Turn 9: A Clashing of Suns
Today's adventure begins one morning in a small little apartment, situated between a bakers and a DMV.
Within that apartment, the sound of a buzzing alarm clock filled the air and caused the awakening of a certain girl. This girl had orange skin and hair that was a mix of red and yellow. She moaned as she reached over and struck the alarm, then got up and looked around.
Sunset Shimmer looked around at her apartment and smirked.
After the events around the Crystal Tower incident, Sunset had wanted to become a little more independent. As such, she had moved out of the apartment atop Freeze Industries and found this little place. It might not have been much, but it was hers. Sure, she had to work two jobs in order to pay for it, but she didn't care.
Speaking of which, Sunset needed to get up and get going. She had a Duelling Class at the Freeze Stadium before she had to pick up her sushi shift at the mall. Long day.
Sunset sighed as she got out of bed and began to prepare, her TV automatically switching on as the weather and news came on. As she changed into an orange shirt, purple skirt and black leather vest, her ears picked up as a particular news article was talked about.
"We are only one week away from the qualifying rounds of the Double X Tournament. Many Duellists under the age of twenty will be competing for the chance to turn pro, but who will be the one standing at the top by the end."
Sunset sighed. She of course knew about the tournament, but it wasn't like she could compete. She was far to busy with her work to do that. And even if she had the time, she didn't have anyone to team up with. "Maybe next time," she said before switching off the TV and heading out the door.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Canterlot, there was a large airport with many planes flying to and from it.
Within the terminal we find Twilight, riding an escalator down to the first floor while trying to hide her face under a large hat and sunglasses. The reason for the disguise you ask. Well...
"HOLA CANTERLOT!" Tidal screamed from a few steps up the escalator, dressed in flashy clothes with multiple shopping bags in hand. "Tidal here, ready to show you all the hip new trends direct from Paris."
Twilight just sighed as they reached the bottom of the escalator, trying not to make eye contact with anyone staring at the lunatic behind her. "Can't you be a little more calm?"
Tidal stepped up next to her and grinned down at her, "of course not. I'd have thought you'd be even happier then I am, being back home."
"I am," Twilight replied. "But you don't need to scream it at the top of your lungs."
"Twilight!" The girl turned to see the face of her sister in law, accompanied by the face of her niece. This made her grin almost as much as Tidal, as she rushed over to them.
"Cadance, Flurry!" The three hugged each other, Twilight pulling away while taking the baby in her arms. "Oh, look at you. Already so big." The baby laughed as her aunt gave her funny faces, while Tidal stepped up next to them. Doing so made Twilight remember something, as she gave Flurry back to her mother and reached into one of his bags. "Flurry," she pulled her hand out to show she was holding a blue teddy bear, "look what I've got."
Flurry laughed even harder as she reached out for the bear, the adults laughing as Twilight handed it over. With the baby occupied, the adults talked while heading out the terminal. "So could Shining not make it?" Twilight asked.
"No," Cadance shock her head, "he's really busy helping with the promotion of the tournament. But if you want, we can head over to the Freeze Stadium and see him."
Twilight smiled, "I'd love that." And so it was decided, as the lot of them headed to where Cadance was parked and got in the car. It was a long drive from the airport, but Twilight didn't mind. It gave her lots of time to play with Flurry and her new bear.
Eventually they arrived outside the stadium, parked up and headed inside.
The place was very busy, with Duellists of all ages playing on tables, the floor and a few Duel Tables. "Wow," Twilight said, "I didn't expect so many Duellists here right now."
"They're all training for the Double X," Cadance explained to her. "Freeze Industries has been financing coaches to help the less experienced Duellists with understanding the rules and what kind of strategies they can come up with."
"Excelente!" Tidal cried as they made their way through the building.
Eventually, they spotted a familiar head of blue air among the crowd of young Duellists around him. "Shining Armor!" The man looked up and smiled brightly at the sight of his sister, quickly making his way through the crowd until the two met and pulled each other into a hug.
"Twily!" He cried as he spun her around, then placed her back on her feet before pulling away. "It's so good to see you."
"It's great to see you too BBBFF." With that, the lot of them began walking through the stadium again. However, Shining's face appeared to be one of concern.
"Twily, are you sure you're okay? After what happened, and now you dropping out of school to compete." This made Twilight frown for a moment, only to then smile back up at her brother.
"I admit, it hasn't been easy. But I really think this is what's best for me right now. I need a challenge that can push me, and the Double X is that challenge." She gave her brother a wink, "so don't worry about me Shiny."
Shining continued to give her a look of concern, but her words and the confidence with which she said it seemed to help him decide to trust her. "Okay Twily. But if you're gonna compete, you're gonna need to get a team together fast."
"I know," Twilight said. "I already have one member of my team picked out," Tidal smirked at this while going a heroic pose behind her. "Now all I need is my third."
