoenix to cry out in pain.

"NO! I activate MY trap! Spellbinding Circle" Josh cried. Mid-assault, a circular inscription appeared in the air behind Montage Dragon, binding its limbs behind it and pulling it off of Ra. "Your monster can no longer declare an attack!"

Penn's eyes narrowed with frustration, but he didn't make any attempt to respond as Montage Dragon was dragged back to his side of the field. "I'll set one more card..." he muttered, adding another face-down card to his back row. "And with THAT I'll end my turn."

This time, Josh didn't look nearly as smug as Aroma Jar boosted his life points.

12700 > 13200

"You're not as good as you think you are..." he growled as he drew his next card. "I use Ra's OTHER special ability! By paying 1000 life points, I can destroy one monster of my choosing on your side of the-"

"I activate my trap card!" Penn called out, cutting him off. "Fiendish Chain!"

"WHAT?"

"Fiendish Chain negates your monster's effects and leaves it unable to attack!" Penn smiled. "It's like Spellbinding Circle, but, y'know, better."

A series of black chains sprouted out of the ground, wrapping Ra and pinning its limbs to its body as it came crashing to the ground. The counter over its head began to tick down as its attack power fell with its special ability negated.

7900 > 0

"Oh, and by the way... In case you forgot, " Penn continued, "that 1000 life point cost is, well, a COST of activation. Which means that, according to the game rules, even if the effect was negated, you still have to pay it!"

13200 > 12200

"Grrr... FINE!" Josh growled. "Have it your way! I'll get those life points back soon, anyway! I END MY TURN!"

12200 > 12700

"Ooooooh, he made a mistaaaake!" Missy sang.

Penn shrugged, drawing another card. "Okay! Personally I would have put those monsters into defense position, but hey, that's just me. You do you, man."

"Why? It's not like your monster can attack, either! We're at a standstill!"

For just a moment, Penn's facade slipped. His eyes narrowed and his smile disappeared. The glare he gave Josh was unlike anything Sunset had ever seen, an expression of pure and simple hatred of unknowable depths. It was a look that didn't just promise defeat, but utter damnation. Even if it wasn't directed at her, Sunset felt a chill of fear run through her.

"Sore wa dō ka na?" he whispered. He placed a new card onto the field, giving a wide smile. "I summon The Calculator!"

The monster that appeared was tiny, but it was another cute one. It looked like something Twilight might build in her free time, a tiny automaton with a number pad on its chest and a digital readout for a head.

"The Calculator's attack points are equal to 300 times the combined levels of all monsters I control! It is level 2, and Montage Dragon is level 8, giving it a total of 3000 attack points!"

0 > 3000

The monster grew and swelled until it was nearly a third of Montage Dragon's height, one hand crackling with electricity as the other entered the numbers into its chest.

"Next, I activate my two facedown traps! Twin copies of Metal Reflect Slime!"

The traps Penn had placed at the start of the duel finally revealed themselves, pouring out a torrent of silver liquid that grew and swelled into two huge lumps on either side of the Calculator and Montage Dragon.

"These traps summon themselves in defense position as monsters with no attack and 3000 defense!" Penn continued. "And each of them... is LEVEL TEN!"

Josh staggered backwards, eyes wide in shock as the Calculator began to crunch numbers once again.

3000 > 9000

"T-Two monsters with nine THOUSAND attack points? Impossible!"

"Seeing as how you were kind enough to leave your monsters in attack position, I thank you for leaving such an easy path to your life points! Now, Calculator, attack Prime Material Dragon!"

The Calculator, which had now grown to match Montage Dragon in size, pointed an accusatory finger at the dragon. A bolt of lightning leaped off of its finger, crossing the battlefield to strike the targeted monster. Prime Material dragon was destroyed instantly, dissolving to dust under the sheer electrical power of the Calculator. When it had vanished, Penn pointed to the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Spoiler alert: THAT one is next."

