Dueling Around Canterlot

by Darthvalgaav

Reforged: Boy's Night Dueling (Forge vs Timber vs Flash)

Sweat dripped down Forge’s face as he swung his hammer down hard, striking the heated metal before him. Over and over again, he stuck it with all his might as he watched the metal’s shape slowly twist on the anvil into his desired form. Yet with each second that passed, the red glow of the material began to dim ever so slightly and the metal refused to move as ‘easily’ as it had before. That, however, did not dissuade Forge in the slightest as he pressed on with his work while the clang of hammer against metal sounded all around him. It was only when the metal had lost its glow completely did the teenage boy set down his mighty hammer.

After taking a breath while wiping away the sweat from his forehead, the teen looked forward to the outside world beyond his parent’s garage. This pleasant Sunday afternoon looked a little cloudy, though thankfully none of them looked like storm clouds. Nor did it feel humid outside which was a blessing to him. All these clouds seemed to do was bring a slight chill to the air, causing the folks in the neighborhood to stay indoors. Not once had he spotted anybody walking past his house; though that might also be because he had been working so hard. Still, Forge wished that the wind would blow his way, cooling his workspace a little. But, alas, we don’t always get what we want.

Before heating the metal once more, Forge grabbed a gallon milk jug filled with water and began to drink from it as he checked the rest of the garage. Unlike other garages he had seen, this one had none of the normal lawn equipment, fertilizer, cars draped in a cover, or anything like that. No. Instead, not too far from where he was standing was a large coal forge. With a special covering to keep as much heat as possible inside, the forge was measured at one yard long with an additional part in the back which could be equipped to this one so that it could handle materials twice that length. There was also a drum barrel, filled with oil used for quenching. Near the barrel was a hand truck which the teen used to take the barrel outside before the quench. After all, those flames got pretty big and his parents had told him that if he burned the garage down then that was the end of his hobby. There were also a number of tools on the shelves along the walls with wood materials he used to make things like handles.

Hanging on the walls, however, were some of his completed works. Several large swords that looked like they would have been wielded in the medieval ages hung with the tips facing downward, shining brightly even in this low light. Daggers, shields, and maces were all hung with pride while a massive warhammer that looked like it could break your back just by looking at it rested on a wooden table next to a picture of him and AJ. Forge’s eyes rested on the black and white picture, a reminder of his last date with the country girl. The two of them were smiling brightly, him in his old fashioned blacksmith clothing while she looked more like a tavern maiden that was ready to throw out anyone causing trouble.

As he removed his water supply from his lips, Forge could help but remember the time they had spent at the renaissance faire while a sappy smile appeared on his face. He had sold quite a bit of his wares that day along with his friends and had given several demonstrations to onlooking crowds. And while their cheers and excited questions had made him feel good, as had hearing them gasp when the flames shot out of his barrel, none of that compared to spending time with Applejack. He could still see her, looking like she had just stepped off the farm while checking to see if there was any straw in her hair. There was, which he helped take out as they made their way around. Together, they saw a number of shows like the jousting matches, falconry, and even a comical sword fight to the death while they ate smoked turkey legs. In between the shows, the two had wandered through the shops where they examined a number of the handmade items like books that had been made the old-fashioned way, hand dipped candles and candies, and so forth.

“This here is just the type of thing Ah like ta see,” Applejack had said as they watched a man blowing into hot glass and shaping it in front of a crowd, preparing to turn it into an eagle. “Hard workin’ people, usin’ their hands ta make something. Always mighty impressive if ya ask me.” As she spoke, Forge felt her hand move to touch his own causing the teen’s heart to dance a jig within his chest.

After they had left the show, Forge purchasing them both small glass figures, the two spotted a picture booth. While they could have just taken a few shots of themselves with their phones, the range of costumes appealed to Applejack for some reason. But rather than wearing one of the many gowns fit for a princess or queen, she had decided to go simple in a bar maiden attire. And, if Forge was being honest, it suited her far better. The outfit just complimented her hard working nature while highlighting her natural beauty so that when she stepped out the teen couldn’t help but blush.

And as he turned away, he noticed that she had noticed and was blushing as well.

Once the picture had been taken, both of them getting copies, Forge had to sadly return to work. The two of them parted ways, Applejack heading off to look around the faire some more by herself whilst Forge prepared for his own little demonstration. It was nothing too special as all he was doing was showing the audience how to make their own nails while even having some of the younger members in attendance doing it with him. But during the halfway point, he did spot Applejack again in his shop looking at some of the swords before turning to watch him.

When it was over and night was slowly set across the land, the two of them just decided to sit next to each other watching the fair goers as they got any last minute items for the day as well as food. When Forge turned to look at Applejack, he noticed that she was already looking at him with those lovely green eyes of hers. His heart thumped just a little bit louder, the whistling of the fireworks sounding as Applejack seemed to lean forward a bit. While nervous and unsure of what to do, Forge began to mirror his date. Then, before they could feel the other’s breath against their skin, both pulled away with glowing red cheeks.

Again, Forge licked his lips as he wished he could have pressed them against Applejack’s that night. To breathe in the scent of straw and apples that normally clung to her body while they shared that moment. To…no, he could wait. Wait until Applejack was ready to be that intimate with him. That had been their first real date after all and, from what he could tell, she seemed to enjoy it as much as he had. So maybe when she was free again they could take it a small step forward?

Grinning at the thought, Forge grabbed large metal tongs before picking up the metal. Carefully, he placed the metal into the coal forge before checking the temperature. Spotting that it was low, he reached under it to activate the most advanced technology he used when crafting his works: a hairdryer! As soon as he turned it on, constant air began to flow into the forge to heat up the coal and raise the temperature. Quickly righting himself, his eyes focused on the metal while his mind began to think of places he could take Applejack. Perhaps next time they could go hiking or something. Or was that too much for her after a long day on her feet? Maybe they could just chill with some movies like-

“I think this is the place.”

“You sure? I mean, that’s what you said about the last two houses.”

Forge’s ears perked at the two voices as they drew his attention away from his thoughts and his work. Glancing over, he didn’t spot anyone in the driveway nor across the street. Not even a parked car on the street with the windows down. He did, however, spot two shadows whose owners were clearly hiding outside his sight on the side of the garage.

As Forge cocked an eyebrow at this, the figures moved into sight. Both of them people he had seen before, but had rarely ever spoken to. The first, and the one he saw the most often, was Flash Sentry. The spiky blue haired teen was standing there in his usual jacket along with the lightning bolt shirt with a hand resting on the back of his neck, rubbing it slightly as he gave Forge a nervous smile. Besides him was the slightly older Timber Spouse, wearing a red shirt while forgoing his normal shorts in favor of a pair of jeans. His smile was a bit more confident, only falling briefly as he looked around at all the weapons hanging on Forge’s walls.

“Hey there Forge,” said Flash as he extended his hand. “Been a while, hasn’t it.”

“…Flash, we have the same third period. I just saw you on Friday,” replied Forge in a flat tone, watching as Flash cringed slightly at the awkwardness of the situation. Still, Forge removed the thick glove on his hand to shake Flash’s, careful not to crush it.

“Hope you remember me, right?” said Timber, pointing finger gun at Forge as he released Flash’s hand.

“Yeah, you’re that camp counselor who was hitting on Twilight the entire time we were there,” stated Forge, Timber’s eyes looking back and forth as sweat appeared on his forehead. And probably not from the heat.

“So, what brings you both here?” asked Forge, doing his best not to add “at the same time” to the end of that sentence. It seemed very odd that these two would be together given what he knew about them. Timber was Twilight Sparkle’s boyfriend while Flash had a rather…complicated history with the Twilight’s of two different worlds as well as Sunset Shimmer. Flash was still in high school while Timber, age unknown to Forge, lived up at Camp Everfree with his sister. The only time these two ever spent together was at said camp as far as Forge knew. And when you consider that he had spent even less time with either of them made the fact that they were standing there all the more baffling.

