Turn 1, Thorax

DUEL MONSTERS.

Two Duelists faced off against each other. Flash Sentry and Twilight Sparkle, watched by their friends

This card game, played by hundreds of millions of people around world, has managed to capture the hearts of those who play it. Helping to create many bonds of friendship along the way.

"I draw," Flash said doing so.

And now, another legend is about to be born into its history.

"Here we go," Flash called out as he held up two cards, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

YUGIOH EQG,
SHADOW GATES!

The Celestic Cup finals were almost here. In two days, the thirty two Duelists who had won enough points to enter the finals would meet and do battle. Seven days of back to back Duels, with the winner earning the title of Celestic Champion.

Six of those Duelists were sitting outside their school, having just finished their last day of remedial classes after missing a month of school.

Besides them sat five others. One being a girl their age, while the others were younger teens including three girls and a boy.

The older teens were reading through a document they'd been given in class, a survey form about what future goals they wanted to set themselves.

Four of the teens were already filling it out, while the others continued to read. "I have no idea what to write," the boy named Flash Sentry said.

"There has to be something you want to do after school?" His best friend Twilight asked him.

"I got nothing," Flash replied, "to be honest I've never given much thought to what I wanted to do in life. Nothing ever really caught my attention."

"Well you'll have to think something deary," Rarity said as she filled out her form, "you can't just float through life without a plan."

"Well unlike you," Rainbow Dash said, "we haven't all known what we've wanted to do since we were five."

"Yeah," Applejack said, "you've gone on and on about opening your own boutique since you first picked up a fashion magazine."

"Can I help it that I found my passion so early in life?" Rarity asked.

"Well not everyone's found theirs," Rainbow said.

"Well what do you think you might want to do?" Flash's sister Scootaloo asked her.

"It's a toss up between Duelling or Soccer," Rainbow said as she sat back against the tree behind her, "I enjoy them both but can't decide which I'd rather try and make a career out of."

"Well I know what I'm doing," Applejack said, "taking over running the family store." Her granny Smith ran the local fruit store, which Applejack's great grandfather had opened when Granny Smith was just a girl.

"And I'm going into veterinary school," Fluttershy said, "I just love helping animals feel better."

"I wanna open my own bakery," Pinkie said happily, "I'll take everything Mr and Mrs Cakes taught me and make the best desserts imaginable."

"What about you Twilight?" The violet skinned girl's little brother Spike asked her.

"Not sure yet," Twilight replied, "but I'd love to live over seas for a bit. Maybe for college."

"Sounds good," Flash said as he looked up at the sky. He then reached into his pocket and pulled something out, studying them them thoroughly. Two dual cards that he'd been given not to long ago, which were black in colour but completely blank.

Twilight looked over at him and saw the blank cards, causing her to smile. "Still nervous?"

"A little," he replied. Flash had just recently learned he was in fact born in another dimension, the same one the creatures from Duel Monsters came from. Because of this he could act as a link between the two worlds and summon monsters from it, connecting them to the blank cards. However, Flash had been trying nonstop to try and open a link and summon a monster at will, but so far nothing.

"You'll figure it out," Twilight assured him with a smile, "maybe in the finals."

"Which reminds me," Rarity said, "I've completed our ensembles for the event." She was referring to the party held at Freeze Industries tomorrow, where the thirty two finalists plus one guest could attend. "I just need to do a final fitting."

"I don't know," Twilight said looking worried, "shouldn't we get these surveys done?"

"Oh their not due until next month," Rarity reminded her, "besides you said yourself that you don't know what to write in it. So why not leave it until you've given it some thought?"

"She's right," Applejack said as she and the others put away the documents, "let's get this over with."

"Yay," Rarity said clapping her hands.

"I think me and Spike will sit this one out," Flash said as he and the fourteen year old stood up.

"If you must," Rarity said, "why don't we meet up later."

"Let's go see if we can find some new Duelists in the park," Spike suggested, "you need as much practise as you can get before the finals."

"Good plan," Twilight said, "we'll meet you there once we're done."

"Right," Flash said as they went their separate ways.

In an office building on the other side of town the president of Freeze Industries, Cold Steel, was looking over the names of the competitors for the final round.

Flash and his friends names littered one side of the computer screen, under the heading of allies. However, twenty eight names were on another, under the heading of suspects.

"Which ones?" Cold said, "who's working for him?

It didn't take long for Flash and Spike to make it to the park and start looking for an opponent, but after half an hour they started to think it was deserted. "Nothing," Flash said.

"So what now?" Spike asked.

"No clue," Flash said as they entered a clearing, "we could always Duel each other."

"Maybe," Spike replied, only for his eyes to catch sight of something. "Wait, look!" He pointed over to a nearby fountain, where someone was standing.

It was a boy of about fifteen or sixteen, whose height was about halfway between Flash and Spike. He wore a black hoodie and pants, with jet black hair a bright blue eyes. And the most important thing about him was the black Duel Disk, strapped to his arm.

"Bingo," Flash said rushing over to him.

The boy noticed Flash in his peripheral vision and turned towards him and Spike.

"Hey," Flash said.

"Hello?" The boy replied.

"Sorry to disturb you," Flash explained, "but I noticed you had a Duel Disk on.

"Yeah," the boy replied, "I was looking for an opponent."

"Same," Flash said holding out his hand, "I'm Flash by the way."

"And I'm Spike," the green haired boy next to him said.

"Hi," the boy replied, taking the hand to shake, "I'm Thorax."

"So Thorax," Spike said, "I haven't seen you around before. Just move here?"

"Kinda," Thorax replied, "me and my mom are just visiting for a week or so."

"Awesome," Flash said, "so what's say we Duel?"

"Yeah," Thorax replied with a nod, "I only recently started Duelling so I want to get as much practice in as I can."

"Then I'm happy to help you train," Flash said.

The two found a more open area and prepared to face off.

"You ready for this?" Flash asked as he activated his Duel Disk.

"Yeah," Thorax replied activating his, a green energy blade forming.

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Thorax: 4000

"You can take the first move kid," Flash told the younger Duelist.

"Okay," Thorax replied, "I draw and summon my Celtic Guardian in ATK mode." An elf in green armour appeared before the young teen, holding a sword in hand. (A1400/D1200/L4) "And then I'll equip him with the Celtic Longsword," the elf's sword transformed into a slightly larger sword. "This card grants my Guardian five hundred extra ATK points." (A1900/D1200/L4) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and summon Volt Edge Dragon in ATK mode." In a flash of lightning a new monster appeared, being a humanoid dragon without wings. It stood at about six feet, with black scales and dark blue lightning patterned armour on its chest, hands, knees and feet. It wore a mask of the same design on its head, with a long curved horn sticking out of its snout. A triangular spike also stuck out of its chest and knee armour. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Cool," Thorax said, "is that a Pendulum Monster?"

"You bet," Flash said, "my signature card type."

"Awesome," Thorax said, "I'd hoped I'd get to Duel against one one day."

"Well now you are," Flash said, "now watch as my dragon attacks your guardian." The dragon's armour sparked with electricity, before it shot forward.

"But my monster's stronger then yours," Thorax said, "why attack?"

Suddenly the Volt Edge Dragon's electricity surged before, (A2100/D1200/L4/P5) it used one of its clawed gauntlets to slash at the Celtic Guardian, destroying him.

Flash: 4000
Thorax: 3800

"Why'd its ATK point go up like that?" Thorax asked.

"It's Volt Edge Dragon's special ability," Flash explained, "when it attacks a monster, it's ATK points go up by six hundred until the end of the battle." (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Well since you destroyed my Guardian while he was equipped with the Celtic Longsword, its ability activates and I get to add a level four or lower Celtic monster to my hand. His deck shuffled before slotting out a card which Thorax took.

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash said.

"This is shaping up to be a pretty good game," Spike said from the sidelines.

"It sure is."

Spike turned to see his sister and her friends had arrived. "How long have you been there?"

"Just got here," Twilight said, "so who's Flash Duelling?"

"A kid named Thorax," Spike replied, "and it's his turn."

"I draw," Thorax said as he did so, "now I play the Spell card Reasoning. With this you declare a level and I draw until I get a monster, and if it's level is the same as the number you said then I send it to the graveyard. But if its level is different then I get to summon it."

"Okay," Flash said thinking, "I guess...level three."

Thorax drew a card and smiled, "it's level four so I get to summon it. Come out Celtic Knight," another elf in silver armour appeared. It carried a sword and a shield in its hands. (A1600/D1800/L4)

"Now I summon the card I got with my Celtic Long Sword," Thorax continued, "Celtic Hunter." Yet another elf appeared, this one in green armour carrying a crossbow. (A1500/D1200/L4) "You see when Celtic Hunter in on the field, every Celtic monsters get three hundred extra ATK points. Celtic Knight and Celtic Hunter began to glow, as their power increased. (A1800/D1200/L4), (A1900/D1800/L4)

"Not good," Flash said.

"I attack with Celtic Hunter," Thorax ordered as his bowmen drew its arrow and let it fly.

Flash growled. "When Volt Edge Dragon is attacked, his ATK points are lowered by three hundred." (A1200/D1200/L4/P5)

The arrow struck the dragon in the chest, causing it to cry out in pain before being destroyed.

Flash: 3400
Thorax: 3800

"Now my Knight will attack you directly," Thorax said as his other monster flew towards Flash.

"I activate my Trap," Flash said as his face down flipped up, "Beacon of Hope. Since you're attacking my directly, I can draw one card and if it's a monster then I can summon it." He went to his deck and drew, smiling at what he'd got. "I drew Magna Fighter Arma, so I can summon her in DEF mode." The steampunk girl carrying a bronze shield appeared, holding it up to defend against the attack. (A1800/D0/L4)

The knight swung its sword down, but the shield prevented it from hitting the girl.

"Why wasn't she destroyed?" Thorax asked, "my monster's attack strength is way higher then her defence."

Flash smiled. "You see, when Arma's in DEF mode she can't be destroyed by battle."

"Seriously?" Thorax asked.

"Afraid so," Flash replied.

"Then I end my turn."

"This kid's good," Twilight said.

"I agree," Rarity said, "he might be a beginner, but as beginners go he's quite skilled."

"But Flash is no push over," Rainbow said, "he's gonna need to seriously up his game to beat him."

"And Flash hasn't even used his best moves yet," Applejack said.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw and now I'll tribute my Magna Fighter to summon my Twin Lazor Dragon." Arma disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by a giant robotic brachiosaurus with twin cannons on its side. (A2100/D1500/L5) "Just a note," Flash said, "Twin Lazor Dragon get two attacks in one battle."

Thorax frowned. "Well my Celtic Hunter has his own ability, which makes it so you have to attack any other Celtic monster before attacking him."

"Then I'll attack your knight," Flash said, "Twin Lazor fire!" One of the dragons cannons charged up and fired a lazer at the knight, destroying it in a single blast.

Flash: 3400
Thorax: 3600

"Now I'll use my dragon's second blast to destroy your Hunter," Flash said as his dragon's second cannon charged and fired. The blast flew at Celtic Hunter, destroying him as well.

Flash: 3400
Thorax: 3300

"I end my turn."

"Thorax'll need something big if he wants to stand a chance now," Scootaloo said.

"Don't underestimate him," Twilight said, "he might be hiding something big in that deck of his."

"Hope so," Pinkie said, "because this Duel will be boring."

"My turn," Thorax said as he drew and smiled. "I activate the Spell card Monster Beacon," he said as he placed a card in his Duel Disk. "With this we both declare a monster type and draw until we get one and if it's the same type and the one we declared, we can add it to our hand. If it isn't then their sent to the graveyard."

"Interesting," Twilight said, "If his deck is nothing but one type it almost guarantees him getting the card."

"But Flash's deck isn't one type," Fluttershy said.

"Yeah," Spike said, "it's got Dragons, Warriors, Spellcasters and everything in between."

"Let's just hope he gets lucky," Applejack said.

"I'm picking Warrior type monster," Thorax said.

"And I'll pick Dragon," Flash said.

The two drew their cards.

"I got a Warrior," Thorax smiled as he added the card to his hand.

"Mine's not a Dragon," Flash said as he sent his card to the graveyard, Twilight could swear she saw him grin when he did so.

Thorax's smile turned to a giant grin, as he raised his card in the air. "Now I'll summon the monster I just got," he said, "but first if to banish three Celtic monster from my graveyard, which thanks to you I have." From the ground, three spiritual bodies floated up.

"GHOSTS!" Pinkie screamed as she jumped behind Applejack, who rolled her eyes.

The ghostly forms of Celtic Guardian, Knight and Hunter transformed into balls of spirit energy, before they flew into the card. "I summon Celtic Warlord!" In a brilliant flash of light, a giant monster appeared behind Thorax. It was a two story tall elf in black armour, carrying a giant long sword in its hands. (A3000/D3000/L10)

"You weren't kidding when you said he might have something big," Rainbow said.

"This is nothing Flash can't handle," Twilight replied.

"I attack!" Thorax yelled as his monster raised its sword, before swiping at Twin Lazor Dragon and destroying it.

Flash: 2500
Thorax: 3300

"Now I activate my Warlord's special ability," Thorax said, "whenever he destroys a monster he also deals you damage equal to your monsters level times by two hundred."

Celtic Warlord swiped the air, sending a powerful gust that almost knocked Flash and his friends off their feet.

Flash: 1500
Thorax: 3300

"I end my turn," Thorax said.

"Flash is gonna have to stop taking it easy if he wants to win this," Rainbow said.

"Come on bro," Scootaloo cheered.

"Alright," Flash said, "my turn, I draw." Flash looked at the card and smiled, "I activate the Spell card Stardust Reload. By removing a monster in my graveyard from play, I can draw cards equal to its level. I'll remove Arma and draw four," he did so and smiled. "It's time."

The others smiled, knowing what was coming.

"I'm using Scale eight Magna Caster Solaris and Scale one Magna Caster Lunara to set the Pendulum Scale." He placed the two cards on the far ends of his Duel Disk.

On each side of him two pillars of light appeared as the two Pendulum monsters floated upwards, hovering once they were ten feet high as the image of a one and eight appeared below them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" Flash chanted as the two wizards pointed their staffs up, and each shot a beam of light which connected and opened a portal above him. "I can summon monsters levelled two through seven all at the same time!" Flash explained. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two lights shot out of the portal, and as they hit the ground they took shape. Two monsters appeared in DEF mode.

"Charge up, Volt Edge Dragon." (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"To arms, Flash knight." (A1800/D600/L4/P7)

"Awesome!" Thorax said seeing the Pendulum Summon.

"I know right," Flash said, "I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw and summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." An exact copy of Celtic Guardian appeared. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Now I'll have my Guardian attack your Flash Knight," Thorax ordered as his monster ran forward and slashed his sword through the Pendulum monster. "And now my Warlord will attack your Volt Edge Dragon." The giant elf swung his massive sword and cut the dragon in half, destroying it and activating its special ability which dealt Flash damage.

Flash: 700
Thorax: 3300

As Flash regained his balance, he pressed something on his Duel Disk. "I unveil Starburst Draw, which activates whenever a monster with fifteen hundred ATK or less is destroyed. Now I can draw one card for each of my monster's level," he drew four cards."

"I'll end my turn with a face down card," Thorax said.

"One more attack like that and Flash's done for," Rainbow said.

"Flash has to end this now," Rarity said, "or at least get rid of the Warlord."

"Come on Flash" Spike yelled.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled, seeing what he'd drawn. "Once again my Pendulum scale will allow me to cut through space time, carving the arc of victory once again." The spellcasters began to open the portal again. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a streak of light shot out, hitting the ground and exploding in a burst of light.

The light faded and everybody saw a familiar monster, Flash's ace card, take to the stage. "Shine your light of victory, FLASH HEART DRAGON!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Thorax was in amazement of the new Pendulum Monster.

"Flash Heart's skill," Flash continued, "since he was Special Summoned I can send the weakest monster on your side of the field to the bottom of your deck."

Thorax realised what that meant, before turning to see his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian was through a wormhole that opened beneath it. Despite this he still smiled. "Sorry," he said, "but your dragon isn't strong enough to beat my Warlord."

"He will after the upgrade I give him," Flash said, "but first I need to activate the effect of a monster in my graveyard."

"What monster?" Thorax asked, "the only one still there is Twin Lazor Dragon."

"Did you forget the monster you made me send there with your Monster Beacon Spell?" Flash asked, as a light appeared on his field. "I summon Vail Pixie!" The light fade revealing a silver fairy wearing a green dress, with purple hair and insect wings. (A100/D100/L1)

"How'd you do that?" Thorax asked.

"Once during the Duel, I can Special Summon Vail Pixie from my graveyard." Flash smiled seeing the kid's face, "and with her my victory is at hand. I tune my level one Vail Pixie with level seven Flash Heart Dragon!" Vail Pixie glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Flash Heart flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Impressive," Thorax said, "but now our monsters are neck and neck."

"They won't be once I activate this," Flash said as he placed a card in his Duel Disk, "Lightspeed! With this I can raise the ATK of a Light monster on my field by one thousand." Flash Dragon Accel began to glow, as its power increased (A4000/D2500/L8)

"Oh," Thorax said.

"Flash Dragon Accel," Flash ordered, "attack!"

His dragon flew high and released its four cannons, which began to charge up. "Supreme Energy Blast!" They fired and shot four combined energy blasts at Thorax's monster, destroying it.

Flash: 700
Thorax: 2300

"And now," Flash said, "I activate Accel's effect. By tributing him, I can summon Flash Heart Dragon from my Extra Deck." The Synchro Monster disappeared in a flash of light, before it was replaced by its prevolution. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "ATTACK!" The dragons boosters kicked into action, sending it flying towards the teen and smashed into the ground infront of him and sending him flying.

Flash: 700 (Winner)
Thorax: 0

Flash's friends cheered at his victory.

"Way ago Flash," Twilight said as they walked up to him.

"Thanks," Flash scratching his head. He then turned to see Thorax getting up and walked over to him.

"I guess I lost huh?" Thorax said.

"It was close," Flash said, "if I hadn't drawn Flash Heart I might not have won." He held out his hand, "you got game."

Thorax smiled and shuck his hand.

"I'll say you got game," Rainbow said as they drew closer, "hey wanna Duel me next?"

"Sure," Thorax said, only for something to buzz in his pocket. Pulling out his phone, his eyes went wide. "Is that the time?" He said, "oh no. Sorry," he told them, "I gotta go." Before they could ask why, Thorax ran off and was out of sight.

"That was weird," Rainbow said.

"He must have a very important appointment or something," Rarity said.

"Well I hope we meet him again," Flash said, "I'd love to Duel him again."

"Me too," Spike said.

A little while later the gang were relaxing at Sugarcube Corner.

"So you're all ready for tomorrow night?" Fluttershy asked.

"Sure are," Pinkie said happily, "it'll be super fun."

"You know it will," Rainbow said.

"Hey look," Twilight said pointing at the store's TV.

It was a news report on the Celestic Cup.

"Work has just been completed on the new Freeze Duel Arena, where the finals for the Celestic Cup will be held. It will also be host of the special party for VIP guests. We've managed to get confirmation that Queen Chrysalis of the small nation of Changeland, will be there with her son prince Thorax. The image changed to two pictures. One was a middle aged woman with flowing blue hair and dark skin, while the other was someone they all knew.

"It that?" Twilight asked.

"I think so," Flash said, "but I don't believe it."

"No way," Rainbow said.

"Flash...Duelled royalty," Rarity said.

"WOW!" Pinkie said.

One thing was for sure. The Celestic Cup finals would be interesting.

Turn 2, Shadow

View Online

In a dark unknown place, a figure sat in a large throne infront of a group of large computer screens. On said screens were videos of Flash Duelling.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" A video of Flash spoke as he summoned Flash Heart Dragon against Cold Steel.

Two other screens showed videos of his match against Tidal and Spike. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

Three others, had videos of the teen's match against Shining, the Flim Flam Brothers and Grand Hoof. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

"So their son is growing stronger," the figure said, "but he will not stop me. In fact those fools are simply helping my own cause."

Suddenly, two cloaked figures entered the room. They both walked up and stopped at the bottom of a staircase leading up to where the throne was sat.

"Your majesty," on of them said in a female voice, "they have arrived."

"Very well," the figure replied, "send them in."

The two nodded and turned to leave. A minute or so later they returned, followed by six other cloaked individuals.

Once standing at the bottom of the stair, they all bowed to the figure.

"We live to serve you your highness," they said in unison.

The figure spun around in his throne and looked down upon them, his face shielded by the darkness. "Arise my Shadow Duelists," the dark figure said, "the time has come."

The all stood up.

"Shadow, Adagio."

"Yes your majesty," two of the shorter figures stepped forward.

"You know what you must do," he told them, "succeed and be rewarded. Fail and know my fury."

"We will not fail you father," Shadow replied, "you have my vow."

"Good," the figure replied, "then go. You have a party to attend."

The two nodded and turned to leave.

Once they were gone, one of the taller of the four remaining figures stepped forward. "What of us my king?"

"You were all incapable of acquiring the needed points," he said before looking down at the one who'd spoke, "but you my dear, will act as my eyes and ears in this tournament."

"Yes your majesty," the female replied.

"The rest of you be ready to execute the plan when ready," the figure said.

"Yes your highness," the others said before leaving the room.

Once they were gone, the figure turned back to the screens. "And so it begins. I have to wonder what the great savour of humanity is doing right now?"

"OW," Flash cried as Grand was busy combing the teen's usually wind swept hair. "Watch it!"

"Oh hush up," his grandfather told him, "if you'd done as I suggested and got this rat's nest cut, I wouldn't have to do this."

"I thought you said it makes me look like my dad?" Flash asked sarcastically.

"Yes," Grand replied, "and your mother was always on his case about this hair to. Just try not to do anything rash tonight. Don't want your opponents to think of you as an impulsive meathead."

"I know," Flash said, "just don't go all super cop either." Flash looked over at the counter, where a pair of identical envelopes laid. They were the invites needed to get into the party that was being held that night, where the finalists would all meet and get to know each other before the actual contest began. Flash had of course been sent an invite along with a plus one ticket he'd be using to get Scootaloo in, while Grand Hoof had received his own invite so the three would all be going tonight.

Suddenly Scootaloo's door opened and she walked out, dressed in a purple blouse and violet skirt. "Do I really have to wear this?" She asked unhappily, "I know Rarity worked really hard on it, but I look ridicules."

"Yes," Grand told her sternly, "it won't kill you to look like a girl for one night."

"It'll kill my popularity if anyone from school sees me," Scootaloo moaned as she went to sit on the couch.

Flash rolled his eyes as Grand finished his hair and let him go, allowing the teen to head into his room wear his night clothes laid on his bed. A white shirt along with a blue vest and black pants, finished off with a black blazer. Flash quickly dawned his clothes and headed out, where Grand and Scootaloo were wait.

"You kids ready?" Grand asked them.

"Let's get this over with," Flash said with a sigh.

"Don't be like that," Grand said, "tonight is suppose to be about meeting and getting to know your opponents before the competition begins."

"I know," Flash said, "but besides my friends, I'm worried all the Duellists there will be over competitive and only care about winning."

"Well better to learn that tonight then during the contest," Grand said.

At that moment there was a knock at the door, which Scootaloo answered to reveal a man in black suits. "Good evening," the man said, "I'm here to escort you to the party."

Scootaloo went passed him and looked down at the street, where a long black limousine was waiting. "Cool!" she said.

"We're ready," Grand said.

The three followed the suited man down and into the limo, which they enjoyed riding in. Eventually they arrived at the building the party was being held.

Said building was a giant dome like structure shaped like the head of a familiar monster, Frozen Heart Dragon, with its mouth acting as the entrance way. Around said entry way was a large group of paparazzi.

"Oh this'll be fun," Flash said as the limo parked up and the man opened it a minute later. As soon as Flash was out of the car his retinas were bombarded by many flashes of light, as the cameras around them took hundreds of pictures.

"Excuse me," a man said, "who do you expect will be your biggest competition in the finals?"

"Do you believe you have a stratagy in place for anything you might come up against?" A woman asked.

"How far do you hope to get? Another man asked.

Flash felt very sick at this moment, but thankfully they managed to get inside and the questions died down.

"Well that was terrifying," Scootaloo said.

"You get use to it," a familiar voice said.

They all turned and smiled seeing Shining Armor and Cadance walk into the room, followed by Spike. Cadance was wearing a beautiful pink dress, while Shining and Spike were wearing suits similar to Flash and Grand's.

"Hey guys," Flash said waving at them, "great to see you."

"You too," Cadance said with a smile.

"Where's Twilight?" Scootaloo asked.

"She decided to prepare with the rest of her friends," Spike replied, "they should all be arriving together."

"If that's the case they might already be here," Flash said.

"Looking forward to seeing a certain someone in a pretty dress?" Cadance asked meekly with a smirk on her face.

"What?" Flash asked though he could feel his face reddening.

"Aw," Scootaloo said sarcastically, "is someone embarrassed?"

Flash glared down at his sister.

Everyone just smirked, while one just raised an eyebrow until his wife elbowed him. "You remember the deal," she told him, "he beat you so don't even think about it."

"Fine," he replied, "though if I remember right the deal was I couldn't do it once they started dating."

The six followed the signs leading to an elevator, which they rode up to the top floor where the party was being held. Walking out the elevator, they stared out in wonder at the sight of beautifully decorated room.

The place was filled will metal poles filled with beautiful candles and their were many tables with silver cloths, that had many different dishes of food.

"Wow!" Spike said as he looked around.

"Gotta give it to those Freeze Industry goons," Flash said, "they can throw one heck of a party."

They looked around the place and saw many different people, all dressed in different forms of dress.

"Look at them all," Scootaloo said.

"They're all Duellists who managed to win their way here," Shining said, "if Flash wants to win this he'll have to beat them all."

"Well first he'll need to beat us," they spun around and saw six girls step out the elevator, followed by Applebloom and Sweetie Belle.

"Hey girls," Cadance said, "looking good." (AN)

"Thanks," Twilight said before turning to Flash, "so how do we look?"

Flash wasn't sure how to reply, simply looking her up and down with an amazed face. Twilight took this as a good thing and smiled, before using her finger to close his hanging mouth.

The others all smirked at this and the turned towards the room.

They looked around at people scattered around the room, some of which they recognised.

"Is that Derpy?" Twilight asked. She pointed to a teen with grey skin and blonde hair, wearing a light blue dress.

"It is," Flash said only to notice someone next to her, "and is that...Time Turner?" He was pointing to a man in a tuxedo.

"It is," Rainbow said before turning to him, "you know that guy?"

"I met him when I went off alone," Flash explained, "he was pretty tough."

"Flash my boy," they saw Time and Derpy walking up to them.

"Hey," Flash said with a wave, "long time no see."

"Indeed," Time said, "and I'm glad to see you made it here. I knew you would."

"And it's great to see you to Twilight," Derpy told Twilight.

"You to," Twilight replied, "I'm glad to see you made it."

"Hey," Rainbow said as she stepped towards Time, "remember me?"

"Oh course I do," Time said, "you were quite an opponent."

"You know it," Rainbow said, "and I intend to even up the score."

Pinkie meanwhile was watching this with a smile, until her eyes were covered. "Guess who?" A familiar voice spoke, making the bubblegum haired Duellist gasp.

"CHEESE!" She pulled her hands away as spun around, seeing the Dueltainer infront of her. "You're here!" She screamed as she threw her arms around him.

"Great to see you," Cheese said.

"You to," Pinkie cried out.

"I was hoping I'd be making you make that noise," Pinkie froze and slowly turned to see an older girl with a plain expression in a plain looking dress.

"MAUD!" Pinkie screamed as she ran over and threw her arms around her. The girl didn't seem to have a reaction to this. "I didn't know you were competing."

"It seemed fun," Maud said, "plus my new deck needed a major test."

Pinkie smiled as she pulled back and turned to her friends. "Everybody, this is my big sister Maud. She's an awesome Duellist."

"Pleasure to meet you," Rarity told Maud as the others waved.

Maud remained stoic in her manners until she finally spoke. "Hello."

They weren't really sure what else to say about that.

"Well isn't this a motley crew," they all turned to see an old woman with green skin and white hair enter, along with an older teen with pink skin and orange hair.

"Isn't that the lunch lady from school?" Flash asked Twilight.

"She's also ma'h grandmother," Applejack said, before turning to the teen. "And this here's my brother Big Mac," she said

"Nice to meet you," Twilight said.

"Same here deary," Granny Smith said.

"Eeyup," Big Mac said.

"So how come you're here?" Rainbow asked, "weren't we only allowed to bring one guest?"

"I brought Applebloom," Applejack explained, "Big Mac brought Granny Smith."

"So Big Mac's in the finals?" Twilight asked.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"Mac's a great Duellist," Applejack said, "taught me everything I know."

"Well," Flash said holding out a hand, "can't wait to see your skills."

"Eeyup," Mac said as he took the hand and shook it.

While this was happening, Scootaloo and her friends were at one of the tables chowing down.

"Delicious," Sweetie said.

"You know it," Scootaloo said. In that second she felt a tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around and see a boy her age with orange skin and blue and red hair.

"Hey," he said, "long time no see."

"Spoon," Scootaloo said punching him in the arm, "you made it."

"Yeah I did," Spoon said as he rubbed his arm, "thanks to you guys for helping me find my strength."

"It was nothing," Applebloom said.

"So you looking forward to Duelling in the big leagues?" Sweetie asked.

"Yeah," Spoon replied, "especially against Flash."

"Well you're gonna need to Duel at your very best," Scootaloo told him.

"I know," Spoon said, "but I'll be fine. I first tried to get here just so I could get the Pendulum Cards, but now I'm here to win."

Meanwhile Twilight and Flash were looking around the room when they suddenly heard a familiar voice.

"Well well well, look who managed to get here."

They spun around and both had very different reactions to who they saw.

"Timber," Twilight said happily.

"Timber," Flash moaned.

"Hey you two," Timber said as he walked over, alongside a woman with pink skin and rouge hair. "This is my sister, Gloriosa."

"Oh," Gloriosa said as she clapped her hands, "so you're Twilight." She stepped forward and grabbed the girls hands in her own, "my brother told me all about you."

"He did?" Twilight asked looking surprised.

"He wouldn't stop talking about you," Gloriosa said as she winked at her, making Twilight feel very uncomfortable.

Flash meanwhile was glaring at Timber with crossed arms.

"So Flash," Timber said as he walked forward and put his arm on the teen's shoulder, "how many points did you manage to get? I got over five thousand, probably one of the highest scores here."

Flash just smirked, knowing it wasn't. "You'll find out."

Suddenly the room went dark, as a spotlight appeared and shined down onto a stage at the back of the room.

From behind the curtain came out two familiar women, the famous Celestic Sister stepped out onto the stage.

Celestia: Hello everybody, how are you all doing?

Luna: I hope you're all enjoying this little shindig.

Celestia: Now let's welcome the one behind this years Celestic Cup.

Luna: President of Freeze Industries.

Both: COLD STEEL!"

With that the curtain opened, revealing Cold Steel in his usual dress along with his assistant Sunset Shimmer who was dressed in a green dress.

The man looked out at the many contestants of the Celestic Cup and their guests, before taking a microphone from Luna and speaking. "Good evening," Cold said, "you are here because the thirty two of you are the best of the best. But you all still have a ways to go before you can proclaim yourself the best." He then raised his hand above his head. "Now let's see where each of you place so far."

He snapped his fingers and as he did, a holographic board appeared above their heads.

It read.

1st/Shadow: 10,000Ps

2nd/Flash Sentry: 9500Ps

3rd/Adagio Dazzle: 8715Ps

4th/Twilight Sparkle: 8550Ps

5th/Maud Pie: 7200Ps

6th/Big Mac: 7150Ps

7th/Rainbow Dash/Applejack: 7100Ps

8th/Vinyl Scratch: 7010Ps

9th/Rarity: 6900Ps

10th/Pinkie Pie: 6880Ps

11th/Comet Tail: 6800Ps

12th/Time Turner: 6750Ps

13th/Photo Finish: 6710Ps

14th/Micro Chips: 6685Ps

15th/Shining Spoon: 6600Ps

16th/Cheese Sandwich: 6550Ps

17th/Sandalwood: 6510

18th/Derpy Muffins: 6450

19th/Cloak N Daggers: 6430

20th/Suri Polomare: 6400

21st/Pixel Pizzaz: 6390

22nd/Heath Burns/Upper Crust: 6330

23rd/Ringo: 6150

24th/Octavia Melody: 6100

25th/Teddy/Amethyst Star: 6050

26th/Juniper Montage: 5800

27th/Nolan North: 5725

28th/Thunderlane: 5650

29th/Timber Spruce: 5590Ps

"I'm in last place!" They heard Timber moan.

"Hey it's okay," Gloriosa told her brother, "last place is a great place to start from. Makes it more amazing when you win the whole thing."

Timber smiled at this. "Yeah," he said, "you're right."

Meanwhile the rest of the group were going over who was where.

"Flash isn't in first?" Scootaloo asked, "how is that possible?"

"Whoever this Shadow guy is," Twilight said, "he must be really good."

Pinkie and Rarity meanwhile were looking up at the name for the third place holder.

"Adagio Dazzle," Rarity growled.

"Who?" Sweetie asked her sister.

"Someone we met when we were gathering points," Rarity replied.

"We Duelled her sisters and they were mean," Pinkie said.

"Oh you're breaking my heart," a voice from behind them said.

Turning around they saw Adagio had entered the room, along with someone in a black cloak.

"So I see you two made it to the finals," Adagio said, "good. I was hoping to get a chance to pay you back for what you did."

Rarity and Pinkie glared at her, making her smile.

"Okay calm down," Twilight said as she got between the two, "we're all Duellists here so let's try and be respectful to each other."

"Oh," Adagio said, "a little goody two shoes." She smiled at Twilight as her face drew closer, "I look forward to beating you as well."

Twilight stepped back from the girl, freaked out by what was just said.

Adagio drew back with a smirk on her face, before moving to gesture at the figure in the cloak.

"Let me introduce you to my friend," Adagio said, "his name is Shadow."

"Shadow?" Flash repeated, before looking back up at the board and seeing his name at the very top above his own. He looked back at him, "so you're ranked number one."

"I am," Shadow replied stoically, "my point total would have been higher, but I was late into the game."

"Are you saying you started collecting points long after the rest of us?" Twilight said.

"That's right," Adagio said, "he only started competing in the last week of round one."

They all went wide eyed at that. How had he managed to obtain not only enough points to make it to the finals, but the highest amount in only a week.

Flash stared Shadow down who in turn look over at him and as they locked eyes, Flash felt a sudden rush of dread as in that second a piecing dark light seemed to shot out of the figure's eyes.

Flash shielded his eyes, as the light seemed to surround him and when Flash finally looked up all he could see was darkness.

"You think you can win!?"

Flash looked around for the source of the voice, but all he could see was the darkness.

"You think you can stop what is coming!?"

Suddenly a new sound caught his ears, a horrid pained sound coming from below him. Looking down Flash gasped at what he saw.

His monsters, the ones from his deck, were below him. They were trapped in black shadowy ropes that appeared to be dragging them into the darkness.

"NO!" Flash yelled seeing this. Soon his monsters started to be consumed.

Arma, Radium and Crossbolt. Lunara and Solaris. Vail Pixie...Flash Heart

"Come back!" Flash yelled as the last of his monsters were consumed.

"Why fight it?" The voice asked as dark vines shot out of nowhere and grabbed him, "accept the darkness."

"No," Flash yelled as he struggled against them, but the vines were to strong and soon wrapped around his entire body. "NOOOO!"

Flash opened his eyes, seeing the others all staring at him.

"Are you okay man?" Rainbow asked, "you spaced out for a minute."

"A dream?" Flash asked as he shook his head.

"Flash?" Twilight asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm fine," Flash replied, "just spaced out for a moment."

"Well don't go doing that in the contest," Scootaloo told him, "you'll need to stay focused if you wanna win."

"Yeah right," Flash said as he scratched the back of his head, "my bad. I'll focus promise." Looking around Flash couldn't see Adagio or Shadow anywhere, obviously having left while he was spaced out.

However, Flash couldn't get what he'd seen out of his head. Was it a dream, or something more? Flash then remembered he'd had dreams like that before, but never anything what he'd just seen. Had it been some kind of warning.

"Come on," Twilight said as she grabbed his hand, "let's go get something to eat. That should stop you looking so peeky." With that see pulled him over to the food table, followed by the others.

Meanwhile Grand had gone over to talk to Cold along with Shining and Cadance.

"Are you ready?" Cold asked the older man.

"Yes," Grand said, "I'll be keeping an eye on all the Duels. Anyone makes a wrong move and I'll be there."

"Good," Cold said before turning to the others, "I hope the two of you are also ready."

"We are," Cadance said, "don't worry about us."

"We won't let anyone get away with using our game to cause mayhem," Shining said.

"Good," Cold said, "if I'm correct then his agents are among the finalists. I've already outed two of them, but whether that are more is what we have to be on the look out for."

"And hopefully we can get to them and find his location," Grand said.

"It's all a matter of patience," Cold said. He looked over at where Adagio and Shadow were standing, looking over the rest of their competition. Cold had no doubt they'd eventually lead him to the master mind, but how they would was still unclear.

For now, Cold would have to put his faith in those he knew he could trust.

<The Next Day>

The day of the Celestic Cup finals were here.

As fireworks exploded in the air above the arena, those wanting to see it all take place entered through the doors and out onto the seating area.

Flash and his friends were all together, waiting for the contest to begin.

Suddenly on the main stage, there was an explosion and music began to play as the smoke cleared to reveal the Celestic Sisters.

Both: HELLO CANTERLOT!

Celestia: We welcome you all to the finals of the Celestic Cup. We hope you're all ready to see the best of the best this week.

Luna: That's right sister. Over the next seven days, we'll watch as the thirty two Duellists who managed to gather the most points battle it out to win the coveted title of Celestic Champion.

Celestia: Let's have a look at how this week is going to play out shall we.

She clicked her fingers and a holographic display appeared, projected from the battle field.

Day 1

Round 1, block A

Day 2

Round 1, block B

Day 3

Round 2, block A
Round 2, block B

Day 4

Round 3, block A
Round 3, block B

Day 5

Round 4, block A
Round 4, block B

Day 6

Free day

Day 7

Finals

Everyone murmured as they saw the schedule, unclear about what it all meant.

Luna: Don't worry if you're confused.

Celestia: We're here to explain it.

Luna: As you know, thirty two Duellists are competing in the finals. Managing them all in just one set of Duels could get confusing.

Celestia: So the thirty two competitors are going to be split into two blocks of sixteen. Block A and Block B.

Luna: Block A is going to be competing today and Block B tomorrow. Competitors in each Block will Duel four rounds against the other members of their Block to become the Block Champion.

Celestia: During the fifth and final round the two Block Champions will Duel against each other, to crown the tournaments winner.

Everyone finally understood.

"So it's a grander scale of the Shooting Star Micro Tournament," Twilight said.

"But," Flash said, "who's in which block?"

Luna: Now it's time to decide who will be facing off against who.

The megascreen above the sisters came to life, before showing images of the thirty two Duellists who'd be competing.

Celestia: Our computer will now randomly generate the two blocks, so let's do it.

She clicked a button and on the screen the images flipped over so they couldn't see, before they began to spin around each other making impossible to try and keep track of the photos.

Eventually the images were split into two sets of sixteen, before spinning around and showing the images again.

Everyone took a closer look and saw who was in which block.

A Block

Maud Pie

Cloak N Daggers

Big Mac

Flash Sentry

Amethst Star

Vinyl Scratch

Pinkie Pie

Cheese Sandwich

Timber Spouse

Thunderlane

Applejack

Shining Spoon

Pixel Pizzaz

Heath Burns

Derpy Muffins

Ringo

B Block

Comet Tail

Adagio Dazzle

Juniper Montage

Rainbow Dash

Micro Chips

Rarity

Shadow

Photo Finish

Time Turner

Twilight Sparkle

Octavia Melody

Nolan North

Suri Polomare

Teddy

Sandalwood

Upper Crust

Everyone found their image a learned which Block they were in.

"Okay," Flash said, "looks like I'm in the A Block."

"Same here!" Pinkie cheered.

"Me too," Applejack said.

"And we're all in B Block," Twilight said.

Rainbow smirked. "To bad," she said, "I was hoping to take you all down. Looks like I'll have to settle with a few of you."

"Right," Rarity said sceptically.

Luna: Now that we know who's in which block, let's see who'll be in the first Duel.

Celestia: That's right. To make sure each Duellist has a fair shot, we will randomly select who's playing who right before they do.

"So that means we won't have any prep time," Twilight said.

"This tournament's really gonna test who the best Duellist is," Spike said.

The images for the B Block disappeared as the A Block's were enlarged before once again spinning around and hiding the images that were then randomly spun around.

Luna: Let's find out who's Duelling first

She pressed a button as from the images, one shot out and flipped around revealing the Duellist.

Celestia: Shining Spoon. But who will he be facing?

A second image shot out, which spun around revealing Spoon's opponent.

Luna: Flash Sentry.

Flash smiled. So he was up first, awesome.

"Flash verses Spoon," Scootaloo said.

"This is just what he wanted," Applebloom said.

Flash looked around and saw Spoon standing a ways off. The two shared a glance and both nodded, knowing that neither would be holding back in this Duel.

The Celestic Cup Finals had begun, but who would win it and claim the championship, only time will tell?

Turn 3, Flash vs Spoon, Idol Battle

View Online

We find Flash sitting in the competitors waiting room, waiting for the first Duel to begin. He would be facing off against Shining Spoon, the boy his sister said idolised him, in his first match of the Celestic Cup Finals.

Flash wasn't sure how he felt right now. Sure he was happy someone looked up to him, but he wasn't really anything special.

"Relax," he told himself, "I won't stand a chance against him unless I get my head in the game." He pulled out his deck and shuffled through it, making sure every card he needed was were it should be. "I can do this."

Meanwhile in the other waiting room, Shining Spoon was fretting.

"Okay," Spoon said, "you're in the finals of the biggest Duelling tournament of the century and you're facing off against the guy you entered this whole thing to be like." He pulled out his own deck and looked through it, "I don't know if I'm really as strong as him, but I won't hold anything back and find out." He pulled out his best card, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, and nodded. "I know you won't let me down."

Up in the stands, Flash's friends were also waiting.

"How much longer are they gonna be?" Rainbow asked impatiently.

"Hold your horses," Applejack said, "they need to make sure everything's ready."

"Yeah," Pinkie said happily, "we don't want to have to go home early because someone left something unplugged."

"Right Pinkie," Rarity chuckled.

"I just wonder how Flash'll do against this Shining Spoon," Twilight said before turning to Scootaloo, "you've seen him Duel. Any idea if Flash is in trouble."

"I'm not sure," Scootaloo said, "I've only seen him Duel once and he's probably way better now."

"We'll just have to keep an eye on him then," Fluttershy said.

"Flash'll be fine," Spike said, "look at everyone he's beaten. Me, Shining, Cold Steel. Compared to us, this kid'll be a cake walk."

"Don't be so sure Spike," Twilight said, "we've never seen him Duel so we don't know what tricks are up his sleeve." She looked down at the field as she waited for the Duel to start.

Up in the main box, Cold and Sunset were also waiting for the Duel to begin.

"Are you sure this was a good idea?" Sunset asked him.

"He still has much to learn," Cold said, "this is the best way we can ensure he's ready when the time comes."

"Kind of feel sorry for the other Duellists competing," Sunset said, "they worked so hard to get here and now you're using them as training dummies."

"This is about more then just training him," Cold said, "we also need to find out if anyone else is on his side who managed to get here."

"So you're using these matches to weed out the ones you know aren't working for him," Sunset said, "as cunning as always."

Cold smirked at this, before hearing the sound of the elevator doors opening.

Looking around he saw two individuals enter the room. The first was a middle aged woman with flowing blue hair and dark skin, dressed in a black business suit and skirt. Standing next to her was teenage boy with jet black hair and blue eyes, also wearing a smart buttoned up suit.

"Chrysalis," Cold said as he and Sunset turned to greet them, "a pleasure to see you could make it."

"Quite," Chrysalis replied as she held out her hand for Cold to kiss, which he did. She then turned a pointed to the boy, "this is my son, Thorax."

"Hello," the teen said with a wave.

"Hello," Cold replied before turning back to Chrysalis. "I was beginning to worry," he said, "I wasn't sure if you were going to make it."

"I had business to attend to," Chrysalis explained, "but I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Well we're happy to have you here," Sunset said, "I understand your kingdom is going through some tough times."

Chrysalis frowned at this. "Perhaps," she said, "but we're working to fix that."

"Well I hope you manage it," Sunset said before turning to Thorax, "and are you enjoying your time in our country my young prince?"

"Oh yes," Thorax said though he looked nervous, "it's great. I'm hoping I can learn a lot while I'm here, especially about Duelling."

"Well you've come to the right place," Cold said, "we have the best Duellists in the country competing this week."

"Awesome," Thorax said before blushing when he caught his mother's glare, "I mean that sounds very interesting."

The elevator opened again, this time revealing Cadance and Shining Armor.

"Mr Armor," Chrysalis said, "how nice to meet you."

"Same," Shining said.

"And you must be his lovely wife?" Chrysalis said as she turned to Cadance.

"Cadance," the pink skinned woman replied, "it's nice to meet you."

"I'm sure," Chrysalis said.

Shining looked around and saw Thorax, with stars in his eyes at the sight of the pro Duellist.

"Hey kid," he said as he held out his hand, "nice to meet you."

"It's an honour," Thorax said as he shook the hand and didn't let go.

"I'm sure it is," Shining said as he chuckled nervously.

"Well," Sunset said getting their attention, "shall we watch. I think their about to start."

"Yes," Chrysalis said glaring at Thorax, who let go of Shining's hand. "Let's."

They all moved over to the window and sat down in the seats, where they could see everything that would be going on during the Duels.

Up in the stands, Grand Hoof stood watching over the events as they unfolded.

Should anything out of the ordinary occur, he would be ready to step in and stop them before someone got hurt.

"Good luck Flash," he said to himself, "we're all counting on you."

Flash looked up as he heard the door open, revealing a guard who motioned for him to follow.

"This is it," he said to himself as he left the room and walked up the long corridor, "no turning back. I know Spoon's been preparing for this moment, so I can't hold back even for a second. I'm gonna hit him hard right from the start. Giving anything less would be an insult.

The megascreen activated, catching everyone's attention, and showing Luna and Celestia side by side.

Celestia: The time has finally come.

Luna: You've all been waiting patiently and now you'll be rewarded. The first Duel of Celestic Cup Finals is about to start.

Celestia: Let's welcome our brave contestants onto the stage!

From two opposite sides of the stadium, two openings opened up and released a flurry of smoke. From the smoke, two figures stepped out and onto the battle field.

Luna: First up is our youngest finalist, which I'm sure just means he has heeps of talent. SHINING SPOON!

The teen walked out and waved at the cheering spectators.

"Go for it Spoon!" Scootaloo and her friends screamed.

"Don't let me down," a boy named Pipsqueak yelled.

Celestia: And his opponent. The Pendulum Duellist himself. He won his spot in this tournament through the Shooting Star Micro Tournament, before earning the second highest point total of all the finalist. FLASH SENTRY!

Flash stepped out onto the stage, waving as he did so.

"Go get him Flash!" Spike yelled.

"Don't go losing to some squirt!" Rainbow called out.

"We believe in you," Twilight told him.

Flash and Shining met in the centre of the field, where a referee was waiting. "Heads or tails?" He asked them as he held up a coin.

"Heads," Spoon said.

"Then I'll take tail," Flash agreed.

The ref nodded and flipped the coin, before looking down at it. "Heads, Shining Spoon will take the first move."

The two nodded.

Luna: Now that that's out of the way, let's see where they'll be Duelling it out.

She held up a remote and pressed the button.

Suddenly the floor beneath their feet began to shine as it projected the Duel Field, as a robotic female voice said. "AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two suddenly found themselves in a courtyard of some kind of castle. It had suddenly turned to night, with a full moon in the sky.

Celestia: It's Pandemonium Castle!

Luna: A dark place where monster might actually be hiding under you bed.

"This is cool," Spoon said as he looked around.

"I'll say," Flash said before looking over at him, "hey Spoon."

"Yeah?" Spoon asked.

"I don't intend to lose," Flash said as he held out his hand, "so you'd better bring your all."

"Oh I will," Spoon said as he took the hand and shook it.

In that second the two's faces turned deadly serious, as they let go of each other's hands and jumped back while pulling out their Duel Disks.

Celestia: Looks like our Duellists are ready to begin.

Luna: Then let's get this party started.

Celestia: Three!

Luna: Two!

All: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Flash:4000
Spoon: 4000

Above their heads an orb filled with cards appeared before exploding, scattering the cards.

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED" the voice said.

"My turn first," Spoon said as he drew his card, "and I'll activate the Spell card Reasoning. With this you have to declare a Monster Level, then I draw until I get a monster. If the monster's Level is the different from the one you mentioned then I get to summon it, but if not it goes to the graveyard."

"Alright," Flash said, "Level five."

Spoon drew and smiled. "Level three, Swift Archfiend." In a flash of light a demon in light armour appeared on the field. (A1200/D1200/L3) "And now I'll sacrifice him in order to summon my Archfiend Commander!" In a flash of black lightning, Swift Archfiend disappeared and was replaced by a new monster. It was a demon with purple and gray armour, lightning sparking around it. (A2500/D1200/L6) "I end my turn with two face downs."

Celestia: Spoon's starting strong, can Flash match his opening.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw!" He looked down at his hand and nodded. "First, I'll summon Magna Fighter Arma in ATK mode." The steam punk girl carrying the bronze shield appeared on his side of the field. (A1800/D0/L4) "Next I activate my Spell card Lightspeed, which will increase my monster's attack power by a thousand points. Arma began to glow as her power rose. (A2800/D0/L4) "And now I'll attack your Archfiend Commander!"

Arma shot forward and charged at the demon.

Spoon looked around and saw something that made him smile. "Give me a boost," he told his monster, who picked him up and lifted him into the air. He jumped off and onto the courtyard roof, where he picked up a card and smiled. "I activate the Action Spell," he placed it into his Duel Disk, "Shadow Divide. This card creates a duplicate of my Commander and forces you to attack it instead." Archfiend Commander's shadow flickered, before leaving the ground and taking the shape of Archfiend Commander which it jumped in front of. (A2500/D1200/L6)

Magna Fighter Arma had no choice and smashed her shield into the copy, destroying it.

Flash:4000
Spoon: 3700

"I may take damage but my monster's safe," Spoon said with a smile, "while you monster's ATK points go back to normal."

Flash frowned at this, but knew he was right. "I end my turn with a face down."

Luna: Not good, that last move has left Flash open to attack.

Up in the box, Chrysalis nodded.

"That boy might be young," she said, "but he's got significant talent."

"But this match has only just gotten started," Cadance told her, "Flash isn't going to give up so easily."

"So you know him?" Thorax asked her.

"He's my sister's friend," Shining explained, "they've been Duelling together for a while."

"So he's got more in his bag of tricks I'm guessing?" Chrysalis asked.

"He hasn't even opened his bag of tricks yet," Sunset told her, "just wait and see."

"My turn," Spoon said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the card, before placing it in his Duel Disk. "I play Pot of Greed, which will let me draw two new cards." He drew his two card and looking at them before smiling, as he looked back at Flash. "Now for something new."

Flash and his friends had a feeling they knew what was coming.

"I'll use Scale two Archfiend Chain Master and Scale five Meda Bat Phantom to set the Pendulum Scale," he place two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a demon like creature carrying a long chain with a bloody hook on the end, while the other looked like Meda Bat only it was bigger with larger horns and sharp claws. A spike was on the tip of its tail.

The two monster stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of Chain Masters hook and Meda Bat's eye, connecting above Spoon.

"Finally," Spoon said with a smile, "at long last I get to cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The beams of light formed a portal, which grew larger and larger by the second. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

The first light became a demon, with purple armour and a long flowing red cape. "Archfiend Phantasm." (A1600/D1400/L4/P7)

The second became a demon, with red armour and large metallic claws. "Archfiend Slasher." (A1500/D500/L3)

Celestia: THERE IT IS! The mighty Pendulum Summon. This is the technique Flash is known for, but now his opponent managed to get it out first.

"YES!" Spoon cheered, "I did it! I Pendulum Summoned."

"I'm happy for you," Flash said.

Spoon smiled and nodded. "Since Archfiend Phantasm was Pendulum Summoned from my hand," Spoon went on, "his ability activates and deals you damage equal to the number of cards in your hand, times three hundred." The demon flapped its cloak and unleashed three dart like shadows, which flew at Flash's card and phased through them to hit him in the chest.

Flash: 3100
Spoon: 3700

The ones in the audience all flinched seeing him step back in pain.

"That had to hurt," Applejack said.

"Come on Flash!" Twilight called out, "get it together."

"That kid really knows how to use those Pendulum Monsters," Pinkie said.

"He's been watching Flash Duel for a while," Sweetie said, "he's seen how to use them correctly."

"Now I'll attack your Magna Fighter Arma with my Archfiend Commander!" Spoon yelled as his monster's body pulsed with electricity, which it directed with its claws and shot it at Arma.

Luna: If this hits, Flash'll be in serious trouble.

"I activate my face down!" Flash called out as his face down flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Brittle Shield! This card let's a Monster with higher ATK then DEF switch to DEF mode." Arma raised her shield, which the lightning struck and bounced off leaving the Monster unharmed. "You see when Arma's in DEF mode, she's impervious to attack."

"I know that," Spoon said before smiling, "but not against special abilities."

"Come again?"

"Archfiend Slasher attack!" Spoon ordered, causing his monster to leap forward and swing its large claws at Arma.

"What's he doing?" Spike asked, "he know's Arma can't be destroyed."

Twilight nodded, before her eyes went wide. "Unless!"

Archfiend Slash's claws struck the shield and shredded it to pieces, before stabbing Arma and destroying her.

"What happened?" Flash asked in shock.

"When Slasher attacks a face up DEF position monster," Spoon explained, "that monster is automatically destroyed before the damage step."

"Oh boy," Flash said.

"Now Archfiend Phantasm," Spoon said, "ATTACK!"

The demon flapped its cape and unleashed a load of shadow darts at the teen.

Flash knew he couldn't afford to take this attack, so he looked around and then noticed something on the ground. He dived towards it, as he was struck by the darts which caused an explosion.

"FLASH!" His friends called out seeing the explosion.

"How's that?" Spoon asked, only to see something fly out of the smoke. "What?"

Flash smiled as he flew out the smoke, before looking up to see Brass Wing Magna Hawk which was carrying him.

Flash: 2900
Spoon: 3700

"How?" Spoon asked.

"Just before your attack hit," Flash said as he jumped onto the top of the roof, "I got the Action Card, Sneak Attack. Since you attacked me directly, I was able to summon a Monster from my hand with less ATK then your monster while also protecting it from being destroyed this turn."

Spoon smirked. "Not bad, I end my turn."

Celestia: Some fast thinking saved Flash from major damage.

Luna: He bought himself an extra turn, but what will he do with it.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he placed his hand on his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the card and smiled. "I play Starburst Reload, so I'll be removing Arma from my grave and draw four cards." He looked at the cards and his eyes went wide, before a huge smirk appeared on his face.

"He's about to turn this around," Twilight said with a smirk. She knew that look.

"Go Flash!" Scootaloo called out to her brother.

"Now it's my turn to set the Pendulum Scale," Flash said as he took two cards out, "I'll use Scale three Alchemy Dracokid and Scale eight Magna Caster Estella, here we go!" He placed them on the Duel Disk, which lit up as the columns of light appeared besides him. The two Pendulum Monsters flew up until they were ten feet in the air. "Now it's my turn to cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash said as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon." (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"There it is," Spoon said in wonder at the sight of his hero's ace.

"Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "Archfiend Slasher to the bottom of the deck!"

A wormhole opened below the demon, causing it to fall and disappear.

"Next," Flash said, "I'll play the Spell card Reverse Polarity. With this, my Volt Edge Dragon's ATK points will increase to match you Commander's while your monster loses the same amount of ATK points." The two monsters glowed, as their point totals changed. (A2500/D1200/L4/P5), (A1500/D1200/L6) "Now I'll attack your Commander with Flash Heart!"

Flash leaped onto his Dragon's back as its jets ignited, sending it flying forwards towards the demon.

Spoon ran along the roof, trying to find an Action card and when he noticed one on a higher roof he leaped up and grabbed it. "Perfect," he said as he looked at the card, "I activate the Action Spell Magical Cheat. With this I can activate one of my face down Spell cards, so I'll activate Archfiend's Curse. This Continuous Spell lets me pay four hundred life points, to negate any battle damage I take from a battle involving an Archfiend."

As Flash Heart punched the demon, Spoon's Spell glowed.

Flash: 2900
Spoon: 3300

"Next I attack your Archfiend Phantasm with Volt Edge, who's ATK Points increase by six hundred when he attacks a monster." (A3100/D1200/L4/P5) The dragon struck the demon, destroying it and causing Spoon's Spell to glow once again.

Flash: 2900
Spoon: 2900

"Now I'll attack you directly with Magna Hawk," Flash said as his bird shot at the teen.

"And I'll activate my Trap," he said as his face down flipped up, "Dark Revival. This card lets me summon a monster from my graveyard, but its ATK and DEF points are halved." Archfiend Commander appeared on the field in DEF mode. (A1250/D600/L6)

Magna Hawk struck the monster, destroying it and leaving Spoon's field empty.

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash said.

Celestia: And just like that, Flash manages to turn the table on Spoon.

Luna: The question now, is can the young teen do the same.

"You bet I can," Spoon said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play Archfiend Soul Draw. This card's a lot like your Starburst Reload, only I can only banish an Archfiend. So I'll banish Archfiend Commander and draw six cards.

Celestia: Six new cards, that's a completely new hand. What's he gonna do with it?"

"I'll tell you what I'm gonna do," Spoon told her, "I'm gonna Pendulum Summon!" The portal formed once again and opened, unleashing three streaks of light which struck the ground.

"Archfiend Phantasm." (A1600/D1400/L4/P7)

"And two Archfiend Soldiers." (A1900/D1500/L4)X2

"Oh no," Applebloom said, "Level four Monsters."

"Why's that bad?" Spike asked.

"You're about to see," Sweetie said.

"And now," Spoon said as his Phantasm and one of his Soldiers glowed, "I'm using these two monsters to build the Overlay Network!" The two monsters flew up and into the black hole as it opened. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons." The black hole burst in an explosion of light, "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing the creature. A black and purple dragon with two purple Overlay Units flying around it. "DARK REBELLION XYZ DRAGON!" (A2500/D2000/R4)

Everyone was in awe at the first Xyz Monster.

"Now," Spoon said as he leaped onto his dragon's head, "I activate Rebellion Dragon's ability." Both its Overlay Units flew into the dragons chest as its wings opened up and unleashed a surge of electricity. "Now my dragon will steal half of your dragon's ATK Points, Treason Discharge!" The lightning flew out the dragon's wings and struck Flash Heart , reducing its ATK points. (A1250/D2000/L7/P4) Meanwhile Rebellion Dragon's ATK points rose by the same amount. (A3750/D2000/R4) "Now attack!" Spoon said as Rebellion Dragon's wings unleashed a blue glow and it took off, "Lightning Disobey!" The dragon flew towards Flash Heart.

Flash leaped off the dragon's back onto a nearby roof, just as Rebellion Dragon struck it and destroyed Flash Heart.

"I activate my Trap," Flash called out as his face down flipped up, "Defence Draw. This card negates the damage I would have taken and allows me to draw one card," he did so.

"Well I'm activating a Spell card," Spoon said, "Cowardice. This Spell can only be activated when I destroy a Monster by battle, so now I can cause a monster on your field with less ATK points then Flash Heart to be shuffled back into your deck.

Volt Edge Dragon suddenly began shaking, before it glowed and suddenly turned into an energy form which flew into Flash deck.

"And now," Spoon said, "I attack Magna Hawk with Archfiend Solider!" The archfiend flew at the robotic bird and slashed it with its claws, destroying it and sending Flash flying back and rolling over the edge of the roof

"FLASH!" Everyone yelled.

Flash: 2400
Spoon: 2900

"I end my turn with a face down," Spoon said.

Celestia: Once again this Duel takes another turn, with Spoon managing to push back against Flash.

Luna: Can the young Pendulum Duellist defeat the all powerful Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon? Or is he going home early?

"Come on Flash!" Rainbow yelled, "you can't throw in the towel now."

"I know things seem bad," Twilight called out, "but you can still win."

"Do it Flash!" Spike yelled.

Up in the main box, Chrysalis was not impressed.

"So where are these tricks you all promised me?" She asked.

"Don't give up on Sentry yet your majesty," Cold told her, "I've learned from personal experience that when things look at their worst is when he Duels at his best."

Chrysalis scoffed at this. "Well things probably can't get any worse, so he'd better pull out some miracle quickly or he's finished."

"He can do it," Thorax spoke for the first time since the Duel began.

"You have that much faith in him do you?" Chrysalis asked her son.

"Not faith," he replied, "I don't know why, but I've got this feeling that he's gonna win."

Sunset, Cadance and Shining smiled, knowing he was right. Chrysalis meanwhile just rolled her eyes.

Flash pulled himself up onto the roof, panting at the effort needed to do so. He then looked up and saw Spoon on his Dragon.

"I don't believe it," Spoon said, "I'm actually beating Flash. This is awesome!"

Flash just smiled as he stood to full height. "Well enjoy it while it lasts," he said, "because I've been through to much to lose in the first round."

Spoon just smiled. "Then bring it," he said, "I'm ready for whatever you throw at me."

"We'll see about that," Flash said.

The first round of the Celestic Cup was underway. Can Flash find a way to overcome Shining Spoon, or is his time at the tournament up?

Turn 4, Requiem for a Duel

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The first Duel of the Celestic Cup Finals was in full swing. Flash Sentry was facing off against Shining Spoon, who had just summoned his ace monster Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. With it he'd overpowered Flash's monsters and taken the lead, using its special ability of Treason Discharge.

Flash: 2400
Spoon: 2900

Celestia: Flash Sentry finds himself in a precarious situation.

Luna: Can he find a way around Spoon's powerful Xyz monster?

Flash looked up at Spoon, who was standing on his dragon's back with Archfiend Soldier by his side. If he couldn't find a way to defeat this monster, he'd be knocked out of the tournament before he'd even got started.

"This is gonna be tricky," Twilight said from the stands.

"That thing's tough for sure," Rarity said in agreement.

"Luckily for our amigo, it's out of Overlay Units to use."

They all looked up and smiled seeing their friend, Tidal Wave, standing over them.

"Tidal," Twilight smiled, "your back."

"Si," he said as he sat down.

"We heard you were competing in a small tournament on the other side of the country," Rainbow said.

"I was," Tidal said, "I won and came to see the finals. Didn't want to miss my amigo's big moment."

"Well hopefully you didn't come all this way to see Flash lose," Spike said.

"Flash isn't out yet," Scootaloo told him, "just watch."

"I set one card face down and end my turn," Spoon said as he did so.

"Then it's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw!" He looked down at the two cards in his hand and smiled, before looking up at his opponent. "With my Pendulum Scale, I can cut through space time and carve the arc of victory once again." Estella and Alchemy Dracokid used their power to create the portal above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, slamming into the ground.

"Shine your light of victory once again, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Darn," Spoon said, "I hoped I'd beaten that thing."

"Dream on," Flash said, "now my dragon's ability will activate and send Archfiend Soldier to the bottom of your deck."

A wormhole opened up bellow the demon, causing it to fall through.

"Now I can summon this," Flash said as he threw the card he'd just drawn on the Duel Disk, "Vail Pixie!" In a flash of light, the little fairy appeared next to Flash Heart. (A100/D100/L1)

Cold smiled seeing the small fairy, glad that Sentry had added it to his deck.

"And now I'll tune my level one Vail Pixie with level seven Flash Heart Dragon!" Vail Pixie glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Flash Heart flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Oh boy," Spoon said as he looked up at the evolved Flash Heart.

Flash leaped onto his dragon's back, before turning to Spoon. "Now I'll attack your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" The dragon flew high and released its four cannons, which began to charge up. "Supreme Energy Blast!" They fired and shot four combined energy blast.

Spoon leaped off his dragon's back, onto one of the castle towers which he slid down and grabbed an Action Card while doing so. He came to a stop near the edge, before placing the card in his Duel Disk. "Go, Energy Guard! With this I can reduce my dragon's ATK power by five hundred, but I can also negate one attack this round."

Rebellion Dragon glowed, the light transforming into a barrier which the attack bounced off of. (A2000/D2000/R4)

"Smart move," Shining said, "he knew what was coming so he saved his monster."

"Saved it from what?" Chrysalis asked him.

"Accel's ability," Thorax said, getting their attention.

"Now I'm activating Accel's ability," Flash said as his he leaped into the air while his monster was consumed by light. "Now I can tribute him to summon Flash Heart from my Extra Deck." The light faded and Flash Heart floated there, allowing Flash to land on his back. "And now I'll attack!" The dragons boosters kicked into action, sending it flying towards the dragon which it sucker punched in the chest

The dragon cried out in pain, before it was destroyed.

Flash: 2400
Spoon: 2400

Celestia: He did it! He managed to destroy Spoon's ace and even the score.

Luna: How will Spoon reply to this.

"GO FLASH!" His friends all cheered.

"Way to go!" Spike said.

"That was just what he needed ta turn this match around," Applejack said.

"YAY!" Pinkie screamed.

"He's really got the momentum going now," Rainbow said.

"I kinda feel sorry for Spoon," Sweetie said, "without Dark Rebellion he might not stand much of a chance."

"Don't count him out yet," Twilight said, "we don't know the full capabilities of his deck."

"She's right," Tidal said, "our amigo can't get over confident."

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Flash said.

Spoon saw a rope hanging near him and grabbed it, before using it to swing down and land on a more level rooftop. "It's my turn, I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled, before looking down at his face down. "I activate my face down, Xyz Reborn." The face down flipped up and shined. "Now I can revive an Xyz Monster from my graveyard and attach his card to it as an Overlay Unit," he explained.

In a flash of dark light, Rebellion Dragon was revived with a single light floating around it.

"Awe man," Spike said, "Flash just got rid of that thing."

"Maybe," Twilight said, "but it's not all bad. With only one Overlay Unit, it can't use its special ability."

"She's right," Rainbow said, "Flash just needs to hold out long enough to use another Synchro or Fusion Summon to beat it."

"Here's hopin," Applejack said.

Spoon smiled as he looked up at his dragon, before turning to Flash.

"I know what your thinking," he said with a smile, "that even though my dragon's back on the field it's no match for you in its current state."

Flash said nothing, but Spoon knew he was agreeing.

"Well your right," he said, "he's not. But he will be once I unleash his full power."

"What are you saying?" Flash asked.

"I activate the Spell card," he placed the card he'd drawn into his Duel Disk, "Rank-Up-Magic Requiem Purge!"

Everyone gasped hearing this. A Rank-Up card, that could only mean one thing.

"Using this card and Rebellion Dragon as a material," Spoon explained, "I can Xyz Summon a monster that's one Rank higher then him." Rebellion Dragon was consumed by a dark light, as its body began to shift a mutate. "From the depths of purgatory, sing the song of rebellion dedicated to the restless souls. Let it echo for all of eternity and appear." Once he'd finished chanting, the dark light around Spoon's dragon exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded revealing Spoon's new monster. It looked like Rebellion Dragon, only now it was evolved. It had large bone like instruments covering its body, with a rib cage like armouring around its midsection. Its wings were larger, with purple orbs here and there and a pair of smaller wings coming out of its arms. And Its tail, now had a large twin bladed fang shaped weapon on its tip. "DARK REQUIEM XYZ DRAGON!" (A3000/D2500/R5)

Everyone looked up at the new monster as it soared through the sky.

"WOW!" Scootaloo, Sweetie and Applebloom said in unison.

"That could be a problem," Rainbow said.

"Ya'h think?" Applejack said plainly.

"Relax," Spike said, "Flash's got this." He turned to his sister, "right?"

Twilight wasn't sure how to answer that. She'd never seen this monster before, so she had no clue what type of abilities it could have. All she could do was watch and pray Flash had what it took to beat it. "Stay strong."

Spoon leaped of the roof and onto his dragon's back, before turning to Flash. "I activate Requiem Dragon's ability," he said, "by removing one Overlay Unit, I can then reduce your monster's ATK power to zero while increasing my dragon's ATK by the same amount."

"WHAT!" Flash yelled.

"Requiem Salvation!" Spoon yelled as his dragon crushed one of the Overlay Units in its claws, before the orbs on its wings began to glow. A second later a series of shadowy ropes shot out the orbs, before wrapping around Flash Heart. Flash was forced to leap of his monster onto a nearby rooftop, as he looked back and saw his monster be drained of power. (A0/D2000/L7/P4) Meanwhile Requiem Dragon's power rose up. (A5500/D2500/R5)

"Now attack!" Spoon yelled, as his dragon flew up. Once high enough it spread its wings, which then began to glow as light filled the gaps and its under jaw glowed. "Requiescent Disaster Disobey!" The dragon swooped down and charged at Flash Heart

"Oh no," Twilight said, "if that attack hits Flash's be done for."

"There has to be a way to save him," Fluttershy said, shaking in fear as she watched.

"Come on Flash," Scootaloo said, "do something."

Celestia: This looks like the end.

Luna: Unless Flash can find a way to save himself.

Flash knew he could, but he needed an...Action Card!

Flash leaped of the roof, grabbing a nearby piece of rope as he fell. Once he'd reached the ground, he reached out with his empty hand as the rope fully stretched out before recoiling and pulling Flash back up and then into the air. In his hand was an Action Card, which he placed in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!"

Flash Heart managed to ignite his thrusters, propelling him upwards just enough to dodge the dragon's devastating attack and allowing Flash to land on his back.

Everyone sighed in relief, thinking that would have been the end of the match.

Celestia: Close one.

Luna: I'll say. Good thing he got that Action Card in time.

"I end my turn," Spoon said, "Requiem Dragon's ATK points return to normal along with yours. (A3000/D2500/R5)

"It's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the card in his hand and sighed, since it wouldn't help him beat Requiem Dragon. "I summon Magna Fighter Light Boarder in DEF mode," he said as a girl in steampunk appeared. She was riding a surf board like object with gears, while carrying a pair pistols in her hands. (A1300/D1100/L3/P3) "I switch Flash Heart to DEF and end my turn."

"Flash is in trouble," Fluttershy said, "he's being forced to play defensively."

"Against the power of that dragon," Twilight said, "what choice does he have?"

"It's no wonder Shining Spoon made it to the finals," Cadance said, "I doubt we'd be fairing any better against him."

"This is the power of the first Xyz Monster," Cold said, "Flash will need to dig deep to find the strength to beat it."

"Hopefully he can find it," Sunset said.

"My turn, draw!" Spoon looked at the card and nodded. "I summon Mad Archfiend in ATK mode," a demon with crazy hair and a skull in its stomach appeared. (A1800/D0/L4) "Attack!" The demon charged and slashed at Light Boarder, destroying her.

Flash: 1700
Spoon: 2400

Flash groaned at this. "Piecing Damage," he realised before pressing something on his Duel Disk, "I activate Stardust Draw. Now I can draw three cards since my monster was destroyed," he explained while drawing.

Spoon just nodded. "Now Requiem Dragon, destroy Flash Heart." His Xyz monster flew up and once again unfurled its wings, which filled with light as it flew down and struck Flash's ace destroying it.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked down at the cards and nodded. "First I'm activating Pendulum Shift, which lets me change the Pendulum Scale of a monster in my Pendulum Zone. I'm making Dracokid's Scale 1," like he said the number under the small dragon changed to the number, "so now I can PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal formed and then opened, as three lights shot out.

"Surfs up, Magna Fighter Light Boarder." (A1300/D1100/L3/P3)

"Flare up, Blazing Light Dragon." A quadrupedal navy blue dragon appeared, with a large metal wings that hand glowing orbs running along the edges. (A2600/D1900/L7)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon." (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Flash Heart's skill. Mad Archfiend to the bottom of the deck," he said as the wormhole opened.

"I don't think so," Spoon said, "because I'm activating Requiem Dragon's second ability." His dragon crushed its last Overlay Unit in its claws. "Now I can negate your monsters ability, while also summoning an Xyz Monster from my graveyard."

The worm hole closed, while a flash of light occurred. Once it died down, Flash saw Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon standing next to its evolved form. (A2500/D2000/R4)

Flash growled, before ending his turn.

"My turn," Spoon said, "I draw. Now I attack with Mad Archfiend." Once again the demon charged forward and slashed at Magna Fighter Light Boarder, destroying her and dealing Piecing Damage to Flash.

Flash: 1000
Spoon: 2400

"Next I'll attack Blazing Light Dragon with Rebellion Dragon," he said as his Xyz Monster flew at Flash's new dragon before striking it with an electrical attack that destroyed it.

"And finally, Requiem Dragon destroy Flash Heart Dragon." The evolved Xyz Monster flew up and once again unleashed its attack, destroying Flash's ace once again.

"And finally," Spoon said, "I'll end my turn by playing this." He placed a card in his Duel Disk, as a powerful gust blew across the rooftop. "Mystical Space Typhoon, which I'll use to destroy your Alchemy Dracokid!"

The little dragon found herself being pulled into the tornado, before being blown out the top and exploding.

"He's broken Flash's Pendulum Scale," Sweetie said in concern.

"This is bad," Rainbow said.

"Don't give up amigo," Tidal said.

"Flash," Twilight whispered in worry.

"It seems Mr Sentry finds himself cornered," Chrysalis said, "I doubt there's any way back with the tremendous lead that Spoon now has over him."

"Don't count Flash out yet your Majesty," Sunset said.

"She's right," Shining said, "as long as he's got cards to play, Flash can still turn this around."

"Well I don't see how," Chrysalis said, "his Pendulum Scale is broken, he's facing three powerful monster and he doesn't have any cards in his hand."

"He'll do it," Thorax said, "I don't know how, but he will."

Everyone else just nodded at this.

Flash was panting heavily as he looked over his situation. He had one turn left in which to turn this around, but if he couldn't he was pretty much done.

"It's my turn," he said as he placed his hand on the deck, "I draw." He looked at the card and smiled. "I play Pot of Greed, which'll let me draw two cards."

Celestia: It all comes down to this folks. Unless Flash draws a game changer, he'll be out of the tournament."

Flash placed his hand on the deck and shut his eyes, before taking a deep breath. "I...DRAW!" bringing the cards up to his eye line, Flash opened them before they went wide seeing what he'd got. "It's go time."

Spoon frowned hearing this. What was he planning?

"I'm placing Volt Edge Dragon into the Pendulum Zone," Flash said as he slapped one of the cards on the empty zone. The pillars of light appeared, as Estella and the dragon flew up before opening the portal above Flash. "Now I can summon any monsters Levelled six and seven, I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened as a beam of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Shine your light of Victory one last time, FLASH HEART DRAGON!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Spoon frowned seeing this.

"With Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "Mad Archfiend is sent to the bottom of the deck."

Once again the wormhole opened below the demon, sucking it in.

"And now I'll summon Magna Scholar Ingenium." A man in steampunk robes appeared, wearing glasses and carrying a thick leather book in his hands. (A1000/D1000/L3)

"What's he suppose to do?" Spoon asked having never seen Flash use this monster before.

"I'll let his special ability answer that," Flash said. "You see when he's on the field, I can perform a Fusion Summon without the use of Polymerisation."

"Wait what?" Spoon asked.

Flash just smiled and watched as Ingenium's hands glowed and caused the book he carried to float, before it opened and he began chanting. Suddenly the words on the pages began to glow, before flying off the page and up into the sky where they became a circle. That circle suddenly transformed into a vortex, which pulled Flash Heart and Ingenium inside.

"Now watch," Flash said, "as I combined the unequalled might of a Dragon, with the mystic proprieties of a Spellcaster." In that moment the vortex exploded in light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Flash's monster. "Spectral Nova Dragon!" (A3000//D2000/L8)

Everyone smiled.

"This is just what Flash needed," Twilight cheered.

"Go Flash," Scootaloo said.

"Win this," Spike said.

"Excelente!" Tidal said.

"So I'm guessing this is what you meant when you said he could pull it back?" Chrysalis asked.

"Exactly," Sunset said.

"If that card's ability works out," Shining said, "he'll be able to win."

"How does it work?" Thorax asked.

"When it attacks Flash draws a card from his deck," Cadance explained, "the effect depends on the card he draws."

"If its a Spell," Sunset continued, "he'll get to destroy a card in Spoon's Spell and Trap card zone. But if its a Trap his Battle Phase ends."

"But if he draws a Monster," Cold said, "Requiem Dragon's ATK and DEF will lower by the amount to the drawn card's."

"So if Mr Sentry can draw a monster with enough ATK points," Chrysalis said, "he might be able to lower his monsters attack enough to win."

"Exactly," Cold said, "it's up to fate."

"Come on Flash," Thorax said quietly.

"Let's do this," Flash said as he jumped onto his monster's back as it aimed its weapons at Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

"I don't think so," Spoon said as his dragon flew down to a nearby rooftop, where he leaped off and onto the top and managed to snag an Action Card before leaping back onto his dragon. "I activate Blackout, which means I can pick the target of your attack. I pick Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon as the target of your attack."

"So unless Flash gets a monster," Rarity said, "they'll both be destroyed."

"And Spoon will be able to attack him directly," Twilight said.

"Come on Flash," Scootaloo said.

"So it all comes down to one card," Spoon said.

Flash nodded and ordered his monster, "attack with Mystery Flare Cannon." The two laser cannons it held powered up, and from them shot a thin laser at Requiem Dragon to target it. "Now activating Spectral Nova Dragon's ability" Flash placed his hand on his deck, he closed his eyes as he let what was about to happen run through his mind. "I...DRAW" he drew his card and held it up for all to see.

Everyone looked up at the screen as the camera zoomed in on the card, and Luna announced.

Luna: Magna Caster Lunara. That's twenty four hundred ATK points Requiem Dragon will be losing."

Spoon's eyes went wide as he looked down at his dragon and saw it cry out as its power lowered. (A600//D1300/R5)

"FIRE!" Flash screamed as the Fusion Monster fired its cannons at the Xyz Monster.

Before Spoon could react the attack struck his monster, causing it to be destroyed and him sent flying towards the ground.

Flash: 1000 (Winner)
Spoon: 0

Celestia: We have a winner!

Luna: Flash Sentry will be moving onto the next round.

As the field dissolved around them, Flash moved over to where Spoon had landed.

The thirteen year old pushed himself up into a sitting position, before noticing Flash hold out a hand to help him up. Taking it he felt himself be pulled up.

"Thanks for a great Duel," Flash said.

"Same," Spoon said, "I'm glad I got to face you."

"Same here," Flash said.

The two shook hands, before they both turned and returned to their waiting area.

"That was a close one," Cadance said as she sat back in her chair.

"Sure was," Shining said, "but he did it."

"So I'm guessing you're hoping he wins the whole tournament?" Chrysalis asked.

"If my sister wasn't competing then yes," Shining replied, "but I am hoping he'll make it far."

"Maybe Block Champion," Cadance said, "but then Twilight's totally taking him down."

"I look forward to seeing her Duel," Chrysalis said.

Sunset nodded before looking around for Cold, only to find he wasn't there.

As Flash walked through the corridor, he suddenly saw Cold Steel leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing here?" Flash said nonchalantly as he walked by with his hands in his pockets, "shouldn't you be waiting for the next match?"

"I came to tell you that you'll need to up your game if you want to make it passed the next round," he told him.

"I won didn't I?" Flash asked.

"Barely," he replied. He opened his eyes and looked over at him. "The Xyz cards?"

Flash sighed, before going into his Extra Deck and pulling out the cards. "I've been trying, but no matter what I do they won't seem to awaken."

"I see," Cold said as he watched him return the cards, before turning and walking away.

"Hey!" Flash called out, making him stop. "That Duellist Shadow, there's something different about him. Happen to know anything about that?"

Cold remained stern. "He appeared in the Celestic Cup competitor system on the last week of the first round, but managed to win his way to having the most points almost overnight."

"And nothing about him personally?" Flash asked.

"No," he said, "it's like he never even existed before now."

Flash frowned at this. How could someone not have any information about them.

"Hopefully we can find something more about him when we see him Duel," Cold said.

"Yeah," Flash said, "hopefully."

"Until then," Cold said, "you need to improve your skills. Don't disappoint." With that he walked off, leaving Flash to think about what they'd just talked about.

Back in the audience Twilight and the others felt exhausted after watching that last Duel.

"I'm glad I'm Duelling tomorrow," Rainbow said, "I'd keel over if I had to do it today."

"Wimp," Applejack said, "I'm still fresh as a daisy."

Rainbow glared at her.

"Yeah Rainbow," Pinkie said, "if you're tired from just watching a Duel, you won't last a minute when it's your turn."

"Yeah you're right," Rainbow said, "I'm not tired. I could Duel for a week."

"Yeah you could," Scootaloo said, "you'll win this thing no doubt."

"And don't you forget it squirt," Rainbow said as she ruffled the girl's hair.

"I won't," Scootaloo said, "because you're the best."

"Oh I'm hurt."

They all looked around and saw Flash smiling down at them as he sat down.

"Great work out there amigo," Tidal told him, "you beat him the same way you beat me."

"Thanks Tidal," Flash said before realising, "wait when did you get here?"

"Just before your Duel," he said.

"That was a great win by the way Flash," Twilight said.

"Thanks," he said, "it was close. Shining Spoon's a great Duellist."

"You won by the skin of your teeth," Spike said, getting a node in return.

Suddenly Celestia and Luna stepped out onto the stage.

Celestia: Hope your not to exhausted from that last Duel, because we've got another one coming up.

Luna: Indeed sister. It's time to decide who'll be Duelling next.

She pressed a button and the megascreen came on, before showing images of the remaining fourteen A Block Duellists. The images once again spun around hiding the images, that were then randomly spun around.

Everyone watched with baited breath as they watched for the next contestants, wondering who it would be and who they would be facing.

Turn 5, Rocking Party

View Online

It was match three of the Celestic Cup final's first round.

The computer had paired Applejack against Derpy and the two were playing on the Action Field Smile Land, which looked like something out of a over happy kids colouring book.

Applejack: 1100
Derpy: 900

Currently Applejack had just summoned Orchard Cowboy to her field, while Derpy had Ditsy Goddess and one face down.

"I attack your Ditsy Goddess with my cowboy," Applejack said as her monster drew his pistol and aimed a shot at the opposing monster.

"I active Ditsy Dynamic," Derpy said as her face down flipped up, "to swap our monster's ATK points."

"I don't think so," Applejack said, "because I'm using my cowboy's ability. By removing one Overlay Unit, I can negate your cards effect." One of the Orchard Cowboy's Overlay Units flew into the his revolver as he fired a blast that hit the Spell, destroying it instantly.

"Uh oh," Derpy said.

"Fire!" Applejack said as her cowboy fired its over gun, blasting Ditsy Goddess and defeating her.

Applejack: 1100 (Winner)
Derpy: 0

Celestia: We have a winner. Applejack has bested Derpy.

Luna: She'll be moving onto the next round, while Derpy will be heading home early.

"Yay Applejack," Applebloom cheered, "that's showin em."

She did great," Twilight said, "I know how tough it is to beat Derpy."

"Excelente!" Tidal cheered.

"Her Cowboy's ability really came in handy there," Flash said, "hope I don't get her next round."

"If you two keep winning you'll have to face off against each other eventually," Rainbow told him.

"Yeah you're right," he replied.

"So both Flash and Applejack are through," Spike said, "along with...what's the name of the other one?"

"Vinyl," Fluttershy reminded him, "Vinyl Scratch."

"Right," Spike said, "that's three Duels down and five more for today."

"Right," Rarity said, "but who's gonna Duel next."

As if to answer her directly, the Celestic Sisters came onto the stage.

Celestia: Three down and five to go. We'll be taking an hour long break after this next Duel, so don't go anywhere.

Luna: Time to figure out who'll be playing against one another next.

She pulled out her remote and pressed the button. The megascreen came on and showed the images of the remaining fourteen A Block Duellists, which spun around hiding the images. Once again they began randomly spinning, until one shot out and flipped around.

Celestia: Pinkie Pie!

"I'm up!" Pinkie screamed happily.

"But who's your opponent?" Flash asked.

A second image shot out, showing who Pinkie would be Dueling and it made everyone gasp.

Luna: Maud Pie! It's a sibling Duel.

"Well that was unexpected," Rainbow said.

"Tell me about it," Applejack said as she arrived in the stands, "good luck Pinkie."

"Thanks," Pinkie said, not seeming bothered that she was up against her older sister. "I'd better get down to the arena."

"Don't worry," Fluttershy called out after her, "you'll be fine."

Once she was gone, they looked at each other nervously. "Think she'll be okay?" Rainbow asked.

"Maybe," Twilight said, "we don't know what kind of deck Maud uses. It could be Pinkie can beat her, but it all depends."

Up in the main box, the VIPs were enjoying themselves.

"Quite a collection of Duellists," Chrysalis said as she took a sip from her chardonnay, "each just as interesting as the last."

"What would you expect?" Cadance told her, "they're the ones who made it passed all the other Duellists. The best of the best."

"And this next Duellist is sure to entertain," Shining said, "her Deck is incredibly difficult to get a grip on."

"Interesting," Chrysalis said.

"It looks like they're about to start," Sunset said.

Celestia: Let's welcome our Duellists onto the stage.

Luna: Pinkie and Maud Pie. Which sibling will claim victory over the other?

Everyone watched as the two stepped out onto the field, meeting in the middle were the referee was standing.

"Heads of tails?" He asked them as he held up the coin.

"Tails!" Pinkie screamed.

Maud just nodded.

The man nodded and flipped the coin, before looking down at it. "Tails, Pinkie Pie will go first."

The two nodded and looked at one another.

"I won't go easy on you Pinkie," Maud said simply.

"Good," Pinkie replied with a big smile, "that makes it more fun."

Celestia: Let's get this Duel underway.

Luna: Time to see which field we'll be using for this Duel.

She held up the remote and pressed the button, a second later the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Pinkie and Maud were transported to a world made entirely of sugar. Everything was made out of some kind of treat, with gingerbread houses, lollipop trees and even lakes of ice cream.

Both: It's Candy Park!

"WOW!" Pinkie screamed as she looked around, "delicious."

"I'm not a big fan of sugar," Maud said plainly, "but this'll do for an Action Field."

Celestia: In that case, let's get this going. in THREE!

Luna: TWO!"

All: ONE"

"DUEL!"

Pinkie: 4000
Maud: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED."

"My turn," Pinkie said as she went to her deck, "I draw!" She looked down at her cards and smiled, "and I'll start by summoning Balloonimal Pony, in ATK mode." A bunch of pink balloons appeared in front of her, before twisting together to take the shape of a large horse. (A1700/D1100/L4) Pinkie jumped on her monsters back, as it began bouncing around the field. "I place on card face down and end my turn."

Celestia: A solid start for Pinkie, can her sister keep up?

"It's my turn," Maud said as she placed her hand on her deck and closed her eyes. A second later they opened again, only now they were different, they were serious. "DRAW!"

Everyone was surprised by Maud's sudden yell.

"Since when did she get loud?" Flash asked.

"It could be," Twilight said, "that she has a split personality. Maybe when she Duels she changes."

"You think?" Spike asked.

"Only one way to find out," Rainbow said.

"I summon Rockstone Warrior," Maud said, "in ATK mode!" A giant humanoid made out of rocks appeared in front of her.

"Rock Monsters," Pinkie said as she looked back, "just like you Maud."

"PINKIE!" She heard Twilight scream from the audience, "LOOK OUT!"

Looking forward, Pinkie discovered she and her monster were galloping towards a lake of chocolate ice cream. She tried to pull her monster to a stop, but it was to late and the two fell into the lake.

Her friends all cringed at the sight.

"I'd give that dive a two point five," Flash joked.

"Pinkie needs to focus if she's gonna stand a chance," Twilight said.

"Pinkie?" Rainbow said, "focus? Yeah, good luck with that."

As Pinkie and her monster's heads broke through the surface of the lake, they saw Maud and her monster walking over to her.

"Now I attack with Rockstone Warrior!" Maud ordered as her monster charged at them, looking like it was gonna body slam Balloonimal Pony.

However.

"I'm activating my Action Spell," Pinkie said as she and her monster leaped out the lake, before she placed a card in her Duel Disk.

"Where'd she get that?" Sweetie asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom agreed, "I didn't see her pick it up."

"I wonder," Applejack said, "was it in the ice cream?"

"She must have picked it up when she fell in," Twilight said.

"Go, Evasion!" Pinkie screamed as she jumped onto her monster, as it bounced out the way of Rockstone Warrior's attack.

Maud frowned at this. "I'm placing two cards face down and ending my turn."

Luna: Pinkie's making full use of this fields delicious treats.

Celestia: I certainly wouldn't mind Duelling on this field.

"If all the Action Cards are in deserts," Rarity said, "those two are gonna need a diet."

"It's a hologram," Rainbow remained her, "they can't actually eat it."

"To bad," Spike said as he licked his lips, "it sure looks good."

"It's my turn," Pinkie said as she went to her deck, "I draw!" She looked at the card and smiled, "I'm playing the Spell card Polymerisation!" She placed a Spell into her Duel Disk, as a portal above her appeared. "Now I can fuse my Balloonimal Pony, with the Balloonimal Eagle in my hand." Her brown balloon bird appeared next to the pony, before the two were sucked into the portal. "I'm fusing the dashing speed of a pony with the winged flight of an eagle," she said as the portal suddenly exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Pinkie's newest monster. It looked like Balloonimal Pony, but it now had pink wings on its back. "Balloonimal Pegasus!" (A?/D?/L7)

"A Fusion Summoner," Chrysalis said in intrigue, "interesting. I look forward to seeing how her play style works."

"Like we said," Sunset told her, "her deck's tricky to work around."

"That's right," Shining said, "Maud will have her work cut out for her."

"But wouldn't Maud know Pinkie's deck?" Thorax asked, "They must have Duelled before."

"Good point," Cold said, "in the end this game is all about who can get the most out of their decks."

Everyone nodded.

Pinkie leaped onto a staircase made of chocolate bars, running up and leaping off and onto her monster's back. "My Pegasus's ATK and DEF points are the combined total of the monsters used to Fusion Summon him, so seventeen hundred added onto Eagle's twelve hundred makes twenty nine hundred!" (A2900/D1900/L7)

"Impressive," Maud said, "so what next?"

"Next," Pinkie said, "I'll summon Balloonimal Dog in ATK mode." Her balloon canine appeared on the ground, just below where her Pegasus was floating. "Now I attack with Pegasus!" The winged horse flew at Rockstone Warrior, ready to turn it into rubble.