"That's gonna be tricky," Cadance said. It was in that moment that they walked to an area of the stadium where a bunch of kids were playing, while a familiar red and yellow haired girl was watching them.
"Wait," Twilight said as she saw her, "is that?"
"I'll take the first move," one of the kids said. "I draw and summoned Barrel Dragon to the field."
"Hold it," Sunset said. "You can't play Barrel Dragon." This made the kid look at her in confusion.
"Why not?" He asked.
"Barrel Dragon's Level is too high," she explained. "You can't just summon it from your hand."
"So how do I summon it?"
"First you have to sacrifice monsters from your field."
"But I don't have any monsters on my field."
"That's why you need to summon a low level monster to the field and then tribute it."
"Oh," the kid said, "alright. Then I'll summon X-Head Cannon. Then I'll tribute it to summon Barrel Dragon!"
"You can't do that!" Sunset almost yelled, scaring the kids slightly. Everyone chuckled at this, as they watched the girl almost pull her hair out. This laughing was heard by Sunset, who spun around as her face went red with anger. "Which of you twerps is laughing!?" But when she saw who the culprits were, she seemed to calm down. "Twilight?"
Twilight waved at Sunset, "hey. Long time no see."
Several minutes later.
After they had calmed down the kids and Tidal agreed to take over Sunset's lesson, she, Twilight, Shining, Cadance and Flurry headed over to the stadium's food court for lunch. "Thanks guys," Sunset said. "I'm not sure I would have been able to deal with those brats on my own."
"Don't sweat it Sunset," Twilight said.
Sunset just sighed as she grabbed her drink and and started slurping up the liquid through the straw. "Maybe it was a mistake to volunteer as a training coach."
"Don't say that," Shining said. "You're a great Duellist."
"That doesn't make me a good teacher though," Sunset pointed out. "I just can't seem to connect with them." She sighed once again, "I want to try and spread the joy of Dueling to as many people as possible. But that seems to be easier said then done."
"I'm sure you'll find a way," Cadance encouraged her.
"I don't know," Sunset said.
As she listened, Twilight thought for a moment until she came to a decision. "Sunset, you're the same age as me right?"
This question confused the girl, "of course."
Twilight smiled, "then how would you like to join my team?"
The three stared at her, contemplating what she was talking about. Eventually, Cadance and Shining grinned. "That's a great idea Twi," Shining told her.
"Wait," Sunset spoke up, "what team." Twilight quickly explained about her plans to join the Double X, Sunset's eyes going wide as she heard. "Really? you want me on your team."
"Of course," Twilight said. "You're a great Duellist and this would be a great way for you to show the world how amazing the game is."
Sunset thought about this, agreeing that it would be nice to compete. But the biggest problem was that she couldn't. "Sorry guys," she said as she put her drink down. "But I can't join you."
"Why not?" Twilight asked with a pout.
"Because I don't have the time. I'm working two jobs in order to just make ends meat. I don't have time to compete." This made the others all frown.
"I'm sure there's some way for you to join," Twilight said.
"Maybe Cold could help you out," Cadance suggested.
"No," Sunset crossed her arms, "Cold's already done too much for me. I need to be independent."
The others sighed before Shining spoke up. "Just because you're independent, doesn't mean you can't have any help. If Cold is willing to lend you a hand, then it's alright to take it."
"And besides," Cadance went on. "Wouldn't you want to go pro. That's a great way to become independent and show the world the beauty of the game."
"Come on Sunset," Twilight placed a hand on the girl's. "I can't do this without you."
Sunset stared at Twilight for a moment, seeing how much trust she was putting in her. Eventually, she sighed but nodded. "Alright, I'm in."
"YES!" Twilight screamed.
Later that day, in the park.
Flash, Spike, Rarity, Applejack and Pinkie were waiting at the fountain. The lot of them were feeling rather impatient as time seemed to drag on. However, eventually the one they were waiting for arrived.
"Guys!" They all looked around and smiled when they saw Twilight running up to them.
"Twi!" Flash cried as he ran towards her. The two met halfway as Twilight threw her arms around Flash's neck, the boy spinning the girl around before putting her down. Once back on her feet, Twilight leaned up to give him a kiss on the lips.
Everyone except Spike awed at this, as the two pulled away from one another. "Hola mi amigos!" They all turned to see Tidal walking towards them, along side Sunset. "Do I get some of that love."
Flash just stepped back. "Not the same kind of love, but I'm good for a handshake."
"Dulce!" Tidal cried as they did so, while the rest of their friends grouped up around them.
"So darling," Rarity said to Twilight, "why the sudden decision to enter the Double X?"
Twilight smiled. "It's...complicated. All you guys need to know is I'm entering and I'm going to win."
"Not against our team," Spike told his sister before turning to Sunset. "So are you gonna be on Twi's team as well?"