Timber seemed to recover quickly, his grin returning. “Well, I just happened to hear from Twilight that you and Applejack started dating.”

“Well, ah,” stumbled Forge, feeling like a spotlight was shining down on him at that moment. Geez, how to answer that?! He had gone on a date with her, but did that mean they were together? “Kind of, sort of? We’ve only had the one date.”

“Close enough,” said Timber loudly. “That makes you one of us: guys dating amazing magical girls who are saving the world!”

“…Who’s Flash dating?” That was the first thing that came to Forge’s mind when he heard that line. His brain was too busy rebooting, trying to process that statement as well as why Timber felt the need to say it loudly. Shouldn’t keeping the fact that those girls had magical power be something to be kept, you know, at least a little secret!?! And did dating one of them automatically put him in a group like this? Really? Wasn’t Pinkie Pie seeing some Cheese guy while Fluttershy was into some college student named Discord? Why weren’t they here? Then again, since this group dealt with people dating the Canterlot Magical Girl group, asking who Flash was dating did seem somewhat logical.

“Sunset,” replied Flash before looking nervous. “Well, we’re kind of, sort of, getting back together after I realized that me and Twilight will never be a thing.”

“Wait, Twilight?” asked Timber, looking shocked. Forge took note of Timber as he clenched his hands into fists briefly, his smile vanishing as his eyes became hard. But only for a moment, his eyes quickly softening as he let out a laugh. “Not my Twilight.”

“No, ah, I mean,” stammered Flash. As the teen boy took a breath, Forge went back to his forge to take the heated metal out. As he brought it to the anvil, Flash did his best to explain. “OK, I was with Princess Twilight who’s from the world all this magical stuff came from. But she had to go back to her world and when I saw this world’s Twilight I thought she was the same person at first. Then when I realized that she wasn’t, I thought we might hit it off since they are the same person…but I guess I just made things creepy between us.” As Flash finished, Forge began to strike the metal hard causing the room to sing the song of metal against metal. Both boys stared at each other, neither flinching at the sound.

“That’s…really complicated,” said Timber at last, scratching his head a little.

“That’s Canterlot these days,” breathed Forge as he swung down his hammer again. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Timber was looking at him again with a far more serious expression than before.

“Yeah, that’s sort of the reason why we’re here,” said Timber. “It’s about all this magic stuff going around. Twilight’s hasn’t really told me all that much, probably because of what that Well-To-Do guy did at Camp Everfree with that Cinch lady. But she did tell me about what was going on in Rancho Bronco after I saw the bandages on her. Using card games to turn people into mummies, sapping away their strength so that some thugs could hulk out.”

“Yeah, I heard about that too,” said Forge as his hammer came down again. “Applejack told me all about when she came back. Glad she and her great-uncle are ok.”

Timber seemed to pause for a moment, scratching the back of his head as he looked away for a moment. While Forge continued with his work, he watched Timber out of the corner of his eye. There was something…off about his expression. Anger? Regret? Shame? Forge had no idea what it was. All he knew was that when Timber spoke again, it lacked the same energy he had at the beginning. “That’s the only thing she’s told me, but Flash here says that that’s not the only thing going on around town. He heard from Pinkie Pie that someone tried to mind control her sister and she needed to defeat her in a card game in order to free her. Then he heard about what happened to another one of their friends who’s accused of stealing from a movie theater. Not to mention that guy, Flitz I think, was found mauled by something in an area where Twilight’s magical device said magic was happening. Add that with Cinch and Well-To-Do…well, we’re getting kind of worried about the girls.”

“You should have more faith in them,” said Forge as he continued to swing his hammer down, the two flinching slightly. However, Forge had no idea if this was because of his words or particularly loud clang of metal that rang through the air. “If Applejack needs a hand, she knows she can come to me for help.”

Timber rolled his eyes at that. “Yeah, because Applejack has such a history of not being pig-headed or stuck in her ways.”

As Forge shot Timber a look, one that said ‘yeah, I know she can be like that but dude that’s the girl I really like’, Flash stepped forward. “Look, we’re just worried that they might get really hurt this time. These people aren’t playing around. They aren’t some kid who just lacks friends or is lonely. Whoever is doing this clearly doesn’t care who they hurt to get what they want. What if these people decide not to use a card game and try to attack them directly? Like jumping them and stealing their gems?”

“Me and Mac thought that,” replied Forge. “And if something like that happens, we plan on going fully medieval on them.”

“…You mean all these weapons are…” said the two other boys in unison as they looked around as if finally taking note of the number of weapons on the walls.

“Very dangerous, more so in the hands of people who know how to use them,” was Forge’s reply, feeling satisfaction in the look on both the other two’s faces. “When I make a weapon, they are meant to be used. Each one is sharpened to perfection and kill tests are done on ballistic dummies that a friend of mine makes. I even made that warhammer there for Big Mac.” Timber and Flash quickly turned to look at the table, spotting the large apple engraved on its side. Unable to help himself, Forge smirked at the two looking nervous and loudly gulping as sweat began to form on their brows. As if they were suddenly getting a mental image of what kind of man could ever use such a weapon and what would become of said man’s ire.

“Ah, we were thinking maybe we could help them in a different way,” said Timber who took a couple steps away from the warhammer. As if he suddenly thought it would fly up on its own and strike him. “Like if that happened, we could challenge them to a duel? You know, to take back the magic they stole? Or just duel besides them should they need back up.”

“And we were wondering if you wanted to help train with us,” added Flash with a jovial punch to the air. “Think of it, the three of us working together to help the Rainbooms take on this threat so they don’t need to go at it alone. Being their back up.”

Forge let out a hum, not pausing for a moment as he continued to work. His mind, however, was thinking about what they had said. About the promise he had made to Big Mac to help take some of the load off Applejack’s shoulders. Practicing with them made sense as did being there to help out Applejack as well as the others. However, Forge couldn’t help but think there was a nagging problem. A glaring flaw that he hoped they hadn’t overlooked, just failed to mention. Over and over, Forge continued to think this over as the two stood there watching him strike the metal until it finally became too cool to continue.

“Well, ah, I guess that’s a no then,” said Flash, looking a little dejected. “It’s cool. We’ll just see if we can’t-”

“Never said no,” said Forge, interrupting Flash as he set down his tools followed by his gloves. With them resting on the anvil, Forge turned to look at the others. “Might as well give this a shot. I could use the break.”

-x-

Perhaps twenty minutes later found the three in a park located no more than two blocks away from Forge’s home. It was a small area with a wide field with two metal, rusting soccer poles at either end with a small playground for kids sitting next to it. Bits of trash were littered here and there, but nothing too offensive or out of the ordinary. It was in the barren soccer field where the three now stood with their duel disks firmly attached to their arms.

“So, how are we going to do this?” asked Timber. “Do we draw straws to see who goes first?”

“How about we have a three-way duel?” suggested Forge.

“Dude, could you just say free-for-all?” asked Flash. “Three-way just puts, well, the wrong image in my head.”

Forge rolled his eyes at that. “Fine, free-for-all,” he said. “This way, we don’t have to worry about taking turns. Plus, it’ll allow us to see each other’s strengths and weaknesses at the same time.”

“No problems here,” said Timber.

After Flash nodded in agreement, the three of them backed away from each other until they were in a triangle formation. Once situated, Forge activated his duel disk and went for the free-for-all option. Instantly a screen appeared in front of him, going over the rules for such a duel. For the most part, it was the same as a normal duel. Everyone would start with the same life points, same cards in the hand, ect. However, once it was decided who would go first, no one could attack anyone until each player got a turn. You could attack whoever you wanted, but there was the additional rule that said you could block an attack directed at one of your opponents if you so choose to do so. If you wished to use a card that affected your opponent’s field, you had to choose which opponent rather than it being both.