"I activate my face down," Maud said as her monster flipped face up, "Negate Attack. This card negates your attack and ends the Battle Phase, meaning my monster's safe." A barrier appeared between the two monsters, causing them to be pushed back and out of harms way.

"I end my turn," Pinkie said.

"My turn," Maud said, "I draw and attack your Balloonimal Pegasus with Rockstone Warrior!"

This confused quite a few people.

"Why would she attack a monster with more then a thousand more ATK points?" Rarity asked.

"She's planning something," Tidal said, "that's for sure."

Rockstone Warrior charged forward, before leaping into the air and tackling Balloonimal Pegasus. However, the rock monster just bounced off the balloon animal and felt towards the ground, crashing into it.

Celestia: That had to hurt.

Luna: Indeed. And now Maud will have to take the damage.

Everyone looked up at the megascreen, expecting her points to change but.

Pinkie: 4000
Maud: 4000

Luna: Huh? Someone might want to check the system.

"There's nothing wrong with the system," Maud explained, "when Rockstone Warrior attacks, I take no damage and since he was destroyed I get these." Suddenly a pair of small Rockstone Warriors appeared. (A0/D0/L1)

"Tokens" Twilight realised.

"Not good," Flash said.

"And now," Maud said "I'm activating my face down." Her card flipped up, revealing a Quick Play Spell. "Battle Call. This card lets me summon a monster from my hand, by tributing the same number of monsters I would have needed to summon it properly. So I'll be tributing my two Rockstone Tokens," she said as he monster disappeared, "to summon my Level eight Megastone Golem!" A flash of light appeared behind her, as a ten meter tall golem appeared. It was made entirely of stone, with metal armouring around its wrists, chest and a metal helmet on its head. A white cape flowed down its back. (A2800/D3000/L8)

Everyone looked up at the giant monster, each getting a feeling it had some major power behind it.

Maud's monster bent down and picked her up, before placing her on her shoulder as she looked down on her little sister. "And don't forget that it's still my turn," Maud said, "so I'll have my Megastone Golem attack your Balloonimal Dog." The giant raised its colossal fist, before firing it at Pinkie's monster.

"I activate my Trap," Pinkie said as he face down flipped up, "Half Unbreak!" A barricade of bubbles appeared infront of the balloon animal, blocking the giant's attack. "This card keeps my monster from going pop, while also cutting the damage I would have taken in half."

Pinkie: 3100
Maud: 4000

"Well my Golem's special ability now kicks in," Maud explained, "after it attacks, it's ATK points increase by two hundred." (A3000/D3000/L8) "I end my turn."

"Pinkie was lucky she managed to prevent so much damage," Twilight said, "but that Golem's gonna be tough to beat."

"Yeah but Pinkie's no push over," Flash said, "we've just gotta trust her deck's got something that can help her."

Everyone nodded at this.

"My turn," Pinkie said, "I draw and play Surprise Draw. With this I can tribute one of my Balloonimals and draw cards equal to its level, so I'll pop my Balloonimal Dog and draw three." Her monster burst, as Pinkie drew three new cards. "Next I'll play Pot of Greed, to draw two more cards." Once again she added cards from her deck to her hand, which now held seven cards.

Celestia: Pinkie's managed to rebuild her hand, using her Spell cards.

Luna: Question is, what will she do with that hand?

Pinkie just smiled. "I'm using Scale seven Balloonimal Mouse and Scale one Balloonimal Rhino, to set the Pendulum Scale!" She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a white mouse like creature with pink ears and feet, while the second was a grey rhino like creature.

The two monster stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of their eyes, connecting above her head and opening the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and shot out two beams of light, which struck the ground and took shape.

"Balloonimal Dog." (A1000/D1000/L3)

The second beam of light became a green lizard like balloon animal. "Balloonimal Chameleon." (A1100/D1100/L4/P4)

"Now I'll activate Balloonimal Mouse's Pendulum Ability," Pinkie said, "which lets me fuse my monsters together." Balloonimal Mouse unleashed a beam from its eyes, opened a vortex above the monsters. "I'm also using Balloonimal Chameleon's ability, to substitute for any other monster in a Fusion Summon." Chameleon and Dog were sucked into the vortex. "Now I'm fusing my two monsters into one," she said as the vortex exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing a two headed version of Balloonimal Dog. "Balloonimal Orthrus." (A2000/D2000/L6)

Everyone clapped at the Pendulum Summon and its use.

Celestia: Impressive, what a move.

Luna: How will she use this development.

"Next I'm activating Air Pump," Pinkie said, "which increases my monster's ATK points by one thousand." Pegasus suddenly expanded in size. (A3900/D1900/L7) "Now I attack," she said as she and her monster flew at Megastone Golem

Maud looked around and saw an Action Card on the side of a candy cane. Using her Golem's shoulder as a spring board, she leaped up and managed to grab the card and swing back onto the ground. Looking down at the card, she suddenly frowned seeing it was an Action Trap.

Celestia: Toothache. What else do you expect in a world of sugar.

Luna: That Action Trap forces her to send to top three cards of her deck to the graveyard.

Maud did as the card instructed, before looking up at her monster which was then struck by Pegasus and destroyed.

Pinkie: 3100
Maud: 3100

"I activate my face down," Maud said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Rubble Summon. Since a Rock Type Monster was destroyed, I can now summon any two Rock Monsters whose combined Levels equal my Megastone Golem's Level. So I'll summon a pair of Stone Sentry."

From the debris of her monster, two new golems appeared in ATK mode. (A1400/D1300/L4)X2

"Well my Balloonimal Orthrus can take them," Pinkie said, "plus its ability lets it attack twice in one turn."

The two headed balloon dog charged at the first Stone Sentry, biting down on it with one of its heads and destroying it.

Pinkie: 3100
Maud: 2500

It then used its other head to bite down on the second, also destroying it.

Pinkie: 3300
Maud: 1900

"I end my turn," Pinkie said, "Balloonimal Pegasus's ATK points return to normal." (A2900/D1900/L7)

Up in the stands, the others were cheering.

"Way to go Pinkie!" Twilight cheered.

"Great Pendulum Summon," Flash said.

"She might just win this," Sweetie said.

"GO PINKIE!" Spike yelled

"It's my turn," Maud said as she went to her deck, "I draw and now my Stone Sentry's ability activates. By banishing it from my graveyard, I can draw two cards and since I'm banishing two I get four cards." She drew her cards and smiled. "Now I'm setting the Pendulum Scale, using Scale three Stone Serpent and Scale nine Stone Rhino."

She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a giant snake like creature made out of large boulders, while the other was a bipedal rhino like creature with skin made of of a rock like surface.

The portal opened and three beams shot out, striking the ground and take shape of monster. The first two were in DEF mode, while the other was in ATK mode.

The first was a train like creature made out of bones. "Fossil Tusker." (A1800/D0/L4)

The second was a golem made of rocks, with a purple cape on its back. "Granmarg the Rock Monarch." (A2400/D1000/L6)

The last one was a fifteen meter golem in stone armour, carrying a giant stone axe with stone blades on either end. "Tectonic Colossal." (A3500/D2000/L8)

Everyone gawked at the sight of Tectonic Colossal, which was towering above them all.

"That monster needs its own zip code," Rainbow said.

"I hope Pinkie can survive it," Applejack said.

"I activate Tectonic Colossal's ability," Maud said, "an ability that makes it so that by skipping by Battle Phase, I can destroy every ATK position monster on the field." The giant raised its colossal axe, before swing it at the ground and striking it. The force of the strike, caused shock waves to shot out around the field.

Pinkie's monsters were each struck by the waves, causing them both to burst and Pinkie was sent flying of her monster.

"And now for the other half of this effect," Maud said, "for every monster that was destroyed, I can inflict damage to its owner equal to the monsters combined Level value times two hundred."

Pinkie: 500
Maud: 1900

"Pinkie's down to only five hundred life points," Rainbow said in worry.

"That monster's so powerful," Twilight said in worry.

"On the bright side," Tidal told them, "Senorita Maud can't attack this turn."

"That's good," Flash said, "it gives Pinkie time to try and fight back."

"But how can she?" Fluttershy asked, "against something that powerful?"

"If anyone can," Applejack said, "Pinkie can."

"Maud sure is impressive," Cadance said, "I don't think I've ever seen somebody use Rock Monsters like her."

"Indeed she is impressive," Chrysalis said, "but her sister is no slouch either. I'm quite looking forward to seeing if and how she gets out of this."

"You and me both," Cold said as they continued to watch the Duel.

Celestia: It seems the older sibling will be taking this match, unless Pinkie has an ace up her sleeve.

Luna: This Duel has been back and fourth all game, but can Pinkie pull it back again?

Pinkie managed to pull herself into a standing position, looking up she saw he hair had flattered so she placed her thumb in her mouth a blew causing it to pump up somehow. Once that was done she looked up at her sister, atop her giant monster.

The two stared at each other for several seconds, before Maud broke out a smile and Pinkie burst out laugh.

"THIS IS GREAT!" The pink haired Duellist screamed in joy, "I'm loving it."

"Same here," Maud said, "Duelling you's always fun. You've improved a heck of a lot since our last match."

"Thanks Maud," Pinkie said, "you are the one who taught me how to Duel, so I'm glad I haven't disappointed you. You were also the one who made me realise what I love about Duelling, making others smile."

They both looked around the arena, only seeing smiles on the faces of the people watching.

"When I Duelled you and made you smile," Pinkie continued, "it made me realise how much joy I got to spread doing it. Thank you."

"Your welcome Pinkie," Maud said before her eyes turned serious, "now let's do this!"

Pinkie nodded and went to her deck. "It's my turn, I DRAW!" She drew her card and her eyes went wide at what she saw. "I'm playing Fusion Pop," she said as she place the card in her Duel Disk. "Now I can fuse Balloonimals in my graveyard and my field, to bring out my biggest baddest monster." Her field lit up as her formally destroyed monsters reappeared. Balloonimal Pony, Chameleon, two dogs, Pegasus and Orthrus appeared, before being a vortex opened and they were sucked inside. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded, revealing Pinkie's best monster. "BALLOONIMAL CHIMERA!" (A?/D?/L10)

The large Fusion Monster landed on the field, allowing Pinkie to jump onto its back. "Balloonimal Chimera's ATK and DEF points become the total number of monsters I used to Fusion Summon it, times by eight hundred. (A4800/D4800/L10)

"Well my Colossal has an ability that means you can't attack it while I have other monsters on the field," Maud explained.

"That's fine," Pinkie said, "because my Chimera can attack multiple times. Once for each monster I used to Fusion Summon it."

"So how many attacks does she get?" Spike asked having lost count of the monsters uses."

"Six," Twilight explained.

"That's enough to take Maud out," Flash said.

"Pinkie's gonna win!" Scootaloo cheered.

"Balloonimal Chimera," Pinkie cried out, "ATTACK!"

The monster charged forward, aiming at Fossil Tusker and striking it down.

Meanwhile Maud was looking around, looking for the one thing that could save her. And as Chimera finished destroying Granmarg, she saw it. Leaping off her monsters shoulder, Maud landed on its axe which Colossal was moving towards the location. As Chimera lunched at Colossal, Maud leaped of the axe and into a cake.

Celestia: Can Maud save her monster, or is this Duel over?

As Chimera got closer to Colossal, Maud resurfaced from the cake holding up a card.

"I activate the Action Spell, Candy Shower!"

From out of no where, candy began to rain from the sky. Pinkie looked around in confusion, before her monster suddenly stopped attacking and moved over to a pile of candy and began eating.

"Hey," she said, "this is no time for sweets."

"Candy Shower forces your monster into DEF mode," Maud said, "meaning your attack is over."

Pinkie just frowned at this, before ending her turn.

"Awe man," Spike said, "she almost had it."

"Maybe," Twilight said, "but it's not all bad news. Her monster's DEF points are way higher then Tectonic Colossal's ATK, plus its effect only works on ATK position monsters."

"So Pinkie's safe," Flash said.

"I didn't say that," Twilight said.

"Well Pinkie," Maud said as she reached for her deck, "this is it. If I can't win this this turn, you'll take me out next turn."

Pinkie smiled at this. One draw was about to decide the fate of this Duel, which was super fun.

Celestia: Maud's final draw, what will it produce?"

Luna: Only one way to find out.

"It's my turn," Maud said, "I...DRAW!" She drew her card, looked at it and smiled. "I activate Stop Defence!"

Everyone gasped hearing that, before looking at Pinkie's monster which stood up.

"And now I'm using Tectonic Colossal's special ability," Maud said as her monster once again raised its axe and slammed it into the ground. The force unleashed the shock waves, which flew at Pinkie's monster.

Pinkie just smiled as she waited for the attack to hit and when it did, destroying her monster, she still smiled as she was sent flying.

Pinkie: 0
Maud: 1900 (Winner)

Celestia: And that's it, the match is over.

Luna: Maud Pie will be moving onto the next round.

As the Action Field dispersed, Maud moved over to where Pinkie was laying.

"Are you okay?" She asked, now back to her monotone state.

"I'm fine," Pinkie said as she sat back up, "that was super duper fun."

"It was," Maud said as she held out her hand to help her sister up.

"Thanks Maud," Pinkie said once she was up, before throwing her arms around her sister.

"You're welcome," she said simply patting her sister on the back.

"Well good luck in the next round," Pinkie said as they pulled away, "I know you'll do great."

"Hope so," Maud said.

With that, the two sisters went there separate ways, returning to their waiting rooms.

"Poor Pinkie," Sweetie said, "she was doing so well."

"That's just the way the Duel is played," Rarity told her sister, "she did the best she could and has nothing to regret."

Everyone nodded at this, all in agreement that Pinkie did great.

Up in the VIP box, they to were watching.

"It seems the older sibling proved to much for the younger one this time," Chrysalis said.

"She just got lucky," Cadance said, "which can sometimes make all the difference in a Duel."

"Good point," Chrysalis said.

"I wonder who's gonna be up next?" Thorax asked.

"Hard to say," Cold said, "we won't be learning for a while."

In that moment the Celestic Sisters came onto the stage.

Celestia: With the conclusion of Duel four, we'll now be taking a one hour break.

Luna: Grab something to eat, make a stop at the rest room or even stop off at the merchant tables. Whatever you feel like doing, go for it. Just make sure you're back here before the second half begins.

"You guys wanna go grab something to eat?" Flash asked as he got up.

"Sure," Twilight said.

Everyone else nodded and headed out.

The first day of the Celestic Cup Final's were already half over, but with one more half to go it was looking to be an exciting week ahead.

Turn 6, Dueltaining Work

View Online

The hour break had come and gone and the second half of the first day of the Celestic Cup Finals had begun.

Currently the audience were watching match five, which had pitted Timber Spruce with a Duellist named Cloak N Daggers whose face was hidden beneath a hooded cloak. They were Duelling on the Action Field Bamboo Forest, while Timber's field currently had Dark Timber Wolf on it, while Cloak's field only had a face down.

Timber: 1000
Cloak: 2100

Celestia: Cloak appears to be in trouble.

Luna: Maybe, but who knows what he's hiding in his deck.

"It's over," Timber said, "I attack with Dark Timber Wolf." His monster let out a powerful howl, which flew at Cloak.

"I activate my face down," Cloak said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Dark Ambush. By paying five hundred life points I can negate your monsters attack and destroy it."

Timber: 1000
Cloak: 1600

A barrier appeared in front of Cloak, which Dark Timber Wolf's attack bounced off of and rebounded on the wooden canine. Dark Timber Wolf was destroyed, causing Timber to growl. "I end my turn," he said.

"Then it's my turn," Cloak said as he went to his deck, "I draw and summon Dark Assailant." A skeleton appeared, dressed in assassin clothing and carrying knives. (A1200/D1200/L4) "Attack."

The skeleton leaped at Timber and threw its knives at the man, causing him to flinch as they struck him.

Timber: 0
Cloak: 1600 (Winner)

Celestia: Winner, Cloak N Dagger's has defeated Timber.

Luna: He'll be moving onto the next round.

Up in the stands, Flash was smirking.

"Is it wrong that I totally enjoyed that?" He asked Spike.

"No," the teen replied, "but don't let Twilight see you."

Twilight had been roped into watching Timber's match by his sister, who was sitting a ways off.

Up in the box, Cold was watching Cloak N Daggers carefully.

"Something wrong?" He looked over to see Sunset walk over to where he was standing.

"Something about that Duellists makes me suspicious," he replied, "he might be working with him."

"Then we'll keep an eye on him," Sunset said, "and if he makes a move we'll be ready."

Cold nodded as the moved back over to where the others where waiting.

Timber moaned as he sat down next to Twilight and Gloriosa, who had moved over to where her friends were sitting.

"I can't believe I'm out already," he said.

"You did great bro," Gloriosa said as she placed a hand on his shoulder, "your opponent just did better."

"Yeah," Twilight agreed, "don't be to down about it."

"I guess you're right," Timber said.

Suddenly the stage lit up again as the Celestic Sisters stepped onto it.

Luna: It's time for Duel number six, but who will be our lucky contestants?

Celestia: Let's find out, shall we.

She pulled out her remote and pressed the button. The megascreen came on and showed the images of the remaining A Block Duellists, which spun around hiding the images. Once again they began randomly spinning, until one shot out and flipped around.

Luna: Cheese Sandwich!

"YAY!" Pinkie screamed happily.

"Can't wait to see if this guy's as good as you say he is," Twilight said.

"He's the best," Pinkie said, "Duelling him was so much fun."

"Wonder who his opponent is?" Applebloom said.

She soon got her answer, when a second image shot out showing Cheese's opponent.

Celestia: Big Mac!

Everyone smiled at this, happy to finally be seeing Applejack's and Applebloom's older sibling Duel.

"Woowee," Applejack said, "this is gonna be fun. Sorry Pinkie but your boyfriend doesn't stand a chance against Mac."

"We'll see," Pinkie sung.

A few minutes later, the two Duellists stepped out onto the field. a dark red Duel Disk was strapped to Big Mac's arm, while Cheese had his yellow Disk on his.

They met in the centre of the arena, where the ref was waiting.

"Heads or tails?" He asked them.

"I'll take tails," Cheese said before turning to Mac, "that okay with you big guy?"

"Eeyup," he replied simply.

The ref flipped the coin, which landed on the ground allowing him to look at it.

"Heads," he said, "Big Mac will take the first move."

The two nodded before stepping back to an appropriate distance.

Celestia: With that settled, let's see which field they'll be playing on.

She held up the remote and pressed the button, a second later the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Cheese and Mac were transported to the inside of a circus tent. There was a trampoline, a giant mouse wheel, several large spheres floating in the air and a trapeze looking over everything.

Luna: Acrobatic Circus!

"Awesome!" Cheese said as he looked around, "I'm loving this."

Mac just nodded.

Celestia: It seems our Duellists are ready to battle under the big top.

Luna: Then lets get this thing started.

Celestia: Three!

Luna: Two!

All: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Mac: 4000
Cheese: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

"I'm up first," Mac said as he went to his deck and then yelled at the top of his voice, "I DRAW!"

Everyone was put back by this.

"Man he's loud," Spike said.

"I was expecting him to barely say a word," Twilight said.

"Mac's a little shy," Applejack said, "but when he Duels he's suddenly full of confidence."

"Yeah," Applebloom said, "you're gonna see another side of Big Mac now."

"First I'll activate the Spell card Graceful Charity, which lets me draw three cards and then ditch two." He did so, nodding at the cards he'd drawn before discarding one of them along with one from his hand. "Next I'm summoning my Mecha Worker Grand Hammer to the field, in ATK mode." A large red humanoid robot appeared on the field, with large hammer head on the end of its right arm. (A1800/D100/L4)

The others were a little confused about this.

"Was anyone else expecting to see a plant monster?" Flash asked.

"Eeyup," everyone except Applejack and Applebloom said.

"Big Mac's Mecha deck is something to behold," Applejack said, "just watch."

"Next I'll activate my Mecha Worker's ability," Mac said, "which lets me summon a Mecha Worker in my graveyard to the field." A pile of scrap metal appeared in front of Grand Hammer, which he started bashing with his hammer fist until the scrap became a new monster.

It looked just like Grand Hammer, except it was green and in place of a hammer it had an axe head for a right hand. "Meet Mecha Worker Max Axe," Mac said. (A1600/D1400/L4) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Cheese said. In that moment he ran off and jumped onto one of the spheres, then onto the top of the trapeze before looking out into the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen! I welcome you to this Dueltaining event. Let's all remember to have a ton of fun."

"As flamboyant as ever," Rarity said with a chuckle.

"Go Cheese!" Pinkie screamed.

"I draw." Cheese looked at his cards and smiled. before looking out to his captive audience. "I'll start this Duel off by setting the Pendulum Scale, with Scale one Performapal Monkeyboard and Scale nine Performapal Toucannon."

He placed two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. On either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a monkey creature with teeth designed like a keyboard, while the other was a large toucan with a cannon barrel for a beak.

The two monsters stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of their eyes and staff, connecting above his head. "Swing far pendulum," he said, "carve the arc of victory." The portal began to take shape. "My monsters are ready, to swing into ACTION!"

The portal opened, as three beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

The first was a man in purple jester clothing with star patterns sowed on. Star shaped bells hung from the cuffs of his sleeves, pants and the tips of his hat. "Razzle dazzle, Performapal Jestar." (A300/D300/L4)

The second was a humanoid insect juggling five brown balls in its several arms. "Juggle time, Performapal Buggler." (A1900/D300/L4)

The last was an Elvis faced fish with a blade like hairpiece. "Slice and dice, Performapal Swordfish." (A600/D600/L2)

Celestia: Pendulum Summoning right off the back. He's really getting into the swing of things.

"He's sure got the crowd railed up," Spike said as the group looked out at the audience, who were all clapping away.

"Just wait until my big brother gets going," Applebloom said.

"Let's do this guys," Cheese said, "I'm activating Jestar's special ability. Once per turn, I can roll a dice and increase his ATK points by the same number as the one I rolled." A six sided dice appeared in his hand which he threw into the air before it hit the ground and began rolling, slowly coming to a stop on...

"Five," he said as he turned to the crowd, "can anyone help me with some basic arithmetic? Three hundred times five is?"

"FIFTEEN HUNDRED!" Everybody yelled.

"That's right," he said, "so Jestar's ATK and DEF will increase to fifteen hundred." (A1500/1500/L4) "Next I'll activate my Swordfish's ability, to reduce Mac's monster's ATK and DEF points by six hundred until the End Phase." The Swordfish fired a barrage of swords that surrounded Mac's monsters.

As the swords landed Mac's monsters felt their power drain. (A1200/D0/L4), (A1000/D800/L4)

"Now I'll attack Grand Hammer with Buggler," Cheese said as his bug-man monster threw its balls at the robot.

"I activate my face down," Mac said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! With this card I can negate your attack." A scarecrow made out of different types of metal objects appeared, which blocked the balls from striking Grand Hammer. "Now I can reset my scarecrow," Mac said as his Trap flipped back down, "to use again next turn."

"Which means you can't use it again this turn," Cheese guess, to which Mac nodded. "Then it can't stop my Jestar from attacking your Max Axe!" The Performapal ran at the robot, before spinning around and throwing a kick at it.

Mac kicked into gear, rushing over to a nearby sphere and jumping onto it as he grabbed the Action Card on it. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion!" Max Axe managed to step back, causing Jestar's kick miss.

"Oh well," Cheese said, "I'll activate the Spell card Costume Change. This card lets me change the positions of any two monsters on my field, so Jestar and Swordfish will be switching to DEF mode." The two did so, leaving Buggler as the only ATK position monster on the field. "I end my turn," Cheese said, "so my monster's ATK points as well as your own's go back to what they were before." (A300/D300/L4), (A1800/D100/L4), (A1600/D1400/L4)

Cheese turned to the audience once again, "I hope you enjoyed my turn. And don't worry, I'll have more Dueltaining moves next time."

The crowd all cheered hearing this.

"Both players are equally skilled," Chrysalis said, "but ones much more flamboyant."

"Big Mac's gonna need to step up his game if he wants to win," Sunset said.

"Don't worry," Cadance said, "he will. He taught his sister how to Duel, so if she got her skills from him, I'm betting he's got something big coming.

"My turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd drawn and nodded. "I'm playing the Spell card Mecha Toolbox," he said. "With this card I can add one Mecha Tool from my deck to my hand, for every Mecha Worker on my field." His deck randomly shuffled, before slotting out two cards which he placed in his hand. "Next I'll activate the effects of my two new Mecha Tools, Power Drill and Lightning Buzzsaw!"

Two new monsters appeared on the field. The first being a small red robot, with a drill like device on its head. The second was similar to the first, except it was yellow and it had a spinning disk like blade on its back.

"These monsters can each equip themselves onto any Mecha Worker on the field," Mac said as the two monsters suddenly transformed into arm shaped instruments with their drill and buzz saw in place of a hand. Meanwhile the two Mecha Worker's left arms folded into their bodies, with the Mecha Tools connecting in their place. Power Drill connected to Grand Hammer, while Lightning Buzzsaw connected to Max Axe.

Celestia: I see. So the Mecha Workers are the main offensive monsters of Mac's deck, while the Mecha Tools work as support.

Luna: An interesting Duel tactic. Wonder what Mac will do with it?

"Since Max Axe is equipped with Buzzsaw," Mac said, "his ATK points increase by five hundred." (A2100/D1400/L4) "What's more, Max Axe has his own ability which can cut one monsters ATK points in half for the turn. I select Performapal Buggler." Max Axe's axe hand glowed, before it sliced it through the air and created an energy blade which struck the bug-man monster. (A950/D300/L4)

"Not good," Cheese said.

"ATTACK!" Mac ordered as Max Axe charged at Buggler, its Mecha Tool spinning while unleashing a burst of electrical energy.

Cheese leaped off the trapeze platform and onto the swinging rope, trying to reach for a nearby Action Card but before he could grab it his monster was struck and destroyed.

Mac: 4000
Cheese: 2850

Cheese grabbed the card and let go of the rope, falling down and landing on a sphere.

"Now I'll attack Swordfish with Grand Hammer," Mac said as his hammer robot charged forward while its drill began to spin.

"I'm activating the Action Spell Miracle," Cheese said, "which will stop my monster from being destroyed."

"I don't think so," Mac said as his monster struck the Swordfish with Power Drill, destroying it.

"What happened?" Cheese asked.

"My Power Drill grants the monster its equipped to the ability to automatically destroy any DEF monster it attacks," Mac explained with a smirk on his face. "Miracle protects your monster from being destroyed in battle, not by card effects."

Celestia: Incredible! Big Mac's Mecha Tools are something to behold.

Luna: Can Cheese Sandwich recover?

"ALRIGHT!" Applejack and Applebloom cheered as they high fived, "now that's what I'm talking about."

"I can see where you got your skills from AJ," Rainbow said, "he's good."

"Well Cheese is good to," Pinkie said before turning back to the Duel, "come on Cheese, get the led out!"

"I end my turn," Mac said.

"Then it's my turn," Cheese said as he went to his deck, "I draw and activate Jestar's ability." A dice appeared in his hand, which he rolled and caused it to land on.

"Three," he said, "times three hundred is nine hundred. (A900/D900/L4) "Next I'll play the Spell card Performapal Understudy. This card lets me remove any number of Performapals from my graveyard, and then add a new Performapal from my deck to my hand. His deck slotted out two cards from his deck, which he took and added to his hand. "And now, I'll once again use my Pendulum Monsters to carve the arc of victory." Once again the portal formed above his head. "My monsters are ready, to swing into ACTION!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and hit the ground.

The first was a lion with a mane made out of fire. "Turn up the heat, Performapal Fire Muffler Lion. (A800/D800/L3/P5)

The second was a man in orange and blue jester clothing, carrying a staff and playing cards. "Showtime, Performapal Laughmaker. (A2500/D2000/L8/P5)

Everyone cheered at the new monsters, happy to see another great Pendulum Summon.

"And now I'll switch Jestar to ATK mode and attack your Grand Hammer with Laughmaker," Cheese said as his monster attacked.

"I activate my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow once again," Mac said as his Trap activated again.

Cheese looked around and smiled seeing an Action Card on another sphere, which he leaped over to and grabbed. "I activate Vanishing Act. This Action Spell lets me negate a card effect and then send it to the bottom of the deck."

In a puff of smoke, a magician appeared and threw a white sheet over the scarecrow before pulling it away and showing the Trap had vanished.

"Now my Laughmaker's free to attack," Cheese said, "oh and when he attacks his ATK points increase by a thousand for each of your monsters whose ATK is higher then its original. Since Max Axe's is higher then usual, Laughmaker gets a thousand points increase. (A3500/D2000/L8/P5)

The jester threw a playing card, which struck the robot and destroyed it.

Mac: 2300
Cheese: 2850

"Now I'll activate my Fire Muffler Lion's Special Ability," Cheese said, "since one of my monsters destroyed one of yours, I can increase Laughmaker's ATK by two hundred and have it attack again. Muffler Lion's mane created a ring of fire, which Laughmaker leaped through as its power increased. (A3700/D2000/L8/P5) It then attacked Max Axe, throwing another playing card at it and destroying it.

Mac: 700
Cheese: 2850

"And now," Cheese said, "I'll have Jestar attack you directly."

The star patterned jester leaped at Big Mac, before spinning and unleashing a powerful kick.

Celestia: If this attack hits, Big Mac will be out.

Luna: I can't watch.

The Performapal's kick struck Big Mac, creating an explosion which engulfed them both.

"MAC!" Applejack and Applebloom yelled seeing their brother be attacked.

"Is that it?" Sweetie asked, "is it over?"

"We'll see," Rarity replied.

Eventually the smoke began to clear and everyone waited with baited breath to see.

Finally the smoke dispersed and revealed Mac and Jestar, along with something else.

It was a Mecha Worker, yellow in colour with a saw like weapon on its right arm, which had blocked the attack before exploding.

Mac: 250
Cheese: 2850

"What happened?" Cheese asked.

"My Mecha Worker Saw Cutter," Mac explained, "by removing it from my graveyard I was able to half the damage I took from a direct attack."

"But how did it get in your graveyard?" Cheese asked, before he remembered. "Graceful Charity."

Big Mac just nodded.

Cheese suddenly burst out laughing, seemingly happy that his winning attack had been stopped. "That was awesome," he said, "I didn't see that coming that's for sure."

Mac just smiled as well.

"Well," Cheese said, "that's it for my turn. Muffler Lion can't attack and Laughmaker's ATK goes back to normal." (A2500/D2000/L8/P5)

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was a close one," Applejack said.

"But it's not looking good for your brother," Flash said, "he's down to two hundred and fifty life points. He's got no monsters on his field and he's facing off against a bunch of powerful monsters."

"Don't count my brother out yet," Applebloom said, "he can win. Just watch."

It's my turn," Big Mac said as he drew his card and smiled, "and I activate the Spell Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two new cards from my deck." He drew his cards and his eyes went wide, before smiling. "It's time," he said as he took one of the cards along with one from his hand, "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale with Scale five Red Mecha Mechanic and Scale two Blue Mecha Mechanic."

He placed two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. They both looked almost exactly the same, two humanoid robots carrying a giant tool. The only differences was that one was red and carrying a six foot spanner, while the other was blue and carrying a large screwdriver.

The two monsters stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then pointed their tools into the sky, as a beam of light shot out of them and connected above his head. "Now watch as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Mac said as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a beam of light shot out and struck the ground and became a new Mecha Worker, which was blue with a screwdriver on its right arm. "Mecha Worker Screw Driver." (A1500/D1200/L4)

"Why'd he use a Pendulum Summon for one monster he could easily summon?" Spike asked.

"Maybe he's gonna sacrifice it," Twilight said.

"Narr," Applejack said, "he just did it for the thrill. I bet he needs his Pendulum Summon for something else."

"Now I'm activating my Blue Mecha Mechanic's Pendulum Ability," Mac said, "which lets me summon my Grand Hammer from the graveyard by zeroing out its ATK and DEF and sending it back to the grave at the End Phase."

The Pendulum Monster pointed its screwdriver at the ground, firing off a beam which opened a portal which Grand Hammer came out of, looking like it was barely holding together. (A0/D0/L4)

"And now I'll use my Red Mecha Mechanic's Pendulum Ability," Mac said, "to Fusion Summon a Machine Monster."

"Fusion Summon?" The group said in wonder

"Knew it," Applejack said with a smirk.

The red Pendulum monster held up its spanner, which unleashed a beam that struck the sky and opened a vortex above the monsters. "Now my two Mecha Workers will combine to create an even greater machine," Mac said as his monster were sucker into the vortex. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded, releasing a new monster from the light. It was another Mecha Worker, only this one was twice the size of the others with a white paint job and a bulkier psych. On its right arm it had Grand Hammer's hammer and on it left, Screw Driver's screwdriver and it had massive round shoulder pads. "Advanced Mecha Worker Cyber Handyman!" (A2600/D2100/L8)

Everyone marvelled at the sight of the new monster.

"Now I'm activating my Handyman's effect," Mac said as his deck shuffled and slotted out a card which he took. "Once a turn I can add a Spell from my deck to my hand, but if I don't use it by my End Phase it's removed from play. But that won't happen since I'm using it now, so say hello to Scrap Summon."

Cheese's eyes went wide.

"Now by paying half my life points," Mac explained, "I can summon as many Level four or bellow Machine Monsters from my graveyard, but their ATK and DEF points are zeroed out."

Mac: 125
Cheese: 2850

Mecha Tool Power Drill and Lightning Buzzsaw appeared back on the field. "But there's more," Mac said as he placed a card in his Duel Disk, "because I'm using Polymerisation to fuse the two together."

"Two Fusion Summons?" Cheese asked.

"That's right," Mac said as the portal opened above his head, sucking the two monsters inside. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The portal exploded, revealing red and yellow Mecha Tool, with the drill on its head and the buzz saw on its back. "Advanced Mecha Tool Drill Saw!" (A1000/D1000/L4) "And now I'll equip Drill Saw to my Handyman," Mac said as the Advanced Mecha Tool transformed into a new arm, with the two tools on the end. Handyman's left shoulder opened up, folding out a plug like instrument that Drill Saw attached to. "With this upgrade, my Handyman is now one thousand points stronger. (A3600/D2100/L8)

Cheese just gulped at this sight.

"I ATTACK!" Mac said as his monster turned to Jestar and charged forward.

Celestia: If this attacks hits, it's all over.

Luna: But will it hit?

Cheese looked around and saw just what he needed, before leaping up and grabbing the trapeze swing which he swung on towards the Action Card. Letting go, he landed on the top of the large hamster wheel and grabbed the card. "I activate the Action Spell High Dive, which will increase Jestar's ATK points by one thousand." Now at least he'd survive the attack, allowing Laughmaker a chance to fight back next turn.

"I don't think so," Mac said, "because Drill Saw has another effect. Once a turn I can negate the activation of a Spell or Trap, meaning High Dive is negated."

"WHAT!" Cheese screamed.

Handyman's attack struck Jestar, destroying it and sending out a powerful shock wave which struck Cheese and sent him flying.

Mac: 125 (Winner)
Cheese: 0

Celestia: IT'S OVER!

Luna: Cheese Sandwich has been eliminated. Big Macintosh will be moving on to the next round.

Applejack and Applebloom were cheering their heads off as they watched the Action Field disappear.

"That's how it's done!" Applejack cheered.

"YAY!" Applebloom screamed, "that's my big brother."

"Poor Cheese," Pinkie said as he hair deflated.

"Don't worry Pinkie," Twilight said, "he still put on a great show. Isn't that what matters?"

Pinkie's hair exploded once again, as she perked up. "You're right! Cheese was still awesome."

Down on the field, Big Mac moved over to where Cheese was laying and held out a hand.

Cheese just smiled and took it, being help up onto his feet.

"That was a great Duel," he said as she shook the hand.

"Eeyup," Mac agreed.

"But you won," Cheese continued, "it's cool. Glad I lost to an awesome Duellist."

"Eeyup," Mac said.

Cheese nodded and turned towards the crowd. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sad to say my Dueltaining show has come to a close. But don't worry, I'm sure their are just as many Dueltaining Duels coming up. Until then, I hope I was able to keep you satisfied.

The crowd responded by clapping as loud as they could, as they watched Cheese take a power. Once that was done, the two Duellists returned to their waiting room.

Up in the booth, Thorax was clapping just as loudly.

"That Duel was a blast," he said happily, only to catch his mother's eye again and quite down.

"Indeed," Chrysalis said, "it was quite a spectacle. I'm amazed that Mac fellow was able to pull it back, consider how few life points he had."

"Just shows what a great Duellist can accomplish," Cadance said, "when they believe in their deck." Shining Armor just nodded in agreement at this.

"Well," Chrysalis said, "yet another strong Duellist is revealed. Makes me wonder how many more will show up."

Cold nodded at this, as he turned to Big Mac. He was Applejack's brother, meaning he would probably be willing to help if he knew what was coming. For their plans to succeed, they'd need all the help they could get.

Turn 7, Blackout

View Online

Once again a Duel was taking place, with the winner moving on to the next round in the Celestic Cup.

Currently the two Duellists playing were Thunderlane and Hearth Burns. They were Duelling on a field named Storm Mountain. Heath currently had Infernal Flame Emperor and two Solar Flare Dragons, while Thunderlane's field was empty.

Thunderlane: 1300
Heath: 2600

"It's my turn," Thunder said, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Tempest Unicorn and scale nine Tempest Griffon."

He placed two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. On either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first being a yellow horse with a lightning bolt shaped horn and the second being a yellow griffon with lightning bolt shaped talons. The two looked up and shot beams of light, which struck the sky above Thunderlane's head forming a portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, taking the form of three green serpentine dragons with lightning surrounding them. "Thunder Dragon." (A1600/D1500/L5)X3

"So what?" Heath asked, "those guys can't hurt any of my monsters."

"Maybe," Thunderlane said, "but they will allow me to summon a monster that can." He held out a card and smiled. "I tribute all three of my Thunder Dragons to summon Gilford the Lightning!"

The three dragons disappeared in an explosion of electricity and in their place, stood a giant man in armour and wielding a sword. (A2800/D1400/L8) "Since I sacrificed three monsters to summon him," Thunderlane explained, "his ability wipes out every monster on your side of the field." His monster swung its giant sword, unleashing a burst of lightning which struck every monster on Heath's field and destroying them. "And with them gone," Thunderlane said, "there's nothing stopping him from attacking you directly." And that's exactly what Gilford did, unleashing a single thunderbolt which struck Heath and electrocuted him.

Thunderlane: 1300 (Winner)
Heath: 0

Celestia: That's it, it's over.

Luna: Thunderlane has claimed victory over Heath and will be moving onto the next round.

Everyone cheered as they watched the field disappear and the two Duellists leave the field.

Celestia: And with that the first day of the the Celestic Cup's first round is over.

Luna: Let's take a look at the eight Duellists who've earned their way into the next round.

The megascreen activated and showed the winners of the previous Duels.

Celestia: In the first match, Flash Sentry claimed victory over Shining Spoon and his legendary Xyz Dragons.

Luna: Then in match two, Vinyl Scratch defeated Ringo.

Celestia: Applejack hit the bullseye in match three, defeating Derpy and her Ditsy Goddess.

Luna: Then the sibling Duel between Pinkie and Maud, ended with the older siblings victory.

Celestia: The mysterious Cloak N Daggers managed to defeat Timber, earning his spot in the next round.

Luna: Then Big Mac defeated the Dueltainer Cheese Sandwich under the big top.

Celestia: The battle between Amethyst Star and Pixel Pizzaz, ended in Amethyst winning.

Luna: And as you've just seen, Thunderlane managed to defeat the hotheaded Heath.

Celestia: Tomorrow the B Block will Duel, and only eight remaining Duellists will make it through.

Luna: Until then, good bye.

Half an hour later, the gang had finally managed to get out the stadium and were all about to head home.

"It'll be our turn to Duel tomorrow," Twilight told them.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "can't wait to take whoever I'm paired with out."

"Not if you're facing me you won't," Rarity said.

"You should probably all get your rest for tomorrow," Applejack suggested, "I know I'm gonna sleep like a log."

"Eeyup," Big Mac said.

With that the group split up, heading in separate direction home.

"You were great today Flash," Scootaloo said as she, Flash, Twilight and Spike were walking home.

"Thanks," Flash said, "but I'm seriously gonna need to up my game if I wanna stand a chance in the next round."

"He's right," Twilight said, "everyone's gonna be aiming to improve. I'd be surprised if we saw anyone use the same stratagy again, since they'd wanna try and be unpredictable."

"Yeah," Spike said, "but that just makes it more fun." At that moment Spike's stomach began to growl, indication he was hungry.

"How about a pizza?" Twilight suggested, pointing to a nearby parlour across from the park.

"Definitely," Flash said.

They stepped inside the place, but when they did they noticed someone standing at the counter staring up at the menu. They couldn't believe who they were seeing.

"Thorax?" Spike asked.

The teen in a black hoodie turned around, seeing the four and gulping.

"Hey," he said.

Meanwhile Cold Steel was in his office, watching as the sun slowly began to set.

In that moment Sunset stepped into the room, a concerned look on her face. "We've got a problem," she said as she stepped over to him.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I just got the specs from the Ener-D absorption system," she explained, "they're three times lower then they should be."

This got Cold's attention, as he took the tablet from the girl and looked it over. "This isn't right," he said, "with all those powerful Duellists going all out the levels should be much higher then this."

"Exactly," Sunset said, "I've sent some engineers to check it out, but so far they haven't found anything wrong with the system."

Cold continued to stare at the tablet, unsure what this meant.

In the park, Thorax and the others were sitting on a bench enjoying an extra large deep dish meat feast pizza.

As Thorax took a bite out of his slice, his eyes rolled into the back on his skull at the taste. "How have I gone my whole life without this?" He asked once he'd swallowed.

"I would have thought being prince would mean you could have whatever you wanted?" Scootaloo asked as she took a bite.

"I wish," Thorax replied with a frown, "I'm only allowed to eat food that's elegant and sophisticated. Stuff like junk food is forbidden at home."

"Man," Flash said, "sounds rough. I thought being a royal was nothing but doing whatever you want."

"Hardly," Thorax said, "all my life I've never gotten to do anything for myself. It's all about preparing to take the throne and leading my people."

"That's a lot of responsibility for a kid," Twilight said.

"Yeah," Thorax replied, "that's why I was so happy when mother said we were coming here to watch the Celestic Cup finals. Finally a chance to be away from the spotlight. A chance to enjoy all the things a normal kid would get to enjoy, so whenever I can I sneak out of the hotel to come out here and see what it's like to be normal."

"That's harsh," Spike said.

"Yeah," Thorax said, "mother had some kind of meeting tonight, so I decided to sneak out and try one of the things I read normal kids do."

"Eating pizza?" Scootaloo asked.

"Exactly," Thorax replied.

"So the other day when we met in the park?" Flash asked.

"I wanted to see what a real Duel was all about," Thorax replied, "at home my instructors never let me really Duel. It's all theory and doing Duel Puzzles."

"That's not right," Twilight said, "the best way to improve your skills is actually Duelling. Even I know studying can only get you so far."

"Yeah," Thorax said, "wish I could have another Duel like that."

"Then why don't you?" Spike said as he stood up and pulled out his Duel Disk. "Thorax, I challenge you."

Thorax was surprised at first, but smiled a second later.

The group found an open space and as the sun finished setting and the street lamps lit, the two strapped their Duel Disks on and activated them.

"You ready?" Spike asked him.

"Yeah," Thorax said.

"DUEL!"

Spike: 4000
Thorax: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Spike said as he drew his cards, "I draw. I summon Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV4." A bird like creature made out of silver metal appeared. (A1600/D1000/L4) "I place on card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at his cards and smiled. "Time for something I've been wanting to say all day," he said, "I'm using scale eight Celtic Ùruisg and scale one Celtic Beithir, to set the Pendulum Scale."

Everyone's eyes went wide, as they watched him place two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. On either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first being a small goblin like creature wearing a brown vest and hat, while the other was a large snake-like creature with six pairs of short legs. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Thorax said as the two monsters created the portal, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Celtic Knight." (A1600/D1800/L4)

The second became a green fish man creature, carrying a trident. "Celtic Fuath." (A800/D1400/L4)

"Where did you get Pendulum Monsters?" Flash asked him in amazement.

"Mr Steel," Thorax replied, "he gave them to me as a gift."

"Figures," Scootaloo said.

"Now I'll use my Celtic Ùruisg's Pendulum Ability," Thorax replied, "which increases the ATK of any Celtic Monster by three hundred points during the Battle Phase." (A1900/D1800/L4), (A1100/D1400/L4) "ATTACK!"

Celtic Knight shot forward, raising its sword as it drew closer to Horus.

"I activate my Trap," Spike said as his face down flipped up, "Dragon Scale Armour. This card negates my monsters destruction, though I'll still take the damage." The knights blade struck the dragon, but the monster remained intact.

Spike: 3700
Thorax: 4000

"I end my turn with a face down," Thorax said as he set the card and his monster's ATKs went back to what they were.

"Not bad," Twilight said, "they're both evenly matched."

"But Spike's had a lot more practical experience," Flash said, "Thorax needs to be careful."

"My turn," Spike said, "I draw and summon Armoured Wyvern in ATK mode." A humanoid lizard wearing red armour over its black body with only its head being visible appeared. (A1500/D1200/L4) "Then I'll equip him with my Dragon Spike, which will increase his ATK by six hundred points." A metal war helmet appeared on Armoured Wyvern's head, which had a large curved horn sticking out the end. (A2100/D1200/L4) "Now I'll attack your knight with my Wyvern."

Spike's dragon charged forward, swinging its accessory at the elf. Celtic Knight raised its sword to defend, but the horn sliced through and cut him in half.

Spike: 3700
Thorax: 3500

"Now I'll attack your Fuath with Horus," Spike said as his monster spat a fireball at the fishman, destroying it.

Spike: 3700
Thorax: 2700

"I activate my face down," Thorax said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Dark Celtic Spirit. When a Celtic monster with a thousand or less ATK points is destroyed, I deal damage to you equal to its ATK." From the Trap shot out a ghostly form of Fuath, which flew over to Spike and flew through him, making him shiver.

Spike: 2900
Thorax: 2700

"Plus Fuath has his own ability," Thorax continued, "when he's destroyed by battle I can add two level four or bellow Celtic monsters from by deck to my hand." His deck shuffled before slotting out two cards, which he took.

"Well Horus has his own ability," Spike said as he placed a card face down, "at the end of the turn that he destroyed a monster, he can evolve into his LV6 form." In that instant, Horus was enveloped into a light and a few seconds later he broke out of it. His new form looked larger and more dangerous, while it took to the air above Spike. (A2300/D1600/L6)

"It's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw and now I'll use my Pendulum Scale to cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking form.

The first looked like Celtic Guardian, but his armour was light blue and he carried two swords. "Celtic Guard of Noble Arms." (A2100/D700/L4)

The second was a monster that looked to be made entirely out of seaweed, with a white mask over its face. "Celtic Peallaidh." (A1700/D1400/L4/P4)

The last one was a red goblin like creature, with white hair and black horns. "Celtic Bauchan." (A800/D800/L2/P5)

"Oh boy," Flash said, "Spike's in trouble."

"Now," Thorax said, "my Ùruisg Pendulum Ability increases all my Celtic monster's ATK points by three hundred. (A2400/D700/L4), (A2000/D1400/L4/P4), (A1100/D800/L2/P5) "I set one card face down and then attack with Noble Arms!" His twin bladed swordsmen charged at Spike's Horus, slicing it in half.

Spike: 2800
Thorax: 2700

"Now my Guard's ability lets me draw cards equal to the number of Celtic Guard's I own," Thorax said a he drew a card, "And next my Peallaidh's ability activates. Since a Celtic Monster destroyed one of yours, it ATK points increase by two hundred." (A2200/D1400/L4/P4) "Attack!" The swamp monster unleashed a bunch of vines, which wrapped around Armoured Wyvern and constricted it to destruction.

Spike: 2700
Thorax: 2700

"Now Bauchan while attack you directly," Thorax ordered as his monster charged forward and headbutted Spike in the gut.

Spike: 1900
Thorax: 2700

"I end my turn with a face down," Thorax said as his monster's ATK went back to normal.

"What a move," Scootaloo said.

"Thorax really knows how to use those Pendulum Monsters," Flash said.

"But don't forget," Twilight said, "Spike's deck has a way to take Pendulums down."

"It's my turn," Spike said, "I draw and activate my face down," Spike said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Dragonic Revival," Spike said, "this cards lets me summon a Dragon from my graveyard to the field until the End Phase." In a flash of light, Horus the Black Flame Dragon LV6 reappeared on the field. "Next I'll summon my Tuner Monster Peewee Dragon," he said as a small red dragon appeared on the field. (A300/D100/L2)

"A Tuner Monsters," Thorax said in shock.

"That's right," Spike said, "and now watch as I tune level two Peewee Dragon with level six Horus the Black Flame Dragon." The small dragon flew into the air and transformed into two balls of fire, which carved a pair of burning rings which Horus flew into. "Cast your flames across this battle field, and burn everything that is weak to ashes" Spike said as his monsters burst in an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames erupted, as Spike's ace burst free and revealed itself. "Dragonic Blazemaster!" (A3000/D2000/L8)

"Whoa!" Thorax said in amazement.

"Now I'll attack your Celtic Guard of Noble Arms," Spike said as his dragon raised his flaming sword and struck the elf down.

Spike: 1900
Thorax: 1800

"But I'm not stopping there," Spike said, "because Blazemaster's ability now activates. Since he destroyed a monster, he can attack again but the damage you take is halved." Dragonic Blazemaster's sword reignited as it swung it towards Peallaidh slashing through it and causing Thorax to be bathed in the holographic fire.

Spike: 1900
Thorax: 1150

"And once again," Spike said, "Blazemaster can attack again." His monster's sword once again reignited.

"If this hits Thorax'll only have fifty life points left," Twilight said.

"I activate my Trap," Thorax said as his card flipped up, "Celtic Soul Guard. Now I can cut the damage I take from a battle involving a Celtic Monster in half."

Blazemaster slashed through Bauchan, bathing Thorax in the flames once again.

Spike: 1900
Thorax: 600

"Wow," Scootaloo said, "this Duel's really heating up."

"Spike's a literal Pendulum Slayer," Flash said, "makes me wonder whether Thorax can fight back."

"Let's find out," Twilight said.

"I'll throw down a pair of face downs and end my turn," Spike said.

"It's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled. "Now my Pendulum Scale to cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking form.

"Celtic Peallaidh." (A1700/D1400/L4/P4)

"Celtic Bauchan." (A800/D800/L2/P5)

"Those two again?" Spike wondered.

"And now I'll banish the three monsters in my graveyard," Thorax said as he raised his card up high, "to summon my most powerful monster." From the ground the spiritual bodies Celtic Knight, Celtic Fuath and Celtic Guard of Noble Arms flew out, before transforming into balls of spirit energy which flew into the card. "Celtic Warlord!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

"That's Thorax's best card," Flash said, remembering how difficult it'd been to beat it himself.

"You ready for this?" Thorax asked as he smirked at Spike.

Spike, in turn, smirked back. "Bring it on."

Meanwhile in a dark place, the figure was sitting in his throne. Up on the screens he was watching as the computer showed images of all the Duels that had occurred that day.

A moment later, the computers screens changed to show numbers a bar charts. The screens also began to move to the left or right, until they revealed a glass window into another smaller room. The room's walls were covered in metal dishes, as several blank Duel cards floated around it in midair. Seconds later a computerised voice spoke from out of some speakers.

ENER-D CONVERGENCE STEADY!

The figure sat back in his throne, as a pair of metal orbs flew up from the floor and into his hands which gripped them. The next second an opening in the ceiling opened and out of it came a metallic bowl like helmet, which landed on the figures head.

TRANSDIMENSIONAL LINK READY!

The figure took a deep breath and spoke. "Begin."

Suddenly the orbs and helmet began to spark, causing the figure to shake and scream as the energy flowed through him. Inside the room the metal dishes began to glow, before beams of light shot out and struck the cards.

At Freeze Industries, Cold and Sunset were in his office as the lights began to flicker before they went out.

"What's going on?" Sunset asked.

"Not sure," Cold replied as he went to his office phone and picked it up, but as he put it to his ear he didn't hear a dial tone. Putting it back down he went to his computer and tried to switch it on, but nothing happened. "Power must be out in the whole building."

"Not just this building," Sunset said, making him look up at her. She was staring out the window and as he followed her gaze, he realised what she was looking at

All over the city, electrical systems were going offline. Lights and machines lost power and cut out, causing the whole city to be engulfed in darkness.

The group was continuing to watch the Duel, when suddenly the lamps in the park went out and bathed them in darkness. As the Duel Disk's also cut out and the holograms disappeared.

"Hey" Spike said as his monster vanished, "that happened?"

"The Duel Disk system must have shut down," Twilight said.

"Why?" Scootaloo asked.

"Probably the same reason as the blackout," Flash said as he looked around.

"Great," Spike moaned, "and I was winning."

"Not for long you weren't," Thorax joked.

"Right," Spike said sarcastically.

"It was close," Twilight said, "it could have gone either way."

"To bad we'll never find out," Flash said.

"I wonder what caused the blackout?" Scootaloo asked.

Back at the mysterious location the beams of light continued to strike the cards, which began to glow as images and words appeared on the surface. Eventually the machine finally shut down and the figure gasped for breath as he began panting.

TRANSFER COMPLETE!

All over the city, the power was slowly returning and block by block the lights turned back on.

"That was weird," Flash said as the lamps came back on.

"Maybe the power plant had a temporary problem," Twilight guessed.

"Maybe," Flash replied.

Once the figure had regained his breath he looked up into the room and saw the card's glow fade, while the images on them solidified on the card. Once the light was completely gone, the window folded into the wall and the cards flew out and floated around him.

"Welcome," he said to the cards, "now go join your comrades." He pressed a button on his computer and an opening appeared in the wall to the left of him, revealing a small deck of cards. The floating cards flew into the opening and onto the deck.

"This is barely the beginning," he said as he turned his throne towards a table to the right, where a case sat. Opening it up he revealed many more blank cards.

Behind him, Shadow, Adagio and the six other cloaked figures stood.

"Shadow, Adagio," he said, "retrieve as much Ener-D as you can find."

"Yes your majesty," Adagio said with a bow.

"We won't let you down father," Shadow continued, mirroring her.

"Be sure that you don't," the figure replied.

Back in the park, the five teens were preparing to head out.

"To bad you two couldn't restart your match," Twilight said, "but it's getting late and we're all gonna need to be up early tomorrow."

"Yeah," Thorax said, "I should get going before mother gets back."

"Well I hope we'll see each other around," Spike said.

"Definitely," Thorax said with a smile before turning to Flash and Twilight. "I'll be cheering for you guys."

"Thanks," Flash said.

With that, Thorax turned and ran off back to his hotel.

"Nice kid," Twilight said, "to bad he's lead such a sheltered life."

"Hopefully one day he'll get the chance to live his own life," Flash said.

"Hopefully," Spike said.

<The Next Day>

Much like the previous one, the second day of the Celestic Cup finals were set to be just as eventful.

As Flash and his friends all took their seats in the audience, Thorax and his mother arrived in the VIP box where Shining, Cadance, Cold and Sunset were waiting.

"Good morning Chrysalis, Thorax," Cadance said as they sat down. "I hope the blackout last night didn't ruin any sight seeing or something."

"Of course not," Chrysalis said, "it takes more then a little darkness to cause any problems for me."

"Do you know what caused it?" Thorax asked.

"I'm afraid not," Cold said, "our best guess is something or someone siphoned the cities power grid of its energy for a brief moment."

"Interesting," Shining said.

Meanwhile onstage, an explosion occurred and the Celestic Sister stepped out.

Both: HELLO CANTERLOT!

Celestia: I hope you all got a good nights rest, because the Celestic Cup round one B Block contest is sure to require all your strength to get through.

Luna: That's right sis. sixteen more Duellists, competing for one of eight spots in the next round. Only the best of the best can make it there.

Celestia: Indeed. Now let's remind ourselves who those sixteen Duellists are.

She pressed a button on the remote and the megascreen switched on, revealing the images of the sixteen Duelists.

Luna: There they are, but who will be victorious this day?

Celestia: Only one way to find out. But first, we need to decide who'll be Dueling in the first match of the day.

Luna: I couldn't agree more.

Luna held up her own remote and pressed the button. The images all spun around hiding the Duellist, before they began randomly spinning. Eventually one shot out and flipped around, revealing the Duellist.

Celestia: Twilight Sparkle!

"Alright," Spike said, "you're up.

Twilight nodded as she stood up.

"Go get em Twilight," Rainbow said.

"We have faith in you," Rarity said.

"Thanks," Twilight said with a smile as she looked around to see her opponent.

A second image flipped around, revealing a boy with yellow skin and blue hair.

Luna: Comet Tail!

"So who is this guy?" Pinkie asked,

"Not sure," Applejack said, "never met the fella."

"I guess I'll find out when I Duel him," Twilight said as she made her way down the steps.

"Hey Twilight," she looked around to see Flash, who was giving her a cheeky smirk. "You've got this."

Twilight smiled and turned back to the front, before making her way down the stairs.

The Celestic Cup's B Block first round had begun. Who would win, who would lose and who has something to hide?"

Turn 8, An Out of This World Duel

View Online

Celestia: The first match of the Celestic Cup Finals, B Block first round in about to begin.

Luna: Let's welcome our first two contestants onto the field.

From two opposite sides of the stadium, two openings opened up and released a flurry of smoke. From the smoke, two figures stepped out and onto the battle field.

Celestia: First we have the Spellcaster Duellist. She's the younger sister of this tournaments last champion, Shining Armor, so I'm sure we'll be seeing a great performance from her. Twilight Sparkle!

"So just how good is your sister Shining?" Chrysalis asked the pro Duellist.

"Very good," Shining replied, "she might even be better then me."

"She did defeat me," Sunset said, "so I can tell you she's no slouch."

"Well then," Chrysalis said, "I'm sure I'm in for an entertaining Duel."

"Go get them Twilight!" Spike screamed as he watched his sister step onto the stage.

"She'll need to be careful," Rarity said as she turned to Twilight's opponent, "we don't know anything about who she's facing."

"We do know he'll be a tough opponent to beat," Applejack said, "since he made it to the finals."

"She can do it," Flash said, "Twilight's got this."

Everyone else just nodded.

Luna: And now for her opponent, a Duellist whose Duelling skills are hotter then a meteor. Comet Tail!

Twilight's opponent, a teenager her age with yellow skin, blue hair and wore and orange unbuttoned shirt over a with t-shirt, stepped up to her. He took one look at Twilight and raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously," he said, "this is my opponent?"

Twilight frowned at this. "What's that suppose to mean?"

"It means I was expecting someone who actually made it to the finals to actually be good," he replied, "not some little girl who likes putting her hair in pigtails and painting her toenails."

Twilight was fuming hearing this. Who did he think he was?

"That boys got some nerve," Rarity said.

"I can't wait to see Twilight waste him," Rainbow said.

"Agreed," they all said.

"Why don't you wait until you've actually seen me Duel before judging me," Twilight told him.

"Fine," Comet said, "I already know how this's gonna end. Let's do this thing, but when I win you gotta do something for me."

"What?" Twilight asked with a raised eyebrow.

"When I win," Comet said as he pointed at her, "you've gotta go on a date with me."

"WHAT!" Twilight screamed, "dream on."

"You just know you're gonna lose," Comet mocked.

Twilight growled, "fine, but when I win, you've gotta do something for me."

"What?" Comet asked.

"I'll let you stew until after the match," Twilight said.

Everyone in the top box was sitting away from Shining, seeing him growl under his breath.

"Heads or tails?" the ref asked.

"Heads," Comet said.

He flipped and it came out as tails. "Twilight Sparkle will take the first move."

The two nodded and turned to face each other, taking out a purple or yellow Duel Disk and attaching it to their arms.

Celestia: With that, the Duellists are ready to Duel.

Luna: Then let's see which Action Field they'll be Duelling on.

She held up the remote and pressed the button, a second later the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Twilight and Comet were transported to outer space. The two were standing on large planet like spheres which littered the field, and looking around they saw different constellations all around them.

Celestia: It's Galaxy Zone!

Luna: Talk about a field that's out of this world.

Comet smiled seeing all this, before looking over at Twilight. "This'll be over in no time."

"Don't be so sure about that," Twilight said.

"Whatever," Comet said as he activated his Disk which had a blue blade, "just make sure you wear something nice on our date."

Celestia: Now let's get this Duel underway.

Luna: I couldn't agree more. In three!

Celestia: TWO!"

Both: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Comet: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

"Here goes," Twilight said as she went to her deck, "I draw." She looked at her card and smiled. "I'll start with something new, so I'll summon Magi-Beast Twilight Unicorn in ATK mode." In a flash of light, a purple unicorn appeared before her with a mane and tail that looked just like her hair. (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "I'll then place one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Comet said, "I draw and summon Meteor Blazer in ATK mode." In an explosion of flames, a humanoid monster made out of red molten rock appeared. His body had several cracks which revealed a lava like substance beneath the rock, which flames erupted from its neck and covered most of its head. (A1500/D1400/L4)

"Cool monster," Spike said, "but it's ATK strength is lower then Twilight's monster."

"Why would he summon it in ATK mode?" Sweetie asked.

"Because he's about to play that," Rarity said.

"I play Salamandra!" Comet placed a Spell into his Duel Disk as his monsters flames intensified and took the shape of a large flaming serpent. "This Equip Spell will raise my Fire Monster's ATK strength by seven hundred points," he said. (A2100/D1400/L4) "ATTACK!"

Meteor Blazer placed his hands together and created a large fireball, which it through at Twilight's monster.

"I activate my Trap," Twilight said as he face down flipped up, "Guardian Seal. Now I can pay five hundred life points and negate any attack on a Spellcaster, then end the battle phase."

"But Twilight Unicorn's not a Spellcaster," Comet said.

"That's where you're wrong," Twilight said, "her ability makes her a Spellcaster." A magic circle appeared infront of the unicorn, blocking the fireball from striking.

Twilight: 3500
Comet: 4000

Celestia: Ooh, so close.

Luna: Twilight's crafty, that's for sure. How will Comet Tail respond.

Comet frowned as he ended his turn.

"It's my turn," Twilight said she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Aqua Charmer to the field." A female magician child appeared wearing blue water patterned clothing appeared, carrying a staff with a crystal water droplet on the end. (A500/D800/L2)

"And now," Twilight said, "I'll tune my Level four Twilight Unicorn with Level 2 Aqua Charmer." Her monsters flew up as Aqua Charmer transformed into a pair lights which carved circles for the unicorn to jump into. "The spirit of nature floods with world, as new power is unsealed." Her monsters disappeared in a flash of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing, "Tempest Conjurer." (A2200/D1400/L6)

"Not bad," Comet said.

"You haven't seen anything yet," Twilight said, "because now I'm activating Tempest Conjurer effect. By looking at the top three cards of my deck, I can discard any Spell cards and increase his ATK by three hundred for each one." She drew three cards and viewed them, before placing one in the graveyard and the other two to the bottom of the deck. (A2500/D1400/L6) "ATTACK!"

Tempest Conjurer held up its staff and fired as electricity sparked from it, before pointing it at Meteor Blazer and firing a lightning bolt at it.

Comet leaped off the planet he was standing on and landed on another, before leaping off and onto another where he picked something up. It was an action card, but before he could play it his monster was struck by the lightning bolt and destroyed.

Twilight: 3500
Comet: 3600

"Plus when a Synchro Monster summoned using Aqua Charmer destroys a monster," Twilight explained, "I get to draw two cards."

"Impressive," Chrysalis said, "she certainly knows how to use those Spellcasters."

"Twilight's the smartest girl I know," Cadance said, "out thinking her isn't an easy feet."

"But Comet Tail is no slouch," Cold said, "despite his...charming personality he is an excellent Duellist. Twilight can't let her guard down."

"She won't," Shining said, "she knows how dangerous that is."

"Go Twilight," Spike said, "Comet doesn't stand a chance now."

"Don't be so sure," Flash said, "he wouldn't have gotten here if he didn't have an ace up his sleeve."

"I'll end my turn with a face down," Twilight said.

"My turn," Comet said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at his card and smirked, before looking over at Twilight. "Now I'll discard the Action Spell I just got to activate the Spell card Meteor Blaze Eruption! With this, since Meteor Blazer is in my graveyard, I can now summon the more powerful Meteor Blaze Giant!"

From out of no where a meteor flew towards them, before exploding and a new monster appeared in its place. It looked like Meteor Blazer, but it was twice as large and much bulkier. It rock like skin was a dark, almost black, red and on its shoulders where what looked like mini volcanoes with lava spewing out of them. (A3000/D2800/L8)

"Oh boy," Twilight said as she looked up at large monster.

Celestia: An impressive monster. Twilight will need to be careful if she plans on surviving against it.

"Now attack!" Comet yelled as his monster brought its hands together and unleashed a flamethrower, which flew at Twilight's monster.

"I activate my face down," Twilight said as he card flipped up, "Negate Attack."

"I don't think so," Comet said, "because when Meteor Blaze Giant attacks, he negates the effects of any Traps you activate and destroys them."

The heat from Comet's monster's attack, caused Twilight's Trap to literally melt.

Twilight looked around and saw an Action Card on a nearby planet, causing her to leap of the one she was on and try and reach for it. As Meteor Blazer Giant's attack drew closer, Twilight managed to snag the Action Card and land on a lower planet. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle!" The flames struck Tempest Conjurer but he remained unharmed.

Twilight: 3100
Comet: 3600

Luna: Close one. Twilight Sparkle's Action Spell protected her monster from destruction and cut the damage she took in half.

"I end my turn with a face down," Comet said as he scowled. How was this girl stopping him so easily?

"It's my turn," Twilight said as she reached for the deck, "I draw!" She looked at her card a smiled seeing what she could do. "Now it's time to set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Dracokid." She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. On either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a light and dark brown owl with an orange beak and talons, while the second was a mainly purple dragon with a green underbelly and back spines.

The two monster stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of their eyes, connecting above Twilight's head and formed the portal. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Twilight said as the portal grew larger. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, striking the ground and taking shape. "Twilight Unicorn!"
(A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"Awesome," Flash said, "Twilight finally Pendulum Summoned."

"Comet doesn't stand a chance now," Rainbow said.

"Next I'll summon the Tuner Monster, Star Charmer in ATK mode." A young wizard appeared, wearing star patterned clothing and carrying a staff with a star on the top. (A300/D300/L1)

"And now!" Twilight said as her new monster rose its staff, "I'm tuning my Level one Star Charmer with Level six Tempest Magician." Star Charmer flew into the air and transformed into a single ball of light, which carved a circle that Tempest Magician flew into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." In that moment her monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Twilight's ace. "Twilight Sorcerer!" (A2100/D2800/L7)

Comet raised an eyebrow. "Why'd you summon a monster with less ATK then your last one? This is what I was talking about earlier."

"There's more to a monster then its ATK points," Twilight said, "like my Sorcerer's ability. Once per turn I can randomly add a Spellbook from my deck to my hand." Her deck shuffled before it slotted out a card, which Twilight took and added to her hand. "And now I'll activate it. Spellbook of Power! This card grants my Spellcaster an additional one thousand ATK points for this turn." (A3100/D2800/L7) "what’s more, my Twilight Sorcerer has his own ability which increases his ATK by an extra one hundred points for each Spellbook in my grave. Since I have two, that's two hundred extra points." (A3300/D2800/L7)

Comet frowned at this.

"Attack!" Twilight ordered as her magician raised his staff. Seconds later a powerful burst of magical energy shot out of it, engulfing Meteor Blaze Giant and obliterating him.

Twilight: 3100
Comet: 3300

Celestia: There goes Comet's best monster, how will this effect the outset of the match?"

"What's more," Twilight said, "I also get to add another Spellbook to my hand." Once again her deck shuffled out a card, which she took and added to her hand. "Now my Twilight Unicorn with attack you directly," Twilight's monster pointed its horn at Comet and fired a purple blast.

Luna: If Comet doesn't do something, he'll be taking major damage from this attack.

"I activate my Trap," Comet said as his card flipped up, "Power Divider! This card cuts the damage I take in half, and for every four hundred points I lose, I can draw a new card." A barrier appeared infront of Comet, which the blast struck and then went through but was only at half strength as it struck Comet.

Twilight: 3100
Comet: 2400

Comet then drew two cards, adding them to his hand.

"I end my turn," Twilight said, "Twilight Sorcerer's ATK points reduce, but with two Spellbooks in the grave his ATK will still be slightly higher." (A2300/D2800/L7)

"Now that she's got Twilight Sorcerer on her field," Sunset said, "she'll be running this Duel from now on."

"Don't be so sure," Cold said, "this Duels far from over."

"But Twilight's got her best monster on the field?" Thorax asked, "and Comet's lost his best monster. How can he come back from that."

"We'll just have to wait and let him show us," Cold said.

"It's my turn," Comet said, "I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled.

Twilight didn't like the look of that smirk on his face.

"You should feel honoured," Comet told her, "not many people ever get to face my best monster."

"Wait," Twilight said, "Meteor Blaze Giant wasn't your best monster?"

"No it wasn't," Comet said, "let me show you my best." He took a card from his hand and placed it in his Duel Disk, which generated a holographic version of the card.

"I play Red-Eyes Fusion! With this, I can Fusion Summon a monster that requires a Red-Eyes as material. All I have to do is sacrifice the materials from my hand, field or deck." A card slotted out of his deck, which he took and placed in the graveyard along with a card from his hand. "Now I'll take my Meteor Dragon and combined it with my Beast King of the Swamps, which will be substituting for Red-Eyes."

Two new monsters appeared on the field. One was a dragon whose body was designed around a meteor, with two stubby legs and wings. The second was a green slime creature, which shifted and changed into the shape of a dragon. The two were then sucked into a vortex which appeared above them. "Born in the deepest, darkest corner of the universe, this creature now appears to eradicate everything around it," Comet said as the vortex exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded and revealed a new monster. It was a dragon that had a combination of purple and orange skin, with red veins covering its body. "Meteor Black Dragon!" (A3500/D2000/L8)

Everyone's eyes went wide at the sight of the monster. Twilight looked up at the giant dragon, not sure how she was gonna take it down.

Celestia: What an incredibly ferocious monster.

Luna: I certainly wouldn't wanna meet it in a dark alley.

"Now let me show you his full power," Comet said as he leaped onto his dragon's back. "Meteor Black Dragon, attack Twilight Sorcerer."

The dragons mouth filled with flames, before launching a giant fireball at the wizard.

Twilight looked around for an Action Card, but just as she spotted on the dragons attack struck her monster and destroyed it. The explosion was so powerful, it sent Twilight flying off her planet and smashing into another one.

Twilight: 1900
Comet: 2400

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends all screamed.

Celestia: That had to hurt.

"Get up Twilight!" Flash yelled to her.

"This is just a set back," Rarity said, "you can still win."

As Twilight picked herself up and got her balance of the round surface, she looked up at Comet who was flying around the Action Field on his dragon.

"Now do you get it?" He said to her as he sat down on his dragons head, "real Duellists use real monsters. The strongest monsters always win, that's a fact, so controlling the strongest monster makes you the strongest Duellist."

Twilight didn't like this boys attitude. "A monsters strength is only one of the things that can determine a Duels outcome. Many other factors also apply."

"Is that so," Comet said, "then I'll eliminate those factors one by one." He took a card from his hand and placed it inside his Duel Disk. "I activate the Equip Spell Red-Eyes Vail, which I'll be equipping to Meteor Black Dragon."

This confused a few spectators.

"I thought a Red-Eyes card could only be equipped to Red-Eyes monsters?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom asked, "how come he's equipping it to that one."

"Red-Eyes Fusion," Rarity explained, "an additional effect causes the summoned monster to be treated as Red-Eyes Black Dragon."

"So Meteor Black Dragon can use all the Spells and monster effects Red-Eyes would normally use?" Sweetie asked her sister.

"Exactly," Applejack said, "what's worse is Red-Eyes is a card that has a lot of support cards."

"With Red-Eyes Vail," Comet explained, "Meteor Black Dragon is immune from being destroyed or banished by any card effects. The only way you're getting rid of it is in a straight up battle."

Twilight frowned as she saw a black light surround Comet's dragon.

"I end my turn," Comet said.

Twilight looked down at her hand but nothing she had could defeat Meteor Black Dragon, not with that vail protecting it. "I draw and summon Defender the Magical Knight, in DEF mode." Her shield carrying knight appeared, raising its large defensive weapon. (A1600/D2000/L4) "What's more, when Defender is summoned, I can add a Spell Counter to him." The orb in the centre of his shield glowed. "I switch Twilight Unicorn to DEF mode and end my turn."

"My turn," Comet said as he went to his deck, "I draw and summon another Meteor Blazer in ATK mode." Another humanoid rock monster appeared, its body then unleashing a powerful flame. (A1500/D1400/L4) "I'll then us him to attack Twilight Unicorn," he ordered as his monster created a fireball which it shot at Twilight's Pendulum Monster.

"I activate Defender's ability," Twilight said as her Magical Knight leaped infront of her Magi-Beast and raised its shield. "By removing a Spell Counter, I can negate the destruction of one of my Spell Caster which my Unicorn counts as." A fire ball bounced off the shield, leaving the two monsters unharmed.

"Fine," Comet said, "then I'll destroy Defender with Meteor Black Dragon." His monster unleashed a powerful blast from its mouth, which struck Defender and destroyed it. "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Twilight as she drew and looked at her card, "I summon Magicians Valkyria in DEF mode." Her hook staff wielding spellcaster appeared, before taking a defensive stance alongside her Unicorn. (A1600/D1800/L4) "Turn end."

Celestia: Twilight building a powerful defensive formation. Will Comet be able to break through?

"My turn," Comet said, "I draw and activate my face down, Dragon's Rage. This Continuous Trap allows any of my dragon monsters to inflict piercing damage!"

Everyone gasped hearing this.

"Next I'll equip Meteor Blazer with Salamandra," he said as he repeated the move he made of his first turn. Like before his monster's flames intensified and took the shape of a large flaming serpent as his power increased. (A2100/D1400/L4) "Now Meteor Dragon, attack Twilight Unicorn!" Comet yelled as his monster unleashed a powerful fireball attack, which soared toward Twilight Unicorn.

Luna: If this attack hits, it's all over.

"I don't think so," Twilight said. In that moment Magician's Valkyria leaped infront of Twilight Unicorn, taking the blast and being destroyed.

Twilight: 200
Comet: 2400

"What happened?" Comet asked, horrified that his winning attack was stopped.

"While Magician's Valkyria in on the field, you can't attack any other Spellcaster," Twilight explained, "so your attack got rerouted."

Comet growled. "Meteor Blazer, destroy Twilight Unicorn." The humanoid rock monster unleashed a fireball, which flew towards the Magi-Beast.

Twilight looked around, hoping to find an Action Spell to save her monster. Then she saw it, three planets away, a card. Leaping off her planet she jumped over to it and just before the attack hit, she grabbed the card and looked at it. The attack struck Twilight Unicorn, destroying it.

"Why didn't Twilight use the Action Card?" Spike asked.

"Don't tell me she got a Trap," Rainbow said.

"Twilight," Flash said in worry.

"Your sister doesn't appear to be doing to well," Chrysalis said.

"She'll be fine," Shining said, "you don't have to worry about her."

"He's right," Cadance said, "when things look bad, that's when Twilight's at her best."

"But she's lost her best monster," Thorax said, "how's she gonna win now?"

"I end my turn," Comet said before smirking, "looks like we'll be going on that date after all."

Twilight looked down at the Action Card she'd snagged, before looking down at her deck and then up at her Pendulum Scale. In the back of her mind a plan was forming, making her smile was it was complete.

"It's go time," she said as she went to her deck, "I...DRAW!" She looked at the card and smiled. "First I'll use my Pendulum Scale to once again carve the arc of victory," she said as the portal began to form, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, hitting the ground and becoming Twilight Unicorn. (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"Next I'll use the Pendulum Ability of my Midnight Owl," Twilight explained, "which lets me discard a card and then add a Spellbook from my deck to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which she took. "Then I'll activate it, Spellbook of Rebirth. With this I can revive a monster from the graveyard, so now I'll bring back Twilight Sorcerer!"

In a brilliant flash of light, Twilight's ace monster reappeared. (A2100/D2800/L7)

"So what?" Comet asked, "none of those monsters stands a chance against my Meteor Black Dragon."

"Give me a minute," Twilight said. "Next I'll activate the Action Spell I got last turn, Shooting Star Summon! With this I can select a monster on my field and lower its Level by any amount I wish, so I'll pick Twilight Unicorn and decrease its Level by two." Two lights shot out of the monster, flying into the sky. (A1800/D1300/L2/P7)

"Now I can summon a monster from my deck whose Level is equal to or lower then two," Twilight explained as the light collided and exploded. "I summon Royal Charmer!" The young wizard in majestic clothing appeared. (A100/D100/L1)

Sunset smiled seeing that card. Remembering the outcome of their last Duel.

"Here we go! Twilight almost yelled, "I tune Royal Charmer with Twilight Sorcerer and Twilight Unicorn!" Her Tuner's staff gave off a brilliant light which almost blinded everyone. The light began to take shape, forming a twenty foot transparent version of Royal Charmer who held his hands together as Twilight Sorcerer and Twilight Unicorn jumped between them into a ball of light. "Eternal Magic born from the united strength of friends working together," Twilight chanted as the two monsters became transparent before disappearing in an explosion of light that once again blinded everyone in the stadium. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light slowly began to fade, as Twilight's monster was revealed. "Imperial Magician of Twilight!" (A3500/D2800/L10)

Everyone marvelled at the sight of Twilight's new monster. Celestia and Luna where speechless.

Comet was growing nervous. That monster had the same ATK points as his dragon, meaning if she could power it up his would be destroyed.

"I attack!" Twilight yelled as her monster levitated itself into the air and then raised its staff towards the dragon. "Now I'll activate my Magician's effect, which lets me remove any number of Spellbooks from my graveyard." Three Spellbooks appeared infront of Twilight's Magician, which opened and each fired a beam of light which struck Meteor Black Dragon.

"What's happening?" Comet asked.

"For every Spellbook removed from play," Twilight explained, "my Magician of Twilight can suck away five hundred ATK points from your monster and add them to his own."

"WHAT!?" He screamed.

As the magic beams intensified, Meteor Black Dragon began to grow weaker. (A2000/D2000/L8)

Meanwhile the books closed and then flew around Imperial Magician of Twilight and formed a circle, before opening and shooting the beams at him. Unlike before as the beams hit him he felt a rush of power as he gained the strength sapped from the dragon. (A5000/D2800/L10)

"Five thousand ATK points!" Comet yelled.

"Who's the stronger monster now," Twilight said as her Magician's staff began to glow. "It's over! ROYAL BLAST!" The Magician fired a massive burst of magical energy, which rocked the earth as it flew toward Meteor Black Dragon. Finally it struck the monster, vaporising it and sending Comet flying.

Twilight: 200 (Winner)
Comet: 0

Celestia: It's over! Twilight has defeated Comet and will be moving onto the next round.

"SHE DID IT!" Her friends all cheered.

"Did you see that?" Spike asked.

"Yeah I did!" Flash replied, "that was incredible."

"I'm in shock," Chrysalis said, "I didn't think she would pull it back like that."

"I told you," Shining said, "my sister's no push over."

"That Comet boy made a big mistake underestimating her," Cadance said.

As the field began to dissolve, Twilight moved over to where Comet had landed.

"I don't understand," Comet said, "how could I lose to a girl."

"Grow up," Twilight told him, "what do you think this is, the nineteen forties?"

Comet growled up at her.

"If I remember correctly," Twilight said, "you agreed that if I won you'd do anything I want. Well I want you to stop making fun of girls."

Comet frowned.

"I'll leave you to think it over," Twilight said as she turned and left.

Up in the stands, Shadow and Adagio were watching.

"She's not bad," Adagio said, "nothing compared to me of course but still not to bad."

"We'll have to keep an eye on her," Shadow said as he turned to leave. "Let's just focus on collecting the Ener-D, like father told us."

"If you say so," Adagio said, "but we can still have some fun doing it." She looked over at where Twilight's friends were sitting, focusing her gaze on two of the. "Besides," she said, "I've got a score to settle."

Turn 9, Dark Melody

View Online

Day two of the Celestic Cup tournament continues. After Twilight's victory over Comet Tail and his Meteor Black Dragon, the second match had pitted Photo Finish against Upper Crust with Photo being victorious.

Now the third match was on, which had Time Turner face off against Sandalwood in the Action Field Great Forest. Time currently had his Chrono Fighter, which was currently Level nine, while Sandal's field only consisted of a Pendulum Monster named Mandragon in DEF mode.

Time: 900
Sandalwood: 1100

"It's my turn," Time said, "I draw and my Chrono Fighter will now evolve into the Level ten form." His robotic knight glowed and evolved. (A4600/D3700/L10) "Next I'll activate my Stop Defence Spell card, to switch your Mandragon to ATK mode."

Sandalwood gulped as his monster rose up. "Not Righteous."

"Now attack!" Time said as his monster charged forwards and sliced the plant dragon to salad.

Time: 900 (Winner)
Sandalwood: 0

Celestia: And with that, Time Turner moves onto the next round.

Luna: Poor Sandalwood will be going home early today.

"To bad," Fluttershy said, "I liked that Sandalwood."

"Yeah but Time was way to good," Flash said.

"What'd you expect," Rainbow said, "he did beat me after all."

"Another strong Duellist to watch out for," Twilight said.

Celestia: Now it's time to see who'll be Duelling in our next match.

She pressed the button and brought up the images, which all spun around hiding the Duellist. Seconds later they began randomly spinning, with one eventually shooting out and flipping around, revealing the first Duellist.

Luna: Adagio Dazzle!

"Wonder if she's as cowardly a Duellist as her sisters," Rarity said, "whoever she's Duelling needs to be careful."

The second image shot out, revealing Adagio's opponent.

Celestia: Rarity!

Luna: Both Duellists please make there way down to the field.

Everyone looked over at Rarity, concerned.

"I've got this," Rarity said as she got up.

"Good luck Rarity," Sweetie said, "you'll do great."

"Thank you darling," Rarity said before heading down.

Meanwhile Adagio had a big smirk on her face.

"Oh I'm gonna enjoy this," she said as she turned to head down, only to see Shadow standing near one of the stadium corridors.

"Don't underestimate her," he said, "your sisters made that mistake. You remember what happened to them don't you."

Adagio's fists tightened. "Yes, but I won't lose." With that she headed down.

Up in the main box, Cold frowned. So one of his lackeys was about to show him what they were made of.

"Everything okay Cold?" Chrysalis asked him.

"Of course," Cold replied, hiding his concern, "just wondering how this Duel will go."

"My money's on Rarity," Shining said, "her Gem-Knights are powerful."

"But Adagio did place third in the points," Cadance reminded him, "we have to admit its most likely she's a powerful Duellist."

"Only one way to find out," Sunset said, "wait and watch."

Celestia: It's time for the next Duel of the Celestic Cup's first round.

Luna: Let's welcome our two contestants to the field. The singing sensation, Adagio Dazzle!

Adagio stepped onto the stage, strutting towards the centre.

Celestia: And her opponent. The diamond in the rough, Rarity.

Rarity joined Adagio on the field, waving happily to the cheering fans.

"Go get them Rarity!" Spike cheered.

"Win this," Sweetie told her.

"It shouldn't be a problem," Twilight said, "you've seen her style before so you know what to expect."

"I've been looking forward to this," Adagio said once Rarity joined her and the ref. "Time to get you back for humiliating my sisters and me."

"I defeated your sisters," Rarity said, "and now I'll defeat you.

Adagio glared at her, obviously upset at the mention of her sisters.

"Heads or tail?" The ref asked.

"Tails," Adagio said.

The ref nodded and flipped it, getting heads as a result. "Ms Rarity will take the first round."

The two nodded and stepped off to a decent distance away from each other.

Luna: Now let's see which Duel Field they'll be competing on.

She held up the remote and pressed the button, a second later the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two beauties were transported to a large long room made out of many different diamonds. There were also diamond windows and diamond columns.

Celestia: Crystal Corridor!

Luna: A beautiful place to Duel.

Rarity marvelled at the action field, while Adagio just rolled her eyes. "Can we get on with this?"

"Impatient to lose?" Rarity asked as she pulled out her Duel Disk.

"You wish," Adagio replied as she did the same with a yellow disk with an orange blade.

Celestia: It looks like our Duellists are ready.

Luna: Then lets get this Duel on the way.

Celestia: Three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Rarity: 4000
Adagio: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

"I'm first," Rarity said as she went to her deck, "I draw!" She looked at her cards and nodded. "I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Gem-Knight Opal and scale six Gem-Squire." She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a knight in white armour with multicoloured jewels embedded. The second was a shorter Gem-Knight in grey amour with dull stones embedded.

The two monster stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of the jewels in their chest, connecting above her head and form the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and shot out thee beams of light, which struck the ground and took shape. The first two in ATK mode while the last was in DEF.

"Gem-Knight Tourmaline!" (A1600/D1800/L4)

"Gem-Knight Garnet!" (A1900/D0/L4)

"Gem-Knight Sapphire!" (A0/D2100/L4)

"Not bad," Adagio said, "you've obviously been practising since the last time I saw you Duel."

"You haven't seen anything yet," Rarity said, "because now I'm using Gem-Knight Opal's Pendulum Ability, which lets me Fusion Summon a Gem-Knight monster!" The gem in Opal's chest shot out a beam of light, which struck the area above Rarity's knight and creating a vortex that Tourmaline and Garnet were sucked into. "Brilliant warrior in armour of flames and the stone warrior in armour of lightning, come together as one" and portal exploded in light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rarity's monster. "Gem-Knight Topaz." (A1800/D1800/L6)

"I'll end my turn with a face down," Rarity said.

"I'm confused," Fluttershy said, "why'd she summon Topaz? She could of summoned a more powerful Monster with those three."

"Yeah," Spike said, "Ruby, Prismaura or even Master Diamond. Why summon her weakest Fusion Monster?"

"No," Twilight said, "this is a good stratagy. Remember, Adagio's stratagy involves stealing her opponent's best monsters. If Rarity summoned her more powerful cards and they were stolen, she'd have nothing to fight back with."

"We beat her sisters using Super Polymerisation," Pinkie said, "but Rarity knows the odds of drawing that card's slim."

"Pinkie's right," Flash said. He remembered when he Duelled Lyra, who used that stratagy on him, and how hard it'd been to fight back. "Rarity needs to be careful."

"It's my turn," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Alluring Vocalist in ATK mode." In a splash of water a blue tailed mermaid appeared with a microphone headset appeared. (A1000/D1000/L3)

"Why summon a monster that can't even scratch mine?" Rarity wondered.

"Next I play the Spell Grand Ballad," Adagio said as she discarded a card. "By discarding Alluring Melodist, I can increase the ATK of my Vocalist by half its ATK points." The ghostly form of a mermaid with a purple tail appeared besides Vocalist, before the two began singing in harmony. (A1900/D1000/L3) "What's more, when Alluring Melodist is sent from the hand to the grave, I can draw two cards." Adagio did just that, before looking over at Rarity. "ATTACK!" Alluring Vocalist let out a powerful sonic wave from its mouth, flying directly at Topaz. "Plus when Vocalist attacks, she gains a hundred ATK points for every Alluring monster in my graveyard." (A2000/D1000/L3) The sonic wave struck Topaz, destroying it and causing Rarity to be pushed back a few feet.

Rarity: 3800
Adagio: 4000

"I activate my face down," Rarity said as she card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Gem Re-Cutting. Since you destroyed Topaz I can add Gem-Knights to my hand with the combined level of six." She took three cards from her deck and added them to her hand.

Celestia: Both sides are playing a strong game. But this is only the beginning.

Luna: That's true. I wonder which Duellist will pull out the big guns first?

"I'll end my first number with this face down," Adagio said as her monster's ATK points returned to normal.

"She's good," Twilight said, "she's only just getting started and already she's managed to overpower Rarity."

"No doubt trying to force her to summon her more powerful monsters," Flash said.

"This Adagio girl seems to be keeping her best moves close to her chest," Chrysalis said, "while Ms Rarity's got it all on display."

"No doubt hoping to surprise her opponent," Cold said, "we have to assume she has something planned."

"I'm sure Rarity's prepared for whatever her opponent has for her," Cadance said, "she's faced this kind of opponent before."

Shining Armor nodded. "Although for all we know, Adagio has a whole new style of Duelling. She might surprise Rarity."

"We'll have to wait and see," Sunset said.

"It's my turn," Rarity went to her deck, "I draw and activate Gem-Squire's Pendulum Ability. By discarding one card, I can take a Gem-Knight Pendulum Monster and place it in my Extra Deck." Her deck shuffled before slotting out one card, which she took and placed in the Extra Deck holder. "Next, since I sent Gem-Knight Obsidian to the graveyard from my hand, I can summon a Level four Normal Gem-Knight to my field."

In a flash of light, Gem-Knight Garnet appeared. (A1900/D0/L4)

Adagio frowned seeing this.

"Now I'll once again carve the arc of victory," Rarity said as her Pendulum Monsters shot the beams from their jewels and formed the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Gem-Knight Lapis (A1200/D100/L3)

The second was a lime green armoured knight with green jewels. "Gem-Knight Jade!" (A1800/D1100/L4/P4)

"Next I summon Gem-Knight Lazuli in ATK mode." A young female knight with brown armour. (A600/D100/L1) "And now," Rarity said, "I'll use Gem-Knight Opal's Pendulum Ability to fuse her with Gem-Knight Lapis!" Once again her monster unleashed a beam from its gem, creating the vortex which the two were sucked into. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded, unleashing Rarity's new monster. It was a Gem-Knight with white skin and wearing dark blue rope like armouring and a crystal necklace around its neck. "Gem-Knight Lady, Lapis Lazuli!" (A2400/D1000/L5)

"Now I activate Lapis Lazuli's ability," Rarity said as her deck shuffled out a card which she sent to the graveyard. "By sending Gem-Knight Alexandrite from my deck to my graveyard, I can deal you damage equal to the number of Special Summoned monsters times by five hundred."

"Wait," Rainbow said, "how many Special Summoned monsters does Rarity have?"

"Sapphire, Garnet, Jade and Lapis Lazuli herself," Applejack counted, "makes four. Times by five hundred is..."

"Two Thousand points!" Twilight finished.

"That's half Adagio's life points," Sweetie said.

Lapis Lazuli unleashed a brilliant light, which struck Adagio and pushed her back.

Rarity: 3800
Adagio: 2000

Celestia: Ooh, that had to hurt.

Luna: Adagio went down in a big way there.

"And that was only her ability," Rarity said, "wait until she attacks."

