Twilight's Mistake
Author’s Note: I’ll be taking a bit of time to explain the basics of dueling through Yusei, so there’s going to be a bit more exposition before the actual duel commences. Please note that these are the rules for the 5D’s anime, and NOT the rules for the real-life card game. Also it might be boring, but I tried to keep it all very brief. It’s a complicated game, however. It doesn't actually contribute much to the story, though, so you can probably skip it if you think you can catch on to the rules by reading the duel.
Also, this duel is one of the longest I’ve ever written. But I’m completely satisfied with it (provided I don’t find any errors). Given the decks I had chosen for Spike and Discord- especially Discord- I thought it would be difficult to write. But the duel took on a life of its own and it became an exhilarating experience. Out of any duel I write, the ones that developed on their own like that are my favorites, and are my best works.
/*********************\
“DUEL!”
Life Point Count
Discord: 4000
Yusei: 4000
Spike: 4000
“Oh, Spike, I almost forgot to assign you a pony,” said Discord. He snapped the fingers of his lion paw and Rarity appeared above Spike, held in place like Twilight and Rainbow.
“What in the- release me, you ruffian!” shrieked Rarity as she struggled against her bindings. “Spike! Help!”
“Rarity!” cried Spike and Twilight together. When they realized they spoke at the same time, they looked at each other. Rarity looked at Twilight with wide eyes, then glared down at Spike.
“Spike, you do whatever you have to do to free Twilight, do you understand?” she said sternly.
“But...”
“I mean it, Spike! You save Twilight! Don’t worry about me!”
“I can’t help but worry about you!” Spike replied. Rarity fell silent. Her eyes became clouded with tears and her lower lip quivered.
“Can we save the sob story moment for later? I’d like to get this game started,” said Discord. “I take the first turn, so... what do I do?”
Spike slapped his forehead with the palm of his clawed hand. Yusei blinked in confusion. “You don’t know how to duel?” he asked. “But the Duel Disk that Twilight made gave her knowledge of the rules, and I’m sure it’s done the same for Spike.”
“Oh, it did that as well?” said Discord. “Well, I’ve already made my... Duel Disk, did you call it? Why don’t you tell me what I need to know since you’re the expert?”
“All right,” said Yusei. “When the duel begins, each player draws five cards from their deck-” Yusei held up the cards in his left hand- “and they’re given four thousand Life Points.”
“Life Points... points that indicate how much life a player has, I assume,” remarked Discord. “Or, in this case, how much life certain ponies have left!” He chuckled darkly. Yusei grimaced.
“Anyway, a player’s turn is divided into six Phases,” Yusei continued. “The Draw Phase is first. At the start of this Phase, you draw one card from your deck. Next is the Standby Phase. Unless a card effect mentions it, don’t worry about it.
“Next is Main Phase One. This is where you’ll be playing most of your cards. You can Summon monsters, change their battle positions, activate Spells, and set Spells and Traps face-down.”
“How does one do all of these things?” asked Discord.
“There are two ways to Summon a monster,” said Yusei. “The first is called a Normal Summon. You can only do this once each turn, but you can put the monster in Attack Mode-” Yusei took a card from his hand and held it vertically in front of him, with the back of it facing Discord- “or in Defense Mode.” Yusei turned the card he was holding horizontally. “If a monster has a high Level- that’s those orange stars underneath its name- then you have to Release monsters on your field to summon them. Level Five and Six monsters require one Release, and Level Seven and above require two. Releasing basically means sacrificing; you just send the monster to the Graveyard. This kind of Normal Summon is called an Advance Summon.
“The other kind of Summon is a Special Summon. It’s done with different kinds of cards and abilities. Ritual, Fusion and Synchro Summons are also different kinds of Special Summons.”
“With you so far,” said Discord, idly staring at his eagle claw.
“Ritual, Fusion and Synchro Monsters can’t be Normal Summoned like other monsters. They have to be summoned with the kind of Special Summons I mentioned. But if you summon them properly, then you can summon them from your Graveyard again later. For Ritual Monsters, you need a Ritual Spell Card. Follow its instructions and you can play the monster.