Once Forge had finished reading, he hit the accept button on the holographic screen to begin. “Connecting,” said a female mechanical voice from all three of their duel disks, their decks shuffled by the auto-shuffler. “Three opponents found. Displaying order now.” Rather, she showed a flat holographic image of a portrait, an arrow appearing in the middle of the field before it began to spin around. Faster and faster it went, becoming a blur until it came to a sudden stop where it pointed at Flash. “First duelist selected. Displaying order now.” With that, each one of their portraits appeared in the middle of the field with Flash’s at the very top.

“Looks like we’re going around the field counter clockwise,” observed Timber, who was second.

“Seems like,” said Forge.

“Alright!” cheered Flash as he drew his opening hand, the other two doing the same. “I draw!” After drawing his sixth card, Flash looked at his hand before pulling out one of them and placing it into his spell/trap card zone. “Sorry guys, but I’m coming out of the gate strong. I play the spell card Onomatopaira! This card allows me to send one card in my hand to the grave in order to add up to two monsters from my deck to my hand. Well, as long as they are Dododo, Gagaga, Gogogo, and Zubaba monsters, and I can only pick one from each group. So I’ll be dropping my Gogogo Golem in order to add a Gogogo Giant and Dododo Witch to hand.” Flash grinned as he slid his card into the graveyard slot, his deck rapidly shuffling itself before two cards were ejected from the top. “But he won’t be there for long because I summon my Gogogo Giant in attack mode!” Rising up from the ground was a tall, lengthy rock-like creature with 2000 attack points. Its brown limbs were round and smooth, looking like stone pillars of different sizes and lengths placed together in order to create a human-like shape. But the odd thing for Forge were the odd shoulders that went way too far past the creature's arms.

“When this bad boy is summoned, I can target one Gogogo monster in my grave and special summon it to the field in defense mode!” continued Flash. “Meaning I can bring back my Golem!” Exploding from the ground was another rock-like creature, this one reminded Forge of a green grenade with long grey, gorilla-like arms and short stubby feet. Its lone red eye shone in the shallow dome that answered for a head. It crossed its arms as it showed off its less than impressive 1500 attack points. “Then, when this happens, my Giant switches to defense mode as well!” Flash didn’t seem to mind as his massive Giant took a knee, arms crossed against its chest to show off its 0 defense points.

“Since both my monsters are level four, I can build the Overlay Network!” Flash announced, throwing a fist into the air as the galaxy-like portal appeared in front of him. Both of his monsters transformed into light being sucked into the void while Flash began his chant. “On wings of hope, shining brightly on the darkest night. Descend from the heavens now! XYZ summon! Rank 4! Number 39: Utopia!” Flash’s monster rose from the portal, a winged warrior covered in mostly white armor with golden trimmings. In one hand, this 2500 attack point monster held firm a massive sword that looked like it could cleave anything apart in a single blow.

“And with that, I end my turn,” finished Flash, still smiling.

“Ok then, I draw,” said Timber as he drew his card. He looked at it for a moment before adding it to his hand before picking up another one. “I summon my Crystron Thystvern in attack mode!” Appearing on Timber’s field was something that Forge would never expect. He had thought that the camp counselor would have been using something nature related, but instead this purple creature looked like it was made out of metal. It stood on two backwards turned legs, hunched over with an oval gem glowing in its belly. At the end of its long arms, the monster had three fingers on each hand but behind it were purple, crystalline wings that extended back in a way that reminded Forge of a bat. More crystals were on the thing’s small head, looking like curved horns. This 1500 attack point monster, Forge had no idea if it was meant to be a dragon or a gargoyle. Or something else.

“Now that it’s on the field, I can activate its effect,” continued Timber, snapping his fingers as the crystals that were the monster’s wings began to glow. “I can target one card on the field and destroy it, allowing me to special summon a Crystron tuner from my deck. So I’ll destroy my Thystvern in order to bring out Crystron Citree!” As Thystvern shattered into thousands of tiny pieces, a new machine appeared in its place. This time Forge had no trouble figuring out that it was a human girl. While the body looked like it was made of black metal, its eyes, ‘hair’, and ‘dress’ looked like they had been made out of some sort of yellow crystal. More so with the hair, whose pigtails held more of its crystalline qualities as they shone.

“Never would have figured you for using that sort of deck,” said Flash. “Figured you would have picked up some sort of plant deck.”

Timber shrugged. “What can I say, I’m into gems.” He then held up another card, looked at it, and then placed it in his duel disk. “I’ll finish up with one card face down and end my turn.”

“Alright,” said Forge as he drew his sixth card. Briefly, he looked at what he had before activating his own spell. “I’ll start off with this: Gladiator Rejection! This continuous spell card will protect my Gladiator Beasts from being targeted by card effects. Then I’ll normal summon my Gladiator Beast Sagittarii!” Galloping onto Forge’s field was a centaur whose lower body was that of a white steed. Long golden hair flowed out from the copper helmet he wore while in his bronze hands held a bow and arrow. This monster had 1400 attack points. “But he won’t be here for long, because now I special summon my Test Tiger!” Now on the field was a small tiger cub with armor on its body. Test Tiger let out a noise between a mew and a growl as it looked at Sagittarii.

For a moment, Forge looked at the field. Utopia he knew well. What duelist hadn’t heard of the iconic XYZ monster? But Timber’s deck, well, not so much. If he remembered correctly, their non-tuner monsters had effects in the graveyard and that the deck could Synchro summon during his turn. But beyond that, he had no idea.

So the best way to handle it was to deny him that chance.

“I activate the effect of Test Tiger!” announced Forge, snapping his finger as Test Tiger let out a louder cry. “Get this, by tributing it, I can send one Gladiator Beast on my field back into my deck in order to special summon another one. The best part? It’s treated as though it were special summoned via the effect of a Gladiator Beast! So I’ll say goodbye to Sagittarii and welcome to the field Gladiator Beast Retiari!” Sagittarii raced around Forge before turning into white light which entered the duelist’s deck before another light, green this time, shot into the air right before a figure landed on the field in the classic superhero pose. This monster with 1200 attack points looked reptilian in nature, with black arm and legs guards trimmed with gold while a white sash crossed his chest. In one hand, he carried with him a trident which he spun around before letting out a mighty roar.

“When Retiari is special summoned from the effect of a Gladiator Beast monster, he allows me to banish one monster in my opponent's graveyard,” continued Forge as he looked at Timber. Upon seeing this, Timber took a step back in surprise. “Guess who I’m aiming for?”

“Too bad that won’t work!” shouted Timber as Forge’s spell card began to glow. But Timber ignored it for the moment, pressing a button on his duel disk. “I activate the effect of my Crystron Citree! I can target one non-tuner in my graveyard and special summon it. Then I Synchro summon one machine type monster while also banishing the materials used to make it! So return Thystvern to become something greater!” Citree leapt into the air, turning into two rings while Thystvern exploded out from the ground where he flew upwards while turning into three stars. Forge could not help but smirk as Timber began his chant. “Greatness shines brightly as do you. Brilliant gems combine thanks to machinery. Synchro Summon. Level 5! Crystron Ametrix!”

There was an explosion of light and, when it faded, it looked like Citree was standing there. Only she was now three times taller with a thinner waist and limbs. Like she had gone from a blocky carving done by a child to a professionally made mannequin. Then, from the sky, came purple dust which landed on Ametrix which quickly formed into her armor. Now her legs were covered in a triangular shaped purple armor with yellow crystals jutting out like spikes. Her waist was bare, but her chest and arms were protected by the same purple armor with oval shaped shields appearing on her forearms. A helmet was then placed on her head, one with horns as a tail appeared on her back along with wings that looked more angelic than those that belonged to Thystvern. In the end, she looked almost like a purple version of Utopia right down to having the same attack points!

“Now the effect of my monster kicks in, switching all your monsters to defense mode,” said Timber, crossing his arms as the two opposing monsters to his took a knee.

“Not bad, but you forgot my spell card,” said Forge, pointing to the still glowing card. “When I special summon from my main deck, once per turn, I can special summon another one! Now I summon Gladiator Beast Bestiari!” Before either boy could say anything a large, thin green bird man with darker green armor appeared on the field. The feathers on the back of its head were red and it had dart guns on each arm. Its attack was 1500.