"Well you'll have to wait until after my Trap activates," Adagio said as her face down flipped up. "Painful Harmony, now an Alluring Monster's ATK will increase by half the damage I just took." The Trap released a horrible sound, causing everyone to flinch and cover their ears as Alluring Vocalist glowed. (A2000/D1000/L3)

"That doesn't matter," Rarity said, "because my Lady Lapis Lazuli can still take it down!" The Fusion Monster charged at the mermaid, ready to attack.

However, Adagio leaped into action. She rushed over to a load of crystal stairs, running up them and grabbing an Action Card from the top.

"I activate the Action Spell Miracle," she said as she placed the card in her Duel Disk. "Now I can save my monster and cut the damage I take in half."

The Gem-Knight struck the Alluring Vocalist, but the mermaid survived.

Rarity: 3800
Adagio: 1800

Celestia: Despite taking such large amounts of damage, Adagio managed to keep herself in the game.

Luna: And now Rarity doesn't have any monsters strong enough to destroy Alluring Vocalist.

"I end my turn," Rarity said.

"Aw man," Sweetie moaned, "Rarity almost had her then."

"But she's still ahead in life points," Spike said, "and if she can keep those monsters on the field, she can use Lapis Lazuli's ability next turn."

"But Adagio know's that and obviously she's gonna try and stop her," Twilight said.

"And I think I've got an idea how," Flash said.

It's my turn," Adagio said as she came back down the stairs and drew her card, "I draw." She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled an evil smile. "I activate the Continuous Spell card Unified Stage!" A giant stage appeared behind the Dazzlings, with spot lights and curtains and anything else you'd find on one. "You remember this card don't you," she said, "It allows me to summon a high Level monster by banishing the tributes from my field or deck."

Rarity knew that card all too well. Aria had used it in a combo to get her best monster out.

"Now I'll banish my Alluring Vocalist along with Alluring Diva," Adagio said as she took a card out of her deck, "to summon my most powerful monster!" In a flash of light a new monster appeared, looking like the cross between a horse and a sea horse. It was yellow in colour with the front half looking like a horse, with with only difference being instead of hair it had a webbed dorsal fin like appendage. It's bottom half however was more like a sea horse with a fish like tail. "You remember this card, Alluring Siren!" (A0/D0/L7)

Everyone in the stands stared at the monster.

"So that's it," Twilight said, "the card that gave you so much trouble last time."

"Yeah," Pinkie said, "it wasn't fun."

"But Rarity's faced it before," Flash said, "let's hope she's prepared."

"Now I'll ditch my Level seven Alluring Songstress," Adagio said, "to activate my Siren's ability." The horse creature opened its mouth and let out a loud, beautiful sound. The music spread across the field and was heard by Lapis Lazuli, causing her to go limp. "Now your monster is under my control," Adagio said as Lapis Lazuli slowly drifted over to her side of the field.

"Not again," Rarity said as she saw her monster leave her.

"And with that," Adagio continued once Lapis Lazuli was on her side, "my Alluring Siren's ATK and DEF points increase by that of your monsters." (A2400/D1000/L7)

Luna: That can't be legal.

Celestia: I'm afraid it is. The only upside is Adagio can't use Rarity's monster to attack.

"But my Siren can!" Adagio screamed as her monster unleashed a high powered sound wave which swept over the field. The attack struck Gem-Knight Garnet, who forged a shield of fire which he used to defend against the attack. Eventually however the sonic blast managed to push through and struck Garnet, causing him to go flying before he was destroyed.

Rarity: 3300
Adagio: 1800

"That monster's dangerous," Thorax said, "how'd you beat something that can take control of your best monsters?"

"If I'm right," Cold said, "the trick is to get rid of the monster its controlling, then summon something to destroy the Siren."

"Hopefully Rarity can do that," Cadance said.

Chrysalis just frowned. "We'll see."

"I end my turn," Adagio said.

"It's my turn," Rarity said as she went to her deck, "I draw." Rarity looked at her card but it was no use against Adagio. "I'll switch Gem-Knight Jade to DEF mode and end my turn."

"My draw," Adagio said as she to drew her card. Looking at it she smiled and said, "this'll come in handy later." She added it to her hand and looked over at Rarity and her monsters, "but for now I'll have my Siren attack Gem Knight Sapphire!" Once again the fish monster unleashed its sonic attack, which struck Rarity's knight and caused it to crumble to dust.

"I'll end my turn there," Adagio said.

"My turn," Rarity said, "I draw!" She looked at her card and smiled, seeing just what she needed. "Thanks to Gem-Knight Jade's effect, when I sacrifice him to summon a Gem-Knight, he can count as two monsters. So now I'll tribute him, in order to summon Gem-Knight Crystal!" He Pendulum Monster disappeared and was replaced by a large more powerful knight. (A2450/D1950/L7) "Next I'll carve the arc of victory, to Pendulum Summon Jade back."

The portal formed, before opening and unleashing a stream of light which struck the ground and took the form of Gem-Knight Jade. (A1800/D1100/L4/P4)

"Gem-Knight Crystal, attack Lady Lapis Lazuli!" Rarity ordered as her monster charged forward and was about to strike.

Adagio looked around and saw an Action Card nearby, which see leaped at and grabbed. "I activate Evasion, which will allow my monster to dodge your attack." Just as Crystal threw a punch, Lapis Lazuli ducked and the fist flew overhead.

Luna: To bad. Rarity almost had it there.

"I end my turn," Rarity said begrudgingly.

"It's my turn," Adagio said as she drew her card and smiled. "I activate the Equipped Spell Heavy Burden, which I'll equip to your Gem-Knight Crystal."

"You're equipping it to my monster?" Rarity asked, "why?"

Adagio smiled as a large pole with two heavy looking weights on either end appeared, before falling towards Crystal who caught it but looked like it was struggling. (A1950/D1950/L7)

"What's happening?" Rarity asked in shock.

"Heavy Burden is an Equipped Spell which weakens a monster by five hundred points," Adagio explained. "Now your Gem-Knights weaker then Lapis Lazuli. Now I'll attack Gem-Knight Jade with Alluring Siren!" The fish horse creature once again unleashed its sonic attack, which flew at Jade and struck destroying it.

Rarity: 2700
Adagio: 1800

Rarity felt herself be pushed back as it hit and lose her balance, falling back and rolling away.

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Adagio said.

As Rarity picked herself up, she looked over at Adagio and knew she needed to finish her this turn.

"Go on," Adagio said with a condescending smirk, "make your move. It won't save you."

"We'll see about that," Rarity said as she went to her said. "I DRAW!" She looked at the card and smiled seeing it, a plan forming in her head. "I activate the Spell card De-Fusion!" She screamed as she placed the card in her Duel Disk.

Adagio's eyes went wide seeing this.

"Now I can separate Gem-Knight Lady Lapis Lazuli," Rarity explained, "and summon the monsters I used to summon her." Lapis Lazuli glowed, before she split into two lights, which flew over to Rarity's field and became Gem-Knight Lapis and Gem-Knight Lazuli. (A1200/D100/L3), (A600/D100/L1) "And without Lapis Lazuli, your Siren loses a few points."

Alluring Siren let out a weak sound as its power dropped down. (A0/D0/L7)

"Now I'll use Gem-Knight Opal's Pendulum Ability," Rarity continued as her monster unleashed the beam of light, which opened the portal that her three monsters were sucked into. "I fuse Gem-Knight Lapis, Lazuli and Crystal," she said as the vortex exploded, "to FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rarity's monster. "Gem-Knight Lady, Brilliant Diamond!" (A3400/D2000/L10)

Adagio was horrified to see one of the monsters that beat her sisters.

Celestia: Incredible! With one card Rarity was able to turn the tide of the battle in her favour!

Luna: Can Adagio find a way out of this?

"Let's end this," Rarity said, "ATTACK!"

Her monster raised its sword and charged at Alluring Siren.

"If this attack hits she'll win," Pinkie said.

"Go Rarity!" Sweetie cheered.

As Adagio saw Rarity's monster draw closer, she looked down at her face down and groaned. "No choice," she said.

Brilliant Diamond struck Alluring Siren and caused an explosion, which covered the whole Action Field.

Celestia: Is that it? Is it over?

Slowly the smoke began to clear and it finally did, it showed Adagio and her monster unharmed by the attack. Alluring Siren was now trapped within some kind of green dome.

Rarity: 2700
Adagio: 1800

"What happened?" Rarity asked, "how'd you survive?"

"My Sound Barrier Trap card," Adagio explained, "it can equip to an Alluring monster and prevent it from being destroyed by battle and cancelling out any damage I would take."

"So it's basically indestructible?" Rarity asked.

"Yes," Adagio replied, "but the down side is my Siren can't activate its abilities while inside."

"So she can't take control of Rarity's monster," Flash realised.

"Meaning she can't attack," Applejack finished.

"Why save her monster when it can't use its abilities?" Spike asked.

"We'll have to see what she has planned," Twilight said.

"You may have saved yourself," Rarity said, "but with your monster's abilities locked away, there's no way you can beat me."

"Is that so?" Adagio asked her.

"It is," Rarity said, "face it. I beat your sisters and now I'm going to beat you!"

Adagio's fists tightened hearing the mention of her sisters. "I know you beat them," She growled, "that's why I'm going to beat you." In that moment horrid images flashed before her eyes, showing her the faces of her sisters who were showing horrified looks. "I can't lose," Adagio said, "I have to win for them. It's their only hope." She went to her deck and drew her card, seeing it her eyes went wide. This was it, her only hope. "First," she took the one other card in her hand and placed it in her Duel Disk, "I activate Monster Reborn. With this I can revive a monster in either of our graveyards, so I'll revive your Gem-Knight Lazuli." In a flash of light Rarity's monster appeared on her side of the field. (A600/D100/L1)

Rarity was confused. Why would she summon her monster.

"And now," Adagio said as she took the card she'd just drawn and held it high, "I activate the Dark Melody Ritual Spell!" From out of nowhere, a tornado of black water engulfed her two monsters. "I can only activate this card whilst I have Alluring Siren on my field or in my graveyard," she explained, "now by sacrificing a total of eights star monsters, I can now summon my most powerful monster!"

Everyone's eyes went wide as the tornado of water grew large.

"What's she summoning?" Sweetie asked in literal fear

"I don't know," Twilight said.

The jewel around Adagio's neck began glow, as her eyes did the same. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The tornado exploded revealing her new monster. It looked like Alluring Siren, but it's body was made out of black sludge with bright red eyes. "DARK SIREN!" (A1000/D1000/L8)

Rarity looked up at the horrible monster in disgust, but also feared what powers it might posses.

"And now," Adagio said darkly, "I activate Dark Siren's Special Ability." The sludge monster unleashed a load of black tendrils from its stomach, which struck Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond and wrapped around her arms and legs.

"What are you doing!?" Rarity screamed, before she saw the tendrils begin to retract and pull her monster towards Dark Siren.

"Unlike Alluring Siren who controls monsters," Adagio explained, "Dark Siren absorbs them into itself and then becomes them." Brilliant Diamond struggled, but couldn't break free and was soon pulled into Dark Siren's stomach and began to sink into the sludge. Eventually Rarity's monster was completely absorbed into Dark Siren, who then transformed into a ball of sludge. Seconds later the sludge reshaped until it was now the spitting image of Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond. "And now Dark Siren's ATK and DEF points increase by that of the absorbed monster's." (A4400/D3000/L8)

"No!" Rarity whispered.

"This is for my sisters," Adagio said, "ATTACK!" Her monster charged at Rarity, brandishing the sludge rapier which with swung down towards the ground. The weapon struck the ground and unleashed a torrent of water, which flew at Rarity and then spiralled around her into a tornado of sludge.

"AAAAARRRRR!" Rarity screamed as she was barraged by the force of the attack. This wasn't some simple hologram, she could actually feel the attack. This was real!

Rarity: 0
Adagio: 1800 (Winner)

"RARITY!" Her friends all screamed as they watched her be attacked.

Then when the field disappeared and the attack finally ended, Rarity went limp and fell towards the ground and smashed into it with a loud thud.

Everyone went silent seeing this. Even the Celestic Sisters were quite.

Adagio slowly walked over to Rarity, who weakly tried to pick herself up and look up at her.

"There's nothing better then revenge," Adagio said, "don't worry, you'll heal...maybe." With that she turned and left the Duel Field, while Rarity tried to get up but lost the last of her strength and collapse.

The last thing she remembered before losing consciousness, was seeing her friends running towards her and screaming her name.

Turn 10, More Then Meets the Eye

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"Do you think she'll be alright?"

"I don't know."

"That was some hit she took."

"Hey, a'h think she's coming round."

Rarity's head was pounding as she awoke. Tearing her eyelids open she saw the blurry forms of others looking down at her. She soon realised she was laying in a bed, not her own bed, a hospital bed. Finally she blinked the haziness from her eyes and saw the people above her were her friends.

"Rarity!" Sweetie said as she threw her arms around her sister and hugged her, "you're finally awake."

"Sweetie?" Rarity weakly replied, "what happened? Where am I?"

"In one of the arena's medical bays," Twilight told her, "the Freeze Industries first aid team rushed you here after your Duel."

"That's right," Rarity said, "I remember now."

"AAAAARRRRR!" Rarity screamed as she was barraged by the force of the attack.

"I lost," she said.

"We're just glad you're alright," Fluttershy told her.

"We were really worried," Pinkie told her.

"I'm fine," Rarity assured them.

"Rarity," Flash stepped forwards, "what happened back there?"

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "a Duel shouldn't injure you like this."

Rarity sat back, remembering how the end of the Duel turned out. "That monster, Dark Siren, it was different from the monsters I've faced before. It wasn't just some hologram, I could actually feel it attacking me."

"But how's that possible?" Spike asked.

"Could the ARC System have glitched?" Applejack asked Twilight, who shrugged in response.

"It wasn't the system."

Everyone looked over at the door, where Sunset was standing, before stepping into the room.

"Sunset," Twilight said, "what are you doing here?"

"Came to see if Rarity was alright," Sunset replied as she reached them, "and to ask her what happened back there."

"Well that's all I know," Rarity told her.

"I see," Sunset replied.

"You know something don't you?" Flash asked her, "you know what happened."

Sunset frowned at this. "Not everything," she said, "just a few things. Right before Adagio summoned that monster, our systems detected a huge spike in her Ener-D levels."

"Ener-D?" Twilight asked.

"It's an unusual energy that all Duellist generate when they Duel," Sunset explained, "Freeze Industries has been experimenting with what that energy can be used for. Every Duellists Ener-D level is different, but when Adagio summoned that monster her levels skyrocketed."

Flash frowned hearing this, before realising something. "Does this have anything to do with...Sombra."

Everyone froze at that name, remembering the story Cold Steel had told them on the last day of the first round.

"We believe so," Sunset said, "We believe Adagio and her sisters all hacked into the database and added themselves into the tournament contestants."

"So they are working for Sombra," Flash said, "and so's Shadow."

Sunset just nodded at this.

"Well if that's the case," Rainbow said, "why doesn't Cold just grab them and make them tell him where Sombra's hiding."

"Too risky," Sunset said, "even if we did manage to get them, by the time they're finally willing to talk Sombra could be long gone. Cold's plan is to have them be defeated, then move in. Losing here would most likely seriously ruin their plan, so they'll be more willing to help if they're worried about incurring Sombra's wrath."

"I guess that makes sense," Twilight said, "but the question is, can they be beaten?"

Rainbow just smiled. "Leave that to me. I'll take them both."

"Don't underestimate them," Sunset told her, "Sombra wouldn't have sent them if they didn't have serious skill."

"We'll just have to be careful," Twilight said.

Sunset nodded before turning to leave. "I've gotta get going, get well soon Rarity."

"Er thank you," Rarity replied as they watched her leave.

"Man," Rainbow said, "she's changed."

"I think the whole being mean thing was an act," Twilight said, "she was being a jerk to make sure we'd want to Duel her."

"Well it worked," Flash said.

Everyone nodded, until Rarity realised something. "Wait a minute, what about the tournament?"

"It's still going on," Sweetie told her sister.

Spike grabbed a remote off the bedside table and switched on the TV hanging on the wall.

The image was of a Duel between a boy named Micro Chips and a girl named Jupiter Montage.

Celestia: We continue day two of the Celestic Cup finals with Duel six, where young Micro Chips faces off against Jupiter Montage.

The Duel went of for a few more minutes, until finally it came to an end.

Luna: And with that, Micro Chips will be moving on. Jupiter Montage has been eliminated.

"Well that's that," Flash said.

"Only two more Duels left," Applejack said before turning to Rainbow, "and you'll be in one of them."

"I know," Rainbow said, "but the question is, who's my opponent?"

A few moments later the Celestic Sisters came on stage.

Celestia: It's time for the second to last Duel of the day, so don't go anywhere.

Luna: Let's see who'll be next up to bat, shall we?

She held up the remote and pressed the button, which caused the images of the four remaining Duellists to appear and then spin around hiding them. The images began to spin around before finally shooting one of them out, which span around.

Celestia: Rainbow Dash!

"Finally," Rainbow said, "a chance to strut my stuff."

"But who are you Duelling?" Twilight asked.

She got her answer when the second image shot out, revealing her opponent.

Luna: Shadow! May both Duellists please head to the Duel field.

"Looks like Shadow's getting knocked out of the contest sooner then he'd hoped," Rainbow said with a smirk.

"Go get them Rainbow," Scootaloo cheered, "he doesn't stand a chance against you."

"You know it," Rainbow replied as she ruffled the younger girl's head.

"Just be careful," Twilight said, "we have no idea what he could be hiding."

"Relax egghead," Rainbow told her, "whatever it is, I've got it covered."

"Well you'd better get down to the field," Applejack said, "don't wanna be disqualified for being late."

"Right," Rainbow said before turning to Rarity. "Get well soon Rare."

Rarity just smiled. "Go get them."

Rainbow nodded before turning to leave, followed by the others and leaving Rarity and Sweetie Belle alone.

Cold was in the VIP room, glaring down at the arena. The Duel with Adagio had proven that they were a threat, but just how much of one was yet to be seen.

"Cold," he turned to Shining, "this Shadow guy's been seen hanging with Adagio and if she did that to Rarity, how much danger is Rainbow in?"

"I don't know," he replied, "all we can do is wait and see. We can't form a plan against him without seeing his skills, so as bad as it may seem, this is for the best."

"It better be," Shining said.

Celestia: It's time for the next Duel, let's welcome our competitors to the field.

Luna: First up is the Duellist who earned the most points of all the finalists. The mysterious Shadow!

The cloaked Duellist stepped onto the field, simply looking straight ahead.

Celestia: And his opponent, the hotblooded Xyz Duellist. Rainbow Dash!

Rainbow stepped onto the field, waving up at the crowd as they cheered her on.

"GO RAINBOW!" Scootaloo cheered at the top of her voice.

She and the others were in the stands, cheering her on to her victory.

Rainbow and Shadow met in the centre of the arena, where the ref was waiting.

"Heads or tails?" He asked.

"I'll take heads," Rainbow said.

"Then tails for me," Shadow replied.

The ref flipped and saw the outcome. "Heads," he said, "Rainbow Dash will take the first move."

The two nodded and stepped back to a fair distance.

Luna: Now let's see which Duel Field they'll be competing on today.

She held up the remote and pressed the button, a second later the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Rainbow and Shadow were transported to a city. This city however was made out of clouds, the streets, the roads and even the buildings were made of clouds.

Celestia: Cloud City!

Luna: It's a Duel in the skies.

"This is perfect for me," Rainbow said before turning to Shadow. "Time for some pay back for Rarity."

"I had nothing to do with your friends injuries," Shadow told her as he pulled out a black Duel Disk and placed in on his arm as it formed a red blade. "All I care about is getting to the finals."

"Well you're not getting there," Rainbow replied as she linked her own Duel Disk to her arm, "You're going down right here."

Celestia: It looks like our Duellists are ready.

Luna: Then lets get this Duel on the way.

Celestia: Three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Rainbow: 4000
Shadow: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

"I'm up first," Rainbow said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and summon the Pendulum Monster Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel in ATK mode." From out of the clouds a winged knight appeared wearing red armour designed around Red Kestrel, with a helmet in the shape of a bird's head covering everything but its mouth. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "Next I activate the Spell card Hatchling's Flight, which lets me take a Level three or bellow Winged Beast and summon it to the field." He deck slotted out a card which she took and placed on her Duel Disk. "Go Rainbow Wing Knight Hawk!" Another winged knight appeared from the clouds, wearing armour designed around Green Hawk. (A1400/D800/L3/P6) "I end my turn with a face down."

Celestia: Rainbow started out strong, summoning multiple monsters to her field.

Luna: How will Shadow respond?

"It's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw." He looked at his cards and nodded. "I summon Shadow-Mech Racer in ATK mode." In a flash of dark light a red formula one car appeared, which suddenly began to reshape itself into a five meter high robot. (A1500/D1200/L4)

Flash frowned at this. "I get the feeling that robot's more then meets the eye."

"Gotta wonder what powers it has," Twilight said.

"Next I'll equip my Shadow-Mech with Cyber Sabre, which increase its ATK strength by one thousand." A large robotic sword appeared in the robot's hand, before the blade glowed bright red. (A2500/D1200/L4) "Attack Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel!"

The robot swung its blade at Rainbow's Pendulum Monster, but just as it was about to strike a tornado appeared and surrounded Wing Knight Kestrel blocking the attack.

Rainbow: 3500
Shadow: 4000

"Sorry pal," Rainbow said, "but my Tornado Guard makes it so that one Wind Monster can't be destroyed this turn and the damage I take is halved."

Shadow didn't seem phased by this. "I end my turn with a face down." The tornado disappeared.

"It's my turn," Rainbow said as she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Rainbow Wing Purple Condor to the field." Purple Condor shot out the clouds, joining the rest of Rainbow's monsters. (A1800/D100/L3) "Plus his special ability inflicts six hundred points of damage to you." He monster flapped its wings and unleashed a gust which struck Shadow

Rainbow: 3500
Shadow: 3400

"And now I'll use Rainbow Wing Green Hawk's effect," Rainbow continued, "since I have a Rainbow Wing on my field, I can summon him to the field as well." From out of the clouds came her fourth monster, which joined the others. (A1400/D800/L3)

"That makes three Level three monsters," Fluttershy said.

The others nodded, knowing what that meant.

"And now," Rainbow said as her monsters glowed, "I Overlay my Rainbow Wing Knight Hawk, Purple Condor and Green Hawk, to build th Overlay Network." Her monster changed into lights, which flew up and entered a black hole. "It's time to fly as one in a victory formation, to defeat our enemies." The black hole exploded, revealing a new monster. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded and revealed Rainbow's Monster. "Rainbow Assault Wing Silver!" (A2100/D2000/R3)

"That won't save you," Shadow said.

"Won't it?" Rainbow said cockily, "I activate Assault Wing Silver's ability. Since your monster's ATK points are higher then their original, I can remove an Overlay Unit and reduce it's ATK by half it's original." Assault Wing Silver slashed through one of its Overlay Units and created a gust that cut Shadow-Mech Racer's ATK down. (A1750/D1200/L4) "Now attack!" Rainbow ordered as her monster leaped forward and slashed through the robot, destroying it.

Rainbow: 3500
Shadow: 3050

"When a monster equipped with Cyber Sabre is destroyed," Shadow said, "I can add a Machine Type Monster from my Deck to my hand."

"Well now my Rainbow Wing Knight will attack you directly," Rainbow said as she knight spread its wings and skydived at Shadow.

Shadow however leaped into action, running over to a nearby cloud made lamppost and jumping up to grab an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell Blow Away!" He said as he place the card in the Duel Disk. In that moment a powerful gust of wind appeared and caused Rainbow's Wing Knight to be stopped in midair, being pushed back by the force of the wind. "Blow Away allows me to negates a direct attack," Shadow explained "I guess your bird's not that strong a flyer."

"Not bad," Rainbow said, "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"I'm not seeing anything suspicious about this guy," Spike said, "his skills don't seem that impressive."

"Yeah," Scootaloo said, "they seem pretty standard."

"That might be what he wants you to think," Twilight said, "to make Rainbow underestimate him."

"We can't be sure," Flash said, "we'll just have to keep watching."

"It's my turn," Shadow said as he went to his deck, "I draw and first I'll activate my face down." His card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Shadow-Mechanic. With this I can repair one of my destroyed Shadow-Mechs and summon it back to the field." In another flash of dark light, Shadow-Mech Racer reappeared. "Since it was Special Summoned Racer's Special Ability activates," Shadow explained, "I can now add one Shadow-Mech Monster from my deck to my hand." His deck shuffled before slotting out a card. "That's not all," he continued, "because I'm trading him in for something stronger. Shadow-Mech Hoist!"

Racer was engulfed by another flash of dark light and from out of it, a orange crane truck which transformed into an eight meter high robot with the crane hanging over its right shoulder. (A2400/D1800/L6) "Plus Hoist's ability lets me summon a Level four or below Shadow-Mech from my graveyard to the field." The monsters hook lowered into the ground and then retracted, pulling Racer out of the clouds. (A1500/D1200/L4)

Rainbow frowned at this, admittedly impressed by the combo.

"Now," Shadow said, "Hoist attacks Assault Wing Silver." The robot threw its hook at the Xyz monster and wrapped it up, before pulling on the cable and throwing Assault Wing Silver all over the place and then smashing it into a nearby cloud building, destroying it.

Rainbow: 3100
Shadow: 3050

"Now Shadow-Mech Racer attacks Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel!" The robot transformed back into its vehicle mode and raced at Rainbow's last monster, slamming into it and destroying them both. "I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Rainbow said as she went to her deck, "I draw." She looked at the card she'd drawn and smirked. "Perfect," she said as she took it and another card from her hand. "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale with scale two Rainbow Wing Knight Condor and scale eight Rainbow Wing Knight Owl" She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. They were both Rainbow Wing Knights, the first with purple armour based on Purple Condor and the second was a female knight in pink armour based on Pink Owl.

The two monster stopped flying up as they reached ten feet in the air, before numbers appeared below them. They then looked up as a beam of light shot out of the bird eye designs on their helmets, connecting above her head and form the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Rainbow Wing Knight Hawk!" (A1400/D800/L3/P6)

"Since he was Special Summoned," Rainbow said, "I can activate Wing Knight Kestrel's Special Ability which lets me add Rainbow Wing Red Kestrel from my deck to my hand." He deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which Rainbow took. "Now I'll summon it to the field," Rainbow said as the red bird of prey burst through the clouds and joined her other monsters on the field. (A1500/D1200/L4)

Shadow growled seeing this.

Celestia: Incredible. Talk about birds of a feather flocking together.

Luna: Shadow may find getting passed that army to be tricky.

"And now," Rainbow said as her two kestrel monsters glowed and changed into lights, before shooting into the air, "with these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." The black hole appeared below her which the lights flew into. "When birds of a feather flock together an awesome power is unleashed." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's ace. "Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" (A2300/D1700/R4)

Rainbow's friends cheered happily seeing her pull out her best.

"That's what I'm talking about," Scootaloo cheered, "no way he can beat Assault Wing Gold."

"I have to agree," Flash said, "go get them Rainbow."

"But don't get to confident," Twilight called out.

"Since a Winged Beast is on my field alongside Assault Wing Gold," Rainbow said, "he gets an extra five hundred points." (A2800/D1700/R4) "Next I'll use his special ability to remove an Overlay Unit and move another Winged Beast from my deck to my hand." The bird man pulled out his katanna and slashed through of of the light surrounding him, as Rainbow's deck slotted out a card. "Now I'll attack!"

Assault Wing Gold flew at Shadow-Mech Hoist and drew katanna, which it used to slash through the robot, destroying it.

Rainbow: 3100
Shadow: 2650

"I end my turn," Rainbow said.

"It's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw and now it's time for me to set the Pendulum Scale."

Hearing this Cold frowned. Shadow and Adagio had both declined their Pendulum cards, so how had he gotten them?

"I set scale nine Shadow-Mech Scooter and scale three Shadow-Mech Hauler," Shadow said as he placed the cards on his Duel Disk. On either side of him, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a small orange robot with what looked like the front of an electric scooter on its right arm, while the other was a large silver robot that looked like it would transform into a truck.

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground.

The light faded revealing a massive machine, that looked like a flying battleship. Suddenly it began to transform until it took the form of a fifteen meter high robot with large guns on both its shoulders and an even larger catapult on its right arm. "Shadow-Mech Fortress!" (A3500/D2000/L8)

Everyone was in awe at the colossal machine, while Shadow jumped onto the roof of a building and up onto his monsters shoulder.

"Next I'll activate the Spell card Monster Reborn," he said, "to revive Shadow-Mech Hoist to my field." In a flash of light, the crane robot reappeared on the field. "Now I activate Fortress's ability," Shadow went on, "first I sacrifice Shadow-Mech Hoist."

Fortress reached down and picked up Hoist, who'd transformed into its vehicle form, before placing it on its catapult.

"Now I can destroy every monster on your side of the field whose origanal ATK is less then Hoists, while dealing you eight hundred points of damage for each one." Fortress fired its catapult, which launched Hoist towards Rainbow's field. Hoist transformed into an orange ball of light, which split in two and struck both Rainbow's monsters and destroyed them while causing an explosion which sent Rainbow flying back.

Rainbow: 1500
Shadow: 2650

Rainbow came to a rolling stop, several feet down the street, but began to pick herself and looked up at Shadow.

"I end my turn," he said.

Celestia: Such a powerful monster. Can Rainbow Dash find a way to destroy it?

"Of course I can," Rainbow said once she was on her feet, "I ain't losing. I'm gonna win this tournament or die trying."

"You tell them Rainbow!" Scootaloo cheered.

"You can still win this," Twilight told her.

"BEAT HIM RAINBOW DASH!" Fluttershy screamed, shocking everybody.

"If Fluttershy's screaming at me to do it," Rainbow said, "I'd better. It's my turn, I draw!" She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled. "I activate my own Monster Reborn," she said, "and with it I'll revive my Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" Her ace shot out of the clouds, facing down the giant Shadow-Mech. "Now I'll activate my Rainbow Wing Knight Owl's Pendulum Ability, which will let me add a certain Spell card from my deck to me hand by discarding a card." She did so and her deck slotted out the exact card she needed.

"What are you planning?" Shadow asked.

"Let me show you," Rainbow said, "I activate the Spell card Rank-Up-Magic, Rainbow Force!" Assault Wing Gold transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "With this I can take a Rainbow Assault Wing and use it to rebuild the Overlay Network," Rainbow explained. "Let the rainbow shine its brilliant light upon you, as you take flight to a new future," she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's most powerful monster. "Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum!" (A2800/D2200/R5)

"Neat trick," Shadow said, "but your monster's still no match for mine."

"Don't be so sure," Rainbow said, "because I'm activating Assault Wing Platinum's ability. By removing an Overlay Unit I can reduce your monsters ATK points by seven hundred, for every Rainbow Wing or Rainbow Assault Wing in my graveyard." The new Xyz monster crushed its single Overlay Unit in both hands, before extending his wings. They shone a brilliant light which spread and began to take the form of the monsters in Rainbow's graveyard.

Red Kestrel, Green Hawk, Yellow Eagle and Assault Wing Silver flew around the Xyz monster as astral projections, before flying towards the giant robot and striking it. With each strike it became weaker and weaker, until the four strike weakened it to its new number. (A700/D2000/L8)

Shadow growled at this.

"Attack!" Rainbow ordered as her monster flew up and the charged toward Shadow's, bringing its hands together and spinning around till it was like a rainbow coloured drill. The spinning monster struck Shadow-Mech Fortress, causing it to spark and short out as it was destroyed while Platinum cut through it.

The force of the attack was so great, that Shadow was sent flying off his monster.

Rainbow: 1500
Shadow: 550

"Oh yeah," Rainbow cheered.

"Nice one!" Scootaloo said, "now that's how you use an Xyz Monster."

"Bet Shadow wasn't expecting that," Flash said.

"Hey!" Spike said as he looked up and then pointing. "What's that?"

They all looked up and saw something flying above the area where Fortress had been. Looking closer they realised it was a black cloak, being blown by the up draft of Rainbow's attack.

"That's," Twilight realised before looking back down at the arena. The others followed their gaze and saw that Shadow was now without his cloak, visible for all to see.

The last of the smoke cleared and everyone saw Shadow's face, before they all gasped.

"Are you guys seeing what I'm seeing?" Spike asked.

"I see it," Scootaloo said, "but I don't believe it."

"That can't be," Twilight said in horror.

Flash couldn't believe what he was seeing, as he finally saw who Shadow really was. Shadow was...him, he looked exactly like him. His skin was orange, if slightly darker, while his hair was jet back with streaks of red here and there. His eyes were a dark red and he was wearing black leather clothing [AN].

"No way," Flash said as he continued to stare.

Rainbow was also in shock as she saw who her opponent was.

Shadow managed to pick himself up and dusted himself off. "So now you know," he said.

"How?" Rainbow asked.

"I'll leave that for you to wonder," Shadow said, "now I'll assume you're done." When Rainbow didn't reply he just reached for his deck. "My turn, I draw." He looked at the card and nodded. "Once again I'll use my Pendulum Scale to carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and shot out a single light, which took the form of a pink ambulance which transformed into a robot. "Shadow-Mech Medibot!" (A1600/D1400/L4) "With Medibot's ability, since it was Special Summoned I can revive a Level four or below Shadow-Mech to my field." In a flash of dark light, Shadow-Mech Racer appeared on the field. (A1500/D1200/L4)

"Next," Shadow said, "I pay half my life points to activate Shadow-Mech Hauler's Pendulum Ability."

Rainbow: 1500
Shadow: 275

"Now the Level of every Shadow-Mech will double until the End Phase," Shadow explained. (A1500/D1200/L8), (A1600/D1400/L8)

"Two Level eights," Rainbow said realised what he was about to do.

"And now," Shadow said, "I overlay Shadow-Mechs Racer and Medibot!" His monsters glowed and changed into lights, before shooting into the air, as a black hole appeared below him which the lights flew into. "With these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing a large jet black ship that looked extraterrestrial. Suddenly it began to transformed, until it was in the shape of a ten meter high robot. "Shadow-Mech Xyz Bot!" (A3000/D1500/R8)

Rainbow looked up at the monster in amazement.

"It's time to end this," Shadow said.

"End this?" Rainbow replied, "newsflash, even if you destroy my monster I'll only lose two hundred life points. I'll still have way more then you do."

"That's were you're wrong," Shadow said, "you see when Xyz Bot attacks an Xyz Monster, that monster's ATK and DEF points are reduced to zero."

"WAIT WHAT!?" Rainbow screamed as she saw the Shadow-Mech fire a laser from its eyes, which struck her monster and caused in to flinch in pain. (A0/D0/R5) "No," she whispered.

"ATTACK!" Shadow screamed, as his monster flew up and then took aim at Assault Wing Platinum. From of its chest a long lance like laser blaster folded out and began charging up, as black energy surged around.

Rainbow looked around, trying to find an Action Spell to save her monster and as the weapon fired a black bolt of energy, she spotted one. Breaking into a run she tried to reach it before the blast destroyed her monster, but when she was barely a inch away from it...the blast struck.

BOOOM!

An explosion rocked the stadium, causing everyone to duck and cover for fear of being blown away.

"RAINBOW!" Her friends screamed, as they tried to look through the smoke and see if their fiend was okay.

Finally the smoke cleared and everyone looked down, only to all gasped at what they saw.

Rainbow was laying on the floor of the Duel Field, her cloths torn and a look of pain on her face.

Rainbow: 0
Shadow: 275 (Winner)

Everyone was silent, seeing a repeat of the ending of Rarity's Duel.

"Rainbow," Scootaloo whispered.

Down in the arena, as the Duel Field faded, Shadow looked over at his fallen opponent and just smiled. He then moved over to where his cape had fallen and picked it up, before throwing it back on but leaving the hood down. He then turned to leave the field, but just as he was at the exit he looked over his shoulder at where Flash was standing.

The two looked eyes staring at one another. While one stared in determination, the other stared in horror and confusion.

Eventually Shadow turned away and headed out of the arena, leaving everyone to wonder what the heck had just happened.

Turn 11, The On Coming Storm

View Online

Rainbow Dash was running, faster then she'd ever run before. Around her there was nothing but darkness, with more darkness up ahead of her. She was scared.

As Rainbow continued to run, she glanced back at what was chasing her.

Shadow-Mech Xyz Bot, zooming up from behind her, looking like it wanted to destroy her.

"Get away!" She yelled as she continued to run.

Rainbow was running so fast she didn't notice whatever it was she tripped over, causing her to fall face first into the shadowy ground. Sitting up, Rainbow looked around and saw Xyz Bot hovering over her before it transformed into its robot form.

Rainbow shook as she looked up at the robot, but as she tried to shuffle backwards she felt her back hit something. Looking around her fear all but vanished, as she saw Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum standing above her.

Her Xyz monster looked down at her and smiled, before spreading his wings and shooting towards the other Xyz monster. "Go get them!" Rainbow cheered.

The bird man flew straight at Xyz Bot, but as he drew closer he was suddenly caught in the robots large hands.

"NO!" Rainbow yelled seeing her monster in peril.

Platinum struggled against the monsters grasp, but nothing he did would cause it to release him.

In that moment the robot's chest opened and out folded its laser cannon, which began charging before it fired a bolt of black energy. As the bolt grew closer, Xyz Bot released Platinum and moved its arms out of harms way. Seconds later the blast struck Platinum, who was completely engulfed by the black energy.

Seconds passed before the blast dissipated, but when it did there was no sign of Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum.

"No," Rainbow whispered in horror, before the fear she'd once felt returned when Xyz Bot turned it sights on her. As Rainbow tried to once again run, the robot leaned down and scooped her up. "No!" She said struggling as she looked at the monster, whose cannon was once again charging. In that moment she felt the robot's grip release, causing to to fall as the cannon fired and the black energy blast shot straight at her. "NO!" She screamed as the energy engulfed her.

"NO!" Rainbow screamed as she shot up awake.

"You're awake," Fluttershy's voice caught her attention. Looking around she found she was in the same hospital room that Rarity was in, she being in the bed next to her, laying in a bed with bandages all over her body.

"What happened?" Rainbow asked.

"You were having a nightmare," Twilight told her as she and the others gathered around her bed.

"Oh," Rainbow said before realising, "wait! What about the tournament?"

"Over," Twilight replied, "you've been unconscious for a while. The last match took place once you were brought here."

"That's right," Rainbow said as she finally remember what had happened, "I lost." She sat back in her bed and frowned.

"Hey," Scootaloo said as she stepped up to the bed, "you might have lost, but you were still awesome. You had that guy on the ropes more then once."

"She's right," Applejack said, "ya'h should be proud."

"Plus thanks to you," Twilight said, "we know what kind of deck Shadow uses."

At the mention of that Duellist, everyone went quiet. They each were having trouble believing what they'd seen. How could Shadow look almost exactly like Flash? It didn't make any sense.

"Do you maybe think," Spike said, "that Flash and Shadow could be...brothers?"

That would explain their resemblance, but how could Flash have a brother and not know about it.

"There's no way," Scootaloo said, "Gramps would have told us if we had another brother."

"Unless he didn't know," Rarity said from her plot on her bed, "remember when he told us how he found Flash."

They all did. After the last Duel between Flash and Cold, they'd asked about how Flash and Scootaloo had come to him and he'd explained. He told them about how he'd found Flash one night outside his door after a flash of light, with Scootaloo appearing four years later.

"Maybe Flash was born with a twin brother," Rarity continued, "and somehow Sombra got his hands on him."

"It doesn't seem possible though," Twilight said, "something's telling me there's more to this then we know."

"Wait a minute," Rainbow said as she looked around the room, "where is Flash?"

Everyone did as she did and looked around, but Flash was nowhere to be seen.

"No idea," Twilight said, "he was here earlier. He must have left before you woke up."

Flash was in the arena stands, his mind playing back what had happened only a few hours ago. As he watched the sun set over his head, he thought back to what he'd seen.

However, before his brain would fry due to information overload, a cold sensation suddenly flew through his head. "WOW!" He yelled as he pulled his head away from the source and looked up, seeing a can of soda infront of him.

"Hola mi amigo," the one holding the can said, "I thought you could use some refreshment."

Flash looked around the can to see Tidal Wave. "Hey Tidal," he said as he took the can, "thanks. I haven't seen you today."

"Sorry," Tidal said, "I was watching from the other side of the arena today."

"It's fine," Flash said.

"So," Tidal said, "something on your mind?"

Flash didn't reply, but Tidal knew what it was.

"Shadow?" he asked.

"You saw?" Flash replied.

"Of course," Tidal said, "I was amazed when I saw it."

"Amazed," Flash said, "try horrified. How can he look so much like me?"

"No idea," Tidal said, "you sure you don't have a brother or something?"

"I'm sure," Flash said frowning.

"Then I'm stumped," Tidal said.

The two remained silent for a moment, drinking their sodas, until Tidal threw his in a nearby trash can and got up. "Okay," he said, "since we're not going to get further in this, let's do something else to take your mind off it."

"Like what?"

Tidal just smiled as he pulled out his Duel Disk. Flash instantly realised what he wanted to do and smiled back, nodding.

Meanwhile Cold, Shining, Cadance and Grand Hoof were in his office.

"This is to dangerous," Shining said, "we have to cancel the rest of the tournament. We can't take the risk of someone getting hurt more then Rarity and Rainbow."

"I agree," Cadance said, "those two were lucky enough not to be hurt worse then they were. For all we know, Adagio and Shadow are only getting started. We have to move quickly, take them in and make them give up his location."

"And what if they don't give it up?" Cold asked, "and even if they do what'll happen if they tell us but Sombra's already gone. We have to wait until the right time."

"So you're just happy risking the lives of innocent people?" Shining asked him, "one of which happens to be my sister!"

Cold said nothing.

"Grand," Shining said as he turned to the older man, "you agree don't you. This is to dangerous."

Grand was simply looking out the office window.

"Grand!" Shining said.

"I don't know what we should do," Grand said, "I don't want to put anyone in danger, but on the other hand I don't want to do anything that could ruin our chances of getting to Sombra."

"So you're just going to do nothing?" Shining asked.

Before anyone could respond, Sunset ran into the room.

"We're kinda busy here," Cold told her.

"You told me to come," Sunset told him. "Remember you wanted to be informed if the Ener-D Levels drop again."

Cold raised another eyebrow. "Have they?"

"Yes," Sunset replied, "their even lower then yesterday. This isn't a natural occurrence, something's doing this."

"But what?" Cold asked.

Shining, Cadance and Grand all looked at each other confused.

"There's more," Sunset said as she brought up the data from Rainbow and Shadow's Duel. "Our systems didn't detect any Ener-D coming from Shadow during his Duel with Rainbow."

This made Cold frown. "That's impossible. Even a weak Duellist can produce a minuscule amount."

"Well he didn't," Sunset said.

Cold looked down at the tablet, many questions flowing through his head. "Who are you Shadow?"

While this was going on, Thorax and Chrysalis were in their limo driving to their hotel.

"Did you enjoy watching the Duels today son?" Chrysalis asked him.

"Yes mother," Thorax said plainly, "I learned a lot."

"Good," Chrysalis replied, "when we arrive at the hotel I'll need to leave you at the front door. I have another meeting which I wish not to be late for."

"Of course," Thorax replied, having been expecting this. "If I may be so bold mother, what is it you are doing at these meetings?"

Chrysalis looked at him and raised an eyebrow. "Why so curious?"

"No reason," Thorax replied, "I'm going to be king one day, I'd thought it necessary to know what kind of business we usually do."

"Well until the day you are actually crowned," Chrysalis said, "it is none of your concern."

"Of course mother," Thorax said looking down, "forgive me for being impertinent."

Chrysalis continued to stare at her son, until she finally changed her gaze and Thorax silently sighed in relief before looking out the window.

Meanwhile Flash and Tidal had found a spot in the arena's parking lot, which was completely deserted.

"It's time mi amigo," Tidal said as she attached his Duel Disk to his arm.

"Okay," Flash said as he did the same. Tidal was right about him needing to take his mind off of Shadow, and what better way then this. "let's do it."

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Tidal: 4000

"I'll go first," Tidal said as he drew his card and smiled. "I activate the Raging Storm Ritual."

Flash frown, seeing the card that could summon his opponent's best monster.

"Now I'll discard monsters whose combined Levels equal seven," Tidal said. a tornado of water appeared in front of him, which something appeared inside. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The tornado exploded, revealing Tidal's ace. "Commander of the Raging Storm, Soveruin." (A2400/D2200/L7)

"He's not messing around," Flash said.

"Next I summon Splash Sargent in ATK mode," Tidal said as in a splash of water, a man in navy uniform appeared riding a white jet ski. (A1700/D1300/L4) "I end my turn with a face down."

"My turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I'll start by activating my Mystical Space Typhoon." A powerful gust of wind spread across the field, catching Tidal's face down and blowing it away. Flash caught a glimpse of the card and smiled. "Tsunami Surge," he said, "thought so."

"Nice move Amigo," Tidal said, "so much for my stratagy."

Flash just nodded, before continuing. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Magna Fighter Lucidum and scale five Lumino Jaw Dragon." The columns of light appeared, which his monster appeared in. "Next I'll activate the Spell Pendulum Shift, which will let me change Lumino Jaw Dragon's Pendulum Scale to eight." His monster's number increased by three, allowing him to summon the monsters he needed as the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, slamming into the ground.

"Howl to the moon, Shine Crest Magna Wolf!" (A1200/D1100/L3)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Bravo," Tidal said.

"Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "Splash Sargent to the bottom of the deck."

A wormhole opened, sucking the jet ski riding monster inside.

"Now Magna Wolf's skill," Flash said as the gem on his monsters chest armour glowed, "plus three hundred power!" (A1500/D1100/L3) "Plus with Lucidum's Pendulum Effect, Flash Heart gains five hundred points. (A3000/D2000/L7/P4)

"Attack!" His monsters jets fired and propelled him forward, allowing him to sucker punch Soveruin and destroy him.

Flash: 4000
Tidal: 3400

"Now Magna Wolf will attack!" Flash ordered. His canine monster ran forwards before slashing at Tidal.

Flash: 4000
Tidal: 1900

"I end my turn."

As Tidal rubbed the spot that Magna Wolf had slashed, he looked up at Flash and smiled. "Nice move."

"Thanks," Flash replied, "now what are you gonna do?"

"Let's find out," Tidal said.

"You think someone's stealing Ener-D?" Cadance asked.

"It's the only explanation," Sunset told her, "but it's how their doing it that has us stumped."

"Our system has the best security in the world," Cold said, "nothing should be able to get passed its defences."

"But obviously something did," Shining said, "but the question is what and why."

Shadow and Adagio were walking through a corridor, before arriving at a door which opened. The two stepped into the room, where the staircase and the two cloaked women were. Once at the bottom of a staircase, they kneeled.

"Your majesty," the two said.

"Well done," the figure said not looking at them, "you two did an impressive job. Despite how close you allowed it to get you managed to win and collected a sufficient amount of Ener-D."

"Thank you father," Shadow said, "it was our honour."

The figure nodded before say, "now silence. It is time to summon them."

The two nodded, not saying anything.

The figure turned back to the computer. He began typing and soon the system came to life.

ENER-D LEVELS RISING!

"It's my turn," Tidal said, "I draw and play Pot of Greed, to draw two cards." He looked at the cards in his hand and smiled. "I activate the Spell card Monster Reborn, which will let me revive a monster in my graveyard." A tornado appeared and from it came Soveruin."

"Oh great," Flash said.

"Now I'll activate another Spell card," Tidal continued as he placed a card in his Duel Disk. "Rebirth Ritual!" Another tornado appeared and engulfed Soveruin, who disappeared from sight.

"What's happening?" Flash asked, not sure what Tidal was doing.

"Rebirth Ritual is a Spell which allows a Ritual Monster to transcend their limits and take on their true forms," Tidal explained as the tornado got bigger. Eventually the tornado exploded, unleashing a powerful light. "RITUAL EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing a new monster in Soveruin's place.

Soveruin was now wearing more flamboyant navy wear, carrying a large gold cutlass. The biggest difference was that the seahorse he rode had been replaced by a giant navy blue sea serpent with four eyes and a large fins. "Master of the Storm, Admiral Soveruin!" (A2800/2500/L8)

Flash had to admit that this monster was pretty impressive, but how powerful was it.

"Rebirth Ritual has another ability," Tidal said, "for the rest of the turn that I summoned him on, my monster gains a thousand ATK points!" (A3800/D2500/L8) "Attack Flash Heart Dragon!" Soveruin's snapped the rains of his leviathan, which began to sliver through the air like it was water towards Flash Heart. Once close, Soveruin used his cutlass and slashed through Flash's monster destroying it.

Flash: 3200
Tidal: 1900

"It's time to activate Admiral Soveruin's ability," Tidal said, "whenever he destroys a monster I can destroy another one, as long as its ATK is lower then that of the card I destroyed."

The leviathan opened its mouth and fired of a powerful burst of water, which struck Magna Wolf and destroyed it.

"Plus, you take damage equal to its ATK points." Flash was truck by the torrent of water, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees.

Flash: 2000
Tidal: 1900

Flash panted as he stood up. "Wow," he said, "that was a unexpected. I've never seen a Ritual Evolution before."

"New mechanic," Tidal said, "Senor Steel gave me the cards to beta test."

"Cool," Flash said.

"Now how will you do against it?" Tidal said, "I end my turn. Soveruin's ATK points go back to normal." (A2800/D2500/L8)

"My turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I'll play my own Pot of Greed, to draw two cards." He looked at the cards and nodded with a smirk. "I summon the Tuner Monster Multi Tool Magna Droid." In a flash of light a bronze spherical robot appeared, with two arms coming out of its side. Its back had several panels which opened up and folded out several, thinner, arms that were each carrying a different tool. (A500/D1000/L2/P6)

"A Tuner Monster," Tidal said in worry only to realise something. "But you don't have any monsters to tune it with?"

"Don't I?" Flash asked with a smirk. "I activate Multi Tool Magna Droid's ability," he said, "an ability that lets him use a monster in my Pendulum Zone as a Synchro Material!" Lumino Jaw Dragon flew out of the light column, as Magna Droid transformed into two balls of light which carved two rings around Lumino Jaw Dragon. "I tune Level two Multi Tool Magna Droid with Level five Lumino Jaw Dragon," the two were then engulfed by a bright light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

"The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Magna Champion Assault Striker!" (A2500/D2100/L7)

Tidal marvelled at the manoeuvre. "Fabuloso amigo."

"I don't know what that meant but I'll take it as a complement," Flash said, "now I'll activate the Spell Reverse Polarity. With this I can increase my Monster's ATK to match your's, will decreasing your Monster's by the same amount." (A2800/D2100/L7), (A2500/D2500/L8)

"Attack," Flash ordered as his monster charged forward and slashed at Soveruin with one of its blades. Soveruin tried to defend with his cutlass, but Assault Striker simply used his other blade and stabbed him. Soveruin flinched before being destroy, leaving his leviathan to try and fight back only to have its head cut off and destroyed.

Flash: 2000
Tidal: 1600

Once the explosion from the fight passed, Flash and Tidal caught each others eye. The two stared each other down, until they both smiled before breaking out into a fit of laughter.

"My heart...is...FULL!" Tidal screamed as he threw his arms wide. "That was a great move amigo. Excelente."

"Thanks Tidal," Flash said, "and thanks for doing this. You were right, I wasn't doing myself any favours over thinking the shadow thing. If I'm gonna make through the next rounds, I can't be distracted."

"It's okay to think about something that confuses you Flash," Tidal told him, "just worry about it when you can afford to worry about it."

"You're right," Flash replied, "but I'm not going to worry about it. It doesn't matter why he looks so much like me, all that matters is he's working with Sombra and that makes him my enemy. I have to stop whatever insane plan they're working towards and get even for Rarity and Rainbow.

"Now that's a plan," Tidal said, "but before you can even think about taking them down, you'll need to get passed me."

"You make it sound like it'll be hard," Flash joked.

"We'll see amigo," Tidal told him, "it's my turn."

Meanwhile in the dark lab, the figure was working to repeat the procedures he'd done yesterday. Like yesterday the screens split and revealed the window into the other room, where even more cards then yesterday were floating in midair.

ENER-D CONVERGENCE STEADY!

The figure sat back in his throne, as the metal orbs flew up from the floor and into his hands. The metallic bowl like helmet flew out of the opening, attaching itself to the figures head.

TRANSDIMENSIONAL LINK READY!

The figure took a deep breath and spoke. "Begin.

The orbs and helmet once again started sparking as the figure began to shake and scream as the energy flowed through him. Inside the room the metal dishes began to glow, before beams of light shot out and struck the cards.

At Freeze Industries the grown ups continued to talk until the power went out, which caused a great amount of déjà vu.

"Not again," Sunset said.

"Two blackouts in two days," Cadance said, "this can't be a coincidence."

"It isn't," Cold said. He turned and looked out the window at that darkened city.

In his hotel room, Thorax had been looking through his deck when the power went out. Looking up in surprise he looked around the room, pulling out his phone for light, and saw anything that was electric was powered down.

Flash and Tidal were continuing their Duel, until the lights cut out and their Duel Disks deactivated.

"What the?" Flash asked as his monster vanished.

"The Duel System must have shut down," Tidal said, "hey didn't this happen yesterday?"

"Yeah," Flash replied, "what's going on?"

In the medical bay, Twilight and the others were also shocked by the blackout.

"Not again," Rainbow said, "what's wrong with the power this week."

"It's can't be a coincidence," Twilight said, "but what could be causing this?"

"I just hope the lights come back on soon," Fluttershy said, "this is scary."

"If it's anything like yesterday," Applejack said, "that light will turn back on any second." As if hearing her, the lights flickered back into life. "See."

"But why do these blackouts keep happening?" Spike asked.

TRANSFER COMPLETE!

The figure breathed deeply, trying to get back the breathe he'd lost during the procedure.

"Father!" Shadow yelled as he rushed up the stairs and was by his fathers side.

"I am fine," the figure said.

"You must rest father," Shadow told him, "summoning so many at once is dangerous."

"I am fine," he repeated, more forcibly this time. "And I must continue to do my part," in that second the window opened and the cards flew out and circled the two. "Welcome," he said, "now join your comrades." He tried to press the button, but his hands were still weak and Shadow had to do it.

The opening in the wall opened and the cards flew over to it and joined the rest of the deck.

"Many more cards remain," he said as he turned to Shadow, "meaning you and Adagio must keep winning."

"We will father," he said, "we won't let you down."

"Be sure not to," the figure said as he slumped down in his chair.

Shadow turned and walked down to the bottom of the stairs, before turning to look at the cloaked women. "Take him to his quarters," he told them, "make sure he gets plenty of rest."

"Yes sir," they said as they climbed the stairs.

"How is he?" Adagio asked.

"Weak," Shadow replied, "summoning so many of them at once it proving to much. But once he completes the summoning, he will be fine."

"Meaning he needs Ener-D," Adagio said.

"Yes," Shadow agreed, "so we must not fail in our mission."

"They're getting suspicious."

The two turned to see a new, taller, figure enter the room. "You must be more careful."

"Let them be suspicious," Shadow said, "nothing they do can stop us."

Despite the power being back on, Tidal and Flash had decided against another Duel. Instead the two headed to the medical bay to see the others.

"Hola!" Tidal said once they were inside.

"Hey Tidal," Twilight said as they turned to see him and Flash. "Where'd you get to?" She asked Flash when she saw him.

"Sorry," Flash said, "had to clear my head."

"Shadow?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah," Flash said, "but I'm not gonna worry about it."

"But what if he really our brother?" She asked in, looking concerned.

Seeing this Flash crouched down to her eye level. "I don't know who he is, but I know he's not our brother. I don't know how he looks like me, but what matters is that for all intense and purposes he's our enemy."

Scootaloo looked down but nodded anyway.

"Besides," Flash said, "even if he is our brother, I doubt we'll be able to bring him over to our side. Our only hope is beating him, only then can we hope to get him to help us."

Scootaloo frown but nodded in agreement.

Flash then stood to full height and looked around at his friends. "We know what to expect of our enemies now, but we still need to know more. We have to keep focused and watch them carefully, learning every little detail about their Duel strategies and how to defeat it when it's our turn."

Everyone nodded at this, knowing he was right.

No matter what, they would defeat Shadow and Adagio and in doing so they'd be one step closer to defeating Sombra. Now matter what, they would win.

Turn 12, Mecha Thunder

View Online

Celestia: We open day three of the Celestic Cup Finals with round two.

Luna: That's right sis, but unlike the first round we'll be having both A and B block.

Celestia just nodded at this, as she turned to look out at the audience.

Up in the stands our heroes, minus Flash and Fluttershy, were in the seats. Both Tidal and Mac were sitting with them, while up in the main box the VIPs had just arrived.

Celestia: Today's schedule will begin with the A Block participants competing in four matches, followed by an hour long lunch break before finishing with the B Block competition.

Luna: Just like the first round, our competitors will be selected randomly before their match and will compete on a randomly generated Action Field.

"So the competition's gonna be just as hard as the last round," Spike said.

"Doubt it," Twilight told her brother, "it's most likely gonna be twice as hard. The ones competing managed to win their way here, so they'll be extra prepared to do so again."

"It all depends on the cards drawn," Tidal said, "one bad hand and you're done."

"Eeyup," Mac said.

"Then let's hope we don't get a bad hand," Applejack said.

Everyone nodded in agreement.

"Hey," Pinkie said looking around, "where's Flash and Fluttershy."

"I don't know about Flash," Twilight said, "but Fluttershy's with Rainbow Dash."

"This bites!" Rainbow moaned as she sat in her bed, "I'm so bored."

"I know you are," Fluttershy told her, "but the doctor said you need another days rest before you can get up."

"Stupid doctor," Rainbow groaned while crossing her arms.

"Oh come now," Rarity said from her bed, "I'm in the same boat as you darling."

"Yeah," Sweetie said, "let's just enjoy the watching the Duel." She picked up the remote and switched on the TV, which was set to show the feed of the megascreen.

"What about Flash?" Applebloom asked.

"He needed the bathroom," Scootaloo explained.

"Well he'd better hurry," Applejack said, "they'll be picking the first two Duellists soon. If he's picked."

"The odds he'll be picked first twice in a row are highly unlikely," Twilight said, "though he really should hurry."

In that second, the Celestic Sisters began talking again.

Celestia: It's time to select the Duellists for today's first match.

Luna: Which two competitors will it be? Let's find out.

She pressed the button of her remote, which caused the megascreen to shift to the images of the eight A Block Duelists. The images then spun around and began spinning around, until the first image shot out.

Celestia: It's Thunderlane!

The second image shot out, showing Thunderlane's opponent.

Luna: And Big Macintosh!

"Alright bro," Applejack said to her brother, "looks like you're up."

"Eeyup," Mac replied as he stood up.

"Good luck," Applebloom said.

With that, Big Mac headed down towards the arena.

Meanwhile Flash was just coming out of the bathroom, when the megascreen showed who was Duelling.

"So Mac's up first this time," he said, "better get back."

With that he turned to head towards the seating area, but as he did something caught his eye...or someone.

There, leaning against a nearby wall, was Shadow who was staring back at Flash with a smirk on his face. The two stared at each other for what felt like a solid minute, until Shadow turned and stepped out of the room down a corridor.

Before he could even think, Flash's body was moving and chased after Shadow.

Celestia: Celestic Cup Finals, round two, match one in about to get underway. Let's welcome our competitors into the stadium.

The two openings opened up and released the smoke, as the two Duellists entered the arena.

Luna: First of we have the electrifying Duelist, Thunderlane!

Thunderlane waved to the audience as he stepped towards the centre.

Celestic: And his opponent. The quiet but powerful, Big Mac!

"Go get them Big Mac!" Applejack cheered her brother on.

"Win this one for us!" Applebloom continued.

The two Duellists met in the centre, where the ref was waiting with his coin. "Heads or tails."

"Heads," Thunderlane said.

The ref flipped his coin and looked at the outcome. "Tails, Big Mac will take the first move."

The two nodded and stepped back to a reasonable distance.

Luna: Let's see what Duel Field they'll be competing on today.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor to glow as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two Duellists were transported to the inside of a large metal factory. The whole room was filled with metal walkways, one of which the two were standing on, while there were electronic machines that sparked.

Celestia: Thunder Factory!

"That's the perfect stage for them both," Twilight said, "what better place for machines then a factory."

"And senor Thunderlane's monster will feel right at home there as well," Tidal said.

"You're going down," Thunderlane said as he pulled out a black Duel Disk and placed it on his arm.

"Nope," Mac replied as he did the same with his."

Luna: Well it looks like our competitors are ready to Duel.

Celestia: Then in three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Mac: 4000
Thunderlane: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

Meanwhile Flash was rushing down the corridor after Shadow.

"WAIT!" He yelled, causing the doppelganger to finally come to a stop.

Shadow slowly turned towards Flash, giving him a smirk as he looked him over. "So we finally meet face to face," he said as he crossed his arms, "my my, we do look alike. It's uncanny."

Flash frowned at this. "Alright you imposter, I want some answers."

Shadow frowned back hearing this. "I assure you I'm no impostor. I possess far to much power to be anything less then the genuine article."

The two continued to stare each other down.

"It's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I summon Mecha Worker Chisel Striker in ATK mode." A new Mecha Worker appeared, this one being white with a stone cutter chisel for its right hand. (A1200/D1100/L3) "Next I'll equip it with the Mecha Tool Lightning Buzzsaw," Mac said as the yellow robot appeared and transformed into its arm form, before replacing Chisel Striker's left arm. "Now Chisel Striker gets an extra five hundred points (A1700/D1100/L3) "I end my turn with a face down."

"My turn," Thunderlane said as he went to his deck, "I draw!" He looked at his card and smiled. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Tempest Roc and scale nine Tempest Griffon."

He placed two cards on his Duel Disk as it lit up. On either side of him, two columns of light appeared as his monsters flew up into them. The first was a large blue bird with yellow lightning patterns on its wings and back, while the other everyone had already seen. Once high enough the two looked up and shot beams of light, which struck the sky above Thunderlane's head forming a portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Tempest Unicorn!" (A1900/D1700/L5/P3)

The second was a blue man, bull hybrid with lightning shaped horns. "Tempest Minotaur!" (A2300/1300/L6/P4)

"Now I'll have Unicorn attack your Mecha Worker!" Thunderlane ordered as his Unicorn galloped at Chisel Striker, while its horn sparked. "Plus when Tempest Unicorn attacks, it gains a hundred ATK points for every other Thunder Type monster on the field." (A2000/D1700/L5/P3)

Meanwhile Mac leaped into action, jumping off the walkway and falling down to another. There he picked up an Action Card and placed it in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Card Static Shock," he said, "by equipping it to my Mecha Worker for the rest of the turn any monster that attacks it looses three hundred ATK points." Sparks surround Chisel Striker, just as Unicorn struck it and that caused it be electrocuted. (A1700/D1700/L5/P3) With that the two monsters were destroyed, leaving Mac's field bare.

"Well I've still got one attack left," Thunderlane said, "Minotaur attack him directly!" The bull monster jumped down to the walkway Mac was on and charged at him, horns at the ready.

Celestia: Big Mac's looking at some major damage if he doesn't do something.

"I activate my Trap," Mac said as his face down flipped up, "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! With this I can negate your attack." The metallic scarecrow appeared between Mac and the monster, which struck it and was deflected. "Now I can reset my Scarecrow to use next turn," Mac said.

"Well I end my turn with a face down," Thunderlane said.

Luna: Neither side is giving an inch. Who will be the first to leap ahead?

Meanwhile Flash and Shadow were continuing to stare each other down.

"So," Shadow said, "is there something you want to ask or were we having a staring contest I wasn't aware of?"

Flash just glared harder. "I want to know where Sombra is?"

Shadow just rolled his eyes. "And why would I tell you? What you think if you stare at me hard enough I'll crack?"

"You are gonna tell me," Flash replied, "I don't care what happens, you'll be telling me sooner or later."

"Oh yeah?" Shadow asked, "I'd like to see you try."

Flash's fists tightened, before he rushed forward and threw a punch at Shadow. Shadow however, held up is hand and grabbed Flash's fist.

"Is that really the best you've got?" Shadow asked mockingly, before grabbing Flash by the wrist and pulling him forward. He then raised his knee and struck Flash in the stomach, knocking the wind out of him. "Pathetic," he said before throwing him to the ground. "Face it, you can't beat me. Either in a fist fight or in a Duel, I'll always the superior."

Flash just groaned as he picked himself up, before looking up at Shadow and glaring.

"Just stay out of my way," Shadow said. With that he spun on his heels and walked away, leaving Flash to recover from the hit.

"It's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play the Spell card, Polymerisation! With this, I can fuse the Mecha Worker Max Axe and Saw Cutter in my hand together." His two monsters appeared infront of him, before getting sucked into a vortex which appeared above them. "Now my two Mecha Workers will combine to create an even greater machine," Mac said as the vortex exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing a familiar monster, except instead of a screwdriver and hammer it had an axe and saw for hands. "Advanced Mecha Worker, Cyber Handyman!" (A2600/D2100/L8) "Now I'll activate Handyman's effect," Mac said, "to add a Spell Card from my deck to my hand." His deck shuffled and slotted out a card which he took and then placed in his Duel Disk. "Now I'll activate Monster Reborn, to revive Mecha Worker Chisel Striker!" In a flash of light his monster reappeared. (A1200/D1100/L3)

Thunderlane frowned seeing this. Why summon that monster when Max Axe was so much stronger?

"Now I'll activate Chisel Striker's ability," Mac said, "which lets me take a Spell card in my graveyard and add it to the hand." He took a card from his graveyard and added it to his hand.

"Nice," Twilight said, "that's gotta be Polymerisation. Now if he can get some more monsters out, he can fuse them again."

"My brothers sure powering through," Applejack said, "I doubt this Thunderlane can keep up."

"Don't count your chickens before they hatch," Tidal said, "Thunderlane wouldn't be here if he wasn't skilled enough to make a comeback."

"Yeah and don't forget about Gilford the Lightning," Spike said, "if he uses three monsters to summon it, it'll destroy every other monster on the field."

"And that'll leave Mac defenceless," Twilight agreed.

"So my brother just won't let him get three monsters," Applebloom said.

"Now I'll equip Chisel Striker with Mecha Tool Nail Gunner," Mac said as a green Mecha Tool robot appeared and transformed into an arm with a gun barrel hand. The new arm connected to Chisel Striker, replacing its left arm. "Now Advanced Mecha Worker Handyman, ATTACK!"

His giant robot charged towards Tempest Minotaur and struck it with his axe and saw, cutting it to shreds.

Mac: 4000
Thunderlane: 3700

"Next I'll attack with Chisel Striker," Mac ordered, as his white robot leaped onto the the walkway Thunderlane was standing on and aimed its Mecha Tool at him.

Thunderlane looked around and saw something behind him, causing him to run in that direction just as Chisel Striker fired a nail at him. As it drew closer, Thunderlane leaped forward and grabbed the Action Card before placing it in his Duel Disk. "Go Lightning Barrier!" A field of electricity appeared around him, which the nail struck and was disintegrated. "This Action Spell lets me negate one attack," Thunderlane explained, "meaning I don't take any damage."

"Maybe from Chisel Striker's first attack," Mac said, "but thanks to Nail Gunner he can attack twice." His Mecha Worker once again aimed his weapon and fired another nail, which struck Thunderlane in the chest.

Mac: 4000
Thunderlane: 2500

"I end my turn," Mac said.

"It's my turn," Thunderlane said as he went to his deck, "I draw and once again carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Tempest Unicorn!" (A1900/D1700/L5/P3)

"Tempest Minotaur!" (A2300/1300/L6/P4)

But those monsters don't stand a chance against Handyman?" Pinkie asked. "Why summon them?"

"He wouldn't without a reason," Twilight said.

"Next I'll activate the Equip Spell Mega Charger and place it on my Tempest Minotaur," Thunderlane said as a large metal backpack like device appeared on his monsters back. The device switched on and electrical energy surged around them monster. (A2800/1300/L6/P4) "This card increases a Thunder Monster's ATK points by five hundred, while also allowing me to draw a card every time that monster attacks."

Mac frowned hearing this.

"Now Tempest Minotaur attack!" Thunderlane ordered, as his monster charged at Handyman. "Plus now I get to draw," Thunderlane said as he did so.

As Tempest Minotaur drew closer to Handyman, Mac pressed a button on his Duel Disk and his face down flipped up. "Did you forget about my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow?" He asked, "I'm using it to protect my Handyman." The scarecrow once again appeared and the Minotaur struck it, protecting Handyman before resetting again.

"You may have saved your Fusion Monster," Thunderlane said, "but I can still take out your other monster!" Tempest Unicorn charged forward, "and don't forget his power increases since I have another Thunder Monster out." (A1900/D1700/L5/P3) Lightning surged out its horn, as it drew closer to Mac's monster.

Mac looked around and saw an Action Card on the platform across from him. He leaped over and grabbed it, but once he looked at it his eyes went wide seeing it was a Trap. Suddenly he felt himself get electrocuted.

Mac: 3500
Thunderlane: 2500

Celestia: Short Circuit. Painful

Luna: And there's still an attack coming

With its horn Tempest Unicorn impaled Chisel Striker, destroying it and Nail Gunner.

Mac: 2700
Thunderlane: 2500

Next I'll activate the Spell card I just drew," Thunderlane said as he leaped onto the same walkway as Mac, "Pot of Greed, which let's me draw two cards. I'll then set one card face down and end my turn."

"Come on Mac!" Applejack said, "you've still got more life points."

"But his monster isn't strong enough," Twilight said, "and Scrap-Iron Scarecrow will only get him so far."

"He needs to summon an Advanced Mecha Tool," Applebloom said.

"If he can."

Everyone looked up to see Flash standing next to their seats.

"Where have you been?" Twilight asked.

"Don't ask," Flash said as he sat down.

"It's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at his card and nodded as he formed a plan. "I activate my Handyman's ability, to add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." His deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which Mac took. "Now I'll activate it, Tool Repair! With this I can move a Mecha Tool or Advanced Mecha Tool from my graveyard to my hand or Extra Deck." He took a card from his graveyard and placed it in his hand.

"What's he planning?" Thunderlane wondered.

"Now I play Polymerisation!" Mac said, "to fuse Mecha Tool Nail Gunner and Jackhammer." Nail Gunner and a white Mecha Tool appeared, before being sucked into a vortex that appeared above them. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded and from it came a white and green Advanced Mecha Tool, with a tail like device in the shape of a Jackhammer and a nail gun on its head. "Advanced Mecha Tool Nail Hammer." (A1000/D1000/L4) "And now I'll equip Nail Hammer to my Handyman," Mac said as the Advanced Mecha Tool transformed into a new arm, with the two tools on the end. Handyman's left shoulder opened up, folding out a plug like instrument that Nail Hammer attached to. "With this upgrade, my Handyman is now one thousand points stronger. (A3600/D2100/L8)

Thunderlane frowned seeing this.

"Attack!" Mac ordered as his monster charged forward, swinging its tool at Tempest Unicorn.

Thunderlane looked around and saw an Action Card behind him, which he leaped at and grabbed. "I activate Supercharger!" This card powers up a monster on the field by a thousand points." Lightning surged around the unicorn just before Handyman struck it. (A2900/D1700/L5/P3)

BOOM!

Tempest Unicorn was destroyed.

Mac: 2700
Thunderlane: 1800

"I end my turn," Mac said.

"That's the way!" Applejack cheered.

"Even Minotaur isn't strong enough to destroy Handyman now," Twilight said.

"Doesn't mean Thunderlane's out," Flash said.

"It's my turn," Thunderlane said, "I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and his eyes went wide, seeing what it was. He then smiled and turned to Big Mac. "Once again, my Pendulum Scale will cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." His monster fired the beams of light above his head, forming the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light flew out, striking the ground on opposite sides of Tempest Minotaur.

"Tempest Unicorn!" (A1900/D1700/L5/P3)

"Thunder Dragon." (A1600/D1500/L5)

"Three monsters!" Mac realised, followed by the rest of the crowd.

"AND NOW!" Thunderlane held up the card he'd just drawn. "I tribute all three of my monsters to summon Gilford, THE LIGHTNING!"

The three monsters disappeared in an explosion of electricity and in their place, stood Thunderlane's best monster. (A2800/D1400/L8) "Since I sacrificed three monsters to summon him," Thunderlane explained, "his ability wipes out every monster on your side of the field." Gilford swung its giant sword, unleashing a burst of lightning which struck Handyman, destroying it.

Everyone's eyes went wide, seeing what had just happened.

Celestia: Unbelievable. Thunderlane has destroyed Big Mac's best monster.

Luna: And it hasn't even attacked yet.

"Well he will now!" Thunderlane said.

Gilford raised its sword and swung it down, unleashing a powerful thunderbolt which flew at Big Mac.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Mac said but his Duel Disk was giving him a no go signal.

"Sorry!" Thunderlane said as his face down flipped up, "but Trap Stun negates your Trap."

"This is bad," Twilight said.

"If this attack hits," Applejack realised, "it's all over."

"MAC!" Applebloom called out.

As the thunderbolt drew closer, Mac stood his ground. Had he accepted he'd lost?

"I activate the effect of Mecha Worker Saw Cutter from the graveyard!" Mac said as his Mecha Worker appeared before him. The machine raised its saw blade and sliced right through the thunderbolt, causing it to barely fly passed Big Mac on either side of him. Once the thunderbolt was depleted, Saw Cutter disappeared.

Mac: 1300
Thunderlane: 1800

Big Mac sighed in relief. "By removing Saw Cutter from my graveyard, I can cut the damage I take in half."

Thunderlane frowned. "You got lucky. I end my turn."

Celestia: Few. Big Mac managed to safe himself, but can he mount a come back.

Luna: I don't see how. With no cards in his hand.

"Come on Mac," Applejack said.

"He's gonna win?" Applebloom asked her sister, "isn't he?"

"It's not gonna be easy," Twilight said, "but there's a chance."

"It all depends on what he draws," Flash said.

As Mac placed his hand on his deck, he took a deep breathe and drew. Seeing the card he'd just drawn he instantly played it. "Go Pot of Greed," he said, "with this I draw two new cards." He did and when he saw what cards he'd gotten, he smiled. "And now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Green Mecha Mechanic and scale six Pink Mecha Mechanic." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as two robots flew up into them. The first was green and carried a large welding torch, while the other was pink and carried a chain and hook.

"Why use them?" Thunderlane asked, "you don't have any cards in your hand to summon."

"Maybe," Mac said, "but they do have their Pendulum Abilities." He held up his Duel Disk, which began shuffling cards. "Green's Pendulum Ability lets me add a random Spell card to my hand," Mac explained as a card was slotted out. Mac took a closed his eyes as he placed his hand on the card, this whole Duel came down to what he'd got, so with one deep breath he took the card.

Slowly opening his eyes, he saw what he'd gotten and smiled. "Perfect," he said.

Thunderlane frowned hearing him say this. What had he gotten?

"First," he said, "I'm paying half my life points to activate Pink Mecha Mechanic's ability."

Mac: 650
Thunderlane: 1800

"Now I can revive a Machine Monster in my graveyard, with its abilities negated." In a flash of light, Advanced Mecha Worker Cyber Handyman appeared. "You know what? I think I'll do that again."

Mac: 325
Thunderlane: 1800

Another flash occurred, but this time Advanced Mecha Tool Nail Hammer appeared.

"But without its ability it can't equip to Handyman," Spike said.

"He had to have had a reason for summoning it," Twilight told him.

"It has to have something to do with the card he drew," Flash said.

"And now!" Mac said as he took the card he'd drawn, "I activate the Spell card...Power Bond!"

Thunderlane's eyes went wide seeing this.

"Now I can Fusion Summon a Machine type monster," Mac said, "while also doubling its ATK points for this turn."

With this a vortex appeared above his monsters, which sucked them inside. "I FUSION SUMMON!" The vortex exploded and from it came a new monster. It looked like Handyman, but it was twice the size and looked more advanced. It had three arms, two from Handyman, with an axe and saw on either end, while the third was from his back and looked like Nail Hammer. "Advanced Mecha Worker, Multi-Tool Giant. (A2500/D3000/L10)

Thunderlane looked up at the giant in horror.

"Plus Multi-Tool Giant's ability increases his ATK points by five hundred for every Advanced Mecha Tool used to Fusion Summon him. (A3000/D3000/L10) "And don't forget about Power Bond's effect, which doubles his ATK points." (A6000/D3000/L10)

"SIX THOUSAND ATK POINTS!" Thunderlane screamed in horror.

"And now," Mac said, "ATTACK!" His monster charged forward swinging all three of its arms at Gilford the Lightning. Gilford swung its sword in defence, but it was useless and he was destroyed.

Thunderlane was sent flying back by the force of the attack, flying off the walk way and crashing into the one below.

Mac: 325 (Winner)
Thunderlane: 0

Celestia: INCREDIBLE! Big Mac once again comes from behind to claim victory!

Luna: he'll be moving onto the next round, while Thunderlane will be receiving a gift bag on his way home.

"ALRIGHT!" Applejack and Applebloom cheered

"That was a great come back," Twilight said as she and the others clapped.

"Sure was," Flash said.

"He was great," Spike said.

"Told you guys," Applejack said.

Down below, as the Duel Field dispersed, Big Mac moved over to his opponent and offered and hand to help him up.

"Thanks," Thunderlane said, "and thanks for the great Duel."

"Eeyup," Mac replied.

"Looks like I need more practice," Thunderlane said, "how about we meet up again one day and Duel again?"

"Eeyup!" Mac replied with a smile.

With that the two turned and went in opposite directions.

Meanwhile Shadow stepped up and stood next to Adagio, who gave him a sceptical look.

"Where have you been?" She asked him.

"Sending a message," Shadow replied, "letting our opponents know who their messing with."

Adagio glared at him. "Just don't do something that'll get you kicked out of the tournament, or worse gets me kicked out."

"Relax," Shadow said, "no one saw me."

"They'd better not," Adagio warned him, before looking back down at the arena.

The Celestic Cups second round had only just begun. More and more great Duels were sure to come.

Turn 13, New Growth

View Online

Celestia: That was some Duel. Big Mac managed to overcome Thunderlane in this electrifying showdown.

Luna: I hope the other Duels today are just as charged as the last.

Up in the stands the group were still cheering loudly at Big Mac's victory.

"I can't believe the combo he managed to pull off," Spike said.

"I told ya'h," Applejack said, "ma'h brother doesn't go down without a fight."

"That's right," Applebloom said, "his Mecha Workers are a force to be reckoned with."

"Though luck had a small part to play in it," Twilight said, "the Duel could have gone either way if he hadn't drawn that Power Bond card."

"Yeah but luck plays a part in almost anything," Flash said, "especially Duelling."

"True," Twilight said.

Up in the box the VIPs were also impressed.

"That boy continues to amaze," Chrysalis said.

"Well he did teach Applejack," Cadance said, "so it stands to reason that he'd be just as amazing."

"Maybe," Chrysalis said, "but ones family and training do not fully depict ones skill."

"Maybe," Cold said, "but in this case both siblings are extremely talented."

"Talented yes," Chrysalis replied, "but that Applejack girl's deck doesn't really speak to me the way the others do. Not to be mean, but it lacks a certain...je ne sais quoi."

"Jen a see what?" Shining Armor asked.

"It means it's lacking something," Chrysalis replied, "I'm not sure what but I know it's missing."

"I'm sure whatever it is," Cold said, "Applejack will show she has it in time."

Celestia: It's time to select the next two Duellists for the second match.

Luna: Now only six remain in the A Block round. Let's see which of those six it will be.

She pressed the button of her remote, which caused the megascreen to shift to the images of the six remaining A Block Duelists. The images then spun around and began spinning around, until the first image shot out.

Celestia: Our first contestant is Vinyl Scratch!

"Oh sweet," Spike said, "she was great in her last Duel."

"Though she could do with turning the volume down a little," Twilight said, "my ears are still ringing."

"You kidding," Flash said, "the best part was the noise."

"Say that again when you go deaf," Twilight replied.

The second image appeared, spinning around to show her opponent.

Luna: Her opponent, Applejack! May both Duellists please make their way down to the Duel arena.

"Yeeha," Applejack said as she leapt to her feet, "I'm up."

"Good luck Applejack," Twilight said.

"Knock em dead," Flash said.

"You know it," Applejack replied. With that she left the seating area and made her way down to the stadium.

"Looks like we'll be seeing whether her deck actually has what you think is missing, sooner then we thought," Cold said.

"Maybe," Chrysalis said, "but the question is, does she have it?"

"The question is what is this it you're talking about," Thorax mumbled.

"What was that?" Chrysalis asked her son.

"Nothing," Thorax said sitting up straight, "nothing at all mother."

The rest of the adults smirked at this.

Applejack was walking down the corridor towards the arena, when she noticed Big Mac heading her way.

"That was a great Duel back there Mac," Applejack said once they were close enough.

"Eeyup," Big Mac replied.

"Wish me luck," Applejack then said.

"Eeyup," Mac replied again.

As the two passed each other, they both raised the arms as high as they could a high fived. With that Applejack broke out into a run, heading towards the exit out onto the field.

Celestia: It's time for the second round's A Block match two.

Luna: Once again two Duellists will fight it out for a place in the next round, but who will that be?

Celestia: Let's welcome them onto the stage. In this corner with have the high powered DJ Duellist, Vinyl Scratch!

From out of one opening, stepped a girl in white clothing. She had white skin and both light and dark blue hair. Her eyes were covered by a pair of black shades with purple glass and she wore a pair of lime green headphones.

Luna: And in this corner. This cowgirl know's how to Duel, it's Applejack!

Applejack also stepped onto the stage, waving as she made her way towards the centre.

"GO APPLEJACK!" Applebloom cheered.

"I hope she can keep up," Twilight said, "after seeing Vinyl's skills."

"She'll be fine," Flash said, "Applejack's no slouch."

"Eeyup."

They turned to see Big Mac take up Applejack's empty seat.

"Great Duel back there Mac," Applebloom said, "were you worried you wouldn't win?"

"Nope," Mac replied.

Down on the field, Applejack and Vinyl finally reached the centre, where the ref was waiting.

"Hey there," Vinyl said, "I saw you Duel last round. That was a killer move you pulled off."

"Thanks," Applejack said, "ya'h weren't half bad ya'h self."

"May the best Duellist win," Vinyl said.

"Same e'h," Applejack said.

"Heads or tails?" The ref asked as he held up the coin.

"Tails," Vinyl said.

"Then a'll have heads," Applejack said.

The ref nodded and flipped the coin, before checking the outcome. "Tails. Vinyl Scratch takes the first move."

The two nodded and turned to step to a fair distance.

Celestia: Now let's find out which Duel Field they'll be Duelling on today.

Luna: I couldn't agree more. Let's see, shall we?

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor to glow as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two Duellists were transported to an unusual Duel field, which was a mountain range with vinyl records sticking out the side and acting like platforms. Applejack and Vinyl stood on opposing platforms, overlooking a large dip between mountains. [AN]

Celestia: It's Vinyl Mountain!

"Awesome," Vinyl said as she looked around.

"I'll say," Applejack said.

The two stared each other down and pulled out their Duel Disk, Vinyl's being white with a blue blade.

Luna: With nothing else to say, let's get this going.

Celestia: I couldn't agree more. In three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Vinyl: 4000
Applejack: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED."

"Here we go," Vinyl said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." Looking of her hand she smiled, "rocking. Now I'll summon my Disk Dude in ATK mode." A man appeared, wearing a black spandex suit and a pair of black headphones and shutter shades. Attached to each of his wrists was a single vinyl record, which was a large as his head. (A1800/D1600/L4) "I'll throw down a pair of face downs and call it a turn."

Celestia: Vinyl scratch his starting off strong. How will Applejack respond?

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said as she went to her deck, "a'h draw and I'll start by activating the Spell card, Reseeding. Now by discarding a Plant-Type monster from my hand, a'h can summon Plant-Type monsters from ma'h deck whose combined Levels equal the monster a'h sent to the graveyard."

Luna: As impressive as ever. Applejack's fine tuning her field to help summon something big.

"Now I'll discard Level six Thorn Fighter, to summon Apple Paladin and Garden Knight." In a flash of light, two monsters appeared on the field. The first was a monster which looked similar to Apple Knight, but his armour was white instead of silver. The second monster was another knight, in silver armour and carrying a long shovel. (A1200/D600/L3/P8), (A1300/D900/L3/P3)

"So those are her new Pendulum Monsters?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom replied, "aren't they cool?"

"They are," Flash said, "and what's cool is she didn't even need to Pendulum Summon them."

"Let's see what else she can do with them," Twilight said.

"Now I'll summon ma'h Maiden of Vines to the field," Applejack continued as her third monster appeared. (A1000/D1000/L3)

Vinyl knew what this meant, having seen her do it in her last Duel.

"And with these three monsters, I can now build the Overlay Network." The monsters shot into the air and then flew into the black hole as it appeared below her. "As the seasons bring fourth new growth, it can also bring fourth a new power," the black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing AJ's Xyz monster. "Orchid Cowboy!" (A2100/D600/R3)

"Knew it," Vinyl said.

"Orchid Cowboy attack Disk Dude!" Applejack ordered as her monster loaded its revolver and then aimed it at its opponent.

"You activated my Trap card!" Vinyl said as one of her face downs flipped up, "Bass Drop! It has the power to negate your attack and deal damage to half of your monster's ATK points."

"It would," Applejack said, "if not for my cowboy's ability. Once a turn I can remove an Overlay Unit to negate a Spell, Trap or monster effect." One of the three lights flew into the cowboy's other revolver which he aimed and fired a blast that hit the Trap, destroying it instantly. "That means my attack's back on." Her monster fired its other gun at Disk Dude.

"Well I activate my other face down," Vinyl said, "Defence Beat! This card saves my monster from destruction."

Disk Dude raised one of its arm mounted records, which the blast struck and bounced off.

Vinyl: 3700
Applejack: 4000

"What's more it lets me draw one card," Vinyl said as she did so.

"I'll set a card face down and end ma'h turn," Applejack said as she placed one card face down.

Celestia: Both sides are seemingly even. Which Duellist will be the first to make a decisive move?

"It's my turn," Vinyl said, "I draw. Now I'll tribute Disk Dude, to summon Sound Shaker!" Her monster disappeared in a flash of light, which faded to reveal a large black humanoid robot with large sub-woofers on its shoulders. (A2500/1600/L6)

Applejack frowned seeing this.

"Now my Sound Shaker will attack your Orchid Cowboy," Vinyl said as her monster unleashed a pair of powerful sound waves from its shoulder speakers, which combined into a single blast.

Applejack and her monster leaped off the platform they were on and flew down the side of the mountain, landing on a lower platform and picking up an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion!" As the blast drew closer, Orchid Cowboy leapt out of the way, causing it to fly under him and strike the disc platform.

Vinyl frowned at this, but smirked when her eyes caught the sight of something. She and her monster leapt off their platform and landed another, just about the on Applejack was on. These see picked up her own Action Card. "I activate Encore! Since my monster just attacked and there's still a monster on your side of the field, I can use this Action Spell to grant my Sound Shaker a second attack."

Applejack's eyes went wide hearing this.

Sound Shaker unleashed a second sound blast, which struck Orchid Cowboy and destroyed him.

Vinyl: 3700
Applejack: 3600

"Awe man," Spike said, "Vinyl's Action Spell pretty much cancelled out Applejack's."

"So what," Applebloom said, "my big sister ain't lost this yet."

"Eeyup."

"I activate ma'h face down," Applejack said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Overlay Recovery. With this I can summon any Overlay Units still attached to my Cowboy when it was destroyed. Plus their Levels will increase by one." The black hole opened once again as two lights shot out of it and landed on Applejack's field, revealing Apple Paladin and Garden Knight. (A1200/D600/L4/P8), (A1300/D900/L4/P3)

"Well I end my turn," Vinyl said.

Luna: Vinyl Scratch has taken a narrow lead. Will she be able to keep it going or will Applejack pull it back.

"Come on Applejack," Applebloom yelled to her sister, "get the lead out. Xyz Summon again."

"Relax Applebloom," Twilight told her, "you said it yourself, Applejack's no slouch. She'll be fine, we just need to keep cheering her on."

"Eeyup."

"You see what I mean," Chrysalis said, "her style is far to timid. She needs more brute force in her deck if she wants to win."

"I'll admit Applejack's play style is a little defensive," Sunset said, "but she wouldn't have gotten here if it didn't hold merit."

"We'll just have to wait and see how well she does," Cold said.

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and activate my Garden Knights ability. By removing a Plant Monster from my graveyard, I can add another Plant Monster with less ATK from my deck to my hand. "I'll banish Thorn Fighter to add Red Apple Golem to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which she took.

Vinyl knew Applejack was working to rebuild her hand to Xyz Summon more monsters, but she'd win this before she got the chance.

"And now," Applejack said, "I'll Overlay my two Level four monsters." Apple Paladin and Garden Knight both glowed, before shooting into the air and into the black hole. "He who watches over all growth, lend us your protection." The black hole burst in an explosion of light, "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's monster. "Orchid Defender!" (A1400/D2600/R4)

"Playing defence huh?" Vinyl said, "we'll see how long that lasts."

"I end my turn with a face down," Applejack said.

"Then it's my turn," Vinyl said as she went to her deck, "I draw!" She looked at her card and smiled, before turning to Applejack. "I summon Sound Synchron to the field," she said as a small robot appeared. It was white and had an instrument on its head designed to look like a pair white headphones. (A500/D500/L2)

"A Tuner Monster," Twilight said.

"That can't be good," Flash said.

"Applejack," Applebloom whispered in concern.

"And now," Vinyl said, "I tune Level two Sound Synchron with Level six Sound Shaker." Her Tuner transformed into a pair of lights, which carved a pair of circles which Sound Shaker leapt into. "Dance to the beat of my new sound. Raise the roof off this Duel," the monsters were consumed by a bright flash of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Vinyl's new monster. It was a figure in all white clothing, wearing a pair of large black shutter shades and large black headphones. He was sitting in a large machine that looked like a platform with four mechanical legs and a DJ rig on top, with large speakers on either side. "Sound Striker, DJ Pon-3!" (A2800/D2200/L8)

Celestia: Talk about a loud monster.

Luna: Wish I'd brought ear plugs.

Vinyl leaped up and onto the platform next to her monster, before turning down to Applejack. "DJ Pon-3," she then called out, "attack Orchid Defender!"

The DJ began playing its rig, unleashing a powerful sound wave from its speakers. Everyone had to cover their ears from noise.

"I activate Orchid Defender's ability," Applejack called out over , "by removing an Overlay Unit, I can negate your attack!"

"Maybe," Vinyl said, "if I didn't have my Sound Striker's ability. By paying five hundred life points, I change your monster's battle position."

Vinyl: 3200
Applejack: 3600

Orchid Defender raised from its defensive stance.

"Why'd she do that?" Scootaloo asked in confusion.

"Orchid Defender can only use it's ability when it's in DEF mode," Applebloom explained, "now it's in ATK mode, Applejack can't negate the attack."

"Plus she'll take battle damage," Flash said.