"YES! YESYESYESYES!" Missy screamed, leaping over and grabbing Sunset in a hug. The two of them gleefully hopped up and down together, gripping each other as tightly as they could.

"He did it! HE DID IT!"

12700 > 6100

The drop in Josh's life points was terrifying, cutting them down to less than half of what they had been mere moments before. Along with his life points, his confidence seemed to vanish, as well, since Sunset could see his hand shaking as he moved to draw his next card.

"Why do you even want to SAVE her so badly?" he muttered. "Don't you know what she DID? Did she tell you that she was the one who broke everything?"

Sunset felt shame begin to settle over her again. She knew that even thinking about what she had done would give the darkness a chance to encroach on her more, but she couldn't help it. Maybe he had a point? What is she really WAS the bad guy in this scenario?

"So many people have been hurt because of HER! I'm doing everyone a favor!"

Penn folded his arms over his chest, allowing a pause in the duel to chat with his opponent.

"If the multiverse was so fragile that trying to CLOSE a portal like she did could shatter it, don't you think this was going to happen sooner or later?"

Sunset blinked, surprised at Penn's argument. Every time they'd ever talked about it, he had been reassuring to her, promising that it wasn't her fault and that they would fix it as best they could. He had focused on making reparations together and trying to tell her that she needed not to feel guilty about it. This was different. It was... pragmatic.

"Sure, maybe she did break it all, but it seems to me that this whole universe had the stability of a stained-glass window. She was just unlucky enough to be the straw that broke the camel's back." Penn shrugged his shoulders. "Wrong place, wrong time." Penn thought for another moment, then gestured around him. "And LOOK! We're having a real-life duel with real-life monsters! A genuine shadow game, straight out of the cartoons I loved when I was a kid! And you don't even think that's a little cool?"

"People have DIED!" Josh stamped his foot as he roared with outrage. Somehow, Penn continued to keep his cool.

"And Sunset Shimmer is to blame? She made Daleks deadly and programmed GLaDOS to release neurotoxin? Yeah, she let some awful things out of their own universes, but she didn't make them killers!" He pointed an accusatory finger at Joshua. "You're looking for a scapegoat, plain and simple!"

Sunset blinked, looking at the situation with new eyes. Maybe he was right...

Maybe I NEED to accept what IS my fault... to understand what isn't?

Josh, meanwhile, wasn't taking Penn's words nearly as well. His fists clenched and he glared at Penn renewed fury as Aroma Jar shrouded him in mist once again.

6100 > 6600

"If you're going to ally yourself with the one who's responsible for all of this, then I'll send you to the same place I sent her!" he shouted, drawing his next card. "I'll start by activating Pot of Greed to draw two more cards!" As he carried out the effect, though, something unexpected happened.

Sunset felt a tug. Somewhere, deep in her chest, it was as if someone had wrapped their hand around her heart and yanked it a few inches back.

"Sunset? Sunset, what's wrong?" Missy asked, floating over to her. Sunset tried to answer, but she felt locked in place, unable to move or speak as her entire body clenched up. "Come on, talk to me, Sunset!"

Josh looked at the card he had drawn with a hungry glint in his eyes, and Sunset knew exactly what it was. She didn't know how or why, but she could FEEL his eyes on her, the malice in his heart as he placed the new card down alongside Ra.

"Or maybe... I should bring HER to YOU!"

Her window to the outside and Missy's face both began to fade away, the darkness closing in on her completely. A new sensation completely overtook her, something like the feeling of falling while laying completely still. It lasted only a few seconds, but it felt like an eternity. Finally, the darkness began to clear, and she was in a new location, completely restored to her full body. She tried to turn her head, look around at her surroundings, but found that her body wouldn't respond. Still, what she COULD see was more than enough to confirm her worst fears.

She was staring directly at Montage Dragon and The Calculator. She was now standing on Josh's side of the battlefield, with Aroma jar to her left and Ra to her right.