Sunset nodded. "I am. I took a little convincing, but they managed to twist my arm."
"That's great," Applejack said. "But what about ya'h third?"
Before Twilight could say anything, Tidal leapt infront of her. "That would be me! The one and only Tidal Wave will be standing besides these two lovely ladies as we take our victory lap." He let out a long laugh before turning to the lot of them, only to see looks of confusion dawning on their faces. "What?"
"Tidal," Flash spoke up, "I don't think you can enter."
"What?" Tidal asked, "why not?"
Rarity just sighed as she explained. "Because the last I checked, you're twenty one."
"So?"
"This is the Double X Tournament," Flash reminded him. "Not the Double X I Tournament. You've gotta be under twenty to enter."
Tidal let these words sink into his head, only to fall to his knees. "NOOOOO! I'm sorry Twilight. I failed you!"
Twilight laughed at this before patting him on the head. "Don't worry Tidal, I'm happy you'd go to such lengths for me. Besides, I already have the third member ready."
"You do?" Tidal asked.
"Hello everyone." They all turned to the source of the rather quite voice, only to smile when they saw Fluttershy walking up to them. "Sorry I'm late."
Twilight smiled as she moved over to her, "don't worry Fluttershy. I'm so glad you agreed to join the team."
"Wait," Flash spoke up, "Fluttershy's on your team?" The two girls just nodded their heads, "but I thought you hated competing in tournaments?"
"I admit I'm not a big fan of them," Fluttershy replied. "But if a friend is in need, I don't mind."
"So then why didn't you let me know that when I was looking for a third?" This made Fluttershy pout.
"You didn't ask. You just assumed I wouldn't help you." Everyone turned to give Flash a questioning look, making him feel very embarrassed as he tried to think of a way to get the eyes off of him. Then he saw it.
"Sunburst!" He rushed passed them to stand right infront of his teammate, who had just arrived in the area. "Great timing," he started pushing the boy to the others. "Twilight, let me introduce my third teammate Sunburst."
Twilight smiled at the boy, "it's nice to meet you."
"Err...hi," Sunburst said.
"I figured you two might get along," Flash told them. "You both use spellcaster monsters, plus he's almost as big a bookworm as you." Sunburst just glared at him for calling him a bookworm. "And he's strong. So strong that he almost beat me when we Duelled." This got Twilight's attention, along with someone else.
"He did huh?" Sunset asked before stepping over to him. She looked the boy over, making the boy feel a little uneasy. "Someone close to me went to a lot of trouble to get this chump to where he is now."
"Chump?" Flash asked.
"So if you were able to push him to the limit you must be pretty strong."
Sunburst just looked away, "I'm okay I guess."
"Don't be humble," Spike said with a punch to the shoulder. "Sunburst is really strong."
"Alright then," Sunset said. "Then let's see it." She pulled out her Duel Disk. "I could use a warm up Duel to get the cobwebs off my deck. What do you say?"
Sunburst didn't look so sure, turning to glance at the rest of his friends. But seeing them give him a nod of agreement only made him sigh. "Alright," he pulled out his Duel Disk, "let's do this."
Sunset smiled with a node before they moved to a more open spot. Once their, the two strapped on their Duel Disks as the others moved over to the side.
"Duel!"
Sunset: 4000
Sunburst: 4000
As the Duel began, Sunset looked over at Sunburst. "I'll let you take the first move." Time to see what it was about this kid that made the others think he was so good.
"Alright," Sunburst said as he drew his card. Once again he took some time to look through his options and decide the best course of action, eventually making his move before everyone could get bored. "I'll start by summoning Burn Blader to the field, in ATK mode!" The blazing suit of armour appeared, swinging its flaming sword as it did. (A1800/D100/L4) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."
"Took him long enough," Tidal said.
Twilight nodded. "After all that planning, I was expecting something a little bigger."
"That's just Sunburst's style," Flash told her. "He likes to start cautiously so he can get a feel for his opponent's tactics."
"Time to see if Sunset can impress him," Spike said.
"Here goes!" Sunset drew her card, smiling as a plan formulated in her head. "I'll start by summoning Knight of Summer, Aestas, in ATK mode." A fireball erupted infront of her before a knight in golden armour and an orange cloak appeared, carrying a flaming rapier. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Now I attack your Burn Blader!"
"What?" Sunburst asked while the others looked confused. "But my monster's way strong then yours."
"Maybe," Sunset said, "but that'll change once I activate Aestas's ability. By giving up a maximum of five hundred life points, I can decrease your monsters ATK by the same amount."
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 4000
Sunburst looked up at his monster and saw its power begin to drop. (A1400/D100/L4)
"That's not all," Sunset continued. "If I take damage due to an effect, I can summon Scorch Sorcerer from my hand." Another fireball exploded infront of her before a wizard in red and black robes appeared. (A2000/D1600/L4) As it did, Aestas stabbed Burn Blader with his rapier and destroyed it.