The sound wave struck Orchid Defender, destroying it and sending Applejack flying back into the mountain side.

Vinyl: 3200
Applejack: 2200

Applejack slowly got back onto her feet, before looking up at Vinyl.

"I end my turn," Vinyl said.

Once Applejack was steady on her feet, she reached for her deck. "It's ma'h turn, a'h draw!" She looked at her cards and smiled, having everything she needed. "First I'll summon Red Apple Golem in DEF mode." The large apple monster appeared before taking a defensive stance. (A1300/D1500/L4) "Now I'll activate my Golem's ability," Applejack said, "since it was Normal Summoned, I can add Green Apple Golem to my hand." Her deck shuffled out a card, which she took and added to her hand.

"What's she up to?" Vinyl wondered.

"And now," Applejack said, "I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Blooming Daisy and scale six Seedling Sprite." She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first was a three foot plant like monster with a face on its flower, while the second was a fairy like create wearing floral clothing.

The portal opened and shot out two beams of light, which struck the ground and took shape.

"Green Apple Golem." (A1400/D600/L4)

"Yellow Apple Golem." (A1200/D1200/L4)

Vinyl was still confused as she looked at the tree defending monsters. None of them stood a chance against her DJ.

"Now I'll activate my face down," Applejack went on as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Bloomberg the Moving Forest!"

"What's that do?" Vinyl asked.

"What is does," Applejack said, "is transform into a monster and summon it to ma'h side of the field." From out of nowhere came a monster, that was a giant tree with legs and arms. It had a mouth carved out of the bark and a single giant eye above it, while the top of its head was adorned with bright green leaves. At the end of its arms were the same leafed bushels, with five finger like branches on each on. (ATK 0/DEF 2000/L4)

"A Trap that becomes a monster?" Flash said in amazement.

"There aren't a lot of them," Twilight said, "but that one's extra special for Applejack.

"That's it?" Vinyl asked, "it doesn't have any ATK points."

"Not yet," Applejack said, "but with all three of my golems on my field, I can increase Bloomberg's ATK points to three thousand!" Vines flew out of Bloomberg's tree, wrapped around the three Apple Golems and then pulled them up and onto its branches. (ATK 3000/DEF 2000/L4)

"Oh," Vinyl said.

"Bloomberg attack!" The tree monsters leafs began to glow, before unleashing a flurry of leaf blades which flew towards Vinyl and her monster.

"I activate Sound Striker's ability," Vinyl said.

"You can activate it during my turn?" Applejack asked.

"That's right," Vinyl said, "so I'll pay five hundred life points to switch your monster's battle position.

Vinyl: 2700
Applejack: 2200

The DJ unleashed a powerful sound wave, which stopped the leafs in midair and then sent them flying back out. Bloomberg was forced to take up a defensive stance,

Applejack groaned but was forced to end her turn.

"Man she almost had her there," Flash said.

"Vinyl's Sound Striker is a powerful monster," Twilight said.

"There has to be some way to take it down," Spike said.

"Applejack'll need to find a way to beat it without attacking," Twilight said.

"It's my turn," Vinyl said as she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Boombox Dragon in ATK mode." A large black and purple dragon appeared with giant round ears in the shape of speakers. (A2000/D100/L4) "Now I'll use DJ Pon-3's ability to switch your Moving Forest into ATK mode."

Vinyl: 2200
Applejack: 2200

Once again the Synchro Monster unleashed a powerful burst of sound, which caused Bloomberg to change its battle position once again.

"What's she up to?" Applejack wondered.

"And now I'll have Boombox Dragon destroy Red Apple Golem," Vinyl said as her dragon flew forward and unleashed a sound wave at the apple monster. The blast struck, destroying it.

"Oh no," Twilight said.

"What's the matter?" Spike asked her in confusion.

"Without all three Apple Golems," Twilight replied, "Bloomberg's ATK points return to zero."

"Meaning Vinyl can destroy it," Flash caught on.

"And wipe out the rest of Applejack's life points," Scootaloo finished.

"Applejack!" Applebloom called out.

Sound Striker DJ Pon-3!" Vinyl yelled, "attack!"

The Synchro Monster unleashed it sound attack, sending it flying at the Trap Monster.

Applejack looked around and saw an Action Card on a platform on another mountain side. With no time to got around, Applejack knew her only hope was to jump it. Running up at full speed, Applejack leaped off the record and flew through the air.

As the sound wave attack drew closer, Applejack came to a rolling landing on the platform. Seeing she'd made it she look up and saw the Action Card, which she leaped at and grabbed just as the attack struck Bloomberg.

"APPLEJACK!" Her friends all called out.

Vinyl smiled, believing she'd won. But as the smoke began to fade, her smile disappeared when she saw Applejack standing there.

Vinyl: 2200
Applejack: 200

"But how?" She asked.

"Ma'h Action Spell," Applejack said, "Amplify. By tributing monsters on my field, a'h got a hundred attack points for each Level star. Since a'h sacrificed ma'h two remaining Apple Golems, a'h get eight hundred points."

"Lucky," Vinyl said, "but you realise next turn I'm gonna wipe you out."

"Yeah," Applejack replied, "but a'h still got one turn and that's all a'h need."

"Then bring it on," Vinyl said, "I end my turn."

Celestia: Applejack is down to her last few life points. Can she make a come back?

Luna: Hard to say with such little options.

"Like I said," Chrysalis said, "she needs more power in her deck."

"Don't sell her short," Cold said, "this Duel's far from over."

Applejack was feeling nervous. The next card she'd draw would determine whether she'd make it to the next round or not. With nothing to lose, Applejack took a deep breath and said. "It's ma'h turn, a'h draw!" She looked at the card she'd drawn and seeing it, her eyes went wide.

"Well?" Vinyl said, "what'd ya get?"

Applejack didn't reply, instead she just smirked. "The card that'll win me this Duel."

"Is that so?" Vinyl said, "then bring it on."

"Oh a'h will," Applejack replied, "A'h activate the Spell Rank-Up-Magic Growth Force!"

"A Rank-Up Spell," Vinyl said, "but you don't have any Xyz Monsters to Rank Up."

"Don't a'h." Applejack said. In that moment there was a flash of light and when it faded, it revealed Orchid Cowboy.

"What?" Vinyl asked.

"Growth Force is a Spell that lets me revive an Xyz monster," Applejack said, "before using him to rebuild the Overlay Network!" Orchid Cowboy transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Power of nature, bursting with life. Unleash your true strength upon the world." she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded revealing Applejack's new monster. It looked like Orchid Cowboy, only his poncho was now a black cloak. Pinned to it was a sheriff star with an apple in the centre. He wore a ten gallon hat on his head and carried a pair of black and silver pistols. A single light flew around him. "Orchid Sheriff!" (A2800/D2300/R4)

Everyone watched on in wonder at Applejack's new monster.

Celestia: An impressive Chaos Xyz Summon. But will it help her achieve victory?

"Nice move," Vinyl said, "but it won't help you beat me. Our monsters both have the same ATK points."

"We'll see about that," Applejack said, "Orchid Sheriff attack Sound Striker!" The Xyz Monster aimed its pistol at the Synchro Monster."

"Not happening," Vinyl said, "by paying five hundred life point I'm changing your monsters position."

"I don't think so," Applejack said, "because I'm using my monsters ability. By removing an Overlay Unit, I can negate your monsters ability." The light flew into his pistol, which he fired at the DJ and caused it to not be able to play its music. "What's more," Applejack said, "it also lets me increase my monsters ATK power by your monsters ATK." (A5600/D2300/R4)

"No way," Vinyl said in shock.

The Xyz Monster fired his weapon, shooting it at Sound Striker destroying it and causing Vinyl to got flying.

Vinyl: 0
Applejack: 200 (Winner)

Luna: Victory!

Celestia: Applejack overcame the odds and managed a come from behind win. Truly impressive.

As the field dissolved, Applejack walked over to where Vinyl had landed and helped her up.

"Thanks," Vinyl said, "and thanks for the totally rocking Duel."

"Same here partner," Applejack said, "let's do it again some time."

"Totally," Vinyl replied.

With that the two turned to leave.

"That was awesome," Applebloom cheered, "I told you my sister wouldn't lose."

"Maybe," Scootaloo said, "but admit it. You were worried for a moment."

Applebloom blushed. "Maybe for a nanosecond."

Everybody laughed at this.

"So Ms Chrysalis," Cold said, "what do you think of the girl now?"

"I admit she did have enough power in the end," Chrysalis said, "hopefully next time she won't leave it so late."

"Well sometimes we can't bring our A game," Shining said, "even if we really want to."

"He's right," Cadance said, "it's all about what cards you're given."

Before they could say anything else, the Celestic Sisters came onto the stage.

Luna: It's time for the third match to begin.

Celestia: But first we have to decide who's going to be Duelling.

Luna: Let's find that out right now.

She pressed the button on her remote and the megascreen switched to the last four Duellists. The images then spun around and began spinning, until one picture shot out and showed the Duellist.

Celestia: Flash Sentry!

"Alright," Flash said as he got up, "my turn."

"Good luck," Twilight said.

"You'll do great," Scootaloo said.

Flash just gave a thumbs up before moving out of the seats.

Meanwhile the second image shot out, revealing Flash's opponent.

Luna: It's Maud Pie!

"Maud?" Pinkie said happily, before she realised something and her hair deflated while she frowned.

"What's up?" Spike asked her.

"How do I cheer?" Pinkie asked, "one's my sister and the others my friend."

"There's nothing wrong with cheering for both of them," Twilight said, "remember when Flash faced Spike."

Thinking this over, Pinkie smiled before her hair shot up again. They were right, she could cheer for them both and be happy doing it.

The Celestic Cup Finals continue, but could Flash overcome the rock wall that was Maud Pie?

Turn 14, Destiny Bound

View Online

Celestia: It's time for the Celestic Cup's third match.

Luna: Let's welcome the two Duellists onto the field.

The two openings opened up, releasing a vail of smoke as the two Duelists stepped onto the field.

Celestia: First up we have the Pendulum Duellist. He won his spot here by defeating Shining Spoon and his Xyz Dragons, Flash Sentry!

Flash stepped out onto the field, waving at all his fans as he did.

"Go get em Flash!" Scootaloo cheered.

"I'm worried," Twilight said, "Maud's an incredibly powerful Duellist. Can Flash beat her?"

"No worries," Spike said, "Flash has Duelled powerful Duellists before and always come out on top."

"Si" Tidal said, "our Amigo won't be beaten so easily."

"If you say so," Twilight said.

Luna: And his opponent. Getting here required defeating her sister, but she did and is looking to repeat her performance. It's Maud Pie!

Maud stepped out onto the field, slowly walking towards Flash and the ref.

"It amazes me that someone who's usually so quiet," Chrysalis said, "could Duel so ferociously."

"Duelling allows one to truly be themselves," Cold explained, "much like how Big Mac is so shy but gains incredible confidence when he Duels."

"I guess," Chrysalis said.

"I hope Flash can beat her," Thorax said.

"Picked your favourite have we?" Sunset asked with a smirk.

"Flash is awesome," Thorax said, "his deck is so diverse."

"But you've only seen it once?" Chrysalis asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Well..." Thorax thought, "the way he Duelled before just gave that impression."

"I see," Chrysalis said.

Flash and Maud finally met in the centre of the field, where the ref was waiting for them with his coin.

"Heads or tails?"

"I'll take....heads," Flash said, with Maud just nodding in agreement.

The ref flipped the coin and looked at the outcome. "Heads, Flash Sentry will take the first move."

The two nodded and stepped back to a reasonable distance.

Celestia: Now it's time to see which field our competitors will be Duelling on.

Luna: Agreed. Let's see, shall we?

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor to glow as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two Duellists were transported to a large rocky terrain. There were multiple large rocks of different shapes and sizes, with Flash and Maud each standing on a large rock stack.

Celestia: It's Grand Canyon!

Luna: Our Duellists our gonna have a rocking time on this field.

Flash looked around and sighed. "Maud'll have home field advantage on this field," he said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm, "but that won't stop me."

"We'll see," Maud said as she attached her own Duel Disk.

Celestia: Our Duellists are ready to throw down.

Luna: Then what are we waiting for. Let's get this Duel started.

Celestia: In three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Maud: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED."

"My turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and start by setting the Pendulum Scale." He took two cards from his hand and placed them on his Duel Disk. "I'm setting scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Magna Caster Solaris, to set the Pendulum Scale." The two columns of light appeared besides him, as the magicians flew up and into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash said as the magicians fired the beams of light out their staffs and formed the portal above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three beams of light shot out, striking the ground as they did.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon." (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Surfs up, Magna Fighter Light Boarder." (A1300/D1100/L3/P3)

"Flare up, Blazing Light Dragon." (A2600/D1900/L7)

Maud frowned seeing the three monsters in DEF mode.

Celestia: Flash seems to be going with a defensive stratagy.

Luna: No doubt he remembers how Maud's deck works and what a certain monster can do.

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash said.

"Flash must be trying to hold out until Maud summons Tectonic Colossal," Twilight said, "once that's out he'll go one the attack."

"But will Maud fall for that?" Scootaloo asked.

"We'll see," Tidal said.

"GO MAUD!" Pinkie screamed.

"It's my turn," Maud said as she reached for her deck, "I draw!" She looked at her deck and nodded, before taking cards from her deck. "I'm setting my Pendulum Scale, with scale three Stone Serpent and scale seven Stone Eagle!"

She placed two cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up. One either side of her, two columns of light appeared as two monsters flew up into them. The first Flash had seen before, but the second was a new monster that looked like a giant bird made of stone.

The portal opened and two beams of light stone out.

"Stone Sentry." (A1400/D1300/L4)

"Granmarg the Rock Monarch." (A2400/D1000/L6)

"Now I'll have my Stone Sentry attack Magna Fighter Light Boarder!" The stone monster charged forward, before using its giant arms to smash the Pendulum Monster and destroy it. "Now Granmarg attack Blazing Light Dragon!" The larger stone monster charged forward, doing what Stone Sentry did and smashed the dragon destroying it.

The force of the attack forced Flash to lose his footing and be thrown off his rock stack, landing on the ground with a thud.

"And now," Maud said, "I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon the mighty Tectonic Colossal!" The two monsters were consumed by a brilliant burst of light, which quickly faded to reveal Maud's best monster. (A3500/D2000/L8)

"Oh great," Flash said as he watched Maud leap onto her monster's shoulder.

"I end my turn with a face down," Maud said.

Luna: Her first turn and Maud's already called upon her deck's heavy hitter. Can Flash find a way to topple this Goliath?

"This is it," Twilight said, "Flash needs to defeat that monster or it'll annihilate him."

"He can do it," Spike said, "Flash's deck is prepared for anything."

"We'll see," Tidal said, "our amigo's got a serious wall to break down."

"That monster can destroy any other monster in ATK position," Sunset explained, "meaning that Flash has to either destroy it, or continue playing defence and hope Maud makes a mistake."

"Flash can do it," Shining said, "he's no coward. He'll find a way to destroy that monster."

"Yes," Cadance said, "he'll be fine. Like Thorax said, his deck is incredibly diverse. Somewhere in there's a way to win."

"We'll see," Chrysalis said.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the card and smiled, seeing just what he needed. "I activate Stardust Reload, which let's me banish Blazing Light Dragon to draw seven cards." He drew his cards and seeing what they were made his smile grow bigger. "And now my Pendulum Monsters will once again carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal formed once again, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Surfs up, Magna Fighter Light Boarder." (A1300/D1100/L3/P3)

"Shields up, Magna Fighter Arma." (A1800/D0/L4)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon." (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Alright!" Everyone who saw it said.

"That's just what he needs," Twilight said.

"Why try and destroy it when he can just send it to the bottom of her deck," Spike said.

"Don't be so sure," Tidal said making them turn to him. "Senorita Pie will no doubt have been expecting this, so she must have a plan to deal with it."

"Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "Tectonic Colossal to the bottom of your deck."

"I don't think so," Maud said, "because I'm activating my face down." Her card flipped up revealing a Trap, "Dragged Down! With this I can sacrifice my Tectonic Colossal and then send a monster with less ATK points to the graveyard."

"WHAT!" Flash said.

As Maud jumped off her monsters shoulder, Tectonic Colossal reached out and grabbed Flash Heart before the ground below him began to crack and smashed. The giant fell into the abyss, bringing Flash Heart with it and soon the ground closed in around them and sealed it shut.

Flash growled seeing this.

"Next," Maud said, "I can summon a monster from my deck whose ATK points are equal to or lower then the difference between our destroyed monsters. Your monster was a thousand points weaker then mine, meaning I can summon something with one thousand or less ATK points. I summon Golem Sentry, in DEF mode." A creature that looked like a large wooden door with legs and arms appeared on her field. (A800/D1900/L4)

"This is bad," Twilight said, "with Flash Heart in the graveyard, Flash can't Pendulum Summon it next turn."

"It's fine," Spike said, "it's not like Flash hasn't faced this problem before."

"Yeah," Scootaloo said, "he's got this." She then turned back to the field, looking nervous. "I hope."

"You may have sent my ace to the graveyard," Flash said, "but my monsters are still stronger then your Golem. Volt Edge attack!" The dragon's armour sparked as it leaped forward, aiming at the rock monster. "When Volt Edge Dragon attacks," Flash said, "he gains six hundred ATK points!" (A2100/D1200/L4/P5) The dragon struck the monster, causing it to crack and turn to rubble.

"Now Light Boarder attacks you directly," Flash said as his monster hoped on its board and flew at Maud. She aimed her pistols at Maud and fired a pair of lasers, which struck the girl in the chest.

Flash: 4000
Maud: 2700

"Now Arma attacks!" The shield carrying girl leapt forwards and slammed her weapon into Maud.

Flash: 4000
Maud: 900

"I end my turn with two face down," Flash said.

Celestia: Despite losing his best monster, Flash Sentry has managed to claim the lead over Maud.

Luna: What will Maud do to fight back?"

"It's my turn," Maud said, "I draw and thanks to Stone Sentry's ability, I can banish him and draw two new cards." She did do and drew, looking at her cards she smiled.

"I pay three hundred life points to activate the Spell card Excavation!"

Flash: 4000
Maud: 600

"Now I can take a Spell card in your graveyard and add it to my hand," Maud said.

Flash frowned, knowing there was only one card in his graveyard.

"I select Stardust Reload," Maud said, "hand it over."

Flash removed the card from his grave and tossed it at her, which she caught and then placed in her Duel Disk. "Now I'll activate Stardust Reload, to banish Tectonic Colossal!"

"Wait," Spike said, "what level is Tectonic Colossal again?"

"Eight," Twilight said, "meaning she card draw eight. Combined with the two card's she already has makes..."

Celestia: Ten cards. What will she do with them?

"I draw," Maud took the top eight cards of her deck, adding them to the two in her hand. "Perfect," she said, "now I'll summon the monster whose potential is practically limitless!"

Flash frowned at this. What was this monster.

"I summon Muka Muka!" Maud yelled as a monster appeared on the field. It was a giant crab like creature, with purple claws and legs. Its body was green, with a rock like shell on top which had holes that smoke was coming out of. (A600/D300/L2)

"That's your monster with limitless potential?" Flash asked, "it's only got six hundred ATK points."

"Don't judge a rock by its mineral composition," Maud said, "you haven't even see Muka Muka's ability."

"Which is?"

Maud just smirked. "Muka Muka gains three hundred ATK and DEF points, for every card in my hand."

Wait," Flash said as his eyes went wide, "how many cards are you holding?"

"Nine," Maud said, "times three hundred is twenty seven hundred. Added to Muka Muka's currently points makes." (A3300/3000/L2) Muka Muka slowly began to grow, until its body was the size of a bulldozer."

"You've gotta be kidding me!"

"Muka Muka," Maud ordered as she leaped onto her monsters shell, "attack Volt Edge Dragon!" The giant crab raised its colossal claw and swung it at the dragon, who's own power lowered due to its effect. The claw struck and Volt Edge was destroyed, while the force of the attack sent Flash flying back and crashing into one of the rock stacks.

Flash: 1900
Maud: 600

As Flash pulled himself up, he activate one of his face down. "Go Stardust Draw. Now I can draw four cards."

"Well I'm activate a Spell card from my hand," Maud said as her monster was weakened. (A3000/2700/L2) "Infinite Cards. Now my hand's limit is removed, meaning I won't discard any cards during my end phase."

"This is bad," Twilight said, "with each turn that monster's gonna grow stronger and stronger."

"Flash can beat it," Scootaloo said, "I think.

"Without Flash Heart," Tidal said, "he'll have a tough time."

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw," he looked at the card he drawn and thanked his good luck. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon," he said, "to get rid of your Infinite Cards."

A tornado appeared on the field, which began spinning towards Maud's card. But just as it was about to be sucked up, a strange looking barrier appeared around it.

"What?" Flash asked as he watched the tornado disappear.

"Sorry," Maud said, "but my Stone Bird's Pendulum Effect's cancelling out your spell. Once per turn, I can negate the destruction of a face up card on my field."

Flash frowned seeing his plan be foiled. "I'll switch my monsters into defence mode, then use my Pendulum Scale to Pendulum Summon my Volt Edge Dragon in DEF mode." The portal opened and shot out a card, which became Flash's Pendulum Monster. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Maud said, "I draw and activate the Spell Heavy Storm."

Flash's eyes went wide seeing this, knowing what it meant.

"With this," Maud said "I can destroy every Spell or Trap card on the field. But I'll also be using Stone Bird's Pendulum Ability to protect Infinite Cards."

A powerful gust of wind blew through the field, sucking up Flash's face downs and Pendulum Cards along with Maud's Pendulums. The cards where all sucked up and sent flying into oblivion.

"Now Flash can't Pendulum Summon any more," Applebloom said.

"Now I attack Volt Edge Dragon," Maud said as Muka Muka attack and once again destroyed the dragon. "I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." he looked at the cards in his hand, but none of them could beat Muka Muka. "I summon Flash Knight in DEF mode," he said as his monster appeared before him. (A1800/D600/L4/P7) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Maud said, "and I play Pot of Greed, to draw two cards." She drew as her monster grew stronger.(A3600/3300/L2) "And now I place another copy of Stone Bird into my Pendulum Scale." (A3300/3000/L2) One of her light columns reappeared and the monster flew back up. "Now I can protect Muka Muka from this card," Maud said, "Quick Sand." (A3000/2700/L2)

Suddenly the ground bellow the monsters transformed into a whirlpool of sand, which all of Flash's monsters began to be sucked into. Muka Muka was shielded by the magic barrier, keeping it from being sucked in but Flash's monsters weren't so lucky and were all destroyed.

"GUYS!" Flash yelled seeing his monsters disappear.

"Quick Sand is a Spell that destroys every Monster on the field," Maud explained, "but with Stone Bird's ability Muka Muka was saved."

Celestia: Sentry's in trouble. With no monsters he's in danger of a direct attack."

"Which is coming right now!" Maud called out. Her monster raised its claw and swung it at Flash.

Flash looked around, and saw exactly the thing he needed to protect himself. "An Action Card," he said as he ran towards the nearby stone stack, which he leaped onto just as Muka Muka struck it. "I discard my entire hand to activate the Action Spell Trap Exchange," he said, "now I can activate a Trap Card in my graveyard. I select the Defence Draw your Heavy Storm destroyed earlier." A force field appeared around Flash, shielding him from Muka Muka's attack. "Now I can draw one card."

"Fine," Maud said, "I end my turn.

Luna: Flash saved himself, but with no monsters on the field and only one card in hand he'll have a tough time beating her.

"It seems young Flash is out of the tournament," Chrysalis said.

"It's not over yet," Thorax said, making his mother turn to him suspiciously. "He's still got a chance to beat her."

"He's right," Shining said, "I don't know how but Flash can find a way to beat her."

"I agree," Cadance said, "there's a way and he'll find it."

Cold didn't say anything. Instead he simply continued to watch, waiting to see if Flash could Duel his way out of this mess. "There is a way," he said quietly, "you know what it is."

As Flash stood up he looked down at his card and saw it was Crossbolt, which didn't stand a chance against Muka Muka. "There's gotta be something I can do," he said, "but what?"

It was then that he felt it, a familiar feeling coming from his deck. It was as if something was calling out to him, but what. Suddenly his Extra Deck shot open as a light burst out coming from one of the cards. Flash removed the glowing card, finding it to be one of the Xyz cards.

Suddenly the light grew so strong that Flash to shut his eyes or risk losing a retina.

When Flash opened his eyes he found we wasn't in the Duel any more. He was back in the ancient ruin, where he'd been before.

"Wait," he said, "am I...back in the Duel Monster Spirit World?" Before he could think, he felt a new presence. Spinning around he saw Flash Heart Dragon flying down into the ruin, before turning to him. "Flash Heart," he said as he rushed over to him, "you're here. But why are we here?"

Flash Heart said nothing and instead turned towards the statue on the fair side of the ruins. He pointed to it and Flash felt he wanted him to stand next to it, which he did. Once there he turned to his partner.

"Now what?" He got his answer when the statue began to move. The ground Flash was standing on sunk into the ground, as he and the statue descended downwards like some kind of elevator.

As they continued to go lower and lower, the day light from above growing dimmer. Eventually the platform came to a halt and Flash looked around, but all he could see was darkness. "Okay," he said, "what now?"

Suddenly a light appeared in front of him, causing him to turn and see it was originating from a torch that was inside a long corridor which Flash hadn't noticed before. More torches lit and illuminated the corridor, as Flash and Flash Heart traversed it. They came to a large stone door, which opened as soon as Flash Heart touched it. It lead to a room which was illuminated by more torches.

It was then that Flash saw it. A giant stone statue in the centre of the room, in the shape of a four legged dragon with large wings and spikes covering it.

"What is this?" Flash asked as he turned to his dragon. Flash Heart didn't reply and simply pointed towards it. Flash turned back to the statue and decided to check it out, by floating up towards the face and touching it.

The second he did, he felt some kind of warm coming from it. It was as if something was inside the statue, some resting spirit from long ago. He then felt something he could almost mistake for a heart beat, which repeated and then again making him realise it was a heart beat. This made Flash realise what this statue was. It wasn't a statue at all, but a monster and it was asleep.

"This is a friend of yours isn't it?" Flash asked his ace, who nodded in return. Flash looked back at the statue and placed his hand on it again. "I don't know you, but if Flash Heart trusts you then I know I can too. I need your help, so will you please lend me a hand."

Suddenly a crack appeared from where Flash was touching, making him smile.

"I know you've been sleeping for a long time," he said, "so why not wake up and join me?"

More cracks appeared and began to spread around its body.

"Come on out," he said, "come join the adventure!"

With that the stone shattered, realising a burst of light which caused Flash to shield his eyes.

"RRRRRAAAAAOOOOORRRRR!"

The cry of a new monster made Flash try to see what was happening, but he saw only light.

Flash opened his eyes and found himself back in the Duel, Muka Muka staring down at him.

"What's the matter?" Maud said, "giving up?"

Flash just smirked. "No chance," he said, "I'm still planning to win this." He reached for his deck, "My turn, I DRAW!" Seeing what he'd drawn, a plan formed in his head. "I activate the Spell Pendulum Loader. With no cards in my Pendulum Zones, I can add two Pendulum Monsters from my Extra Deck to my hand." His Extra Deck opened and slotted out two cards, which he took and then slapped down on his Duel Disk. "Now I'll reset the Pendulum Scale with scale three Magna Fighter Light Boarder and scale five Volt Edge Dragon." The columns of light appeared, with the two monsters flying up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal formed. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out.

"To arms, Flash Knight!" (A1800/D600/L4/P7)

"Ready aim fire, Magna Fighter Crossbolt." (A1400/D1400/L4)

"What will those two do?" Maud asked, "neither's strong enough to take down Muka Muka."

"Maybe not in their current form," Flash said, "but once I Overlay them."

This caught everyone's attention.

"Wait," Scootaloo said, "Flash is Xyz Summoning?"

"Since when could he do that?" Spike asked.

Twilight just smiled. "He did it."

Flash Knight and Crossbolt glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at Flash's feet. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." Flash's Extra Deck opened and he pulled out the new card, as the black hole exploded and released a new monster onto the field. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Flash's newest monster. It was a four legged dragon that was the same size as Muka Muka, with black scales hidden beneath bronze armour. It had a pair of robotic wings in the shape of semicircles, and large spikes running down its back to its tail. It had ten eyes, five on each side of its face, and giant horns on its head. His wings, knees and tail tip were adorned with purple crystalline spikes and two lights floated around it body. "DESTINY BOUND DRAGON!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

Everyone was in awe at Flash's new monster, which he leapt onto and sat down on its neck.

"I attack Muka Muka," Flash said as his monster raised its wings.

"Are you nuts?" Maud asked, "my monster's way stronger then your's."

"Not once I activate his Special Ability," Flash explained. "When Destiny Bound Dragon attacks a monster, whose ATK points are higher then their origanal value, I can remove an Overlay Unit and increase his ATK points by the same amount."

Maud's eyes went wide hearing this.

Destiny Bound Dragon bite down on one of its Overlay Units, as the crystal spikes began to glow. (A4800/D2100/R4)

"GO!" Flash called out, "Fate Rider Missiles" Several slots on Destiny Bound Dragon's wings flipped open and from fired a barrage of rockets, which flew into the air and then back down towards Muka Muka.

Maud looked around for an Action Card and saw one one a rock stake, but as she leaped off her monster. The first of the Missiles struck Muka Muka, causing an explosion as the rest of the missals struck. Muka Muka was completely engulfed by the smoke, as Maud was sent flying by the explosion.

Flash: 1900 (Winner)
Maud: 0

Celestia: He did it! Flash Sentry has defeated Maud Pie and will be moving onto the next round.

Luna: He's overcome the great wall that is Maud.

"HE DID IT!" Scootaloo and Spike screamed.

"Excelente!" Tidal said.

Pinkie was also clapping, thought she did look a little disappointed. She was happy for Flash, but still sad that Maud had been defeated.

"It's okay Pinkie," Twilight told her friend, "Maud was great and has nothing to be ashamed of."

Pinkie nodded, a smile on her face. "You're right, she did great."

"You see," Shining said happily, "I told you he could do it."

"Yes you did," Chrysalis said not looking very impressed.

"So he can Xyz Summon as well," Thorax said.

"It seems so," Sunset said with a smirk, "wonder what else he can do?" She turned to Cold, but found he was gone.

Down on the field, Flash moved over to where Maud had landed.

The girl was now standing, while her face had returned to the usual stoic expression.

"That was a great Duel," he said, "I wasn't really sure if I was gonna win it."

"You're welcome," Maud said, "I enjoyed myself."

"Thanks," Flash said, "maybe we can Duel again?"

'Maybe," Maud said, "but if you really want to test your skills, you should duel my sister Marble. Not even Pinkie, Limestone and I in a three on one have ever beaten her."

"Really?" Flash asked, "Is she older than you?"

Maud shuck her head. "No, Marble is the baby of the family"

"Whoa," Flash said, "cool. Well I hope I get the chance to Duel her."

"I hope so to," Maud said. With that she turned and headed back to where she'd origanal come out of.

Celestia: And with that we move onto the final match.

Luna: Cloak N Daggers will face off against Amethyst Star, before we go into our lunch and then the B Block tournament.

As Maud made her way through the corridor, she stopped when she saw someone leaning against the nearby wall.

"Ms Pie," Cold Steel said, "I'd like to talk to you about something important."

Cloak and Amethyst had just started their Duel, which was taking place of the Duel Field known as Gem Cave.

"This Cloak guy's good," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Flash said as he stepped up to them.

"Flash," Twilight said, "you were great."

"Thanks," Flash said, "it was a close one."

"Where'd you get the Xyz card?" Applebloom asked.

"From Cold," Flash said as he pulled out the new card, "I just got it to wake up."

"That's great," Scootaloo said, "that means you can Xyz Summon."

"You know it," Flash said as he sat down, "but I've still got a way to go."

"You'll get there," Twilight said with a smile.

Flash nodded and turned to watch the remainder of the Duel.

It went on for another ten minutes, until finally a winner was declared.

Celestia: And with that, Cloak N Daggers will be moving on to the next round.

Luna: The A Block tournament has come to a close, we'll be stopping for an hour long lunch. When we return, we'll be beginning our B Block tournament.

Celestia: Until then, we thank you for coming.

"Anybody up for a big lunch?" Applejack asked, "I could eat a whole horse after that Duel."

"Same here," Flash said as they stood up and headed down to the arena cafe.

The Celestic Cup's second round is now half over, but what will be on the horizon for the second half?

Turn 15, Dark Times Ahead

View Online

We find the gang in the stadium cafeteria, where many different food stands were serving a diversity of different foods.

There was a stand selling hot dogs, burgers and slices of pizza, Flash and the younger teens had rushed towards that one, along with places that sell salads or Chinese and Mexican foods. Everyone had quickly split up and gotten their lunches, before regrouping at a large table to eat.

"And then," Flash said, "I spoke to the statue and slowly it began to crack before it finally shattered and a blinding light appeared." He was explaining what had happened when Destiny Bound Dragon had awakened. "The next thing I know, I'm back on the Duel field and...well you were there."

"That's awesome," Scootaloo said, "to think you can make statues come to life."

"I don't think it was always a statue," Flash replied, "it felt more like it was maybe turned to stone and in a deep sleep. I was just able to awaken it."

"So it was some kind of cryogenic freezing," Twilight pondered, "or maybe a form of fossilisation."

"Who cares what it is," Spike said, "all that matters is that Flash was able to wake it up and he'll probably be able to do it again."

"He's right," Scootaloo said, "maybe there's another statue that's waiting for you."

"You think?" Flash asked.

"It would make sense," Applejack said.

"Maybe you can try it next time you Duel," Applebloom said.

"I guess," Flash said.

"Now isn't this a happy band of Duellists."

Everyone turned to see Time Turner standing next to their table, burger and chips on his tray.

"Hey Time," Flash said, "what brings you here."

"Just a spot of lunch," Time said, "saw you and thought I'd come offer my congratulations on your latest victory."

"Thanks," Flash said, "You'll be up pretty soon."

"We hope you do as well as you did last round," Twilight said.

"Thank you my dear," Time said, "I hope you do well also. We'll have to be cautious, especially if we Duel one of them."

Everyone turned to the table he was staring at and frowned, seeing Shadow and Adagio sitting at it. Adagio was eating a salad, while Shadow was simply sitting at the table.

"If one of us Duels one of them," Time continued, "we'll need to be careful."

"Yeah," Flash said, "after seeing what they did to Rarity and Rainbow I can't help but agree."

"Hopefully we won't face them until late in the tournament," Twilight said.

"Hopefully," Time said, "but one can't be to careful." With that he stepped away, heading towards a table that Derpy was sitting at.

Meanwhile the VIPs were also enjoying their lunch.

Chrysalis had picked out Thorax's food, handing the plate to him which was filled with healthy and sophisticated food. When she wasn't looking, Thorax made a disgusted look at the food but began to eat when he saw his mother look back at him.

Sunset was eating a cucumber sandwich when she saw Cold return to the box.

"Where'd you get to?" She asked him.

"Had to take care of some business," Cold said, "tell you about it later."

"So any predictions on the next round?" Chrysalis asked once they were all sat down.

"I'm predicting my sister kicking whoever she Duel's butt," Shining said.

"And if she Duels that Adagio or Shadow?" Chrysalis asked.

Hearing this Shining frowned, before sitting back and going silent.

"I'm sure she'll be fine," Cadance said.

"Yeah," Sunset said, "she's not gonna lose to them. I guarantee it."

Shining smiled and nodded. His sister would be fine.

The hour long break had passed and now everyone was back in their seats, waiting for the B Block to begin. Suddenly the stage burst with fireworks, as the Celestic Sister stepped out and waved to the audience.

Celestia: Hello everyone. We hope you had a delicious lunch and are fuelled up for the B Block tournament.

Luna: Eight more Duelists are about to battle it out for the four limited spots in the next round. Now let's see who'll be the first two working for it.

She raised her remote and pressed the button, causing the megascreen to activate and show the eight Duelists. The images then flipped around to hide them, before spinning in a circle. The first image shot out and revealed the Duelist.

Celestia: First up is Time Turner!

"Alright," Flash said, "it's Time's time."

Everyone rolled their eyes at the pun.

The second image flipped out, revealing Time's opponent. Everyone's eyes went wide seeing who it was.

Luna: Shadow. Both Duelists please make it your way to the arena.

Everyone frowned. They had talked about being careful against him, but it was still worrying seeing he was going be Duelling their friend.

"I'm worried," Twilight said, "after what happened to Rainbow, who knows what Shadow will do to Time."

"All we can do is cheer him on," Flash said, "the rest we'll have to leave to him."

Twilight and the others all nodded, before turning back to the field.

A few minutes passed and the two Duelists stepped out onto the field.

Time and Shadow met in the centre, where the ref was waiting for them. The two stared each other down.

"You may look like Flash," Time said, "but you're nothing like him."

Shadow just smirked. "You're right," he replied, "I'm a hundred times better."

"No," Time said, "you're not. And I'm going to make sure what you did yesterday won't happen again."

The ref flipped and it was decided that Time would take the first move, before the two stepped back to a reasonable distance.

In her hospital bed, Rainbow was watching the TV nervously. After what had happened to her, she was scared for Time Turner.

"You alright?" Fluttershy asked her.

"Just nervous," Rainbow said, "I know Time's good, but he's facing off against Shadow. You saw what he did to me, so how's Time going to do?"

"We'll just have to hope he has a trick up his sleeve," Rarity said from her bed.

"She's right," Sweetie said, "sure Shadow's strong, but he can't be unbeatable."

Rainbow sighed but nodded anyway, knowing they were right.

Celestia: With nothing else stopping us, let's see which field our competitors will face each other on.

She raised her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two Duellists were transported to a large city, made of bronze metal in the shape of gears, cogs and other clockwork pieces. The two were standing on a large gear shaped platform.

Luna: It's Gear City!

As Time placed his Duel Disk on his arm, he stared his opponent down. "There's something not quite right about him," he said to himself, "and the only way to figure it out is to Duel him."

Celestia: Our Duellists are ready to throw down.

Luna: Then what are we waiting for. Let's get this Duel started.

Celestia: In three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!"

"DUEL!"

Time: 4000
Shadow: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED."

"First moves mine," Time Turner said, "I draw and summon Chrono Viper in ATK mode." The metal ground split apart and from make the robotic serpent, with the gear on its head spinning. (A1700/D1100/L4) "I end my turn with two face downs."

"My turn," Shadow said as he drew his card, "I'll start by summoning Shadow-Mech Diver in ATK mode." A surge of water appeared and from out of it came a light blue submarine appeared, before it transformed into a four meter high robot. (A800/D1800/L4) "Now I'll attack!"

"But my monster has almost a thousand more ATK points?" Time asked, "why attack."

Shadow didn't answer. Instead his robot reverted back to its vehicle form and dived into the metal ground. Seconds passed and finally it reappeared, shooting out the ground between Time and Chrono Viper, before launching a torpedo at Time which struck him and exploded.

Time: 3200
Shadow: 4000

"So it can attack directly," Time said once he'd caught his balance, "I'm guessing it then switches to DEF mode?"

"You'd be correct," Shadow said as his monster surfaced on his side but remained in its vehicle mode. "I end my turn with a face down."

Celestia: A well executed move. How will Time Turner respond?

"I'll go," Time said as he drew his card and smirked, "and I'll summon my main monster. Say hello to Chrono Fighter." In a flash of light, the robotic knight appeared and swung its sword around. (A100/100/L1)

"You expect to beat me with that hung of tin?" Shadow asked, "It's nothing."

"Appearances can be deceiving," Time said, "I now attack your Shadow-Mech Diver with Chrono Fighter."

"Go ahead," Shadow said, "I'll easily beat it."

"Not once I activate my face down," Time said as one of his cards flipped up, "Turn Jump! Now we're both forced to skip ahead three turns." Everything froze as the Spell took effect, causing them to skip their turns.

"What's the point?" Shadow said, "what will skipping three turns do for you?"

"A lot in fact," Time said, "because for each turn that's skipped, Chrono Fighter's ability kicks in and causes him to evolve and increase in power." The robotic knight glowed as it powered up, with the first turn skipped, (A600/D500/L2) then the second turn, (A1100/D900/L3) and finally the third turn, (A1600/D1300/L4)

"So what?" Shadow asked, "it's still no match for my Shadow-Mech."

"That's why I'm activating my other face down," Time said, "another Turn Jump."

Luna: So he'll be skipping another three turns, meaning his monster will evolve three more times.

Time once again stopped as Chrono Fighter once again powered up three more times. When time restarted Time's monster's new ATK and DEF was revealed. (A3100/D2500/L7) The now much larger Chrono Fighter swung its sword to strike Shadow-Mech Diver, destroying it.

"Now Chrono Viper will attack" Time said as his monster slivered towards Shadow.

"I activate my face down," Shadow said as his card flipped up, "Shadow-Mechanic! Now I can revive my Shadow-Mech to intercept your attack." The submarine robot reappeared and tackled Chrono Viper, who spun its gear to grind into it and destroy it.

Time: 3200
Shadow: 3100

"A decent defence," Time said, "I'll end my turn there."

"Then it's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw and play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." He looked at them and nodded, knowing what to do. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale three Shadow-Mech Hauler and scale eight Shadow-Mech Breaker." He slapped the cards down on his Duel Disk as it lit up, while the columns of light appeared and the monsters floated up into them. One was a bulldozer like vehicle, with a yellow drill in place of a shovel which transformed into a robot. The portal formed above Shadow's head, as he prepared to summon his monsters. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, striking the groudn and taking form.

It was a large black jet, which transformed into the seven foot tall robot. "Shadow-Mech Jetstorm!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P2)

The machine looked over at Time's monsters, who stared it down without fear.

"Now Jetstorm," Shadow said, "attack Chrono Viper!"

The robot reverted back to its jet form, before shooting into the sky and aimed at the robotic snake with its targeting computer. It then fired a single missile, which flew down and struck Chrono Viper, destroying it and causing a large explosion.

Time: 2400
Shadow: 3100

"I end my turn with a face down," Shadow said.

"Then it's my turn," Time said, "and once again my Chrono Fighter will power up." In a flash of light, the robotic knight increased it size and design as its power rose. (A3600/D2900/L8) "Next I'll summon my Ancient Gear Knight in ATK mode." A rusty clockwork robot appeared, wielding a lance and gear shaped shield. (A1800/D500/L4)

Celestia: I'm seeing a lot of pain in Shadow's future. If Time's next attack works, he'll be out of monster and open to a direct attack.

Luna: What's more. If my math is correct, Shadow will only have a hundred life points left.

"Chrono Fighter attack!" Time ordered as his monster raised its giant sword, but before it could slash Jetstorm a black chain covered in a black aura appeared and wrapped around his arm. "What the?" Time asked as more and more chains shot out the ground and wrapped around his monster, before pulling its down to the ground.

"Surprise," Shadow said, "my Shadow Restraint Trap card has got your monster all chained up. Now he can't attack, change battle position or use his special ability."

Time growled hearing this.

"Not good," Flash said, "his best monster's been nullified."

"Even so," Twilight said, "it's still on the field so it can still protect Time from attacks."

"But if Shadow can summon a monster strong enough to take it out," Spike said.

"I end my turn," Time said.

"Then I'll go," Shadow said as he went to his deck and drew his card, "and Jetstorm will attack!" Once again the robot transformed and flew up, before firing its missile at Ancient Gear Knight.

Time Turner looked around and saw a Action Card, which he instantly ran towards. Leaping off the platform, he landed on a metal silo and then leaped off it to a tower where the Action Card lay. Just as the missiles were about to hit, he grabbed it and placed it in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle!" The missile struck but in that second, a force field appeared around Ancient Gear Knight protecting it.

Time: 2050
Shadow: 3100

Shadow frowned seeing this, but didn't care. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Time said as he reached for his deck, "I draw." He looked at his hand, but he didn't have anything that could take out Jetstorm or free Chrono Fighter from Shadow Restraints. He only had on option. "I'll change Gear Knight to DEF mode and end my turn."

Celestia: We appear to be in stalemate. Shadow can't get passed Chrono Fighter, but Time can't use Chrono Fighter to attack.

Luna: Who will break this dead lock.

"It's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw and will have Jetstorm attack Ancient Gear Knight." Once again the machine transformed and flew up, before firing its missile which struck the robot destroying it in an explosion which caused Time to lose his balance on the silo almost fall off. "And with that," Shadow said, "I'll end my turn."

As Time managed to regain his balance, he looked over at his opponent and frowned. He needed to make a decisive move this turn or he'd be in trouble.

"It's my turn," Time said, "I draw!" He saw the card he'd drawn and his eyes went wide as an idea flowed through his head. "I activate the Continuous Spell Card, Fusion Chamber!" A burst of steam appeared and in it was a machine like device. The smoke cleared revealing a large machine with three chambers, two on the ground with a large door and swivel handle along with a pipe sticking out the top which lead to the third chamber.

"This machine allows me to preform a Fusion Summon once a turn," Time explained, "so I'll be fusing the Baby Dragon and Time Wizard in my hand." The two monsters appeared on the field, before each being sucked into one of the chambers which shut. The machine lit up as it activated, with the two chambers filling with steam. "With age comes the wisdom of time and experience, which will grant a power stronger then any weapon." The machine's third chamber door exploded open, releasing the smoke from with it. "I FUSION SUMMON!

The smoke slowly began to faded, and from out of it stepped a very familiar dragon monster. "Thousand Dragon." (A2400/D2000/L7)

"So what," Shadow said, "that's still not enough to beat my Jetstorm."

"It will be once I equip it with Mage Power," Time said as he placed a card in the Duel Disk. "With this his ATK points increase by five hundred for each card in my Spell and Trap zone, so with two he gets a thousand points." (A3400/D2000/L7) "GO! Nauseous Nostril Blast!" The dragon unleashed a powerful gust of gas from its nose, which struck Jetstorm and melted it. Shadow used his cloak as a shield, defending against the acid like breath

Time: 2050
Shadow: 2200

Celestia: Now that's how it's done. With one move he's broken the stalemate.

Luna: Can Shadow keep up?

"Don't count me out just yet," Shadow said as he flipped his cloak away, "are you done?"

"I am," Time said.

"Then it's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw." He looked at the card and smiled, before looking back over at Time. "Thanks by the way for destroying Jetstorm," he said, "with him in the Extra Deck my next monster will be even more powerful."

Time frowned at this. What was he planning?

Shadow leaped off the platform and began jumping from roof to roof, until he found what he was looking for. Grabbing an Action Card, he held it up and smiled. "Perfect. I activate the Action Spell Pendulum Tune Up. Now I can increase the Pendulum Scale of my Shadow-Mech Breaker by two for this turn." The number beneath the drill robot changed from eight to ten, making Time and the others grow nervous.

"And now," Shadow said, "I'll once again carve the arc of victory." The portal began to form, getting bigger by the second. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, before striking the ground and taking form. It was a white space shuttle, which quickly transformed into a ten meter high robot. "Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle!" (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Why didn't he summon Jetstorm?" Scootaloo asked.

"He said it would make his new monster more powerful," Flash replied, "but how."

"Now witness my Star Shuttle's ability," Shadow said, "for every Shadow-Mech Pendulum Monster in my Extra Deck, he gains five hundred ATK points." Star Shuttle glowed as his power rose. (A3500/D3000/L8/P4)

Time's eyes went wide.

"Attack!"

The robot transformed back into its vehicle form and flew up, before dive bombing Thousand Dragon like a meteor destroying it.

Time: 1950
Shadow: 2200

"I end my turn," Shadow said.

Celestia: Once again Shadow has the most powerful monster that can attack.

Luna: If he can get another monster in his Extra Deck, he'll be able to destroy Chrono Fighter.

Time also knew this. He needed to either free his monster, or summon something stronger. It all rest on one card. "It's my turn," he said, "I draw!" He drew his card and smiled, "fantastic."

Shadow frowned. What did he get?"

"I play Monster Reborn," Time said, "and with it I'll revive my Thousand Dragon." In a flash of light, his best monster reappeared, standing alongside the chained up Chrono Fighter.

"Why summon him?" Shadow said, "It doesn't stand a chance against my Star Shuttle now. All you've done is give me a target."

"Wrong," Time said, "I have everything I need to end you."

Shadow frowned.

"Now I activate the effects of my Fusion Chamber!" Time said as him machine once again came to life. "With it I can fuse Thousand Dragon with Chrono Fighter!"

The doors of the machine opened, before sucking the two monsters inside. The machine lit up as it activated, with the two chambers filling with steam. "Witness the birth of the ultimate creature of time, whose roar can rattle the space time continuum." The machine's third chamber door exploded open, releasing the smoke from with it. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The smoke cleared, revealing Time's new monster. It was a giant robotic dragon. It was thirty foot long, head to tail, made of a black metal and powered by gears and cogs. As it moved, the many gears spun rapidly. "Chronodragon, Gear Chronicle!" (A3000/D3000/L10) The dragon opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful roar, which shuck the ground.

"Impressive," Shadow said, "but your monsters still no match for mine."

"That's where you're wrong," Time said, "because Chronodragon's ATK points increase, depending on the Level of Chrono Fighter. Since it was Level eight when he was Fusion Summoned, my Gear Chronicle gains that Level times by five hundred."

"Wait," Spike said as he tried to do the math, "five hundred times eight is..."

"Four thousand," Twilight finished, "added to Chronodragon's three thousand makes."

Celestia: Seven thousand ATK points.

The creature once again roared, as its power rose up. (A7000/D3000/L10)

"It's over Shadow," Time said, "Chronodragon Gear Chronicle, ATTACK!"

The dragon opened its mouth and roared once again, this time firing a barrage of gear shaped energy blades.

Shadow leaped into action, jumping from roof to roof in search of an Action Card. Finally he spotted one and leaped for it, just as the energy blades struck his monster and caused an explosion.

Everyone waited with baited breath as the smoke began to clear, but in the moment it did everyone gasped. Shadow was still standing and his monster was in one piece.

Time: 1950
Shadow: 2200

"How?" Time asked in horror.

"The Action Spell Evasion," Shadow said, "I activated it just in time."

Luna: What a close call. Shadow barely manages to protect himself, but how can he fight back against such a powerful monster?

"I end my turn," Time said, "but don't get to comfortable. My Chronodragon's power boost will be sticking around until my next turn."

"Like I care," Shadow said, "It's my turn, I draw and once again my Pendulum Scale with carve the arc of victory." The portal formed once again. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out.

"Shadow-Mech, Jetstorm!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P2)

"Why'd he summon that thing?" Scootaloo asked, "I thought he needed it in the Extra Deck."

"Obviously his plan's changed," Twilight said, "but what's he gonna do? He summoned it in ATK mode so he's not trying to defend."

Flash was also wondering the same thing. Against Time's Fusion Monster they didn't stand much of a chance. It was then that he remembered how Shadow's Duel against Rainbow ended. "Wait," he said, "if he's got an Xyz Monster that can make another Xyz Monster's ATK zero, do you think?"

Everyone else caught on and their eyes went wide.

"With Shadow-Mech Breaker's Pendulum Ability," Shadow said, "I will now fuse Shadow-Mech Jetstorm and Star Shuttle!" The robot pointed its drill at the spot above the two monsters, before it spun and unleashed a beam of light which created a vortex that the two were sucked into. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded and from it came a large jet purple ship that looked extraterrestrial. Suddenly it began to transformed, until it was in the shape of a ten meter high robot. "Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot!" (A3200/D1300/L8)

"Oh no," Time said. If this card was anything like the other one, he was in trouble.

The Shadow-Mech fire a laser from its eyes, which struck Chronodragon and caused in to flinch in pain. (A0/D0/L10)

"ATTACK!" Shadow screamed, as his monster flew up and then took aim at Gear Chronicle. From of its chest a long lance like laser blaster folded out and began charging up, as purple energy surged around.

Time looked around. His only hope to save himself was an Action Spell, but none where in sight.

Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot's weapon fired, unleashing a purple bolt of energy which flew at Chronodragon.

"I'm sorry Flash," Time said as he closed his eyes, "looks like its up to you." With those last words, the blast struck and...

BOOOM!

An explosion rocked the stadium, causing everyone to duck and cover for fear of being blown away.

"TIME NO!" Flash screamed, as he and the others tried to look through the smoke and see if their fiend was okay.

Finally the smoke cleared and everyone looked down, only to all gasped at what they saw.

Time was laying on the floor of the Duel Field, his cloths torn and a look of pain on his face.

Time: 0
Shadow: 2200 (Winner)

Celestia: It's...it's over. Shadow will be moving onto the next round.

Luna: Time Duelled exceptionally, but in the end Shadow was to much.

Shadow turned towards the exit, not even bothering to go check up on his opponent. With barely two words he left the arena.

"Time," Flash almost whispered seeing his friend be taken to the infirmary.

"So he can summon a Fusion Monster with that ability," Twilight said, "meaning he'll most likely have a Synchro Bot in his deck as well."

"This is awful," Pinkie said as he hair flattened, "Duelling's suppose to be fun. Not put someone in the hospital."

"We can't let this keep up," Flash said, "we have to beat them. It's the only way to stop him. Shadow and Adagio."

The others nodded. They had to do something. They couldn't let this continue.

As Shadow walked down the hall, he looked down at his Duel Disk. It showed the Ener-D he'd manage to accumulate, which was a sizeable amount.

"Father will be pleased," he said, "his perfect world will soon become a reality. And when it does, my wish will finally be fulfilled." With that he continued down the corridor and disappeared into the darkness.

Turn 16, Melody of Pain

View Online

We find our heroes in the medical bay, where Time Turner was resting in his own bed. After his Duel against Shadow, the medical team had brought him to the stadium's hospital for check ups. Now he had been declared out of the woods, his friends had been allowed into his room.

When they had arrived they'd found Time in bed, with Derpy sitting next to him. His right arm and left leg were both in casts, being held above him by a sling

"How you doing Time?" Flash asked once they'd stepped in.

"I'm fine," Time said, "a little banged up but I'll live."

"Yer more then a little banged up," Applejack said as she poked his cast, "this is a serious injury."

"I'll be fine," Time said, "I've survived worse."

"Really?" Flash asked.

"When you live as long as I have," he said, "you tend to go through events."

"How old are you?" Applebloom asked.

"That doesn't matter," Time replied.

"Well anyway," Applejack said, "great work out there."

"That was awesome how close you managed to make it," Scootaloo said, "that Fusion Monster you used was amazing."

"Thank you my dear," Time replied before frowning, "but it wasn't enough. Shadow managed to wipe me out in the end."

"At least we know what to expect from him," Flash said, "in order to beat him he need to be careful using Fusion, Xyz and possibly Synchro monsters."

"Well I'm glad I could be of help," Time said, "but knowing his Duel style doesn't guarantee you'll find a way to beat him. You'll have to be careful when you face him."

"I know," Flash said, "but to face him we're gonna have to get to the finals. Assuming he'll even get there."

"Yeah," Spike said, "Twilight could totally take him down."

"Where is Twilight anyway?" Derpy spoke up as she looked around, "I'd have thought she'd want to come see how Time is."

Like she'd said, Twilight was the only one of the group who wasn't there.

"We told her to stay at the stadium," Applejack replied, "she still hasn't competed today so we didn't want her to be late."

"I understand," Time said, "I know she would have been wishing me a speedy recovery."

Twilight was sitting on her own, waiting for the next Duel which might involve her.

She was currently watching a Duel between Micro Chips and Teddy, which was taking place on the Action Field Cyber Stadium which was a big metallic football stadium.

Right now Twilight was only half watching. She was to focused on Shadow and Adagio, thinking over both their Duel styles. If Shadow had a Synchro Bot like how he had those other two bots, then Twilight would be in trouble against him. Then there was Adagio's Dark Siren, who could steal her monsters. How was she suppose to defeat them?

Suddenly an explosion occurred on the field, focusing her attention back on the Duel.

It appeared that Micro had defeated Teddy and would be moving on.

Celestia: With that the second match of the B Block tournament comes to an end. Micro Chips will be moving on to round three.

Luna: Now let's see who'll be in the third match of the tournament.

She pressed the button on her remote, causing the megascreen to activate and show the images. Said images flipped around and began spinning around, until one of them flipped out revealing the Duellist.

Celestia: Our first Duellist is Octavia Melody.

The second image flipped out.

Luna: And her opponent will be Twilight Sparkle. Both Duellists head down to the field.

Twilight nodded as she got up and headed towards the arena.

"We'd better head back to the field," Flash said before turning to Time Turner. "Get better soon."

"I will," Time said you just focus on the tournament.

They all nodded and left the room.

"Nervous Shining?" Chrysalis asked.

"No," Shining said, "my sister's a great Duellist. This Octavia woman won't find her easy to beat."

"If you say so," Chrysalis said.

Despite what he'd just said, Shining was worried. He knew his sister and she was most likely worried about Shadow and Adagio to focus on her match.

Seeing her husband's concern, Cadance placed her hand on his and gave him a reassuring smile. "She'll be fine."

Shining smiled back and nodded.

Meanwhile Adagio and Shadow were up in the stands.

"So it's little miss bookworms turn," Adagio said before snarling, "I hope she loses."

"What's she ever done to you?" Shadow asked.

"I just don't like her," Adagio said, "the reasons are my business."

"You're just scared cause you think she can beat you," Shadow replied.

"I am not!" Adagio almost screamed. With that she turned back to the field in a huff.

When Flash and the rest of the group arrived in the stands, they couldn't find Twilight anywhere. They'd hoped to catch her before she went to her Duel to wish he luck, but it seems they'd missed her.

Celestia: Let's welcome are two Duelists onto the field. In this corner we have Spellcaster master, Twilight Sparkle!

Twilight stepped onto the field, a look of concern on her face.

"Go get them Twilight," Spike said.

"Is it me," Applebloom said, "or does she look a little down."

"I think you're right," Scootaloo said, "what's up with her?"

"No idea," Flash said, "but she'll need to focus if she wants to win."

Luna: And her opponent. The musical maestro herself, Octavia Melody!

A girl with gray skin, black hair and wearing a very formal almost suit like attire came out onto the field.

The two arrived at the centre, where the ref was waiting, and Octavia smiled.

"A pleasure to meet you Ms Sparkle," she said, "I hoped I'd get to face you."

"Oh," Twilight said a little surprised, "well I hope we get to have a good Duel."

"Indeed," Octavia said as she pulled out a gray Duel Disk and attached it to her arm.

Twilight did the same with hers.

The ref flipped the coin and the outcome had Octavia making the first move.

Celestia: With that out of the way, let's see which field our competitors will Duel on.

She pressed the button on her remote and in that second the floor glowed as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Twilight and Octavia found themselves in an Action Field Twilight and her friends recognised. It a giant room filled will massive instruments.

"Wait," Flash said, "that's..."

Luna: Giant's Orchestra.

"That's the Action Field Flash Duelled Lyra on in the Micro Tournament," Pinkie said,

"This is good right?" Spike said, "Twilight's seen this field before so she knows what to expect."

"Maybe," Applejack replied, "but we can't be sure. This field looks more Octavia's speed then Twilight's, so she'll feel more at home on it."

"Let's just hope Twilight can stay focused," Flash said.

Celestia: Let's get this Duel on the way. In three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Octavia: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED"

"I'll take the first move," Octavia said as she went to her deck, "I draw. I summon Solo Cellist in ATK mode." A man in a suit and bow tie appeared, in his hands was a large cello. (A1000/D1300/L4) "I end my turn with two face downs."

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw and I'll start by using scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Dracokid, to set the Pendulum Scale." She slapped the card down on the Duel Disk, as the columns of light appeared and the two monsters flew up into it. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," she said as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Silent Magician LV4!" (A1000/D1000/L4)

"Ventus Charmer!" (A1000/D1000/L3)

"Impressive move," Octavia said, "but both your monsters have the same ATK points as mine. What's the plan, gonna sacrifice one to destroy him and then attack with the other?"

"No," Twilight said, "I'm going to tune one to the other." Ventus Charmer flew into the air and waved its wand before turning into three balls of light, which Silent Magician leaped into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." In that moment her monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Twilight's ace. "Twilight Sorcerer!" (A2100/D2800/L7)

Octavia smiled seeing Twilight's best card.

"I activate Twilight Sorcerer's special ability," Twilight said as her deck began to shuffle before slotting out a card, which she took and added to her hand. "Now I'll use that card," she said, "Spellbook of Power! Now I can increase my Sorcerer's ATK points by one thousand. (A3100/D2800/L7) "What's more my Sorcerer also gains one hundred ATK points for ever Spellbook in my graveyard. (A3200/D2800/L7)

Celestia: Impressive. Her first turn and Twilight managed to call upon her ace monster.

Luna: Octavia will have a tough time against that."

"Now attack!" Twilight ordered, as her magician raised his staff and fired a burst of magical energy at Octavia's monster.

"I activate my Trap," Octavia said as one of her face down's flipped up, "Defensive Symphony In C Major! With this my Cellist can switch into DEF position." Her monster kneeled down, hidding behind his cello.

"That won't save him," Twilight said.

"Maybe not," Octavia said, "but when he switches positions his ability activates. Now you have to discard the top three cards of your deck."

Twilight frowned but did so. A second later Octavia's monster was blasted by Twilight's destroying it.

"Alright," Spike said, "Twilight's got the lead. She can use this momentum to push through to a victory."

"Don't be so sure."

They all looked around and saw Vinyl Scratch standing next to the seats.

"Octavia's only getting started," she said.

"Hey Vinyl," Applejack said, "I didn't know you knew Octavia."

"We've been friends since childhood," Vinyl replied, "and we learned to Duel together."

"Hard to believe," Flash said, "after seeing how different you two are."

"So you're saying you're similar to your friends," Vinyl replied with a smirk.

Flash just smiled. "Guess you're right."

Vinyl sat down next to them. "Like I said, Octavia is only starting. Your friend better not let her guard down."

"Now I activate my Spellbook of Power's second ability," Twilight said, "since Twilight Sorcerer destroyed a monster, I can add another Spellbook to my hand." Her deck once again shuffled before slotting out a card she took.

"Well I activate my face down," Octavia said as her last card flipped up, "Card Guard! Now whenever I have to discard from my hand or deck, you have to do so instead."

Twilight frowned at this. What was she planning?

"Plus this is a Continuous Trap," Octavia explained, "so it'll be staying put for a while."

"Well I end my turn with a face down," Twilight said, "Twilight Sorcerer's ATK reverts to normal, but with a Spellbook in the grave he's still a hundred points stronger." (A2200/D2800/L7)

"Then it's my turn," Octavia said as she drew her card. She then kicked into action, running towards a double bass and pulling an Action Card from out of the strings. Looking at the card she smiled. "Perfect," she said, "I activate the Action Spell Summoner's Flute. Now I can draw a card and if it's a monster, I can summon it to the field." She drew her card and her smile grew larger, "I got Player of the Double Bass which I'll play in ATK mode." Another man in a suit appeared, carrying a large instrument in his hands. "Now I'll sacrifice him," she said as her monster disappeared in a flash of light, "and thanks to his ability he counts as two monsters, so now I can summon..."

The light faded, revealing a woman in a suit and bow tie. In her hands was a large cello that looked like it was made of solid gold, along with a solid gold bow. "Orchestral Mistress, Melody Maker!" (A1000/D3000/L8)

"Not very powerful is it?" Scootaloo said, "that thing can't beat Twilight's Sorcerer."

"Well she played it in DEF mode," Spike said, "is she hoping to hold out until she can get something better?"

"No way little man," Vinyl said, "Octavia's a lover not a fighter. She prefers less...brutish ways of Dueling."

"What do you mean?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Octavia's style doesn't include attacking," Vinyl replied, "just watch."

"Now I activate Melody Maker's ability," Octavia said, "by discarding the top five cards of my deck, I can destroy one monster on the field."

Twilight's eyes went wide, realising what her plan was.

"And thanks to the effect of Card Guard," Octavia continued, "you're now the one forced to discard cards."

Twilight's frowned as she took the cards off her deck and sending them to the graveyard.

The cellist started playing her golden instrument. As the bow strings touched the cello strings, they let out a powerful sound way which struck Twilight Sorcerer. The Spellcaster placed his hands over his ears and cried out in pain, before he exploded.

"Next I'll activate this Spell," Octavia said, "Bottomless Graveyard." Now by discarding a card I can take a monster in your graveyard and banish it."

Twilight growled. With Card Guard she was forced to discard a card.

"Now banish Twilight Sorcerer," Octavia said.

Luna: Twilight Sparkle's best card is removed from play. How will Twilight manage to fight back now?

Celestia: Only time will tell.

"See what I mean," Vinyl said.

"This is bad," Flash said, "at this rate Twilight's gonna run out of cards."

"And that's her plan," Applejack said, "she's trying to deck out Twilight."

"If she's out of cards the next time she has to draw," Spike caught on, "she'll lose."

"That's Octavia's speciality," Vinyl said, "taking away her opponents cards and limiting their options."

"What's worse is without Twilight Sorcerer," Flash said, "she can't summon Imperial Magician of Twilight."

"It seems your sister finds herself in a tough spot," Chrysalis said, "she's lost her best monster and her deck is rapidly decreasing."

"That doesn't matter," Shining replied, "what matters is my sister's still got a chance to win this. All she needs to do is get rid of that Orchestral Mistress."

"If she can," Chrysalis said.

"Lucky for you, my monster can't attack after using her ability," Octavia said. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw." She looked around and saw an Action Card in an accordion, which she ran towards and grabbed. "I activate my own Summoner's Flute, so I'll draw and if it's a monster I can summon it." She drew card and saw it wasn't a monster.

Celestia: What a shame. A new monster could have really helped.

"I activate the my face down," Twilight said as her card flipped up, "Ritual of Rebirth. Now I'll discard a card and summon Silent Magician LV4 from the graveyard." In a flash of light the young spellcaster appeared. "Next I summon Star Charmer to the field, in ATK mode." The young Tuner Monster appeared, waving his staff around happily. (A300/D300/L1) "Now I can activate his ability," she said, "to increase Silent Magician's Level by one." Star Charmer waved his wand, which unleashed stardust which flew around Twilight's other magician. (A1000/D1000/L5)

Luna: Now Twilight has just the cards she needs.

"Now I tune my Level five Silent Magician with Level two Star Charmer," Twilight said as her tuner monster transformed into two lights, which carved the two rings her other monster leaped into. "Watch as the shinning radiance of the stars, unites the unbreakable sound of silence," The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Twilight's monster. "Tempest Conjurer!" (A2200/D1400/L6)

"Quite extraordinary," Octavia said, "but that monster won't be much of a threat to my Melody Maker."

"We'll see," Twilight said, "I activate Tempest Conjurer's ability. I reveal the top three cards of my deck and then discard any Spell card I find. Then my magician's ATK points will increase by three hundred for each card I discard."

Celestia: I see her plan. If she can reveal three Spell cards, her magician's ATK points will increase by nine hundred, giving it just enough to destroy Melody Maker.

Twilight reached for her deck and drew three cards, which see looked at and smiled. She revealed them to Octavia, "three Spellbooks." She discarded them as her monster gained more power. (A3100/D1400/L6)

Luna: Talk about a lucky draw. Now Twilight can take down Melody Maker.

"Tempest Conjurer," Twilight ordered, "Attack!" Her magician spun its staff and unleashed a powerful bolt of lightning, which flew at Orchestral Mistress. However, the thunderbolt was quickly deflected by some kind of barrier. "What?"

"Apologies Twilight," Octavia said, "but my Depth Barrier negated your attack. All I had to do was drop three cards from my deck." She smirked as her Card Guard Trap glowed, making Twilight removed three cards from her deck and placed them in her graveyard.

"This is going from bad to worse," Spike said, "not only can't Twilight attack, she's running out of cards."

"She's probably lost half her cards by now," Flash said.

"This is nuts," Applejack said, "how's she suppose to Duel when she's only playing with half a deck?"

"I think that's the point," Vinyl said.

"I end my turn," Twilight said, "Tempest Conjurer's ATK points return to normal." (A2200/D1400/L6)

"Then it's my turn," Octavia said as she went to her deck, "and I'll once again use Melody Maker's ability to discard the top five card of my deck and destroy Tempest Conjurer." Card Guard once again glowed and forced Twilight to discard her cards, before Octavia's monster played its instrument again. Tempest Conjurer was struck by the high powered sound waves and destroyed, leaving Twilight's field bare. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

Celestia: Once again Twilight is at the mercy of her opponents power combo. She's down to only ten cards.

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw."

Twilight: 9 cards

She looked at her card and saw it was Twilight Unicorn, but it couldn't do a thing against Melody Maker. "I end my turn," she said. "There's no point summoning a monster if you're just going to destroy it and my deck."

"Smart move my dear," Octavia said, "but it has one small flaw." Her face down flipped up revealing a Spell. "Sound of the Orchestra," she said, "this card lets me drop three cards from the top of my deck. In exchange I can summon a Orchestra Token to either side of our field."

Twilight growled as she went to her deck and removed three more cards.

Twilight: 6 cards

In a flash of light, a large group of people appeared. They were all in suit and tie while playing different musical instruments. (A0/D0/L1)

"And now I'll activate Melody Maker's ability," Octavia said as Card Guard once again glowed.

Twilight: 1 card

Once again the cellist played the golden instrument, blasting out the sound wave which struck the token destroying it. Twilight was also struck by the sound wave, which threw her off her feet and sent her flying back and crashing into an oversized trumpet.

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends all yelled.

Twilight pushed herself back to her feet, though she was a little wobbly and lost her balance.

"I end my turn," Octavia said.

Luna: This is it folks. Unless Twilight can somehow defeat her opponent, on her next turn she'll be out of cards and will lose this Duel.

"Come on Twilight!" Flash called out.

"I know this seems impossible," Applejack said, "but you've still got a chance."

"Come on Twilight," Shining said, "get up."

Chrysalis just shook her head. "I'm sorry Shining, but I just don't see how she can find a way out of this."

"There is a way," Sunset said, "and she'll find it."

"Twilight," Cadance said. She placed her hands together, as if she were praying.

Octavia looked down at her weakened opponent and sighed. "You were a good opponent. It's a shame this has to end so soon." She looked away, not wanting to see her this way.

"NO!" Octavia looked back down at Twilight and saw her standing tall. "I'm not losing this," she said, "I can't. Not yet, I can't stop until I Duel them." Twilight might have been worried about Duelling against Adagio and Shadow, but that didn't mean she didn't want to. She had to stop them. To get back at them for what they did to Rainbow and Rarity, meaning she had to win this.

"You do realise that you only have one card right?" Octavia said, "how can you possible win?"

"One card or one thousand, it doesn't matter," Twilight said, "as long as I've got cards in my deck I can still win."

Octavia smiled, liking her optimism. "Then show me," she said, "how to win with one card."

Twilight nodded and went to her deck. "It's my turn, I DRAW!"

Twilight: 0 cards

She looked at the card she'd drawn and her eyes went wide, before she smiled. "First," Twilight said, "I'll summon Shadow Charmer to my field in ATK mode." In a flash of light, her number one tuner appeared. (A1200/D700/L3) "Now I my Pendulum Scale will once again carve the arc of victory," she said as the portal formed above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, hitting the ground and taking form. "Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"Her last turn and she plays two monsters that can't even destroy Melody Maker?" Octavia said.

"Now watch," Twilight said, "as I tune Level three Shadow Charmer with Level four Twilight Unicorn!" Her Tuner leaped into the air and transformed into three spheres of lights, which carved three circles that Twilight Unicorn leapt into. "It's time to embrace the power given by those we call friends and ascend to a higher plain of life." Instead of disappearing in a flash, the light infused into Twilight Unicorn as two new appendages appeared on its back. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded from the monsters body, revealing Twilight Unicorn's new form. She was almost exactly the same, except she was now sporting a pair of wings on her back and was slightly taller. "Twilight Alicorn!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

Everyone marvelled at Twilight's new monster.

"Now I activate Twilight Alicorn's ability," Twilight said, "by banishing five Spellbooks from my graveyard, I can change your monsters battle position and cut its ATK and DEF points in half.

Octavia's eyes went wide hearing this, before looking over to see he monster stand up. (A500/D1500/L8)

"What's more," Twilight continued, "Twilight Alicorn's ATK points increase by one thousand for the turn." (A3600/D1900/L7)

"That's still not enough to defeat me," Octavia said, but in that second Twilight leapt on her monsters back and flew up. They flew over to where a giant maraca was sitting, before Twilight leaned down and scooped up and Action Card from the top. "I activate Power Rhythm," she said, "by paying life points I can increase my monster's ATK points.

Twilight: 3100
Octavia: 4000

Twilight Alicorn glowed as its power increased. (A4500/D1900/L7) "ATTACK!" Twilight Alicorn's horn glowed, before it fired a powerful burst of purple magic which flew at Melody Maker.

Octavia looked around for an Action Card, but none where in sight. Twilight Alicorn's blast struck her monster, causing an explosion which made everyone to shield their eyes from the light.

Twilight: 3100 (Winner)
Octavia: 0

Celestia: SHE DID IT! Twilight Sparkle has defeated Octavia Melody, even though she was out of cards.

Luna: Talk about a come back for the ages.

Her friends were all cheering loudly.

"I can't believe it," Applebloom said "winning even though she only had one card."

"I told you," Spike said, "nothing's gonna take Twilight down."

"She did great," Flash said, "I'm just glad see didn't let Adagio and Shadow put her off."

"Oh please," Applejack said, "when she's Dueling there's only one thing on her mind."

"I'm happy for your friend," Vinyl said, "but it's to bad Octavia had to lose."

As the field dissolved, Twilight made her way over Octavia.

"Thanks for the great Duel," Twilight said, "I was worried there for a second."

"No problem darling," Octavia said, "I enjoyed it...even when I lost."

The two smiled at one another and then turned to leave, heading to the stadium exit.

"Well that was surprising," Chrysalis said, "I really didn't think she stood a chance."

"I told you," Shining said, "Twilight's a great Duellist." However, when the others looked away his face changed to one of worry. "But will her skills be enough? I don't want to see her get hurt."

Celestia: And with that, we reach the final Duel of the day. Adagio Dazzle will be facing off against Photo Finish.

Luna: May both competitors make their way to the stage.

Everyone frowned hearing Adagio was about to Duel. Even so they knew they had to keep an eye on how she Duelled, looking for any weaknesses in the stratagy.

"Wish me luck," Adagio said as she turned to head down.

"Be careful," Shadow said, "you know what Photo Finish can do."

"Oh relax," she said, "sure she's got a fancy one of a kind monster, but I've got Dark Siren. Nothing's going to stop me."

With that she was gone.

Turn 17, Photo Finished

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Celestia: It's time for the final match of the Celestic Cup Finals second round.

Luna: Our final two Duelists will face off against each other in to take the final spot in round three.

Celestia: Let's welcome them onto the field. First we have the photography phenomenon, Photo Finish!

A girl with blue skin and white hair stepped onto the field. She wore a black and white dress with purple trim and a purple ascot around her neck, along with a pair of black glasses with purple glass. As she stepped towards the referee, she walk with a certain flare that the group had only ever seen Rarity use.

"You know what I just realised," Applebloom said, "I don't remember her Duel style."

"Me neither," Scootaloo said, "weird."

"She didn't really leave much of an impact during her last Duel did she?" Flash asked.

"Probably just saving her best moves for later."

They all turned to see Twilight had returned to the seats, making them all smile.

"Twilight your Duel was amazing," Spike said, "that new Synchro Monster you summoned is so awesome."

"Thanks," Twilight said, "you can thank Cold for designing it. Though it does have it's draw backs since I need to use Twilight Unicorn as a tuning material."

"Well it's still a great card," Flash said.

Twilight blushed as she sat down next to him, returning their attention to the field.

Luna: And her opponent. The alluring songstress herself, Adagio Dazzling.

Adagio stepped onto the field, looking smug as she waved to the crowd as she obviously enjoyed the attention.

Up in the box, Cold sat quietly as he watched Adagio.

He needed to stay focused. In order to figure out a way to defeat her, they needed to learn everything about her and her deck. He hated the idea of putting competitors at risk, but it needed to be done. A small flicker of hope burned in his chest at the thought of Ms Finish maybe defeating her, but he had no room for hope. He needed a carefully coordinated stratagy.

Adagio stepped up to where Photo and the ref were standing. She looked over at her opponent and smiled.

"So you're the great Photo Finish," she said, "I've seen your work in my favourite fashion magazine. A little to much lighting if you ask me."

"And you are the devious Adagio Dazzle," Photo replied, in a rather thick Prench accent. "I saw what you did to Ms Rarity. She and I are quite close, so what you did to her will not be forgiven."

"Oh go cry my a river," Adagio said, "are we gonna Duel or just stand here trading treats?"

"WE DUEL!" Photo said as she took out a black Duel Disk and attached it to her arm, before a white blade appeared.

"Wee wee," Adagio said as she attached her own.

The ref did the coin flip and the result had Adagio going first.

Celestia: With that out of the way, let's see which Duel Field our competitors will be Duelling on.

She raised her remote and clicked the button, causing the floor to light up as it formed the Duel Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, Adagio and Photo found themselves in a large green meadow filled with cameras on tripods.

Luna: Photo Plains

"Magnifique," Photo said as she looked around.

"It's okay I guess," Adagio said with a shrugged.

"Hopefully this field will give Photo an advantage," Twilight said.

"Maybe," Flash said, "but against that Dark Siren, we can't be sure."

Everyone's minds flashed back to when Adagio add Duelled Rarity, causing them to shudder.

"Let's just hope Ms Finish can pull it off," Applejack said before turning to stare at Photo. "But something about her seems familiar."

"You mean you've met her?" Spike asked.

"No," Applejack replied, "but I've heard that name before. But where?"

Celestia: Let's get this Duel on the way. In three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Adagio: 4000
Photo: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"Since I'm taking the first move," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "I draw. I summon Melody Mistress in DEF mode." Her monster appeared, before taking a defensive stance on the field. (A800/D2000/L4) "I end my turn with a face down."

"I go!" Photo said as she drew her card, "Photo Finish summons Cameraclops in ATK mode." In a flash of light a humanoid monster with a camera for a head appeared. (A1400/D1600/L4)

"Nice monster," Adagio said, "but it won't do a thing against my Melody Mistress."

"It will when Photo Finish equips her Cameraclops with the Spell, Telescopic Lens." Suddenly a large telescope appeared with a tripod, which attached to Cameraclop's camera lens. "This piece of equipment grants Photo Finish's monster four hundred ATK points for every card in Photo Finish's hand. Photo Finish holds four cards, meaning her monster gains sixteen hundred ATK points. (A3000/D1600/L4) "Now Photo Finish attacks." Her monster aimed its camera lens at Adagio's monster, before taking a snap shot as a laser fired from the lens.

"I activate my face down," Adagio said as her card flipped up, "Sound Barrier! Now my Mistress can't be destroyed by battle." A force field dome appeared around her monster, blocking the laser from hitting Melody Mistress.

"I think not," Photo said, "when Cameraclops attacks a monster whose DEF points are higher then their ATK points, it is destroyed without battle." The laser began to pierce the shield, like a hot knife through butter, causing it to fly through and strike Melody Mistress who was destroyed. "Photo Finish ends her turn with a face down, while Cameraclop's ATK lowers by four hundred." (A2600/D1600/L4)

Celestia: The first two turns have come and passed and it seems Photo Finish has taken the lead.

Luna: One can only wonder whether her opponent can push back.

"It's a good start," Twilight said, "if Photo summons a monster with high original ATK points, she runs the risk of Adagio taking control of it. But if she summons monsters with basic ATK points and uses card effects to power them up, even if Adagio takes them they won't be to dangerous."

"Let's just hope she can end this before Adagio pulls something big out," Flash said

"We can only hope," Applejack said.

"It's my turn," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Alluring Diva in ATK mode." In a splash of water, a mermaid with a yellow tail appeared on the field. (A1800/D1400/L4)

"Against Photo Finish's Cameraclops, that card won't even smudge his lens."

"That's where you're wrong," Adagio said, "because on the turn my Diva's normal summoned I can negate the effects of all Spell and Traps on the field." The mermaid let out a beautiful sound, which caused Telescopic Lens and Photo's face down the spark as they were depowered. Cameraclops began to struggle holding the lens connected to it, as it lost its power up. (A1400/D1600/L4)

Celestia: Impressive move. Adagio managed to reduce her opponent's monster back down to its base level.

"Now Alluring Diva will attack your Cameraclops," Adagio said, "and I wouldn't bother rushing for an Action Card, since they're negated also." Alluring Diva unleashed another sound wave from her mouth, which struck Photo's monster and destroyed it.

Adagio: 4000
Photo: 3600

"I end my turn there," Adagio said as her monster swam around her.

"Photo Finish draws," Photo said, "and next she activates her face down Camera Repair. Now Photo Finish can repair and revive one of her monsters, so now Cameraclops returns to the field." A portal opened up in the floor, which her monster leapt out of and stood infront of her. "Now Photo Finish will tribute Cameraclops to summon Cameradile to the field in ATK mode." Cameraclops disappeared in a flash of light and in its place came a large brown crocodile with cameras for eyes. (A2100/D1200/L6) "Now Cameradile attack!"

The monster charged towards Alluring Diva, fangs bared.

Adagio leapt into action, rushing through the field as her monsters impending doom drew closer. Suddenly she saw an Action Card and leapt for it, doing a cartwheel as she grabbed it before spinning back round and landing on her feet. "I activate the Action Spell Lens Cap, which protects my monster though I'll still take the damage."

The crocodile monster leapt at the fish woman monster and caught it in its jaws, though she wasn't destroyed she did shot considerable pain before she was let go.

Adagio: 3700
Photo: 3600

"Well when Cameradile deals you damage, it's ability activates and deals you a hundred more points for every card you have on hand." Lasers shot out of her monsters camera eyes and struck Adagio's hand, before flying through the cards and hitting her.

Adagio: 3300
Photo: 3600

"Photo Finish ends her turn by playing one face down."

"Then it's my turn," Adagio said as she drew. She saw the card she's gotten and smiled a dark smile.

"I don't like that looks she's giving off," Spike said in a concerned voice.

"Does she have it?" Twilight asked.

"We'll see," Flash said.

"I activate the Spell card Corrupted Melody," Adagio said as she placed the card in her Duel Disk. "Now by sending a copy of Alluring Siren from my deck to the graveyard, I can add a copy of Dark Siren and Dark Melody Ritual to my hand. Her deck shuffled around before it slotted out two cards which she took and placed in her hand. "Next I'll activate my Dark Melody Ritual Spell!" Suddenly the tornado of black water shot out of the ground like a geyser, before engulfing her monster.

Everyone prepared themselves for what was about to come.

"With Alluring Siren in my graveyard, I tribute now the Alluring Diva on my field along with the Alluring Melodist in my hand." She took a card out her hand and placed it in her graveyard, as the monster she had just mentioned appeared on the field and was then sucked into the tornado. "Now I can summon my most powerful creature," Adagio said as the jewel around her next glowed while the tornado exploded. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The last of the water disappeared, revealing Adagio's monster. "Dark Siren!" (A1000/D1000/L8)

Luna: There it is. The monster that won Ms Dazzle her place here today. Can Ms Finish overcome it, or will this Duel turn out like Adagio's Duel against Rarity?

"I activate Dark Siren's special ability," Adagio said as her monster unleashed sludgy black tendrils from its stomach, which struck Cameradile and wrapped around it. It coiled around the monster's mouth, tails and legs, before retracting them and pulling the monster towards it. "You know the drill," Adagio said, "my monster will absorb yours and equip it to itself, increasing Dark Siren's power by that of your monsters."

Cameradile struggled, but couldn't break free and was soon pulled into Dark Siren's stomach and began to sink into the sludge. Eventually Photo's monster was completely absorbed into Dark Siren, who then transformed into a ball of sludge. Seconds later the sludge reshaped until it was now the spitting image of Cameradile. (A3100/D2200/L8)

Celestia: There we have it. Adagio has captured Photo's monster and is now using its power against her.

Luna: Ms Finish will be in trouble is she can't find a way to overcome this power.

"This is bad," Twilight said, "with that monster Adagio's gonna be able to control the battle field however she wants to."

"Well maybe Photo prepared something for this," Spike said, "she might be hidding something really big in her deck and was waiting for this moment to crank it out."

"I hope so," Flash said, "or Photo might be joining Rarity in the medical bay."

"Now Dark Siren," Adagio ordered her monster, "attack that overrated camera clicker!" The sludge monster charged at Photo, brandishing its large jaws as it drew closer.

"Photo Finish activates her face down card," the girl called out as he card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Photo Flash! This card negates your attack and ends your battle phase." A large camera appeared between Photo and Dark Siren, before taking a picture and causing a massive flash which blinds Dark Siren and causing it to miss Photo, sailing passed her and returning infront of its master,

Adagio growled at her move being deflected. "I end my turn," she said.

Celestia: A lucky face down saved Ms Finish from taking heavy damage, but what will she do on her turn.

"I draw," Photo said as she looked at the card she'd drawn. "Photo Finish summons Scandal Snapper in DEF mode." A bright flash of a monster that appeared to be a motorcycle with a upper half of a man in place of its handle bars appeared, a camera in its hand. (A700/D2000/L4) "She will now end her turn."

"Then I'll go," Adagio said as she drew her card, "and I'll activate the Spell card Pot of Greed. Now I can draw two new cards, before I summon Alluring Vocalist." In a splash of water, the blue tailed mermaid appeared on Adagio's side of the field before swimming up close to Dark Siren. (A1000/D1000/L3) "Now I'll attack your Scandal Snapper with Dark Siren." Once again the sludge monster charged forward, snapping its jaws at the bike man hybrid.

Photo turned towards her monster and leapt on its seat, placing her hands on its hips as it revved its engine and began to race through the field and away from Dark Siren.

"You can run," Adagio called out as she and her monster made chase, "but you can't escape."

"Photo Finish does not run," Photo said, "she is on the look out for the thing to save her." Suddenly she saw what she was looking for and turned her monster towards the direction she was looking, before leaning down and snatching up and Action Card.

As Dark Siren snapped its jaws at Scandal Snapper, Photo placed the card she'd grabbed into her Duel Disk. "Photo Finish activates the Action Spell Evasion," she said as her monster's front wheel dug into the ground and caused the whole bike to do a donut spin, causing Dark Siren to miss as it attacked. "Your attack missed," Photo said, "and even with your Vocalist's ability, it won't be able to damage my Snapper."

Adagio glared as she acknowledged her opponent was right. "I end my turn with a face down."

Celestia: Once again Photo Finish was able to defend against her opponent's attack.

Luna: But if she wants to win this Duel she'll need to stop being defensive and go on the offence.

"Yeah but can she?" Flash said, "does she have a monster that can help her do that?"

"If she does she'd better bring it out soon," Spike said.

"Or she'll be in major trouble," Scootaloo said.

"I draw," Photo said as she drew her card. Seeing what it was she smiled and nodded, before turning back to Adagio. "Photo Finish activates the Spell Print Out," she said, "to do so she must first banish a Level four or lower monster from her graveyard." She removed Cameraclops from her Duel Disk and placed it in her pocket. "Now Photo Finish may draw one card for every three hundred ATK points that card had," she explained.

"Your Cameraclops had fourteen hundred points," Adagio said doing the math, "and three hundred goes into that four times."

"That is correct," Photo said as she drew four card, "and now Photo Finish has everything she needs to summon the monster of your defeat."

Adagio glared at that claim.

"First she will set the Pendulum Scale with scale one Rhinograph and scale seven Frographer." Photo slapped the cards on her Duel Disk, which lit up as the columns of light appeared on either side of her. Two monster flew up and into the columns. The first being a rhino with camera lens for eyes, while the other was a green frog carrying a camera. Once the two monster where high enough, they stopped and numbers appeared beneath them. They then looked at the spot directly above Photo, before beams of light shot out of the lens of their eyes or camera and met in the sky to create the portal. "PHOTO FINISH PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

The first was a pair of binoculars with insect wings. "Paparazzi Pest!" (A1000/D0/L2)

The second was a man in military clothing, carrying a sniper riffle with a camera on the scope. "Snap Shot Sniper!" (A2300/D1900/L6)

"What are they suppose to do?" Adagio asked, "none of them can damage my monster."

"Patience," Photo said, "Photo Finish is not done. Next she will activate Paparazzi Pest's ability. By tributing it, Scandal Snapper's Level will increase by two for this turn." The binocular monster turned toward the bike man hybrid, before disappearing as Scandal Snapper glowed. (A700/D2000/L6)

"Two level six monsters," Adagio said. She knew what this meant. She knew what was coming.

"And now," she said, "Photo Finish will Overlay Level six Scandal Snapper and Snap Shot Sniper." Her monsters glowed before shooting into the air and then into a black hole, which opened at her feet.

"An Xyz Summon," Twilight said.

Seeing this Applejack's eyes went wide, as a memory flashed through her brain. "A'h remember now!"

"Now watch has Photo Finish creates the ultimate piece of photography equipment," she said as the black hole exploded. "PHOTO FINISH XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Photo's new monster. Said monster was a gigantic purple camera, with a long black lens and several mechanical arms. On the front, below the lens, were a bunch of shapes which to the form of a two and a five. Two yellow lights floated around it. "Number 25: Force Focus!" (A2800/D2400/R6)

Everyone watched in wonder at the sight of this monster, amazed that they were seeing it.

"I don't believe it," Twilight said in amazement, "a Number Card."

"I can't believe I'm seeing one," Spike said.

"Anybody wanna explain what a Number Card is," Flash said.

"Several years ago there was a world wide competition," Applejack explained. "When Xyz Summoning was just getting off the ground, the creators made a special contest for Duellists to design their own Xyz monsters."

"Only one hundred Duellists would be selected," Twilight said, "and the ones who won would have their designs made into real life one of a kind cards. Each would be given a number designation and were known as Number Cards."

"So," Flash said, "what you're saying is Photo must have won the contest and got her card made."

"It seems like it," Twilight said.

"That's where her name seemed familiar," Applejack said, "I read it when the winners were released. I entered that contest, so I wanted to know who beat me."

"So do you think this Number Card can beat Dark Siren?" Scootaloo asked.

"Let's hope."

"And now Photo Finish will attack Dark Siren with Number 25: Force Focus," Photo said as her monster pointed its lens at the Ritual Monster before it lit up.

Celestia: If this attack works, Adagio's best monster will be destroyed.

"Yeah," Adagio said to herself, "if it works. But it won't. I have to much riding on this to lose here."

It was a cold winter night and Adagio had just arrived at her home, if you could call it that. It was a bridge, well the underside of the bridge, where cars were driving over. She stepped under the bridge and saw two people sitting next to a fire.

Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk shivered as they tried to stay warm. When they saw Adagio get closer, Sonata smiled while Aria remained stoic.

"Hey," Sonata said, "Find anything?"

Adagio indicated to the bundle of cloth she was carrying, which see threw into their laps. "Couple of old bed sheets," she said, "not very thick but they should make us a little warmer."