Behind her, she could hear Josh cackling.

"You know, I always wondered why nobody in the show used those souls they put inside cards to duel with!" he continued, "Now, if you want to get to me, even if you destroy Ra, you're going to have to go through her!"

Sunset could see Missy floating behind Penn, wildly waving her arms and mouthing words, but she couldn't hear her. Penn's eyes were wide and his face had gone pale.

"And now I'll play Emergency Provisions!" Josh continued. "By sacrificing Ra's useless equip spell, the trap card I just drew, and the Spellbinding Circle holding back Montage Dragon, I can gain 3000 life points back!"

6600 > 9600

Sunset could hear the counter climbing even further, soundly placing the advantage even further in his favor.

"And let's not forget about Aroma Jar!"

9600 > 10100

Sunset couldn't see Josh, but she could hear the smugness in his voice. "So what if you have more attack points than Ra? I'll change it to defense position! Even if you destroy it, I have plenty of life points to spare! Attack me, don't attack me, either way you can't win without destroying Sunset Shimmer's soul!"

Sunset didn't have to think long about the situation to realize he was right. With Ra and Aroma jar both in defense position, the only way Penn could hurt Josh was to attack her.

Penn drew his next card into his hand. Sunset wished that she knew what was going through his mind. Missy peeked anxiously over his shoulder, even as he was unaware of her presence. Sunset had to wonder whether or not she was okay with him destroying her to save himself. She had to admit, as selfish as it was, she didn't want to die.

Penn held out a new card.

"I activate Enemy Controller! With this card, I can change Ra back to attack position!" Above his head, what looked like a massive video game controller materialized. It beeped and began to press buttons on its own, and Ra responded by leaning forward, opening its beak and revealing the inferno waiting to be let out.

"Big deal! You can't kill me, even when Ra has zero attack points!"

Penn narrowed his eyes. "Then I'll take a lesson out of Sunset's book and get a little help from my friends." He held out a second spell.

"Ghostrick Costume Change!" He began to sort through his deck, separating out a pair of cards from the rest. "By sending two Ghostrick Monsters from my deck to the graveyard, I can change the names of two monsters on the field to match them! Montage Dragon will become Ghostrick Jackfrost, and the Calculator will become Ghostrick Lantern!"

Sunset watched as the two monsters both changed slightly. Montage Dragon's three heads each donned a replica of Jackfrost's blue cap and multicolored scarf, and the Calculator's head was covered by a massive jack-o'-lantern, with the numbers shining out through the mouth.

Was THAT the card Missy gave him? Sunset wondered. If the enthusiastic cheering Missy was giving behind him was any indication, then she was correct.

"And finally, I'm going to summon one more monster! Give us some help, Ghostrick GHOUL!"

The fifth creature was barely a speck sitting between Montage Dragon and The Calculator, dwarfed by the titans on either side. Its own attack appeared on a counter beside it.

1100

The Calculator swiftly did more math, accounting for the additional 3 levels of the new monster.

9000 > 9900

"Am I supposed to be impressed? Sunset tried to beat me with Ghostricks before, you know! And your Calculator STILL isn't strong enough!"

Sunset was shocked to see Penn smile at that.

"Then surely you must know what Ghoul's special ability is, right?"

The counter beside Ghostrick Ghoul began to tick upwards.

"The fact that, once per turn, it can change one Ghostrick monster's attack power..."

Ghoul began to swell in size, rapidly catching up to the monsters beside it, only to rapidly overtake them.

"To the combined attack power of every Ghostrick monster on the field?"

1100 > 20900

"No... NO! NO, YOU CAN'T!"

Josh's fruitless protests fell on deaf ears. Penn curled his hand into a fist and reeled back, a motion that his ten-story-tall monster mimicked.

"Remember what I told you your first mistake was?" Penn called out.