“Now, everything is set,” said Forge calmly. “I fuse my Bestiari and my Retiari together to create Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!” As Forge removed his monsters from his monster tray, both flew into the air in preparation of his chant. “The wing beat of the bird is missed in the sound of battle. Striking with power to make the bravest tremble in fear! Leave nothing in your path! Fusion summon Gladiator Beast Gyzarus!” When the chant ended, a large creature landed onto the field in another superhero landing pose. Even before it stood up, everyone there could see it looked very much like Bestiari, but with heavier armor that had several large red gems in it. Its attack was 2400. “When special summoned, Gyzarus can destroy two cards on the field. And there just so happens to be two monsters right in front of me.”

“What? NO!” shouted both boys as Gyzarus flew into the air, spears of light forming in its claws. But despite their shouts, Forge knew there was nothing they could do but watch as both their monsters were impaled where they stood, falling to their knees before exploding while Gyzarus landed next to its owner.

“Dude, come on,” complained Flash.

Forge, however, ignored him as he looked at one other card in his hand. “I’ll set this and then end my turn,” he said as a face down card appeared on his side of the field.

“Alright then,” said Flash, his tone seemingly more agitated now than before as he drew his card. Clearly, he had not expected Forge to destroy both their monsters that quickly. His eyes darted across the six cards he held before taking one and holding it above him. “I’ll turn this around with my Dododo Witch!” Now on Flash’s side was a woman wearing a red Viking helmet. Her attire was mostly black, with silver patches of metal on her sides as if to protect her from side blows. Dododo Witch wore a tattered cowl while in her hands was a staff whose head was that of a long beaked bird. Her attack was 1200. “When this monster is summoned, I can special summon another Dododo monster from my hand other than herself. And, luckily for me, I just so happen to have one. Now race to the field Dododo Driver!” The sound of thunder seemed to echo across the field as a massive cloud of dust raced towards them. As this cloud got closer, Forge spotted a man in front of it pulling a cart. The man was massive, easily taller than all three of the duelists with a leather skirt around his hips and a bull-like helmet on his head. Once he was in front of Flash, the monster skidded to a halt showing off his 1800 attack points.

“Vice Principal Luna isn’t the only one who knows how to modify the levels of her monsters,” said Flash. “When Driver is special summoned, I can raise or lower any Dododo monster’s level by one twice. So I’m targeting both my monsters and powering them up by one making them both level five. Then I build the overlay network once more!” Both of Flash’s monster’s were sucked into the vortex which appeared in the middle of the field, the duelist beginning his chant with fire in his eyes. “Ancient warriors, feed the beast which lies below. While powerful and skilled, its might surpasses your entire tribe. XYZ summon! Rank 5! Number 61: Volcasaurus!” A mighty roar echoed across the field, drawing the attention of those just walking by as a figure clawed its way out of the portal. This 2500 attack point dinosaur was mostly purple and red with the number 61 tattooed on its chest just below its very long neck. The monster stood on two legs, large yellow spikes coming out of its knees while its hands were replaced by large yellow spikes. Those same spikes were also attached to the monster’s back, creating a fan while wisps of smoke rose up from them.

“That’s…big,” said Forge as he looked up at the monster that towered over the field, looking down at them all from behind Flash.

“You’re lucky you have that spell card out, or else you would have been in serious trouble,” said Flash. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t destroy your monster through battle! Volcasaurus, incinerate his bird man!” Steam and smoke began to rise from Volcasaurus, its scales rising to show the magma-like flesh below it before it fired several molten rocks from its mouth. They struck the ground around Gyzarus, the flames and smoke showing only a silhouette. “Alright, how do you…like…that?”

Flash’s expression changed from excited and happy to confused, taking a step back as another figure could be seen in the blast zone of his monster’s attack. Something just as large as his own dinosaur. The rocker teen’s eyes narrowed, trying his best to make it out when an arrow of golden light shot out from the flames to strike his monster in the chest. Volcasaurus let out a roar of pain as it stumbled backwards and exploded into thousands of golden lights.

“What? How?” cried Timber, who sounded equally confused.

Then the flames cleared, revealing two monsters. One of them was a large, greenish blue creature with a white underbelly. Its long, spiky tail was wrapped around Gyzarus in a protective fashion as it stood next to him on its two muscular legs with webbed toes. Fish-like fins rose from its back as well as its long neck where it seemed to form something like a Mohawk. Light blue armor draped its chest, hands and legs like it carried a massive sword in one hand. Though it was large and imposing, its attack was only 2300.

“Allow me to introduce one of my newer monsters: Gladiator Beast Vespasius,” said Forge. “During the damage step of a battle involving a Gladiator Beast, I can special summon this card from my hand to the field.”

“But that doesn’t explain how you were able to destroy my monster!” shouted Flash, his life points dropping to 7600 as he spoke.

“Well, that’s not all he does,” replied Forge. “Vespasius has another effect when special summoned by the effect of a Gladiator Beast, boosting the attack of my monsters by 500. And since he special summoned himself with his own effect and he is a Gladiator Beast, well…” Forge allowed his words to hang as both his monsters were now able to show off their new strength. Gyzarus was now at 2900 while Vespasius was at 2600.

“But…But that’s,” stammered Flash, his arms falling to his sides. Forge could see something he had noticed from other blacksmiths in the past, Flash’s knees were beginning to shake and were ready to fall to his knees. But unlike his fellow blacksmith’s, it wasn’t from strenuous lifting or working in an extremely hot environment. No, Flash, with his grip on his cards so loose that they looked like they would slip through his grasp at any moment, appeared ready to give up.

As he saw this, Forge fought hard to keep his eye from twitching in annoyance. So this is what he’s made of, thought the blacksmithing teen as he fought to shake his head. I destroy his monsters and counter one attack only to have him act like he’s lost the duel already. Timber’s not doing much better. But, as these thoughts crossed his mind, Forge’s shoulders began to loosen up. Maybe I’m being a little hard on him. His idea was good in theory. If I didn’t have Rejection on the field or Vespasius in my hand, that would have done some serious damage to me. He could have cleared my entire field! Perhaps all he needs a little-

No, thought Forge as his eye hardened briefly as his thoughts went back to what Applejack had told him. About how Twilight had glass shards embedded in her back. About how Sonata could have died from blood loss from her opponent. The pain she herself went through in her duel against Long Horn. We’re supposed to be training to help Applejack and the others. We need to be strong. We need to be able to overcome! Forge’s eyes then glanced over at Timber, remembering the way he reacted when he found out that Flash had dated a Twilight before pursuing the other. A sickening thought appeared before him, leaving a vile taste in the teens mouth. But, one that had merit. I’m going to feel like an ass for doing this, but they need to know what they're getting into. Not like the bad guys will hold back their punches.

“I’m honestly surprised that you attacked me Flash,” said Forge firmly, causing the rocker teen to lift his head slightly. “You knew I had a face down and a monster on the field. There was a chance that your attack would have failed, but you attacked me anyways instead of going for an easier target.” Forge paused for a moment, looking over at Timber who seemed to jump a little. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Flash was looking at him as well. “Mind telling me why you took a gamble at attacking me?”

“Well, I,” began Flash as he seemed to fumble with his wording. “I guess…It’s because right now you’re the biggest threat!” His statement was packed with energy, speaking quickly as if he were trying to quickly justify himself. Like he hadn’t just attacked Forge in a moment of anger from the previous turn.

“Hey!” shouted Timber. “Dude, I can be threatening!”

“I mean right now!” said Flash quickly, holding up his hands in a way that looked like he was trying to defuse tension. “Right now, he’s the biggest threat. I didn’t mean anything by it personally.”

Forge nodded, his eyes slowly moving between the two boys as he took in their reactions. “That makes sense,” said Forge, his eyes now focused on Timber. “If that attack had succeeded, it might have impressed Twi-” Forge cut himself short, doing his best to act like it was a slip of the tongue while mentally kicking himself. Not only was this low and underhanded, but it was horrible acting on his part! Jester had been telling him he should take a Theater class since Freshman year.