"That's good," Sonata said, "I found some more paper for instillation." She pulled some newspapers out of her raggy hoodie, which she passed to Adagio.

"Good," she replied as she took them before turning to Aria.

"I found us a can of hotdogs," she said as she indicated to the meat impaled by sticks over the fire, "a few days out of date but it'll be fine."

Adagio nodded and took her seat between the two, as they all bundled up under the bed sheets. They eat the hotdogs and stayed together to conserve heat, while the snow continued to blow.

"Adagio," Sonata asked.

"What is it?" Adagio replied.

"We're gonna stay together right?" She asked, "no matter what we'll always be together right?"

"Sure we will," Adagio replied, not really listening, "you guys wouldn't survive without me."

Sonata giggled as Aria simply rolled her eyes, but Adagio saw the smile on her lips.

"Promise?" Sonata asked.

"Promise," Adagio replied.

"I can't lose," Adagio said as she looked up at the giant camera, "never. This is the only way to keep my promise."

"Force Focus fire!" Photo screamed as her monster fire a laser out of its lens.

"I activate my Dark Siren's special ability!" Adagio screamed, "by tributing the monster equipped to it I can negate your monster's attack."

"She can what?" Spike asked in horror, "no fair."

"At least her monster won't be as powerful," Scootaloo said.

"Yeah but next turn she can just absorb Force Focus," Flash said.

"Photo Finish activate's Number 25's ability," Photo said, "by removing one Overlay Unit she can negate your monsters ability."

"It would," Adagio said, "if not for my Trap." Her face down flipped up to reveal, "Overlay Blast! With this I can select an Xyz Monster and remove all its Overlay Units, while dealing the opponent of the Xyz Monster's owner five hundred points for each one."

"But that means you'll take damage?" Photo said.

"Small price to pay," Adagio said, "I knew all about your Number Card and that's why I put this card in may deck to be ready." Her Trap glowed and suddenly Force Focus's Overlay Units flew off the Xyz monster and into it, before it unleashed a powerful light which struck Adagio who cried out.

Adagio: 2300
Photo: 3600

"And since your Xyz Monster has no Overlay Units," Adagio groaned, "it can't use it's special ability, meaning my monsters special ability is back in action." Dark Siren reverted back it the sphere of ooze before shooting Cameradile out, still wrapped in the sludge tendrils. It threw the monster back towards the laser beam, causing it to block the attack before being destroyed.

Luna: Unbelievable. Photo Finish was so close to defeating Adagio's best monster, but in the end she just couldn't do it.

Photo couldn't believe her best monster had been stopped in its tracks. "Photo Finish ends her turn," she said in a defeated groan.

"Then it's my turn," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "I draw and activate Dark Siren's ability." Once again monster unleashed its sludgy black tendrils from its stomach, which struck Force Focus and wrapped around it. It coiled around the monster's lens and arms, before retracting them and pulling the giant camera towards it.

"No," Photo said in horror.

The Xyz Monster was eventually pulled inside Dark Siren's stomach. Eventually Photo's monster was completely absorbed into Dark Siren, who then transformed into a ball of sludge. Seconds later the sludge reshaped until it was now the spitting image of Number 25. (A3800/3400/L8)

"Please no," Photo said.

"Say cheese," she said before screaming at the top of her lungs, "ATTACK!" Her monster pointed its lens at Photo and fired, but instead of unleashing a laser it instead shot out a torrent of water.

Photo watched as the spiral of water struck her, sending her flying as the tornado of sludge bombarded her. "AAAAARRRRR!" she screamed in pain from the attack.

Adagio: 2300 (Winner)
Photo: 0

Celestia: That's it, Adagio has defeated Photo Finish and will be moving onto the next round.

Luna: With that our day of Duelling comes to an end. Tomorrow day four will have the third round, with only four Duellists moving on. Until then, good day.

As they watched Photo being lifted away, Flash and the others couldn't help but sigh in defeat.

"I can't believe she's won again," Scootaloo said.

"It's not all bad," Flash told his sister, "at least we know more about her monster's abilities."

"Yeah," Applejack said, "meaning we'll be able to beat it when we face it."

"but that could be sooner then we think," Twilight said, "there's a good possibility I'll be facing either her or Shadow tomorrow."

"With any luck they'll end up facing each other," Spike said.

"But we can't relay on that," Twilight replied, "we need to come up with a stratagy against them by tomorrow."

"If we can," Flash said.

Adagio was walking through the corridors, having left as soon as her match had ended, on her way to meet up with Shadow to return to base.

"Soon sisters," Adagio whispered, "I'll have you back besides me. I made a promise and I won't break it."

With that she continued down the corridor, prepared for whatever the world threw at her.

Turn 18, Sister's Paladin

View Online

We find our heroes in the medical bay once again.

After the last Duel they'd come to see how Rainbow, Rarity and the newest resident were doing.

Photo had been given her own room and was resting in bed when Flash, Twilight, Spike and Scootaloo had entered to see how she was doing.

"Photo Finish thanks you all for coming to see her," Photo said from her bed. She had bandages wrapped around her head and was wearing a neck brace.

"It's no problem at all," Twilight said, "after that Duel against Adagio we're surprised you're already awake."

"It will take more then a torrent of water to knock me down for good," Photo replied.

"Good to hear," Flash said, "and thanks to you we now know more about Adagio's Dark Siren."

"Yeah," Spike said, "It can use the monster it equips to itself as a shield."

"But that also leaves it defenceless," Twilight said, "which is its ultimate weakness. If it can only absorb one monster, then it can only defend against one attack before being helpless."

"So that means to beat her we'll need a multi attack stratagy," Flash caught on.

"That's simple enough," Scootaloo said, "just Pendulum Summon a load of monsters."

"I wish it was that simple," Twilight said, "but now that Adagio's let us see that ability she's gonna rework her deck to protect herself from that weakness."

"She's got a point," Flash said.

"Maybe," Spike said.

Everyone looked down for a few moments, until Twilight broke the silence. "We'd all better get home," she said, "it'll be a long day tomorrow."

"Yeah," Flash said, "see you around Photo."

"Wee," Photo said, "good luck in your future Duels."

"Thanks," Twilight said. With that the four of them left the room.

Meanwhile Cold was in his office with Sunset, Grand and Cadance.

"Once again the Ener-D absorption system isn't showing the amount we expected the day's Duels should have generated," he said as he showed them the graph.

"We expected the numbers to skyrocket," Sunset said, "especially after Flash managed to awaken one of the Xyz cards."

"And there's still no proof of the Ener-D being siphoned away?" Grand asked.

"Nothing," Sunset said, "there's no hack or reroute being detected. The only way they could do something like this is if it was done wirelessly, but to do that they'd need a receiver device inside the stadium."

"Maybe it's Shadow or Adagio," Cadance said, "maybe their Duel Disks have it programmed in."

"We already theorised that," Cold said, "but when we scanned their Duel Disks there was nothing out of the ordinary about them. There both just a standard Duel Disk."

"When we're back to square one," Grand said. It was then he noticed a certain lacking presence. "Hey, where's Shining?"

Cadance just shrugged. "He said he had something to take care of and he'd meet me at home."

Flash, Twilight, Spike and Scootaloo were all walking through the corridors of the stadium towards the exit.

They'd quickly dropped by Rainbow and Rarity's rooms to see how they were doing and were happy to learn that the two has been cleared to go home and even get to watch tomorrow's matches, so they'd all been picked up by their parents.

Now the group were on their way home.

"So who do you think you'll be facing tomorrow Flash?" Scootaloo asked her brother.

"Not sure," Flash replied, "Applejack, Mac and Cloak are all skilled Duellists, so taking on any of them will be a challenge."

"Well there's a good chance I'll be facing either Adagio or Shadow tomorrow," Twilight said.

"You nervous?" Spike asked her.

"A little," Twilight said, "just hope I'm up for it. Hopefully I'll figure out a stratagy against them."

"That won't be happening."

They all looked ahead and saw Shining Armour standing ahead of them with his arms crossed.

"Shining?" Twilight asked, "what are you doing here?"

Shining was quiet and completely still, until her finally turned away from them and spoke. "Come with me," he said before walking away.

The four shared a worried glance, before quickly following him.

Shining lead them to an area of the stadium they'd never been to and they soon found themselves in a corridor filled with large metal door, one of which Shining directed them to. This door had an electronic code lock that Shining typed away at, until it beeped and the door opened revealing a stairway which they stepped down.

Arriving at the bottom they saw another door, which Shining opened and stepped through followed by the others. Looking around they saw the room was actually a large rectangular room, with marking on the ground that reminded them of a simple Duel arena.

"Shining!" Twilight said forcibly, "what's this about? Why'd you bring us here."

Shining sighed, before turning to Twilight with a serious expression. "Twilight, I want you to forfeit the next round."

Everyone's eyes went wide hearing this.

"WHAT!" Twilight scream, "are you insane? I'm not going to forfeit."

"You saw what Adagio and Shadow can do," Shining said, "I don't want that to be you."

"So you think I'll lose?" Twilight asked "What you think I'm not good enough?"

"Of course not," Shining said, "I just don't want to run the risk of you getting hurt the way your friends were."

"I'm not forfeiting Shining!" Twilight cried, "somebodies got to stop them."

"But that somebody doesn't have to be you," Shining said, "let someone else do it."

"What like Flash?" Twilight said, "or Applejack or any of my other friends. I'm not going to sit on the sidelines while they risk themselves. It's not happening!"

Shining just sighed at this. "I figured you wouldn't do it if I asked," he said before his face turned serious, "that's why I brought you here."

Everyone raised an eyebrow at this, before both shot right up seeing him pull out a white Duel Disk.

"Get out your Duel Disk," he said, "if you can beat me I'll admit you can handle yourself and you can stay in the tournament. But if you lose, you'll pull out."

Twilight went silent hearing this challenge.

"What are you gonna do Twilight?" Spike asked.

"Duel Shining," Flash said, "or just give up."

Twilight's hands shook, before her eyes opened and she gave her brother a deadly glare. "Let's do this," she said as she pulled out her Duel Disk.

Shining nodded and headed over to his side of the arena, while Flash and the others stood by the wall to watch.

"You can do this Twilight," Flash said.

"But Twilight's never beaten Shining before," Spike said.

"I hope she can now," Scootaloo said.

The two activated their Duel Disks, Shining's creating a blue blade, and their battle began.

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Shining: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Shining said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the cards and nodded. "I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale with scale two Royal Paladin Gentleman and scale seven Royal Paladin Tactician." He slapped the cards on either side of his Duel Disk as it lit up, before the columns of light appeared on either side of him. In the right column appeared a man in very regal clothing and armour, carrying a rapier in his hands. In the left column was a specticaled blond woman in blue robes and wearing a large hat. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Shining called out as the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and struck the ground, taking form as they did.

"Royal Spear Paladin!" (A1900/D100/L4)

"Royal Paladin Flag Bearer!" (A1200/D700/L3)

"A Tuner monster," Spike said in concern.

"Shining's not messing around," Flash said, "he's serious about this."

"Hopefully Twilight can keep up," Scootaloo said.

"Now," Shining called out, "I tune Level four Royal Spear Paladin with Level three Royal Paladin Flag Bearer." The Tuner glowed and transformed into three lights, which craved a trio of circles that Royal Spear Paladin flew into. "I call on the power of the proud white wings of fate," the monsters vanished in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Shining's Synchro Monster. "Royal Paladin Commander!" (A2500/D2100/L7)

Twilight frowned seeing one of her brother's best cards.

"Since my Commander was Synchro Summoned using Flag Bearer," Shining explained, "he's now unaffected by all your Spells Traps and Monster Effects. I place two cards face down and end."

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw!" She looked at her cards, a determination in her eyes. "I'll show you I'm no weakling," she said. "I'm setting my Pendulum Scale, with scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Dracokid." She slapped the cards on her Duel Disk, as the columns of light appeared and the two Pendulum Monster flew into them. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Twilight called out as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking shape.

"Magi-Beast Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"Pyro Charmer!" (A1300/D1200/L3)

"Looks like Twilight's not messing around either," Flash said, "they're both giving it everything they've got."

"Now I'll tune my two monster together!" Twilight screamed as her Tuner glowed before transforming into three balls of light, which each circled around creating three rings which Twilight Unicorn jumped into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." Her monsters disappeared in a burst of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded, revealing Twilight's best monster. "Twilight Sorcerer!” (A2100/D2800/L7)

"Not bad," Scootaloo said, "but why didn't she summon her new monster? She had Twilight Unicorn."

"Twilight Alicorn's ability relies on her having Spellbooks in her graveyard," Flash said, "it's really a monster for the late game."

"Twilight Sorcerer can get Twilight the cards she needs," Spike said to which Flash nodded.

"Now I activate my Sorcerer's ability," Twilight said as her deck began to shuffle before a card slotted out. Looking at the card Twilight nodded, before looking back up at her brother. "I activate the Spellbook of Secret, to add another Spellbook from my deck to my hand." Her deck once again shuffled and slotted out another card, which she took before placing inside her Duel Disk. "Now I'll play Spellbook of Power, to increase my Sorcerer's ATK points by one thousand points." (A3100/D2800/L7) "Plus I have two Spellbooks in my graveyard, meaning two hundred extra points. (A3300/D2800/L7)

"Go Twilight!" Spike called out.

"Attack!" Twilight screamed as her Spellcaster's staff sparked with magic, before firing a beam of magic energy at Royal Paladin Commander.

"I activate my Trap!" Shining cried out as one of his face downs flipped up, "Paladin's Shield!" A shield appeared in Commander's grasp, which he raised to block the attack.

Twilight: 4000
Shining: 3200

"I may still take damage," Shining said, "but my monster's safe."

Twilight frowned at this. "I play one card face down and end my turn. Twilight Sorcerer now loses one thousand ATK points." (A2300/D2800/L7)

"Then it's my turn," Shining said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the card and nodded, knowing he could end this with his next move. "I summon Royal Paladin Squire, in ATK mode." The young knight appeared on the field, before taking its spot next to Royal Paladin Commander.

"Oh no," Flash said, "with those two monsters-"

"Now!" Shining called out, "I tune Level three Royal Paladin Squire with Level seven Royal Paladin Commander." Squire transformed into the lights, which carved the three circles which Commander flew into. "Enter the fray, kneel before your king." The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing a monster they all recognised as Shining ace. It rode onto the battle field, atop its blue steed. "Royal Paladin Grand Emperor!" (A3500/D2500/L10)

Everyone looked up at the king of knights. Flash himself was flashing back to when he himself had faced this monster, but unlike last time Twilight was facing it alone.

"As you know," Shining went on, "Royal Paladin Grand Emperor can attack once for every Tuner monster in my graveyard. Because I have two, he can attack twice this turn."

"But that means unless Twilight can stop this," Scootaloo said, "Shining will be able to knock her out of this Duel."

"Twilight!" Flash called out.

"I've got this," Twilight said.

"We'll see about that," Shining said, "Grand Emperor attack!" The king of knights raised is colossal sword, before swinging it down towards Twilight Sorcerer.

"I activate my Trap," Twilight called out as he face down flipped up, "Negate Attack!" A barrier appeared between the two monsters, which Grand Emperor's sword struck and bounced off. "This card negates your attack and ends the battle phase," Twilight explained.

"Very well," Shining said, "I end my turn."

"That was close," Spike said.

"I don't think so," Flash said, "Twilight knew he was gonna summon Grand Emperor, so she was prepared.

"He's right," Twilight agreed, "I may have never beaten you, but I know your deck better than anyone. There's nothing you can do which will surprise me."

Shining frowned hearing her say this, before he looked down at his face down. "Don't be so sure," he said quietly."

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw and activate Twilight Sorcerer's special ability." Her deck once again shuffled and slotted out a card which she took. Looking at the cards in her hand, Twilight nodded as a plan emerged. "Next I'll activate the Pendulum Ability of Magi-Beast Midnight Owl," she called out. "First I have to discard on card from my hand, so I'll discard Spellbook of Wisdom which gives my Sorcerer an extra one hundred points. (A2400/D2800/L7) "Now Midnight Owl's ability lets me add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." Her deck once again shuffled out a card, which she took and added to her hand.

"What's the point in all this?" Shining asked.

"The point is I now I have three Spellbooks in my graveyard," Twilight explained, "enough to activate Spellbook of Fate!"

"Yes!" Flash cheered.

"Just what she needed," Spike said.

"By banishing three Spellbooks from my graveyard," Twilight continued, "I can now banish your Royal Paladin Grand Emperor!"

A wormhole opened up below Grand Emperor, which he slowly began to fall through.

Twilight smirked seeing her brother's best monster begin to disappear, but that smile vanished when she looked over at Shining. Her brother was standing there completely calm, as if he didn't care his monster was being removed from play. "What's going on?" Twilight asked.

Shining finally spoke. "Activate Trap," his face down flipped up to reveal what it was hidding, "Assault Mode Activate!"

"Not that card!" Spike cried out.

"What's Assault Mode Activate?" Scootaloo asked.

"With this card I can tribute my Grand Emperor," Shining explained, "in order to summon something even more powerful!"

Royal Paladin Grand Emperor turned into a stream of lights, which shot out of the wormhole and flew up into the air. "See the king as he once was. Knights unified by the light!" The light shot down and struck the ground infront of Shining, before taking form. The new monster looked just light Grand Emperor, but he was now without a horse and his armour was simpler and less regal. "Royal Paladin Grand Emperor, ASSAULT MODE!" (A4000/D3000/L12)

Everyone was horror stricken. Such power, who knew Shining had this much strength in his deck.

"Since this is an entirely new monster," Shining said, "your Spellbook of Fate has lost its target."

Twilight literally growled hearing this, before looked down at her options. "I'll use my Pendulum Scale, to Pendulum Summon Twilight Unicorn back to the field in DEF Mode." The portal formed and then opened, allowing a beam of light to shoot out and hit the ground becoming her Pendulum Monster. (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "I switch Twilight Sorcerer to DEF mode and end my turn."

"Man Twilight was so close to winning this and Shining stops it with one card," Spike said in an annoyed tone.

"Let's just hope that whatever power this new monster has," Flash said, "Twilight can survive it."

"It's my turn," Shining called out, "I draw and activate Assault Mode's ability." The king of knights raised its sword into the sky, as it fired a beam which struck the ceiling. "By banishing a Tuner monster in my graveyard," Shining explained, "I can summon a Level four or below Royal Paladin from my graveyard to the field." The portal opened and Royal Spear Paladin leapt out, landing next to Grand Emperor in DEF mode. (1900/D100/L4)

"Why'd he play him in DEF mode?" Scootaloo asked.

"Not sure," Flash said, "but I'm sure he has a reason."

"Now I'll attack your Twilight Unicorn with Grand Emperor Assault Mode!" The king of knights raised its sword and charged toward's Twilight's Pendulum Monster, before slashing at it and destroying it. "Now Assault Mode's ability kicks in," Shining explained, "it gets one extra attack for every Royal Paladin on the field. With Royal Spear Paladin, he can attack once more." Grand Emperor turned his focus on Twilight Sorcerer, before slashing at him with his sword and destroying it. "With Grand Emperor on the field, no other monster can attack so I'll end my turn."

"So that's why he summoned it in DEF mode," Flash said.

"Twilight better think up something fast," Spike said, "or this Duel's over."

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw and once again I'll Pendulum Summon Twilight Unicorn in DEF mode." The portal opened and the beam of light shot out, and became the unicorn monster. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Shining called out as he drew, "and I'll attack with Grand Emperor once again." Once again the king of knights charged forwards, aiming its sword at the Pendulum Monster.

"This attacks gonna leave Twilight defenceless," Scootaloo said.

"And Grand Emperor can attack twice remember," Spike said.

"Twilight!" Flash called out.

"I activate my Trap," Twilight called out as her face down flipped up, "Spellbinding Circle!" A magic circle appeared around Assault Mode, causing him to freeze in his tracks. "This Trap makes it so your monster can't attack and since your other monsters can't attack while he's on the field, you can't attack at all."

"Oh yeah," Spike cheered, "way to turn the tables."

"This gives Twilight some time to come up with a plan," Flash said.

Shining growled. "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Twilight said as she drew he card, "and I'll switch Twilight Unicorn to ATK mode before attacking Royal Spear Paladin." He monster fired a beam of light at the warrior, causing it to be destroyed. "I end my turn with a face down."

"Then I'll go," Shining said as he drew. Looking at his cards he sighed. "I end my turn."

"My draw," Twilight called out. She looked at her cards and nodded. "I activate Spellbook of Organisation, which lets me look at the top three cards of my deck and put them back in any order." She did so and nodded as she chose her order. "I switch Twilight Unicorn to DEF mode and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Shining called out, "I draw." He looked at his cards and growled again, "I end my turn."

"My draw," Twilight called out, "I activate Spellbook Restock. This card lets me return my banished Spellbooks to my graveyard," she did so, "and now I'll take three hundred points of damage for each one." Lightning surged around Twilight.

Twilight: 3100
Shining: 3200

"I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Shining called out, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon."

Everyone's eyes went wide seeing this, knowing what it meant.

A tornado blew around the field, sucking Spellbinding Circle into it and destroying it.

Now freed, Grand Emperor swung his sword around. "I now activate the Equipped Spell Paladin's Enchantment." The king of knights began to glow. "This card negates Assault Mode's effects, but now it also grants him three hundred extra ATK points and he now has Piecing Damage." (A4300/D3000/L12)

"Oh no," Twilight said.

"Attack!" Shining called out as his monster shot forward, striking Twilight Unicorn and destroying, while Twilight went flying back and into the back wall.

Twilight: 100
Shining: 3200

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends called out.

As Twilight fell to the floor, she looked up and saw her brother glaring at her.

"You see Twilight," Shining called out, "you really think you're ready to take on Shadow or Adagio? When you can't even beat me. Stop this foolishness and give up."

Twilight growled as she picked herself up and stepping over to the field. "I'm not giving up," she told him, "because then I'd be disappointing you."

Shining raised an eyebrow in confusion, wondering what she meant.

"You and Cadance taught me everything I know about Duelling," Twilight told him, "and the most important thing you taught me, was to never give up." She looked into her brothers eyes and stared hard at him. "I know you just what to protect me, but you don't have to. I am a grown woman, stop treating me like a little GIRL!' Her scream echoed through the halls, making everyone cover their ears.

"It's my turn," Twilight called out, "I draw!" She looked at the card she'd drawn and nodded. "first I'll once again use my Pendulum Scale to summon Twilight Unicorn back to the field." The portal opened once again, causing a beam of light to shoot out and strike the ground before becoming Twilight Pendulum Monster.

"Next I'll activate Spellbook of Rebirth," Twilight called out, "to revive my Pyro Charmer." A wormhole opened up and the Tuner monster flew out. (A1300/D1200/L3)

Shining frowned, realising what she had planned.

"Now!" Twilight cried, "I'll tune my Level three Pyro Charmer with Level four Twilight Unicorn!" Her Tuner leaped into the air and transformed into three spheres of lights, which carved three circles that Twilight Unicorn leapt into. "It's time to embrace the power given by those we call friends and ascend to a higher plain of life." A bright light occurred as the transformation took place. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Twilight's monster. "Twilight Alicorn!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

"This is just what she needed," Spike called out, "do it Twilight!"

"I activate Twilight Alicorn's Special Ability," Twilight said, "by banishing five Spellbooks from my graveyard, I can increase my monster's ATK power by one thousand while cutting your monster's in half." Twilight Alicorn's horn glowed before the light spread to Grand Emperor. (A3600/D1900/L7), (A2150/D1500/L12)

Twilight: 100
Shining: 3200

"YES!" The others all cheered.

Shining frowned at this.

"Now Twilight Alicorn attack!" Twilight called out as he monster's horn glowed once again, before firing a beam of light which struck Royal Paladin Grand Emperor Assault Mode and destroyed it.

Twilight: 100
Shining: 1750

"Not bad," Shining called out, "but I've still got more life points and next turn I will find a way to revive Grand Emperor."

"No you one," Twilight said, "because I'm activating my face down." He card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Synchro Out, which lets me return Twilight Alicorn to my extra deck and summon to two monsters that were used to summon it." In a flash of light, Twilight Alicorn disappeared and was replaced by Pyro Charmer and Twilight Unicorn. "Now ATTACK!" The Pendulum Monster fired off a beam of light, which struck Shining in the chest and sent him flying back.

Twilight: 100 (Winner)
Shining: 0

"ALRIGHT!" Spike and Scootaloo cheered as the holograms faded.

"I can't believe she did it," Flash said. He remembered how hard it was to face the weaker version of the monster and Twilight managed to beat it's stronger form.

Twilight meanwhile was walking over to where her brother had landed, as he sat up. Twilight stood over her brother, giving him a glare as she crossed her arms.

Shining just sighed as he scratched the back of his head. "Guess I lost. That means you can stay in the contest."

"And?" Twilight asked.

Shining sighed as he stood up. "And I was wrong. You are ready to face off against those two. I'm sorry, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

Twilight continued her glaring, but eventually she smiled and pulled her brother into a hug. "I know you do. You're the best BBBFF ever, but I can look after myself now."

"I know," Shining said, "I was an idiot."

"To right you were," Twilight said.

They continued their hug, Flash and the younger teens smirking at it, until they broke it.

"Well," Shining said, "let's get home."

They all nodded and turned to leave the room, but in that second the lights suddenly went off.

"Not again," Flash said.

"Why does this keep happening?" Scootaloo asked.

In the dark lab Sombra was once again hooked up to the device, which was zapping him as the beams of light struck the blank cards which floated in the room.

Adagio and Shadow were watching along with the tall cloaked figure.

Soon enough the shocks stopped and he has able to rest, as the machine retracted and Sombra was able to breath again.

"Father," Shadow called out, "are you okay?"

"I am fine," he said weakly. Looking up he saw the cards he'd just summoned floating out of the room. "I'm so close. Only five cards remain."

"But they're the five strongest," Adagio said, "will the Ener-D we collect be enough your majesty?"

"It must," Shadow said, "it's our only hope."

"He's right," the cloaked figure said, "we must not doubt ourselves now."

"You're right," Adagio said before turning to leave, "I'm gonna go train. If I have to face that Twilight girl I want to be ready."

"Good idea," Shadow said.

The next morning.

Twilight had just come down for breakfast, ready for the day ahead of her.

"Morning sweetheart," her mother said.

"Morning," Twilight said as she sat down. As she did she noticed an envelope sitting on the table, with her name written on it. "What's this?"

"Your brother came by earlier and left it," Velvet replied, "said it was important for you."

Twilight raised an eyebrow and opened the envelope, before pulling out two cards from inside. Instantly her eyes shot open, seeing what her brother had left for her. "No way."

Several hours later everyone met up in the stadium and were ready for the day ahead.

"Man it's good to be out of that hospital," Rainbow said as they sat down in the stadium seats.

"I have to agree," Rarity said, "it's not as fun watching Duels on TV."

"I wonder who'll be Duelling today?" Sweetie Belle asked.

"We'll find out soon enough," Flash said, "they'll be starting soon."

As if on cue, the stage lit up as the Celestic Sister appeared.

Both: HELLO CANTERLOT!

Celestia: It's day four of the Celestic Cup finals. Where eight competitors will Duel for the four remaining spots in round four.

Luna: I can't wait to see who'll be facing who.

Celestia: Me neither. So why wait? Let's start things off with the A Block and see who'll be facing off in the first match.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the megascreen to switch on and show the four remaining A Block Duellists. The images then flipped around, before spinning in a circle. After several tense seconds, the first Duellist was revealed.

Luna: Big Mac!

"So Mac's up first," Applebloom said happily before turning to her brother, "you'll do great."

"Eeyup," Mac said.

They turned back to the megascreen, just as the second Duellist was revealed and they all gasped.

Celestia: Applejack! It's another Sibling Duel.

Luna: Both Duellists please make your way to the Duel Arena.

Applejack and Mac looked at each other, staring at not only a sibling, but a rival. Eventually the two just smiled and nodded.

"May the best Duellist win," Applejack said.

"Eeyup," Mac replied.

The fourth day of the Celestic Cup Finals had begun. Who made it passed this round was anyone's guess.

Turn 19. Applejack vs Big Mac

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We open in the back yard of a large red house with a purple roof, where two young children sat on the porch.

"Aw," the younger of the two, a girl, moaned. She had blonde hair and was wearing an oversized stetson which kept falling over her eyes. "a'h lost again."

"It's okay," the older of the two, this one a boy, replied with a smile. "You're still learning. Once you get the hang of it you'll be great."

"Thanks Mac," the girl replied.

"Although," Mac said as he looked down at the cards, "changing your deck around might not be such a bad idea. I think a machine deck like mine would compliment your style nicely."

"Naw ar," the girl replied, "a'h don't wanna use robots. a'h like these flowers."

Mac smiled. "That's fine, we just gotta find some plant cards that work with your style."

"Yeah," she said, "and then a'm gonna beat you."

Mac just smiled. "I'm looking forward to it."

"The time's finally come," Applejack said from her waiting room. "All ma'h training, all ma'h Duels have been leading up to this moment. A'h can't lose now, not after everything A've been through."

Suddenly the doors of the room opened and the guard was directing her out.

Applejack nodded and got up, ready to finally face her brother on the big stage.

"Ow," Applebloom moaned as she fidgeted in her seat, "I don't like this."

"It must be hard having both siblings Duel against each other?" Twilight said, "I remember how hard it was to see my brother Duel against a friend. I don't want to guess how this must feel."

"Yeah," Applebloom said, "I don't know how I feel. I want to cheer for them both, but at the same time I don't. It feels like cheering for one means I'm betraying the other."

"You can cheer for them both," Flash said, "and when all things are said and done you'll be there to console whoever loses."

"I guess," Applebloom said.

Up in the VIP box, Chrysalis was smiling at what was about to transpire.

"I know it's probably mean of me to say this," she said, "but I'm actually looking forward to these two Duelling."

"No I think we understand," Sunset said, "watching two siblings, who know each others styles better then anyone, is always an interesting experience. I'm sure we're in for a fun ride."

"I just hope this doesn't cause any bad blood between the two," Cadance said.

"Don't worry about it," Shining said, "one Duels not gonna break a family apart. Pinkie and Maud didn't seem to care when they Duelled."

"I guess you're right," Cadance said.

"This Duels no doubt gonna come down to the wire," Thorax said, "considering their Duel styles."

"Agreed," Cold said, "Fusion verses Xyz. It's anyone's game."

"It looks like their starting," Cadance said as they watched through the window."

The stage lit up as the Celestic Sisters stepped out, before greeting the whole crowd.

Both: Hello Canterlot!

Celestia: Our first Duel of day four is about to get underway. Which of these two Duellists will defeat the other in the sibling Duel.

Luna: Will the younger of the two overcome the older, or will we see another victory for the older.

Celestia: Let's welcome them onto the stage. First up, Big Mac!

Big Mac stepped into the arena, focused on making it to the centre.

Luna: And next up, Applejack!

Applejack walked out, waving to the crowd as she went to join Mac and the ref in the centre.

"GO APPLEJACK!" She heard Pinkie scream.

"We have faith in you," Twilight yelled out.

"Win this one for all the little siblings," Scootaloo cried.

Applejack and Mac finally arrived at the centre, where the ref was waiting to do the coin toss.

"Heads or tails?" He asked.

"A'll take...heads," Applejack said.

Big Mac nodded, happy at the choice.

The ref nodded and flipped the coin, before checking on the outcome. "Heads, Applejack will take the first move."

The two nodded and moved back to a reasonable distance away from each other.

Celestia: Now let's see which Action Field these two siblings will be Duelling on.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath them to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye, the two siblings found themselves standing on large tree branches. Looking around they saw the entire Action Field was a giant treetop, with different types of thick branches for them to stand on. From what they could tell there were about seven layers of branches scattered all over the place, meaning they'd need to jump from branch to branch to get around.

Luna: It's Treetop Territory. I hope those two aren't afraid of heights.

"It think Applejack'll have the advantage on this field," Twilight said, "she's much more agile and will be able to jump around the area easier."

"Maybe," Flash said, "but that doesn't mean she'll win. Besides I think Mac has his own advantages. Since their gonna probably need to climb to a higher level, his strength might give him an edge in that department."

"All we can do is watch and see who'll come out on top," Rarity said, "and who ever does you might have to face in the next round."

"That's if I get through," Flash said, "but for now let's just focus on this Duel."

The others nodded and turned back to the battle field.

As Applejack strapped her Duel Disk onto her arm, she looked over at her brother. "Hey Mac."

"Eeyup," he replied as she attached his own Duel Disk.

"Just know A'h don't expect you to pull any punches," she said, "I won't you to throw everything you got at me. Deal"

"Eeyup," he replied as they activated their Disks.

Celestia: With the pleasantries out of the way, let's get this Duel on the way. In three!

Luna: TWO!

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Applejack: 4000
Mac: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"A'll go first," Applejack said as she went to her deck, "a'h draw and summon Apple Knight in DEF mode." The knight in apple patterned armour appeared, before taking a defensive stance. (A300/D300/L3) "a'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Big Mac said as he reached for his deck, "I draw." He looked at the cards he had and nodded, before turning back to his sister. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Blue Mecha Mechanic and scale five Red Mecha Mechanic." He slapped down the cards as the columns of light appeared and the two robotic monster flew up into them, stopping about ten feet in the air and forming the portal with their tools. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a beam of light shot out and hit the ground, taking the form of a robotic monster. "Mecha Worker Grand Hammer!" (A1800/D100/L4) "Next I'll equip it with Mecha Tool Nail Gunner." The green robot appeared before transforming and attaching itself to Grand Hammer.

Celestia: Mac's pulling out all the stops. Will Applejack be able to do the same?

"Now my Grand Hammer will attack your Apple Knight," Mac said as his robotic monster charged forward and aimed its Mecha Tool at the DEF position monster and fired a nail.

The nail flew at Apple Knight and struck it, destroying it in an instant. "When Apple Knight is sent to the graveyard," Applejack called out, "A'h can summon two Pip Tokens to the field in DEF mode." The two small apple pip creatures appeared on the field, before taking a defensive stance. (A0/D0/L1)

"Well my Grand Hammer has his own ability," Mac said, "when he destroys a monster by battle I can deal you three hundred points of damage.

Applejack: 3700
Mac: 4000

"Plus Nail Gunner lets him make a second attack," Mac continued as his monster re-aimed its weapon and fired another nail, which struck one of the Pip Tokens and destroyed it. "And don't forget that you know take three hundred points of damage.

Applejack: 3400
Mac: 4000

Luna: Mac takes the lead first, but can Applejack counter?

"Mac may have more life points," Twilight said, "but Applejack's only getting warmed up. Things will start heating up once she's able to Xyz Summon."

"Yes but Big Mac will be expecting that," Rarity said, "she'll need to be careful if she wants to get a hit in."

"Applejack'll be fine," Rainbow said, "she's not my rival for nothing."

"I end my turn with a face down," Mac said.

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "A'h draw." She looked at her cards and frowned, before looking all around her. Seeing something she nodded and leapt off her branch to another one, then off and onto another and another until she reached the one she wanted. Jumping up she plucked an Action Card, which was attached to a leaf, and landed back on the branch. "A'h activate the Action Spell Magical Draw," she said, "now a'h can draw a card and if its a Spell card A'h can activate it, but if not it goes to the graveyard."

Celestia: Already Applejack's letting luck play into her stratagy. What will she get?

Applejack placed her hand on her deck and drew her card, before looking at it and smiling. "A'h got Reseeding, which means I can now discard Astilbe Archer and summon two monsters whose Level equal five."

A flash of light occurred and two new monsters appeared on the field. "Say hello to Apple Kid and Sylvan Marshalleaf." (A200/D300/L2), (A1500/D1200/L3) "Since Apple Kid was Special Summoned, his ability lets me increase his Level by one for this turn. (A200/D300/L3)

"Next A'll active the Spell Ultra Growth," She said as her token dug into the ground as a watering can appeared and poured its contents onto the ground. Seconds later a flower shot out of the ground, and as its bulbs opened a new monster appeared.

Mac frowned seeing this.

"Thanks to that Spell A'h got to trade my Pip Token in for my Garden Knight." (A1300/D900/L3/P3) "A'll then activate my knight's ability," she said, "to banish Astilbe Archer from my graveyard and add another Plant Monster from my deck to my hand whose ATK is lower then my Archer." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and placed in her hand.

"Not bad," Mac said, knowing what his sister had planned,

"And now," Applejack said as her monsters glowed, "with these three monsters I build the Overlay Network." The monsters shot into the air and then flew into the black hole as it appeared below her. "As the seasons bring fourth new growth, it can also bring fourth a new power," the black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing AJ's Xyz monster. "Orchard Cowboy!" (A2100/D600/R3)

Luna: Wow. Applejack's brought out the big guns. How will Mac deal with it."

"Orchard Cowboy attack Mecha Worker Grand Hammer," Applejack ordered as her monster aimed one of his pistols at the robot.

"I activate my face down," Mac said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! Now I can negate your attack."

"You could," Applejack said, "if not for Orchard Cowboy's ability." In that second one of the Xyz Monster's Overlay Units went into its other gun, which it aimed at the Trap and fired, destroying the Trap and negating its effects. "Now ma'h attack's back on." The cowboy fired his other gun, striking the robot and destroying it.

Applejack: 3400
Mac: 3700

"A'h end ma'h turn," Applejack said.

"Big Mac managed to get the first attack in," Twilight said, "but now Applejack's gotten her heavy hitter out."

"Meaning Mac's gonna need to step up his game if he wants to stay in this," Flash said.

Meanwhile Applebloom was watching the match closely. The back and forth-ness of the Duel was making her heart beat and she expected it to keep up like this for a while.

"It's my turn," Mac said as her went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the cards and nodded, before looking back at his opponent. "I activate the Spell Monster Reincarnation, which means I now need to discard a card to return another to my hand."

"I don't think so," Applejack said, "because I'm gonna use my Orchard Cowboy's ability to negate it." Her Xyz Monster aimed his pistol at the card, as another Overlay Unit flew inside and it fired. The shot struck the Spell card and destroyed it.

Celestia: Ooh, Big Mac's stratagy is nipped in the bud.

"Sorry bro," Applejack said with a smirk, "I'm not letting you get your monsters back." However her smirk quickly disappeared once she saw the one of Mac's face.

"You sure," Big Mac said, "because now you can't use your Cowboy's ability for the rest of the turn."

Applejack's eyes went wide, as she realised she'd been set up.

"I activate my Blue Mecha Mechanic's ability," Mac said, "to summon Mecha Worker Grand Hammer back to the field with its ATK and DEF concealed out." The Pendulum Monster pointed its screwdriver at the ground, firing off a beam which opened a portal which Grand Hammer came out of, looking like it was barely holding together. (A0/D0/L4)

"Oh no," Applejack said.

"Now I'll activate my Grand Hammer's ability," Mac said, "to special summon Mecha Worker Chisel Striker to the field from the graveyard." A pile of scrap metal appeared in front of Grand Hammer, which he started bashing with his hammer fist until the scrap became the Mecha Worker Mac had sent to the grave with Monster Reincarnation. (A1200/D1100/L3)

Luna: Smart move. He used his Spell card to get his sister to use her monster's effect, while setting up his real plan.

"And now I'll use Red Mecha Mechanic to fuse these two monsters together." The Pendulum Monster held up its spanner, which unleashed a beam that struck the sky and opened a vortex above the monsters. "Now my two Mecha Workers will combine to create an even greater machine," Mac said as his monster were sucker into the vortex. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded and from it came Mac's monster. "Advanced Mecha Worker Cyber Handyman!" (A2600/D2100/L8)

Applejack frowned seeing her brothers go to monster.

"Now I activate my Handyman's ability," Mac said as his deck shuffled and then slotted out a card. He took it and looked it over, nodding as he did so. "I pay eight hundred life points to activate Bootlegged Advanced Mecha Tool.

Applejack: 3400
Mac: 2900

"This card lets me summon an Advanced Mecha Tool to my field without a Fusion Summon, but it's destroyed during the End Phase." His Extra Deck opened and he took out a card, which he placed on the Duel Disk. "I summon Advanced Mecha Tool Drill Saw." (A1000/D1000/L4) "Now I'll equip him to my Advanced Mecha Worker," Mac said as the Advanced Mecha Tool transformed into the arm form, which linked to Handyman's shoulder. (A3600/D2100/L8) "ATTACK!"

The robot charged forward at Applejack's monster.

Applejack growled, knowing she couldn't use her face down or an Action Card thanks to Drill Saw's ability.

Handyman struck and destroyed her monster, sending her flying off her branch

Applejack: 1900
Mac: 2900

Applejack managed to grab onto a lower branch, barely holding on with her finger tips.

Luna: Impressive move. The Fusion has overcome the Xyz in this match up.

"I end my turn," Mac said, "Drill Saw is now destroyed." His monster exploded off Handyman's shoulder, returning the monster back to its original points. (A2600/D2100/L8)

Applejack managed to pull herself up onto the branch, before looking up at her brother. "Nice move back there Mac," she said, "A'm not sure how A'm gonna be able to beat it."

Mac just smirked. "Don't think I'm gonna take you likely just because my best cards on the field," he said, "I'm not gonna stop until your life points are at zero."

"Me to," Applejack said, "now let's keep going. A'h draw." She looked at the cards she'd drawn and thought her plan over. "A'h summon Red Apple Golem in DEF mode," she said as her monster appeared. (A1300/D1500/L4) "And thanks to his ability, A'h can add Green Apple Golem to ma'h hand." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and added to her hand. "A'h end ma'h turn."

"Then it's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and activate Handyman's effect." His deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which he took and looked at. "I'll now attack your Red Apple Golem," his monster charged forward and smashed the giant apple, turning it into jam. "I end my turn."

"Then it's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "A'h draw." She looked at the card and frowned. "A'h summon Green Apple Golem in ATK mode." Her monster appeared and stood next to her. (A1400/D600/L4) "Now for his ability," she said, "A'h can add Yellow Apple Golem to ma'h hand." Her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, which she took and then placed in her hand while taking out another. "Now A'h activate my Monster Reborn," she said, "to revive my Red Apple Golem to the field." Her monster returned to the field, before standing next to its brother.

"Two Level fours," Mac said, knowing what was coming.

"And now," Applejack said, "I'll Overlay these two to build the Overlay Network." The two Apple Golems glowed, before shooting into the air and into the black hole. "He who watches over all growth, lend us your protection." The black hole burst in an explosion of light, "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's monster. "Orchard Defender!" (A1400/D2600/R4)

Celestia: An impressive move. Now Applejack can defend against Handyman until she can find a way to win.

"A'h end ma'h turn," Applejack said.

"I don't think Applejack's out of the woods yet," Rarity said, "Big Mac will have been expecting this. He'll be ready for it."

"Your right," Twilight said, "but whether or not he has to cards to countermand it is the question."

"Come on Applejack," Flash said.

"My draw," Mac said, "and now I'll activate my Handyman's ability." His deck once again shuffled and slotted out a card, which he took and smiled seeing it. "Now I pay five hundred life points to activate the Spell card Attribute Change."

Applejack: 1900
Mac: 2400

"Now I can change the attribute of any monster on my field or in my Extra Deck," he explained, "so I'll be changing a certain monster in my Extra Deck to a Dark attribute."

This confused a lot of people.

"Why'd he do that?" Sweetie Belle asked in confusion.

"He has to have a reason," Rarity said.

"But what reason?" Flash asked.

"I think we're about to find out," Twilight said.

"Now my monsters a Dark Type," Mac said, "I can activate this Spell. Overload Fusion! Now I can Fusion Summon a Dark Type Machine monster, using monsters on my field and in my graveyard."

Suddenly a portal appeared and Drill Saw floated out or it.

A moment later the vortex appeared above his monsters, which sucked them inside. "Now watch as the greatest Mecha Worker is born," Mac said as the vortex exploded. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Big Mac's greatest monster. Its right arm had a hammer for a hand and its left arm had a chisel, while its back had Advanced Mecha Tool Drill Saw. "Advanced Mecha Worker, Multi-Tool Giant!" (A2500/D3000/L10)

Celestia: Incredible. Big Mac has managed to summon his greatest monster, but will Applejack survive it?

"Multi-Tool Giant's ATK points increase by five hundred points for each Advanced Mecha Tool used to summon him," Mac said. (A3000/D3000/L10)

"Oh boy," Applejack said.

"ATTACK!" Big Mac called out as his monster charged forwards.

"I activate Orchard Defender's ability," Applejack said as on of her Monsters Overlay Units flew into the gem on his shield. "Now I can negate your monster's attack." Multi-Tool Giant struck the shield, but Orchard Defender remained standing, but the force of the attack almost knocked Applejack off her branch. She managed to get her balance, but she was still shaken up.

"I end my turn," Big Mac said.

"Applejack can keep defending against it all she likes," Rainbow said, "but her monster's gonna run out of Overlay Units eventually and when it does she'll be in trouble."

"She needs to be careful," Twilight said.

"It's ma'h draw," Applejack said as she drew her card. Looking up at her opponent she sighed. She could try summoning Yellow Apple Golem, but it wouldn't stand a chance against Multi-Tool Giant. So instead she ended her turn.

Luna: Looks like Applejack finds herself in a bind.

Celestia: Can she pull it back or will Big Mac be heading to the next round.

"It's my turn," Mac said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." He drew two new cards and them over, before smiling and looking down at Applejack. "I hate doing this sis," he said, "but I play Fissure."

Applejack's eyes went wide.

Luna: Oh dear. Fissure, a card which destroys your opponents weakest monster, has been activated. If Applejack doesn't do something she'll be in for a direct attack.

Applejack watched as her best monster was destroyed, unable to protect itself form the Spell's effects.

"And now," Mac said, "Advanced Mecha Worker, Multi-Tool Giant attack!" The giant robot pulled its three fists back and prepared to strike Applejack."

"A'h activate ma'h Trap," Applejack said as her card flipped up, "Bloomberg the Moving Forest!" The giant tree appeared on the field, before taking a defensive stance. (ATK 0/DEF 2000/L4)

Celestia: Some quick thinking helped Applejack defend against the attack.

Luna: Hey! Where's he going?

Big Mac was leaping from branch to branch, higher and higher until her reached a branch where an Action Card hung from a leaf. Raising his hands he reached out and grabbed the leaf, before landing on the branch below them. "I activate the Action Spell Magical Reactivation. This card lets me activate the effect of a Spell card in my graveyard, so once again I'll use Fissure."

Applejack growled seeing her monster once again be destroyed, meaning Multi-Tool Giant was once again aiming its attack at her. She knew she only had one hope, an Action Card.

While the Fusion Monster was getting closer, Applejack was leaping from branch to branch.

Big Mac followed her direction and saw she was heading towards and Action Card half way between them, which meant if he got it he'd win the match. With one deep breath he leaped off his branch to a lower one and then off it onto a lower one.

Celestia: It seems we have a race to the Action Card.

Luna: Who ever manages to get their hands on it first may decide the fate of the Duel.

The two siblings were now one branch away from the card and both were panting heavily, before they both leapt from their branches and reached out for the card.

Time seemed to slow down as the two's fingers caught the card, only seeming to restart once the flew passed, the identity of the card holder unknown.

Finally the two landed on the branch the other had previously stood on, before turning back to each other. The two stared at each other, not showing who had the card, until finally the card holder revealed themselves when they activated the Action Card.

"Go Magical Draw!" Applejack said with a smile. "Ya'h know how it works," she said, "A'h draw a card and if it's a Spell, A'h get to activate it."

Celestia: This whole Duel comes down to what Ms Applejack draws.

Luna: I can't watch.

Applejack closed her eyes and placed her hand on her deck, before taking a deep breath a drawing. Bringing the card up to he sight, she opened her eyes and saw what she'd got...before smiling.

"A'h activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Growth Force!"

Everyone's eyes went wide hearing this.

"Alright," Spike said, "that's the one card that could save her."

"Go Applejack!" Pinkie screamed.

"You know how it goes," Applejack said, "not only does this card revive my Orchard Cowboy, but it also let's me rank him up!"

In a flash of light, Orchard Cowboy appeared before transforming into a stream of light which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Power of nature, bursting with life. Unleash your true strength upon the world." she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's evolved monster. "Orchard Sheriff!" (A2800/D2300/R4)

Celestia: What a move. Now Applejack has a chance.

Luna: And don't forget that Multi-Tool Giant is still attacking.

As if on cue the Fusion Monster charged forward, ready to attack its new opponent.

"A'h activate Orchard Sheriff's ability," Applejack said as the single Overlay Unit flew into the Xyz Monster's pistol. "Now a'h can negate ya'h monsters ability, before adding his ATK points to Orchard Sheriff's." Orchard Sheriff fired its pistol, striking Multi-Tool Giant and causing it to glow as its power weakened. (A2500/D3000/L10) Meanwhile Orchard Sheriff also glowed as his power went up. (A5300/D2300/R4) The Xyz Monster aimed its other pistol at the robot and fired, it's shot flying straight at Multi-Tool Giant and causing an explosion.

When the smoke cleared, the robot was shown with a massive hole in the centre. One by one the robot's arms fell off, before the Fusion Monster fell apart and the pieces flew towards Big Mac.

Mac just smirked and remained perfectly still as the pieces flew towards him.

"Great work sis," he said as he was struck and sent flying.

Applejack: 1900 (Winner)
Mac: 0

Celestia: She did it! Applejack has defeated her brother and will be moving onto the final round of the block tournament.

Luna: It was one card that saved her, but sometimes one card is all you need.

Meanwhile as the Action dissolved, Applejack walked over to where Big Mac had land and was standing tall.

"Looks like you did it," Mac said, this being the first time anyone had heard him talk out of a Duel, "you beat me."

"Yeah," Applejack said, "I did. I can't believe I pulled it off."

"Well you'll need to start believing you can pull it off," he said, "if you want to beat the next Duellist your facing."

Applejack nodded and then pulled her brother into a hug.

Everyone awed seeing this.

"I'm so happy Applejack managed to pull it off," Twilight said, "she did great."

Applebloom nodded, happy her siblings could go all out and have nothing to regret.

Everyone watched as the two pulled out of their hug and returned to their arena exit.

"That was some match," Thorax said.

"It was," Chrysalis agreed.

"Amazing how Applejack managed to pull it back," Sunset said, "what did you think Cold?" She looked around and saw her boss was gone.

Big Mac was walking down the corridor when he saw someone leaning against the wall.

"Mr Macintosh," Cold said, "we need to talk."

Celestia: It's time for the final match of our A Block tournament.

Luna: Flash Sentry and Cloak N Daggers please come down to the Duel Field.

"Well," Flash said, "it's my turn."

"Good luck Flash," Twilight told him.

"That Cloak guy doesn't stand a chance again you," Scootaloo said.

"You know it," Flash said.

How will Flash do against the mysterious Cloak? Only time will tell.

Turn 20, Absolute Chaos

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Inside the stadium a man and his son stepped out of the restroom and were making their way back towards the seating area.

"Come on daddy," the eight year old boy said as he tried to pull his father along, "we're gonna miss Flash's Duel."

"Relax Heart," the boy's father said, "we've got plenty of time before the next round."

"But I don't wanna risk it," Heart said.

"You really like this Flash Duellist don't you?" The father said.

"Yeah," Heart replied, "he's got an awesome deck and I love how cool he looks when he Duels."

"Well don't worry," the man said, "we'll see him Duel don't worry." However, in that moment the two turned a corner and almost collided with someone. "Oh," he said pulling his son back and out of the way before, looking towards whoever they were about to hit.

The person was part of a trio. They were all wearing black hoodies, with the hoods up blocking their faces from view, and each carried a backpack.

The three looked towards the two, their eyes showing glares.

"Sorry about that," the man said, "my son's a little overexcited."

"Sorry," Heart said.

"Yeah well," the tallest of the three said, "watch it." With that the three continued to walk forwards, leaving the two very unnerved.

"So what's the plan again?" One of the three said once they were out of ear shot.

"I don't know yet," the leader said, "but when we find something good we'll do it. No matter what we're gonna get pay back for what they did to us."

Suddenly a nearby megascreen lit up and showed the Celestial Sisters.

Celestia: The Duel between Flash Sentry and Cloak N Daggers will begin in ten minutes. Everyone please return to your seat if you don't want to miss an awesome Duel.

Hearing this the leader chuckled, before turning to the other two. "Boys," he said, "I have an idea."

Up in the VIP, Thorax had a tablet out and was web searching something.

"What are you looking up?" He turned to look over his shoulder and see his mother standing there scowling at him.

"I was just trying to see what info I could find out about this Cloak N Daggers guy," Thorax said, "I'm just curious."

"I don't blame you," Sunset said, "he's very off the grid. But a few people I know from the Underground Duels had a run in with him a while back."

"What did they tell you?" Cadance asked.

"Not much," Sunset said, "except that he never takes off that goofy bath robe and he ain't really fond of playing nice."

"We've already seen that," Shining said, "in his last few Duels he won by using sneak attacks."

"Let's just hope Flash can beat him," Sunset said.

"He will," Shining said, "that kids on a roll."

"We'll see."

Everyone turned to see Cold enter the room, looking as stoic as ever.

"Where have you been?" Sunset asked him with a raised eyebrow.

"Had some business to take care of," Cold replied as he moved over to the window and stared at the image of Cloak N Daggers on the screen.

This might be their last chance to find out whether or not he was working for Sombra or not.

"Be careful," he said.

Up in the stands, Grand Hoof stood their waiting for his grandson's Duel to begin.

"Let's see what else you've got kiddo," he said.

In another part of the stands, Flash's friends were also waiting impatiently for the next match.

"I'm worried," Twilight said, "Flash had never faced anyone like this Cloak fellow before."

"Don't worry Twilight," Scootaloo said, "my brother isn't going to let some creep in a cloak knock him off his game."

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "he'll be fine. Plus now he can Xyz Summon, so if anything bad happens he can just do that."

"Just because he can now Xyz Summon," Rarity said, "doesn't mean he isn't going to use his other summoning styles."

"Yeah yeah whatever," Rainbow said, "just watch. I bet he'll use it."

"If he can," Applejack said, "it all depends on the cards."

"Yeah sure," Rainbow said.

"He'll need to be careful if he wants to win."

The group turned to see Timber and Gloriosa standing next to their seats.

"Oh hey," Twilight said, "come on sit with us."

"Sure," Timber said as they did so, "thanks."

"This'll be interesting for you," Spike said, "the two guys who beat you in the tournament now facing off against each other."

"Yeah," Timber said, "and it'll be interesting to see which of them will overcome the other. Flash's deck is very diverse but can he beat Cloaks trickery."

"We'll find out soon," Twilight said, "their about to start."

The stage lit up as Celestial and Luna stepped out.

Celestia: The second and final round of the A Block tournament is about to begin. Whoever manages to claim victory will face off against Applejack for the Block Champion Title.

Luna: Let's welcome our Duelists out onto the stage. First up we have the Pendulum Duelist, Flash Sentry!

Flash stepped out onto the field, waving at the crowed as he did so.

Luna: And his opponent. The mysterious Duelist, Cloak N Daggers.

Cloak also stepped out onto the stadium, though something seemed off about him.

The two met in the centre, as the ref did the coin flip and it was decided Flash would take the first move.

The two nodded and stepped back to a fair distance.

Celestia: Now let's see which Action Field they'll be Duelling on today.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath them to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye the two found themselves on a street in the middle of the night. The only light coming from the dim light of the street lamps.

Luna: Dark City!

Cloak suddenly began to chuckle, before breaking out in high pitched laughter which made everyone go uncomfortable.

"Okay," Rainbow said, "did I miss a joke."

"If you did then so did I," Twilight said.

"Something's wrong," Timber said, "that doesn't sound like the Cloak N Daggers I Duelled"

"You wanna tell me what's so funny?" Flash asked.

"You're about to find out loser," he replied.

A pang of memory rang in Flash's head. He'd heard that voice before.

"Surprise!" Cloak screamed as he grabbed his cloak and yanked it off of himself, revealing who was under it.

"NO WAY!" Flash screamed seeing who it was.

"You gotta be kidding me," Spike said.

"What's he doing here?" Scootaloo asked.

Garble stood there with a wicked smile on his face.

"How are you here?" Flash asked him, "what's your game?"

"My game," Garble said, "is to get revenge on both you and your little friend Cold."

"Friend of yours?" Chrysalis asked Cold.

"Hardly," he replied, "he was caught cheating and banned from any of my tournaments."

"If that's so," Thorax said, "how'd he become Cloak."

Suddenly a ringing could be heard from Cold's pocket, making him take out his phone and answer the call. It was one of his security officers. "What is it?"

"Sir," the man said, "we discovered a man who claims to be Cloak N Daggers. He's severally injured and well...naked."

Cold growled and cut the call before looking back down at the field.

"So what will it be?" Garble asked, "you gonna Duel or are you a chicken?"

Flash growled. He wanted to take the punk down, but he had more important things to worry about.

"What am I saying," Garble said, "it's not like you have a choice."

"What do you mean?"

"Hang on Flash," Rainbow said as she and the others ran down to the lowest area of the stands. "We got your back," she said as she went to jump over the barrier, but when she did she suddenly felt herself slam into something. "What the?" She asked as she staggered back.

"Are you okay?" Fluttershy asked her.

Twilight stepped forwards held her hand out, only for it to touch something invisible. "A force field."

"It's the stadium's defence grid."

They all turned to see Grand stepping down to them.

"It keeps the audience safe from stray monster attacks," he said.

"Well it's keeping us from getting to Flash," Spike said.

"Exactly," Grand said, "he planned this."

"Don't you get it," Garble said, "the only way out of here is through us."

"Us?" Flash asked.

Suddenly two more figures stepped out onto the street. It was Garbles pals, Fume and Clump.

"Us," Garble said, "we're taking you down and when we do we're taking your deck."

Flash frowned hearing this.

"We heard how you managed to beat Cold Steel," Garble said, "so when we win we're gonna take your deck and use it to get our revenge on the guy who beat us."

"Not happening!" Flash yelled before looking up at the VIP box. "I can take them. Let me do this."

Cold heard this and sighed. It was obvious now that Cloak wasn't on Sombra's side, so there was nothing to lose. He opened a com and spoke. "I will allow it, but the three of you will be getting arrested win or lose."

"Yeah right," Garble said before turning to Flash. "Let's do this."

"Let's," Flash said.

The four pulled out their Duel Disks and activated them.

Celestia: Er...okay then. Let's get this Duel started. In three!

Luna: Two!

Both: One!

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"I'm up first," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale with scale three Magna Caster Exitium and scale eight Magna Caster Estella." He slapped the cards down on his Duel Disk as the columns of light appeared on the field, with two monsters flying up into them. One of them was a man with green and white armour carrying a staff with a head in the shape of a DNA helix, while the other was the star clothed magician. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash called out as the portal formed above him, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground.

"Target sighted, Magna Fighter Radium." (A1600/D1400/L4)

"Next I summon Shine Crest Magna Wolf to the field in ATK mode," Flash said as he wolf appeared next to the warrior. (A1200/D1100/L3) "Then I'll use Estella's Pendulum ability," he continued, "to increase his Level by one." The spell caster waved her staff and caused stardust to fly our and around Magna Wolf, increasing his Level. (A1200/D1100/L4)

"Two Level fours," Garble said.

"And now I'll use these to monsters to build the Overlay Network," Flash said as his monsters glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at Flash's feet. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." The black hole exploded, releasing Flash's monster. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Destiny Bound Dragon!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

Celestia: In one turn Flash managed to summon the monster that won him the previous round.

Luna: How will Garble and his friends do against this?

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash said.

"Then it's my turn," Garble said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Dark Rouge Assailant and scale seven Dark Rouge Assassin."

"Those must have been Cloaks," Flash guessed as the the columns of light appeared on either side of Garble.

The two were filled with monsters in black cloaks, which each held out a knife which fired out a beam that opened the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three beams of light shot out and hit the ground, changing into dragon monsters in DEF mode.

"Golem Dragon!" (A200/D2000/L4)X2

The second was a humanoid dragon carrying a crossbow. "Archer Dragon!" (A1000/D1000/L3)

"Next I'll play the Continuous Spell card Hand Shrink," he said, "this card lowers our hand limit by two."

"But that means they can only hold four cards," Sweetie said.

"Their planning something," Twilight said.

"I end my turn," Garble said, "and with that Archer Dragon's ability activates. Dealing you three hundred points of damage."

The dragon raised its crossbow and fired a flaming arrow, which struck Flash in the chest and causing him to yell out.

Flash: 3700
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"It's my turn," Fume said as he went to his deck, "I draw and like my boss I'll also set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Dark Rouge Assailant and scale seven Dark Rouge Assassin."

"Not again," Flash said as the columns of light appeared and the two monsters floated up into them.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Fume cried out, as the portal opened and the three lights shot out and hit the ground.

"Golem Dragon!" (A200/D2000/L4)X2

"Archer Dragon!" (A1000/D1000/L3)

Flash didn't like the look of this.

"Now I'll play my own copy of Hand Shrink," Fume said, "lowering our hand limits by two more."

"Now they can only hold two cards," Applebloom said.

"And a'h get the feelin we know what the last guy's move's gonna be," Applejack said.

"I end my turn," Fume said, "and with it my Archer Dragon's ability activates." Once again the dragon raised its crossbow and fired a flaming arrow, which struck Flash in the chest.

Flash: 3400
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"It's my turn," Clump said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I to will set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Dark Rouge Assailant and scale seven Dark Rouge Assassin." Once again the columns of light appeared and the two monsters floated up into them.

"You can't be serious!" Flash almost screamed as the portal formed above them.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Fume cried out, as the portal opened and the three lights shot out and hit the ground.

"Golem Dragon!" (A200/D2000/L4)X2

"Archer Dragon!" (A1000/D1000/L3)

"Now I'll play my copy of Hand Shrink," he said as he placed the last card into his Duel Disk.

"But that means we can't have any cards during the end phase," Flash said.

"Not that we need any," Garble said.

"That's right," Clump said, "I'll now end my turn and activate Archer Dragon's ability." The dragon fired a flaming arrow, which struck Flash in the chest."

Flash: 3100
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"Okay," Rainbow said, "I'm all for luck in Duelling. But there is no way those three could draw the same six cards."

"They must have rigged their Duel Disks," Twilight said.

"But that's cheating," Spike said.

"I don't think they care," Grand said.

"This is insane," Sunset said, "how's Flash suppose to beat them like this."

"All he has to do is destroy Archer Dragon," Thorax said, "then he won't take damage."

"Except he can't," Cold said because of Golem Dragon.

Seeing the boys confusion, Cadance explained. "While Golem Dragon is on the field, Flash can't attack any other monster."

"And with two out," Shining said, "they create an un-passable barrier."

"So Flash can't attack anything?" Thorax asked.

"Exactly," Sunset said.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked at the cards in his hand and nothing he had could get him out to the situation. "I end my turn."

"Don't forget to discard your cards," Garble said.

Flash frowned but did so anyway.

"It's my turn," Garble said, "I draw and end my turn." As he discarded his card his dragon once again fired the arrow, which struck Flash.

Flash: 2800
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"It's my turn," Fume said, "I draw and place one card face down and end my turn." Once again the dragon aimed its crossbow and fired, striking Flash and reducing his life points.

Flash: 2500
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"My turn," Clump said, "I end my turn." He discarded his card and his dragon fired its crossbow at Flash, hitting him again.

Flash: 2200
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"This is nuts," Spike said, "there's gotta be something he can do?"

"Flash needs to get rid of those Golem Dragons," Twilight said."

"But how?" Scootaloo asked, "if he summons Flash Heart he'll only get rid of one of them."

"Come on Flash," Grand said.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd drawn and his eyes went wide. "I activate Mystical Space Typhoon," he said, "to destroy Grable's Hand Shrink." At least now he'd get to keep some cards.

"I activate my Trap," Fume said, "Magic Drain. This card negates your Spell, unless you discard a Spell card."

Flash growled, having no cards to discard his Spell was destroyed. "I end my turn."

"My draw," Garble said, "I set one card and end my turn." Once again Flash was shot.

Flash: 1900
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"My turn," Fume said, I end my turn." He discarded as Flash was shot again.

Flash: 1600
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"My turn," Clump said, "I end my turn." He discarded as Flash was shot.

Flash: 1300
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"My turn," Flash said as he drew, but got nothing. "I end my turn," he said as he discarded.

"My turn," Garble said as he drew his card and smiled. "I summon another Archer Dragon."

"Oh no," Flash said as the second crossbow wielding dragon appeared. (A1000/D1000/L3)

"I end my turn," Garble said as both monsters fired their arrows.

The first one hit.

Flash: 1000
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

Then the second.

Flash: 700
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"It's my turn," Fume said as he drew, "I end my turn.

Flash: 400
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"My turn," Clump said, "I draw and end my turn."

Once again flash was shot, causing him to fall to his knees.

Flash: 100
Garble: 4000
Fume: 4000
Clump: 4000

"Next round I'm gonna enjoy beating you," Garble said with a smirk.

"Come on Flash!" Spike yelled, "you gotta do something."

"But what can he do?" Rarity asked, "he's got no cards in his hand and one turn to defeat three Duelists with full life points.

"There has to be something," Fluttershy said.

"I don't know," Rainbow said.

"Flash," Twilight whispered.

"Come on," Garble said, "take your turn. I can't wait to see what last ditch attempt you use to try and win."

Hearing this made Flash shake, as his anger began to build. He wanted to wipe those smug looks off their faces, but how? Suddenly an idea popped into his head, making him go to his Extra Deck and pull out the last of the blank cards.

"Come on," he said, "work. Come on!" He shut his eyes and focused on the ruins and when he opened his eyes, he was there. "Flash Heart!" He called out, "Destiny Bound! Get out here!"

A gust of wind caused him to look around and see his two dragons standing near the statue.

"Show me the last statue!" He ordered, "I'm not losing to a bunch of cheaters. So take my to the monster that's suppose to go with the Xyz card."

The two dragon's glanced at each other, obviously not sure about this.

"NOW!" Flash yelled.

With that the dragons turned towards the statue and Flash rushed over to it. Barely a few seconds later the statue began to sink into the ground, the elevator mechanism lowering them down. They arrived at the area where Flash had awakened Destiny Bound, but they continued downwards towards a second level.

When they arrived at the location, the elevator coming to a rickety stop, the corridor lit up with torches. Flash rushed through the corridor, arriving at the giant wooden door, and began slamming his fist against it. "Open up open up open up!" He yelled until the door slowly began to open.

Rushing inside he saw what he'd been looking for.

Sitting in the centre of the room was a giant statue, larger then the one Destiny Bound had been sealed inside, which was shaped like a humanoid sitting with its legs crossed. It carried a giant staff with several large gears at the top.

"So this is it," he said as he began to float up to the dragon's head and placed his hand on its head. "Alright listen," he said sternly, "I need your help. I'm up against three cheating Duelists and nothing I have can stop them. My only chance is whatever ability you have, so come on let's get going."

However, when he took away his hand the statue remained how it was.

"Come on!" Flash said as he placed his hand back on it, "work with me here!" Still nothing. "I said wake up!" His hand went into a fist, which he used to punch the dragon's face. "I am the only one who can wake you up," he yelled out, "the only one who can make a connection between you and my world." He punched the statue again. "You're nothing without me, so you will listen to ME!" He punched the statue one more time, more powerful then ever, and the force of the punch caused the stone to crack. "That's right," he said seeing them, "now WAKE...UP!"

With that more cracks began to appear and enlarge, spreading around its body before shattering and unleashed a powerful ray of light.

Flash was pushed back by the explosion, but unlike last time he didn't feel the need to shield his eyes as he heard the sound of the dragon's powerful roar, which rattled the entire chamber. Suddenly his eyes began to glow, as his vision was filled with nothing but white.

Everyone watched as Flash just stood there quietly.

"Is he okay?" Rainbow asked.

"Not sure," Scootaloo said, "never seen him like this before."

"No," Twilight said, "we have, when he summoned his monsters before."

The others all suddenly realised what she meant and looked back down at the field.

"Hey lamo," Garble said, "what's the matter? Decided to just give up."

Celestia: Flash Sentry, It is your turn. You must make a move, or you will be disqualified.

"Come on!" Garble called out, "I didn't come all this way just for you to give up. I wanna see you suffer."

Flash's eyes suddenly shot open, but they were not the calm ocean blue they usually were. They were now a dark crimson red, filled with anger and hatred. "I'm gonna wipe those smug look off your ugly faces," he said, his voice ripe with venom.

This alarmed everyone. It wasn't like Flash to insult people, even if he didn't like them.

"Flash," Twilight whispered, "what's wrong with you."

"It's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw!" He looked at his card and nodded, before turning to his opponents. "With my already set Pendulum Scale, I'll now cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The two wizards pointed their staffs and fired beams of light, which struck the spot above Flash and formed the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and shot out a beam of light, which struck the ground and took the form of an all to familiar monster. "Shine your light of devastation, FLASH HEART DRAGON!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Garble's two cronies shook seeing that card, causing him to roll his eyes. "Would you two relax," he said, "so what if he's got that monster out. It won't stop our strategy, even if he does get rid of a Golem Dragon and attacks, our monsters are in DEF mode. Plus he'd only be able to beat one of us, so the other two can take him out. We're fine."

"That's where you're wrong," Flash growled, "you are not fine. Furthest thing from it."

Though he wouldn't admit it, Garble felt a twinge of fear.

"I activate Magna Caster Exitium's Pendulum Ability," Flash said. His monster raised his staff and waved it, unleashing an unusual energy which radiated around Destiny Bound Dragon. "Now I can change Destiny Bound Dragon's Rank into a Level," Flash explained as his dragon's glow died down. (A2400/D2100/L4)

"An Xyz Monster with a Level?" Rainbow said in amazement, "no way."

"Now I activate Magna Caster Estella's Pendulum Ability, to increase Destiny Bound Dragon's Level by three." The wizard waved her wand and unleashed the stardust, which spiralled around Destiny Bound and caused it to glow. (A2400/D2100/L7)

"Two Level seven monsters," Garble said in horror.

Dark clouds were beginning to form above them, darkening the field.

"And now," Flash said as his monsters glowed, "I'll Overlay my Flash Heart Dragon and Destiny Bound Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into streams of light, shot up to the sky and into the clouds as black hole formed within them. "Light and darkness, hope and despair, creation and destruction," Flash chanted and the black hole grew bigger, "two sides of the same coin. But when they're all brought together, they create...ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

Flash took the once blank card from his Extra Deck and slapped it on his Duel Disk, as sparks of black energy surged from the card.

The black hole exploded with light, releasing the monster that was inside. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

Finally the light faded and the clouds disappeared, revealing Flash's new monster. It was the same creature Flash had seen as a statue, which was about twenty meters tall and now had bronze armour with streaks of red and purple here and there. It had a pair of robotic crescent moon shaped wings and carried a large staff with the gears on the top moving. Its feet were both crossed, looking like it was in a meditation stance. "DESCEND, CHAOS COMMAND DRAGON!" (A3000/D2500/R7/P4)

"No way," Garble said.

"What do we do boss?" Fume asked.

"Relax," Garble said, "it's only one monster."

"This one monster will be what ends you," Flash growled, making them all tremble in terror. "I activate Chaos Command Dragon's ability! On the turn he was Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit, he can send every monster on your field to the bottom of your decks!"

The three's eyes went wide hearing this as they looked up and saw Chaos Command raise it's giant staff, which fired out a beam of light into the sky. The sky suddenly seemed to break, creating a tear in the space time continuem which unleashed a sucking force.

Garble and his cronies looked around and saw their monster being sucked up into the hole.

"Be gone!" Flash chanted, "banished to the furthest reaches of time."

As the last monster was sucked into the hole, it was suddenly sealed shut.

The three looked at their now empty fields, before looking back up at Chaos Command.

"Now for his second ability," Flash said, his voice sounding creepily happy, "by removing an Overlay Unit, he can attack once for every monster sent to the bottom of the deck."

The three's eyes went wide hearing this.

"That means three attacks for your lackeys and four attack for you," Flash said, "but since I'm sick of looking at you I'll speed this up and unleash all the attacks at once."

One of the Xyz Monster's Overlay Units flew into its staff, which began spinning its gears as lightning surged from it.

"No," Garble said, "please. We give up okay." The three removed their decks from the Duel Disks, but Chaos Command did not disappear.

"Oh no," Flash said, "you're not getting out of this. Chaos Command Dragon...ATTACK!"

And with that the Xyz Monster unleashed three powerful bolts of lightning, which flew at the three and struck them. Their screams of pain could be heard from miles away, as each of them was scorched alive. Finally the attacks ceased and the three, now smoking, fell to the floor.

Flash: 100 (Winner)
Garble: 0
Fume: 0
Clump: 0

Everyone was silent, after what had just happened no one knew what to say.

Meanwhile, as his monster vanished, Flash suddenly blinked as his eyes changed back to blue. he looked around confused. "What the," he said, "what just happened?" He looked around and saw Garble and his friends on the field. "Wow," he said, "what happened to them?" He looked up at the stands, right into the eyes of his friends, but he didn't like what he was seeing.

Each other them were staring at him in horror, as if they'd just seen him commit the most heinous of crimes.

"Guys?" He asked but before he could finish his eyes suddenly shot open, before his whole body went ridged and he felt himself fall to the ground.

The last think he remembered before passing out was Twilight's voice, screaming his name.

Turn 21, Keeping Your Cool

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Flash's head was pounding as he slowly felt himself begin to regain consciousness.

Slowly his eyes began to open, as voices rang through his ears.

"A'h think he's coming round."

The light burned Flash's eyes and they flickered open, before blurred images blocked it out. Finally his vision came into focus, as he saw it was his friends standing around him.

Twilight, Spike, Scootaloo, Grand, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Rarity, Applejack, Pinkie, Sweetie and Applebloom were crowding him, all looking down at him in worry.

"Flash," Twilight said, far to loud for his liking.

"Not so loud," he said as he held him hand up to his head, "my head feels like its been substituting for an anvil."

"Sorry," Twilight said, "how are you feeling...aside from the anvil thing."

"Okay I guess," he replied as he sat up, "where am I?"

"The medical bay," Grand explained, "after your little outburst you collapsed and the medical team brought you here."

"Outburst?"

"Against Garble and his flunkies," Spike explained.

"Don't you remember?" Rainbow said, "you went crazy and summoned this super powerful Xyz Monster. It one hit KO'd the three."

He had?

"Don't you remember?" Sweetie asked.

"I just remember getting really angry," he replied, "and wanting to beat Garble and his friends. But I don't remember summoning some super strong monster."

"Really?" Twilight asked looking worried.

"Where's my deck?" He asked, "I wanna see this monster."

Scootaloo moved over to where his Duel Disk lay and opened his Extra Deck, cycling through it before pulling out a card. She moved back over to him and held the card out, which Flash took.

Flash looked the card over. "Chaos...Command...Dragon?" Suddenly his head flashed with pain, causing him to reach up and clutch it. Then images played through his head.

"Flash Heart!" He called out, "Destiny Bound! Get out here!"

A gust of wind caused him to look around and see his two dragons standing near the statue.

"Show me the last statue!" He ordered, "I'm not losing to a bunch of cheaters. So take my to the monster that's suppose to go with the Xyz card."

The two dragon's glanced at each other, obviously not sure about this.

"NOW!" Flash yelled.

-----

"So this is it," he said as he began to float up to the dragon's head and placed his hand on its head.

-----

"You're nothing without me, so you will listen to ME!" He punched the statue one more time, more powerful then ever, and the force of the punch caused the stone to crack. "That's right," he said seeing them, "now WAKE...UP!"

With that more cracks began to appear and enlarge, spreading around its body before shattering and unleashed a powerful ray of light.

-----

"I XYZ SUMMON!"

-----

"Chaos Command Dragon...ATTACK!"

Flash: 100 (Winner)
Garble: 0
Fume: 0
Clump: 0

"FLASH!" He heard Twilight scream as she reached out and grabbed him.

"I remember," he said, "I forced the monster to awaken and hurt Garble and his friends." He looked up at his friends, "how are they?"

His friends all shared nervous glances, making Flash begin to feel nervous about what he'd done to them. "What happened?"

Twilight sighed and turned to Flash. "They've been sent to hospital, where they're being treated for minor and major burns."

Flash's eyes went wide. How'd he manage to cause them actual pain?

"No one blames you Flash," Grand said, "Cold's technicians have gone with the assumption that it was a fault with the ARC System."

"But it wasn't," Flash said as he sat back, "I wanted to beat them, but not like this."

"You can't let this get to you Flash," Scootaloo said, "those bullies had it coming."

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "there were a thousand people in those stands who saw what happened. We heard a few of them talking and they all said they'd call it self defence."

"Except it wasn't," Flash said, "they gave up but I wouldn't listen. I just cared about getting pay back."

"Flash," Twilight spoke up, "what you did back there, please tell me it won't happen again. Watching you like that, it was horrible."

Flash turned to Twilight and saw the pain in her eyes. Seeing it made him want to pull her into a hug and promise her it wouldn't happen again, but he wasn't sure he could make that promise.

"I don't know," Flash said. He held up the new Xyz Card, his vision locked on Chaos Command Dragon, and wondered whether what had happened was because of the card, or was it him. "I just don't know."

Everyone frowned hearing this, scared for their friend.

"Wait," Flash said as he turned towards Twilight, "what about the rest of the tournament? What happened to your match."

"The tournaments on brake," Applejack said, "they're double checking the safety systems while everyone else is gettin lunch."

"The B Block should be starting soon," Rarity explained.

"Then you guys should all get back," Flash told them.

"You sure you don't want some company?" Fluttershy asked.

"Thanks," Flash said, "but Twilight's gonna need all the support she can get if she end up facing Shadow or Adagio. And if it's all the same, I'd like some time alone."

Everyone nodded hearing this and all began heading out. Twilight was the last on to leave, giving Flash and unsure look as she did.

"Go," he told her, "I'll be fine."

Twilight sighed and nodded, leaving.

Once she was gone however, Flash flopped back. "I hope."

Meanwhile Shadow and Adagio were in on of the corridors of the stadium.

At their feet sat the dish Adagio and her sisters use to use to contact their master.

"Father," Shadow said, "did you detect the Ener-D surge during Sentry's Duel?"

"I did," Sombra replied through the dish, "I was watching the whole Duel and saw what he did."

"That monster worries me," Adagio said, "something like that might be to much for us."

"Do not fear," Sombra replied, "the monster is powerful yes, but it is also useless if the boy cannot control it."

"Is that what happened?" Shadow asked.

"From what I saw I believe the monster took control of him," Sombra replied, "my best guess is that the boy attempted to force the monster to do his bidding, instead of forming a partnership like with his other cards. As a consequence the monster fought back and took control of him."

"So that means he'll never risk summoning it again," Adagio said, "not if he fears losing control again."

"Possibly," Sombra said, "but if he can somehow form a connection with the card then its possible it will not try and control him. You must defeat him before that can be done."

"To do that we'll need to make it to the finals," Shadow said.

"Do not disappoint me," he said.

"Yes your majesty," the two replied as the dish cut off and shrank back down.

Shadow picked it up and stored it within his cloak, before turning to Adagio. "You heard him," he said, "we can't fail him."

Adagio just smiled. "You make it sound like there's a chance of us losing. Nothing will stop me and Dark Siren."

"Not even the Sparkle girl?" Shadow asked.

Adagio froze hearing that voice. "I've watched her Duel style and I know I'm ready for anything she throws at me." With that she walked down the corridor and out of Shadow's sight.

Flash was laying in the medical bay, multiple thoughts racing through his head.

He'd been so glad when he'd summoned Destiny Bound and he'd been so eager to summon the other one, but now he wasn't so sure if he should even keep it in his deck. What if he tried summoning it again and lost control. He didn't want to hurt anyone, especially if it was one of his friends.

His thought was broken when the door of the medical bay opened and somebody stepped in.

"If you don't mind," he said without looking, "I'd like some alone time."

"Then you'll need to reschedule."

Flash instantly sat up and saw Cold Steel standing at the foot of his bed.

"What are you doing here?" He asked with a glare.

Instead of replying, Cold walked over to the chair where his jacket sat and picked it up before throwing it at him. "Get up and follow me."

Flash caught the jacket and looked at him confused, but did as he was told. Despite his apparent passing out, he didn't seem at all tired so walking wasn't an issue.

Once he was up and had his jacket on, Cold turned and walked out the door, Flash following behind him.

They walked through the corridors in silence, Flash not daring to say a word, until they reached an area he recognised as the corridor Shining had brought them last night. But instead of going to the door they'd passed through yesterday, Cold walked up to the metal door at the very end of the corridor.

He typed the code into the machine and instantly the doors automatically opened, showing the inside to actually be an elevator.

The two stepped inside and as soon as the doors closed, the elevator began moving downwards. After five whole minutes of descending, the elevator came to a stop and the doors opened.

Flash stepped out and as soon as he did he realised they were in a giant ARC System room, almost as big as the one upstairs.

"Get out your deck," Cold said as he stepped forwards and pulled out his Duel Disk.

"Wait," Flash said, "you wanna Duel me?"

"We need to find out whether that little episode was a one time thing," Cold said, "to see whether I can still trust you with what's is to come."

Flash frowned hearing this. Sure he wanted to know if what happened before could repeat, but what did he mean about still trusting him. "Let's find out," he said as he pulled out his Duel Disk and attached it to his arm.

"Computer!" Cold called out, before the robotic voice replied.

"ONLINE!"

"Activate ARC System file two, nine, six, eight," he said.

Suddenly the floor beneath them began to glow, as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye the two were standing in a frozen waste land, surrounded by giant pillars of ice as below zero winds blew.

Flash felt himself begin to shake as the bitter cold began to bite into him. "Couldn't you have picked a warmer field?"

"Enough whining," Cold said, "let's do what we came here to do." He attached his Duel Disk to his arm, which created the white energy blade. "If you can get through this Duel without losing control again, I won't pull you from this competition."

Flash glared at him as he activated his own Duel Disk. "Let's do this."

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Cold: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"I'll take the first move," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at his hand and frowned at how lacklustre it was, with the only summonable monster being Estella and she wasn't much of a fighter. "No choice," he said, "I set the Pendulum Scale with scale eight Magna Caster Estella and scale four Flash Heart Dragon." The columns of light appeared on either side of him as the two monsters flew up into them. They then fired beams of light from their eyes and wand, which struck the spot above Flash and formed the portal. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, striking the ground and taking form. "Flare up, Blazing Light Dragon!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

"Guess he didn't get any other cards," Cold said knowing Flash wouldn't use Flash Heart like that if he did.

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Flash said.

"Then it's my turn," Cold said as he went to his deck, "I draw and first I'll play the Spell card Freezing Wind." A powerful gust of cold wind blew through the field.

"JEEZ!" Flash almost screamed as he wrapped his arms around himself, "how do you stand this?"

"Being cold is a matter of perspective," he said, "now for my Spell's effects. Until the end phase you can't activate any face down cards on your field."

Flash frowned before looking down at his cards. So must for relying on them.

"Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Frozen Heart Magician and scale nine Frozen Heart Angel." The columns of light appeared on either side of him and the two monster flew up and into them, before firing the beams which opened the portal. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Cold said, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, before taking form. "Frozen Heart Golem!" (A2800/D1800/L7)

"Dang it," Flash said seeing the monster.

"Attack!" Cold said before his ice giant charged forward and slammed Blazing Light Dragon, covering the monster in ice which shattered into millions of pieces.

Flash: 3800
Cold: 4000

The force of the explosion caused Flash to be pushed back, sliding along the icy ground.

"I end my turn with a face down," Cold said. "Come on Sentry, get it together."

As Flash managed to stand up on the slippery ground, he looked up at Cold and glared. "I'll show you," he said, "It's my turn, I draw." He looked at the card he'd gotten and smirked, before looking up at his ace. "Let's do this. I summon Multi Tool Magna Droid." The spherical robot appeared on the field. (A500/D1000/L2/P6) "Now I'll activate Estella's Pendulum Ability," he said as his Pendulum Monster waved her wand and unleashed an amount of stardust. It spiralled around Magna Droid, who began to glow. "With this I can reduce Magna Droid's Level to one," he explained as the glow around his monster died down. (A500/D1000/L1/P6)

"What's the point in all this?" Cold asked.

"The point," Flash said, "is that Magna Droid can tune itself with a monster in my Pendulum Zone. So now I'll be tuning him with Flash Heart Dragon," he said as Flash Heart flew out of the light column. Magna Droid transformed into a ball of light which carved a ring around Flash Heart. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

Cold remained stoic seeing the admirably impressive move.

"Alright Accel," Flash said, "attack Frozen Heart Golem!" His dragon flew high and released its four cannons, which began to charge up. "Supreme Energy Blast!" They fired and shot four combined energy blasts at Cold's monster, destroying it.

Cold was sent sliding back on the ice, but kept upright and didn't even look like he'd lost his balance.

Flash: 3800
Cold: 3800

"Now for Accel's skill," Flash said as his monster glowed, "I tribute him to summon Flash Heart Dragon from the Extra Deck." The light faded and Flash's weaker monster was shown in its evolved form's place. "Attack!" Flash Heart's thrusters ignited, propelling it forward.

"I activate my Trap," Cold said as his face down flipped up, "Damage Diet. Now I can half the damage I'm about to take." A force field appeared around Cold, which Flash Heart struck with its fist.

Flash: 3800
Cold: 2550

Flash frowned. That move usually won him the Duel or at least dealt his opponent massive amounts of damage.

"Frustrating isn't it?" Flash looked up at Cold, seeing him glaring at Flash with a knowing look. "I've seen you use that move multiple times to either win or give yourself a major lead, but with one card I was able to all but negate it. I'm sure that must make you feel annoyed."

Flash didn't reply, instead he just ended his turn.

"Not very talkative right now I see," Cold said as he reached for his deck, "just proves I'm right."

"Just get on with your turn," Flash said forcibly.

Cold frowned. "I draw," he did so and looked at what he'd got before nodding. "With my Pendulum Scale, I'll now cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal began to open above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, which struck the ground and took form. "Frozen Heart Enchantress." (A800/D1600/L4) "I activate Frozen Heart Enchantress's ability," Cold said, "since it was Special Summoned I can take a Frozen Heart monster in my graveyard and add it to my hand." He did so, taking out Frozen Heart Golem and adding it to his hand. "Next I'll summon Frozen Heart Statue Söder," the downward arrow ice sculpture appeared on the field, floating next to Enchantress. (A900/D700/L3)

Flash frowned seeing the Tuner monster, knowing what was coming next.

"Now," Cold said, "I tune level three Frozen Heart Statue Söder with level four Frozen Heart Enchantress!" the Tuner Monster transformed into three lights, which spun around to create a trio of circles that the other monster jumped in. "Now watch as two mighty pieces of ice merge into a new strength," the two monsters disappeared in an explosion of light revealing a new monster. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded, revealing Cold's monster. "Frozen Heart Lord of the Javelin." (A2500/D2200/L7)

The Synchro and Pendulum monster stared each other down.

"Now what?" Flash asked, "both our monsters have the same ATK points." However when he looked over at Cold, he saw the man running along the frozen ground. "Hey," the teen called out as he tried to follow, but only slipped on the icy ground and fell on his behind.

Meanwhile Cold was running through the field of ice, before leaping up onto an ice boulder and grabbing an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell Frostbite, which will weaken your monster's ATK points by one thousand.

As Flash tried to pick himself up, he looked up and saw large flakes of ice appearing on Flash Heart's body. (A1500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Attack!" Cold ordered as his Synchro Monster leapt up and threw its spear at Flash Heart.

"I activate my Trap," Flash said as his face down flipped up, "Reflection Guard! My life points may take a hit, but my monster remains safe."

The spear struck the Pendulum Monster, but instead of being destroyed it shattered like a mirror with the real on being behind it.

Flash: 2800
Cold: 2550

"I end my turn," Cold said.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and summon Aura Spear Dragon to the field in ATK mode." In a flash of light the silver dragon appeared, before flying up and standing on Flash Heart's shoulder. (A2000/D100/L4) "Next I'll activate my face down," Flash said, "Reverse Polarity. Now I can increase Aura Spear's ATK to match your Lord of the Javelin's, while weakening it by the same amount." (A2500/D100/L4), (A2000/D2200/L7) "Attack!" The dragon brought its hands together and a ball of spiritual energy formed, before expanding into a javelin shape which it threw at the Synchro Monster.

Cold leapt off the ice boulder and landed on the ground, before sliding along it and grabbing another Action Card off ground. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion to allow my monster dodge the attack."

Lord of the Javelin raised its own spear and used it to block the attack.

Flash almost growled. "When Aura Spear attacks, he then switches to DEF mode. Now I'll have Flash Heart Dragon attack your monster." Flash Heart Dragon's thrusters ignited and propelled it forwards, before it sucker punched the Synchro Monster and destroyed it.

Flash: 2800
Cold: 2050

"I end my turn," Flash said.

"Then I'll go," Cold said, "I draw." He looked at his cards and nodded. "Once again my Pendulum Scale with carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a streak of light shot out and hit the ground. "Frozen Heart Golem." (A2800/D1800/L7) "Next I play the Spell card Stop Defence, to switch your Aura Spear Dragon into ATK mode."

Flash turned to see his monster standing up, which did not look good.

"Now I'll attack with Frozen Heart Golem," Cold said as his monster charged forward.

Flash looked around, trying to find an Action Card. Then he saw one, several meters away. He tried to run over to them, but the icy ground made it almost impossible to do so. He then had an idea and instead kneeled down before kicking off a nearby rock, causing him slide along the ground towards the card.

Just as Golem got in range of Aura Spear, Flash reached the card and grabbed it. Picking it up he looked at his, only for his face to fall as he saw it was an Action Trap called Freeze Burn.

"To bad," Cold said, "that Action Trap deals you three hundred points of damage."

Flash felt his fingers sting as the card exploded into icy particles.

Flash: 2500
Cold: 2050

Frozen Heart Golem then punched Aura Spear, freezing it before it exploded. The force sending Flash flying back, before slamming into an ice boulder.

Flash: 1700
Cold: 2050

"I end my turn," Cold said as he looked down at where Flash was laying. "This must be annoying, constantly having all your moves and attempts to stop me fail you?"

"What's your points?" Flash asked as he tried to pick himself up, only to once again slip on the ice and fall.

"My point is that it must be frustrating," Cold said, "I bet the annoyance and anger is raising. It won't be long now until you'll boil over and explode."

"If your trying to get me angry-"

"That's exactly what I'm trying to do," Cold said, "we need to see just how much power you have when you're angry. Who knows what you could do."

"We already know what I can do," Flash said, "besides I thought this was about making sure I don't lose control again?"

"It is," Cold said, "if you can get angry and not lose control then we'll know just how powerful you are."

"Well forget it," Flash replied, "I refuse to let it happen again. I saw how horrified my friends were when I woke up, how much damage I caused to Garble and the others. It's a miracle they're still alive. I won't let myself do that again."

"We'll see," Cold said, "it's your turn."