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 3900
"I activate my face down," Sunburst said as his card flipped over to reveal a Trap. "Light the Beacons!" A bonfire appeared infront of him. "Since you destroyed a monster, this card lets me take a Level four or below Fire Monster from my hand or deck and summon it to the field." His deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which Sunburst took out as the bonfire exploded to reveal Sunburst's UFO Turtle. (A1400/D1200/L4)
"Alright then," Sunset said. "Then I'll have my Scorch Sorcerer destroy it." The spellcaster fired a blast of fire at the metal turtle, destroying it.
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 3300
Sunburst groaned at the heat. "Well when UFO Turtle's destroyed, I can summon a Fire monster from my deck whose ATK is fifteen hundred or less. So I'll summon Sunburst Apprentice," the young wizard appeared before him. (A1500/D1300/L4)
Sunset smiled as she placed a card from her hand into her graveyard. "By discarding Magician of Unified Flames, I can activate his effect." Another fire patterned wizard appeared, holding up a staff before unleashing a blast of magic the struck the sky to create a vortex above Sunset's monsters. "Now watch, as I combine the burning courage of a warrior with with blazing intellect of a magician!" The two jumped into the vortex, "I FUSION SUMMON!"
The vortex exploded to reveal a monster many mistook for Dark Paladin. This one however, was dressed in red and yellow clothes and the blade of his weapon was on fire. "Mystic Paladin of Glorious Sunstroke!" (A?/D?/L10) "And when Mystic Paladin is Fusion Summoned, his ATK and DEF points become the combined Levels of the materials times three hundred. (A2400/D2400/L10) "I'll end my turn by playing a Continuous Spell called Mind Scan. Now, you have to show me every card you draw."
Sunburst frowned while the others looked impressed. "Sunset clearly hasn't lost any of her skill," Spike said.
Rarity nodded, "but can Sunburst keep up?"
"He will," Flash assured her. "This is where the Duel gets interesting."
"It's my turn," Sunburst reached for his deck. "I draw."
"Remember," Sunset told him, "I get to see what you drew."
Sunburst just smiled. "That's fine. He showed his card and everyone saw it was Blaze Wizard. "Because I'm summoning it to the field in ATK mode!" His monster appeared in a burst of fire. "And when he's summoned, I can add a Ritual Monster from my deck to my hand!" His deck slotted out a card, which he took before activating. "Sunburst Gate!" The stone arch appeared behind his monsters, the two of them exploding into fireballs that flew into seven of the archway's star holes.
Sunburst closed his eyes and began to chant. "Mystical fire, that burns like the sun, give life to the wizard whose intellect cannot be extinguished!" The wooden doors of the gate flew open and unleashed a giant fireball, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The fireball exploded to reveal Sunburst's ace. "Sunburst Magician!" (2300/D2200/L7) "Next, I'll activate his ability."
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 3000
"By paying three hundred life points, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and summoned a Level four or lower Fire monster to my field." He drew his cards showing them to everyone as he frowned. Only one of them was a monster and it's level was above four
"Not one card was what he needed?" Twilight asked.
"Talk about unlucky," Applejack said.
"That's alright," Flash told them. "Sunburst ain't done yet."
"I activate Sunburst Apprentice's ability. Since I have another Sunburst monster on my field, I can summon him from the graveyard." The younger version of Sunburst's Ritual monster appeared besides it's older counter part. "Now, Sunburst Apprentice's other ability can increase the power of any Fire monster on my field." Apprentice pointed his staff at Magician and shot a fireball at it, said fireball exploding around Magician and raising his power. (A2800/D2200/L7) "Attack!" Sunburst Magician unleashed a fireball, which Mystic Paladin tried to block but couldn't. His staff shattered before the flames struck him in the chest, destroying him.
Sunset: 3200
Sunburst: 3000
"Now, Sunburst Apprentice will attack you directly."
Sunset's eyes went wide as she watched another fireball come flying at her, only to raise her Duel Disk in defence. The flames struck the device, making her stagger back but manage to stay on her feet.
Sunset: 1700
Sunburst: 3000
"You alright?" Twilight asked her teammate.
"That was a hard hit," Fluttershy worried.
Sunset lowered her Duel Disk before turning to them, giving a thumbs up to show she was fine. "Don't worry about me," she turned back to Sunburst. "This kids not bad. No wonder Flash wanted him on his team."