Thankfully, Flash didn’t seem at all suspicious by his statement. “I guess I have to end my turn,” he said in a slightly confused tone. But as he turned his head to look at Timber, Forge saw him almost jump. Timber, despite the poor performance that Forge believed he had given, looked ready to throttle Flash.

“Then I draw,” said Timber, his eyes glaring at Flash as he did. It took him a moment to pull his eyes away before looking downward at the five cards in his hand. “I’ll discard my Crystron Rosenix to special summon Cryston Sulfefnir in defense mode.” As Timber sent his card to the graveyard, an even more dragon-like monster than before appeared on his side of the field. This one stood on four legs, its yellow metal shining brightly while yellow crystal formations appeared on his shoulders as well as along its long tail. There were also a series of jagged crystals along its chin as if to form a beard. Its defense was 1500. “Also, as part of its summoning, I must destroy one card. So I’ll destroy my face down.” Said card shattered but Timber paid it little mind.

“Now I can use the graveyard effect of my Crystron Rosenix,” continued Timber. “By removing it from play, I can summon a level one Crystron Token to the field.” A small, teardrop shaped crystal appeared besides Sulfefnir as Timber removed the card. This token had neither attack or defense points as it seemed to just float there idly.

“But I’m far from done, because now I play the card I just drew: Genex Controller” announced Timber. Appearing on his side of the field was a small big headed robot that seemed to be falling apart. This gray bot was sitting there, staring out with grey eyes with lights sticking out from either side of its head. The body seemed half finished with no chest plate, allowing everyone to see the inner workings of this very simple looking robot.

“Just in case none of you are aware, Genex Controller is a tuner monster,” said Timber, his gaze flickering towards Flash for a moment. “So I’ll tune my level three Genex Controller with my level one Crystron Token.” Genex Controller seemed to break down at that point, its pieces turning into three rings that positioned themselves above the token right before a bright green pillar fell down upon said token. “Through the combination of technology and nature, crystals powering machines. Together they walk down a new path. Synchro summon! Level four! Crystron Quandax!” When the portal faded, a large white robot with 1800 attack walked out. Forge could see that its toes were golden, as were both the claws on its hands as well as various other decals on its body. Silver crystals ran through the open areas of its armor while glowing gold spikes jutted out from its back. Its face was hidden behind a visor.

“If you think that’s all I can do, you’re both wrong,” said Timber as he eyed Flash again, his lips almost curling a little. “Now I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Ametrix! Then tune my level four tuner Crystron Quandax with my level five Ametrix!" Timber’s eyes narrowed as Quandax turned into four rings which rose high into the sky, his Synchro monster leaping into the air towards them as it turned into five stars. “The phoenix in crystal rises up, metal surrounding it to take on a more powerful form. Sing now the song of war. Synchro Summon! Level Nine! Crystron Phoenix!” Coming out of the portal was a large ruby-esque machine with 2800 attack points. Its legs were long and sender ending in feet that had upturned red crystals at the ends. Its body looked normal, thinner than the last monster used to create it but thicker than Ametrix. Its arms were thin, looking like they would easily be snapped in half with the same ease as a twig with massive red transparent crystals as shoulder pads. Several long spikes stuck out from its back like the hands of a clock while chains with gems at the end floated around it.

“When Phoenix is synchro summoned, I can banish all spells and traps on my opponent’s field and in their graveyard,” said Timber as he pointed to Forge. “And since I don’t want you special summoning from the deck anymore, I’ll choose you!” At that, the chains flew across the field and into the ground below. The ones Forge could see quickly wrapped around his Rejection spell card as well as his face down. Red crystals began to grow out of them quickly, covering the entirety of the cards before they shattered. “Now Phoenix! Attack Flash Sentry directly!”

“What?!” shouted Flash as both of Timber’s machines turned in his direction. Flash held out a hand as the chains from Phoenix appeared overhead with the gems at the end of each pointed right at him. All of them began to glow before sending a beam of light directly into Flash’s chest as the teen made a face like he had just been gut punched. The beams didn’t stop until his life points returned to 4800.

“Still think I’m not a threat?” demanded Timber. Rather than wait for an answer, he took the last card from his hand and placed it on his duel disk. “Before I end my turn, I’ll play the spell card Supply Squad. With this, once per turn when one of my cards is destroyed I can draw a card.”

As the spell card appeared next to Timber, Forge saw Flash getting up with a face flushed with anger. He glared at Timber with a look of spite as he breathed heavily, wiping away several blades of grass and dirt with a clenched fist.

Well, that was easy, thought Forge as he drew. I barely had to push either of them and these two are at each other’s throats!

“Let's get this over with,” muttered Forge as he glanced at the two cards in his hand before turning to look at Timber. “You should have attacked me when you had the chance. Now you’ll pay the price! I return Vespasius and Gyzarus back to the deck in order to do a contact fusion!” Forge watched as his monsters transformed into light, returning to the decks were he could use them again at their fullest. “From the wilderness of the savanna to the endless skies above. Only one has it in him to teach and mold all of the Gladiator Beasts. Make way for him now! Fusion Summon Gladiator Beast Tamer Editor!”Appearing on the field in attack mode was a 2400 attack point moose human hybrid wearing red mage armor. His antlers were gold and more seemed to be growing out of his back. In his hand he carried a staff with a glowing green orb that floated above it. "This is perhaps one of my most powerful monsters. Once per turn, his effect lets me special summon any of my Gladiator Beast fusion monsters in my extra deck ignoring the summoning conditions. And I choose Gladiator Beast DOMITIANUS!” Tamer Editor raised his staff to the sky, spinning it in a wide circle above his head as lightning crackled around it. The cloud above became darker, the air became colder as the holograms began to project rain falling from the heavens. Lightning flashed in the sky, and in that moment a massive creature seemed to just appear behind Forge! Both of the other boys took a large step back as they gazed up at the monster that looked like Vespasius but with 3500 attack points. Its tail swung from left to right, revealing that it had ridges on its upper side like that of a crocodile. Its armor was lighter, with parts looking like they had been forged from other monsters while in one hand it carried a staff topped with a diamond.

“But that’s not all I’m going to do,” continued Forge as he placed one card on his duel disk. “I normal summon Gladiator Beast Dimacari!” Now on the field appeared a purple ox-like humanoid with 1600 attack points. It was shirtless, chest bare save a metal sash across it. Both forearms were covered by thick metal gloves that ended in claws. It’s lower half was protected by a metal kilt with four high tech disks hovering behind it.

“Look what you did you idiot!” yelled Flash as he faced Timber. “If you had just attacked him, he wouldn’t have been able to summon them! What were you thinking?!?”

“I,” began Timber, still looking upon the beasts before him with fear. But he quickly gathered something for his expression changed, looking at Flash with contempt. “How was I supposed to know he had those cards?”

“Dimacari, attack Crystron Sulfefnir!" commanded Forge, not wanting to listen to these two bicker with each other. Timber turned just in time to see beams of light shooting out of the hovering disk which propelled Dimacari towards his four legged crystal dragon. Once it was close enough the oxen warrior unleashed his full furry, thrusting its fist forward and shattering the machine’s stomach causing it to explode. Timber took a step back, raising a hand to shield himself as yellow shards flew in every direction.

"You may have destroyed my Sulfefnir, but it's leaving me a parting gift!" announced Timber as, at that moment, the shards began to fly back to where his monster had been but losing their color. "When its destroyed, I get to summon to the field one Crystron monster in defense mode. And who better to act as a wall than Crystron Prasiortle!" At that moment, the crystal began to turn green while forming the body of a turtle. Soon silver metal began to merge with it, creating the shell as well as armor on its legs and neck. It's defense was 2000. "But that's not all or did you forget about my Supply Squad? Because a card I control was destroyed, I get to draw a card." In a single, quick move, Timber drew.