"Then I'll go," Flash said, "I draw and activate the Spell card Starburst Reload. With this I can remove a monster from my graveyard, then draw cards equal to its Level." Flash removed Blazing Light Dragon, before drawing six cards. "Perfect," he said, "I'm setting Magna Fighter Lucidum into the Pendulum Zone." The column to his right reappeared as the monster flew up into it, until it was floating next to Estella. "Now with these two monsters, I can cut through space time an carve the arc of victory." The portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, hitting the ground and taking shape.

"On guard, Magna Fighter Gladio!" (A2100/D2200/L6/P4)

"Surfs up, Magna Fighter Light Boarder!" (A1300/D1100/L3/P3)

"Those won't help you," Cold said.

"Don't be so sure," Flash said, "since Lucidum is in the Pendulum Zone, all my Pendulum Monsters gain five hundred ATK points." (A3000/D2500/L7/P4), (A2600/D2200/L6/P4), (A1800/D1100/L3/P3) "Attack!" Flash ordered as his dragon flew up and at the giant.

Cold once again began running along the frozen ground, before leaping up and grabbing an Action Card of a nearby icicle. "I activate the Action Spell Soul Convergence," he said. "With this I can tribute a monster on my field and summon monsters from my deck, whose combined Levels equal its Level." Frozen Heart Golem shattered into a million pieces, causing Flash Heart's attack to miss, before those pieces reconfigured into three forms.

"I summon Måne of the Frozen Moon." (A0/D0/L10/P1)

"Sol of the Frozen Sun." (A0/D0/L1/P10)

"And Frozen Heart Demon." (A1900/D2100/L5/P2)

Flash frowned seeing this, but he wouldn't be stopped by this. "Flash Heart attack Sol," he said as his dragon spun around and struck the Pendulum Monster destroying. "Now Light Boarder attack Måne and Gladio attack Demon," he said as his two monster flew forward and destroyed Cold's other monsters. "I end my turn with two face downs."

Cold remained stoic despite his field being bare.

"See," Flash said, "I told you. I don't need to be angry to Duel great, so if the whole point of this Duel is to see whether you can get me angry let's just stop it right now."

"Oh we're not stopping," Cold said as he went to his deck and drew his card, "in fact we're just getting started." The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and took form.

Flash glared as he saw a very familiar monster appeared before him.

"Frozen Heart Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)

The gigantic ice dragon looked down at Flash and his monster, giving him a glance that sent a cold shiver down his spin.

"We'll see just how well you can keep your cool now," Cold said.

Turn 22, Shadow vs Micro, the Final Shadow-Mech

View Online

Up in the Stadium, the audience had all taken their seats and were waiting for the B Block Tournament to begin.

The main stage light up with lights and smoke, as the Celestial Sisters appeared and waved to the crowd.

Both: Welcome back everybody!

Celestia: It's time for the B Block tournament to begin.

Luna: Who will face off against who for the two spots in the Block Finals? Let's find out.

She lifted her remote up and pressed the button, causing the megascreen to switch on and show the images of the four remaining Duelists. The images then flipped around and began spinning around, until the first of the images shot out and flipped around.

Celestia: First up is Micro Chips.

The second image flipped out, showing who he'd be facing.

Luna: His opponent will be Shadow.

"So that means Twilight will be facing Adagio," Rarity said.

They all looked around at Twilight, who didn't seem to really care about her opponent.

"You okay?" Spike asked her but when Twilight didn't reply he poked her, causing her focus to suddenly shift to them.

"What?" She asked looking around.

"Are you even paying attention?" Rainbow asked.

"Um," Twilight said.

"You're worried about Flash aren't you?" Fluttershy asked.

Twilight sighed and just nodded.

"Ya'h can't let this get to ya'h," Applejack, "how's Flash gonna feel if he found out ya'h lost because of him."

"She's right," Pinkie said, "don't go into a Duel with a frown."

Twilight wanted to agree with her friends, but no matter what she couldn't. No matter what he mind kept flashing back to the Duel she'd watched. "I just hope he's okay."

Meanwhile the Duel between Flash and Cold continued. They were on a icy Action Field and Cold had just summoned his ace monster, while trying to cause Flash to get angry to see how much control he can have while unleashing the power of his rage.

"Now that Frozen Heart Dragon is on the field," Cold said, "you'll need to use all your strength if you wish to defeat it."

"I beat it once," Flash said, "and I can do it again."

"We'll see about that," Cold said, "I attack Magna Fighter Light Boarder!" The giant ice dragon rose into the air and held up one of its clawed hands, which suddenly fired a burst of frozen wind, which caused Light Boarder to freeze up before exploding into icy chunks.

"I activate my face down," Flash said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Defence Draw. This card will negate the battle damage and lets me draw one card."

"We'll see how far you can go like this," Cold said as he ended his turn.

"Yeah," Flash said, "we will."

Celestia: It's time for the first match of the B Block tournament.

Luna: Let's welcome our two Duelists onto the stage. First up, Micro Chips!

A boy with purple skin, black hair and glasses walked out onto the stage.

Celestia: And his opponent, Shadow!

Shadow stepped out, heading into the centre of the stadium.

The two met where the ref stood, before he flipped the coin and Micro was chosen to take the first move. The two nodded and turned to step to a safe distance.

Up in the box, Chrysalis was looking around in confusion.

"Any idea where that boss of yours has gotten to?" She asked Sunset, who shrugged in response.

"No clue," she said, "might be making sure the ARC System doesn't malfunction again."

"Are we sure it's a good idea the to be continuing the tournament?" Shining asked, "if the Duelists are getting hurt shouldn't we stop this?"

Sunset gave him a glare, knowing he was just trying to stop his sister from Duelling Adagio. "Relax, Cold wouldn't let the matches continue if he thought the contestants were in real danger.

"Still a scary thought," Thorax said, "especially after seeing what happened with Flash's Duel."

"I'm sure he's fine," Cadance said, "don't worry. Just relax and enjoy the next match."

Luna: Now it's time to see which Action Field they'll be playing on.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath them to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye the two found themselves in a large open space, filled with old school computers that were roughly six foot high.

Celestia: Computopia!

"Excellent," Micro said as he adjusted his glasses, "this field will work to nether of our advantages. That means we'll be Duelling on even ground."

"Whatever poindexter," Shadow said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm, "let's get this over with."

"Let's," Micro said as he attached a yellow disk to his arm, which created a purple blade.

Celestia: With nothing else to say, let's get this Duel started. In three!

Luna: Two!

Both: One!

"DUEL!"

Shadow: 4000
Micro: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"It's my turn," Micro said as he went to his deck, "I draw and summon Galaxy Hero, Astroman in ATK mode." A man in black futuristic astronaut clothing appeared, a cape flowing from it, before taking a stand infront of Micro. (A1000/D1000/L4) "I end my turn with two face downs."

Luna: A decent move from Micro. How will Shadow respond.

"It's my turn," Shadow said as he went to his deck, "I draw and set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Shadow-Mech Jetstorm and scale nine Shadow-Mech Scooter." He slapped the cards on the Duel Disk as it lit up. The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monster flew up into them and forged the portal above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out.

"Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle." (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Shadow-Mech Hoist!" (A2400/D1800/L6)

"Attack!" Shadow called out as his Star Shuttle transformed and flew up into the air, before dive bombing towards Astroman.

"I activate my face down," Micro called out as one of his cards flipped up revealing a Trap, "Star Guard! Since I have a Galaxy Hero on my field, I can negate your attack and end the battle phase." A star shaped shield appeared in Astroman's hands, which he used to block Star Shuttle's attack.

Shadow frowned. "Fine I end my turn."

Celestia: Some quick thinking from Micro saved him from major damage.

Luna: But he's not safe yet. Unless he can pull something big he's in for a tricky time.

"Hopefully Micro can do something to beat Shadow," Sweetie said.

"Don't be so sure," Rarity said, "this Duel's just getting started. Micro might be good but I doubt he can keep up with Shadow's roofless Duel style."

"Maybe he's been hiding something big to use against him," Applebloom said.

"Didn't help Photo," Spike replied,

"Maybe," Applejack said, "and even if he does, Shadow may be hiding something of his own."

They all looked down at the arena, all slightly unsure how this match will unfurl.

Down below Flash and Cold's match was continuing.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and saw it was Exitium, making him frown. Defence Draw had gotten him Magna Fighter Radium, which meant if he could get one more Level four monster he could summon Destiny Bound and then Chaos Command Dragon. That thought alone made his nervous, since he wasn't sure whether he could trust himself with that card.

"What's the hold up," Cold's voice snapped him out of his thoughts.

"I attack with Flash Heart Dragon," Flash said quickly as his ace flew towards Cold's, before reeling its fist back and then throwing it forwards. The plan was for the two to destroy each other and then Flash would attack with Gladio.

Cold however, had other ideas and began running through the ice field, before pulling an Action Card off another icicle. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle."

A force field appeared around Frozen Heart, which Flash Heart punched only to explode leaving its target unharmed.

"Damn it," Flash said, "well don't forget I've still got my Pendulum Scale." The portal above his head began to form, before it opened. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Two lights shot out of the portal, both taking shape as they struck the ground and took a defensive stance.

"Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Magna Fighter Light Boarder!" (A1300/D1100/L3/P3)

"I switch Gladio into DEF mode and end my turn," Flash said.

"Then I'll go," Cold said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play Pot of Greed, which will allow me to draw two cards." He did so and looked at them, nodding as he did. "And now, my Pendulum Scale will once again cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal began to form above his head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, hitting the ground and taking form. "Frozen Heart Demon!" (A1900/D2100/L5/P2)

"Aw great," Flash said sarcastically.

"Frozen Heart Dragon," Cold said, "attack Flash Heart Dragon." The ice monster raised its clawed hand, before firing a burst of cold air out at Flash's ace. The wind struck the robotic dragon, encasing it in ice which then shattered into a million pieces. "Now Frozen Heart Demon," Cold said, "attack Magna Fighter Light Boarder." The ice gargoyle opened its mouth before unleashing a burst of icy breathe, which struck Light Boarder and causing her to follow in Flash Heart's foots steps.

"It's fine," Flash told himself, "I'll revive them next turn."

"Next," Cold said, "I activate the Spell Card Blizzard Blast. This card lets me destroy one Spell or Trap on the field and I select Magna Fighter Lucidum." Another burst of snowy wind struck the field, causing Flash to go blind from the assault while wrapping his arms around himself for warmth.

When the storm died down, Flash looked up at his Pendulum Monster and saw Lucidum's column was now a pillar of ice with him trapped inside. The pillar then shattered, causing Lucidum to be destroyed as the chunks fell to the earth.

"I end my turn," Cold said, "Now what will you do? Not gonna be so easy to summon your Pendulum Monsters out when you Scale is broken.

Flash frowned hearing the taunt. He knew Cold was just trying to push him over the edge and make him angry, but it wouldn't work. No matter what he wouldn't let his anger control him again.

Back upstairs, Shadow and Micro were continuing their Duel.

"It's my turn," Micro said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at his card and nodded, before turning to his monster. "I activate Galaxy Hero Astroman's special ability," he said as his monster disappeared in a flash of light. "By sacrificing himself, Astroman lets me search my deck for a Level four or below Galaxy Hero and summon it to the field." His deck began to shuffle, before it slotted out a card which Micro took and then slapped on his Duel Disk. "Say hello to Galaxy Hero Sunman!" In a explosion of flames, a man in sun themed hero clothing appeared. It was mainly yellow, with streaks of red here and there, and he had a red cape with a yellow sun shaped insignia emblazoned on it. (A1200/D800/L4)

"An okay monster," Spike said, "but it doesn't really help him against either of those Shadow-Mechs."

"He must have something planned," Rarity said, "we'll just have to wait and see."

"Next," Micro said, "I'm summoning to the field my Galaxy Hero Lady Moon!" Another hero themed monster appeared, this on being female with a tight dark blue spandex suit. She had an insignia on her chest in the shape of a crescent moon, along with a crescent moon shaped visor over her eyes. (A1200/D800/L4)

"Those two monsters are useless against mine," Shadow said.

"We'll see about that," Micro said as he took another card from his hand and placed it in his Duel Disk, "I activate the Spell card Polymerisation!"

Celestia: So Micro Chips intends to Fusion Summon, I hope he knows what he's doing.

Luna: I'm sure he's got a plan.

A vortex opened up above the two hero monster, which they then leapt into before getting sucked inside. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded, revealing Micro's newest monster. It was a man in hero themed clothing, a black suit with crimson red trim. On his chest was the insignia from Sunman's cape, which had Lady Moon's insignia on the inside of it. "Say hello to Galaxy Hero Ecliptor!" (A2400/D1600/L6)

"Nice move," Shadow said, "but next time you might want to try summoning something with more ATK points then my monsters."

"Hold your horses," Micro said, "at least wait until I declare an attack before thinking you have my monster beat. Besides, I already know that, which is why I'm equipping him with Galaxy Gunner." In a flash of light a large alien like weapon appeared in Ecliptor's hand, which it aimed at Star Shuttle. "With this card, my Galaxy Hero's getting a boost. He gains four hundred ATK points for each Galaxy Hero in my graveyard."

Celestia: Impressive. With three Galaxy Heroes in the graveyard, Ecliptor will gain twelve hundred ATK points.

Luna: That's enough to beat any of Shadow's monsters.

"Galaxy Hero Ecliptor," Micro called out, "attack!" The hero monster's weapon began charging up, as his power increased. (A3600/D1600/L6) The Galaxy Gunner fired, unleashing a black energy beam with what looked like stardust inside.

The beam struck Star Shuttle, causing it to explode and send Shadow flying back.

Shadow: 3400
Micro: 4000

"Why didn't he attack Shadow-Mech Hoist?" Sweetie asked, "he would have caused more damage."

"But it would have also left him open," Rarity told her sister. "If he'd destroyed Hoist, Star Shuttle would be able to attack next turn. If Shadow used something like Cyber Sabre, it would have made his monster strong enough to defeat Ecliptor."

"Micro must have been studying Shadow's style for a while," Rainbow said, "he must have designed a stratagy like this so he can keep himself in the game."

"Let's just hope he has a plan for Shadow's best monster," Twilight said, "he's playing a risky game using a Fusion Monster."

The others all nodded at this, before turning back to the field.

"I end my turn," Micro said.

"Then I'll go," He went to his deck and drew. He looked at the card he'd drawn and nodded, before turning to his opponent. "And with my Pendulum Scale, I'll now cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, striking the ground and taking form. "Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle!" (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"You might have gotten a strong monster out," Micro said, "but it won't be able to beat my Ecliptor."

"That's why I'm taking a cue from you," Shadow said as he took a card from his hand and and placed it in his Duel Disk. "I activate my own Polymerisation!"

Micro frowned seeing this.

Just like with when Micro did it, a vortex opened in the sky which sucked Shadow-Mech Hoist and Star Shuttle inside. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded, unleashing Shadow's monster. "Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot!" (A3200/D1300/L8)

Celestia: What a move. Shadow drew the one card which he could use to defeat Micro's.

Luna: Let's not jump to conclusions. Micro was no doubt expecting this.

"I attack your Galaxy Hero Ecliptor with Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot!" Shadow said as his monster's chest opened up and followed out its lance weapon. "And don't forget, when Fusion Bot attacks a Fusion Monster, that monster's ATK and DEF points are reduced to zero." A beam of light shot out of the robot and struck Ecliptor, causing him to flinch in pain. (A0/D0/L6) "This might sting a little," Shadow said.

"I don't think so," Micro said as his face down flipped up, revealing a Spell card. "Go De-Fusion!" Ecliptor suddenly flew into the air and transformed into a ball of red and blue light, which then split into a red beam of light and a blue beam of light. They struck the ground and transformed into Sunman and Lady Moon.

Celestia: Quick thinking form Micro there.

Luna: No doubt he expected this and had that card ready.

Shadow frowned at this, but wouldn't be deterred. "Fusion Bot attack Sunman!" The Fusion Monster's weapon fired, unleashing the purple energy beam which struck Micro's monster destroying it and sending him flying back.

Shadow: 3400
Micro: 2000

Celestia: Ooh, that had to hurt.

"I end my turn," Shadow said as he looked over at his opponent, "so what's next poindexter? I look forward to seeing what you have planned next."

Micro managed to pick himself up and looked over at his opponent. "Oh don't worry," he said, "I'm just getting started.

Meanwhile down below, Flash was looking over his options. His only option right now was using Exitium to reform the Pendulum Scale and summon Flash Heart. He could use either him or Gladio to destroy Frozen Heart Demon, but doing that would only do a little damage to Cold's life points and he could summon it back next turn and if he summoned another monster he could use Frozen Heart Dragon's ability to wipe him out.

He reached for his deck and drew his card, seeing it was Volt Edge Dragon. With everything he had, he could summon Chaos Command Dragon and use it to give him a great lead, but could he trust himself to stay in control.

He looked over at Cold. Seeing his stoic expression made him frown, knowing that Cold wanted him to lose his cool. "I won't," he said as he looked down at his cards, "if I stay calm I'll be fine." He took Exitium out of his hand and slapped it into the empty Pendulum Zone, causing the column of light to appear to his right as the Magna Caster flew into it. "With these two monster I can not cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three beams of light shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon." (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Target sighted, Magna Fighter Radium." (A1600/D1400/L4)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

Cold smirked, seeing everything in place.

"And now," Flash said as Volt Edge and Radium glowed, "I'm using these two monsters to build the Overlay Network." The two shot into the air, before flying into the black hole that appeared on the ground. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." The black hole exploded, releasing Flash's monster. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Destiny Bound Dragon!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

"Almost there," Cold said.

"Next," Flash said, "I activate Magna Caster Exitium's Pendulum Ability." His monster raised his staff and waved it, unleashing an unusual energy which radiated around Destiny Bound Dragon. "Now I can change Destiny Bound Dragon's Rank into a Level," Flash explained as his dragon's glow died down. (A2400/D2100/L4)

Flash then turned to look at his other Pendulum Monster. "Now I'll activate Magna Caster Estella's Pendulum Ability, to increase Destiny Bound Dragon's Level by three." The wizard waved her wand and unleashed the stardust, which spiralled around Destiny Bound and caused it to glow. (A2400/D2100/L7)

"Do it!" Cold called out.

"You asked for it," Flash said as his Extra Deck opened and a card slotted out. However, when Flash's fingers grasped the card he suddenly froze as he felt his whole go stiff.

Cold grew concerned when he saw this and even more so when he heard Flash begin to scream, as he threw his hands up to his head. Suddenly he fell to his knees, his face hidden through view.

"Sentry!" Cold said trying to get his attention, "Sentry...FLASH!"

Flash's face suddenly shot up, revealing that his eyes were once again the crimson red colour they were when he faced Garble. Flash then stood up and smiled a wicked smile, as dark clouds began to form above them.

"Now!" Flash said darkly as his monsters glowed, "I'll Overlay my Flash Heart Dragon and Destiny Bound Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into streams of light, shot up to the sky and into the clouds as black hole formed within them. "Light and darkness, hope and despair, creation and destruction," Flash chanted and the black hole grew bigger, "two sides of the same coin. But when they're all brought together, they create...ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

As Flash slapped the card onto his Duel Disk, black sparks surged from it.

The black hole exploded with light, releasing the monster that was inside. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

Finally the light faded and the clouds disappeared, revealing Flash's monster. "DESCEND, CHAOS COMMAND DRAGON!" (A3000/D2500/R7/P4)

Cold stared up at the Xyz Monster before looking down at Flash, whose eyes were still bright red.

"You're not Flash," he said.

"What gave it away," Flash said with a smirk.

Meanwhile upstairs, it was Micro's turn against Shadow.

"Here goes," he said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd gotten and smiled. "I summon every Galaxy Hero's favourite sidekick, Star Boy!" In a flash of light a young boy of around ten or twelve appeared, wearing a superhero outfit with star patterns on it. He wore a white cape with a yellow insignia of a shooting star on it. (A500/D500/L2)

"That monster won't help you," Shadow told him.

"Won't it," Micro said, "because I'm using his special ability, which lets me increase the Level of a Galaxy Hero by one until the end phase." Star Boy took something out of his belt, which he unfolded into a star shape and then threw at Lady Moon. The star glowed as it spun around the Galaxy Hero, causing her to glow as well. (A1200/D800/L5) "And now," Micro said, "I'll tune my Level two Star Boy with Level Five Lady Moon!" Star Boy leapt into the air, before transforming into two spheres of light which carved a pair of circles. "Heroes unite your power and become a beacon, which will summon the greatest defender in the galaxy." The two monsters disappeared in a flash of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing a monster in a bright red superhero suit with gold armour covering it. He wore a pair of gold gauntlets and boots, along with gold chest armour and a bright gold cape flowing down his back. On his head was a golden helmet which covered all but his mouth, with a red visor blocking his eyes. "Galaxy Hero, Captain Supernova!" (A2600/D1500/L7)

Luna: First a Fusion Summon and now a Synchro Summon. This kids got skill.

"Maybe," Shadow said, "but your monster still can't beat mine."

"You sure," Micro said as he pointed at his monster. Captain Supernova's armour began to glow. (A4200/D1500/L7)

"Hey," Shadow said, "why'd its ATK points go up."

"You see," Micro said, "Galaxy Hero Captain Supernova gains four hundred ATK points for each Galaxy hero in my graveyard. So with four of them in there, he gained twelve hundred ATK points."

Shadow glared at him, not having expected that.

"Now Captain Supernova," Micro called out, "attack Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot!" The superhero flew into the sky, before flames appeared in his gauntlet hands. He take the same stance a pitcher takes in a baseball match, before throwing the fast ball at the robot.

The fireball struck and caused an explosion, which engulfed the Shadow-Mech and sent Shadow flying back.

Shadow: 2400
Micro: 2000

"And now for Supernova's ability," Micro said, "which deals you damage equal to your monsters ATK points."

Shadow's eyes went wide hearing this, as he looked up and saw the monster create another fireball.

Celestia: If this ability works, Micro will have defeated Shadow.

Shadow looked around and saw an Action Card inside the monitor of a computer. As the Synchro Monster threw its fiery fastball at him, he leaped towards it and the second his fingers touched the glass it disappeared.

The fireball struck, causing an explosion which engulfed Shadow.

Everyone watched in anticipation, wondering whether Shadow had really been defeated. When the smoke cleared, it showed Shadow completely unharmed.

Shadow: 800
Micro: 2000

"How?" Micro asked.

"I got the Action Card Firewall," Shadow explained, "which cuts any Effect Damage I take in half."

Luna: Oh, so close.

Celestia: A lucky card saved Shadow there.

"That's not all," Shadow said, "I can now add a monster from my deck whose ATK points are equal to or lower then the damage I took." His deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which he took.

"Fine," Micro said, "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Shadow said as he reached for his deck and drew his card. Seeing what he'd got made him smile, before looking over at Micro. "Time to end this," he said, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

The first was a green off road jeep, which transformed into a bulky six meter robot. "Shadow-Mech Rover!" (A1500/D2000/L5)

The second was a bright red motorcycle, which transformed into a three meter high robot. "Shadow-Mech Doom Cycle!" (A1200/D700/L3)

"What's he planning?" Micro asked. Neither of those monster could defeat his.

"And now," Shadow said, "I'm tuning my Level three Doom Cycle with my Level five Rover!" Doom Cycle leapt into the air, before transforming into three spheres of light which carved a trio of light circles that Rover leapt into as he transformed into his vehicle mode. The two monsters suddenly disappeared in a powerful burst of light "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the new monster. It looked just like Fusion Bot and Xyz Bot, only its armour was bright silver. It suddenly began to transform, before becoming the ten meter high robot. "Shadow-Mech Synchro Bot!" (A3100/D1400/L8)

"Oh no," Micro said.

"And now I attack!" Shadow said as his monsters chest opened up and folded the lance like weapon out. "And I'm sure you've already figured out what happens when Synchro Bot attacks a Synchro Monster." A beam of light flew out and struck Captain Supernova, causing him to flinch in pain as his power was depleted. (A0/D0/L7) "FIRE!" The lance fired a silver beam of energy, which flew towards the Galaxy Hero.

Micro looked around and saw an Action Card inside another computer, which he rushed towards in a hopes of getting it. As he leapt towards the monitor, the blast struck Supernova.

BOOOM!

An explosion rocked the stadium, causing everyone to duck and cover for fear of being blown away.

When the smoke finally cleared, everyone looked down into the arena and saw Shadow standing over Micro, whose clothes were tattered and his glasses were smashed.

Shadow: 800 (Winner)
Micro: 0

Celestia: We have a winner. Shadow will be moving onto the final round of the B Block tournament.

Luna: Micro did well, but Shadow just did better.

Shadow smiled as he turned and retreated back into the stadium.

"Man," Rainbow said, "I can't stand that guy."

"He's good," Applejack said.

"But at least now we know what to expect from him," Rarity said.

Celestia: Next up is the last match of the day. Twilight Sparkle will face off against Adagio Dazzle.

Luna: Both Duelists please report to the arena.

Everyone looked over at Twilight, whose head was still down looking at her hands.

"Twilight," Spike said.

"I'll be fine," Twilight said as she suddenly stood up, "I can do this."

It's time for Twilight to face off against Adagio. Will she succeed, or will the power of Dark Siren be to much?

Meanwhile Cold and Flash stared each other down as their Duel continued. Who will be victorious in this battle?

Turn 23, Twilight's Swan Song

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Celestia: I hope you enjoyed the last Duel, but if you didn't then don't worry. We have another action packed Duel coming up in a couple minutes.

Luna: Twilight Sparkle and Adagio Dazzle will face off to see who takes the last semifinal spot in the Celestic Cup Finals.

"I hope Twilight's up for this," Spike said.

"She'll be fine," Rainbow said, "Twilight's watched Adagio closely and no doubt she's got a way to beat her."

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but take it from someone who's Duelled her. Adagio isn't going to make it easy."

Up in the VIP box, Shining was obviously nervous about his sister Duelling one of Sombra's minions.

"Hey," Cadance said placing her hand on his, "relax. She'll be fine."

"I wish I could agree with you on that," Shining said, "but no matter what I can't help being scared."

"I know," she replied, "I am too. But we can't let Twilight see it. We have to show her we believe in her."

"I know," Shining said, "but still."

"I'm more worried about Twilight's state of mind," Sunset said, "I get the feeling she's still focused on what happened to Flash."

The three went silent, remembering what had happened earlier.

"Hopefully she can snap out of it," Cadance said, "or that Flash shows up to tell her to."

Meanwhile down below, Flash and Cold's Duel continued.

Cold currently had Frozen Heart Dragon and Demon on his field, while Flash had just summoned Chaos Command Dragon. However in doing so, Flash's personality suddenly shifted and Cold realised what had happened. He wasn't Duelling Flash any more, instead he was Duelling someone or something else.

"Who are you?" Cold asked.

The red eyed Flash simply chuckled, before giving him a piercing look. "Who do you think," he glanced up at Chaos Command Dragon.

Cold looked up at the monster. "Are you saying you're Chaos Command Dragon?"

"In a way," Flash said, "I was born from the anger and hatred the two felt during their first meeting."

"Anger," Cold replied, "hatred?"

"Flash's anger at the ones he Duelled and Chaos Command Dragon's anger at the boy's want to use him as a weapon, both mixed together and combined with the magic of the Spirit World resulted in me."

"So your not real," Cold said, "just a set of unstable emotions."

"Oh I'm quite real," Flash replied before pointing his thumb at himself, "and as long as Flash and Chaos Commands link remains as it is, I'm going no where."

"Oh you will be going somewhere," Cold said, "once I beat you, Flash'll be back to normal."

"We'll see," Flash said, "I activate Chaos Command Dragon's ability. On the turn he was Xyz Summoned using an Xyz Monster as an Overlay Unit, he can send every monster on your field to the bottom of your decks!"

Cold watched as Chaos Command raised its giant staff, which fired out a beam of light into the sky. The sky suddenly seemed to break, creating a tear in the space time continuem which unleashed a sucking force.

Cold watched as Frozen Heart Demon was sucked up. "Frozen Heart Dragon's ability protects him from all monster effects," he said, "so he's not going anywhere." He looked over at where Flash had been standing and saw him running across the ice, before sliding to a stop and plucking an Action Card off the top of an ice boulder.

"I activate the Action Spell Frostbite," Flash said. "You know what it does, it weakens your monster by one thousand points for this turn.

Cold looked up and saw flakes of ice covering Frozen Heart's body. (A2000/D2500/L8/P5)

"I switch Gladio to ATK mode and then I'll use an Overlay Unit to allow Chaos Command Dragon to attack!" One of the Xyz Monster's Overlay Units flew into its staff, which began spinning its gears as a massive bolt of lightning surged from it and headed towards Frozen Heart Dragon.

"I don't think so," Cold said as he discarded a card, "I activate the effect of Frozen Heart Shield Bearer!" Suddenly a monster looking like Frozen Heart Gardna, only its shield was bigger, appeared and held up its weapon. The lightning struck the shield and bounced off it, protecting Frozen Heart Dragon from harm. "By discarding Shield Bearer, I can negate your attack and end the battle phase."

Flash growled at this, but ended his turn anyway.

"That's enough," Cold said, "release Flash and end this."

"Not happening," Flash replied, "I'm having to much fun."

"Very well," Cold said as he reached for his deck, "it's my turn...I DRAW!" He looked at the card he'd gotten and nodded, before turning to Flash. "I activate the Spell card Icicle Crash." The ground shook as three pillars flew up from it, with Lord of the Javelin, Enchantress and Shield Bearer inside. "By removing these three monsters, I can add any three cards from my deck to my hand. The icicles shattered as Cold removed three cards from his deck.

"Those won't help you," Flash said.

"Won't they," Cold said, "I summon Frozen Heart Knight." The warrior in ice armour appeared and stood next to Frozen Heart Dragon. "And next, I activate the Eternal Ice Ritual Spell. By tributing Frozen Heart Dragon and a level two or higher Frozen Heart monster, I can unleash my dragons ultimate form!" Frozen Heart Knight suddenly turned into snow, which spiralled around Frozen Heart Dragon and encasing him in an icy cocoon. "Now watch as the ultimate icy monster appears," Cold said as the cocoon shattered and released his monster. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The new monster looked similar to Frozen Heart Dragon, only it was now roughly thirty feet tall and wore armour made of a light blue ice around its chest arms and legs. Its wings were now larger with five blades instead of three and the pick axe of its tail was replaced by a snowflake shaped blade. Its head was the same only it had more spikes and a large mouth with razor sharp teeth. "Eternal Ice Dragon!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

"What?" Flash asked in horror.

"I activate Eternal Ice Dragon's ability," Cold said, "by paying half my life points, I can negate the effects of every other monster on the field while lowering their ATK points to zero."

"WHAT!" Flash screamed in horror.

Flash: 1700
Cold: 1025

Eternal Ice Dragon flapped its wings and unleashed a powerful blizzard, which caused the two monster to become frozen solid. (A0/D2500/R7/P4), (A0/D2200/L6/P4)

Flash's red eyes became saucers at the sight.

"This ends now!" Cold said as his monster flapped its wings and took off, before it brought its clawed hands together and formed a giant icicle which it threw at Chaos Command Dragon.

It struck and Chaos Command exploded into millions of pieces, which flew towards Flash and struck him.

Flash: 0
Cold: 1025 (Winner)

The Action Field disappeared and Cold looked down at Flash, who was laying on the floor.

Walking over and shaking him, Cold saw Flash's now blue eyes slowly drift open.

"Er," he said unintelligently, "what happened?"

"You lost control again," Cold said.

"What?" Flash said sitting up, "how?"

Cold sighed, knowing he was in for a long explanation.

Celestia: It's time for the final match.

Luna: Let's welcome them onto the field. First up is the Spellcaster Duelist, Twilight Sparkle!

Twilight stepped out onto the field.

"Go get them Twilight!" She heard Spike call out as she walked

"You've got this," Rainbow said.

"We believe in you darling," Rarity said.

"I'm cheering for you too," Fluttershy cried.

Celestia: And her opponent. The dazzling musical Duellist, Adagio Dazzle.

Adagio stepped out onto the field, waving as if she was on a catwalk.

Up in the seats, Shadow was watching with a stoic look on his face.

"Do not lose this," he said, "in order for my fathers dream to come to pass we must not fail. To awaken the five remaining cards we cannot risk losing a single drop of Ener-D.

The two stepped into the centre, where they stared each other down.

"I've been looking forward to this," Adagio said.

Twilight just glared. "Your rain of terror ends here. I'm taking you down and making you pay for what you've done."

"Oh will you," Adagio said, "well forgive me if I have my doubts."

The ref flipped the coin and the outcome had Twilight taking the first move, which the two agreed to before stepping away to a descent distance.

Luna: Now let's see which Duel field our two lovely ladies will be Duelling on today.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath the two girls to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye Twilight and Adagio found themselves underwater, in what looked like a sunken opera house with the roof missing. Twilight was in the seating area and looked over at the stage, which was in the shape of a giant clam, where Adagio was standing.

Celestia: Oceanic Opera House!

"Finally an Action Field I can get behind," Adagio said, "it's the perfect place for a star like me."

"Wrong," Twilight said as she attached and activated her Duel Disk, "after this Duel, you won't be getting an encore."

"We'll see about that," Adagio said as she did the same with her own.

Luna: Looks like our Duellists are ready to get started.

Celestia: Then in three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Adagio: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"Spirit of Anger?" Flash said after Cold finished his story.

"That's what he called himself," Cold said, "he said he was born from the anger you and Chaos Command Dragon felt when your bond was formed."

"So it is my fault," Flash sighed down heartened, "I tried to use Chaos Command Dragon without even thinking about how it felt. Now I can never use him again."

"That's not true," Cold said, "he said he exists as long as the link that you and Chaos Command Dragon shares remains as it is. If you can forge a proper connection to it, you might be able to destroy the spirit that you two created. Then you can use Chaos Command Dragon to your hearts content."

Flash wasn't so sure about this. After how he acted to the monster, did he even have the right to try and fix it. "I don't think I can," he said.

"You have to," Cold said, "your father gave me those cards because he knew they were the only thing that could stop what's coming. Chaos Command Dragon may be integral to that goal and without it, we may not stand a chance.

"Then maybe someone else should try and forge a connection to it," Flash said as he pulled his deck out of his Duel Disk.

"No one else can," Cold replied, "you are the only one who can create a link to the Duel Monster Spirit World. Only you can communicate with the cards like that. Like it or not, this is your destiny and no one else can fill in."

Flash looked down at his deck and then pulled out the Xyz Monster he'd wronged. Doubts still plagued his thoughts, but he knew Cold was right. This was his mess and he needed to find a way to fix it, if he could.

Suddenly a buzzing coming form Cold's jacket caught their attention, causing him to pull out his phone and answer the call. "What is it?"

"Where are you?" Sunset called out through the line, "you've missed the first match of the B Block. Shadow defeated Micro."

"I see," Cold said, "then that means Twilight will be facing off against Adagio."

This caught Flash's attention. "WHAT!" Flash almost screamed before putting his deck and Duel Disk away and rushing towards the elevator.

"We'll be right there," Cold said before hanging up and following after Flash.

"Here we go," Twilight said as she reached for the deck, "I draw." She looked at her hand and nodded, before turning to Adagio. "I'll start by summoning Defender the Magical Knight, in DEF mode." (A1600/D2000/L4) The magical knight appeared, before kneeling down and raising its defence shield. "And don't forget," Twilight said, "when he's summoned I can place a Spell Counter on him." The jewel in the centre of Defender's shield began to glow. "I end my turn with a face down."

"Then it's my turn," Adagio said as she reached for her own deck, "I draw and activate the Spell card Unified Stage." The stage appeared behind her inside the clam shaped stage. "With this card I can use cards from my hand field or deck as tributes for a high level monster," Adagio explained, "so I'll send Alluring Siren from my deck to the graveyard to summon Alluring Pop Idol." She held up a card with a blue copy of Alluring Siren on it, before discarding it. A second later a mermaid with a silver tail and hair appeared, looking very at home in the holographic water as she swam around without a care in the world. (A2300/D1200/L5)

Twilight frowned at this. Adagio now had the monster she needed in the graveyard, so once she got the two other cards she needed then Twilight would be in serious trouble.

"I'll now attack with my Alluring Pop Idol," Adagio said as her monster swam down and stared at Defender. She opened her mouth and unleashed a powerful sound wave, which caused the water around them to become unsteady as the attack hit Defender.

"I activate my Magical Knight's ability," Twilight said, "which lets me remove a Spell Counter from him and negate his destruction." The light inside the jewel on the monster shield glowed brighter, forming a force field which blocked the sound waves hit and protected Defender.

Adagio glared at that. "I end my turn with a face down," she said as she did so.

Celestia: Both Duellists are working to fine tune their stratagy, but which one will manage to pull ahead.

"Twilight needs to be careful," Rarity said, "she can't afford to summon her most powerful monsters right now. If she does and Adagio summons Dark Siren, Twilight won't have anything to fight back with."

"But she won't win if she just plays defensively all game," Rainbow said, "her only hope is to end the Duel before she can get a chance to summon it."

"If she can," Applejack said.

"It's my turn," Twilight said as she went to her deck, "I draw and first I'll activate my face down." her card flipped up, revealing a Trap. "Mystic Curse," she said, "with this I can destroy one Spell or Trap on your field and deal you a thousand points of damage," A beam of light shot out the Trap and struck United Stage, flying through it and destroying it before the beam struck Adagio.

Twilight: 4000
Adagio: 3000

"Next I'll summon Aqua Charmer to the field," Twilight said as the water based wizard appeared alongside Defender. "And now," the teen continued, "I'll tune Level two Aqua Charmer with Level four Defender the Magical Knight." Twilight's tuner monster transformed into two lights, which carved the two rings her other monster leaped into. "Watch as the eternal flow of the sea, unites the impregnable defence of a knight," The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Twilight's monster. "Tempest Conjurer!" (A2200/D1400/L6)

Luna: Twilight's pulling out the big guns here. Will it be enough?

"Now I'll activate Tempest Conjurer's ability," Twilight said as she reached for her deck and drew three cards. "For every Spell card I reveal, I can discard them and he gains three hundred ATK points." She looked at he cards and smiled, before revealing them to Adagio, "two Spellbooks." She discarded them as her monster gained more power. (A2800/D1400/L6)

Celestia: Now this is getting interesting. Will Twilight's Synchro Summon give her the edge?

"Time to fry that fish," Twilight said, "Tempest Conjurer attack!" Her monster raised its staff and unleashed a powerful thunderbolt, which flew towards Alluring Pop Idol.

Adagio leapt off the stage and into the seats, before running along the back of the chairs towards a nearby pillar. She leapt up and grabbed an Action Card off the pillar, before placing it in her Duel Disk. "Go Miracle." A force field appeared around the mermaid, which the lightning bolt allowing only a little of its power through. Alluring Pop Idol was shocked, but not enough to be destroyed.

Twilight: 4000
Adagio: 2750

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Twilight said.

"Then I'll go," Adagio said as she went to her deck and drew her card, before smiling a wicked smile up at Twilight. "I play the Spell card Corrupting Melody," she said as she placed her Spell card inside her Duel Disk. By sending another copy of Alluring Siren from my deck to the graveyard, I can add a copy of Dark Siren and Dark Melody Ritual to my hand." Her deck shuffled around before it slotted out a card which she took and held up. This one was a purple version of Alluring Siren, which she sent to the graveyard before her deck slotted out to more card. She took them and and then placed one of them into her Duel Disk. "You know what's coming next," Adagio said, "I activate my Dark Melody Ritual Spell!" Suddenly the water around Alluring Pop Idol began to spin into a tornado, which then turned murky black.

Twilight frowned seeing this, knowing her chances of winning had just been severally cut.

"With my Alluring Sirens in the graveyard, I can now tribute the Alluring Pop Idol on my field along with the Alluring Vocalist in my hand." She took a card out her hand and placed it in her graveyard, as the monster she had just mentioned appeared on the field and was then sucked into the tornado. "Now I can summon my most powerful creature," Adagio said as the jewel around her next glowed while the tornado exploded. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The last of the water disappeared, revealing Adagio's monster. "Dark Siren!" (A1000/D1000/L8)

Celestia: Things aren't looking good for Ms Sparkle. Adagio has summoned her best monster, which she's used to win her two previous matches.

Luna: Will Twilight be able to counter, or is this the end for her.

"I activate Dark Siren's special ability," Adagio said as her monster unleashed sludgy black tendrils from its stomach, which struck Tempest Conjurer and wrapped around its arms, legs and waist. They then started retracting and pulling the Spellcaster towards it Dark Siren. "Now your Tempest Conjurer's mine," Adagio said, "my monster will absorb yours and equip it to itself, increasing Dark Siren's power by that of your monsters."

Twilight's Magician struggled, but couldn't break free and was soon pulled into Dark Siren's stomach and began to sink into the sludge. Eventually Tempest Magician was completely absorbed into Dark Siren, who then transformed into a ball of sludge. Seconds later the sludge reshaped until it was now the spitting image of Tempest Conjurer. (A3200/D2400/L8)

This isn't looking good," Spike said, "that monster's way to powerful."

Twilight's gotta find a way to take it out," Rainbow said.

"If she can," Rarity said.

"No ifs about it," Applejack said, "she can take it down. She just needs to summon something stronger then it."

"But if she attacks with it," Fluttershy said, "Dark Siren will just use Tempest Magician as a shield."

"Then Twilight just needs to get another monster out," Scootaloo said, "summon something that get over power Dark Siren and then summon another monster to attack when its weakened.

"It seems your sister's in trouble," Chrysalis said to Shining.

"She'll be fine," Shining said, though he didn't look convinced.

"She knew this was coming," Cadance said, "she must have a plan for it."

"Let's hope," Sunset said.

"Dark Siren," Adagio said, "attack her directly." The sludge monster raised its staff and unleashed a tornado of black sludge at Twilight, who tensed up ready to take the hit.

Celestia: If this attack hits, Twilight will only have eight hundred life points left."

Luna: But will it hit? That's the question.

"And the answer to that question," Twilight said, "is no. I activate my face down," her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Negate Attack!" A force field appeared around Twilight and blocked the tornado, leaving the girl completely unharmed.

Adagio frowned at this, before taking a card from her hand and placing it in her Duel Disk. "I'll end my turn by activating the Continuous Spell card Dark Door," she said, "now we can both only attack with one monster during our turn."

Twilight's eyes went wide hearing this. If she could only attack once, then how was she suppose to defeat Dark Siren?

"Oh come on!" Spike called out, "that's not fair."

"That one card's pretty much eliminated Dark Siren's weakness," Rarity said, "how's Twilight suppose to defeat it know."

"A'h don't know," Applejack said, "but if anyone can figure out a way, then it's Twilight."

"It's my turn," Twilight said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked down at her cards, but none of them stood a chance of beating Dark Siren. "I summon Magician's Valkyria in DEF mode," Twilight said as the magician appeared on her field and took up a defensive stance. (A1600/D1800/L4) "I end my turn," Twilight said.

Celestia: Twilight's being backed into a corner. If only one monster allowed to attack and Dark Siren sitting at thirty two hundred ATK points, she'll have a tough time finding a way to overcome this opponent.

"It's my turn," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "I draw." She looked at the card and smiled, before turning to Twilight. "I play Stop Defence, to change your monster from DEF mode to ATK mode."

Twilight growled hearing this, before turning to see her Valkyria standing up.

"Dark Siren attack!" Adagio said as her monster waved its staff at the magician and unleashed a tornado of sludge at it.

Twilight leapt from her position, running through the aisle towards a nearby pillar where an Action Card was waiting. She leapt up and reached for it, but in that moment the tornado struck Valkyria and destroyed, the force of the attack sending Twilight flying away for the card and crashing into another pillar.

Twilight: 2400
Adagio: 2750

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends called out seeing her fall to the ground in a lump.

Adagio ended her turn before looking down at her opponent and smiling, loving the sight of her like this. She watched as Twilight slowly began to push herself back to her feet, unsteady but upright, before turning towards Adagio and frowning.

"Just look at you," she said, "unable to even stand up straight against me. You thought you could defeat me, to get pay back for the people I've hurt, but you'll be lucky if your even able to save yourself once I'm done."

Twilight hated to admit it but she might be right. So what if she summoned a monster that could beat Dark Siren, it would just use Tempest Magician as a shield and with Dark Door Twilight couldn't attack again.

"Twilight!" Spike called out, "don't let her get into your head."

"You can't give up," Rarity said, "you have to keep trying."

"You can win," Rainbow said, "we know you can."

"Ya'll find a way," Applejack said.

"GO, GO, TWILIGHT!" Pinkie screamed.

"Please Twilight," Fluttershy cried.

"You friends all really believe in you," Adagio said, "I'll make sure to look over at them when you lose. See the look of defeat in their eyes."

Twilight didn't reply, instead she was simply trying to think up a stratagy to beat Dark Siren, but nothing came to mind.

"DON'T GIVE UP!"

Twilight's eyes went wide hearing that voice, before she looked around and saw him.

Flash panted heavily after running all the way to his current location and screaming at the top oh his lungs. Once he'd caught his breath he looked down at Twilight. "Don't you dare give up," he said, "I won't let you give her the satisfaction of beating you."

"Flash," Scootaloo said as she stood up to look over at where her brother stood, "what's he doing here."

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "he should be in bed."

"Looks like he didn't get the message," Pinkie said.

"Come on Twilight," Flash continued, "you can beat her!"

Twilight wanted to believe him, but what could she do?

"Oh how quaint," Adagio said with a laugh, "is having your little boyfriend around suddenly going to give you a new strength? Stop wasting my time and get on with the Duel already."

Twilight turned back to Adagio, a feeling of annoyance building up in her heart. She was so sick of that voice.

"Fine," Twilight said as she placed her hand on her deck, "but don't complain when you lose. It's my turn, I...DRAW!

Could Twilight defeat Adagio, or will Dark Siren prove to much for her? Only time would tell.

Turn 24, Celestial Body

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The Duel between Twilight Sparkle and Adagio Dazzle continues on the Action Field Oceanic Opera House, where Adagio was enjoying a slight lead thanks to her Dark Siren. Once it had been summoned it had used its special ability to take control of Twilight's Tempest Conjurer. What's more Adagio had also used the card Dark Door, which made it so only one monster could attack each turn.

Now it was Twilight's turn and she needed a way to beat Adagio's monster or she'd be in big trouble. "It's my turn," Twilight said as she placed her hand on her deck, "I draw!" She looked at her card and smiled, before turning to Adagio and Dark Siren. "First I'll summon Shadow Charmer to the field in ATK mode," she said as her favourite Tuner Monster appeared. (A1200/D700/L3)

"Did you forget," Adagio said with a coy smirk, "that without another monster to tune it with, that card's useless."

"Oh I remember," Twilight said, "that's why I have this." Twilight took a card from her hand and placed in on the field. "Since we have the same number of monster on our field, I can special summon Illusionary Magician to the field." In a flash of light a very stage showy magician appeared on Twilight's field, wearing a black and white suit, bow tie and top hat. (A1400/D1300/L4) "Next I'll discard one card from my hand to activate Shadow Charmer's ability," Twilight said, "to revive a Spellcaster from my graveyard." In a flash of light, Magician's Valkyria appeared on the field in DEF mode. (A1600/D1800/L4)

Celestia: Twilight Sparkle once again shows off her Spellcaster skills. How will Adagio deal with this?

"And now," Twilight called out, "I'll tune my Level three Shadow Charmer with my Level four Illusionary Magician!" Her Tuner glowed before transforming into three balls of light, which each circled around creating three rings which Illusionary Magician jumped into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." Her monsters disappeared in a burst of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded, revealing one of Twilight's best monsters. "Twilight Sorcerer!” (A2100/D2800/L7)

Adagio just rolled her eyes seeing that card. Did she honestly think she could beat her with that?

"I activate Twilight Sorcerer's ability," Twilight said as he deck began to shuffle, "to add one random Spellbook from my deck to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which she took and looked at before smiling. "I activate the Spellbook of Power," Twilight said, "which increases my Sorcerer's ATK points by one thousand until the End Phase." Twilight Sorcerer glowed as its power increased. (A3100/D2800/L7) "Plus with three Spellbooks in my graveyard," Twilight continued, "he gets another three hundred ATK points." (A3400/D2800/L7)

Luna: That combo makes Twilight Sorcerer stronger then Dark Siren, but will it be enough?

Twilight Sorcerer," Twilight called out, "attack Dark Siren!" Her monster raised its staff, as magical energy sparked and then surged out of it and flew towards Dark Siren."

"I activate Dark Siren's ability," Adagio said as her monster reverted back the sphere of ooze before shooting Tempest Conjurer out, still wrapped in the sludge tendrils. "By ditching the monster it previously absorbed, Dark Siren can negate your attack." Dark Siren threw the monster back towards the magic blast, causing it to block the attack before being destroyed. Now without a host, Dark Siren changed back to its sludgy horse shape as its attack power lowered. (A1000/D1000/L8)

Celestia: Twilight had hoped to power through Adagio's monster, but Dark Siren's ability proved to much for her.

"Nice try," Adagio said, "but with the set up I've made, Dark Siren's indestructible."

"Nothing's indestructible," Twilight said, "I'll beat, just watch."

"What was Twilight thinking?" Rainbow asked as she and the others watched, "she knew that would happen so why'd she do it?"

"She may have been trying to uncover some kind of weakness in Dark Siren's defences," Rarity said, "but whether it actually has any is another story."

"It's like Twilight said," Applejack said, "nothing's indestructible. There's a way ta beat that thing an she's gonna find it."

"I hope you're right." They all turned to see Flash coming up sitting next to them.

"What are you doing here?" Scootaloo asked her brother, "you should be resting."

"I'm fine," Flash replied, "I'm not tired or anything. In fact I just Duelled again not twenty minutes ago."

"You what!?" The others all asked.

"Who'd you Duel?" Spike asked.

"Cold," Flash replied, "he wanted to see if what happened against Garble would happen again."

"And?" Fluttershy asked.

Flash didn't reply and just looked down at the match. "I'll tell you later."

"Your sister appears to be in a spot of trouble," Chrysalis said, "if this keeps up she'll end up like Adagio's last opponents."

Shining didn't reply, but knew she was right. Twilight was in serious trouble and unless she could pull out a miracle, she wouldn't stand a chance against Adagio.

"We're not giving up on her," Cadance said, "she can do this. She will beat her, it's all a matter of how."

"Yeah," Shining said. He looked over the situation and then remembered something. If she could do that, then maybe she had a chance.

"I end my turn," Twilight said, "and with that, Twilight Sorcerer's ATK points are reduced by a thousand but with three Spellbooks in the graveyard, his ATK points remain three points higher." (A2400/D2800/L7)

"That won't help you," Adagio said as she went to her deck, "it's my turn. I draw." She looked at her card and nodded before going over her field and smiling. "First I'll play the Spell card Alluring Melody," she said before her deck suddenly started shuffling and then slotted out a card, which she took and placed in her Duel Disk. "By sending a copy of Alluring Siren from my hand or deck to the graveyard, I can now force your Magician's Valkyria to switch its battle position."

The yellow version of Alluring Siren appeared on the field and let out a beautiful sound, which Magician's Valkyria heard and then stood up.

"No don't," Twilight called out to her monster, but it was to late and Magician's Valkyria was now standing in ATK mode.

"I bet you know what's coming next," Adagio said before pointing at Twilight Sorcerer, "Dark Siren!" Her monster unleashed its sludgy black tendrils from its stomach, which struck Twilight Sorcerer and wrapped around its arms, legs and waist. They then started retracting and pulling the Spellcaster towards it Dark Siren.

Luna: Once again Adagio's Dark Siren is attempting to steal Twilight's monster to use against her. Will Twilight be able to stop it.

Twilight's Magician struggled, but couldn't break free and was soon pulled into Dark Siren's stomach and began to sink into the sludge. Eventually the Synchro Monster was completely absorbed into Dark Siren, who then transformed into a ball of sludge. Seconds later the sludge reshaped until it was now the spitting image of Twilight Sorcerer. (A3100/D3800/L8)

"Oh no," Twilight said as she looked up at the monster which now mimicked her best card.

"Dark Siren attack Magician's Valkyria!" Adagio called out as her monster raised its staff and unleashed a torrent of black sludge at Twilight's monster.

Twilight rushed up towards the stage and leapt up, grabbing an Action Card off the curtain and looking it over. In that second the attack struck her monster, destroying it and dealing Twilight damage.

Twilight: 900
Adagio: 2750

"I activate the Action Spell Bringing the House Down," Twilight said as she placed the Action Card in her Duel Disk. "With this card I can deal you damage equal to my destroyed monsters ATK power."

A spiritual form of Magician's Valkyria appeared in front of Adagio and struck her with its staff.

Twilight: 900
Adagio: 1150

"What's more," Twilight said, "for every four hundred points of damage you lost, I get to draw a card." She placed her hand on her deck and drew four cards, adding them to her hand.

"Fine," Adagio said, "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Twilight said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her cards and nodded, before pulling two from her hand. "I'm setting my Pendulum Scale, with scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Dracokid." She slapped the cards on her Duel Disk, as the columns of light appeared and the two Pendulum Monster flew into them. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Twilight called out as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking shape.

"Magi-Beast Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

Twilight then leapt off the stage and into the seating area, where she pulled an Action Card off it. "Next I'll play the Action Spell Understudy Spotlight," she said, "by banishing a monster in my graveyard I can summon any monsters in my hand whose combined Level are equal to or lower then it. I'm Banishing Illusionary Magician to summon Mystic Mage and Star Charmer." In a flash of light the two monsters appeared on the field, taking their spots next to Twilight Unicorn.

Celestia: Once again Twilight show tremendous skill summoning multiple monsters to the field.

"Now!" Twilight cried, "I'll tune my Level one Star Charmer with Level two Mystic Mage and Level four Twilight Unicorn!" Her Tuner leaped into the air and transformed into a sphere of light, which carved a circle that the two other monsters leapt into. "It's time to embrace the power given by those we call friends and ascend to a higher plain of life." A bright light occurred as the transformation took place. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Twilight's other ace monster. "Twilight Alicorn!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

"I activate Twilight Alicorn's ability to banish a Spellbook in my graveyard to increase Alicorn's ATK power by one thousand." Twilight did so as her monsters horn began to glow. (A3600/D1900/L7) "Attack!" Twilight called out as her monster unleashed a powerful beam of light at Dark Siren.

Luna: Twilight Sparkle, making another attempt to destroy Dark Siren. Will it work?

"Did you forget about Dark Siren's ability?" Adagio asked as her monster reverted back it sphere form before shooting Twilight Sorcerer out, still wrapped in the sludge tendrils. "I thought you were suppose to be smart," Adagio said, "you know trying the same thing again and again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity right?" Dark Siren threw the monster back towards the magic blast, causing it to block the attack before being destroyed. Now without a host, Dark Siren changed back to its sludgy horse shape as its attack power lowered. (A1000/D1000/L8)

Celestia: Once again Twilight's attack is negated.

"What was she thinking?" Rainbow said, "she knew that would happen so why."

"A'h know," Applejack said, "plus now Adagio can take a more powerful monster to control."

"She had to have had a reason," Rarity said, "we just have to trust her."

"I hope your right," Flash said, "or else she's in real trouble."

"I end my turn," Twilight said said, "my Alicorn's ATK now returns to normal." (A2600/D1900/L7)

"Then I'll go," Adagio said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and once more Dark Siren will take your monster."

Dark Siren unleashed the black vines and grabbed Twilight Alicorn, wrapping the tendrils around its legs, wings and neck. The Synchro Monster neighed loudly as it violently struggled against them, but was unable to escape and soon found itself being sucked into Dark Siren's sludgy body. Seconds later the Ritual Monster changed it shape into the form of Twilight Alicorn. (A3600/D2900/L7)

Luna: Once again Twilight's powerful monster has been taken to use against her.

"Dark Siren," Adagio said, "attack!" The sludge monster pointed its horn at Twilight and unleashed a tornado of black water, which flew towards Twilight.

Celestia: This is it ladies and gentlemen. If this attack hits, Twilight will be eliminated.

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends all screamed.

"Look out!" Spike screamed.

"Twilight!" Shining yelled out as he and Cadance stood up and looked down at the feld.

"End this!" Adagio screamed as the tornado drew closer to Twilight.

In that second however a force field appeared around Twilight, blocking the attack and keeping her safe.

"WHAT!" Adagio screamed seeing this.

Twilight just smiled as the attack ended, leaving her completely unscaved.

"But how," Adagio asked, "this doesn't make any sense. You don't have any Trap on the field, so how did you survive?"

Twilight's smile just grew as she took a card out of her Duel Disk and held it up for all to see. Adagio stared at the card and was horrified at what it was.

"Soul Guard," she said.

"That's right," Twilight said, "I discarded it with Shadow Charmer's ability. By banishing it from my graveyard, I was able to negate your attack.

Celestia: Incredible! Twilight looked to be going out, but it turns out she was completely safe.

Luna: I bet Adagio wasn't expecting that.

"Alright!" Spike almost screamed while the others all sat back with a sigh of relief.

"That was close," Rainbow said.

"Now Twilight's got another chance to end this," Flash said before yelling out, "END THIS TWILIGHT!"

Adagio just growled. "You're only delaying the inevitable," she said, "I place on card face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Twilight said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled, realising she now had a chance. Looking away from the field she glanced up the VIP box. "Thanks BBBFF," she said.

Shining saw her looking up at them and smiled, knowing what she had planned.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Twilight called out as the portal above her formed and opened, shooting out a single light which struck the ground and took form. "Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"I activate my Trap card," Adagio said as her face down flipped up, "Siren's Song Guard! When this card is activated, I can create a Song Counter for each Alluring Siren in my graveyard." In a flash of light, the three different coloured sirens appeared, before swimming around Dark Siren. "Now whenever you attack, I can sacrifice a Song Counter to negate it."

"Is that so," Twilight said, "well I activate Spellbook of Sacrifice. With this Spell card, I can tribute one Spellcaster monster on my side of the field and then summon monsters in my graveyard whose combined Levels are equal to or lower then my tributed monster."

Adagio raised an eyebrow. What was she planning.

"I sacrifice Twilight Unicorn to revive Star Charmer and Mystic Mage," Twilight said as her monster disappeared in a flash of light, which the two monsters then flew out.

"They won't save you," Adagio said.

"Won't they," Twilight said before turning to the monsters, "I tune Level one Star Charmer and Level two Mystic Mage." The star themed wizard waved his wand and transformed into a ball of light, which carved a ring that Mystic Mage leaped into. "Now watch," Twilight said, "as both power and magic surge towards each other and collide to create pure might." The two disappeared in a burst of radiant light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing a teenage wizard wearing clothing that looked like it was made from the night sky.
He carried a staff with a head shaped like several stars. "The Synchro Tuner, Celestial Charmer!" (A1200/D600/L3)

"Synchro Tuner?" Adagio said in confusion, "never heard of it."

"Then your about to get an up close a personal look at it," Twilight said as she continued. "I activate Celestial Charmer's ability. Since it was Synchro Summoned, I can draw a card." She did so and smiled seeing what it was. "It's Spellbook of Rebirth and since its a Spellbook, Celestial Charmer's other ability kicks in and reduces a monster on your field's ATK points by five hundred for this turn." The Synchro Tuner pointed its staff at Dark Siren and shot a beam, which struck the Ritual Monster and made it flinch in pain. (A3100/D2900/L8)

"That's still not enough," Adagio said.

"Then I'll have to activate the Spell card I just got," Twilight said, "Spellbook or Rebirth. With this card I can revive a monster in either of our graveyards, so guess who's coming back." There was another flash of light and from it, Twilight Sorcerer appeared. (A2100/D2800/L7)

"No," Adagio said, realising what was going to happen next.

"And now," Twilight said, "Level three Synchro Tuner Celestial Charmer tunes with Level seven Twilight Sorcerer!" Celestia Charmer waved its staff before transforming into three rings of light, which flew up and out through the roof towards the surface of the water. Once there, Twilight Sorcerer flew up towards them. "Ancient power of the heavens, let your might flow through me, so I may carry out your work." As Twilight Sorcerer flew through the rings, they exploded into light which covered the Spellcaster as he shot out of the water before the light formed a cocoon around him. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"

The light cocoon disappeared from around Twilight's monster, revealing its new form. It was Twilight Sorcerer, but his clothing was now that of Celestial Charmer. His staff was made of black metal and had a sun, moon and star for the head. "Celestial Body Magician!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

Everyone marvelled at the sight of the monster.

"Gorgeous," Rarity said.

"When did Twilight get that card?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'm not sure," Spike said.

"The question is," Flash said, "can it help her."

"Your monster may look nice," Adagio said, "but it's still useless. With Twilight Alicorn in my Siren's clutches, I can simply ditch it to negate your attack and then take this new monster on my next turn. Plus with Siren's Song Guard in play, I can also negate up to three more attacks. Face it, you can't win."

"We'll see about that," Twilight said.

"What?" Adagio asked.

"I activate Celestial Body Magician's ability," Twilight said, "an ability which allows me to take a peak at the top five cards of my deck, to see how many Spellbook Spell cards there are and then lets me attack once for each one."

"So Celestial Body Magician can make multiple attacks," Adagio said to herself.

"But I thought the Dark Door only allowed one attack?" Applebloom said.

"Dark Door's effect means only one monster can attack," Applejack said, "but if that one monster has more then one attack."

"Then Dark Door's useless," Spike screamed happily

"So," Sweetie said, "how many attacks does she need?"

"Five," Rarity replied.

"That means she needs to get five perfect draws," Rainbow said.

"I don't like her chances," Fluttershy said.

"Its a gamble," Applejack said, "but hopefully it'll pay off."

"Let's hope," Flash said.

"It all comes down to this," Twilight said as she looked down at her deck, "will my deck come through for me." She placed her hand on her deck, "have I earned its favour? I hope so," she said.

Adagio tried to look unphased, but a twinge of worry existed in the pit of her stomach. There was no way she could do it...right.

Twilight closed her eyes and took a deep breath, before opening them with new figure and calling out. "The first card!" She drew her card and looked at it. "Alright," she said seeing Spellbook of Fate, "but what about the others?" She placed her hand back on her deck and drew, "the second card!" She looked at it and smiled again, "Spellbook of Eternity." She drew another card, "the third...Spellbook of Organisation!" She drew again, "for the four...Spellbook of Wisdom."

Adagio was sweating. All she needed was one more.

Twilight drew her fifth and final card, bringing it up to her face and opening her eyes. She stared at the card for a few agonising seconds, before breaking out into another smile and revealing it to the world.

Everyone looked at the card, trying to see what it was, before gasping.

"Spellbook of Secrets," Twilight called, "and with the other cards that makes five Spellbook!"

"So that means you have five attack!" Adagio screamed in horror, "no this just can't be!"

"Oh it can," Twilight said, "and it is! Now go Celestial Body Magician!" The Synchro Monster waved its staff, creating five ethereal books which spun around his body. He then pointed his staff down towards Dark Siren, causing the books to go flying towards the Ritual monster, transforming into meteor like projectiles.

"Fine," Adagio said, "but don't forget your first attack is cancelled out due to Dark Siren's ability." The monster transformed back into its sphere form, before shooting out Twilight Alicorn and throwing it towards the first projectile. The two clashed and caused an explosion, as Dark Siren returned to its normal form. (A1000/D1000/L8)

"That's fine," Twilight said, "you may have negated the first attack, but I've still got four more coming your way." The four meteors flew towards Adagio's monster.

"Well don't forget about my Siren's Song Guard," she said as the blue Alluring Siren swam towards the second projectile, body checking it and creating an explosion. When the smoke cleared the purple Alluring Siren then swam towards the third and did the same, causing another explosion. After that the yellow Alluring Siren flew towards the fourth and causing one more explosion, but once that done there was one last projectile coming Adagio's way.

The teen looked around trying to find an Action Card that could save her. Suddenly she saw one near her and began rushing towards it and just as the attack was about to hit, she grabbed it. She smirked as she looked at the card, only to see it was an Action Trap.

Luna: Oh, to bad. That card might have saved her if she'd gotten the right card.

Adagio was horror struck as she looked up at her monster, as the fifth and final Spellbook struck it.

BOOM!

A great explosion occurred and threw up a dust cloud. The only thing the audience could hear over the explosion, was Adagio's high pitched scream. After ten long seconds, the dust cloud began to fade and everyone could see the Duellists.

Twilight stood over Adagio, who was laying on her back.

Twilight: 900 (Winner)
Adagio: 0

The audience was silent, until finally that silence was broken by a powerful uproar as everyone cheered.

Celestia: SHE DID IT! Twilight Sparkle has defeated Adagio and will be moving onto the B Block Finals.

Luna: It was a long and difficult battle, but Twilight managed to overcome Dark Siren and defeat her opponent.

"ALRIGHT!" Twilight's friends all cheered.

"Did you see that?" Spike said, "she totally wiped the floor with her."

"You bet she did," Rainbow said.

"I'm just happy that horrible girl got what's coming to her," Rarity said.

Flash just smiled, not saying anything and just staring down at Twilight. "Way to go," he said.

"She did it," Sunset and Cadance said happily as they watched.

Shining was silently cheering, happy that his sister had not only won, but come out of the Duel unscaved.

"That was awesome," Thorax said, "wasn't it mother." He turned towards Chrysalis, only to see she had a horrified look on her face. "Mother?" he asked.

"Oh," Chrysalis said breaking out of her shook, "I'm fine. Just a little shocked at the sudden turn around."

Sunset finished her cheering and turned towards where her boss was suppose to be, only to find he was gone.

Cold was rushing through the corridor, with his phone out. "Security," he said, "make sure Adagio Dazzle doesn't leave. If you find her, bring her to me at once."

Twilight looked over at her fallen opponent, who was getting up.

"It's over Adagio," Twilight told her, "you've lost. Now your coming with us."

Adagio stared at Twilight, and angry look on her face. "I'm not going anywhere with you," she said, "you've ruined everything." With that she turned a ran off, back into the stadium.

Twilight just sighed, before turning and heading back to her own exit point.

Adagio was running through the corridor.

"I have to get out of here," she said, "before-"

"Before what?"

She came to a stop, her eyes wide in horror.

Shadow was standing in the centre of the corridor, a dark look on his face.

"Please," she whimpered, "no."

"You know the price of failure," Shadow said as she slowly made his way towards her, "you have jeopardised our mission and for that you must be punished."

Adagio began to step away, but tripped and fell back, landing on her rear as she watched Shadow draw closer.

"No," she whispered.

"Hey," Shadow said calmly as he stood over her, "look on the bright side." He bent over, her face now inches from his own, "at least you'll be with your sisters again."

Adagio's eyes went even wider, as she let out a great scream.

Cold stood outside the entrance to the corridor where Adagio would step out, a small army of guards along with him. He'd also positioned more guards at the entrance of the Duel field, so she couldn't try and escape through the arena.

"Come on," he said as he tapped his feet, "how long does it take?"

Suddenly the sound of Adagio's scream echoed through the corridor, catching their attention.

"With me!" He called out as he rushed down the corridor, "have Bravo Team enter to."

The group ran through the corridor, looking for any sign of Adagio, but they suddenly came to a stop when they saw another group rushing towards them. It was Bravo Team.

"Where's Adagio?" Cold asked.

"She didn't get by us sir," the leader of Bravo Team replied.

"Then where is she?" Cold said. He pulled out his phone and called CCTV, but they replied saying she had appeared at any of the exits. "That cant't be," Cold said as he hung up. How could it be that Adagio could have just disappeared?

"Twilight!" The teen girl almost fell over when her little brother jumped up and threw his arms around her. "You did it!"

"I did didn't I?" Twilight said as she returned the hug.

Twilight looked around and saw all her friends standing there in the corridor, all smiling at her.

"Way to go egghead," Rainbow said, "we're proud of ya."

"Darn tootin," Applejack said, "that was a might amazing monster ya'h summoned back there."

"It was super awesome!" Pinkie screamed.

"Thanks guys," Twilight said, "it was a close one."

"We're just happy your alright darling," Rarity said, "and that you managed to teach that brat a lesson."

"Yay," Fluttershy whispered.

"Twily."

They all turned to see Shining, Cadance and Sunset rushing over to her.

"Shiny," Twilight said as she rushed over to her older brother and throwing her arms around her.

"You were great Twily," Shining said.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Twilight replied as she pulled back, "thanks BBBFF!" She looked him in the eyes and saw something that made her look again. "Are you crying?"

"Oh course not," Shining said as he wiped his eyes, "it's liquid pride. Totally different thing"

Cadance just rolled her eyes before pulling Twilight into a hug. "You were great out there Twilight."

"Thanks Cadance," Twilight said. Once they pulled away from each other, Twilight looked around and her eyes landed on the one person she hoped was here.

Flash smiled as he watched her draw closer. "Great work out there," he said.

"Thanks," Twilight said with a blush, "and thanks for helping me get back in the game."

"Like you wouldn't have done the same for me," Flash said.

Twilight nodded, before pulling him into a hug.

Once that was done with, the group headed out towards the main hall. There they saw a megascreen with the Celestial Sisters on it.

Celestia: We now have our four semifinal Duellists. These four will compete for the title of block champion tomorrow.

The megascreen switched to the images of Flash, Applejack, Twilight and Shadow.

Luna: Who will win and move on to the final round? Find out tomorrow.

"So Twilight's facing Shadow," Rainbow said.

"You beat Adagio," Pinkie said to her, "you think you can beat him."

"Maybe," Twilight said, "we'll just have to find out."

"And then there's Applejack against Flash," Scootaloo said before turning to her brother. "You gonna be okay."

Flash wasn't sure how to answer that. He pulled out his deck and cycled through until her reached a certain card, which he pulled out. As he looked at Chaos Command Dragon, he remembered what Cold said.

If he wanted to use this card safely, he needed to forge a true bond with it. But could he?

Everything was riding on him mastering his deck. If he wanted to stand a chance against what was to come, he needed every advantage he could get.

Turn 25, Duel in the Wild West

View Online

It was the day of the Celestic Cup semifinals.

We find Flash in his room at his house. He was sitting at his desk going through his deck and trying to make changes that would better.

However, when he came to a particular card he froze.

"Chaos Command Dragon," he said as he held the card. This was the one card that could help him win the whole tournament, but not if he couldn't control it. Fear spread through his body as he remembered what Cold had told him and how he need to form a true bond with the card.

"You are the only one who can create a link to the Duel Monster Spirit World. Only you can communicate with the cards like that. Like it or not, this is your destiny and no one else can fill in."

Unless Flash could repair the damage he'd done, there was no way he could use this card. The only problem was that Flash had no clue how he was suppose to repair the bond. He had been trying again and again to send himself to the Duel Monster Spirit World, but nothing he did would work.

"Come on," Flash said as he closed his eyes and imagined the ruins he'd been to before, but when he opened his eyes he was still in his room. "Damn it!"

"Hey Flash."

The teen turned to his door as it opened and Scootaloo stepped in.

"We'd better get going," she said, "you can't be late."

Flash just sighed and began to pack his deck away.

"You okay?" Scootaloo asked in concern.

"Just a little frustrated," Flash said as he put all but one card in his Duel Disk, "I know I need this card, but I'm scared of what might happen if I can't properly bond with it."

"You'll figure it out," Scootaloo said, "you just need to be patient."

"But you saw what I did," She said, "what if I lose control again? I could hurt someone."

"Well being scared of what might happen isn't going to fix the problem," Scootaloo said, "you just need to face the problem and hope it turns out alright."

Flash sighed, knowing his sister was right. Stealing his courage, Flash placed the Xyz card in his Duel Disk and got up off his chair. "Thanks squirt," he said as he ruffled his sisters hair. With that the two made their way out the room and then out the apartment.

In the dark laboratory, Shadow stepped into the room and looked up at his father and kneeled.

"Father," he said, "the procedure on Dazzle is underway."

"Very good," Sombra replied without turning away from the monitor, "because of her lose, we were unable to awaken the cards as planned. We must now find a way to gather the Ener-D required."

"I will try my best father," Shadow said, "but the three remaining Duels may not be enough."

"I know that," Sombra said, "that is why we must find more ways to generate it."

As if on cue, five of the six other cloaked figures stepped into the room.

"You five will continue to Duel and generate as much Ener-D to compensate for Adagio's failure."

"Yes your majesty," the each said with a bow.

"And Shadow," the teen looked up, "to make sure there are no more delays, I've created a little something for you."

Suddenly the floor section just infront of Shadow opened and from out of it came two new cards. Taking them in his hand, Shadow stared at the cards in amazement.

"These are-"

"I designed them specifically to take down you next two opponents," Sombra replied, "no matter who you face, they will not be able to stop this card."

"Thank you father," Shadow said as he stood up and pocketed the cards, "I will not fail you." With that he turned and headed out, ready to take on the one he was to duel.

"Be sure that you don't," Sombra told him.

The Freeze Stadium was abuzz with excitement as the audience all took their seats.

Twilight, Spike and the rest of their friends were all seated and waiting for the matches to begin. The only ones not there were Flash and Applejack, as they had been called into the players waiting area since they were Duelling first.

"This is gonna be a tough Duel," Spike said, "Flash and Applejack are two of the best Duellists we know. Them going up against each other is gonna be intense."

"I just hope Flash doesn't summon that big scary monster," Applebloom said in worry as she looked down at the field.

"Don't worry," Scootaloo said, "my brother's not gonna try and summon it unless he's sure he can control it."

"There's a difference between thinking you can control something and actually controlling it," Twilight said, also in worry.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Rarity said.

Up in the main box, the VIPs had all taken their seats.

"I can't wait to see Flash Duel again," Thorax said.

"I hope he isn't as overboard as he was yesterday," Chrysalis said.

"I'm sure that was just a one time thing," Cadance said.

"I'm not so sure," Sunset said.

"We'll just have to wait and see," Shining said.

"Yes," Cold said, "we will."

The stage lit up as the Celestial Sisters stepped out onto it.

Both: Hello Canterlot!

Celestia: Are you all ready for the amazing Duels that are about to take place?

Luna: Our thirty six Duellists have now been whittled down to four. Today we'll be watching them compete for the titles of Block Champion.

Celestia: Let's welcome our first two Duellists onto the stage. In this corner, the Duelling Cowgirl, Applejack!

Applejack stepped out onto the field as she waved at the audience.

Luna: And her opponent, the Pendulum Duellist, Flash Sentry!

Flash also stepped out onto the field, a nervous look on his face as he headed towards the centre.

Flash and Applejack arrived in the centre, where the ref was waiting.

"Ya'h ready Flash?" Applejack asked as she attached her Duel Disk.

"Yeah," Flash said as he did the same, though he didn't sound it

The ref flipped his coin and it the result had Applejack taking the first move. With that done the two stepped back to a good distance.

Celestia: Now it's time to see which Action Field they'll be Duelling on today.

he held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath the two to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye Flash and Applejack found themselves in a scene from an old western. It was a dusty desert with a street made of wooden buildings, like salons and other american frontier stuff.

Luna: Wildest West!

"Woowee!" Applejack said as she looked around, "now this is ma'h kinda field."

"It's okay," Flash said.

Celestia: Let's get this Duel underway. In three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Applejack: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said as she reached for her Deck, "A'h draw and A'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Blooming Daisy and scale five Iris Maiden." She slapped the cards on her Duel Disk as it lit up, before columns of light appeared on either side of her. Two monster flew up into the columns, one Flash recognised and the other was a woman in white floral clothing. Once they were up they began to form the portal above Applejack's head. "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, striking the ground and taking shape.

"Red Apple Golem!" (A1300/D1500/L4)

"Apple Knight!" (A300/D300/L3)

"Red Apple Golem's skill," Applejack said as her deck shuffled and slotted out a card, "Green Apple Golem is added to the hand. Next A'll use Iris Maiden's Pendulum Ability," Applejack said as her monster unleashed a load of pollen which flew towards Apple Knight. "Until the end phase, Apple Knight's Level goes up by one." (A300/D300/L4)

Celestia: A strong opening from Applejack. She's perfecting her stratagy to take Flash out.

"And now," Applejack said as her monsters glowed, "with these two monsters A'h build the Overlay Network." The monsters shot into the air and then flew into the black hole as it appeared below her. He who watches over all growth, lend us ya'h protection." The black hole burst in an explosion of light, "A'H XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's monster. "Orchard Defender!" (A1400/D2600/R4)

"A'h place one card face down and end ma'h turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked at his cards and saw he had Estella and Exitium, two cards that could help him summon Chaos Command. "No," he said shaking his head, "I can't." He took the two cards and placed them on the Duel Disk, which lit up as the columns formed. "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale with scale three Magna Caster Exitium and scale eight Magna Caster Estella. Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," he chanted as the portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground. "Lock and load, Magna Fighter Crossbolt!" (A1400/D1400/L4)

"Next I'll summon Magna Mechanic Kuda," Flash said as his spanner wielding monster appeared next to Crossbolt. (A1400/D700/L3/P2) "Now I'll tune Level three Magna Mechanic Kuda and Level four Magna Fighter Crossbolt." Kuda glowed and changed into three balls of light that flew up and then carved three circles of light, which Crossbolt leapt into. "With skills born through work and dedication, raise your sword for battle," the monsters disappeared in a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

"The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Magna Champion Assault Striker!" (A2500/D2100/L7)

"Nice move," Applejack said, "but it can't stop ma'h Defender."

"Did ya forget about Assault Striker's ability?" Flash asked as he held up a card and Applejack saw it was Vail Pixie. "I discard one monster from my hand, which lets me destroy a monster on your field." Assault Strike unleashed the beam of light, which struck Orchard Defender and destroyed it.

"Since Apple Knight was attached to Orchard Defender when you destroyed it," Applejack said, "it was also sent to the graveyard so its effect activates." The two Pip Tokens appeared on he field, both in ATK mode. (A0/D0/L1)X2

"Well I'm attacking your Pip Token," Flash said as his monster charged forward and unsheaved one of its blades.

Applejack ran over to a nearby cactus and plucked an Action Card off it.

"A'h activate the Action Spell Evasion," she said. As Assault Striker slashed at the token, it suddenly bounced out the way and saved it.

"Well don't forget Assault Striker gets two attacks when it uses its ability," The Synchro Monster unsheaved its other blade to slash the token with.

Applejack rushed over to a nearby barrel and grabbed an Action Card off it.

"A'll use the Action Spell Miracle, to save ma'h monster and half the damage."

Assault Striker slashed at the token again, but a force field appeared around it and protected the monster.

Flash: 4000
Applejack: 2750

"I end my turn," Flash said.

Luna: Flash might have summoned a more powerful monster and taken the lead, but Applejack isn't making it easy for him

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "a'h draw and then I'll summon Seedling Sprite in ATK mode." In a flash of light, the fairy appeared on the field. (A800/D800/L2/P6) "Next A'll play Ultra Growth," she said as her tokens dug into the ground and a pair of watering cans appeared and poured their contents onto the ground. Seconds later two flowers shot out of the ground, and as their bulbs opened two new monsters appeared.

"Apple Paladin!" (A1200/D600/L3/P8)

"Garden Knight!" (A1300/D900/L3/P3)

"Next a'll use Iris Maiden's Pendulum Ability to increase Seedling Sprite's Level by one," Applejack continued as her monster unleashed the pollen, which flew around the Pendulum Monster. (A800/D800/L3/P6)

Flash frown, knowing what was coming next.

"And now a'll Overlay Apple Paladin, Garden Knight and Seedling Sprite," Applejack said as her monsters glowed before flying into the air and then into the black hole which opened up. "As the seasons bring fourth new growth, it can also bring fourth a new power," the black hole exploded in a burst of light. "A'H XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing AJ's Xyz monster. "Orchard Cowboy!" (A2100/D600/R3)

"Next a'll equip him with Turbo Revolver," Applejack said as the giant shot gun appeared in her monster's hand. (A3100/D600/R3)

"Now attack!" Applejack said as her monster aimed its giant blaster at Assault Striker, before firing a powerful energy blast. The blast struck the Synchro Monster, causing an explosion which sent Flash flying back.

Flash: 3400
Applejack: 2750

"A'h end ma'h turn."

"Flash and Applejack are making this a close Duel," Spike said.

"You ain't seen nothing yet," Applebloom said, "ma'h sister's just getting started."

"So's my brother," Scootaloo said.

"Let's see what Flash does," Twilight said.

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." He drew his two cards and looked at them, before a plan formed in his head. "I'll start my summoning Volt Edge Dragon to the field," he said as his monster appeared in a bolt of lightning. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "Next I'll activate the Spell card Reverse Polarity, which will swap our monsters ATK points."

"Not if A'h use ma'h Cowboy's ability," Applejack said. One of the Overlay Unit flew into Orchard Cowboy's pistol, which he then fired at the Spell card, destroying. "Sorry Flash."

"Don't be," Flash said, "you did exactly what I wanted you to."

"Say what?"

"Now you can't use Cowboy's ability again this turn," Flash said, "so I'm free to use my Pendulum Shift Spell. Now I can change Exitium's Pendulum Scale to one, so I can now Pendulum Summon Kuda back to the field."

The portal formed, opened and unleashed a beam of light which struck the ground and took form. (A1400/D700/L3/P2)

Celestia: Sneaky.

Luna: I like it.

"Now I'll use Estella's Pendulum Ability to increase Kuda's Level to four," Flash said as his Pendulum Monster unleashed the stardust which spiralled around the Tuner. (A1400/D700/L4/P2)

Applejack gulped as she knew what was coming next.

"Now I'll use Volt Edge Dragon and Kuda to build the Overlay Network," Flash said as his monsters glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at Flash's feet. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." The black hole exploded, releasing Flash's monster. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Destiny Bound Dragon!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

"I'll use Destiny Bound Dragon's ability," Flash said, "when I declare an attack on a monster whose ATK is higher then its original ATK, I can remove an Overlay Unit to increase his power by the same amount." Destiny Bound Dragon bite down on one of its Overlay Units, as the crystal spikes began to glow. (A3400/D2100/R4) "Fate Rider Missiles!" Flash ordered as his monster unleashed the projectiles, which flew into the air and then down towards Orchard Cowboy.

Applejack looked around for an Action Card, but nothing was in sight and the missiles struck her monster.

Flash: 3400
Applejack: 2450

"I end my turn," Flash said.

"Then it's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "a'h draw and once again a'h Pendulum Summon!" The portal above her formed and then opened, unleashing three beams of light which hit the ground.

"Apple Paladin!" (A1200/D600/L3/P8)

"Garden Knight!" (A1300/D900/L3/P3)

"Green Apple Golem!" (A1400/D600/L4)

"With Apple Golem's ability," Applejack said, "a'h can now add Yellow Apple Golem to ma'h had, which a'll then summon in ATK mode. (A1200/D1200/L4)

Flash didn't like the look of this.

"Next a'll activate the card a've just drawn," Applejack said, "Rank-Up-Magic Growth Force!"

"Aw nuts," Flash said seeing that card.

"Ya'h know what it does," Applejack said, "with it a'h can revive my Orchard Cowboy and then use him to rebuild the Overlay Network." and just like that, Orchard Cowboy appeared in a flash of light before transforming into a stream of light which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Power of nature, bursting with life. Unleash your true strength upon the world." she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's evolved monster. "Orchard Sheriff!" (A2800/D2300/R4)

"Now I'll use Orchard Sheriff's ability," Applejack said as her monsters only Overlay Unit his pistol. "Not only does it negate ya'h monsters ability, but it also increases mine by it's ATK points (A5200/D2300/R4)

"Oh boy," Flash said.

"Attack!" Applejack said as her monster aimed its weapon at Destiny Bound.

Flash looked around and saw an Action Card in a horse trough, which he ran towards as the Chaos Xyz monster fired.

Seconds before the bullet hit, Flash plucked out the card and placed it in his Duel Disk. "I play Bandit's Hideout," Flash said, "this card lets me negate your attack in exchange for banishing my monster until my next turn."

A portal opened up above Destiny Bound, which he was sucked up into and causing the bullet to miss.

"That's fine," Applejack said, "a'h still got four more monsters to attack with. "Green Apple Golem." Her most flew at Flash and struck his with his sword, sending him flying back.

Flash: 2000
Applejack: 2450

"Now Garden Knight," Applejack said as her second monster swung its shovel at Flash as he was getting up.

Flash: 700
Applejack: 2450

As Flash landed on his back, he saw something laying on the ground next to him.

"Apple Paladin, finish this." Her monster flew forward, its sword at the ready, and swung it at Flash. But in that second, something pounced on the knight and pushed it back and away from Flash. As the dust settled, Applejack saw it was Flash's Magna Wolf, which was standing between its master and her monster. (A1200/D1100/L3) "What the?"

"Surprise," Flash said, "it's the Action Spell Western Ambush. It lets me look at the top card of my deck and if it was a monster, I could summon it. Plus that monsters indestructible for the turn."

"Lucky move," Applejack said, "a'h end ma'h turn."

"Then I'll go," Flash said, "I draw." As Destiny Bound reappeared on his field, Flash looked at his card and saw he'd drawn Flash Heart. "Even if I summon Flash Heart," he said to himself, "I can't beat Applejack's army of monsters. How do I do this? There has to be a way, but how?"

"Come on Flash," Applejack said, "what's the hold up?"

Flash wasn't sure how to answer that. He knew there was a way to beat her, but...he couldn't risk it.

"Enough of the stalling," Applejack said, "do something."

"I want to...but-"

"But what?" Applejack asked, "ya'h scared?"

Flash didn't reply, making Applejack realise something. "You are scared."

"Of course I am," Flash said, "you saw what I did in my last Duel. What if it happens again?"

"Then ya'h friends will be there to help ya'h," Applejack said, "ya'll never be able to Duel at your best if ya'h scared."

Flash sure if he could believe her, but in that second.

"Come on Flash!"

He looked up at the stands and saw Scootaloo calling out to him.

"Don't be scared," she said, "we're here with you."

"Scootaloo," Flash said.

"We all are," Twilight called, "you can do it."

"Twilight," Flash said.

"Show us how to really Duel," Rainbow yelled.

"You can do it Flash," Rarity called out.

"GO FLASH!" Spike, Applebloom and Sweetie all screamed.

"Everyone," Flash said with a smile.

"Ya'h see," Applejack said, "ya'h don't have to do this alone. We've got your back, so stop being scared and do it."

Flash smiled at this, before nodding. "No more doubt," he said, "time to act!"

In that second his Extra Deck shot open and a card slotted out.

"What the?" Flash asked as he took the card out and saw it was Chaos Command Dragon, which was glowing. Suddenly the glow exploded off the card and Flash was forced to shut his eyes.

When Flash opened them again, he found he wasn't in the Duel Stadium anymore. He was in the ruins.

"I'm back," he said only to feel a presence behind him. Looking around his eyes went wide as he looked up at Chaos Command Dragon, which was staring down at Flash.

A cold shiver went down his spine as the giant monster glared at him. "Hi," he said nervously.

"So what do we have here."

Flash looked around and saw...himself leaning against one of the ruin walls.

"Let me guess," Flash said, "your the spirit of hatred Cold told me about?"

"Correct," the spirit replied, "so...come to try and beg for the dragon's forgiveness? Or do you want to try and force it to do as you say?"

Flash looked back up at the Xyz monster, who was still staring at him, before sighing and turning away. "No," he said, "I'm not doing either of those."

This got the spirit's attention.

"I don't deserve Chaos Command Dragon's power," he said, "I awoke him out of anger and tried to make him do as I say. I don't deserve to be forgiven." He looked around at the Xyz monster. "I don't expect you to forgive me, so I'm not going to ask for it. But I am going to tell you that I'm sorry." Tears threatened to leak out. "I'm sorry I tried to force you to do as I wanted, I'm sorry I forced you to wake up when you didn't want to." Flash looked away. "I'm...I'm sorry."

There was nothing but silence for several long second, until the spirit broke the silence.

"Flash, that's all he wanted to hear."

Flash turned back around and saw Chaos Command Dragon reaching out one of its metal claws.

"You mean?"

"He wants to help you," Spirit said, "he knew you were a good person. He just needed to hear those two words."

Flash smiled, before holding out his hand at grasping one of the dragons claws. In that second a powerful burst of light appeared, causing Flash to look away. As he did he saw the spirit smiling at him, before fading into nothing as Flash closed his eyes.

When Flash opened his eyes again he realised he was back in the stadium and as he looked down, he saw Chaos Command Dragon's card had more colour to it, unlike the faded colour it had been before.

"Ya'h okay there Flash?" Applejack asked.

Flash just smiled as he turned towards her. "I'm more then okay," he said, "I'm about to win this Duel?"

Applejack raised an eyebrow at this.

"Here we go," Flash said, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal formed and then opened, allowing a beam of light to shot out a strike the ground. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!"

"You think he's gonna do it?" Sweetie asked.

"You think he can do it?" Spike asked.

"Let's hope," Twilight said though she sounded worried, "come on Flash."

"Now," Flash said, "I activate Magna Caster Exitium's Pendulum Ability." His monster raised his staff and waved it, unleashing an unusual energy which radiated around Destiny Bound Dragon. "Now I can change Destiny Bound Dragon's Rank into a Level," Flash explained as his dragon's glow died down. (A2400/D2100/L4)

"Here it comes," Applejack said.

"I Overlay Flash Heart Dragon and Destiny Bound Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into streams of light, shot up to the sky and into the clouds as black hole formed within them. "Light and darkness, hope and despair, creation and destruction," Flash chanted and the black hole grew bigger, "two sides of the same coin. But when they're all brought together, they create...ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

When Flash placed the card onto his Duel Disk, no black sparks appeared. Just a beautiful light.

The black hole exploded with light, releasing the monster that was inside. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

Finally the light faded and the clouds disappeared, revealing Flash's monster. "CHAOS COMMAND DRAGON!"(A3000/D2500/R7/P4)

The audience was silent as they waited to see whether or not this would turn out like his last Duel.

"Flash," Applejack asked as she looked over at the silent teen, "ya'h good?"

Flash remained silent, making Applejack and the others worry, but when he opened his eyes and she saw they were still the normal blue colour she smiled.

"Yeah AJ," he said, "I'm good."

Everyone smiled seeing he was still himself. Cold even let a smirk break seeing this. He'd done it.

Applejack nodded. "Then lets end this Duel!"

"Let!" Flash said, "I activate Chaos Command's ability. Since he was Xyz Summoned using an Xyz monster, I can send every monster on your side of the field to the bottom of the deck."

Applejack watched as Chaos Command raised its giant staff, which fired out a beam of light into the sky. The sky suddenly seemed to break, creating a tear in the space time continuem which unleashed a sucking force.

That force caused something to fly by Applejack, making her eyes go wide as she reached out and grabbed it. "A'h activate the Action Spell Armoured Poncho," she said, "a'h select a monster on my field and for the rest of the turn, it can't leave the field by Spell, Trap, Monster Effect or battle." A metal poncho appeared on Orchard Sheriff weighing it down while the rest of Applejack's monster were sucked into the vortex.