Sunburst simply stared at her, wondering if he'd be able to keep this lead up. "I'll end my turn there. Sunburst Magician's ATK returns to normal." (A2300/D2200/L7)
"Then it's my turn," Sunset went to her deck. "I draw and activate Eruption Reloading. Now, by banishing a Fire monster from my grave, I can draw the same number of cards as its level." She removed Scorch Sorcerer before drawing four cards. "Next, I'll summon my Knight of New Dawn, Novaculo!" A female knight appeared, wearing golden armour while carrying a a gold ram dao and triangular shield. (A1300/D500/L3/P4) "And when Novaculo is summoned, I can discard a card to add any Fire monster from my deck to my hand. Once that was done, she sighed. "Now, I'm using scale two Rocket Smasher and scale eight Corona Beast Sun-Heart Lion Cub, to set the the Pendulum Scale!"
The pillars of light appeared besides her, as two monsters flew up into them. One was a teen girl carrying a massive golden hammer, while the other was a lion cub with a golden helmet and dagger in its mouth. "Now I can burn through space time and blaze the arc of victory, to summon monsters levelled three through seven all at the same time." Above her, a portal formed. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened and a single fireball shot out, smashing into the ground and exploding as a new monster flew out. "Ignite your flame of victory, Solar Flare Phoenix." (A2500/D2100/L7/P4) "And since Solar Flare Phoenix was Special Summoned, her effect now activates." Sunset's monster flapped its wings and spread fire around her. "Since my life points are below two thousand her ability will cause them to double."
"What!?" Sunburst asked before looking down at his Duel Disk.
Sunset: 3400
Sunburst: 3000
"No way." In one monster, Sunset had managed to turn the tide.
"Now," Sunset continued as her knight rushed forwards, "Novaculo will attack your Apprentice!"
"But Apprentice is stronger?" Pinkie asked.
"What's she thinking?" Spike asked.
Sunset just smiled, "I'm thinking of using Sun-Heart Lion Cub's Pendulum Ability. Since a Fire monster is declaring an attack on another monster, its ATK increases by the target's level time one hundred." Sunburst's eyes went wide as he watched Novaculo's ATK power suddenly increase by four hundred. (A1700/D500/L3/P4) With one single slash of her ram dao, Sunburst Apprentice was destroyed.
Sunset: 3400
Sunburst: 2800
"And now my Solar Flare Phoenix will attack your Sunburst Magician!" The bird's entire body ignited before it flew high into the air. "And don't forget, Lion Cub will increase it's ATK by your monster's level. (A3200/D2100/L7/P4) Sunburst watched as the Phoenix circled around before dive-bombing his monster, causing an explosion as it made contact.
Sunset: 3400
Sunburst: 1900
Sunset smiled as she took a card out of her hand. "I place one card face down and end my turn." Her monster's ATK points returned to normal. (A2500/D2100/L7/P4), (A1300/D500/L3/P4)
Sunburst simply stared at the girl as he took Sunburst Magician off his Duel Disk and placed it in his grave. That girl had performed a high level duel stratagy like it was nothing. That kind of skill should take years to hone and developed and she did it without even thinking. She was just like..."him." Sunburst turned to the one in question, Flash.
He and lot of his friends had the type of skills most spent their whole lives trying to gain. What kind of training or opponents had they gone through in order to reach this level.
Suddenly, he found himself flashing back to a time long ago.
The past
Sunburst fell to the ground as his life points hit zero, while laughter filled the air.
"Another loss for him," his opponent said.
"To bad," a bystander agreed. "If he could actually win a Duel, he'd be top of the class." Sunburst sighed as he heard this, knowing they were right.
Later, Sunburst was standing infront of a desk as the teacher behind it looked through a folder. "Your academic skill is remarkable, but in the field you collapse under the pressure."
"I know," Sunburst said.
"I'm afraid if you don't start showing improvements, you won't be able to pass the semester." This just made Sunburst look down at the floor in shame, knowing that wasn't going to happen.
Present
Sunburst shook his head to clear the memories away, refocusing on the Duel in front of him. He had to focus on winning. "It's my turn," he reached for his deck. "I draw!" He looked at his card, then showed it to everyone else. It was another Ritual Card, but did he have enough monsters to use it. "I activate the effect of Sunburst Gate from the graveyard." He took both it and Sunburst Magician out of his graveyard, then shuffled his spell into his deck as his monster was placed back into his hand.
"What'd he do?" Spike asked.
"Best guess," Twilight replied. "By shuffling the Spell back into his deck, he can add a Ritual Monster from his grave to the hand."
"That's right," Sunburst replied. "Now I have everything I need, to activate my other Ritual Spell. Sunburst Altar!" Everyone watched as the stone table and bronze basin appeared infront of Sunburst, along with the twelve candle stands. "Now, I sacrifice Sunburst Magician." The Ritual Monster monster appeared above the altar before exploding into seven fireballs, which flew over to the candles and lit them. "Courageous flames, that burn like the sun, give life to the warrior whose fiery heart cannot be extinguished!" The fire on the candles shot up before flying into the basin, "I RITUAL SUMMON!"