“Very well. Strike down Phoenix, Domitianus!” shouted Forge, his massive sea serpent looking down at the crystal robot as it opened its mouth. Dark water shot from it, striking with enough force that cracks began to instantly form on its body. Soon Phoenix shattered, leaving the only thing standing being its legs which soon exploded as well as Timber’s life points dropped to 7300.

“You might have destroyed my monster, but my field remains strong!” shouted Timber, crystral shards appearing around his field once again. "When my Phoenix is destroyed, I can revive one of my Crystrons in my graveyard. So I'll-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” said Forge firmly as his Domitianus held up its staff. “One of my monster’s effects is that it can negate the effect of one of your cards once per turn. So Phoenix won’t be reviving anything this time. But, on the plus side, you still get to draw a card.” Timber scowled as he drew his card.

“Now, Tamer Editor, attack Flash directly,” said Forge as he placed his hands in his pockets.

“Seriously?!?” shouted Flash as Tamer Editor held out his weapon. In the blink of an eye, Editor had traveled the distance between them while pulling back his staff before delivering a powerful blow to Flash’s side. The force of the blow knocked the other teen down, his life points dropping to 2400.

“With the battle over, I activate Dimacari’s effect,” said Forge as he slid the card off his duel disk. “At the end of the battle phase and this card attacked or was attacked, I can return it to the deck and special summon one other Gladiator Beast. Prepare to pounce: Gladiator Beast Alexander!” A loud roar filled the air as a half man/half lion appeared on the field. Its muscles bulged proudly underneath its golden high tech armor with mechanical wings on its sides, bent downward along its sides to show off the laser cannons attached to them. Both of Forge’s opponents looked ready to bite their lower lips upon seeing its impressive 2400 attack points. “When Alexander is brought out thanks to a Gladiator Beast monster effect, he becomes immune to all spell cards. I end my turn.”

“I’ll figure something out,” announced Flash as he drew, now holding five cards. His hands shook a little as his gaze drifted up from the cards before him, looking over at the impressive line up on Forge's side before lingering on the lone figure on Timber's.

“Alright then, I’ll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Utopia!” said Flash, his spell card appearing on the field, returning Utopia in all its shining glory. "However, thanks to his own effect, if he is ever targeted for an attack without having an overlay unit Utopia is instantly destroyed. But luckily for me, I can fix that. I build upon the Overlay Network to create something greater!" The galaxy like portal appeared on the field once more, but this time it seemed… darker. Slowly Upopia descended into the darkness as Flash began his chant. The dark realm of chaos stretches out before you. Harness its power to sharpen your blade. Chaos Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Number C39: Utopia Ray!" Utopia then rose from the darkness, his white armor looking slightly darker. Then, before everyone's eyes, newer armor flew up from the portal to attach itself to him. Thicker and heavier, this new grey armor gave him a more imposing appearance while turning the white skin on the warrior black. Its wings also turn black while gaining a bit more of an edge in their design as two mechanical arms grew between them holding a massive broad sword.

"That monster would be trouble for either of us," admitted Forge as the portal vanished. "A pity then that you can't activate its effect unless you have under a thousand life points."

Flash grinned confidently as he held up the card he had drawn at the start of his turn. "Then its a good thing I'm not done yet! Better now close you're eyes because your going to see something amazing! I summon my Utopic Onomatopeia in attack mode!” In a flash of light that looked oddly like a sword slash, a smaller and more cartoony version of Utopia appeared. And while this version was shining brightly, its attack was only 1500. “Now that he’s on the field, I can special summon one each of my Gagaga, Dododo, Gogogo, and Zubaba monsters from my hand. And I choose my Gogogo Ghost and Gagaga Magician!” Now on Flash’s side of the field appeared two monsters…sort of. The first, Gagaga Magician, rose slowly from the portal which appeared on the ground. Only one of its lazy eyes could be seen, the other covered by white bangs while the rest of its face was covered by a red scarf. The rest of its body was covered by robes as chains were wrapped around its body from a metal band around its waist which was engraved with seven stars. Gagaga Magician had 1500 attack points. Beside it, red samurai armor fell from the sky one piece at a time before rolling this way and that. When the last piece, a helmet, landed on the ground they all began to rise up and float into place. Soon Gogogo Ghost was formed with a ghostly figure seeming to wear the armor as a large sword fell from the sky as well, landed right in front of it. As the Ghost picked it up, its attack points were shown as 1900.

“When my Ghost is special summoned, I can revive my Gogogo Golem from my graveyard,” said Flash, snapping his fingers as Golem burst out from the ground in defense mode.

“Heh, not bad,” said Timber. “Looks like you can bring out more than one Xyz monster this turn.”

“Yeah, I can,” said Flash with a light scowl from the other teen’s tone. “Now, with my two level 4 monsters, Gogogo Ghost and my Gagaga Magician, I build the Overlay Network!” Once again a galaxy-like vortex appeared on the field with both of Flash’s monsters transforming into lights before being consumed. “Great mobile fortress of the Gogogo tribe, the earth rumbles with each step you take. Ready your cannons on top of those unsalable walls! Xyz Summon! Rank 4! Number 55: Gogogo Goliath!” The portal vanished as the earth behind Flash exploded, sending large chunks of holographic earth in every direction while a stone figure with 2400 attack began to rise up. Its main body looked like a tower, with stone pillars lining up as if to form a neck with numerous cannons both between the pillars as well as below, sticking out of small windows right above where the number 55 was painted in red. Attacked to it were large, thick metal arms and legs, made of both black steel and bronze. And on this monster’s back were two bronze containers that went all the way from the base of the monster all the way past its tiny head.

“Like you said Timber, I’m not done yet!” continued Flash. “I’ll build the overlay network again, this time using my Gogogo Golem and my Utopic Onomatopeia!” Again, the vertex returned to consume both of Flash’s monsters while the Xyz user began his chant. “Swords swing like the pendulum while cries ring out in the night. But it all ends as the leader of the Zubaba tribe enters the fray. Xyz summon! Rank 4! Zubaba General!” Rising up from the portal came an incredibly muscular warrior in knightly armor whose under armor was black while the waist guars, leggings, arm bands, shoulder pads, and helmet were white. The helmet was especially noticeable as it had massive horns coming out of it around where its cheeks should be. A long red cloak fluttered in the breeze as it held a massive sword with a golden Z engraved along the handle. The General’s attack points were 2000.

“Time to show both of you what my monsters can do,” said Flash. “First I’ll start with Zubaba General! By detaching one overlay unit, I can equip one warrior in my hand to this card. And the card I choose is my Dododo Warrior!” As Zubaba General consumed an overlay unit into its sword, the ghostly image of a large dwarf-like image appeared in front of it. Slowly the warrior slid back, seeming to merge with General. “Oh, just so you both are aware, Zubaba General gains the attack points of every monster equipped to it.”

“WHAT?!?” yelled Timber as General’s attack grew to 4300.

“Next I activate the effect of my Goliath,” continued Flash. “By detaching an overlay unit, I can add an earth rock type monster from my graveyard to my hand. Meaning Gogogo Giant returns to my hand!" An orb circling Goliath suddenly shot down towards the ground, digging deep into the earth. After a moment, a golden card rose up and hoovered over the hole before flying over to Flash's hand where it was added to it.

“Now to battle,” said Flash with a grin. “Zubaba General, show Domitianus the might of the middle ages!” Zubaba General swung his sword back, looking like it was about to slice off Flash’s head for a moment, before it began to charge right at the massive sea serpent. With each step, dirt was kicked back while the blade looked like it was growing double in size.

“I am well aware of the strengths of the middle ages ,” said Forge, as he looked at Tamer Editor. The monster seemed to turn its head and look back at its duelist before nodding, as if there were an unspoken request that it agreed to. “However, that attack will never land on Domitianus. Tamer Editor, take the blow!”