"Fusions and Synchros are different from other kinds of monsters. They’re stored in your Extra Deck instead of your Main Deck. If they are sent to the hand or the Main Deck, they go to the Extra Deck instead. Fusion Monsters are summoned by fusing the monsters listed on its card with a Spell Card, usually ‘Polymerization’.
“Synchros are a bit easier because you only need a Tuner Monster and some other regular monsters. Add their Levels together, send them to the Graveyard, and then you can summon a Synchro Monster whose Level is the total Levels of the monsters used. So a Level Three Tuner and a Level Two monster would make a Level Five Synchro Monster.”
Yusei glared at Discord, who was now fiddling with one of his capes. He looked up. “I’m still listening!” he said. “Go on!”
“Well, there are two battle positions a monster can have,” said Yusei. “Attack and Defense Mode. You can change a monster’s mode once each turn, but only if it wasn’t Summoned that turn, and hasn’t declared an attack yet.
“Now for Spells and Traps. There are six different kinds of these cards, and they have different icons for each. Normal Spells and Traps don’t have an icon. Ritual Spells have a flame, Quick-Play Spells have a lightning bolt, and Counter Traps have a curving arrow. All of these kinds of cards go to the Graveyard after they are used.
“Continuous Spells and Traps have an infinity symbol on them and they stay on the field once activated. Equip Spells are basically equipment for your monsters, like armor and weapons, and have a cross icon. If a monster holding an Equip Card leaves the field, then the Equip Card is destroyed. Field Spells go in the Field Card Zone and have a compass rose icon. They basically change the duel field.
“Right, right,” said Discord. “What’s next?”
“There’s a few more rules you should know about Spells and Traps,” said Yusei. Discord groaned. “Most Spells can only be used during your Main Phases. Quick-Plays can be used at any time during your turn. You can also use them on your opponent’s turn, but you have to put them face-down first. Also, Quick-Plays are the only kind of Spell that you cannot activate in the same turn that you Set them face-down.
“Traps are like Quick-Play Spells: You can use them at any time in the duel, but you can’t play them from your hand. Instead, you have to Set them on the field, and you can’t activate them in the same turn that you did.”
“Traps and Quick-Play Spells can respond to almost anything. Certain monster effects can respond to the same things; these usually negate something or say you can use them in your opponent’s turn. Counter Traps can respond to anything and everything, but you can only use a Counter Trap against another Counter Trap.”
“Is that all?” asked Discord.
“One more thing,” said Yusei. “When a lot of cards are played against each other, they form a Chain. Each new card is put on top of the Chain as it’s played. When resolving the Chain, start with the card on top and work your way back down to the first card.”
“So the most recent card played is the first one to do its thing?”
“Pretty much. Now for the Battle Phase.”
Discord’s ears perked up and he stared at Yusei intently. “I like the sound of this one!” he said excitedly.
“Well, this is where you can attack with your Attack Mode monsters,” said Yusei. “You pick a monster to attack with, and then you pick its target. Whichever has the most points wins. If both monsters were in Attack Mode, then the losing monster’s controller takes damage equal to the difference in their Attack Points. If their Attack Points are equal, both are destroyed and no one takes damage.
“If the monster being attacked is in Defense Mode, you look at its Defense Points. If they are lower then the attacking monster’s Attack Points, the defending monster is destroyed, but there’s no damage. If their Attack and Defense Points are equal, there’s no damage and neither monster is destroyed.”
“They just bounce off each other?” asked Discord. “That sounds rather silly.”
“Basically, yeah,” said Yusei. Discord laughed. “If the defending monster had higher Defense Points, though, then the attacking player takes damage equal to the difference, but the attacking monster is not destroyed.”
“And the last two Phases?” asked Discord.
“Main Phase Two is basically the same as Main Phase One. The End Phase is also a bit like the Standby Phase, except that at the end of it, you check the size of your hand. If you have more than six cards, then discard some cards until you have exactly six.”
“Anything else I should know before I begin trouncing you two?” Discord asked with a sneer.
“Just one thing,” said Yusei. “Each player’s side of the field has eleven Zones: Five Monster Card Zones, Five Spell and Trap Card Zones, and one Field Spell Card Zone. So you have limited space to play cards. Other than that, just be sure to read your cards carefully and you’ll be do fine”
“‘You’ll do fine’?” said Dash. “Come on! Don’t tell him he’ll do fine like he’s your buddy!”