The basin exploded, the fire shooting up and took form before fading. "Sunburst Knight!" (A2600/D1900/L7) "Next I play Sunburst Guardian in DEF mode." Another knight appeared besides Sunburst Knight, holding its sun shaped shield up defensively." (A1400/D1800/L4) "Now, I'll have him attack your Knight of New Dawn. But not before his effect kicks in." Sunburst Knight raised his sword, as every other monster on the field suddenly found themselves being drained off power.
"What's going on?" Sunset asked.
"Sunburst Knight gains five hundred ATK points from every other Fire monster on the field during the Battle Phase. Including yours, there are three Fire monsters. That makes a total of fifteen under points for him." (A4100/D1900/L7) Once fully powered up, Sunburst Knight rushed forwards, aiming for Sunset's knight.
The others grew nervous, as Fluttershy spoke up. "If this attack hits, Sunset's only gonna have six hundred life points left."
"Come on Sunset," Twilight cheered.
Seconds before Knight could hit Novaculo, Solar Flare Phoenix suddenly flew between them as the sword slashed it in half. It let out on final cry before exploding into flames, the embers raining down on Sunset and singing her.
Sunset: 1800
Sunburst: 1900
"What happened?" Sunburst asked, only to spot the cause flipped upwards infront of Sunset. Her face down.
"Interception. This Trap lets a stronger monster take the hit, so Solar Flare protected Novaculo."
Sunburst groaned at this, knowing that next turn she'd revive her monster and increase her life points again. He was gonna be back to square one again. "I end my turn." Sunburst Knight's ATK power returned to normal. (A2600/D1900/L7)
Sunset smiled at Sunburst as she reached for her deck. You've got skill, I'll grant you that. A little rough around the edges but there's a lot of potential there." She drew her card and smiled at it, "I can see why Flash wanted you on his team, but don't think you'll be beating me. I activate the Pendulum Effect of Rocket Smasher. During my Standby Phase, I can ditch a monster before summoning a monster from my graveyard whose Level is lower then the discarded monster. So I'll discard Blaze Wing Firebird in order to summon Sun Ray Salamander from my graveyard!"
Sunburst watched as a black and gold lizard appeared besides Novaculo. (A100/D100/L1)
"When did that card get in your graveyard?" Sunburst asked.
"Remember Novaculo's effect?" Sunset asked, making him realise what must have happened. "Next, my Pendulum Scale will once again blaze the arc of victory!" The portal appeared above her once again, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"
The portal opened up before a pair of fireballs shot out of it before hitting the ground, exploding to reveal Sunset's monsters. "unsheathe your claws, Blaze Fang Sun Tiger." (A1200/D1100/L3)
"Ignite your flames of victory once more, Solar Flare Phoenix." (A2500/D2100/L7) "And don't forget her ability," Sunset smirked as the healing flames surrounded her.
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 1900
"And whenever my life points change due to an effect, Sun Tiger's ATK goes up by the same amount." (A3000/D1100/L3)
"Not good," Sunburst gulped
"I'm not done yet," Sunset told him. "Now watch as I tune level one Sun Ray Salamander, with level seven Solar Flare Phoenix." The little lizard glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Solar Flare Phoenix flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your flame to burn brighter then ever." The Phoenix was consumed by a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"
The light faded, revealing Sunset's monster. "Solar Phoenix Rebirth!" (A3000/D2500/L8)
"Really not good," Sunburst said as Sunset pointed towards his Monsters.
"Sun Tiger, Take out his Sunburst Guardian!" The tiger's fangs ignited before it bounced at Sunburst's monster, tearing through his shield and destroying him. "Next, Rebirth will destroy your Sunburst Knight!" The giant bird exploded into fire as it flew up.
Sunburst looked at his hand and field, trying to find a way to stop this but couldn't. And not only that, Sun-Heart Lion Cub's effect was still active and increased Rebirth's ATK by seven hundred. (A3700/D2500/L8) Rebirth arched around before diving-bombing Sunburst Knight, destroying it as a wave of fire struck Sunburst and knocked him over.
Sunset: 3600
Sunburst: 800
"Now, Novaculo will end this!" The knight charged forward, ram dao igniting as she raced towards Sunburst as he finished picking himself up.
Sunburst saw the monster coming and realised the Duel was over. "Guess I still have a lot to learn," was all he said as he lowered his head in shame. With one mighty slash, Novaculo wiped out the last of his life points.
Sunset: 3600 (Winner)
Sunburst: 0
As the monster began to fade, Sunset moved over to the now kneeling Sunburst. The teen seemed to be in a daze, which only broke when a hand came into his sight. "Huh?" He looked up at a smiling Sunset.
"That was a great Duel. I'm sure now that Flash was right to pick you for his team."