"THAT'S NOT- IT ISN'T-"

Penn lunged forward, and Ghoul did the same, throwing a giant punch just past her head and slamming fist-first into Ra. The explosion of Ra's obliteration overtook every one of Sunset's senses, with only one sound managing to break through the noise.

"NOT FAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRR!"

10100 > 0

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Sunset cracked open her eyes. She felt heavier, more grounded...

Which may have had something to do with the fact that she was laying on the ground.

"Hey, takeit easy..." a tired-sounding voice muttered. "You hadjur soul ripped out..."

Sunset turned her head, seeing Penn laying on the ground beside her. She wanted to jump up and hug him, but she had to admit, she FELT like she'd had her soul ripped out. Everything was tired and sluggish, as if every one of her limbs had fallen asleep and were just starting to wake up.

"You been mostly dead all day!" Missy's voice chimed in from her other side.

Sunset's head moved as fast as she could make it to confirm that, yes, Missy was still there and laying right next to her.

"M-Missy? You're still here?"

She heard Penn give a satisfied hum. "You can see'er too? I thou shewuz a hallucinination from the fresh drugs Isis gave me..."

"I kept TRYING to tell him to go to sleep, but he insisted on watching you himself!" Missy sat up, pouting with both arms over her chest.

Sunset gathered her strength and forced herself into a sitting position. "So all of that... really happened? I wasn't just dreaming, or something?"

Her answer came in the form of a forceful tackle-hug from the side by Missy. Penn, meanwhile, had shut his eyes and appeared to have fallen asleep. Getting a closer look at him, Sunset could see that the front of his clothes were all sun-bleached and singed in places, along with all of his exposed skin having turned a bright red. She was no expert, but it looked like most of his exposed skin had been badly sunburned.

"Is he okay?"

"Aside from minor burns from Ra's attack, it appears he will suffer no more injury than an overenthusiatic day at the beach would leave."

Isis's voice chimed in from Sunset's pocket. She reached down, retrieving her phone to make the AI easier to hear.

"I administered a new round of painkillers to help him rest, but discomfort and peeling will be the worst of his new injuries."

Sunset nodded. "Thanks, Isis. I'll make sure he gets his rest, this time."

"Affirmative. He should not awaken again before the predicted time at 3:30 PM tomorrow afternoon."

Sunset blinked, realizing one of the many unanswered questions could be answered here.

"Not that I'm ungrateful, but... how DID he wake up before? Wasn't he supposed to be knocked out so his back could heal until tomorrow?"

Missy scoffed, letting go of Sunset and taking a reclined position mid-air. "Well, OBVIOUSLY big sis woke him up when his cards were in danger!"

"A supernatural cause is the most likely reason, taking into consideration the data gathered from tonight's events."

"But... who's 'Big Sis?'" Sunset's brow furrowed. "He didn't even USE any cards that looked like they could be your sister... right?"

Missy smirked and nodded towards the duel disk.

"Well, sisters more by adoption than blood, but he DID use her! Who do you think he discarded to summon Montage Dragon?"

Sunset reached over, gently detaching the toy from Penn's arm and reaching to remove the cards inside... only for nothing to be there. Missy's eyebrows raised, only for her to reach down into the pouch on Penn's belt and turn up empty-handed there, as well. She shrugged.

"Well, she DOES like her privacy... I'm sure she'll make herself known eventually."

Sunset sighed, then shrugged. She was much too tired to press the matter. She laid back down next to Penn, closing her eyes. Just as she was about to drift off to sleep, a thought came to mind.

"What happened to HIM?"

"After the final blow, there was no sign of Joshua remaining. It would be logical, given the 'double or nothing' pretense of the duel, he was banished in both body and soul to the shadows. However, no certainty in that matter has been ascertained."

"Don't worry, there's no coming back from a trouncing THAT bad!" Missy cheered. "But I'll keep watch, if that makes you feel better!"

Sunset smiled and nodded.

"Hey, Isis? I think I'm going to want to sleep in tomorrow..."

"Affirmative. Alarm disabled."
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