“Dueling is important where I come from, Dash,” said Yusei. “It’s just as important as racing is to you. Two people in a duel give it their all. Their very souls are clashing with each other. I consider anyone who duels with me to be a friend and companion.” Yusei turned back to Discord. “Well, it’s your turn. Remember, none of us can attack on the first turn, like you said.”
“Indeed,” said Discord as he drew six cards from his deck. “You know, that sure did take a long time to explain. I was getting a bit bored.” He looked over the cards in his hand for several minutes and then smiled. “So let’s get the fun started! First I play 'Reinforcement of the Army', which lets me add a Level Four or lower Warrior-Type monster to my hand from my deck." Discord's deck floated out of his Duel DIsk and spread out before him. Taking another quick glance at his hand, Discord selected a card from his deck and revealed it to Yusei and Spike. "I select 'Dark Grepher'." Discord's deck returned to his Duel Disk and shuffled itself, the flutter of cards echoing throughout the room.
"Now I discard the Level Five 'Darknight Parshath' to Special Summon Dark Grepher!” A blue ring appeared and a human warrior stepped through it. He was tall and muscular, but his skin was dark gray and his eyes glowed red. His clothing was black and studded with spikes. In his right hand, he held a sword with a purple-tinted blade. He grinned wickedly at Yusei and Spike. A circular display appeared next to the man, showing his Attack Points and Level.
Dark Grepher
ATK/1700
LV 4
“Wait, did he say ‘Special Summon’?” asked Spike.
“He did,” said Yusei.
“I can discard a Level Five or above DARK monster to Special Summon Dark Grepher from my hand,” explained Discord. “But Dark Grepher has another ability as well. By discarding a DARK monster, I can send another one from my deck to the Graveyard. So I’ll discard 'Dark Simorgh' and send 'Dark Valyria' to the Graveyard from my deck.
“Now I Release Dark Grepher to Advance Summon 'Dark General Freed',” Discord continued. Dark Grepher was enveloped by a swirling, multicolored glob of light that then morphed into another blue ring. Yet another human stepped out, this one bearing an even more striking appearance. He wore black and gold armor and a dark green cape billowed behind him. His hair was long and dark silver, his eyes glowed red like Dark Grepher’s, and his skin was a sickly shade of blue, as if he had been underwater for a long time. His fingernails were long and filed into claw-like points. On his right hip rested a sword in its scabbard, his right hand resting on the pommel of the curving, golden handle.
Dark General Freed
ATK/2300
LV 5
“I’ll place two cards face-down and end my turn,” said Discord.
“My turn!” said Spike as he drew a card. “I summon 'Ruby Dragon' in Defense Mode and Set two cards face-down. Your go, Yusei.” As he spoke, a ruby-red dragon flew through a blue ring and came to rest in front of Spike. It crossed its wings in front of itself and bent its head down. Two giant cards appeared face-down behind the dragon.
Ruby Dragon
DEF/1900
LV 4
“I draw!” said Yusei. “Discord, why are you doing this? What are you getting out of it?”
“Revenge,” said Discord. “Simple as that. They turned me to stone, imprisoned me and took away everything I loved. I’m here to return the favor.”
“I thought you didn’t turn ponies into stone,” said Applejack.
“You remember something I said months ago, but cannot remember my words from five minutes ago?” replied Discord. “The only thing that’s consistent about moi is that I’m inconsistent.”
“It’s never that simple, Discord,” said Twilight. “I know you better than most ponies. You don’t do simple.”
Discord did not respond. Instead, he simply shot Twilight a glare.
“Twilight is correct,” said Celestia. “This goes deeper than petty revenge.”
“You would know,” Discord muttered before saying to Yusei, “it’s your turn.”
Yusei looked at his hand and quickly planned out his turn. He grabbed three cards and began. “I activate 'Reincarnation of Hope',” he said. “By discarding two monsters from my hand now, I can add a monster from my deck to my hand in two turns. Next I summon 'Shield Wing' in Defense Mode and place one card face-down. I end my turn.”