Sunburst said nothing, simply accepting her hand before being pulled up to his feet. Then, without a word, he turned away from her and began to walk away. "Sunburst?" Flash asked as he walked away, "what's up? Don't you want to Duel Twilight or someone else?" Sunburst said nothing, simply continuing to walk away from the now frowning group.
"What's up with him?" Sunset asked before turning to Flash, "did I do something in the Duel to upset him?"
Flash just shrugged, "I don't know."
Spike stepped up next to Flash, a look of concern on his face. "Flash, I'm worried."
Flash sighed, also a little worried. Hopefully, whatever was wrong with Sunburst would be fixed before the qualifier next week. All the teams were together and setting their sights on the Double X, but who would stand at the very top by the end of it?
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Poor Sunburst.
The poor guy has serious confidence issues. Why do I have a bad feeling that everything is going to get a lot worse before they get better? 
Well, now all the main teams have been formed and all that’s left is for them to qualify. Sunburst seems to have a few problems to work out though. It kinda seems like he has more than just confidence issues, but more like borderline depression from past events.
Since Barrel Dragon is level 7 and requires 2 sacrifices, shouldn’t that be “monsters”?
the
Sunset used the word 'skill' to describe what Sunburst has
Pretty much Everyone-
Me- Finally someone uses the right term!
Everyone else- Shut up the buck up Grammar Nazi!
Questions, how did Sunset arrange her schedule to join the tournament?
Why is it at the park that everyone meets Twilight, if their friendship is as strong as the narrative implies, wouldn't they all be there to pick her up? This is especially true for Flash, boyfriend ediquet requires you pick up your girlfriend at the airport. And why wasn't Shining, Spike and her parents there, Everyone's little Twilly was coming home... Family shows up...
And wait... there's a duelist academy in this universe?
Sorry lost the forest among the trees, great duel between the Suns. Glad to see Sunset back in the game. Also love the dash of Flattersash.
Tidal's "No!":
this guy is gonna be the comic relief and I love it.
Looking forward to the first of the qualifying rounds.
I kind of want the CMC to win the Double X from out of nowhere, Scootaloo has been screwed out if so many of the powers Flash has, she needs to level the field.
So we gonna see the Student Six, Terramare, Gabby, Ember, Starlight, Capper, Caelano, Pharynx... there are so many people that could show up, even Juniper, Wallflower and Vignette...
So who will our heroes square off with first?
9706656
In his character arch, that is often the case.
9706790 Flattersash?
9706763
That's a good question? Personally I never saw the sense in a level 7, 8, 9 or 10 needing two monsters for sacrifice if you used a level 5 or 6 as tribute. Although I call when you were able to normal summon any normal monster of any level from your hand. But that led to a balancing issue...
9704541
Rule of storytelling, unless the reader reads or the audience sees the actual death, the character is still alive. This goes all the way back to the pulp magazines, the medium that sired comic books (and by extesion post-War manga). Now we can infere one thing based on what is shown, but since we didn't witness the death, we can't rule out that it was a fakeout.
9704593
Why do I sense that is is ment to unleash Midnight Sparkle?
9706792
Fluttershy being sassy when she told Flash off that he just assumed she wouldn't compete
9706804 I think that term is called Sassyshy. That's what Firebrand calls it.
9706807
I prefer, Fluttersass, because you can't be shy when you have sass.
9706811 Point taken.
9706813
All that aside, why was Cadance and Flurry the only ones there to pickup Twilight?
9706821 School. Meant to put that in.
9706822
that makes even less sense, unless the city of Canterlot runs schools like in Japan or Twilight left Sunday afternoon/evening in Paris. But what about Night Light and Twilight Velvet? Certainly, one of them could have been there to pick up their little Twiliy or are they 'Mr. and Mrs. Not Appearing In This Story'? They were there for her in the hospital after she was trapped and almost suffocated.
9706822
Also, no 'Sunshine, Sunshine, ladybugs awake, clap your hands and do a little shake'? Sin. Double Sin, Triple Sin... I joke.
9706790
I'm not just talking about Sunburst. I'm also talking about Twilight and her situation with Moondancer. Also, between a depressed friend, a grieving girlfriend, and whatever dark secret he doesn't even know about yet, Flash is going to have his hands full. More importantly, I don't think those three things are unrelated.
9707020
Well for Flash, Sunburst's confidence matters is more of an inconvenience then a problem, and it seems to be vastly disconnected from the other two. And we only have the phone call that connects the other two.
However if I were a betting man, I'd wage that at some point Flash will have to duel Midnight Sparkle.
Poor Sunburst.
Seriously why all the downvotes?
9707050
Personally, assuming that Banshee's going to be adding some form of drama to their relationship, I hope he goes with the jealous Soarin misunderstands Flash and Rainbow's friendship route. That route requires less suffering on Flash's part. I know that option and the Midnight Sparkle route aren't mutually exclusive, but there's only so much I can stand when it comes to Flash suffering. 