“You can’t just-” began Flash, but events were already in motion. As Zubaba General grew close enough, he swung his mighty sword…only to have Tamer Editor step in the way. Tamer Editor planted his staff to his side, muscles bulging as he attempted to block the blow. Sparks flew, but the blade of the General’s sword was too sharp and there was too much power behind the swing. It cut through Tamer Editor who let out a howl of pain before he exploded into nothing.

“One of Domitianus’ effects is that he allows me to pick the target of my opponent’s attacks,” said Forge, his life points dropping to 6100.

“B-But you took more damage that way!” said Flash, looking flabbergasted. “You sacrificed your monster…for nothing. Next turn my General will be able to-”

“Flash, Tamer Editor took one for the team,” said Forge. While his tone was calm, there was enough power behind it to silence the rock star teen. “And his sacrifice will not be forgotten. Nor will it have been for nothing. It will clear the way for my victory.” He then paused briefly to take a breath. “But that will come later. It’s still your turn Flash.”

Forge watched closely as Flash examined the field. The blacksmith could tell that he was weighing his options carefully. Not that he had many. The had two monsters on the field with three targets to attack. Flash could order either of them to attack Domitianus… and have them get destroyed in the process while Flash lost a good chunk of his limited life points. Then there was Alexander who could be destroyed by Utopia Ray. However, Forge didn’t think that Flash would go for that option given Domitianus could just redirect the attack to itself. Which left only one option.

“Gogogo Goliath, attack Crystron Prasiortle!” ordered Flash as he pointed at the other duelist. Forge watched as the cannons took aim before firing dozens of cannon balls at the area surrounding Prasiortle, each one exploding upon impact with the ground to create a hellish landscape until they finally hit hit the target and shattering Timber's lone monster.

"Too bad your you my monster was in defense mode," said Timber as his Supply Squad card began to glow. "And since you destroyed one of my cards, I get to draw!" Swiftly, Timber drew his card.

"Then too bad for you I still have another attack," replied Flash, his face darkening slightly. "Utopia Ray, attack him directly!"

“No, no, no, no,” repeated Timber as the darker Utopia readied its swords, the one on its back being lifted high in the air. Timber only had enough time to take a small step back before Utopia was upon him, first slashing him from the right before the sword in its left hand was swung. Timber was knocked around a bit, stopping just in time as the third strike from above came down on his head causing the camper to cry out while falling to his knees. As Utopia flew back to its owner's side Timber's life points dropped to 4800.

“I end my turn,” finished Flash, a small smirk on his face as Timber stood on shaky legs.

“You’ll pay for that! I draw!” announced Timber who now had three cards in hand. “I’ll special summon my Cryston Sulfefnir from the graveyard by discarding a copy of my Crystron Thystvern.” As Timber slid his card into the graveyard, the yellow crystal dragon reappeared on the field. “However, since it was special summoned this way, I have to destroy a card on the field. Goodbye Supply Squad.” With that, Timber’s spell card shattered into thousands of tiny bits.

“Now for the big move,” said Timber. “I remove my Crystron Thystvern from the graveyard in order to add a different Crystron monster to my hand. I choose Crystron Rion. Then I remove my Crystron Prasiortle to use its effect to special summon Rion from my hand!” As Timber removed his cards from the graveyard, a silver robot with a thin V shaped visor appeared on the field. This 500 attack point machine had a cubical body save the torso which was made out of sapphire as well as its long Super Sayian level three hair. “Then I’ll normal summon Crystron Quan!” Another silver, cubical android appeared on the field. Only this one had bits of diamond coming out of its metallic body as if they were piercing it, trying to get free. Its torso was also made of diamonds as was its hair which was so long it touched the ground, splitting in two.

“With this, everything is set for a double tuning,” said Timber. “I’ll tune my level three Rion and my level one Quan with my level five Cryston Sulfefnir to bring out the strongest card in my deck!” Like before, the two tuners flew towards the sky as they transformed into four rings while Cryston Sulfefnir followed after them as it turned into five stars. But what was different this time was that a beam of light crashing into the ground did not occur, rather a pillar of yellow crystal appeared behind Timber as he began his chant. “The dragon frozen in crystal, scales replaced with metal. Let out a cry heard in all realities as you shatter your bonds. Synchro summon! Level nine! Crystron Quariongandrax!” When the chant ended, the crystal pillar behind Timber shattered sending large shards across the field as a massive figure floated over the remains. Quariongandrax was a machine built in the image of a bipedal dragon with 3000 attack points. Its yellow, crystalline wings were more like daggers which glowed as they floated in the air. Its tail swished back and forth, revealing that there was diamond underneath the yellow metal. As for the rest of the draconic machine, its armor was smooth and well rounded while diamond could be seen in exposed areas of its arms and torso with other parts having the diamonds sticking out like spikes.

Forge eyed Quariongandrx, noticing that it seemed to be staring at Domitianus. Looking up, Forge saw that his sea serpent was staring right back with a smirk on its lips.

“Meet my deck’s centerpiece,” said Timber with a proud smile. “When this bad boy is synchro summoned, I can target and banish monsters my opponent controls or in their graveyard. But only up to the number of monsters used as material to make Quariongandrax. So say goodbye to-” Timber paused, hand looking like it was ready to point at Domitianus only to stop himself. Forge stood there, glancing up briefly to see that his monster’s smirk had grown larger and one that the duelist found himself mirroring. It was clear that Timber had almost forgotten his monster’s effect to negate an effect once per turn, one that he had yet to use this turn. Eventually, Timber turned to point at Flash. “Say goodbye to General, Goliath, and Utopia Ray!”

“This is bull!” shouted Flash, frustration growing as all three of his monsters were suddenly coated in orange crystals before shimmering away. But even as they did, Flash stood his ground as he glared at Timber. “I am seriously getting tired of being the world’s punching bag!”

“Too bad you’re so good for the role,” mocked Timber. “Quariongandrax, take out the rest of Flash’s life points! Show him what happens to people who try to steal Twilight away from me!” As he said this, massive yellow crystals began to grow out of Quariongandrax’s fists. Spikes began to form, each one several yards long. The Crystron then made two wide arm sweeps, sending the crystal spikes out as it did so that they were flying towards Flash.

“I activate the effect of my Gagaga Gardna, summoning him to the field in defense mode!” yelled Flash. Appearing before him was a warrior with 2000 defense points. This man wore a long, black trench coat over his padded chest while an orange scarf hid his lower face. A hat and goggles protected his head while he held a massive shield in one hand. “I’m not trying to steal Twilight from you. I swear! Me and Sunset-”

“I bet you think of her as a backup in case Twilight chooses to stay with me!” yelled Timber, veins appearing on his face. “Destroy his monster now!” Quariongandrax’s crystal spears continued to fly down at Flash’s lone monster who placed his shield in front of both him and Flash. Gagaga Gardna then lowered his goggles over his eyes before peering out of the small eye hole to watch the attack coming.

“That’s ridiculous!” yelled Flash back. “And if you think I’m going to stand here and take it, you’re dead wrong. I activate my monster’s effect, discarding a card from my hand to-”

“No you won’t,” said Forge, interrupting Flash right before his monster exploded. Flash had only a moment to look over across the field, spotting Domitianus holding its glowing staff to realize what had happened before the attack hit the earth around him. Flash let out a yell as he was tossed backward, still in the game but with nothing to protect him. “And that’s all she wrote. Thank you both for making this so easy for me.”

“What?” asked Timber, his body tensing as he looked over to where Flash laid. “But he…I thought-”

“Only because I put the idea in your head,” admitted Forge, his face blank as he drew. With two cards in his hand, Forge let go of the card he had just drawn before taking the older one and placing it in his spell/trap card zone. “I activate the spell card: Gladiator Beast’s Comeback! Think of it as a Monster Reborn for the Gladiator Beasts. I’ll use it to keep my promise and return Tamer Editor to the field in attack mode!” Timber looked on as Forge’s moose man reappeared, swinging his staff around to create a portal right out of the gate. “And with his return, I can use his effect! Once more I can summon a Gladiator Beast from my extra deck, ignoring its summoning conditions. Come forth Gladiator Beast Heraklinos!” Falling to the ground and landing on one knee was a lion man with more armor than any other monster Forge had summoned so far. With 3000 attack points he seemed to have thicker armor than most Gladiator Beasts. On his back was a pair of glowing green wings. In one hand he held a heavy axe, while in the other was a shield that looked like a turtle’s shell with blasters attached to it.