A bird-like reptile appeared before Yusei. It’s skin was green and it somewhat resembled a pterodactyl, but its wings were silver and covered in layers of scales. It crossed its wings in front of itself like Spike’s Ruby Dragon. A face-down card appeared behind the creature.
Shield Wing
DEF/900
LV 2
“Running scared already, are we?” taunted Discord. “It’s no fun if you don’t fight back.”
“Then come and get us,” said Yusei.
“With pleasure. My turn! However, instead of drawing a card, I’ll use Freed’s effect. This lets me add a Level Four DARK monster from my deck to my hand. I choose and Summon 'Armageddon Knight'!”
The dark general held out his hand and a blue circle appeared next to him. Yet another human warrior appeared from the circle. He was clothed in brown leather and rusting armor. A red scarf was wrapped around his neck and waved in the air behind him with his long, ragged black hair. In his right hand was a long rapier.
“It’s only got fourteen-hundred Attack Points,” noted Spike. “It’s pretty weak compared to your other monster.”
“His strength lies in his effect,” said Yusei.
“The boy is right,” chimed in Discord. “When he’s Summoned, Armageddon Knight lets me send a DARK monster from my deck to the Graveyard.” Discord slid a card into the Graveyard slot of his Duel Disk. “Time for battle! Armageddon Knight, attack Shield Wing!” The warrior ran forward and slashed at Yusei’s monster with his sword, but it bounced off of its wings.
“That was a waste of an attack,” said Yusei. “Shield Wing can survive up to two battles each turn.”
“Then I’ll have Freed attack Ruby Dragon,” said Discord. Freed drew his sword with his left hand and ran forward with the blade trailing behind him. He slashed at the red dragon, the sword slicing through it like cloth. The dragon growled and shattered as it was destroyed. Suddenly, one of Spike’s face-down cards flipped up.
“I activate the ‘Soul Rope’ Trap Card!” said Spike. “By paying a thousand Life Points when one of my monsters is destroyed, I can Special Summon a Level Four monster from my deck. I summon 'Luster Dragon' in Attack Mode!” A golden rope emerged from Spike’s chest and shot forward like a ray of light. A blue portal opened from the other end and a dragon similar to its predecessor appeared. The main difference between the two was that this one was a deep blue and glittered like a sapphire.
Spike heard a scream. He looked up and saw that stone had begun to creep its way up her back hooves. She struggled against her binds, but to no avail. “Rarity!” he cried. “Rarity, I’m sorry! I didn’t- I won’t let it happen again, I swear!”
Rarity stopped struggling and looked at Spike. Her eyes were sad at first, but then became determined. “No, Spike,” she said. “You do whatever you have to do to save Twilight, you hear me? If that means turning more of me into stone, then so be it.”
“But-”
“Spike...”
“But I-”
“Spike, if you don’t do this, then I’ll never speak to you again!” Rarity yelled. Everyone was silent for a moment. Discord leaned against the stone sculpture behind him and smiled, amused at the sudden conflict.
Spike lowered his gaze and said, “If I lose, you’ll never speak to me again anyway. I don’t think I could handle that.”
“Spike...” said Rarity softly.
“That’s touching, but I still have to finish my turn,” said Discord. “I play my own Trap, 'Dark Spirit Art - Greed'. By Releasing a DARK monster on my field, I can draw two new cards. But one of you can negate it by showing me a Spell Card in your hand.”
Yusei and Spike each looked at their hands. Yusei held only one card- a monster. Spike was holding three, but none were Spells. He grimaced and shook his head. Discord grinned and a rune-lined circle appeared beneath his Armageddon Knight. Wind and purple light shot up from the circle and the knight vanished with a scream. The circle and the light disappeared as Discord drew two cards from his deck.
“I Set one card face-down and end my turn,” said Discord.
Spike drew a card as he announced the start of his turn. “All right, Discord,” he said. “Time to bring the hurt! I Release Luster Dragon to summon 'Luster Dragon Number Two'!” The sapphire dragon was enveloped by a multicolored blob of light which transformed into the blue portal from which all monsters emerged. Through the portal flew a much larger dragon. Its hide was emerald green and it large crystals grew along the backs of its legs. It roared as it landed on the ground.