"Well don't forget Magna Wolf's ability," Flash said, "he gains three hundred ATK points for each monster sent there." (A2400/D1100/L3)

Applejack just smiled. "Don't be so sure you've got me beat," she said, "a'h activate ma'h face down." He card flipped up to reveal a Trap. "Lasso Tasso," she said, "this card prevents your monster from attacking and causes it to lose five hundred ATK points."

A rope appeared in Sheriff's hand, which it threw at Chaos Command and tied it up. (A2500/D2500/R7/P4)

"Sorry Flash," Applejack said, "looks like ya'h ace in the hole came up short." But when she looked over at Flash, she saw he had rushed over to a nearby saloon.

There he grabbed an Action Card from between the door and placed it into his Duel Disk. "I activate Slight of Hand," he said. "This Action Spell lets me move an Equipped Spell onto another monster.

"Wait what?" Applejack asked.

Chaos Command threw off the lasso, which then wrapped around Orchard Sheriff. (A3000/D2500/R7/P4), (A2300/D2300/R4)

"Oh boy," Applejack said.

Flash just smiled. "I'm removing one Overlay Unit from Chaos Command Dragon," he said as one of the lights flew into the dragon's staff, "to allow him to attack once for every monster sent to the bottom of your deck." The gears on its staff began spinning, as they generated a bolt of lightning which flew at Orchard Sheriff and struck him while shocking Applejack.

Flash: 700
Applejack: 1750

The Xyz monster was safe thanks to Armoured Poncho, but it still had three more attacks coming its way.

"Time for attack number two," Flash said as a second bolt flew out and struck Sheriff and Applejack

Flash: 700
Applejack: 1050

"Attack three."

Flash: 700
Applejack: 350

"And one more time!" Flash yelled as the final bolt flew out and struck the Xyz monster, zapping Applejack along the way.

Flash: 700 (Winner)
Applejack: 0

Celestia: We have a winner! Flash Sentry will be moving onto the final round.

Luna: Applejack fought well, but was out done this time.

As the Action Field dispersed, Flash moved over to where Applejack had fallen and offered a hand.

Applejack smiled while taking the hand, being help up by him. "Great match Sentry," she said.

"Thanks AJ," Flash replied, "and thanks for the talking down."

"Just being honest," Applejack replied, "it's what I do."

Flash nodded and with that the two turned and returned to their ways out.

"That was awesome!" Spike said.

"It sure was," Scootaloo said, "Flash used that monster perfectly."

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but let's not forget what's coming next."

Everyone realised what she meant. They'd been so focused on this Duel, that they'd forgotten it ending meant Twilight would now have to Duel Shadow."

"It's okay," Twilight said as she stood up, "I've got this."

"I hope you're right," Spike said, "be careful."

Twilight nodded, before turning and walking down the stairs.

Shadow meanwhile stared up at the screen, which showed Flash's face.

"So we'll finally get to face off against each other," he said, "after I deal with your little friend." He went into his pocket and pulled out the two cards his father had given him. "And with these, she won't stand a chance." With that he repocketed them and spun around with a flourish of his cloak, before heading into the corridor on his way down to his waiting area.

The Celestic Cup finals draw closer and closer, but in the end who while stand above all the others. Only time would tell.

Turn 26. Total Annihilation

View Online

Celestia: The second match of the Celestic Cup semifinals is about to begin.

Luna: Two more Duellists will face off to claim the final spot in the final round.

"I hope Twilight's up for this," Fluttershy said as the group continued to watch and wait for the match to begin.

"My sister's got this," Spike said, "she took out Adagio after all."

"But this is different," Rarity said, "it's one thing to take down a monster that's weak on its own, but Shadow's Shadow-Mechs are insanely powerful. If he Summons that Synchro Bot there'll be little her monsters can do."

"We'll just have to hope she has a plan then."

They all looked around and saw Applejack standing there.

"Hey AJ," Applebloom said, "sorry about your match."

"It's alright," Applejack replied, "the better Duellist won. A'm just happy A'h could help Flash out with his problem."

"Hey," Scootaloo said, "where is Flash?"

Twilight was walking towards her waiting area. She'd just stepped into the corridor when she saw someone leaning against the wall, making her smile when she saw who it was.

"Hey," she said catching Flash's attention. He turned towards her and smiled.

"Hey," he said as he stood up straight and walked over to her.

"Great work back there. How did you manage to gain control of Chaos Command?"

"I didn't," Flash replied scratching the back of his head, "turns out all I needed to do was apologise and he was happy to help me."

"Wait," Twilight said with a raised eyebrow as she crossed her arms, "you never apologised to it until now?"

"Yeah yeah," Flash said, "I blundered. It doesn't matter now, I fixed the connection so I shouldn't have any more problems with summoning it."

"That's a relief," Twilight said, "I'm glad we don't have to worry about you losing control again."

"Yeah," Flash said before he turned serious, "listen Twilight. Please be careful out there. We both know what Shadow can do and I don't want to see you get hurt, so just...watch yourself."

Twilight smiled and nodded. "I will Flash, don't worry. I've been watching Shadow's Duels and I know what's coming, so there's nothing he can do that would surprise me." She placed her hand on his chest and looked into his eyes. "I'll be fine. And when I beat him, I expect you to be at your best when we Duel in the finals."

Flash smiled at this and nodded, before Twilight stepped away and began heading towards the stadium.

Flash watched as she went and despite her assurance, he was still worried. "Good luck," he said.

Up in the VIP box, Sunset and the rest of the group were waiting patiently.

"How you doing?" Cadance asked her husband as he remained seated.

"I'm fine," Shining said as he did, "I'm a little nervous, but not as nervous as I was before. I know Twilight can beat him. She's smart and is bound to have come up with a plan to stop Shadow's stratagy."

"Yeah," Sunset said, "Twilight's one of the best Duellists I've ever met. She can win this no doubt."

"I hope you're right," Thorax said.

Meanwhile Cold was with his security team, going over the plan.

"If Twilight Sparkle manages to defeat Shadow," he said, "I want no room for error. Grab him the second he enters the stadium again."

"Yes sir!" The men all said as they turned to make their way towards their designated locations.

"We missed out on the chance to get Adagio Dazzle," Cold said, "we can't afford to make anymore mistakes." He turned and headed back to the VIP box, and stern look on his face. "Twilight Sparkle, I've been watching you since the day you Duelled Flash. I knew you had what it took to help with my mission. That's why I had Sunset test you. You've already proven it was not a mistake to entrust this task to you, so now I need you to do the seemingly impossible again." With that he entered back into the box, ready to watch the Duel that was about to take place.

Celestia: It's finally time to discover who our last finalist will be.

Luna: Let's welcome our Duellists onto the stage. First up, the Spellcaster Master herself. Twilight Sparkle!

Twilight stepped out onto the field, ready for whatever Shadow intended to throw at her.

Celestia: And her opponent. The man of mystery. Shadow!

Shadow stepped out as well, the look on his face one of laser focus. He obviously had no intention of losing to this girl.

The two met in the centre, where the ref stood, and stared each other down.

"Twilight Sparkle," Shadow said, "your defeat of Adagio was impressive. But you won't be so luck now."

"I seem to remember a friend of yours saying the same thing not twenty four hours ago," Twilight said with a smirk, "we both remember how that turned out."

"Indeed," Shadow said as he attached his Duel Disk, "but let's not go comparing me to her."

"Why not?" Twilight asked as she attached her own, "you're both comparably evil."

"The difference is she was just an ordinary human," Shadow said, "I'm so much more."

"We'll see," Twilight said.

The ref flipped the coin and it was decided that Shadow would take the first move, so the two stepped to a reasonable distance.

Luna: It's time to see which Action Field our Duellists will be playing on today.

She held up her remote and pressed the button, causing the floor beneath the two's feet to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye Twilight and Shadow found themselves inside a giant building filled with wooden shelves that held hundreds off books on each one. The two looked in every direction and saw the rows of shelves seemed to go on forever.

Celestia: Endless Library

"Whoa!" Twilight was almost drooling at the sight.

"Can we get on with this," Shadow said, "I'm a busy man."

Twilight shook her head and wiped her mouth, before turning back to the dark counterpart of her friend. "Let's do this!"

Luna: Looks like our Duellists are ready to get started.

Celestia: Then in three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Shadow: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"We begin," Shadow said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and set the Pendulum Scale with scale three Shadow-Mech Breaker and scale nine Shadow-Mech Scooter." He slapped the cards on the Duel Disk as it lit up. The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monster flew up into them and forged the portal above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, before striking the ground and taking shape.

"Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle." (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Shadow-Mech Fortress!" (A3500/D2000/L8)

Celestia: The first turn and Shadow has already summoned two high level monster to his field. What else does he have it store for Twilight.

"And now I'll overlay my two Shadow-Mechs," Shadow said as his two monsters glowed and changed into lights, before shooting into the air, as a black hole appeared below him which the lights flew into. "With these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the black spaceship, transformed the robot form which now hovered above the shelves of the library. "Shadow-Mech Xyz Bot!" (A3000/D1500/R8)

"What's he doing?" Spike asked.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "sure that monsters powerful, especially against Xyz monsters, but he knows Twilight doesn't have any Xyz monsters and he had to give up two super strong monsters for it."

"He had to have had a reason."

They all looked around and saw Flash sitting down next to them.

"Where have you been?" Rarity asked, "Applejack's been here ages."

"Wanted to wish Twilight some luck," Flash replied, "just making sure she was ready for this."

"Okay," Scootaloo said, "but what did you mean have a reason for him to do that?"

"I don't know," Flash said, "but I do know that he never does anything just for the sake of it. He wanted that monster out. I don't know why, but I know Twilight's gonna need to be careful.

"I'll end my turn there," Shadow said as he waited for his opponent to begin her turn.

"It's my turn," Twilight said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I'll start by using scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Dracokid, to set the Pendulum Scale." She slapped the card down on the Duel Disk, as the columns of light appeared and the two monsters flew up into it. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," she said as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single beam of light shot out and struck the ground.

"Terra Charmer!" (A1200/D1800/L4)

"Next I'll summon Flame Burst Magician in ATK mode," Twilight said as the flame clothed wizard appeared. (A1300/D600/L3) "And when Flame Burst Magician is normal summoned, he inflicts eight hundred points of damage onto you." The magician spun his staff around as the head lit on fire, before it swung it at Shadow and shot the fireball which struck him in the chest.

Twilight: 4000
Shadow: 3200

"And now," Twilight said, "I'll have Terra Charmer tune itself to Flame Burst Magician." Terra Charmer leapt into the air, before transforming into four balls of light. Those lights then carved the four circles, which Flame Burst Magician leapt into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power, an amazing event will occur." In that moment her monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded revealing one of Twilight's aces. "Twilight Sorcerer!" (A2100/D2800/L7)

Luna: Once again Twilight calls upon her ace monster to get the job done.

"Like I didn't see that coming," Shadow said.

"Well did you see this coming?" Twilight asked as her deck began to shuffle. "I'm using Twilight Sorcerer's ability to add a random Spellbook to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she then took and glanced at. She saw it was Spellbook of Eternity, which was useless to her right now...except. "I'll now activate the Pendulum Ability of my Midnight Owl," she said, "which lets me discard a card to add another Spell card to my hand." She discard Spellbook of Eternity as her deck slotted out another card, which she took and then activated it. "Now I'll use Spellbook of Power, which will increase Twilight Sorcerer's ATK strength by one thousand. Plus with two Spellbooks in my grave, he gets another two hundred points. (A3300/D2800/L7)

Shadow began running, dashing through the rows of bookcases in search of an Action Card. He then saw one not to far off, sticking out from between two books, which he pulled out of and stared at it

"ATTACK!" Twilight ordered as her magician raised his staff and unleashed a powerful burst of magical energy, which flew at Xyz Bot and struck it, causing an explosion.

"I activate the Action Spell Shush," Shadow said, "this card causes my life points to increase instead of decrease, while dealing you the same amount as damage.

Twilight: 3700
Shadow: 3500

"Since he destroyed a monster," Twilight explained, "Spellbook of Power's second effect allows me to add another Spellbook to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took and placed in her hand. "I end my turn." Her Spellbook of Power faded off. (A2300/D2800/L7)

"Then it's my turn," Shadow said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked around and saw another Action Card on a higher shelve, which he leapt up and barely managed to grab, before checking it out. Seeing what it was he smiled, before placing it inside his Duel Disk. "I play Blind Check Out," he said, "which lets me look at the top five cards of my deck and then deals me three hundred points of damage for each monster I reveal." He did so and saw two monsters.

Twilight: 3700
Shadow: 2900

"Now for the good part," Shadow said, "I can summon any Level four or bellow monster." In a flash of light, Shadow-Mech Racer and Medibot appeared on the field. (A1500/D1200/L4), (A1600/D1400/L4) "Since Medibot was special summoned," Shadow continued, "I regain a thousand life points."

Twilight: 3700
Shadow: 3900

"Now I'll once again carve the arc of victory," Shadow said as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, before striking the ground and taking shape.

"Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle." (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

Twilight was nervous, but knew she needed to remain calm. Her face down was Spellbinding Circle, so even if he attacked with Star Shuttle she would be safe.

"And now," " Shadow said, "with Shadow-Mech Breaker's Pendulum Ability I will fuse Shadow-Mech Racer and And Medibot!" The robot pointed its drill at the spot above the two monsters, before it spun and unleashed a beam of light which created a vortex that the two were sucked into. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The vortex exploded and from it came the purple space ship, which transformed into its robot form that towered above them. "Shadow-Mech Fusion Bot!" (A3200/D1300/L8)

"Oh," Twilight said seeing it above her.

"Now I'll equip him with Cyber Sabre," Shadow said as the robotic sword appeared in the Fusion Monster's hand. "This card grants my Fusion Bot a thousand extra ATK points." (A4200/D1300/L8)

Celestia: Shadow's monster has shown itself to be incredibly powerful. "How will Twilight respond?

"I activate my face down," Twilight called out as her Trap flipped up, "Spellbinding Circle! With this card I can freeze your Fusion Bot in place and prevent it from attacking." A magic circle appeared around the robot, causing it to stop dead centre.

Luna: Twilight Sparkle, stopping Shadow's best monster with a single card.

"Your sister may regret that," Chrysalis said.

"How'd you figure?" Shining asked.

"That card would have help when Shadow summons his Synchro Bot," Chrysalis replied, "but now she can't."

"Twilight wouldn't have done it without a reason," Sunset said.

"That's right," Cadance said, "she must have some other plan to use against it.

"Well I can't wait to see what it is."

Shadow growled, seeing one of his best cards stuck like that. "Fine," he said, "I've still got Star Shuttle." His robot transformed into its vehicle form and flew up, before dive bombing towards Twilight Sorcerer."

Twilight started running through the rows of bookcases, but before she could find an Action Card, Star Shuttle struck and destroyed her monster. The explosion caused Twilight to be thrown backwards.

Twilight: 3000
Shadow: 3500

"I end my turn," Shadow said.

As Twilight laid on the ground, she looked up and saw an Action Card up on a higher shelf. Getting up she began climbing up the shelf and pulled the card free, before jumping down and placing her hand on her deck. "It's my turn," she said, "I draw and then activate Blind Check Out." She took the top five cards off her deck and saw only two monsters.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 3500

"I summon Star Charmer and Spirit Chanter," Twilight said as her two monsters appeared on her side of the field. (A300/D300/L1), (A500/D300/L2)

"Now I'll use Midnight Owl's Pendulum Ability once again," Twilight said as she discarded the card she'd just drawn before her deck slotted out a card. She took it and smiled. "I activate Spellbook of Rebirth, which lets me revive Twilight Sorcerer back to my field." In a flash of brilliant light, Twilight's Synchro Monster reappeared next to her.

Celestia: With Twilight Sorcerer back on the field, while Twilight be able to stop Shadow's two mighty monsters.

Shadow meanwhile, was looking over the other cards Twilight had. "With those two on the field."

"I now tune Level one Star Charmer with Level two Spirit Chanter," Twilight called out as the star themed wizard waved his wand and transformed into a ball of light. It then carved a ring that Spirit Chanter leapt into. "Now watch," Twilight said, "as both power and magic surge towards each other and collide to create pure might." The two disappeared in a burst of radiant light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the Synchro Tuner that had helped Twilight defeat Adagio. "Celestial Charmer!" (A1200/D600/L3)

Everyone smiled seeing that card, knowing what would be following.

"Since Celestial Charmer was Synchro Summoned," Twilight explained, "I can draw a card and if its a Spell card then one of your monsters will lose five hundred ATK points." Twilight drew a card and smiled seeing Spellbook of Master, which she showed to Shadow.

The dark Duellist frowned before looking up at Fusion Bot, who started glowing. (A3700/D1300/L8)

"And now," Twilight said, "Level three Synchro Tuner Celestial Charmer tunes with Level seven Twilight Sorcerer!" Celestia Charmer waved its staff before transforming into three rings of light, which flew up into towards the unseen roof. Once there, Twilight Sorcerer flew up towards them. "Ancient power of the heavens, let your might flow through me, so I may carry out your work." As Twilight Sorcerer flew through the rings, they exploded into light which covered the Spellcaster before the light formed a cocoon around him. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"

The light cocoon disappeared from around Twilight's monster, revealing her most powerful monster. "Celestial Body Magician!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

"Nice trick," Shadow said, "but even with the decrease, my monster is still stronger."

"Not for long," Twilight said, "because I'm using Spellbook of Masters." She revealed Spellbook Restock. "I select the effect of Spellbook of Power, to increase my magician's ATK power. (A4500/D3000/L10) "Now I'll activate my magician's ability," Twilight said as she looked at the top five cards. "With two Spellbooks, my magician can attack twice."

Celestial Body Magician waved his staff, creating a pair of ethereal books which spun around his body. He then pointed his staff down towards Star Shuttle and Fusion Bot, causing the books to go flying towards them as they transformed into meteor like projectiles.

The first one struck Star Shuttle, destroying it.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 2000

The second book then struck Fusion Bot, also destroying it.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 1200

"Since you destroyed Fusion Bot while it was equipped with Cyber Sabre," Shadow said, "I can add a Level four or below Shadow-Mech to my hand from the deck." A card slotted out from his deck, which he took and added to his hand.

"Well Spellbook of Power now lets me add another Spellbook to my hand," Twilight said as he deck slotted out a card, "I place one card face down and end my turn." (A4500/D3000/L10)

Luna: Twilight's ultimate monster has proven itself once again, leaving Shadow's field empty.

Celestia: How will he deal with this?

"It's my turn," Shadow said, "I draw and Pendulum Summon!"

The portal formed, before opening and shooting out two lights that struck the ground.

"Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle!" (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Shadow-Mech Rover!" (A1500/D2000/L5)

"And of course," Shadow said as he slapped down another card, "the monster that Cyber Sabre got me. Doom Cycle!" The motorbike appeared, before transforming into its robot form. (A1200/D700/L3)

Twilight grew nervous at the sight of that card.

The light faded, revealing the last of Shadow's spaceship like monsters. It transformed and looked down at Twilight, whose spine shivered. "Shadow-Mech Synchro Bot." (A3100/D1400/L8)

Luna: There it is. The one monster that can stop Twilight's.

"This is bad," Spike said.

"Twilight needs to do something now," Rainbow said.

"She needs an Action Card," Rarity said.

"If there is one," Applejack said.

"This ends now," Shadow said as he looked up at his monster. "Synchro Bot, attack!" The monsters chest opened up and out folded the lance like weapon, which it aimed up at Twilight's monster. "And don't forget about my monsters special ability" A beam of light flew out and struck Celestial Body Magician, causing him to flinch in pain as his power was depleted. (A0/D0/L10) "FIRE!" The lance fired its silver beam of energy, which flew towards the the Synchro monster.

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends screamed.

Twilight remained calm, as a smile appeared on her lips. "I activate Celestial Body Magician's ability," she called out, "which lets me banish him until my next turn. In exchange I can negate your Synchro Bot's attack." Celestial Body Magician disappeared, causing the silver beam to miss it completely and strike a nearby book shelf.

Celestia: So close, but it seems Twilight was prepared.

Luna: But don't forget, Shadow has one more monster on the field.

"She's right," Shadow said, "Star Shuttle, attack her directly!" The robot transformed into its vehicle form and then flew up, before dive bombing Twilight.

"I activate my face down," Twilight said as her card flipped up, "Spellbook of Illusions! Now I can summon four Spellbook Tokens to my field in DEF mode." The four books appeared around her, before one flew up and intercepted Star Shuttle's attack. (A0/D0/L1)X3

Shadow was literally growling at this.

Celestia: She did it! Twilight Sparkle managed to protect herself from Shadow's assault.

Luna: Shadow only has one thing left to do now.

"I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Twilight said as she drew her card. In a flash of light, Celestial Body Magician appeared above her. Twilight then activated her monsters ability, which revealed three Spellbooks. "You know what that means," she said, "three attacks. GO!"

Her monster created three magic books, which it fired at Shadow's monsters.

Shadow meanwhile began running through the library in search of an Action Card but as he looked, the first book struck Star Shuttle.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 700

As he finally located an Action Card, the second book then struck Synchro Bot.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 300

Shadow leapt up, as the third and final book flew at him. He grabbed the Action Card and landed on top of the case, as the book struck him and caused an explosion.

Everyone watched in anticipation. Had Twilight done it? Had she beaten Shadow?

Finally the smoke cleared and everyone saw Shadow, still standing.

Twilight: 2400
Shadow: 150

"How?" Twilight asked in horror.

Shadow just smiled. "Seconds before your attack hit, I activated the Action Spell Trigger Trap. By paying half my life points, I could activate any Trap in my deck. I chose Shadow-Mech Guard, which cancelled out the damage I would have taken by banishing up to three Shadow-Mechs from my graveyard." He help out Racer, Medibot and Rover. "Plus it lets me add two cards from my deck to my hand." His deck slotted out two cards, which he took.

Celestia: Twilight was seconds away from victory, but a miracle card came in and saved Shadow.

Luna: What will Shadow do now though?

"I'll assume you're done?" Shadow asked.

Twilight didn't reply, and simply nodded in agreement.

"Then I'll draw," Shadow said. He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled, before looking at the two cards his Trap had given him. "Thank you father," he said, "with these my victory is assured."

Twilight raised an eyebrow at this. What else did he have that could save him?

"It's time," Shadow said as he raised the card, "behold. Shadow-Mech Total Annihilation Ritual!"

The ground beneath them began to shake, before the floor of the library cracked open and from out of them came the broken and scrap like remains of Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Bot.

"I should thank you for destroying these three," Shadow said, "because now I can summon something better then all of them." The pieces of the three monsters glowed as they flew up into the sky, before colliding into radiant burst of light. "By banishing these three monsters from my graveyard," Shadow explained, "I can now ritual summon my ultimate monster."

The light shot out of the Action Field and into the sky, as dark clouds began to form and hid the light.

"What's going on?" Spike asked.

"I have no idea," Flash said.

Twilight watched as a brilliant flash illuminated the clouds, before quickly dying out. She then looked over at Shadow.

"Well?" She asked, "where is this ultimate monster?"

Shadow just smiled, before pointing up at the clouds.

Twilight looked back up and stared at the dark clouds. Suddenly she saw the clouds begin to fade, revealing...something. Her eyes grew wide in horror at the sight.

Everyone else saw it to and were just as afraid.

"What...is that?" Scootaloo asked, not looking away from what she saw.

"The biggest Duel Monster I've ever seen," Rainbow replied.

She was right about that. This monster was larger then the whole stadium. It was a humongous metal sphere with mostly grey metal, but it also had orange areas and two orange horn like appendages. Suddenly the entire bulk began to shift and change, seeming to almost turn inside out. Finally its new form appeared. A sixty meter high orange and grey robot, which looked down at the stadium and caused everyone inside it to tremble. "Behold, my most powerful monster. Shadow-Mech ANNIHILATER!" (A5000/D5000/L12/P0)

Twilight had gone catatonic at the sight of the monster.

"Now I'll be using the Spell card, Limiter Removal. With this my Annihilater's ATK points double. (A10000/D5000/L12/P0)

"No way," Spike said.

"It's over nine thousand!" Flash yelled.

Shadow smiled at everyone's horror. "Annihilater," he said, "attack!"

The giant robot began to move, reaching out and pointing one of its giant fingers at Celestial Body Magician.

Seeing this quickly snapped Twilight out of her shock. "I activate my magician's ability, to banish itself and negate your attack!"

"Not this time," Shadow said, "because I activate my Annihilater's ability." His Extra Deck opened and from it he took out a Synchro card. "By discarding a monster of the same type, he can then negate your monsters effect."

Twilight's froze hearing this, before looking back up at the monster as its huge finger struck. The mere force of it sending shock waves through the air. Celestial Body Magician screamed in horror as it felt this and was quickly destroyed, which Twilight was blown off her feet.

"TWILIGHT!" Her friends screamed, but the shock waves stopped them from even moving.

"TWILIGHT!" Shining screamed as he, Cadance and Sunset got up and ran out the box.

BOOM!

The force of the attack sent a smoke cloud which filled the whole arena. For several horrible seconds no one could see what was happening, until finally the smoke faded and they could look down.

"No," Flash whispered at what he saw.

Twilight was laying on the ground, completely still.

Twilight: 0
Shadow: 150 (Winner)

"TWILIGHT!" Flash screamed as he ran down the seats, followed by his friends. Without a seconds hesitation, he leaped over the barrier and landed on the ground. He then ran over to Twilight and slide to his knees as he picked her up. "Twilight," he whispered.

Twilight was weak, but breathing.

The rest of his friends surrounded them, making sure she was alright.

"Twilight," Fluttershy said in horror as she began crying.

"You monster!" Rainbow screamed as she turned to Shadow "How could you?"

Shadow just smiled as he turned to Flash. "You felt it didn't you? The unequalled power that I posses. Tell me, are you afraid? you are aren't you? You're afraid."

Flash was shaking in anger as he looked down at Twilight, before he turned to his doppelganger. "Yeah I'm afraid," he said as he placed Twilight down and then stood up to look Shadow dead in the eye, "afraid of what I'm gonna do to you Shadow."

Shadow just smiled before turning to leave. "We'll settle this in the finals." With that he left, leaving the rest of the group to fawn over Twilight.

Celestia: There you have it folks. Flash Sentry will face off against Shadow for the chance to claim the title of Celestic Cup Champion.

Luna: We're giving our two Duellists a day to recuperate and prepare, before returning for what's sure to be the ultimate show down. You don't want to miss it.

Turn 27, Queen takes Pawn

View Online

Everything hurt!

That was the first thought that entered Twilight's head when she regained consciousness. Slowly opening her eyes, her whole body felt like it had been hit by a bullet train.

"She's awake!"

Twilight managed to lift her head and see Cadance, Sunset, Fluttershy and Rarity standing over her.

"Hey Twily," Cadance said, "how'd you feel?"

"Horrible," Twilight replied before pushing herself up to a sitting position. "What happened?"

The four shared a nervous glance, before turning back to Twilight.

"You Duelled Shadow," Sunset said.

"And you almost won," Rarity said.

"But then..." Fluttershy stopped with dread on her face, as if saying it was to scary.

"But then he summoned this super powered monster," Cadance said.

The moment she said that, Twilight's memory flashed back to the Duel. She saw it, Annihilater, staring down at her before it attacked and wiped her out with just the tip of its finger. "I remember," she said.

"If he summons that monster during his Duel with Flash," Sunset said, "I'm not sure he can beat it."

"It has to have some weakness?" Fluttershy asked.

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but with those ATK points and its ability to negate the effects of Fusion, Synchro, Xyz and even Pendulum monsters if he get one into his Extra Deck. I hate to say it, but I agree with Sunset."

"Wait," Twilight said as she looked around. "Where is Flash? And everyone else?"

"Down in the arena," Sunset said, "helping Flash train."

"Spectral Sabre Dragon!" Flash called out, "take him down!" His Fusion monster swung its sword, destroying Spike's monster. "Now Ingenium finish this!" The steampunk scholar opened his tome and, which glowed before unleashing magic energy which flew out and struck Spike, reducing his life points to zero.

"That's five wins in a row," Rainbow said, "he's not holding anything back."

"If he wants to win he can't afford to," Applejack said.

"Whose next?" Flash asked as he turned to the group.

"Don't you want to take a break?" Scootaloo asked.

"I can't," Flash said, "I have to be at my best to defeat Shadow."

"But you're gonna burn yourself out," Shining said.

"I'll rest when I've beaten him," Flash replied.

"Flash," Grand said as he stepped into the room, "you won't defeat Shadow if you're exhausted. You need your rest."

"I can't," Flash said, "you all saw what he could do. I don't stand a chance against it if I don't get stronger. Besides, this is our last chance to get any information on Sombra. We can't let this chance slip us by."

"He's right."

They all turned to see Cold step into the room.

"No matter what we can't let Shadow win. He entered this tournament for a reason and whatever it it, it involves winning. If he manages it, then we might not be able to stop what's coming."

Everyone turned to share a glance, before nodding and turning back to Flash. "Okay," Shining said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm, "then I'll take you on."

"And then you'll face me," Grand said.

"Then us!" Scootaloo and her friends all said.

Flash nodded and reset his Duel Disk. "Thanks guys."

Meanwhile Thorax was in he and his mothers hotel suite. He was currently doing a practise Duel against an automated Duel computer.

"Celtic Warlord," Thorax said, "attack!" The computer beeped for several seconds and then the display showed it was out of life points and he'd won. He fist pumped and a grin.

"Thorax."

The teen turned to see his mother in her usual business suit enter from her room.

"I'm leaving for a meeting," she said, "make sure you get your studies done and no leaving the room."

"Yes mother," Thorax replied.

Chrysalis nodded and then left.

As soon as she did, Thorax smiled before running into his room and grabbing the hoodie and jeans he'd prepared. He'd been curious about his mothers actions and had decided to figure out where she was going.

Quickly changing, he left his room and rushed down the stairs.

He arrived in the lobby just as his mother stepped out of the elevator. Making sure not to be seen, he followed her outside and saw her get into their limousine. Making sure not to be seen, he moved over to the back and snuck into the trunk.

And so it was that for the next half hour he rode in the uncomfortably small area. Using his phones GPS he tracked their position and saw they were heading to the outskirts of the city.

Eventually they turned down a country road and arrived at their destination. Once the limo came to a stop, he opened the trunk and peaked out. There he saw a large run down warehouse a few feet away, before seeing his mother stepping out and turning to the driver. "Remain here until I return," she said.

"Yes you highness," the driver said.

With that Chrysalis stepped over to the warehouse and went inside.

Now more confused then ever, Thorax climbed out of the trunk and rushed over to the building before sneaking inside. When he did, he saw his mother standing in the centre of the room. Hiding behind some barrels, he waited to see what she did next.

Chrysalis stepped towards the opposite wall, before placing her hand on it. That part of the wall quickly lit up before a holographic keypad appeared. She then typed a code into the keypad and once she finished, the wall suddenly disappeared before she stepped inside. As soon as she did, the wall reappeared.

Once she was gone, Thorax moved over to the wall and examined it. After a few seconds, he placed his hand on the wall like she did and it lit up. The keypad appeared and Thorax typed in the code, which caused the wall to once again disappear. Looking inside, he saw it led to a flight of stairs which he quickly descended. "Mom," he said as he looked around, "what have you gotten yourself into."

He arrived at the bottom of the stairs and found he'd arrived in a large open space, with another door on the far wall. He ran over to it and stepped through and saw it was a long corridor filled with doors.

One by one he looked inside and saw a bunch of different science equipment in each one. He studied each room for several minutes, before moving onto the next one.

"What is all this stuff?" He asked as he stepped into the second to last room. Once he peaked inside, he suddenly froze when he saw somebody sitting in a chair right in front of him. He relaxed however, when he saw something over their eyes. Stepping into the room he took a closer look at them and saw they were wearing a big helmet on top of their head, which blocked out their entire face and was connected to the chair. Thorax looked around the room and saw several more of these machines as well as a large computer system that was switched on.

Deciding to see if he could figure out what was going on, he went to the computer and began typing away.

Meanwhile Shadow and Chrysalis were in the main lab, where Sombra was preparing to begin the procedure to summon another monster.

"Excellent work Shadow," Sombra said, "I have enough to summon one of the three remaining monsters. Once you defeat Flash, we will have enough Ener-D to summon the last two."

"It was my pleasure father," Shadow said.

In that moment a loud beeping noise sounded on his computer, getting their attention. "Someone's attempting to access my files," Sombra said as he began typing into his computer. Seconds later he found the source and switched on the CCTV cameras, seeing who it was. "It seems we have an intruder," he said as he switched the feed to the larger screen.

Shadow and Chrysalis both looked up and saw who it was.

Chrysalis's eyes went wide when she recognised him. "Thorax."

Thorax had managed to finally crack the security and was now into the data base. He saw several files dot the screen and one in particular caught his attention. "Crystal Tower?" Thorax read aloud. He clicked on the file and it opened, reveal the schismatics of some kind of tower. "What is all this stuff?" He asked.

Before he could read it however, alarms started ringing. "Oh boy," he said as he ran back towards the door, "gotta get out of here."

He rushed through the corridor and back into the large room. That's when he froze, seeing who was waiting for him there.

"Mother," he almost whispered seeing her standing in the centre of the room.

"Thorax," she said, "I don't know why you're here, but you've just stumbled into something far beyond your comprehension."

"What's going on?" Thorax asked, "why are you here? What's is this place? What's the Crystal Tower?"

"I will explain everything," Chrysalis said as she stepped forward, "come with me."

"No," Thorax replied as he stepped back, "I'm leaving."

"Are you gonna deal with this kid or should I?"

Thorax turned to a corner of the room and his eyes went wide seeing Shadow standing there.

"What's he doing here?" Thorax asked before turning to Chrysalis, "why are you working with him. Have you forgotten all the people he's hurt."

"This is for the good of our country," Chrysalis explained, "just let me explain." Seeing her son wouldn't be swain, she sighed. "Very well," she said, "then let's make a deal. We Duel and if you win I'll explain everything and then let you leave. But if I win, you remain here."

Thorax wasn't sure how to reply, but seeing Shadow eyeing him made him realise he couldn't escape any other way.

"Okay," Thorax said, "let's do this." He pulled out his Duel Disk and attached it to his arm.

"Very well," Chrysalis said as she did the same with a black Duel Disk with a dark blue blade.

"DUEL!"

Thorax: 4000
Chrysalis: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Thorax said, "I draw and then I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale eight Celtic Ùruisg and scale one Celtic Beithir." The columns of light appeared on his side of the field, with the two monster flying up and into them. Seconds later the the portal began to form above Thorax. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Celtic Guardian!" (A1400/D1200/L4)

"Celtic Peallaidh!" (A1700/D1400/L4/P4)

"I end my turn with a face down," Thorax said.

"Then it's my turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw and summon Insect Knight in ATK mode." A humanoid cockroach appeared, carrying a sword and shield in its hands. (A1900/D1500/L4) "Attack Celtic Guardian!" The monster used its powerful legs to leap into the air as it raised it sword, which it swung down at Thorax's monster.

He raised his own sword in defence, but the sword broke and he was cut in half and destroyed.

Thorax: 3500
Chrysalis: 4000

"I end my turn with two face downs," Chrysalis said.

"Then I'll go," Thorax said, "I draw and summon Celtic Hunter in ATK mode." The archery elf appeared on the field. (A1500/D1200/L4) "And thanks to his ability," Thorax said, "all my Celtic Monsters gain three hundred extra ATK points." His two monsters glowed as their power increased. (A2000/D1400/L4/P4), (A1800/D1200/L4)

Chrysalis remained stoic at this.

"Now I'll attack," Thorax said, "and during the battle phase, Ùruisg increases my monsters ATK by an additional three hundred points. (A2300/D1400/L4/P4), (A2100/D1200/L4)

Peallaidh's seaweed like arm whipped around and struck Insect Knight, destroying it as the weed also whipped Chrysalis.

Thorax: 3500
Chrysalis: 3600

"I activate my face down," Chrysalis said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Spirit Swarm. Since you destroyed an insect monster, I can reveal the top card of my deck and if its an insect with less ATK then my knight, I can summon it." Chrysalis did so, smiling when she saw what she got and placed it on the field. "I summon Flying Kamakiri in DEF mode." A giant insect appeared in a defensive stance. (A1400/D900/L4)

"Then I'll have my Hunter attack your monster," Thorax said as his monster aimed its bow and fired an arrow, which struck Chrysalis's and destroyed it.

"When Flying Kamakiri is destroyed," Chrysalis explained, "I can summon a Wind Attributed monster to my field from the deck." Her deck shuffled around before slotting out a card. "I summon Sting Winger in ATK mode." A humanoid insect appeared. It was mainly green but had black armour around its arms, thighs and shoulders. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6)

"You've got a Pendulum Monster?" Thorax asked in amazement.

"I do," Chrysalis said, "now if you're done stating the obvious?"

Thorax frowned at this. "I end my turn." (A2000/D1400/L4/P4), (A1800/D1200/L4)

"My turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw." She saw the card she had gotten and smiled, before turning back to her son. "I summon Pinch Hopper in ATK mode." A giant grasshopper appeared on her field. "Next I'll play the Spell card, Eradicating Aerosol!" A giant spray can appeared and turned its sight on Pinch Hopper, before spraying a mist onto it and causing the bug to let out a horrifying sound as it melted.

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" Thorax asked in amazement.

"Because whenever Pinch Hopper is sent to the graveyard," Chrysalis explained, "I can summon a new insect from my hand." Chrysalis took the card she'd just drawn and slapped it on her Duel Disk. "Come forth, Insect Queen!" The ground right next to her cracked and then broke open, as three pairs of blue legs sprouted out and pulled whatever they were attached to up and out of the ground. This new monster was a fifteen foot tall spider like creature and was mainly dark red with blue trim and a yellow humanoid face. (A2200/D2400/L7)

"Ew," Thorax said as he looked at that giant bug.

"Thanks to Insect Queens ability," Chrysalis said, "she gains two hundred ATK points for every insect on the field." Her monster began to grow. (A2400/D2400/L7)

"That's not to bad," Thorax said.

"Well wait until I activate my face down," she replied as her last card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "DNA Surgery. With this every monster on the field will change into whatever type I chose and I pick insect."

"Wait," Thorax said, "so all of my monsters are being changed into bugs?" Chrysalis didn't need to answer, as in that moment Peallaidh and Hunter's heads changed into that of ants. "That's...kind of gross."

"And don't forget," Chrysalis said, "my Queen's power grows for every insect on the field." (A2800/D2400/L7)

"Now I'll tribute Sting Winger in order for my Queen to attack," Chrysalis said. Her monster grabbed the Pendulum Monster and began to eat it. Once it had finished it turned towards Hunter, before unleashing a breath of toxic gas at the seaweed monster which melted it into a purple goo.

Thorax: 2500
Chrysalis: 3600

"Even more gross," Thorax said, "at least her Queen'll lose power now that Sting Winger and Hunter are gone.

"Not exactly," Chrysalis said, "because when my queen destroys a monster, her other ability activates." The queens rear opened up and from it came a large egg like object which landed on the ground. (A100/D100/L1)

"Errrr," Thorax said, "what?"

"This egg will now make up for the fact that there's one less monster on the field," Chrysalis said, "so my monster only loses half the ATK points. (A2600/D2400/L7)

Thorax was in a tight spot. He needed a way to destroy Chrysalis's Queen, but any monster he summoned would be transformed and power up the giant spider.

"I need a plan," Thorax said as he reached for his deck. "I draw and summon Celtic Knight in DEF mode." His armoured warrior appeared on his side of the field, before transforming into an insect. (A1600/D1800/L4)

"Don't forget that my Queen's power will now increase," Chrysalis told him. (A2800/D2400/L7)

"I'll switch Peallaidh to DEF mode and end my turn."

"Playing defensibly huh?" Chrysalis asked as she drew her card and smiled, "it won't help you. I'm setting the Pendulum Scale with scale one Silk Spitter and scale nine Rumble Beetle." The columns of light appeared besides her as two monster appeared inside them. The first was a worm like creature with a white body while the second was a large blue humanoid beetle. "Now I can cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Chrysalis called out as the portal began to form above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, taking shape once again. "Sting Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) "With another Insect out, my Queen once again powers up." (A3000/D2400/L7)

Thorax gulped at this.

"Now I'll tribute my Sting Winger to attack your knight." Once again the giant insect devoured the smaller one, before turning to Celtic Knight. "Now I'll activate the Silk Spitter's Pendulum Ability," Chrysalis said as her monster opened its mouth and spat out a load of white string which wrapped around Thorax's monster, before pulling it up and causing Celtic Knight to stand up into ATK mode.

"You can change my monster's ATK position?" Thorax said.

"That's right," Chrysalis said as her monster unleashed its acid breath which melted Celtic Knight.

"I activate my face down," Thorax said, "Celtic Soul Guard! This card cuts the damage I take in half."

Thorax: 1700
Chrysalis: 3600

Once again Insect Queen laid an egg, before her points lowered. (A2800/D2400/L7)

"I end my turn," Chrysalis said.

"Then it's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw." He looked at his card, but he didn't have any monsters. "I end my turn," he said.

"Running out of options?" Chrysalis asked, "then I'll draw and once again Pendulum Summon!" The portal opened and from it shot Sting Winger. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) "And of course my Queen powers up." (A3000/D2400/L7) "Now I'll attack Celtic Peallaidh, while using Silk Spitter's ability."

Insect Queen once again devoured Sting Winger, while her Pendulum Monster changed the battle position of Thorax's last monster. Then the giant spider unleashed its acid breath, melting Peallaidh.

Thorax: 500
Chrysalis: 3600

"I end my turn," Chrysalis said after her monster laid its third egg. (A2800/D2400/L7)

Thorax fell onto one knee after that last attack, panting after the force of the attack knocked the wind out of him.

"Come now son," Chrysalis said, "we both know how this is going to end. Stop this foolishness and give up."

"No!" Thorax said as he hoisted himself up and looked his mother in the eye, "I don't know what you're doing here. But it can't be anything good if he's involved." He pointed at Shadow.

"That's where you're wrong son," Chrysalis said, "what we're doing is good. We're working to make the world a better place."

Thorax raised an eyebrow at this.

"It's true," Chrysalis said, "when Shadow defeats Flash tomorrow, we'll have gathered enough Ener-D to summon the final monsters. Only two remain and when they arrive we'll be able to build the Crystal Tower."

"And what is the Crystal Tower?"

"Our future," Chrysalis said, "with it our king Sombra will rule this world and lead it into a better future. And we, his loyal followers will rule by his side." She reached out her hand, "think about it Thorax. Our country is in trouble, but with Sombra's help we will not only survive, but thrive. Changeland will become the greatest country in the world."

"You're insane," Thorax said, "you're not doing any of this to help our country. You just want to rule a bigger kingdom."

"Is that so wrong?"

"Yes!" Thorax almost yelled, "and I'm gonna stop you! After I win I'm going to Flash and warning him."

"I can't let you do that," Chrysalis said.

"We'll see about that," Thorax said, "It's my turn. I...DRAW!" He looked at the card he'd drawn and smiled. "I place one card face down in DEF mode and end my turn."

"So he's figured out Silk Spitter can only change the position of face up monsters," Chrysalis said, "very well, I draw and Pendulum Summon." The portal opened and Sting Winger flew out. (A1400/D1300/L4/P6) Once again Insect Queen powered up. (A3000/D2400/L7) "Attack the face down," Chrysalis ordered as the Queen devoured Sting Winger again, before firing the acid breath at the face down.

The face down flipped up, revealing a sea horse like monster which quickly melted. Insect Queen then laid its fourth and final egg. (A2800/D2400/L7)

Chrysalis smirked at her sons lost monster, but then saw him with his own smirk. "What's with that look?"

"That look is because you fell for my trap," Thorax said. "You see when Celtic Pictish Beast is flipped up, I can activate his ability. Now I can add a Spell card from either of our graveyard to my hand."

Chrysalis's eyes went wide hearing this.

A flash of light came out of her Duel Disk, which flew over to Thorax who grabbed the card.

"No," Chrysalis said

"Oh yeah," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "it's my turn. I draw," he looked at his card and smiled, "perfect." He held the card up. "I banish the three monsters in my graveyard, to summon my most powerful monster." From the ground the spiritual bodies Celtic Guardian, Celtic Knight and Celtic Pictish Beast flew out, before transforming into balls of spirit energy which flew into the card. "Celtic Warlord!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

"Don't forget my DNA Surgery changes him to an insect," Chrysalis said as Warlord turned into a giant bug,
"which increases my Queen's power. (A3000/D2400/L7)

"Well she won't be sticking around for long," Thorax said, "because now I'm using the Spell card I snagged from you." He placed the card in his Duel Disk, as a flash of light caused a familiar spray can to appear. "Eradicating Aerosol," he said, "I'll use it to destroy your Insect Queen." With that the can released its contents onto the giant spider, causing it to scream as it was melted alive.

"NO!" Chrysalis called out.

"And with her gone," Thorax said, "there's nothing protecting your eggs." Celtic Warlord raised its sword, before swiping it at the egg and destroying it

Thorax: 500
Chrysalis: 700

"And thanks to my Warlord's ability," Thorax continued, "you'll lose two hundred life points for every Level the destroyed monster had." Celtic Warlord swiped the air, sending a powerful gust that almost knocked Chrysalis off her feet

Thorax: 500
Chrysalis: 500

"I end my turn," Thorax said.

Chrysalis got up and was soon standing up, a look of anger on her face. "I tried to give you a chance because your my son," he growled, "but now you can forget it." She placed her hand on her deck. "It's my turn," she said, "I DRAW!" She looked at the card and smiled, before turning to her son. "It's time. I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out.

"Sting Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6)

The second light became a black monster that was the cross between a unicorn and an insect. It had flowing blue hair and a long horn with holes in it. It also had a pair of holy insect wings and bright green eyes. A crown sat atop its head. "Changling Queen!" (A2000/D2000/L8/P5)

"No way," Thorax said as he looked at the monster.

"Now I'll activate my Queen's ability," Chrysalis said. "Now until the end of your next turn, she can transform into any monster on the field or in the graveyard." Her monster was surround in a vail of green light, which acted as a cocoon. Seconds later the cocoon vanished and from it, stepped out Insect Queen. This one was now mainly black with green trim.

Thorax stared up in horror at the sight of the monster he'd just defeated.

"What's more," Chrysalis said, "my Queen gains not only its appearance, but also its ATK, DEF and abilities." (A4200/D4400/L8/P5) "And with five other insects on the field, her power increases by one thousand. (A5200/D4400/L8/P5)

Thorax was horror stricken by the sight.

"It's over," Chrysalis said, "Changling Queen, FINISH IT!"

The fake Insect Queen once again chowed down on Sting Winger, before turning to Thorax's monster and unleashing the acid breath.

"NOOOO!" Thorax yelled as he and his monster were engulfed by the mist.

Thorax: 0
Chrysalis: 500 (Winner)

Chrysalis was in the main room, as Sombra was summoning the third to last card needed. Soon the process ended and the card flew out of the booth. "Only two left," Sombra said as her took the card. He turned to Chrysalis. "I know this can't be easy for you."

"My son made his choice," Chrysalis said, "I am loyal to only you my king."

In that second Shadow stepped into the room, before turning to the two. "The procedure has begun," he said, "the stress of the Duel will make the process easier. He should be ready by tomorrow."

"Good," Chrysalis said, "no loose ends."

In the laboratory, Thorax was now sitting unconscious on the chair with the metal helmet on his head.

Turn 28, Final Colosseum

View Online

Everything was a blur.

That was all he could see as he slowly opened his eyes. Nothing was clear and no matter what he looked at, everything was fuzzy.

"Shadow?" A voice above him asked, "can you hear me?"

"Father?" He replied weakly, "is that you?"

"It is," the voice replied, "how are you feeling?"

"I'm not sure," Shadow said, "I can't see. Everything's blurry."

"That's fine," the voice said, "it'll take your eyes a little while to start working properly."

The second he'd said that, his eyes began to slowly became more focused. As the minutes passed, everything became clearer until he could see perfectly. The first thing he saw, was his father.

Sombra was a middle aged man with greying skin and jet black hair. His eyes were crimson red and he wore a lab coat of black clothing.

"Is that better?" Sombra asked him.

"Yes," Shadow said as he sat up and looked down at his hand, before smiling. "It worked, I can touch."

"This is only a temporary fix," Sombra said as he placed a hand on the boys shoulder, "once we've achieved our goals, your true dream will become a reality."

"I've dreamed of that for so long," Shadow said as he looked into his fathers eyes. "I won't fail you father."

"I know you won't," Sombra said before his face became serious, "but we have much to do until our dreams can become a reality."

"Then we'd better get started," Shadow said.

Shadow opened his eyes and sat up.

He was in a metal room with nothing in it but a metal bed and metal table, where his cloak and Duel Disk sat.

Shadow got up out of bed and walked over to the table, before picking up his cloak and flinging it over his shoulders. Once it was fastened he picked up his Duel Disk and placed it in the cloaks compartment. He then headed towards the metal door, which opened without him even touching it and he stepped out into a corridor with five other doors.

The door opposite him opened and from it stepped out Chrysalis, now wearing the same cloak he wore.

"Morning," Shadow said, "sleep well? Adagio's quarters probably aren't as good as a five star suite."

"They were fine," Chrysalis said, "I will be staying here today. With my son not around to worry about me and everything that's going to happen, it just makes sense of me to be at the ready."

"I can understand that," Shadow said before turning to the door at the far end. "Be sure not to let anything go wrong," he said, "we've come to far to mess up now."

"And make sure you don't mess up either," Chrysalis said, "Flash Sentry needs to go all out and you need to defeat him if we're to obtain the Ener-D needed."

"That won't be a problem," Shadow said, "you saw what Annihilater can do. That and the pain I put his friends through will mean that everything will go as he envisioned." With that he headed out of the door, leaving Chrysalis who folded her arms and frowned.

"It better."

Freeze Stadium was jam packed with spectators who couldn't wait to see the final match of the Celestic Cup.

Inside the Stadium's medical bey, Twilight was resting in her bed. Slowly she began to stir and awake, before looking over and seeing Flash sitting next to the bed with a smile on his face.

"Hey," he said, "are you feeling any better?"

Twilight smiled before pushing herself up into a seated position. "I'm getting there," she said before growing concerned, "is your match about to start?"

"Yeah," Flash replied, "and I'm gonna win it for sure."

Twilight smiled at his determination and confidence. "Flash."

"Yeah?" Flash asked.

"I believe in you," she told him with a bright smile on his face, "and I always have. Ever since the day we met."

Flash just blushed. "Thanks," he said scratching the back of his head, "that means a lot to me." With that he got up out of his seat and headed towards the door, which opened as Fluttershy and Rarity stepped in.

"Sorry to burst in on you," Fluttershy said, "we just wanted to see how you were feeling."

"Oh, hello Flash," Rarity said as they realised he was there.

Flash just smiled as he stepped up to them. "Thanks for taking care of her," he told them. "I know she's in good hands."

"Sure," Fluttershy said as Flash stepped by them, "and good luck with your match."

Rarity stepped into the room and saw the smile on Twilight's face. "Oh my," she said, "look at that grin. What were you two talking about?"

Twilight just smiled and switched on the TV to the Duel's channel.

Flash was walking down the corridor towards his arena entrance.

As he turned the corner he saw someone leaning against the wall. Cold heard his footsteps and turned his gaze towards him. The two stared at each other for what felt like a century, until finally Flash smirked and began walking forwards again.

"What are you doing backstage?" he said as he got closer, "shouldn't you be out there watching?"

"I don't need you to tell me that," Cold said, "our preparations our now complete."

The two remained quiet as Flash stepped passed him, but then Cold said something that made him freeze in his tracks.

"We're counting on you."

Flash's eyes went wide, before turning back only to see Cold walking away. This made Flash smirk before once again beginning his journey out.

"Yeah, I'll be fine."

The two stepped away from each other, both with a smirk on their faces.

The stadium exploded into life as the Celestic Sisters stepped out on stage.

Both: HELLO CANTERLOT!

Celestia: It's been an amazing week hasn't it?

Luna: It sure has. I'm gonna need a vacation after all this excitement.

Celestia: And now for the moment you've all been waiting for. At long last we've got the battle that everyone's been waiting for.

Luna: These two Duellists have faced many harsh trials on their journey here, but now they stand on the precipice of victory.

Celestia: Lets welcome our two finalists onto the stage. First up, the A Block Champion and master of the Pendulum. FLASH SENTRY!

Flash stepped out onto the field, a look of determination on his face.

Luna: And his opponent. The B Block Champion and all around enigma of a man. SHADOW!"

The cloaked Duellist stepped out, heading towards Flash in the centre of the arena.

"Go get'em Flash," Scootaloo called out from their seats.

"Don't you dare hold back after all the intense training we put you through," Rainbow said.

The others all nodded at this, all nervous about the outcome of this Duel.

In a rock mountainous area, a figure in a brown cloak watched the match on an old style Duel Pad.

"Flash," he said, "you've come far and faced much. Now you must face your greatest challenge yet."

"He'll be fine."

In that moment a cloaked Vail Pixie appeared and landed on his shoulder, before looking down at the Duel Pad.

"Don't forget, he's got me and all our friends on his side."

"Maybe," the figure said, "put will it be enough? Soon we'll know, for soon the Shadow Gate will open."

The ref flipped the coin and it was decided that Shadow would take the first turn.

Up in the box, Shining, Cadance, Sunset and Grand Hoof were all there, waiting to see the outcome of the Duel.

"And so it begins," Grand said.

"I'm worried," Cadance said, "will he be alright?"

"Against such a powerful opponent," Sunset replied, "I don't know."

"We have to believe he can pull it off," Shining said, "right now that's all we can do."

"Then we shall."

They all looked around to see Cold enter.

"Everything is in Flash's hands now," he said, "all we can do is hope we've given him everything he needs."

The others all nodded and turned back to the field.

Celestia: It's time to see what Action Field our finalists will be Duelling on today. I don't want to spoil anything, but I've been told it was made especially for them.

Luna: Then let's take a look.

In that second the floor beneath Flash and Shadow's feet began to glow as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye Flash and Shadow found themselves inside a giant roman colosseum. The walls of the arena were lined with stone tablets, which Flash saw had his and Shadow's monsters carved on them with Flash's behind him and Shadow's behind him.

Celestia: Its the Final Colosseum.

The stared back at each other, both with a look of pure unshakeable determination on their faces.

"You face a formidable foe," Grand said, "you'll have to give it everything you've got."

The others all nodded at this. Nervous but hopeful Flash could pull off a miracle.

"Flash," Twilight said as she watched, "we have faith in you."

Fluttershy and Rarity nodded in agreement.

"Do it Flash!" Spike and the others all cheered.

"We're right behind ya'h," Applejack said.

"GO GO FLASH!" Pinkie screamed.

"I've been looking forward to this," Shadow said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm.

"I'm gonna make you pay for all the pain you've caused," Flash said as he did the same.

"We'll see."

"Tell me something," Flash said, "what's your game here? Why are you in this tournament? What could possibly warrant every terrible thing you and Adagio have done?"

Shadow just smiled. "I guess there's no pain in telling you. Not like you can stop us. We're collecting Ener-D in order to summon the cards your monster sealed away. All but two card have been summoned to this world and after this Duel, we'll have enough Ener-D to summon those last two. Then those monster will grant our wish and my father will be able to lead this world into a new glorious age!"

Most of the crowd were all confused at what he was spouting, but Flash and his friends understood and all grew worried.

"That's not going to happen," Flash said, "I'm going to stop you, here and now."

"Like that's going to happen," Shadow said, "let's get this started shall we?"

"Lets!" Flash replied.

Luna: It seems our contestants are ready to start this thing.

Celestia: Then let's not keep them waiting any longer. In three!

Luna: TWO!"

Both: ONE!

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Shadow: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"I'll start things off," Shadow said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He did so and looked at his deck. "I'll start by playing the Spell card Polymerisation!"

"Already?" Flash said.

"With this card I'll be fusing Shadow-Mech Racer and Fortress together," Shadow said.

The tablets of the monsters he just mentioned glowed before the light shot off, and the images disappeared, and transformed into the monsters themselves. They were then reverted back into light, which flew into another tablet and caused it to glow. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light flew off the tablet and took the form of Shadow's Fusion monster. "Shadow-Mech, Fusion Bot!" (A3200/D1300/L8)

Flash frowned at this but had been expecting it. He knew Shadow was trying to get all three of them out for him to destroy, so Shadow could summon the one monster Flash might not be able to stop.

"I end my turn with a face down," Shadow said.

Celestia: Shadow starts out strong. How will Flash reply.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he went to his deck, "I draw and I'm setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Magna Caster Solaris." The columns of light appeared on either side of him. Two of the tablets glowed before the light shot off, becoming the two magicians who flew up and into the columns. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash called out as the portal began to form above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out and then flew into two of the tablets, which glowed and then each shot out a light which then took form.

"Sky High, Brass Wing Magna Hawk!" (A1400/D800/L4)

"Pulse out, Aura Spear Dragon!" (A2000/D100/L4)

"Magna Hawk's skill," Flash called out, "since he was special summoned, you must return up to three card from your hand to your deck before drawing the same number of cards."

Shadow did so, placing the two remaining cards in his hand onto his deck, before it shuffled and he drew two new cards.

"Next I'll overlay these two monsters," Flash said as his monsters glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at Flash's feet. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." The black hole exploded, releasing a light which flew into another tablet. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The tablet shot out a light, which then took the shape of Flash's monster. "Destiny Bound Dragon!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

"Nice move," Shadow said, "but it won't work against my Fusion Bot. His ATK points are way higher."

"Don't be so sure," Flash said as he placed a card in his Duel Disk, "I'm activating Reverse Polarity, which will cause our monsters to swap ATK points." (A3200/D2100/R4), (A2400/D1300/L8) "GO, FATE RIDER MISSILES!" The dragon roared as the compartments in its wings opened, unleashed its projectiles which flew into the air and then down towards Fusion Bot.

Shadow looked around for an Action Card, but couldn't find one.

The missiles struck his monster, destroying it and knocking Shadow back.

Flash: 4000
Shadow: 3200

Luna: Flash, using his Pendulum Summon to help with his other summoning styles. That's why he's known as the Pendulum Master. Will he be able to keep this lead, or will Shadow manage to pull it back?

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash said as Destiny Bound's ATK points returned to normal. (A2400/D2100/R4)

"Then it's my turn," Shadow said as he reached for his deck, "I draw. I activate my face down," his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Shadow-Mechanic! Now I can revive one of the Shadow-Mech's in my graveyard, so welcome back Fortress!" The ground cracked open and the giant battleship flew out of the ground before transforming into its robot form. (A3500/D2000/L8)

"Next I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Shadow-Mech Jetstorm and scale nine Shadow-Mech Scooter." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monsters appeared from out of their tablets and flew up and into them. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," he said as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and into another stone tablet, which unleashed the light onto the field. "Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle!" (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Oh boy," Flash said.

"Star Shuttle attack!" Shadow ordered as his monster transformed and flew up, before dive bombing Flash's Xyz Monster and destroying it. The force of the attack sent Flash flying back and into the wall.

Flash: 3400
Shadow: 3200

"Now Fortress," Shadow said, "attack!"

As Flash picked himself up, he looked up at the giant robot. It aimed its multiple cannons at Flash and fired them all at him.

"I activate my face down," Flash called out as his card flipped up, "Defence Draw. Now I can negate the damage I would have taken and draw one card." A force field appeared around him as he drew, while the blasts bounced off and dissipated.

Celestia: Flash managed to keep himself in the game, but how will Shadow respond?

Shadow growled at this but wasn't done yet. "I overlay Fortress and Star Shuttle," he called out as his monsters glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at his feet. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The tablet shot out a light, which then took the shape of Shadow's monster. "Shadow-Mech Xyz Bot!" (A3000/D1500/R8)

"He just wasted two powerful monsters to summon a weaker monster," Spike said, "why?"

"This might of been his only chance to summon that monster," Applejack said, "he took it despite the disadvantage."

"He's trying to fill the requirements to summon his best monster," Sunset said.

"And Flash is helping him," Cadance said.

"Flash know's what's coming," Grand said, "he must have a plan to defeat it."

"Let's hope," Cold said

"I end my turn," Shadow said

"Then I'll go," Flash called out, "I draw and play the Spell card Stardust Reload." He took Aura Spear Dragon out of his grave and then drew four new cards. He looked at what he'd drawn and nodded, before looking up. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, before flying into a stone tablet which then had its image fly out and take the form of Flash's ace monster. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Now for his ability," Flash called out. "Since he was special summoned, I can send the weakest monster on your field to the bottom of the deck."

Everyone smiled at this. Now Flash could get Xyz Bot off the field without destroying it. However, they grew nervous when they saw Shadow running towards a nearby column.

There he grabbed an Action Card and looked at it before smirking. "I activate Gladiators Salute! With this, my monster can't be removed from the field except by battle."

The wormhole opened up bellow Xyz Bot, but the giant robot stepped away from it.

Flash frowned at this. Fine, if he wanted to do this the hard way then they would. "I summon Vail Pixie to the field in ATK mode!" In a flash of light, Flash's Tuner Monster appeared out of its tablet and flew next to Flash Heart. "Now I'll tune my Vail Pixie with Flash Heart Dragon!" Vail Pixie glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Flash Heart flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light, which flew into another tablet. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light shot off the tablet, before fading to reveal the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Now I'll power him up with the Spell card, Lightspeed!" The Synchro Monster began to glow as it powered up. (A4000/D2500/L8) "Attack!"

His dragon flew high and released its four cannons, which began to charge up. "Supreme Energy Blast!" They fired and shot four combined energy blasts at Shadow's monster.

Shadow jumped up and onto the wall, before running along it and grabbing an Action Card as he did. "Go Armour Drop! This Action Spell lets me save my monster by lowering its ATK by the damage I would have taken." The blast struck his monster, but the robot remained standing as its power dropped. (A2000/D1500/R8)

Flash frowned, but wouldn't be deterred. "Well I'm activating Accel's ability," he said as his monster was consumed by light. "Now I can tribute him to summon Flash Heart from my Extra Deck." The light faded and Flash Heart Dragon was floating where its evolved form had previously been, before turning to the giant robot. "And now I'll attack!" The dragons boosters kicked into action, sending it flying towards the dragon which it sucker punched in the chest.

The robot exploded, sending a shock wave around the arena which knocked Shadow off the wall.

Flash: 3400
Shadow: 2700

"I end my turn with a face down," Flash called out.

"Flash managed to get ahead," Scootaloo said, "but now Shadow's got another monster in his graveyard that'll help him summon Annihilater."

Everyone shuddered at the mention of that monsters name.

"Hey relax," Rainbow said, "just even if he gets Synchro Bot into his graveyard, he'll still need to draw the cards need to summon it."

"That's right," Spike said, "and he must have under thirty cards left in his deck, so the odds of drawing the two cards he needs are...well I'm not Twilight but they can't be high."

"So this Duel comes down to Flash beating Shadow before he manages to draw em," Applejack said.

Shadow pulled himself back up onto the wall and looked at Flash with a snarl.

"It's my turn," he said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and play Shadow-Mech Scrap. With this I can banish Shadow-Mech Fortress and then draw one card for every two Level Stars it has, so I'll be drawing four." He looked at the cards and smirked, before looking at Flash. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and four lights shot out, with one striking the ground and the other three flying into stone tablets.

"Shadow-Mech Star Shuttle!" (A3000/D3000/L8/P4)

"Shadow-Mech Rover!" (A1500/D2000/L5)

"Shadow-Mech Doom Cycle!" (A1200/D700/L3)

"And Shadow-Mech Diver!" (A800/D1800/L3)

Celestia: Flash Sentry, now facing an army of Shadow-Mechs.

"And now," Shadow said, "I'm tuning my Level three Doom Cycle with my Level five Rover!" Doom Cycle leapt into the air, before transforming into three spheres of light which carved a trio of light circles that Rover leapt into as he transformed into his vehicle mode. The two monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, which flew into another tablet. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light shot off the tablet, before fading to reveal Shadow's monster. "Shadow-Mech Synchro Bot!" (A3100/D1400/L8)

Flash looked up at the last of the monsters Shadow needed.

"Synchro Bot, attack!" Shadow called out as his monster unleashed the lance from its chest and aimed it at Flash Heart.

Flash ran over to a nearby column and pulled an Action Card from it. "I play the Action Spell, Evasion!"

As the lance fired its silver beam of energy, Flash Heart's thrusters ignited and propelled him up and into safety.

"Fine," Shadow said as he turned to his Pendulum Monster, "then Star Shuttle will attack!" The robot reverted back to its vehicle form and flew up into the stratosphere, before space bombing down and striking Flash Heart destroying it.

Flash: 2900
Shadow: 2700

"Now Shadow-Mech Diver," Shadow called out, "attack!"

The robot transformed into its sub form and flew into the ground, only surfacing right before it launched a torpedo at Flash. It struck and Flash was sent flying back, crashing into the pillar he'd pulled the Action Card off of. Several rips were now in his clothes and he was groaning from the force.

Flash: 2100
Shadow: 2700

As Diver switched into DEF mode, Shadow ended his turn and looked down at his opponent.

"And you thought you could defeat me," he said with a triumphant smirk, "you'll be lucky if you even survive this Duel."

Flash slowly began to pick himself up and looked up at Shadow. "Like I'd let you kill me," he said, "I refuse to lose to you. Not after all the pain you've caused to the people I care about."

"They were just stepping stones," Shadow said, "a means to an end. To be honest, I couldn't care less what could have happened to them."

"Oh I'll make you care," Flash said as he placed his hand on his deck, "I...DRAW!" He looked at the card and nodded before leaping backwards and landing on the wall of the coliseum, before picking up an Action Card and smiling when he saw what it was. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out of it, one striking the ground and the other flying into a stone tablet before its image flew out.

"Shine your light of victory once again, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Get to work, Glow Craft Magna Fox!" (A1600/D1300/L4/P7)

"Flash Heart's skill!" Flash said as a wormhole opened up underneath Shadow-Mech Diver, "your weakest monster to the bottom of the deck!" The robot fell into the hole and disappeared.

Shadow frowned at this, but obviously didn't care.

"Next I'll activate this Action Spell," Flash called out as he did so, "Rusted Weapon! Now I can activate the effect of any Spell card in my grave, so I'll use Reverse Polarity again and have Flash Heart and Synchro Bot switch ATK points." The two monsters glowed as the ATK strengths changed. (A3100/D2000/L7/P4), (A2500/D1400/L8) "ATTACK!" Flash Heart's jets ignited and propelled it forward, towards Synchro Bot.

"I activate my face down," Shadow said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Shadow-Mech Guard! By banishing three Shadow-Mechs from my graveyard, I can negate the damage I take and add two cards from my hand to my deck." His deck shuffled out two cards, which he took and added to his hand.

Flash Heart Dragon sucker punched Synchro Bot, causing it to explode with pieces flying everywhere.

One such piece, a large metal disk, went flying straight at Shadow.

"LOOK OUT!" Flash called out.

"This is just a hologram right?" Applebloom asked in fright.

"In this Duel, A'm not sure," Applejack replied.

Most of the audience covered their eyes, not wanting to see even Shadow getting cut in half.

Shadow however, did not seem at all worried about the projectile and made no action to dodge it.

Instead he reached his right hand out and literally caught the spinning disk one handed, without seeming to be even budged. The disk ground into his hand, before finally it stopped spinning and disappeared.

Everyone was in shock at what they had just seen, none more so then Flash who noticed something else.

Shadow's hand was smoking, but even through that he saw the damage the disk had done to him. All the skin on his hand had been grinded away, revealing what was underneath and what was underneath...wasn't human.

Shadow looked down at his hand and stared at the robotic appendage, that was made out of a gunmetal appendage and had several wires hidden beneath it.

"No way," Flash said in horror.

"So now you know," Shadow said as his eyes glowed bright red

Everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing. Shadow...was a robot.

Turn 29. Fading Shadows

View Online

The audience of Freeze Stadium were silent as they looked upon Shadow's hand.

After Shadow had stopped a hard light hologram from cutting him in two with his bear hand, he'd revealed that said hand wasn't human. Shadow's hand was robotic, previously hidden beneath a suit of skin which had been grinded away by the hologram.

"Are you guys seeing this?" Rainbow asked her friends in total shock as they stared at him.

"A'h see it," Applejack replied not looking away, "but a'h don't believe it."

Up in the main box, Cold and the others were also shocked.

"Sunset," Cold said, "scan him."

The red and yellow haired girl didn't reply, instead simply pulling her Duel Disk out of her jacket and began typing away.

"Cold," she said once it was done, "you need to see this."

Cold took the device and looked it over. It was an X-ray of Shadow, which showed he didn't just have a robot arm. His whole body was mechanical.

"He's a robot," Cold said.

"What are you?" Flash asked as he stared at his copy.

Shadow just smirked as he continued to stare at his hand. "Hyper Advanced Duel Bot Prototype," he said simply, "designation, Shadow."

"You're a robot?" Flash asked.

"I was created years ago," Shadow explained, "by my father. Sombra."

"How old are you?" Flash asked.

"Older then you," he said as he stepped around the wall with Flash moving in the opposite direction, "I was the product of a Freeze Industries secret project, to develop a Duel Bot that could Duel like a human. I was programmed to not only follow the commands of my CPU, but to act on instinct when needed to adapt to the unexpected. It worked better then they could have expected," he said with a smile, "one day, as if in the blink of an eye, I gained sentience."

"You're alive?" Flash wondered.

"Exactly," Shadow replied, "but I knew I couldn't tell anybody. I feared what kind of tests they'd run on me if they knew, but I couldn't just keep it a secret. Eventually I told only one person, who I trusted beyond anyone else, my father."

"Sombra," Flash said.

Shadow just nodded at this. "He was shocked at first, thought I was just some glitch in the program, but eventually he realised I truly was alive. He to feared what would happen if others knew of my sentience, so he scraped the project and hid my programming in the deepest server of the Freeze Industries computers. And there I slept, waiting for the day I could see the world once again." The two had completed a full circle of the stadium wall, stopping where they'd originally began.

Everyone was speechless at this revelation.

"I dreamed you know," Shadow said, "for all those years I slept I dreamed. Do you want to know what I dreamed about?"

"What?" Flash asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I dreamed that one day, I'd not only have a body but I'd become something more then a hunk of wires and metal. That I'd be able to really touch, to be able to breath the air around me. Eat real food and not just recharge my body when needed. I dreamed to one day become...human."

Flash couldn't believe what he was here. To think he would want something like that.

"I thought it would just be that," Shadow said, "a dream. But not to long ago, my father returned to me. He told me he had a mission and needed my help, in return for helping him achieve this he said he would grant me any wish. I told him my wish and he promised me I could have it. All I have to do is obtain Ener-D, to help him summon the cards needed. Soon my dream will be fulfilled."

"And the reason you made your body to look like me?" Flash asked.

"My father said I would be everything you should have been," Shadow replied, "the perfect version of you."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Flash asked in confusion.

"I never ask anything further," Shadow said, "I trust my father and that's that."

"This explains why he didn't give off any Ener-D," Cold said, "only living creatures can generate it."

"It's more then that," Sunset said as she continued to scan Shadow, "he's not giving it off, but he is absorbing it. This is where all the Ener-D has gone. Shadow wasn't carrying a transmitter."

"He is the transmitter," Cold said.

"Wait," Grand said, "that means he must have a signal that the Ener-D is being sent to. If we can find it."

"We can find Sombra," Sunset finished before beginning her work."

Luna: So what's it say in the rule book about Dueling an android?

Celestia: I doubt it says anything. Can you really say you expected to see it."

"Soon my fathers ambitions will come to pass," Shadow said, "once I beat you."

"Well that ain't happening," Flash said, "it's still my turn and I'm using Magna Fox's ability." The multi tailed fox's nine tails of shined, before the light shot off and spun around to create a circle which Flash Heart leapt through. (A3300/D2000/L7/P4) The Pendulum Monster's jets ignited once again, causing it to go flying towards Star Shuttle and punching it in the chest, destroying it.

Flash: 2100
Shadow: 2400

"I end my turn," Flash said.

"Then I'll go," Shadow said as he drew his card and smiled. "It's time."

Flash grew concerned, knowing what was coming next.

"I activate the Spell card, Shadow-Mech Total Annihilation Ritual!" The ground beneath them began to shake, before the floor of the colosseum cracked open and from out of them came the broken and scrap like remains of Fusion, Synchro and Xyz Bot. They glowed, before flying into the sky and colliding into radiant burst of light. "By banishing these three monsters from my graveyard, I can summon my ultimate monster!" The light shot out of the Action Field and into the sky, as dark clouds began to form and hide the light.

Flash's heart was racing at this, as the clouds began to fade and reveal Shadow's monster.

The planet shaped monster floated down from the heavens, before transforming into its colossal robot form. "Shadow-Mech Annihilator!" (A5000/D5000/L12/P0)

Celestia: There it is, Shadow's ultimate monster.

Luna: How will Flash Sentry stop it? Can Flash Sentry stop it?

"I attack Magna Fox with Annihilater!" Shadow called out as his monster used it massive finger, intending to point Flash's monster to death.

Flash rushed along the wall and grabbed an Action Card off it and looking it over, before nodding and turning back to the field. "I activate my Trap card," Flash called out as his face down flipped up, "Interception! Now my stronger monster can intercept the attack and take the hit." Flash Heart's thrusters burst into life, propelling it forward so it could punch the finger.

"So what?" Shadow said, "my monsters twice as strong as yours and with your life points as they are, you're still going down."

"Not once I activate this Action Spell," Flash said as he did so, "Miracle! Not only does this save my monster, but it cuts the damage I take in half." The two monsters met, creating a shock wave that was felt all over the arena as the two were pushed back.

Flash: 850
Shadow: 2400

Shadow frowned at this, "I end my turn."

Flash's friends all sighed in relief.

"Flash managed to save his skin," Rainbow said, "but how's he suppose to beat something so powerful?"

"A'm not sure he can," Applejack said with a frown.

"Hey!"

They all looked around at Scootaloo.

"We can't give up yet," Scootaloo said, "if we don't think he can do it then what will he think? We've gotta show him we believe in him."

"But against something so powerful, what hope does he have?" Spike asked.

"He's faced tough opponents before," Scootaloo said, "and he's always pushed through. We just need to believe in him."

The others all glanced at each other, before they all nodded and turned back to her.

"You're right Scoot," Rainbow said, "we can't give up on him. He can do it."

The others all nodded.

Twilight watched the match on TV, and wished she could be their for Flash. In that moment she made her decision and pulled the covers off her.

"What are you doing?" Rarity said worriedly.

"You need your rest," Fluttershy said as she tried to stop her.

"No," Twilight replied, "I need to be there for him."

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He looked at his cards but nothing he had could help right now. "I'm switching my monsters to defence mode and ending my turn."

"Running scared are we?" Shadow said as he drew his card. "Annihilater," he said, "attack!"

The giant robot once again unleashed its finger and used it to crush Flash Heart, destroying him. The force knocked Flash off the wall.

Celestia: Good thing Flash switched his monsters to DEF mode.

Luna: But he can't win while playing defence.

"I end my turn," Shadow said,

As Flash pulled himself back up onto the wall, he smirked at Shadow. "Big mistake," he said, "I draw." He took his cards then looked up at his Pendulum. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened up and Flash Heart flew out of it in DEF mode. "Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "say goodbye to Annihilater, because its got a one way ticket to the bottom of the deck."

"Not so fast," Shadow said, "did you forget Annihilater's ability?" His Extra Deck opened and from it he pulled out Star Shuttle. "By sending a Pendulum Monster to the graveyard, I can negate your Pendulum Monster's effect."

"Maybe," Flash said, "but you've just used your last Pendulum Monster, meaning next time Flash Heart's skill won't be negated."

Shadow just smiled. "I just won't destroy it then. You can't use its effect if you can't special summon it."

Flash knew that and knew he still had a chance. If he could draw a high level monster, he could sacrifice Flash Heart to summon it. Then he could Pendulum Summon it back and use its effect. He just had to hold out long enough. "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Shadow said, "I draw. "he saw the card he'd drawn and smiled. "I activate the Continuous Spell card, Pendulum Reload. Now, instead of drawing during my draw phase, I can add a Pendulum Monster from my graveyard to my Extra Deck."

Flash's eyes went wide at this. That meant he could keep sending a Pendulum Monster back to his Extra Deck to use to negate Flash Heart's skill.

"Now I'll destroy Magna Fox," Shadow said as his monster crushed Flash fox. "I end my turn."

Flash looked down at his deck and grew nervous. "My only chance. If I don't draw a monster I can tribute summon, my plan won't work again." He drew his card and his face fell, seeing what he'd drawn. "Alchemy Dracokid," he said, "this won't help me. I end my turn."

"Oh, so sad," Shadow said, "it's my turn and instead of drawing, I'll place Star Shuttle into my Extra Deck." He did so, meaning Flash's hope to use his plan was now gone. "I think I'll let you stew a little longer, turn end."

"it's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." This time he'd drawn Pendulum Shift, which also couldn't help him. "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Shadow said, "I draw." When he saw what he'd drawn his grin grew tenfold. "I play the Spell card, Annihilation Cannon! With Annihilater on my field, I can now destroy ever card on yours."

Flash's eyes went wide hearing this, before looking up to see Annihilater's chest open up to reveal a hole in it. That hole began to hum as it glowed and seconds later, it unleashed a powerful beam of light which struck every card on Flash's field. Flash felt himself be sent flying backwards, as the force of the blast caused everyone else to duck and cover.

Finally after several blinding seconds, the light began to fade and Flash was able to pick himself up and look around. Flash Heart and his Magna Casters were gone, turned to dust by the attack and leaving Flash alone of him field.

"I can't attack after using that Spell card," Shadow said, "but next turn I should be able to finish you off. If you can even stand up long enough to have your turn."

Flash tried to get up, but his body gave out and he fell in the dirt.

"Look at you," Shadow said, "to think my father actually viewed you as a threat. Nothing you do will stop me. You're nothing. I told you before that I'm everything you should have been, your better. How do you expect to defeat the superior version of yourself."

Those words washed over Flash, making him wonder if he was right. Was Shadow Flash's better? Was it impossible to defeat him?

"Don't listen to him!"

Flash's eyes shot open and he looked over at the stands.

Twilight, with the help of Fluttershy and Rarity, was standing there looking down at him.

"He's not your better," she called out, "he's nothing but a fake. You are the superior version of you. Everything you've been through, everything you've done has made you that. Don't let this poser get to you. Don't forget, you're not alone. Your friends are all here beside you."

Those words washed over him, making him feel a new sense of hope in his heart.

"She's right."

He looked over at his sister, who was calling out to him.

"Don't give up," she said, "we're here with you."

Flash smiled at this.

"You've got this Flash," Spike called out.

"Take that metal freak down," Rainbow said.

"Don't ya'h dare give up yet," Applejack said.

"YEAH!" Pinkie, Sweetie and Applebloom said.

"Go Flash," Rarity said.

"We believe in you," Fluttershy said.

One by one the audience called out to him, offering there support to him. Hearing this made all the pain he felt before, somehow vanish as he picked himself up.

"Their right," Flash said, "I can do this."

"Please," Shadow said, "there's nothing you can do."

"Maybe not on my own," Flash said as he opened his eyes to reveal they were glowing, "but I'm not on my own. MY FRIENDS ARE WITH ME!"

Suddenly a bright light appeared. It was coming from everyone in the stadium, who were all enveloped in an aura of light.

"What is this?" Rainbow asked as she looked down at herself.

"A'h don't know," Applejack said.

"Ener-D," Cold said as he looked at the glow surrounding everybody, "but how."

"Flash must be tapping into a new ability," Grand said.

"It's my turn," Flash called out as he placed his hand on his deck, "I...DRAW!" He looked at the card and smiled as a plan formed. "I'm resetting the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Alchemy Dracokid and scale eight Magna Caster Estella."

The two monster's tablets glowed, before flying out and into the columns of light which appeared on either side of Flash's field.

"Next I'll activate Pendulum Shift," Flash called out, "which lets me change Dracokid's scale to one." The Pendulum Scale changed, meaning everything was in place. "Cut through space time and carve to arc of victory," Flash chanted as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, before striking the ground and taking shape.

"Cast your solar spell, Magna Caster Solaris." (A1200/D600/L3/P8)

"Shine your light of victory one last time, Flash Heart Dragon." (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"I activate Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "to send your Annihilater to the bottom of the deck."

"And I'll use Annihilater's skill," Shadow said, "to send Star Shuttle from my Extra Deck to grave to negate your effect."

Flash frowned at this, but wouldn't be deterred.

"I already told you," Shadow said, "you cannot defeat me, especially with those monsters. They can't harm my ultimate beast."

"Maybe not on their own," Flash said, "but let's see what happens when I fuse them together!"

Alchemy Dracokid uncorked its beaker, realising the smoke from within it. The smoke absorbed to two monsters, causing them to be sucked inside the beaker.

"My friends," Flash called out before holding out his right arm into the sky, "lend my your strength!"

The audience all nodded before the light flew off their bodies and converged in Flash hand. The light merged together into a familiar shape, as a card slowly formed in Flash's hand.

"Now watch as I fuse the unequalled might of a dragon," Flash said, "with the shining light of the Pendulum!" Dracokid uncorked the beaker, freeing the smoke which shot out and began to take shape. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The smoke cleared, revealing Flash's new monster. It was a fifteen meter high robotic dragon with bronze armour. On its back was a bronze ring which was connected to a quartet of robotic wings, which each had five glowing tube like instruments on them. Its head was humanoid, with a mask covering its face and two pairs of glowing eyes. In its right clawed hand it carried a long bazooka like weapon, which was almost as long as the monster was tall. "SPIRAL VECTOR DRAGON!" (A3500/D1500/L8/P7)

Everyone looked at Flash's new monster in amazement.

"Did we do that?" Scootaloo asked.

"I think we did," Rainbow said, "somehow Flash used our energy to create a new monster."

"And it's awesome," Spike said, "go get'em Flash."

"Take him out this turn," Applejack said.

"DO IT!" Pinkie screamed.

Flash took a deep breath, before yelling out at the top of his lungs. "HERE I GO!"

Shadow went into a defensive stance, looking over the new monster. "You trying to bluff me?" He asked, "sure your monster is powerful, but it doesn't stand a chance against Annihilater."

"We'll see about that," Flash said, "time to end this."

Celestia: Will Flash Sentry's new monster allow him to claim victory? We'll know soon enough.

Luna: The question is, what powers is it hiding?

"I attack with Spiral Vector Dragon!" Flash called out as his monster flew up into the air, high above Annihilater's head and aiming its giant bazooka at the robot. "Now for Spiral Vector's special ability," Flash said, "I can reveal a number of cards off the top of my deck, equal to the Pendulum Scale of the monster I used to Fusion Summon him."

Shadow frowned at this. What good would that do?

"Plus for every Pendulum Monster I reveal," Flash continued, "your monster loses five hundred ATK points."

Shadow's eyes grew wide, realising what that meant.

"Annihilater is fifteen hundred points stronger then Spiral Vector Dragon," Rainbow said, "he'd need to draw three Pendulum Monsters just to even their points out."

"And four to beat it," Applejack said.

"Magna Caster Solaris had a Pendulum Scale of eight," Twilight said as she, Fluttershy and Rarity sat down next to them, "so Flash will get to draw eight cards."

"Wait," Spike said, "what if all he draws in Pendulum monsters?"

Everyone did the math in their heads, with the two monster's ATK points and Shadow's remaining life points. Drawing eight Pendulum Monsters would mean.

"He'd win!" Rarity said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "but what are the chance of him drawing eight Pendulum Monsters back to back."

"I don't like his chances," Fluttershy said.

"He can do it," Twilight said, "I believe in him."

"That's not happening," Shadow said. "I activate Annihilater's ability, to discard a Fusion monster from my Extra Deck to negate your Fusion Monster's ability."

"Afraid not," Flash said with a smirk, "sorry but if you want to negate my monsters ability, your gonna need to remove a Fusion and Pendulum monster."

Shadow's eyes went wide as he looked up. Flash was right, Spiral Vector Dragon was a Pendulum Fusion, so Annihilater's ability wouldn't work unless he used both those cards. "I don't have another Pendulum Monster."

"Then my monster ability isn't getting negated," Flash said. Spiral Vector Dragon shot a red beam from the bazooka's sight, hitting Annihilater as Flash went to his deck.

"This is it," he said, "my one chance to win." He took a deep breath and drew the first card, which he saw and smiled. "The first card is Lumino Jaw Dragon, a Pendulum!"

Shadow grew nervous at this, looking up to see his monster weaken. (A4500/D5000/L12/P0)

"Now for the next card," Flash said as he drew and revealed his card. "It's Magna Mechanic Kuda!" (A4000/D5000/L12/P0)

"The third," Flash drew again. "Magna Fighter Lucidum!" (A3500/D5000/L12/P0)

"Here's card number four," Flash said as he drew. "Magna Fighter Gladio!" (A3000/D5000/L12/P0)

Celestia: That's enough to defeat Annihilater!

Luna: But what about the other four?

"Let's find out," Flash said as he drew. "Magna Caster Exitium!" (A2500/D5000/L12/P0)

"And card number six," Flash said, "is Flash Knight!" (A2000/D5000/L12/P0)

"Next," Flash drew again. "it's Magna Fighter Light Boarder!" (A1500/D5000/L12/P0)

"This can't be happening," Shadow said, "no!"

"This is it," Flash said as he placed his hand on his deck, "one more Pendulum Monster and I win." He closed his eyes and took one large breath, before opening them and yelling. "I DRAW!" He did so and seeing what it was made his heart almost give out. "Volt Edge Dragon!"

Shadow eyes almost popped out of the socket, which they could probably do, as he watched his ultimate monster be depowered once again. (A1000/D5000/L12/P0) "This can't be happening, my wish."

"You don't deserve that wish," Flash said as his monster's weapon began to charge up, "not after all the pain you've caused to achieve it. This ends now," he looked up at his dragon. "Spiral Vector Dragon, ATTACK!"

The dragon's weapon glowed as the charge continued to build, while it aimed directly at Annihilater's head.

"Vortex Pulsar BLAST!" The dragon fired, unleashing a powerful beam of white light which flew towards Annihilater. The blast struck the robot and cut through its head like a hot knife through butter, before blasting out the other said and flying directly at Shadow.

"No," Shadow whispered as the beam flew towards him, completely frozen, and then struck him. "NOOOO!"

Flash: 850 (Winner)
Shadow: 0

BOOM!

Everyone ducked for cover as the light and force of the attack swept over the field, lasting several satisfying seconds. Finally the light faded and everyone looked down at the field.

As the monsters both faded from existence, Flash stepped over to where Shadow had fallen.

The robotic duplicate was a wreck with his clothes ripped and the right half his face skin gone, revealing the metallic skull beneath it. Shadow looked up at Flash and tried to reach out to grab him, but was unable to. "How?"

Flash crouched down and looked him in the eye. "I didn't defeat you alone," Flash said, "my friends helped me."

"You may have beaten me," Shadow said, "but my father will not be stopped. You think you've won. This is barely the beginning." With that Shadow's red eyes slowly died as his hand fell to the ground. Shadow, was dead.

Celestia: HE DID IT! Flash Sentry is victorious. He's the new Celestic Cup CHAMPION!

Flash stood back up and looked out at the audience, who were all cheering loudly.

"FLASH, FLASH, FLASH, FLASH!"

Flash smiled happily at this. He couldn't believe he'd done it. He'd first entered the tournament to get some answers and now, he stood as its champion.

"NO!" Sombra yelled as the signal on Shadow was terminated.

"My king," Chrysalis said, "we must evacuate. They no doubt ran a trace on Shadow's transmission signal. They'll be coming for us."

"Let them come," Sombra said, "with Shadow's failure there is only one way we can put our plan back on schedule."

"My king?"

"Tell the others to prepare," Sombra said, "we'll be having company."

Chrysalis looked nervous, but nodded. "Yes my king." With that she turned and rushed out the room.

Sombra meanwhile changed the screen to show the image of Flash, waving to the audience. "They think you'll be the one to stop me, but now you'll be what gives me everything I need." In that moment he spun his chair around, to reveal himself to the light.

His body was weak, his skin wrinkled and his face scared. He wore a dark red cloak over silver, armour looking, clothing. His eyes were red, but unlike how they used to be the white had been transformed into a dark green.

"Soon the Shadow Gate will open," he said as a dark smile appeared on his face, "and the darkness with rise."

Flash reentered the stadium and was heading through the corridor, when he saw his friends standing at the end of it. They were all smiling at him as he drew near and Twilight, her injuries having somehow healed thanks to the Ener-D, rushed over to him and threw her arms around him.

"YOU DID IT!" She screamed.

"I couldn't have done it without you," Flash said as he hugged her back, before turning to the rest of them. "All of you. This victory belongs to all of us."

"Maybe," Applejack said, "but ya'r the one who pulled it off in the end."

"Great work out there," Spike said.

"You did awesome," Rainbow said.

"We're so proud of you," Rarity said.

"Yay," Fluttershy said.

"Victory party!" Pinkie said.

"Maybe later."

Everyone turned to see Sunset walking up to them. "I've been sent to bring you all with me," she said, "we've found Sombra's location."

Everyone's eyes went wide at this and all looked at each other.

Sunset brought them to a secret back entrance of the stadium, where Cold, Grand and Shining were waiting. Several all terrain transport trucks along with almost fifty swat dressed guards were with them. There more people were also there, who they didn't expect to see.

"Tidal," Flash said.

"Hola mi amigo," Tidal said.

"Maud," Pinkie called out seeing her sister.

"Mac," Applejack and Applebloom said.

"What are you doing here?" Twilight asked.

"Mr Steel asked for our help," Maud said, "he explained what's going on and we agreed."

"Eyup," Mac said.

Cold turned to Flash, before a smile appeared on his face. "You did well,"

Flash nodded.

"It's finally time to take Sombra down," he said as he looked out at the group. "You've all proven your loyalty and I trust you all want to help."

Everyone nodded. After everything they'd been through, they weren't being left out of the end of this.

"Then we'd better get going," Cold said.

"I'm coming to," Spike spoke out, "and before you say I can't I'm just as skilled as any of you. I wanna help."

"Spike," Twilight said.

"If Spike's going," Scootaloo said, "then I'm going to."

"Us to," Applebloom and Sweetie said.

The group all looked at each other, before smiling and nodding. "Okay," Flash said, "but don't wander off and do anything we tell you."

The four nodded and with nothing else to say, everyone but Sunset climbed into the trucks.

"Sunset and Cadance will be running the shop from home base," Cold explained, "they will map out the fastest route to Sombra's location and deal with any traffic that might slow us down."

Everyone nodded at this, happy with the plan.

"Our goal will be to infiltrate Sombra's hideout and capture the monsters that have been summoned. Then, take Sombra and anyone else who's at that location into custody."

The trucks started and they began to move out.

"This is it," Twilight said, "the final battle."

"We'll end this," Rainbow said, "count on it."