I'm not denying that you could be right. I'm just hoping you're dead wrong.
That's another way to add drama to a relationship.
9707351
I admit that seeing more of Jealous Soarin would be funny, but I wonder how long him misunderstanding Flash and Rainbow’s friendship would last? It is only a matter of time before Soarin sees Flash and Twilight together, and Rainbow could tell him that Flash has a girlfriend at anytime. Though Soarin’s reaction to discovering he was just misunderstanding them would probably be hilarious. Though I guess it would also be possible of Soarin to be jealous of Flash’s dueling skills and how much Rainbow seems to respect them, which would be a motivation for him to get to Flash’s level.
9707351
Well, Midnight Sparkle might be the Final Boss fight near the end of the series. It's just a duel I wanted to see since I read Turn 2: Twilight
Sparkle back in Yugioh EQG.
9707363
What are you're thoughts on the possibility of Midnight Sparkle? Personally, I don't think my heart can take it if she shows up and Flash has to duel her.
9707380
If something like that did happen to Twilight then I bet Flash would probably be heartbroken and become desperate to save her. He’d probably adopt a “whatever it takes” attitude to try to make sure he wins and saves her. Though this kinda attitude does not always get as good results as you would think sometimes, so it can be a bit risky. Flash has suffered quite a bit at times and been through a lot, but I’d hate to see him go through something as cruel as losing the girl he loves.
Though it would still need to be established how Twilight could become Midnight Sparkle. She was corrupted by magic in canon, but the closest thing to actual magic here are the connections to duel monster spirits, not quiet the same thing though maybe close enough if you stretch it enough.
Though Twilight isn’t messing with something she doesn’t understand here so the only way I can see it happening is if she is either corrupted someway accidentally or, even worse, someone does it to her on purpose.
9707409
Fair enough. I know that my want for Flash to duel Midnight Sparkle comes of as callus, but I like the idea of Flash fighting for Twilight's very soul. His love for is so strong he'll fight all the forces of Hell even if it's the smallest chance to save her. Also there's the aftermath of such a duel, if Flash wins then there really is no barrier between Twilight and him, (not saying that this would win Twilight's heart, this duel would only thematically make sense if the two had already made each other their home..., you know home is where the heart is....)
9707380
But could your heart be healed if Flash wins and the two live happily ever after... I am gonna get thrown out of the CN and KH stories plot bunker aren't I.
9708866
The only thing worse is if Flash had to kill Twilight to keep the bad guy from winning only for the bad guy to use his time bending powers to render the act totally pointless. 
1. I put Flash through losing his mom last year.
2. I barely worked up the guts to get them to kiss last month.
3. After what happened to Jacob and Queenie in Crimes of Grindelwald, I NEED my OTP on the same side and NOT FIGHTING EACH OTHER!
9708967
Well then I guess we’re lucky Flash and Twilight are more like a Spider-Man and MJ relationship than a Vision and Scarlet Witch one, and that there is no Thanos equivalent threat wanting to kill half of all life (or at least none we have seen yet).
9708967
Well, technically the two wouldn't be fighting each other as Midnight Sparkle is for all accounts a separate entity from Twilight. So he wouldn't be fighting Twilight per se, he'd fight more of a manifestation of all Twilight's negative emotions and traits given a separate sapientcy, sentiacncey, personality, mind, etc... going with the Spider-Man comparison that Super suggested, he'd be fighting the symbiote more so than Peter Parker (the black suit Spider-man)...
I gonna land hard from the throw out of the bunker, aren't I? And I am not gonna be let back in for a good long while too?
9708993
I haven't seen Homecoming or Far From Home in their entirety, but from what I have seen of Homecoming and the clips of Far From Home buzzing the internet... I find Scarlett Witch and Vision a much more believable couple... but I am assuming you are referring to the newest Spider-Man movie incarnation, if you meant the early 2000's trilogy, then yes I do prefer comparing FlashLight to that then Scarlett Witch and Vision... black suit Spider-Man suit and all (personally I think everyone forgets that Peter Parker is a nerd at his core and while he's under the symbiotes influence he's less, well not socially conscious but more apathetic towards what others think and literally does what he wants regardless of anyone else... then again he does end up striking Mary Jane... but the Amazing Spider-Man incarnation actually kills his girlfriend (unintentionally but someone was scientifically inclined as him should have known that how he attempted to rescue her was gonna kill her because physics)...
...
...
you know on second thought maybe... just maybe there is tinnie tiny ever so small chance that the comparison to Scarlett Witch and Vision (Thanos and all) might ever so slightly actually be the better one in the smallest amount after all... maybe
9709315
You're lucky I'm not even supposed to be here. (I'll explain later.)
9709445
meep...