Luster Dragon #2
ATK/2400
LV 6
“Battle!” barked Spike. “Luster Dragon Two, attack Dark General Freed with Emerald Flame!” The green dragon opened its maw and bright green flames shot out, racing toward the deathly general.
“Not so fast, little dragon!” said Discord. “I play another Dark Spirit Art and Release Freed to draw two more cards!” Spike growled. Why did I have to draw a Trap Card? thought the purple dragon.
“Luster Dragon, continue your attack!” Spike ordered. “With no monsters in play, you’re wide open, Discord!”
“We’ll see about that! I activate 'Call of the Haunted'!” Discord’s remaining face-down card flipped up. “This lets me bring a monster back from the dead! I Special Summon 'Dark Horus' in Attack Mode!” The ground before Discord cracked and splintered, then exploded as a huge creature burst forth. Its hide was made of metal the color of dark smoke. Though it had the appearance of a dragon, its head was in the shape of a falcon and its cry sounded as such.
Dark Horus
ATK/3000
LV 8
“Luster Dragon, stop!” shouted Spike. The emerald dragon snapped its jaws shut, cutting off the stream of fire. Spike wiped his brow with the back of his right hand. “That was close.”
“Spike, I’ve seen a lot of these monsters before,” said Yusei. “But they were different.”
“What do you mean ‘different’?” asked Spike.
“I mean that they weren’t dark creatures,” said Yusei. “'Warrior Dai Grepher', 'Freed the Matchless General', 'Horus the Black Flame Dragon'... Discord is playing darker versions of these monsters.”
“Is that bad?” asked Spike with a gulp.
“Yes it is,” Yusei answered. “The Dark Counterparts are powerful versions of already powerful monsters. But they’re all brutal.”
“Dark versions...” muttered Twilight. Suddenly she said, “Wait! Discord turned me and my friends against each other the last time he broke loose! He turned Applejack into a liar, Pinkie Pie hated everything, Rarity became greedy, Fluttershy became a brute, and Rainbow Dash abandoned us.”
“Discord turns everything rotten!” shouted Pinkie Pie. “Big rotten bully!”
“Don’t forget about what happened to yourself, Twilight,” said Discord. “Of course, I didn’t even have to do anything to you. You lost faith in your friends all on your own.”
“Twilight, is this true?” asked Fluttershy.
Twilight hung her head in shame. “It is,” she said sadly. “You guys had changed... I didn’t know what happened. I thought... I thought none of you cared anymore. So I quit caring too.” A single tear slid down Twilight’s cheek. “I should have realized that it was Discord who did that to you guys. I didn’t have enough faith in you... shows what kind of friend I am, huh?”
Yusei’s eyes widened at what he saw then. Twilight’s color seemed to be draining away from her.
“Twilight, it’s okay,” said Rainbow Dash. “We were all acting like jerks. It’s not your fault.”
“Yes it is,” said Twilight. “I gave up on all of you.”
“Twilight, my faithful student,” said Celestia, “you still went back for them when you remembered what friendship is all about. Does that not count for anything?”
Discord turned around and stared up at Twilight. A black aura appeared around him.
“No,” said Twilight. “No it doesn’t. How could it when my faith in my friends was destroyed so easily? I gave up on them.”
“Twilight, we forgive you,” said Applejack. “Don’t beat yerself up over this.”
Twilight was now a dull shade of gray. Steady streams of tears ran from her closed eyes as she said, “I can’t forgive myself, Applejack. What if it happens again?”
“Come on, Twi, don’t be like that,” said Rainbow Dash.
“It’s too late, Rainbow Dash,” said Discord as he turned back to the duel. “She’s given up.”
“You did something to her, you snake!” said Yusei.
“Hey! I’m only part snake!” retorted Discord. “Besides, so what if I did? She’s better off this way, just like everypony else in the world of darkness. You’ll all be joining them soon, so you may as well get started accepting it.”
Yusei gritted his teeth. “You won’t get away with this!” he yelled.
“I already have,” replied the draconequus. “Hurry up and end your turn, dragon.”
Spike growled and set a card face-down before ending his turn.