“This…This isn’t fair,” moaned Flash while Timber’s body shook at the four monsters before them, ready to end the duel.

“Is that what you’re going to say when you face the bad guys?” demanded Forge, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Do you really expect them to play nice? Like you said, they were using pain to distract the girls and try to throw them off their game. One of them went after Pinkie Pie’s sister! Think about that! Was that fair?!? Domitianus, destroy Quariongandrax! And if he tries to use his monster's effect, negate it!” Timber shielded himself as Domitianus' attack landed swiftly, shattering his monster and sending the fragments all over the field as his life points dropped to 4300.

“You,” gasped Timber as he stared at Forge. “You messed with our heads. We were supposed to be helping each other, not-”

“And managed to do that with simple observation. Just imagine what someone else could do if they had more time to research you,” interrupted Forge, causing both boys’ eyes to widen. “Think of all the things they could find to get into your head. A mistake you made in the past, a slip-up, or even just an embarrassing moment. Anything to get under your skin so that you would make mistakes in such a high stakes duel…if they even bothered with us.”

“W-What? B-But,” stammered Flash.

Forge let out a small sigh. “You really never thought about it, did you?” Slowly Forge shook his head. “The thing is, I can see where you’re coming from in helping the girls. If Applejack was ever pressured to have a tag team duel against these bad guys, I’ll be there for her in a heartbeat. Or cheering her on along the side lines if she has to pick one of her other friends. But in any other case: why would they ever duel any of us? None of us have any magic.” As the other two stared at Forge, he shook his head again. “The sad truth is that, other than to defeat us and hold us hostage, dueling us would be a waste of time. And if they were willing to jump out and attack any of the Rainbooms, well, why would they give up the magic they stole? They already got they wanted, so why even risk it by dueling one of us? Why even give us the chance? Them let's say they did give us a chance: what are the odds that they would ever honor their word?” Forge shook his head.

“Let's finish this,” said the blacksmithing teen as he eyed the field. Alexander went first, pointing his golden metal wings at Flash, the small laser cannons on its sides aimed at him as well. The Gladiator Beast let out a roar as powerful beams were sent flying across the field where they then struck Flash right in the chest, knocking him on his back once again as his life points hit 0. Heraklinos came next, charging down the field with his shield raised towards Timber. In the blink of an eye the shield impacted the camp counselor, knocking him to the side while the axe Heraklinos held in his opposite hand swung into Timber’s back. As it did Timber let out a howl as his life points hit 1300. At the same time, Tamer Editor charged forward to ram its staff into the belly of Timer. Making a face as he was struck hard in the gut, eyes bulging while coughing, Timber's life points hit 0, ending the duel.

-x-

Sometime later found Forge back in his garage, hammer in hand as he pounded away at the metal in front of him while drops of sweat ran down his face. He knew he was hitting the metal too hard, too fast. But he couldn’t help himself. His insides twisted every time he thought about what he had done, how he had decided to act to get his point across. So he threw himself into his work with all the gusto he could manage.

But, it didn’t help that both Flash and Timber were sitting right outside his forge with their backs towards him. Out of the corner of his eye, Forge could see that their heads were down as they sat in silence. How long had they been there? Long enough for him to take three water breaks.

Then…

“I’m…sorry,” said Timber, just loud enough for Forge to make out what he was saying. Forge turned his head slightly, seeing that Timber still had his head down and was clearly talking to Flash. “For, you know, thinking that you wanted to steal Twilight away from me.”

“It’s,” began Flash as he lifted his head, looking over at Timber. The rocker teen looked tired, in a more run down fashion. Like the world had taken its toll on him for some time. “You got nothing to worry about. Twilight really likes you.”

Timber gave a short laugh. “I wonder sometimes,” he said darkly. “I…I feel like I’m losing her. She used to tell me everything about the magic she was discovering. A new person infected with Equestrian magic, what they could do. How she and her friends managed to defeat them. Even little things like a new thing she learned how to do with her powers. Like using six screwdrivers at the same time. But now, ever since she saw me on the ground at Camp Everfree, it feels like she’s keeping me at a distance. I barely know what’s going on these days. She’s…she’s shutting me out.”

“Maybe she doesn’t want to remind you of what happened at camp,” offered Flash before he sighed. “And, for what it's worth, I’m sorry for getting so mad and sucking. I made so many mistakes in that duel. If I had just summoned Utopia again and then ranked up into Utopia the Lightning…”

“Hey, you gave it a good shot,” said Timber. “The General was pretty powerful. If that attack had landed-”

“But it didn’t,” said Flash quickly, bringing his hands into his hair while lowering his head even more. “It failed because…because that’s just what happens to me nowadays. I…I just feel like the world hates me or something, like I did some horrible crime and need to be forever punished for it. I keep getting knocked down, over and over again. It just gets tiring.”

Timber was silent for a moment as he looked at Flash. He then looked forward with his head raised. “Hey, you didn’t always have it so bad. I know you used to date Sunset before you dated a literal princess. And now you’re trying to get back with her. So, that’s something. Right?”

“I guess,” admitted Flash, lowering his hands and lifting his head. As he turned his head, Forge saw that Flash was smiling a little. “I just wish we had done better in that duel. But maybe Forge is right. It’s pointless to try and help.”

“You know,” said Forge, speaking up as he set down his hammer. As the two teens turned around to look at him, Forge picked up the blade he was working on to examine what he had done so far. “I can still remember my first time blacksmithing. It was in this intro class I begged my parents to take me to and at the end we were going to make these tiny daggers that were no better than a letter opener. Ha, I went in there thinking that it would be great. That blacksmithing would be quick and easy. But every step of the way, I messed up. The forge wasn’t hot enough to properly move the metal around. I wore out too quickly. Used water instead of oil to quench the blade, cracking it. The metal wasn’t even hard enough. In the end, I left that class with a useless piece of metal that wasn’t even fit enough to be a paper weight.

“But if blacksmithing has taught me anything, it's that if you’re passionate about something you put in the time. Even if you make a mistake, you need to recognize it early enough so that you can fix it. And I plan on putting even more time in on my relationship with Applejack than on my blacksmithing. That includes helping her with this magic stuff that’s going on.”

“But,” began Flash, looking at Forge confused. “Did you say it was pointless-”

“Never said that,” Forge interrupted, now setting down his work. “Sorry if it came out that way, but the truth is we might not be as helpful as we might like to be. Odds that we will be called in to save the day at the eleventh hour, having an epic duel against the big bad are next to zero. Called in to help the girls in a tag team, well, better odds there but only if we happen to be around. More likely that they will target us, trying to capture us to use as bait.” Forge then let out a sigh. “I’m honestly sorry for what I did during our duel. I thought that, if we were going to prepare like you wanted, we needed to do more than practice with our decks. Our monsters and our life points aren’t the only things we need to protect. We need to learn how to shield our hearts and minds as well.”

“You know you could have just told us, right?” asked Timber as he stood up, Flash following suit.

Forge nodded. “Yeah, I know. And again, I’m sorry.”

For a moment, nobody said anything as they all stared at each other. Then Flash let out a forced laugh before punching Forge on the shoulder. “Well, just don’t let it happen again. How about we have another duel without any of the dirty tricks? Fresh start.”

“Sounds good to me,” said Timber as both looked at Forge.

“Give me a minute,” he said before turning around. “I have just a little bit more to do on this piece before I can call it a day. Then, we’ll have another three-way.”

“DUDE!” yelled Flash. “Just call it a free for all!”

Author's Note:

Ok, so this is back up. Hope you all like the improved duel

Comments

[Mr-Astounding]

once again, interesting deck choices; keep up the good work... 😉