“My turn!” said Yusei. Now I get a Spell Card! he thought angrily. Then, Can’t be helped. My deck knows what it’s doing. “I activate the Spell Card ‘Tuning’! With this, I can add a Tuner Monster with ‘Synchron’ in its name from my deck to my hand. I think I’ll get 'Drill Synchron'! After that, I send the top card of my deck to the Graveyard.”
“Dark Horus’ effect activates!” said Discord. “Once per turn, if a Spell Card is played during your Main Phase, I can Special Summon a Level four DARK monster in my Graveyard. I summon 'Dark Valkyria'!” Through the blue portal stepped a woman wearing a purple dress and blue armor. Atop her silver hair was a blue tiara. On her back were two giant, black metal wings.
Dark Valkyria
ATK/1800
LV 4
“I summon Drill Synchron!” Yusei continued. A small, brown, round robot flew out of a blue portal. It had two treads, two thin arms that ended in blue drills, and a yellow drill atop its round body.
Drill Synchron
ATK/800
LV 3
“Next I activate the Continuous Trap ‘Graceful Revival’! With this, I can Special Summon a Level two or lower monster from my Graveyard. I revive 'Tuningware'!” Yusei’s new monster was another small robot. It wore what looked like a frying pan on its head. Two green eyes glowed beneath it. Wrapped around its small frame was a yellow scarf.
“Level Three Drill Synchron, tune with Level Two Shield Wing and Level One Tuningware!” Drill Synchron’s body vanished and three bright stars emerged from it. They drew three green rings before vanishing. Yusei’s other two monsters flew up into the rings and their bodies became yellow outlines, revealing more stars within.
“Gathering power will turn into a spear that pierces the earth!” chanted Yusei. “Become the path its light shines upon! Synchro Summon!” A beam of light shot through the stars and widened to engulf the green rings. “Break through, Drill Warrior!” Yusei’s new monster burst forth from the light. It wore brown armor and a yellow scarf. On each of its shoulders were drills, and a much larger drill rested on the end of its right arm.
Drill Warrior
ATK/2400
LV 6
“When I use Tuningware for a Synchro Summon, I can draw one card from my deck. Next, I activate Drill Warrior’s effect! I can cut its Attack Points in half, and this turn, it can attack you directly!” Drill Warrior plunged the drill on its arm into the ground. It spun rapidly, pulling the brown warrior into the earth. A few moments later, the ground beneath Discord’s feet began to crack.
“Drill Shoot!” shouted Yusei. Drill Warrior burst from the stone floor and struck Discord with its drill, knocking him against the stone structure. Discord fell to the ground and cried out. He stood up slowly, glaring at Yusei, but then grinned and turned to see Twilight. Her back legs had turned completely into stone.
“I deserve this,” muttered the unicorn.
“Hold on, Twilight!” cried Spike. “We’ll save you!”
“Not if you plan to beat me!” said Discord. “And if you don’t, you’ll never get your Elements of Harmony back!” He laughed maniacally.
Life Point Count
Discord: 2800
Spike: 3000
Yusei: 4000
Stats
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This better endwell or i will make you regret posting the next chapter......
gametechmods.com/uploads/images/33777CardTable.png Im loving this I really am. I can tell cause I have the same reaction when it ends as I do for the show... RAGE for wanting to see the rest of the Duel!!!
185192 It was the last duel of the orginal series. Also a threee way duel......well this isn't gonna end in a draw.
this is getting really good but now i activate the spell filping the table from not being able to read on
While you couldn't really fit this into this fic, I do want to mention something I think would be epic in a future Yu-Gi-Oh crossover: a tag team duel where Luna and Celestia duel as a team using the day/night combo; Luna using Moon Dragon Quilla and Celestia using Sun Dragon Inti. That is a very powerful combo and would be perfect for them with the whole moon-sun theme.
Really good! I not a guy to like dark stories (Not all of them, at least I can make exceptions) , but this story has me hooked!
72 week later comment!
You even got the maniacal laughter that the villain does at the end when "To Be Continued" pops up at the bottom of the screen. Wonderful.
couldn't resist listen to this song while yusei summons drill warrior
I love this fic. I used to play the game and my dark deck was my trump card i had all the cards that Discord is using and it was really hard for most people to beat.
Of course Discord would use Dark Counterparts. So when will we see Rainbow Dark Dragon?
So much action, and still so sad.