"Sombra's caused a lot of pain. We can't let him get away with this," Flash said, "no matter what we have to stop him."

The others all nodded as the trucks pulled out of the stadium and off to where Sombra's Lab was located.

The Celestic Cup was over and now, the true battle would begin. The battle to determine who would stand to carve the future.

Turn 30, Storming Sombra's Lab

View Online

The first thing he saw, was light.

A brilliant radiance, which filled the world around him. It was warm and comforting, it made him feel safe.

"Oh," a high pitched female voice said, "he's so cute."

"Isn't he," another voice, an older female, replied, "he takes after his father."

"Have you decided on a name?" Another voice asked.

"We have," the second one replied, "if it's okay, we'd like to name him, Flash."

Flash's eyes shot open as he found himself inside the truck.

Looking around he suddenly felt very self conscious when he noticed all his friends staring at him.

"You can fall asleep anywhere can't you?" Twilight said as she giggled.

"And I thought my napping was bad," Rainbow said as a grin plastered her face.

"Sorry," Flash said as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes, "must of dozed off."

"It's quite alright darling," Rarity said, "after what you've just been through it stands to reason that you'd be exhausted."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Fluttershy asked, "maybe you shouldn't come if you're so tired."

"No way," Flash replied while shaking his head, "I need to be there. I need to face this guy."

"And we'll be there ta help ya'h out," Applejack said.

Flash nodded at that, happy that his friends would be there for him.

Back at the stadium, Sunset and Cadance were running the operation's technical side.

The two were inside a large computer room, where several technical experts were busy typing away at the machines to make sure everything smoothly.

"The transport is four thousand meters from the target," one of them said.

"No changes in conditions on the route," another said.

"No enemy movement detected," a third said, "possibility, they don't know about are intentions."

"Oh they know," Sunset said, "they'd no doubt have detected our signal trace."

"Which is why we need to act fast," Cadance said, "before they have a chance to escape."

"Ms Shimmer," a scientist said as he walked up to them. "We've just completed the full satellite scan of the target area."

He handed out several sheets of paper, which Sunset took and looked through. "Interesting," she said before pulling out her phone.

It rang for several seconds, until the receiver picked up. "What you got?" Cold asked.

"Satellite images show the target to be a disused warehouse," Sunset replied, "but inferred scans reveal a whole other story. Miles of underground space, possibly the labs where they're summoning the monsters."

"Good," Cold replied, "then we know we're on the right track."

"We'll call back when we have more info," Sunset said.

"Roger," Cold said, "over and out." With that he hung up.

"Good luck," Sunset said to the dial tone.

Meanwhile in Sombra's lab, eight cloaked figures stood in his chambers. The only one without a hood was Chrysalis.

"You have your assignments," Sombra told them, "no matter what they must not all reach this location."

"We understand your highness," Chrysalis said, "we shall not fail you."

"Make sure you get them to generate as much Ener-D as possible," Sombra said, "after Shadow's failure, we must gain as much as possible."

"Yes your highness!" The eight all said.

The transports turned off the road and down a country road, causing the ride to become incredibly bumpy.

"We're close," Cold said as he turned to the group, "remember the plan. We get in, find Sombra and the monsters and obtain them before they have a chance to stop us."

The others all nodded as the transports stopped.

"And so it begins," Grand said.

The transports opened and the group each got out and looked at there surroundings.

"Disgusting," Rarity said as she looked around, "of all the places to hide a secret lab, what possessed them to do it in a poo filled field."

"Less likely someone would be snooping around," Twilight guessed, "now come on. Let's get this over with."

The others all nodded and turned towards the warehouse.

The swat geared guards stepped up first, shields up and ready for whatever might be inside. But the second they stepped forward, there was a flash of light and they were suddenly pushed back by something that prevented them from moving any further.

"What's going on?" Flash asked.

Cold stepped past the guards and over to where they'd been, before holding out his hand. Like before there was a flash of light, which caused him to retract his hand. "Some kind of barrier."

"Oh great," Rainbow said, "how are we suppose to get passed that?"

Before an answer could be spoken, the doors of the warehouse opened and from out of it stepped two cloaked individuals. They stepped forward until they were on the edge of the force field and in that moment, they reached the hands up and pulled their hoods down.

"NO WAY!" Pinkie and Rarity cried out as they saw who they were.

Aria Blaze and Sonata Dusk stood there, standing on the other side of the force field.

The group got into a defensive manor as they waited for the two to do something.

"What are they doing here?" Rarity said.

"If Adagio was working for Sombra," Twilight said, "then I guess it makes sense that they would to."

"Maybe," Pinkie said, "but something about them feels off."

"She's right," Rarity said, "just look at them."

They stared at the two and saw they were just standing there, looking at them blankly. It's almost as if they were-

"Hypnotised," Cold said catching everyone's attention.

"You can't be serious," Shining said.

"I wouldn't put it passed Sombra," Cold said, "when they lost to Pinkie and Rarity, he probably took their free will as punishment."

Everyone was horrified hearing this. To think Sombra would do something so horrible, so inhuman.

"What do we do?" Twilight asked.

"Hypnotised or not we still need to get passed them," Cold said, "and passed this barrier."

In that second the two pulled out their Duel Disks and attached them to their arms.

"What are they doing?" Flash asked.

"Maybe if we beat them the field will disappear," Rainbow said.

"Why would Sombra do that?" Twilight asked.

"Who knows," Cold said, "but if it's true we need to beat them."

"Let us handle it," Rarity said as she and Pinkie stepped up, "we beat them once."

"And we'll do it again," Pinkie said. The two reached for the Duel Disks, but in that second a voice called out.

"No!"

Everyone looked around for the source of that unusual, yet familiar, voice.

"Let my sister and I deal with them."

They looked around and saw two figures standing atop one of the transports.

Celestia and Luna stood side by side, looking down at the group before leaping from the transports and landing on the ground between the group and the two hypnotised girls.

"The Celestial Sister," Twilight said.

"They Duel?" Flash asked.

"Better then most," Cold said before turning to the two, "I'm counting on you."

"And we won't let you down," Celestia said as she took out a bright yellow Duel Disk and attached it to her arm.

"Let's do this sister," Luna said as she did the same with a dark blue Duel Disk.

The four Duel Disks activated as they all prepared.

"Here's how it'll work," Celestia said, "double battle. We'll share life points and fields with our partners. Agreed?"

Aria and Sonata nodded.

"Then let's get this started," Luna said as they activated their Duel Disks.

"DUEL!"

Celestial Sisters: 4000
Dazzlings: 4000

"I'll take the first move," Celestia said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and summon Sun Spirit of Daybreak in ATK mode." In a flash of light a blonde woman in elegant sun patterned clothing appeared on the field. (A1500/D1000/L4) "And when she's normal summoned to the field, I can add one Sun Spirit from my deck to my hand." Celestia's deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which she took and added to her hand. "I place two cards face down and end my turn."

"My draw," Aria said, with no life in her voice at all, "I summon Slime Serpent in ATK mode." A pile of green slime appeared, before taking the form of snake. (A1800/D800/L4) "I attack." The monster transformed into a pile of slime, which flew at Sun Spirit of Daybreak.

"I activate my Trap," Celestia said as one of her face down flipped up, "Instant Tribute! Now since you've declared an attack on my monster, I can perform a tribute summon with it. The woman disappeared in a flash of bright light and in her place stood another woman, this one wearing sun patterned armour and carrying a long spear and large shield. "Sun Spirit of Blazing Ambition!" (A2100/D1800/L6) The woman held up her shield and the slime bounce off it, before she slashed it with her spear.

Celestial Sisters: 4000
Dazzlings: 3700

The slime returned to Aria's field and retook its snake like form.

"Instant Tribute allows you to keep your monster," Celestia said, "but having my stronger monster on the field is a fair trade."

Aria appeared not to care about this. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Luna said as she went to her deck, "I draw and summon Moon Spirit of Nightfall." In a flash of dark light a woman who looked like Sun Spirit of Daybreak, only she wore black moon patterned clothing and had blue hair, appeared. (A1500/D1000/L4) "Whenever she's normal summoned, I get to add a Moon Spirit from my deck to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which she took. "Next I'll play the Spell card, Double Summon. This lets me normal summon again, so I can now tribute Moon Spirit of Nightfall to summon Moon Spirit of Frozen Ambition." The monster disappeared in a flash of dark light and in its place stood a darker version of Celestia's monster. (A2100/D1800/L6)

"Their decks are mirror opposites," Twilight said.

"Maybe," Cold said, "but they work well together."

"Tell me about it," Shining said, "I remember when I was a kid. Those two were champions of the Tag-Duel circuit."

"Really?" Spike asked, "then that means they're a shoe in right?"

"Not exactly," Rarity said, "Aria and Sonata almost beat me and Pinkie in a Tag Duel. They're no slouches."

"We'll just have to see what does it better."

"Since Sun Spirit of Blazing Ambition is on the field," Luna said, "my Moon Spirit gains four hundred ATK points." (A2500/D1800/L6)

"The same with my Sun Spirit," Celestia said, "with Moon Spirit on the field, she gets four hundred ATK points." (A2500/D1800/L6)

"Moon Spirit attack Slime Serpent!" The dark version of the armoured woman held up her spear and used it to slash at Aria's monster, destroying it and causing her to be sent back.

Celestial Sisters: 4000
Dazzlings: 3000

Everyone looked up and saw the barrier flicker, before solidifying again.

"Looks like we were right," Cold said, "their life points are connected to the barrier's strength."

"Then that barrier's gonna get majorly weak," Rainbow said, "she's still got another attack left."

"I activate my Slime Serpents ability," Aria said, "when it's destroyed I can place it in my Spell and Trap Zone as a Slime Token." The remains of Aria's monster congealed at her feet, becoming a green slime bubble.

"Well I now attack with Sun Spirit of Blazing Ambition," Luna said as the second armoured woman charged at Aria, spear raised high above her head.

"I activate my face down," Aria said as her face down flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Slime Guard. This Continuous Trap lets me negate an attack by tributing a Slime Token." The Slime Token leapt out at Sun Spirit and took the attack, getting destroyed in the process.

"So they can block any attack as long as they've got those Slime Token?" Scootaloo asked.

"And I get the feeling they've got more of those Slime monsters in their deck," Flash said.

"Don't worry," Cold said, "they'll be fine."

"I end my turn," Luna said.

"My draw," Sonata said, "I summon Slime Buffalo in ATK mode." A pile of blue slime appeared on the field, before taking the form of a large bull. (A2000/D100/L4) "When Slime Buffalo is summoned," Sonata said, "I can take a Slime Monster in our graveyard and place it in our Spell and Trap card zone." Slime Serpent appeared on the field before becoming the green bubble. "Next I equip Slime Bull with Slime Generator." A metallic box appeared on the bulls back, before tubs came out and stuck into the Slime monster's side. "By tributing a Slime Token, I can increase Slime Buffalo's ATK power by a thousand until our next turn." Slime Serpent's bubble flew inside the machine, which began to form and pump slime into the buffalo and caused it to grow in size. (A3000/D100/L4)

"Oh dear," Celestia said.

"Attack Sun Spirit of Blazing Ambition," Sonata said.

The giant bull charged forward, slamming into Celestia's monster and destroying it.

Celestial Sisters: 3500
Dazzlings: 3000

"I play a Trap card," Luna said as the other card Celestia placed down flipped up, "Sun Spirit Revival! With this card we can revive a Sun Spirit that has less ATK then the one that was destroyed."

"That's right," Celestia said, "so that means Sun Spirit of Daybreak is coming back."

"Maybe," Sonata said, "but without your Blazing Ambition monster, Moon Spirit of Frozen Ambition returns to its original ATK points." (A2100/D1800/L6) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my draw," Celestia said as she looked at her cards. "I summon Sun Spirit of Shinning Protection in DEF mode." In a flash light, a woman carrying a large golden shield appeared and knelt down. (A800/D2000/L4) "I switch Daybreak to DEF mode and then I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Aria said as she drew. Slime Generator's ability wore off and Slime Buffalo powered down. (A2000/D100/L4) "I now summon Slime Bunny in ATK mode." A pile of pink slime appeared, before taking the form of humanoid rabbit. (A1200/D1100/L3) "Attack Daybreak." The rabbit leapt forward and kicked the monster, destroying it. "And when Slime Bunny destroys a monster, it let's me increase the ATK of a Slime Monster on the field by three hundred." The rabbit created a ball of slime and kicked it at Slime Buffalo, causing it to grow slightly. (A2300/D100/L4) "Attack Frozen Ambition." The bull charged and destroyed Luna's monster.

Celestial Sisters: 3300
Dazzlings: 3000

"Great," Flash said, "Celestia and Luna have more life points, but their best monsters are getting pummelled."

"They've got this," Cold said, "just have faith."

"I end my turn," Aria said as her monster's ATK lowered. (A2000/D100/L4)

"Then it's my turn," Luna said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and summon Moon Spirit of Shaded Protection." A darker copy of Celestia's shield bearer appeared, carrying a dark blue shield in her hand. (A800/D2000/L4) "And since Sun Spirit of Shinning Protection is on the field, Shaded Protection gains five hundred DEF points." (A800/D2500/L4)

"And the same goes for Shinning Protection," Celestia said, "she also gains DEF points thanks to Shaded Protection." (A800/D2500/L4)

"I place one card face down," Luna said "and end my turn."

"They're playing defence," Rainbow asked.

"Hopefully their setting up for something big," Twilight said.

"My turn," Sonata said as she drew her card, "I summon Slime Jackal in ATK mode." A pile of purple slime appeared, which then transformed into a dog like shape." (A1500/D1200/L4) "I end my turn with a face down."

"Then I'll go," Celestia said, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." She drew her two cards and looked at her hand, before nodding. "First I'll play the Spell card Mystical Space Typhoon," she said as a tornado appeared on the field and sucked up Slime Guard, destroying it. "Next I'll summon Sun Spirit of Unified Light." A blonde woman carrying a long golden staff appeared. (A1800/D1400/L4) "And Unified Light's ability increases her ATK points by three hundred for every other Light Attributed monster on the field. With Sun Spirit of Shining Protection on my field, that's three hundred points to Unified Light." (A2100/D1400/L4) "Attack Slime Buffalo!" The woman's staff glowed, before firing a beam of light at the blue slime creature.

"I activate my face down," Sonata said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Slime Defender. This card lets me negate an attack on a Slime Monster by banishing one from the graveyard." A wall of green slime appeared in front of Slime Buffalo, saving it from the light beam.

Celestia frowned at this. "I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Aria said, "I draw." She looked at the card she'd drawn and her eyes glowed a bright red, Sonata's doing the same. "It is time," she said as she raised the card high, "I tribute Slime Bunny, Slime Jackal and Slime Buffalo." The three cards transformed into three piles of goop, which then began spiralling up and together into a tornado. Seconds later the three coloured slime vortex changed to a single colour, dark red, before it began to take shape. That shape was a giant red serpentine creature with a pair of T-Rex like arms and a pair of wings from its back. It's head had two mouths, one large one with a smaller one just above it.

The older of the group recognised the shape, all their eyes going wide at that thought. However as the slime creature finished forming, they realised it wasn't the real thing, just a slimy imitation.

"Slifer the Slime Dragon." (A?/D?/L10)

"Okay," Rainbow said, "that's just weird."

"And disgusting," Rarity said, "why would anyone want a monster like that in their deck?"

"And what's with its points?" Applejack asked, "it doesn't have any."

"Slifer the Slime Dragon's ATK and DEF points become the number of Slime Token in our Spell and Trap Zone times one thousand," Aria said. In that moment the three monsters she just sacrificed appeared as slime bubbles. "With three of them, Slifer's ATK points increase to three thousand." (A3000/D3000/L10) "Attack Sun Spirit of Unified Light." The dragon opened its mouth, before a giant slimeball appeared inside. The spat the ball, which flew at Celestia's monster and destroyed it. The force of the blast caused the two to shield themselves.

Celestial Sisters: 2400
Dazzlings: 3000

"I end my turn," Aria said.

"This is bad," Spike said, "against a monster like that, how are they suppose to beat it."

"It get's worse," Twilight said.

"What?" Sweetie asked, "how could it get worse?"

"They still have two empty Spell and Trap zones," Rarity explained, "so if those two manage to get two more Slime Tokens."

"Slifer's ATK points will increase by another two thousand," Cold finished.

"That's bad," Applebloom said in concern.

"Very bad," Applejack finished, "them two need to find a way to beat that thing and quick."

"It's my turn," Luna said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her card and shared a glance with her sister.

Celestia nodded and Luna looked back to the field.

"I set one card face down," Luna said "and then I'll end my turn."

"What was that look?" Pinkie asked.

"I'm not sure," Twilight said, "maybe a stratagy trigger or something."

"If I'm right," Cold said, "it's a card they can use to beat that creature. If they can get the other card needed."

"It's my turn," Sonata said, "I draw and equip Slifer with the Spell card, Fairy Meteor Crush." An aura appeared around the slime dragon, which then released a powerful which almost shook the ground. "With this card, whenever Slifer destroys a DEF position monster, it can deal you Piercing Damage."

"That's not good," Flash said.

"Slifer the Slime Dragon," Sonata ordered, "attack." The slime dragon once again opened its mouth, which filled with slime that it turned into a slimeball. It then fired the ball at Moon Spirit of Shaded Protection, before striking her. The force of the attack sent both sisters flying backwards, while the rest of the group shielded themselves with the transports.

When the attack finally ended and everyone stepped out from the trucks, they saw the Celestial Sisters picking themselves up off the ground.

Celestial Sisters: 1900
Dazzlings: 3000

"Sister," Luna said as she tried to pick herself up, "are you alright."

"I am," Celestia said as got to one knee, "do not lose hope sister."

"Never," Luna replied.

The two stood back up and was unsteadily on their feet. Also, Without its opposite, Moon Spirit of Shaded Protection's DEF Points decreased. (A800/D2000/L4)

"I end my turn," Sonata said.

"This is going from bad to worse," Rarity said, "if those two get another Slime Token, their monster will be strong enough to wipe them out by destroying Celestia's monster."

"Don't worry," Cold said, "they can do this. There's a reason a asked for their help, because I knew they had the skills to pull off whatever was needed."

Celestia stood tall as she stared at Aria and Sonata. "This isn't over," she said as she reached for her deck, "It's my turn. I draw!" She looked at her card and her eyes went wide, before turning to Luna and nodding.

Luna nodded in return, before they both turned back to their opponents.

"Here we go," Celestia said, "I activate the Quick Play Spell card, Divine Sun Spirit's Summoning."

"And I also activate a Quick Play Spell," Luna said, "Divine Moon Spirit's Summoning."

Cold smiled while everyone else stared at each other in confusion.

"With these cards," Celestia explained, "since our life points are below two thousand, I can banish three Sun Spirits from my grave."

"And I can banish three Moon Spirits from my grave," Luna said.

In that moment the ground opened up and from it, Sun Spirit of Daybreak, Unified Light and Blazing Ambition appeared, alongside Moon Spirit of Nightfall, Shaded Protection and Frozen Ambition. The six cards then flew up into the sky, before the Sun Spirits exploded in a burst of bright light, while the Moon Spirits exploded in a burst of dark light. The two sets of three lights combined before taking the form of two monsters.

Those monsters looked almost exactly alike. A pair of women in royal looking clothing, one in gold while the other in dark blue, both carrying either a gold or a black staff. The two radiated either a shining glow or a gentle dark aura.

"Divine Sun Spirit of Harmony!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

"Divine Moon Spirit of Harmony!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

Everyone was in awe at the sight of these two monster, which landed on the ground infront of their Duellists.

"This is great!" Spike said, "they're the same ATK as Slifer the Slime Dragon. Now one can camicazi it and let the other attack directly."

"There's no need of that," Cold said, "those two have an ability which will mean neither of them has to be destroyed."

"What do you mean?" Flash asked.

"Just watch," He said.

"I attack with Divine Sun Spirit of Harmony!" Celestia called out as her monster flew up and raised her staff high.

"That monster cannot defeat Slifer the Slime Dragon without destroying itself," Aria told her.

"Maybe on her own," Celestia said, "but her sister's here to help."

The two hypnotised girls wondered what she meant, until they heard Luna call out.

"Go Divine Moon Spirit of Harmony!" She called out. Her monster jumped up and raised its own staff. The two crossed their staffs, which then began glowing with gold and blue energy.

"When these two monster are on the field," Celestia explained, "they can combined their power into one super strong attack!" (A6000/D3000/L10)

"NO WAY!" They all called out as they saw this.

The two Spirits of Harmony unleashed their attacks, sending a spiralling beam of light and dark energy flying towards the red slime monster. It struck and blasted a hole through it and then struck the two girls.

The two let out a powerful scream as the explosion sent them flying back and slammed into the warehouse walls.

Celestial Sisters: 1900 (Winners)
Dazzlings: 0

As the monsters faded, the two sisters fell to her knees in exhaustion, before Cold and the others rushed over to them.

Suddenly the barrier flickered and then completely died, allowing Rarity and Pinkie to move over to Sonata and Aria and checked on them.

"Their out cold," Rarity said.

"Hopefully the force of that last attack knocked the hypnosis right out of their heads," Flash said.

"We're fine," Celestia told Cold, "you need to keep going."

"They're right," Cold said as he got up and turned to the others, "this was a stalling tactic. We need to get going."

The others nodded and quickly got up, before following Cold inside the warehouse. The only ones not to go in were Rarity and Pinkie, who were still checking on the two Dazzlings.

"Go," Luna told them, "we'll look after them."

They nodded and got up, before following the res of the group inside.

In the warehouse Cold pulled out his phone and called Sunset. "Anything?" He asked once she'd picked up.

"Yes," Sunset replied, "the scans show there's a staircase right infront of you."

Cold nodded and turned to the wall, which looked like it was just a wall. Walking along it he began knocking on it, until he came across a section which sounded different. "Here," he said to the swat team.

One of the guards stepped forward and began kicking at the section, but it appeared to be solid and hadn't even dented.

"We'll need a drill or something," Cold said.

"No need," Applejack said as she and Mac stepped forward, "allow us." The two stepped up to the wall and both used one solid kick, causing it to crack and then crumble. The staircase was revealed.

Cold turned to the two, obviously impressed, and then to the others. "Let's go."

With that the the group raced down into the depths of the building, ready for whatever else may be waiting for them down there.

Turn 31, Knight Takes Pawn

View Online

In Sombra's lab the man was in his chair, looking over the computer screens which showed an image of the invading force rushing down the staircase. He then turned to another screen, which showed numbers and other energy levels.

ENER-D CONVERGENE RATE SIXTY THREE PERCENT!

"More," he said, "I need more. They must Duel, with everything they've got."

He began typing away at his computer, before the image of Chrysalis appeared on it. "Is the second divergent ready?"

"Yes my king," Chrysalis said, "he is ready."

"And the card?"

"It's power level a holding steady," she replied, "the imprinting process was successful. He should be able to use it to the full effect."

"Good," Sombra replied, "we need more time. Are you and the others ready?"

"We are," Chrysalis said, "but the attacking force is greater then expected. We may not be able to hold them off for long."

"I already have a plan in place to dwindle them down," Sombra told her, "just be ready on your end."

Chrysalis nodded, before the screen went blank and he turned back to the one showing Cold and the others. "That's right," he said, "step into my web."

We join our band of heroes as they continue their trek into the deepest part of Sombra's hidden laboratory.

"Man," Spike said, "how long is this staircase?"

"We must be at least a mile down already," Twilight said.

"Just stay focused," Cold said, "when we reach the end, who knows what we'll come across."

"Well we'll come across it soon," Flash said as he pointed forwards, "look!"

They did and saw they were about the reach the bottom of the stairs.

"Remember," Cold said, "be ready for everything."

And so they reached the bottom and entered the room, discovering it was a large open space with nothing inside.

The group spread out and looked around, but they couldn't find anything that was of significance.

"I don't see anything," Rainbow said.

"Do you think this is just some kind of warehouse area?" Shining asked Cold, "they may have been keeping something in here before we came."

"Maybe," Cold said as he continued to look around, seeing a door on the far wall. "Let's move on," he said as he stepped towards it. In that second however, the room fell into pitch darkness.

"What's going on?" Sweetie asked in fright.

"I don't like this," Fluttershy quivered.

"Relax," Rainbow said, "they're obviously doing this to try and scare us off."

"Well it's working," Applebloom said.

"Stay close sis," Applejack told her.

Suddenly a single light shined from on high and illuminated a single area of the ground. Before the group could investigate it, that section of the floor opened up and from it, a cloaked figure was elevated up and into the room.

The group was a little suspicious of this figure, not the cloak thing as after Shadow and the Dazzlings they'd been expecting it, but at the fact that this figure was shorter then most of the group. The only ones he was taller then were Spike and the three youngest girls.

"Who are you?" Cold asked as he stepped forward.

The figure did not reply and instead reached up and pushed down his hood, revealing himself to the group.

"THORAX!"

The young prince looked around the room, one by one staring at the new occupant of the room.

"Thorax!" Spike yelled as he ran to the front of the group, "what are you doing here?"

"You don't think," Twilight said, "he's working for Sombra."

"That would explain the cloak," Flash said.

"No way," Spike said, "that's not Thorax."

"He's right," Shining said, "Look at his eyes." They did so, seeing the young boy's eyes were like Sonata's and Aria's. They were blank and cloudy, with no life behind them at all.

"He's been brainwashed," Spike said.

"He must have stumbled into this and got caught," Cold said, "Sombra made sure he couldn't squeal to the authorities."

"You think Chrysalis was caught to?" Shining asked.

"Possibly," Cold said, "meaning she's probably under their control as well."

"So what do we do?" Rainbow asked.

They got there answer when Thorax pulled out his Duel Disk and attached it to his arm.

"Looks like he wants to Duel," Flash said.

"Then who's gonna do it?" Twilight asked.

Spike stared at the boy he'd befriended that previous week, memories of watching his Duel with Flash and the Duel they'd had flowing through his mind. He'd grown to consider him a good friends and now, it was time to help that friend.

Spike stepped forward and pulled out his Duel Disk, attaching it to his arm.

"Spike no!" Twilight said.

"I'm Duelling him," Spike said forcibly, "I know his style quite well. I can beat him."

"It's to risky," Twilight said, "you saw how dangerous it was when Celestia and Luna Duelled."

"I know," Spike said, "but I have to do this. Thorax is my friend and I won't just stand on the sidelines while he needs help."

"But-" Twilight stopped when Flash placed his hand on her shoulder.

"He's right," Flash said, "it's the same danger no matter who does it. Spike is skilled enough to win this, while we need to move on."

"That's right," Cold said, "there doesn't appear to be a defence shield like last time. Let's move on." With that, Cold ran around the two preteens towards the door. Shining and Grand followed after, along with the rest of the group. The only ones who hadn't moved were Twilight and Flash, who obviously wanted to stay and watch.

"Go!" Spike told them, "I'll be fine on my own. I'll get him back above ground once the Duel's over."

"Alright," Flash said as he moved around them, Twilight the only one remaining.

"Twilight," Spike said before smiling at his sister, "I'll be fine."

Twilight stared at him for a few more seconds, before sighing and turning to follow Flash. "Just be careful."

"I will," Spike said, "promise."

With that, Flash and Twilight were gone leaving the two teens alone.

"Let's do this Thorax," Spike said as he activated his Duel Disk.

Thorax didn't reply, simply switching on his Duel Disk and preparing to face Spike.

"Don't worry," Spike said, "I'll have you back to normal soon."

"DUEL!"

Spike: 4000
Thorax: 4000

"First move's mine," Thorax said, his voice having no life in it at all. He drew and looked over his head, before looking back up at Spike. "I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Celtic Beithir and scale eight Celtic Ùruisg." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monsters flew up into them. The portal slowly began to open above his head. "I Pendulum Summon."

The portal opened and two lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

The first looked just like Celtic Guardian. "Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." (A1400/D1200/L4)

The second was a fish man like creature, carrying a tridant. "Celtic Merrow." (A1400/D1500/L4)

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Thorax said.

"Then it's my turn," Spike said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and summon Ember Dragon to the field in ATK mode." The little dragon appeared on Spike's field. (A1200/D1100/L3) "Next I'll equip him with the Dragon Gear Spell card," Spike said as Ember Dragon's wings disappeared, replaced by robotic ones connected to a metal suit that was strapped around its chest. "With this my dragon type monster gains one thousand ATK points." (A2200/D1100/L3) "Attack, Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" Ember Dragon took off, as from the wings folded out a pair of laser barrels. They charged up and fired, flying towards Thorax's monster.

"Ùruisg's Pendulum Ability increases my monsters ATK during the Battle Phase," Thorax said as his two monsters glowed. (A1700/D1200/L4), (A1700/D1500/L4) The blast struck Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, but the elf raised its sword and cut the laser in half.

Spike: 4000
Thorax: 3500

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian cannot be destroyed by a monster with nineteen hundred ATK points or more," Thorax explained.

"Fine," Spike said, "then I'll set one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "I draw. I Play the Spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon." A powerful tornado appeared on the field, before sweeping over to where Ember Dragon was. The little dragon reach down and held onto the ground with its tiny claws, as the gale blew close to it. However, it's Dragon Gear was ripped off its body before being sucked into the tornado and destroyed. (A1200/D1100/L3)

Spike frowned seeing this, knowing what was coming next.

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian," Thorax ordered, "destroy Ember Dragon." The elf charged forward, swinging its sword around and cutting the little dragon in two.

Spike: 3500
Thorax: 3500

"I activate Ember Dragon's ability," Spike said as the two pieces burst into flames and took the forms of two fireballs with a pair of eyes and a mouth. (A0/D0/L1)X2 "When you destroyed him, he created two Ember Tokens which I can summon in DEF mode."

"Then I'll have Merrow destroy on of them," Thorax said. The fishman used its trident to create a water bubble, which flew at one of the Ember Tokens and destroyed it. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Spike said, "I draw and I'll tribute my Ember Token to summon Iron Tail Dragon." The ball of fire exploded and from the flames, the pick axe shaped tailed dragon appeared. (A2100/D1400/L6) "Attack Celtic Merrow," Spike ordered, causing his dragon to take flight and soar towards the fishman. It spun around in midair and slashed it with its tail.

Spike: 3500
Thorax: 3100

"I end my turn," Spike said.

"It is my turn," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "I draw and play the Spell card, Monster Beacon. With this, we both select a monster type and draw until we get a monster. If the card is the same type as the one we selected, we add it to the hand, if not then t goes to the graveyard."

"Alright," Spike said, "I'll pick dragon."

"I also pick dragon," Thorax said, making Spike raise an eyebrow.

Thorax had never been seen using a dragon card. What was he up to?

The two drew their cards until they both got a monster. "Mine's a dragon," Spike said.

"Mine is not," Thorax said as he discard the card. "Now I tribute Obnoxious Celtic Guardian to summon Celtic Archer." The armoured elf disappeared and was replaced by a similar monster, wearing lighter armour and carrying a large wooden bow. (A2100/D1800/L6)

"What's he planning," Spike asked, "is he planning on destroying both monsters in an attack? But that would leave him open to attack from any monster I summon."

"Now," Thorax said as he held up a card, "it's time."

Spike's eyes went wide when he realised what was about to happen.

"I banish the three monsters in my graveyard," Thorax said, "to summon my most powerful monster." From the ground the spiritual bodies Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Celtic Hunter and Celtic Marrow flew out, before transforming into balls of spirit energy which flew into the card. In a flash of light, Thorax's best card appeared on the field. "Celtic Warlord!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

Spike looked up at the giant monster and gulped, knowing he was in trouble.

Meanwhile, Cold and the rest of the group were looking through the laboratory.

When Twilight found the computers, she'd started typing away at it to hopefully find something.

"No," Twilight said as the computer showed no data. "They've wiped the system," she explained, "there's nothing in here."

"They obviously didn't want us taking their info," Cold said as they left the room and entered into the corridor.

"We shoulder still take them after we've taken Sombra into custody," Grand said, "there may be some information we can find on their hard drives."

"Hey guys," Rainbow called out as she opened the last door in the corridor, "come check this out."

The whole group followed her through it, into a large empty room which was just like the one they'd met Thorax in. The only difference was this one was twice the size and had no other doors.

"What do ya'h guys think?" Applejack asked as she looked around.

"This seems to be the end of the line," Rarity said when she couldn't find any kind of exit.

"You don't think Sombra escaped do you?" Twilight asked.

"How?" Flash asked, "we would have noticed if he just walked by us. There has to be more to this place then we're seeing."

"He's right," Cold said, "we'll look around and see if we can find anything that might let us move on.

However in that second, the lights cut out and bathed the group in total pitch blackness.

"Not again," Pinkie said.

"Who's it gonna be this time?" Rainbow asked as they waited to see who showed up.

Suddenly they head a loud clanking sound, causing them to turn to the far wall. Suddenly the lights switched back on and they saw the whole wall had disappeared, leading to a large section of the room which was pitch black.

Before anyone could comment, a pair of bright red lights illuminated inside the room.

Everyone was on guard as the the lights got closer and eventually whatever was causing it stepped into the light, revealing itself as-

"Shadow!" Flash called out seeing the robotic version of him that he'd defeated earlier that day.

"But how?" Twilight asked, "you destroyed Shadow?"

"It must be a replica," Grand said.

However, in that second another pair of lights illuminated the darkness behind Shadow. It was quickly followed by another pair, then another and another and so on until the entire room was glowing red. The source showed themselves as more Shadow clones, which had numbers nearing triple digits.

"It's an army," Scootaloo said.

Each of the Shadows pulled out a Duel Disk, which they attached to their arms.

"Looks like we know what we're doing," Flash said as he took out his Duel Disk.

"But it's Shadow," Twilight said, remembering the last time she'd Duelled the robot.

"I doubt these things are as good as he was," Cold said, "best guess their backup bodies for him."

"Then let's take them out," Rainbow said as she pulled out her Duel Disk, "time for some payback."

"RIGHT!" The others said as they did the same.

Meanwhile, Spike and Thorax's Duel continued.

"With Celtic Ùruisg," Thorax spoke out, "Celtic Warlord and Celtic Archer gain three hundred ATK points." (A3300/D3000/L10), (A2400/D1800/L6) "Celtic Archer, attack Iron Tail Dragon." The elf drew its bow and aimed the arrow at Spike's monster.

"I activate my face down," Spike said as his card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Scale-Mail! This card negates your first attack and then equips onto Iron Tail, raising his ATK and DEF by three hundred." Armour, the likes of which knights used to wear, appeared around Iron Tail Dragon's body. (A2400/D1700/L6)

"Then Celtic Warlord will attack your dragon," Thorax said. His giant elf raised its colossal sword, before swinging it through the air and destroying Spike's monster.

Spike: 2600
Thorax: 3100

"And now Celtic Warlord's effect will activate," Thorax continued, "dealing you two hundred points of damage for each of your monsters Level points." The warlord swiped its weapon through the air, sending a gust of wind which knocked Spike of his feet.

Spike: 1400
Thorax: 3100

"I end my turn," Thorax said.

As Spike picked himself up, he looked up at Thorax. "Obviously the brainwashing hasn't stripped you of your skills," Spike said, "but I'm not going down without a fight." He stood fully up and went to his deck. "It's my turn," he said, "I draw!" He looked at his cards and smiled, before remembering back during the trip over.

"Seriously," Spike said as he took the cards.

"Yes," Cold said, "I had them made for you, using info I'd gathered from previous Duels."

Spike wasn't the only one with new cards. Fluttershy, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle all had their own.

"We'll need every advantage we can get," Cold said.

The four nodded.

"Thanks Cold," Spike said as he held the cards up, "I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Flame Viper Dragon and scale seven Flame Banner Dracokid." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, which two monsters flew into. The first was a red serpentine dragon with bat wings, while the other was a small red humanoid dragon carrying a banner with a dragon emblem on it. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Spike said as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Fireheart Dracokid!" (A1000/D800/L2)

"Armoured Wyvern!" (A1500/D1200/L4)

The last was a small red dragon, carrying a small dagger. "Underling Dragon!" (A500/D500/L2)

"And now," Spike said, "I tune Level two Fireheart Dracokid with Level four Armoured Wyvern and Level two Underling Dragon." The small dragon flew into the air and transformed into two balls of fire, which carved a pair of burning rings which the two dragons flew into. "Cast your flames across this battle field, and burn everything that is weak to ashes" Spike said as his monsters burst in an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames erupted, as Spike's ace burst free and revealed itself. "Dragonic Blazemaster!" (A3000/D2000/L8)

"Your dragon cannot destroy my Warlord," Thorax told him.

"That would be true," Spike said, "if it wasn't for Underling Dragon's ability." Blazemaster roared as it began to glow. (A3500/D2000/L8)

"What?" Thorax asked.

"When Underling Dragon is used as Synchro Material," Spike explained, "the Synchro Monster gains five hundred ATK points for this turn. Plus Flame Banner Dracokid's Pendulum Ability grants any fire attributed monster on my field five hundred extra points." (A4000/D2000/L8) "Now Dragonic Blazemaster, attack Celtic Archer!" The dragon raised it sword as it ignited, before swinging it at the elf and destroying it.

Spike: 1400
Thorax: 1500

"Now his ability will allow him to attack Celtic Warlord," Spike said as his monster once again attack, striking Thorax's best monster and destroying it.

Spike: 1400
Thorax: 1150

"I end my turn," Spike said, "Underling Dragon's effect now wares off." (A3500/D2000/L8) Spike looked over at his opponent, a smirk on his face. With Celtic Warlord destroyed, Thorax didn't stand a chance now.

"It's my turn," Thorax said as he went to his deck, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd drawn and his eyes glowed bright red. "It's time," he said as he held up the card while the portal formed above his head, "I Pendulum Summon."

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, before taking the form of a black pony insect hybrid. It had blue wings and bright blue eyes. "Changeling Drone!" (A1000/D1000/L6/P3)

"What the?" Spike asked seeing the card.

"I activate Changeling Drone's ability," Thorax said, "to transform him into any monster on the field or in the graveyard until my next turn." The monster was engulfed in a flaming cocoon and when it disappeared, its new form was that of Dragonic Blazemaster though it was black in place of red. (A4000/D3000/L6/P3)

"Oh boy," Spike said.

"Changling Drone," Thorax said, "attack Dragonic Blazemaster." The fake dragon raised its sword, which ignited in green flames, before slashing at Spike's monster and destroying it.

Spike: 900
Thorax: 1150

"Turn end," Thorax said.

"It's my turn," Spike said, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." He drew his two cards and his eyes went wide seeing what he'd got, before turning to Thorax. "I play Monster Reborn, to revive Dragonic Blazemaster." In a burst of flames, Spike's Synchro Monster appeared on the field, powered up by Flame Banner Dracokid. (A3500/D2000/L8) "I place on card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Thorax said as he drew his card. In that second the Changling Drone reverted back to its original form. (A1000/D1000/L6/P3) "I summon Celtic Guardian," he said as his elf warrior appeared on the field. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Now I'll once again use Changling Drone's ability to transform back into Dragonic Blazemaster." Once again the bug creature was surrounded by green flames, before emerging as Dragonic Blazemaster. (A4000/D3000/L6/P3) "It's over," Thorax said before finally speaking with some conviction, "ATTACK!" The fake dragon charged forwards, raising its blazing sword as it did so.

As Spike watched it draw near, he was completely calm. "I don't think so," he said, "I activate my Trap!" His face down flipped up, revealing itself to the world. "ASSAULT MODE ACTIVATE!"

Dragonic Blazemaster was engulfed by a pillar of fire, which slowly grew larger and larger. "Harbinger of destruction, spread your raging flames across this battle field and rise from the ashes in your ultimate form!" The pillar of fire exploded, revealing Spike's new monster. It looked like Dragonic Blazemaster, but it was now wearing purple armour with golden trim. It had two sets of red wings with golden membrane, but the most notable thing about this creature was that it had four arms. In the two lower arms it carried a pair of flaming cutlasses, while in its two higher arms it carried a pair of large futuristic handguns which it had pointed at the sky. "Dragonic Blazemaster, ASSAULT MODE!" (A3500/D2500/L10)

Thorax stared up at the monster in horror.

"With Flame Banner Dracokid's Pendulum Ability," Spike said, "he's getting a five hundred points boost. (A4000/D2500/L10)

Thorax frowned, not wanting to risk losing his monster he ended his turn.

"It's my turn," Spike called out, "I draw and my Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode will attack your Celtic Guardian." The giant dragon raised its twin blades and charged towards Celtic Guardian.

"I activate my face down," Thorax said as his card flipped up, "Brittle Shield. This card lets me change a monster with more ATK then DEF to DEF mode." Celtic Guardian got into a defensive stance, just as Blazemaster struck it and destroyed it.

"You can't defeat me," Thorax said, "next turn my Changling Drone will take your Assault Mode's form and defeat you." However, when he looked over at Spike he saw the teen had a smile on his face.

"I think not," he said, "because I have Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode's ability. Since he destroyed a monster on your field, he gets to destroy another monster and then deal you damage equal to that monsters Level times three hundred."

Thorax's eyes went wide seeing this. "What is this?" He asked before clutching his head. Pain was flowing through it like a jackhammer.

Spike saw this and grew concerned, before figuring that maybe the real Thorax was trying to break free. "Come on Thorax!" he called out, "I know you can hear me! Don't let whatever they did to you change who you are!"

Thorax continued to feel the pain and felt himself fall to his knees.

"Come on," Spike yelled, "you're stronger then this. SNAP OUT OF IT!"

Thorax yelled out in pain, before slowly opening his eyes. "Spike," he said weakly.

"I'm here," Spike said.

Thorax tried to say something more, but the pain intensified as Sombra's brainwashing tried to retake his mind. "Please," he said, "help me."

Spike nodded, before turning to his monster. "Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode, destroy Changling Drone and end this!"

The giant dragon aimed its twin pistols at the fake dragon and fired them, unleashing a barrage of flaming projectiles which struck Thorax's monster and destroyed it.

Spike: 900 (Winner)
Thorax: 0

Thorax yelled out as his life points dropped to zero and he fell to the floor.

"THORAX!" Spike yelled as he rushed towards his friend and kneeling down next to him. Picking the teen up he looked him over. "Come on buddy," he said, "say something."

Thorax's eyes slowly opened and he looked up at Spike. "Spike," he said weakly, "thank you."

Spike just smirked and helped him stand up. "No problem bud," he said, "now let's get you out of here."

"What about the others?" Thorax asked.

"Don't worry," Spike said, "they'll be fine." With that the two teens made their towards the stairs and headed back to the surface.

Meanwhile Chrysalis had been watching her son's Duel on her Duel Disk and scoffed at his failure. "Why'd I waste all that money on Duel tutors?" She asked herself before switching the feeds, which showed images of four others. "It's time," she said, "select your opponent and warp them to your locations." The four nodded and cut the transmission.

Once that was done, Chrysalis attached her Duel Disk to her arm.

"I hope your ready Duel Paladin," she said.

Meanwhile inside the lower hanger, the place was like a war zone.

Monsters were flying all over the place, clashing at full force against the robot's monsters. Cold was right when he said these Shadows weren't as skilled as the original, as they didn't use any of the Extra Deck Shadow-Mechs. Even so, the pure mass of the robots was growing problematic.

"Flash Heart Dragon!" Flash called out, "attack!" His ace charged at Shadow-Mech Hoist and destroyed it, before swinging its tail and smashing the Shadow who'd summoned it. That Shadow went flying and smashed against the wall. Flash tried to get his breath back, but before he could another Shadow stepped up to him. "Whenever we take one down, two more take their place."

"They'll run out eventually," Twilight said from behind him.

"This is taking forever," Shining said as Grand Emperor destroyed Star Shuttle.

"Keep going," Cold said as Frozen Heart Dragon destroyed Fortress.

Twilight Sorcerer, Assault Wing Gold, Orchard Sheriff, Gem-Knight Lady Master Diamond, Sacred Guardian Beast Grand Grizzly and Balloonimal Chimera, Wild Rush Raptor, Schuberta the Melodious Maestra, Maiden of Great Bloom, Commander of the Raging Storm Soveruin, Advanced Mecha Worker Cyber Handyman, Muka Muka and Twin Blade Shinobi were also flying around the room, battling the multiple Shadow-Mechs and destroying them.

Each battle was followed up by another, causing the group to begin to tire.

"This feels like it'll never end," Rainbow.

"We can't give up," Applejack said.

Suddenly however, a light appeared around Applejack and Big Mac.

"Hey," Applejack said, "what the same hill's going on?" She didn't get her answer, as in that moment their was a flash of light and she and Mac were gone.

"APPLEJACK!" Applebloom screamed, "MAC!"

Another light appeared, this time around Rainbow. "Look out," Fluttershy called as she rushed to her friend, only to be caught in another flash and disappearing along with Rainbow.

"What's going on?" Shining said before he suddenly disappeared.

"NO!" Twilight called out but in that second she was surrounded by light and then vanished.

"Twilight!" Flash called only to disappear alongside Cold.

"Amigo!" Tidal screamed. However, the wave of robots was quickly drawing their attention.

Where had Flash and the others gone? Only time would tell.

Turn 32, A Sombra Story

View Online

"Hello, HELLO!" Sunset yelled into the computer. They'd been monitoring everyone from home base and had been about to tell them of Spike's victory, when suddenly a large number of their group had suddenly vanished.

"We've lost contact with eight of our field team," one of the computer experts said as they began typing.

"They must have blocked communications," another said.

"Negative," another replied, "the rest of the party are all present and accounted for."

"SHINING!" Cadance screamed into her headset, "TWILIGHT! ANSWER ME!"

"Grand Hoof!" Sunset said once she'd opened a channel to the rest of the team. "What's happening."

"We don't know," Grand Hoof replied, "we were fighting against these robots when they all suddenly disappeared."

"A teleporter?" Sunset wondered.

"That's just a theory," Cadance said, "no one's actually mastered that technology."

"It seems not," Sunset said before turning to the computer team, "scan the whole area. I want them found!" The team all nodded and began their work, leaving Sunset and Cadance to worry.

"Please be alright," Cadance said.

As Shining slowly began to stir, he felt himself laying on a hard surface.

Slowly picking himself up, he looked around and found he was in some kind of rocky labyrinth. He was standing on a platform in the centre of the room, with different bridges connecting it to the surrounding walls which had holes lining it.

"Where am I?" He asked as he continued to stare at the place, "and how did I get here?"

"I brought you here."

Shining spun around and saw someone stepping towards him, their face masked by the darkness. Finally they stepped into the light, revealing themselves as Chrysalis.

"I hope you like it," she said, "it's my favourite Action Field."

"Action Field?" That would explain it. "Wait!" Shining said as he turned to the woman, "Chrysalis, what are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help fulfil my kings desires," Chrysalis said.

"King?" Shining asked. The way she spoke wasn't like Thorax or the Dazzlings. She sound like she normally did, meaning one thing. "You're here through your own free will," Shining said.

"That's right," Chrysalis said, "what, you thought I'd be hypnotised or something?"

"How could you work for Sombra?" Shining said, "and how could...you let them do that to your own son, WHY!?"

"The boy needed to be straightened out," Chrysalis said, "you try having kids some time and see how well you cope."

"You're a monster," Shining said. With that he raised his arm and activated his Duel Disk. "You're going down."

Chrysalis just smiled as she did the same.

As Twilight began to open her eyes, she picked herself and looked around.

She saw she was standing on a familiar clam shaped stage.

"Oceanic Opera," she said, "this is where I Duelled-"

She froze when she heard someone's footsteps getting closer. Turning around she saw a figure in a cloak, strutting down the aisle towards her.

"Enough of the cloak," Twilight said as she glared at them, "I know it's you."

The figure stopped and reached up to pull her hood of her head, revealing an enormous amount of orange hair.

"Adagio," Twilight growled, but her anger quickly faded when she saw her eyes. They were cloudy and unfocused, similar to how her sisters and Thorax had been. "Not you to," she said.

"Rainbow, please wake up."

Rainbow's eyes fluttered open as she looked up and into the face of her best friend. "Fluttershy," she said, "what's going on?"

"I don't know," Fluttershy said, "I don't know where we are."

The rainbow haired girl picked herself up and looked around, but couldn't see anything but darkness. She felt the ground beneath her and realised it was grass, possibly AstroTurf, making her even more confused.

"Did we get brought outside?" She asked as she stood up.

"Not exactly!"

Before the two girls could answer that unusual vice, they were suddenly bathed in bright light. Looking around they realises they were in the centre of a soccer pitch.

"That voice," Rainbow said, "I know that voice."

Suddenly a spotlight came on and illuminated one of the goals and there, standing on it, was a figure in a cloak.

"Long time no see Rainbow," the figure said before dehooding themselves.

"No way!" Rainbow said seeing them.

"How?" Fluttershy asked.

Lightning Dust just smiled at this, as she stared down at the two. "We've got a score to settle."

At this moment, Applejack and Big Mac were both coming around to.

"Err!" She moaned as she picked herself up and held her head, "what happened?" Turning to see her brother she asked, "ya'h okay Mac?"

"Eyup," Mac said as he picked himself up.

Looking around they saw they were in a familiar looking canyon area.

"A've been here before," Applejack said.

"Well well well, looks like their awake."

The two turned to a nearby canyon ledge, where two tall cloaked figures stood.

"Indeed brother of mine," one said, "best not leave them hanging."

"Agreed brother of mine," the other said.

They reached up and pulled off their hoods, revealing two identical men standing side by side.

"Flim and Flam," Applejack said as she glared at them, "what are you two doing here?"

"We're here to get our payback," Flim said, "for when you humiliated us in the Survival Duel."

"We wanted to also get even with that Sentry boy," Flam said, "but he was off limits for some reason."

Applejack and Big Mac glared at the two brothers.

"Flash, FLASH!"

Flash's eyes shot open as he suddenly sat up.

Looking around he saw he and Cold were in a dark room, so dark that he could barely see Cold who was kneeling down a few feet away.

"Good," Cold said, "you're awake."

"Where are we?" Flash asked as he picked himself up. He tried to step closer to Cold, but suddenly felt himself walk into something he couldn't see. "What the?" He asked as he held out his hand but once again felt the force field and felling around him, he saw he was trapped in a circular prison.

"I'm in the same boat," Cold said as he placed his hand on the one he was stuck in.

"What happened?" Flash asked, "how did we get here?"

"I transported you here."

Flash and Cold turned towards the voice, as the room was suddenly filled with light. There they saw a flight of stairs and at the top of those stairs was a large throne like chair. And sitting in that chair was a man they both knew, even though neither had ever met him.

He was a sickly looking man with wrinkled skin and a scared face. The whites of his eyes were in fact green.

"Sombra," Cold said.

"Yeesh," Flash said, "guess you got the looks."

"Hello there little brother," Sombra said, "how good to finally see you after all these years."

Cold just glared over at him.

"Sombra!" Flash yelled out, "where are my friends?"

The weak man smiled as he pressed a button on his chair and caused a bunch of screens to appeared around them. On those screens they saw a bunch of Duels going on.

One showed the mass battle royal taking place in the hanger they'd been in.

Another showed Grand Emperor battling against a dark copy of itself.

One had Twilight Alicorn facing off against Dark Siren, which appeared to have captured Tempest Conjurer.

Another showed Rainbow Assault Wing Gold and Scared Guardian Beast Rush Rabbit, battling Jetstream Thunderbird.

And the last had Orchard Cowboy and Handyman battling against Exodia Necross.

"Lightning," Flash said, "and the Flim-Flam Brothers."

"All working for me," Sombra said, "and thanks to them your friends are generating an excellent amount of Ener-D."

Cold's eyes went wide. "So that's it. How could I be so stupid? You're using us to generate the Ener-D needed to summon the last two monsters."

"That's right," Sombra said, "the amount I need is at eighty eight percent. Once it reaches one hundred, I'll be able to do it."

"Why?" Flash said, "why are you doing this? Why cause so much pain? Why'd you betray my parents?"

Sombra's face turned to one of rage hearing that. "I didn't betray them," he said, "they betrayed me!"

Flash and Cold didn't understand, seeing this Sombra sighed and spoke calmly. "I guess it is time I explain why I'm doing this. It started when I was a boy."

"Hello there."

A young Sombra, who'd been curled up in the corner of an alleyway, looked up. There he saw a man with pale blue skin and white hair. The man smiled at the boy and held out his hand.

"Don't be afraid," he said, "my names Icy Winds. what's your name?"

Sombra. It was the only word I could remember when they found me. No matter what they asked me, the only thing I could say to them was this one word. So they made it my name.

"This is your new home Sombra," Icy said as he and the boy stepped out of the limo.

Sombra looked up and saw the large skyscraper, the sign above the door saying 'Freeze Industries'.

"It's the company our family runs," icy explained, "at the top is an apartment building where we live."

And so I went from living on the streets, to living in the lap of luxury. I was grateful. They treated me as if I was their own son, but deep down I never truly felt like I belonged.

"He's an amazingly quick learner," Sombra's tutor told Icy Winds and his wife Winter Snow.

"I'm happy to hear that," Icy said.

"He'll be a great heir," Winter said.

I knew they were grooming me for taking over the company and I was happy to accept. I spent every waking moment preparing to take on that role, until.

"Oh," Winter said as she held a baby in her arms, "he's so beautiful."

"He looks just like me," Icy said "what should we name him?"

"Cold Steel," Winter replied.

Meanwhile a twenty year old Sombra watched from the other side of the room. A frown on his face.

All my hard work, taken from me in an instant. I knew they chose their true heir over the ward. I felt my future slipping away.

Not long afterwards, they passed away. Killed in a car crash. Despite his legal heritage, Cold was to young to run a company. And so I stepped in and began to put everything I'd learned into play, but I knew it was just a temporary fix. Once Cold grew up, he'd take the company and I'd have nothing. And so it was that I tried to find something else in my life that could give it meaning and one day, I found it.

"Hello Mr Sombra," Misty Vail said, "it's nice to meet you."

She was amazing. Like no other woman I'd ever met. Over the year she worked for me, I slowly grew to feel for her as more then just an employee. I knew she was meant to be what would give my life meaning, so I set about to make her mine.

"Are you sure you want me to do this?" Misty asked as she took the note with the address on it.

"I trust you," Sombra said, "just go to this location and show them your ID. They'll give you the case and you'll just have to bring it back here."

"Okay," Misty said as she bowed and then turned to leave.

I planned to ask her to dinner as a reward, where I would confess my feelings to her. However, someone got in the way.

"Excellent work Ms Vail," Sombra said as he took the case from her, "how about I take you out for dinner as a thank you."

"I'd love to," Misty said, "but I'm afraid I have plans."

"Oh?"

"I met this amazing guy," Misty replied, "he helped me protect the case from some thugs. I'm letting him take me out as a thank you."

"Oh," Sombra said.

I thought it was just a small delay, that this man, Trail Blazer, would just be a passing fancy and they'd soon break up. However, one date turned into several as the weeks turned into months and a year later.

"You may kiss the bride," the priest said as Misty and Trail did so.

Everyone in the church cheered at this, everyone except Sombra, who stood at the back with a glare on his face.

How dare he take the woman that was destined to be mine. Once again I felt my future being ripped away from me. Anger and hatred began to fill my heart as I continued to watch them happy together, enjoying the life I should have had.

"Wait a minute!" Flash said, "are you saying you've done all this because my mom married somebody other then you?"

Sombra didn't reply.

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Flash yelled, "that's the stupidest reason to turn evil ever!"

"Are you in love?" Sombra asked.

Flash didn't reply, though the image of a certain violet haired girl popped into his head.

"I can tell you are," Sombra said, "what would you feel if the one you loved decided to be with somebody else, even though you knew they belonged with you?"

"It'd hurt," Flash said, "but in the end it would be her choice. I definitely wouldn't try and take over the world!"

"I'm not just doing this because of her," Sombra said, "I'm doing this to make this world better. It is my destiny!"

"Breeches?" Misty asked as she and Trail sat in Sombra's office.

"That's right," Sombra said, "my science department have been experimenting with this theory. That the creatures in the Duel Monsters game are real and that they come from another universe. It's through these breeches that they come to know our world, either being pulled through them by something or someone, or simply falling through them."

"And you want to see if you can find these breeches?" Trail asked.

"That's right," Sombra said, "if we can find one and pass through it, we'll be known the world over as the people who proved the multiverse theory true. We'll be famous."

"But why do you want our help?" Misty asked, "I'm sure there are those you can help you better."

"Maybe," Sombra said, "but none have your abilities."

He was of course talking about Misty Vail's ability to see the Duel Monster Spirits that existed in this world.

"It is my belief that you are extra sensitive to the breeches," Sombra said, "meaning you may be able to act has a homing beacon for them. And you Mr Blazer, are experienced in this line of work. That's why I want you two to help me."

Misty and Trail glanced at each other, before nodding and turning back to him.

"We'll do it," Misty said.

A so it was that we began our journey. I knew this had to be it, my purpose, the thing that would make me remembered. We began our journey, searching areas my scientist had theorised to have breeches. But.

"Nothing?" Sombra asked Misty. They were in Scotland, at Loch Ness.

"I feel something," she replied, "but it's very weak. There may have been a breech here, but not anymore. I think it closed."

"Well try harder!" Sombra said, "we've been doing this for months with nothing to show for it!"

"Hey relax," Trail said as he placed a hand on Sombra's shoulder, "we knew this wouldn't be easy. If it was somebody would have already done it by now."

Sombra didn't reply. He just brushed Trail's hand off and walked away.

Trail and Misty both watched him walk off, before sharing a worrisome glance.

My hopes to find a breech slowly began to dwindle, until they were almost none existent. But then we arrived in Egypt, a place where Duel Monsters had first began centuries ago. We searched and learned about a tomb strongly connected to the ancient games. We found it and chose to rest for the night before heading inside. Then that night, I had a dream.

Sombra was flying through a dark tunnel at high speed.

"What's happening?" He asked as he looked around, "where am I."

"You!"

Sombra looked around to see where that mysterious voice came from. "Who said that."

"You are like us!"

"What?"

"You have no place, like us. We are the same."

"What do you mean no place?" Sombra asked, "I'm going to have a place, once I find the breech."

"Is that your place? Is it where you truly belong?"

"I...I...I don't know," he replied.

"We are the same. We have no true place, so we must make one."

"Who are you?" Sombra asked.

"We are known by many names. Shadows, Umbrum, but the name we chose for ourselves is...Doom-Vaders."

"Doom-Vaders," Sombra repeated, "where did you come from?"

"From another universe. So alike yet dislike. We came into being by wondrous accident, and have tried to spread our beautiful gospel of darkness across the land. However, we were stopped by a band of light and now find ourselves sealed away, waiting for someone like us to free us.

"Me?" Sombra asked, "what can I do."

"We can give you power, in exchange you must free us."

"How do I do that?"

"You will know soon enough, but to gain this power a sacrifice must be made.

"I don't care what I have to do," Sombra said, "I'll do it."

Then we are in agreement.

In that second a bright light blinded Sombra and the next thing he knew, he was awake.

I knew that was more then a dream. I knew I'd been chosen by something and that it was my destiny to help them.

The next morning, Sombra, Misty and Trail entered the tomb.

"Be careful," Trail said, "it'll be easy to get lost down here."

Misty nodded as she and Sombra followed him deeper into the tomb. For many miles they searched, using a rope to guide them back.

"We may have to stop for the day," Trail said as he showed the end of the rope. "We'll comeback with more rope."

"Wait," Misty said as she stepped forwards, "I feel something."

Suddenly she shot forwards, down further into the tomb.

"MISTY!" Trail called out, "wait! We'll just get lost."

"This could be it," Misty said, "if we don't hurry it might close."

She continued into the tomb, Trail and Sombra following after her. Eventually she stopped infront of a large stone door, while looking for some way to open it.

"It's through here," she said. "If we could just find a way to open this."

"It's like I always say," Trail said as he reached into his bag and pulled out several sticks of dynamite. "If you can't open a door, make a new one." He took a single stick and attached it to the door, before lighting it and rushing back several feet.

BOOM!

As the smoke cleared they looked at the door and saw it was no more.

Misty smiled as she rushed in, followed by Trail with Sombra at the back.

The room was a large open space, with only a bridge in the centre which they walked along

"This is it," Misty said, "I can feel it."

"Look!" Trail said. He pointed down below the bridge, where a single light shined.

"Is that?" Misty asked.

"It must be," Trail said, "it's a breech. The doorway to another world."

"WE DID IT!" Misty screamed as she jumped into Trail's arms and kissed him.

"We did," Trail said before turning to Sombra, "we done what you wanted Sombra. We've found a breech."

Sombra however was staring down at the breech, the voice he'd heard last night whispering in his ears.

"This is your chance, your one and only chance. Release us and we will help you make your place."

Sombra reached into his bag and pulled out several sticks of dynamite.

"What are you doing?" Trail asked.

Sombra didn't answer and instead lit them, before tossing them at the doorway.

BOOM!

The doorway collapsed as rubble filled it up.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Trail screamed as he ran towards Sombra.

However, Sombra turned back around and threw another stick of dynamite at them. It landed at their feet, giving them only a few seconds to leap back before going off.

BOOM!

The bridge gave out, causing Misty Vail and Trail Blazer to fall. Trail managed to grab his wife's hand and cling onto the ledge, before looking up into the eyes of his supposed friend.

"Why?" Trail asked, "why have you done this?"

"It is my destiny," Sombra said as he stepped on Trail's hand, crushing his fingers beneath his boot. "But to achieve my destiny, a sacrifice must be made." With that he raised his boot, causing Trail's weakened fingers to give and let go. He watched as the two fell towards the breech, holding onto each other as they were engulfed. They, were gone.

Seconds passed and the light slowly dimmed, turning into a dark glow. Suddenly it exploded with that dark light and Sombra was engulfed by it.

When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in the tomb. He was in a dark place and he wasn't alone. Several creatures hidden within the darkness stared down at them, their eyes a combo of red and green.

"Are you the Doom-Vaders?" He asked.

"We are," The largest of the shadows said, "and you are the one who will set us free."

"How?"

"You will know how," the shadow said, "once you yourself have become one of us."

Suddenly the shadows began to surround Sombra, encasing him in a cocoon of darkness.

"You will return to your world and eventually bring us to it. You must open a doorway for us, the Shadow Gate, but to do that you must make a connection between this world and yours. How that is done, you must find."

That was the last thing Sombra heard before passing out.

"After that I awoke and discovered I was back in this world," Sombra explained, "and since that day I have been working to summon them to this world. I found loyal servants who wished to help me, I discovered a way to create cards that could hold the Doom-Vader's dark power and I have collected the Ener-D needed to summon them here. Now I am only two cards away from completing my mission."

Flash and Cold were horrified by the tale. Unable to believe he would do such a thing.

"How could you?" Flash asked as he punched the wall of his cage, "how could you do that to my parents? YOU'RE FRIENDS!" He pulled out his Duel Disk and activated it, before pulling out a card and slapping it on it. "FLASH HEART!" Flash called out as his eyes glowed.

In a flash of light, his ace monster appeared and with one solid punch, smashed through the force field holding Flash.

The teen looked up at Sombra and slowly began to step towards the stairs.

"You could have had everything you'd ever wanted," he said, "but you let your greed get the better of you. You betrayed people who cared about you, just because you were jealous." He then burst into a run up the stairs. "HOW COULD YOU!" He reached the top step and leapt at Sombra, ready to deliver an all out punch to him, but he was suddenly stopped.

From out of the floor and ceiling came a bunch of mechanical arms, which had grabbed Flash around the arms and legs.

Sombra just smiled. "Perfect," he said, "all that Ener-D is just what I needed."

The arms pulled back, pulling Flash into the air.

"FLASH!" Cold yelled out before turning to his brother. "What are you doing?"

"As you can see," Sombra said, "summoning these monsters takes a mighty toll on the body. I was the only one who could do it, so I did. It was likely I wouldn't have survived summoning the last two, but now you've brought me the very thing I need to do it."

Cold's eyes went wide hearing this. He was going to use Flash's link to the Duel Monster Spirit World to summon them.

"No," he said.

Flash struggled against the restraints, but they were to strong. Suddenly from our of the ceiling a metal helmet came out and strapped itself to Flash's head.

"It's time," Sombra said as reached out and grabbed a far off leaver. "Like father like son," he said, "you both end up helping me." With that he pulled the leaver and activated the machine.

Flash's eyes went wide as the energy flowed through him. He let out a horrifying scream, which filled the entire building.

Twilight and the rest of the group had been in the middle of their Duels when they heard the scream.

"That voice," Twilight said, as dread filled her heart.

"Flash," Grand said.

He and the rest of the group were filled with fear at this.

Back in the lab, Flash's screams continued as the lights suddenly gave out.

Sombra watched as the card in the chamber glowed and began to take form.

Cold was so focused on Flash, that he didn't realise the force field around him had given out.

Finally the yelling from Flash stopped as the machine finished its job. The mechanical arms released him and he began to fall to the ground.

Kicking into action, Cold ran forwards and managed to break his fall. Looking the teen over, he saw he was completely unconscious.

"Flash?" He said, but got no reply. Suddenly his focus was on the laughing that came from his brother.

Looking up he saw Sombra standing up from his throne, the new card in his hand, before looking down at the two. "Only one card remains." Suddenly a bunch of shadows appeared around his arm and took the form of a pitch black Duel Disk, which activated and made a blood red blade. Sombra took the new card and placed it on the blade. "Arise, Doom-Vader, Tyrant Reaper Dragon!"

A bunch more shadows appeared, before taking form behind Sombra. Eventually they faded, revealing his monster. It was a a giant twelve meter high dragon with black crystal armour with red crystal trim. It had a pair of black wings which folded to look like a cape and in its hands was a black scythe like weapon, with a red crystal blade.

Cold was horrified at the monster, before looking back at his brother.

Shadows were gathering around him, sealing him inside a cocoon of darkness. Seconds passed and the cocoon cracked, releasing Sombra. Gone was the frail and weak man, who had somehow been restored to his younger self. He now wore a metal suit of armour with a blood red cape hanging from his shoulders.

Sombra looked at his new body and smiled.

"Excellent," he said as he held out his hand. A nearby hatch opened and the rest of the cards flew out and into his Duel Disk. "I'd suggest you get out of here," he said, "this whole place is about to blow." With that there was a flash of light and Sombra vanished.

Before Cold could react, a loud siren went off. Knowing Sombra wasn't bluffing, Cold picked Flash up and ran towards a nearby exit.

The siren was heard all over the building.

"Looks like that my cue," Chrysalis said as she deactivated her Duel Disk. The images disappeared and she turned to Shining. "Hope we meet again some time."

"I'm not letting you escape," Shining told her as he tried to tackle her, but in that second she disappeared in a flash.

Adagio did the same.

"What are you doing?" Twilight asked, but the girl didn't answer, instead just disappearing. "NO!"

"Later losers," Lightning said before also vanishing.

"Get back here!" Rainbow called out.

"Rainbow," Fluttershy said, "we have to go." She pulled her to a nearby door.

"Looks like we'll have to finish our business another time," Flim said.

"Agreed brother," Flam replied.

"What are you two talking about?" Applejack asked.

In that moment the brother both disappeared, leaving the Apple Siblings to try and find a way out.

Outside, Spike and the Celestial Sisters heard the sirens and grew concerned.

They grew even more so when they saw Grand Hoof and the rest of the group rushing out the building.

"What's going on?" Spike asked, "where's Twilight."

"We have to get out of here," Grand said, "I think this place is about to blow."

"WHAT!" Spike screamed.

"Look!" Applebloom called out as she pointed to the barn.

Rainbow and Fluttershy were rushing out the barn, followed shortly by Applejack and Mac. Twilight was soon to follow and Shining brought up the rear.

"You're all okay," Spike said.

"Not all of us," Twilight said as she turned back to the barn, "where's Flash?"

They all waited, but as the time passed they grew more and more worried. Eventually they all sighed in relief as they saw Cold rushing out of the barn, Flash over his shoulder.

"COME ON!" Cold yelled, "let's get out of here!"

They all leapt into the transports and began to speed away. Not ten seconds after they did.

BOOM!

The whole building was obliterated.

Everyone looked out the windows at the mushroom cloud, wondering what could have happened.

Meanwhile Twilight was looking over Flash, who was still unconscious, before turning to Cold.

"WHAT HAPPENED!?"

Cold frowned as he began to shake. "Sombra played us all for fools."

That was all he said, but somehow everyone understood what he meant. Sombra had tricked them and now they had no way of knowing where he was or what he had planned.

Turn 33, Crystal Clarity

View Online

Darkness, everywhere.

That was all Flash could see as his eyes drifted open. He wasn't sure where he was. He couldn't feel anything, not even the temperature of wherever he was. He was just floating in a black void of darkness where nothing existed, no sound, no smell, just an infinite void of nothingness.

"Where am I?" He asked but there was no reply. "How did I get here?" Again there was no reply.

Seconds passed as he continued to float there. But had it been seconds, or maybe hours. Time seemed to be the one thing he couldn't keep track of.

"Am I," Flash asked himself, "going insane?" Once more there was no answer and slowly his eyes began to grow heavy, as he slowly began to drift back into unconsciousness. "Somebody, help me."

It had been a week since the failed attempt to capture Sombra and stop whatever he was planning.

Since then there hadn't been any sightings of Sombra or his goons.

We find our heroes at Freeze Stadium, where they were trying to find a way to locate them.

"Find anything?" Cold asked from the computer room.

"We're sorry sir," one of the tech specialists said, "but nothing we do is bringing up any information."

"Their out there," Sunset said as she arrived in the room, "we just need to keep looking."

"How are the others?" Cold asked as he turn to her, "any change in them."

"Afraid not," she replied, "the four of them are all still unconscious."

In the medical bay we find Twilight stilling in a chair, next to the bed she'd been in after her Duel against Shadow. This time however the bed was occupied by Flash, who'd been out since his run in with Sombra.

As she watched him resting on the bed, she looked over at the other bed in the room. Thorax was laid on it and was also still asleep.

She'd been in the room all week, wanting to be there when Flash woke up. Scootaloo, Grand Hoof and the rest of their friends had been in and out, but still there seemed to be no change in him.

The door of the room opened and Spike stepped in with Shining and Cadance.

"Hey," Cadance said, "how are they doing?"

"No change," Twilight said sadly, "it's been a week and their still unconscious. Why?"

"Well we don't exactly know what they did to Thorax," Shining said, "brainwashing's not exactly a well known science, so it's side effects are up in the air.

"And we don't even know what Sombra's machine did to Flash," Spike said, "who knows what it's side effect are."

Twilight's heart sank as she heard this. She'd already known this of course, but hearing someone actually say it made it feel all the more real. "This is all my fault," she said as she placed her hand on his, "if I'd been there."

"But you weren't there," Cadance assured her, "you can't blame yourself. They separated you on purpose just so you couldn't help him."

"But I let Adagio distract me," Twilight replied, "I should have just tried to get away and find the others."

"Stop it Twilight," Cadance told her as she turned the girl towards her, "we were all tricked by Sombra, it's not just your fault. Yes we messed up and yes Flash got hurt because of it, but sitting here crying isn't going to change anything."

"She's right Twilight," Shining said.

"If Flash were awake," Spike said, "he'd say you're just wasting time."

Twilight wanted to agree with them, but even so she couldn't shake the feeling of hopelessness that filled her heart.

"Come on," Cadance said as she directed her towards the door, "you've been in here to long. Some fresh air should help you."

"I don't know," Twilight said but Cadance simply pushed her outside.

"No excuses," Cadance said, "Shining and Spike can keep an eye on them until you get back." And with that they were out the door.

While this was happening, the rest of the group were in the underground Duel Arena.

"Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" Rainbow called out, "attack." The bird man flew at Orchard Cowboy, who was able to hold him back.

Rainbow and Applejack had been training hard all week, with the intention of stopping the ones they'd Duelled back during the invasion of Sombra's lair.

Meanwhile, Mac and Maud were also Duelling each other. Like the other two, they hoped to help stop Sombra's goons.

Rarity and Pinkie weren't Duelling.

They'd gone to the other medical bay, where Sonata and Aria were resting. Like Flash and Thorax, the two had been unconscious for a week now and showed no signs of waking up.

"It hurts thinking back," Pinkie said, her hair limb, "they're only like this because we beat them."

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but they made their choice when they agreed to help Sombra.

"Yeah," Pinkie said, "but I still feel guilty."

Rarity continued to stare at the two, before nodding in agreement. "Me to."

Twilight was outside in the stands of the main stadium, sitting on one of the seats.

Cadance stepped into the stands, having gone to get them both something to drink, before seeing where she was and stepping over to her. "Here," she said as she handed Twilight a can of her favourite soda.

"Thanks," Twilight replied as she took it and started drinking. For some reason she couldn't enjoy it like she normally would.

"You okay?" Cadance asked.

"I don't know," Twilight said, "I can't stop thinking about how scared I was when I heard Flash's scream." Tears began to fill her eyes, while Cadance placed her hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay Twilight, of course it hurt when someone you love is hurt like that."

"What?" Twilight asked as she turned to her, her eyes going wide.

Cadance just smiled at this, before taking out a handkerchief and wiping her eyes. "Don't try to deny it missy," she said, "you're in love with Flash. It's perfectly alright."

Twilight thought about what she'd just said. Was she really in love with him? She thought back to all the times since she and Flash had met and couldn't help but smile at the memories. But then her heart once again ached when she remembered his scream back in the lab.

"It's okay," Cadance said, "Flash will be fine. He's one of the strongest guys I know. He beat Shining, Cold and Shadow. He'll pull through this."

"But what if he doesn't?" Twilight asked.

"You have to have faith in him," Cadance said. Seeing Twilight wasn't going to be getting out of the funk, Cadance tried to think up something to help her. It was at that moment that an idea popped in her head and she looked out at the Duel Field. "Okay," she said as she got up, "come on. We're gonna get your mind off this."

"How?"

"The way all Duellists forget their troubles," Cadance replied, "we're gonna Duel."

"Really," Twilight said in confusion, "I'm not in the mood."

"A real Duelist is always ready to Duel," Cadance said as she grabbed Twilight's arm and pulled her up. Before pointing her towards the Duel Field.

Twilight wanted to try and say no, but she had a feeling Cadance wasn't going to take no for an answer.

The two arrived at the field and Cadance pulled out her Duel Disk and began typing away at it. Suddenly the floor began to light up beneath their feet.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

The light took form and eventually the two female Duelists found themselves on the street of a city made entirely of Crystal, with crystal houses, crystal streets and a giant crystal castle in the centre of the city.

"Welcome to the Crystal Empire," Cadance said. "You ready to begin."

Twilight took a deep breath and nodded, before pulling out her Duel Disk and attaching it to her arm. "Let's do this," she said.

"Alright then," Cadance said as she did the same.

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Cadance: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"I'll take the first move," Cadance said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her hand and nodded, before turning to Twilight. "I'll start by summoning my Crystal Butterfly to the field in ATK mode." In a flash of light, the crystal winged butterfly appeared on the field. (A1200/D1000/L3) "And when Crystal Butterfly is Normal Summoned," she explained, "I can add a random Crystal monster to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card that Cadance took. "I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Twilight said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked through her cards and a plan quickly formed in her head. "I summon Magi-Beast, Twilight Unicorn in ATK mode." In a flash of light, Twilight's ace Pendulum Monster galloped onto the field as Twilight leapt onto its back. (A1800/D1300/L4/P7) "Now attack Crystal Butterfly!" Twilight ordered as her monster fired a beam of magic out of its horn, striking Cadance's monster and destroying it.

Twilight: 4000
Cadance: 3400

"I end my turn with a face down," she said as she did so.

"Then it's my turn," Cadance said, "I draw and summon Crystal Knight in ATK mode." In a flash of light, a man who looked remarkably like Shining Armour appeared wearing crystal armour and carrying a crystal sword. (A1800/D1100/L4/P5)

"A Pendulum Monster," Twilight said as she saw this, "if she has one of those, then she must have more. She's gonna try and Pendulum Summon her monsters later to try and Synchro Summon."

"Crystal Knight," Cadance then said, "attack Twilight Unicorn!"

"But their ATK points are the same?" Twilight said, "if you attack then they'll both be destroyed?"

"Not once I use my knight's special ability," Cadance said. Her monster raised his sword and the light of the sun refracted off it, hitting Twilight Unicorn and blinding it. (A1300/D1100/L4/P7) "When he attacks a monster, it loses five hundred ATK points." The knight charged at Twilight's Unicorn."

"Run!" She ordered as her monster galloped away, rushing down the street in search of an Action Card. "THERE!" She cried as she saw one in a crystal windowsill. Her monster leapt up and she reached out and grabbed the card, but when she saw it her heart stopped seeing a Trap card.

"To bad."

Twilight looked up and saw Cadance, standing on the crystal roof of the house she'd pulled the card from.

"That Action Trap's called Crystal Rain," she explained, "which deals you five hundred points of damage."

The card transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and turned into a dark cloud that began raining down crystal fragments on Twilight. She cried out as she was struck by them.

Twilight: 3500
Cadance: 3400

Before Twilight could try and recover, Crystal Knight caught up and slashed at her monster. He destroyed it and sent Twilight flying back.

Twilight: 3000
Cadance: 3400

"I end my turn," Cadance said.

Twilight sat herself up and looked over at her sister-in-law, who was still standing on the roof.

"You okay?" Cadance asked.

"I'm...fine," Twilight said as she stood up. "It's my turn," she reached for her deck, "I draw." She did so and saw it was Shadow Charmer, but without a monster in her graveyard she couldn't use it's ability. She looked down at her face down, Ritual of Rebirth, which also wouldn't help her. "I summon Defender, the Magical Knight in DEF mode." Her magic warrior appeared on the field and raised his giant shield, ready for whatever Cadance threw at him. (A1600/D2000/L4) "And when Defender is summoned," Twilight said, "he gets a Spell Counter." The crystal in the centre of his shield glowed. "end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Cadance said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and play Pot of Greed." She drew her card and when she saw the card she'd drawn, she smiled. "I summon Crystal Lion in ATK mode!" In a Flash of light, a pink Lion wearing crystalline armour appeared. (A1600/D1300/L4)

Twilight frowned at this. That card couldn't hurt her monster, so what was with the smile?

"Now I tune Level four Crystal Lion with Level four Crystal Knight," Cadance called out as the lion glowed as it shot into the air and transformed into four rings, which Crystal Knight flew into as they became transparent. "Crystals are seen as little pieces of the earths heart," Cadance said, "and when they shine it feels as if that heart is beating." Her monsters exploded in a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Cadance's best monster. "Crystal Princess!" (A2000/D2000/L8)

Twilight began to grow nervous at this.

"Next," Cadance said as she took two other cards from her hand, "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Crystal Phoenix and scale six Crystal Guardian." She slapped the cards onto her Duel Disk, as the columns of light appeared on either side of her. Two monsters then appeared and flew up into them, one being a bird with crystals for wings and the other being a shield carrying knight with crystal armour. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Cadance called out as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and from it came a light, which struck the ground and took the form of Crystal Knight. (A1800/D1300/L4/P5)

Twilight frowned at this, knowing Cadance was preparing something big.

"With Crystal Knight on the field," Cadance explained, "Crystal Princess gains five hundred points. (A2500/D2000/L8) "Now attack!" The Synchro Monster waved her hand and sent her crystals flying towards Defender, which struck the knight's shield.

"By removing a Spell Counter," Twilight explained, "I can prevent my knights destruction." The light from the shield's crystal intensified and formed a force field which protected it against the attacking crystals.

Cadance then leapt off the roof, using the crystals as a stepping stones to reach the roof of a higher building. There she grabbed an Action Card. "I activate Offensive Light, which causes a monster to switch to ATK position." A bright light appeared and shone on Defender, causing him to stand up and lower his shield. "Now my knight will attack!" Cadance ordered as her monster charged at Twilight's. It reflected the sunlight with its sword, blinding Defender and reducing his ATK points. (A1100/D2000/L4) With one strong slash, Cadance's knight slashed Twilight's to bits.

Twilight: 2300
Cadance: 3400

"I end my turn," Cadance said as she stepped back onto her monster's crystal as they floated through the air. They flew over to the crystal castle, while Twilight rushed over to it on foot.

Twilight frowned as she looked over her situation. She needed to beat Crystal Princess, but with Crystal Knight on the field she couldn't target it for an attack. "Need something big," she said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her card and an idea formed in her head. "I summon Shadow Charmer to the field in ATK mode!" Her favourite Tuner Monster appeared next to her. (A1200/700/L3) "Then I'll use his ability," Twilight said as she discarded a card. In a flash of light, Defender reappeared back on the field. "Now since we have the same number of monsters on the field, I can Special Summon Illusionary Magician to the field." Another Flash and the show magician appeared besides Twilight's over monsters. (A1400/D1300/L4)

Cadance raised an eyebrow, wondering what Twilight's plan was.

"And now!" Twilight said as her Tuner Monster rose its staff, "I'm tuning my Level three Shadow Charmer with Level four Illusionary Magician." Shadow Charmer flew into the air and transformed into three balls of light, which carved the circle that Illusionary Magician flew into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." In that moment her monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Twilight's ace. "Twilight Sorcerer!" (A2100/D2800/L7)

"Now I'll activate Twilight Sorcerer's special ability," Twilight said as her deck began to shuffle before slotting out a card for her to take. "I activate Spellbook of Secrets, which lets me add another Spellbook to my hand." Her deck once again shuffled, before slotting out a card for her to take. "Now I'll activate it, Spellbook of Power." Defender glowed as his power increased. (A2600/D2000/L4) "Attack!" The knight charged forward and smashed Cadance's monster with his shield, destroying it.

Twilight: 2300
Cadance: 2600

"And since he destroyed a monster," Twilight said, "Spellbook of Power's second effect lets me add another Spellbook to my hand." Another card slotted out, which Twilight took and added to her hand. "Now Twilight Sorcerer will attack," she said as her monster raised its staff, "and with two Spellbooks in the graveyard, he gets two hundred extra points." (A2300/D2800/L7) The Synchro monster fired a magical blast, which struck Crystal Princess.

Cadance leapt off the crystals and onto the balcony of the castle, before looking up to see her monster be destroyed.

Twilight: 2300
Cadance: 2300

I end my turn," Twilight said.

Cadance smiled down at her sister-in-law, happy that she seemed to have taken her mind off Flash for now. "I think it's time I end this," she said as she reached for her deck. "I draw," she looked at her card and nodded. "I summon Crystal Chick." In a flash of light, a pink baby bird with crystals in its feathers appeared by her side. (A400/D100/L2) "And with Crystal Chick's ability, I can also summon another monster to my field. I summon the Tuner Monster, Crystal Fairy!" Another monster appeared, a fairy with crystalline wings. (A100/D100/L1)

"A Tuner monster?" Twilight asked. If she Pendulum Summoned Crystal Knight, Cadance could Synchro Summon a Level six monster but did she have one?

"And now," Cadance said, "I tune Level one Crystal Fairy with Level one Crystal Chick." The small fairy glowed before she transformed into a single ball of light, which then carved a ring that Crystal Chick flew into. "Let the glimmering light of crystals bath your innocent soul," Cadance said as her monster were engulfed by an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing a new, cute, monster. It looked like Crystal Princess, but it was a toddler with whitey pink skin and pink and blue hair. "Crystal Child!" (A300/D200/L2)

"Such a weak Synchro Monster," Twilight said in confusion, before a thought entered her head. "Unless."

"I activate Crystal Child's ability," Cadance said, "when she's Synchro Summoned, I can revive one Crystal Monster from my graveyard until the End Phase." In a flash of light, Crystal Princess appeared before grabbing Crystal Child and holding it like a mother would her child.

"It must be," Twilight said.

"Next I'll once again cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Cadance said as the portal began to form above the castle. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and out shot a single light, which took the form of Crystal Knight. (A1800/D1300/L4/P5)

The three monsters stood by side, a little crystal family ready to take Twilight down. "And now," Cadance said, "I tune Level two Crystal Child, with Level eight Crystal Princess." Crystal Child leapt out of her mothers arms and then transformed into a ball of light, which then carved a pair of light rings. Crystal Princess flew into those lights and became transparent. "Let the heart of the earth shine brighter then ever before and unleash a new level of power!" Cadance chanted as her monster were was consumed by an explosion of light. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"

The light faded, revealing Cadance's newest monster. It looked like Crystal Princess, but her dress was longer and more elegant. Her hair had been done up into a beautiful design with crystal styled hair pins and atop it sat a brilliant crystal crown. She stood atop a large crystal platform in the shape of a heart and the crystals that had been floating around her were now shaped like hearts. "Crystal Empress!" (A3500/D2500/L10)

Twilight looked up at the new monster, mesmerised by its beauty, before realising she was in serious trouble.

"I activate Crystal Empress's ability," Cadance said, "an ability which increases the ATK of every other Crystal Monster on my field by a thousand!" The Accel Synchro monster raised its crystal hearts, which shined and sent that light into Crystal Knight's sword which was held above his head. (A2800/D1300/L4/P5)

"Oh boy," Twilight said.

"Alright my knight," Cadance said, "take out Defender." And he did, jumping off the balcony and falling towards Twilight's monster. He reflected the sun off his sword and blinded Defender, (A1100/D2000/L4), before slashing at the monster and destroying it.

Twilight: 600
Cadance: 2300

"And now Crystal Empress," Cadance said, "finish this!" Her monster raised the crystals, which then refracted the sunlight and created a beam of light which flew towards Twilight Sorcerer.

Twilight rushed through the street, looking for an Action Card but as she finally managed to spot one on top of a crystal roof, the blast struck her monster and destroyed it while sending her flying.

Twilight: 0
Cadance: 2300 (Winner)

As the Action Field faded, Cadance rushed over to Twilight and helped her up. "You okay?" She asked.

"Yeah," Twilight said as she brushed herself off, "but it looks like I lost."

"It was a close match," Cadance said, "but the good thing was you got your mind off of Flash. Hopefully it also got you to start thinking clearly again."

"Yeah," Twilight said, "I guess I am feeling a little better."

"Good," Cadance told her, "because you need to be focused if you're gonna help us stop Sombra and his goons."

"Me?" Twilight asked.

"You beat Adagio," Cadance replied, "and if she's still helping Sombra then it's most likely you'll have to do so again. But to do that, you need to be at your best."

Cadance's words flowed through her head and made a large amount of sense. She had defeated Adagio and if they ran into her again, she did have the best chance of doing so again. But no doubt Sombra would have upgraded her deck, so to beat her again, she'd need to improve her own skills.

"You're right Cadance," Twilight said, "if this Duel is anything to go by, I'm still a ways off from being to best I can be. I can't let my emotions get the better of me. I need to be focused on the task at hand."

"Exactly," Cadance said as she placed her hands on Twilight's shoulders, "but promise me something. When Flash wakes up, tell him how you feel. You'll be happy you did and Flash will have something even more to fight for."

Twilight smiled hearing this and nodded in agreement. Yes, she would do that. She would tell him everything when he woke up.

"TWILIGHT!"

The two turned to the stands, where Spike had just come running into looking out of breath.

"There you are!" He called out when he saw them.

"What's up?" Twilight asked.

"It's Thorax," Spike said, "he's awake!"

The two's eyes went wide hearing this, before rushing out of the stadium.

They arrived back in the medical bay and found Cold along with the rest of their friends standing around Thorax's bed.

The teen boy was eating some food out of a bowl, obviously trying to regain his strength after being asleep for so long.

"You doing okay?" Twilight asked him.

"Yeah," Thorax replied, "my head still hurts a little, but it's getting better."

"Well don't worry," Sunset said, "we'll have our medical team give you a full check up once we're done."

"Thanks," Thorax replied before realising something. "What happens to me after that? If I'm missing my country may grow concerned."

"Don't worry," Cold said, "it seems your mother planted a story that you were both staying in Canterlot to work on a project. We haven't had anyone suspecting anything."

Thorax frowned hearing mention of his mother, obviously upset about learning she was working with an evil mad man.

"Thorax," Cold went on, "I know this is hard, but you need to tell us anything you know about what there planning."

Thorax nodded and went on to recount the story of how he'd followed his mother to the warehouse and snuck in, before finding the computer lab and looking through the files.

"The Crystal Tower?" Rainbow asked, "what's that."

"I have no idea," Thorax replied, "when I clicked on the file I saw blueprints for it, along with words and numbers I didn't understand. Before I could find out I got caught. Then I Duelled my mother and lost."

"Did they mention anything else?" Shining asked.

"Just something called the Shadow Gate," Thorax replied, "but I've no clue what that is."

Everyone else sighed hearing this. They had very little to go on and probably very little time to find anything else.

What was Sombra and his minions planning?

Sombra stepped into a dark room and walked inside, spotlights switching on as he walked. He then arrived at a computer terminal, which he began typing.

Seconds passed and the screen switched to show the image of a man with bright red hair and scars covering his face.

"Doom Raizer," Sombra said, "how goes the extraction process?"

"Slowly I'm afraid my king," the man named Doom Raizer replied, "the stronger spirits are handling it better, but if we overtax them they'll fade completely."

"Then find stronger spirits," Sombra said, "we can't afford anymore delays."

"Yes my king," Doom said before the screen went blank.

Once again alone, Sombra pulled out the last remaining card and sighed. "I'm so close."

Turn 34, Rainbow Falls

View Online

Five years ago

A twelve year old Rainbow Dash found herself on a field with a bunch of other kids her age, all dressed in soccer gear. Rainbow was currently dribbling a ball along the ground, zigzagging around some cones and then racing towards the goal. With one powerful kick, she shot the ball towards the goal and scored.

A little while later, Rainbow and the rest of the kids were waiting as the coach pinned up the chart. Rainbow pushed to the front and looked up at the chart. "Alright," she said, "I came...second? Who came first?" She looked up at the name above her and read it aloud. "Who's Lightning Dust."

"That would be me."

Rainbow looked around and saw a girl her age with the same coloured skin, with yellow and orange hair.

"So you're my competition," Lightning said with a smirk on her face, "think you can keep up?"

"Of course," Rainbow said, "I'll soon have my name atop that chart."

Lightning smirked. "That's good," she said, "it wouldn't be any fun if I didn't have someone who actually was a threat around." She held out her hand, "may the best player win."

Rainbow nodded and shook her hand, agreeing with what she'd said.

Rainbow slowly woke up from her sleep and got up stretching out her body as the haze of her slumber vanished.

Looking over at her clock, she realised she'd overslept and was gonna be late for training with the others.

"Aw man!" Rainbow said as she got up and headed over to her closet to find something clean to wear. As she did, her eyes caught a glimpse of something on her wall which made her stop. It was an old photo of when she'd been at Soccer Camp, which showed her and the rest of her camper troop. At the front of the group was Rainbow, alongside another young girl.

"Lightning Dust," she said. Her memory flashed back to when they'd infiltrated Sombra's headquarters.

"We have a score to settle."

Rainbow and Fluttershy stared up at Lightning, who was standing on one of the goalposts, in total shock at what they were seeing.

"Lightning Dust!" Rainbow almost screamed, "what are you doing here?"

"That's my business," Lightning said, "all that matters is that I'm here and now I'm ready to take my revenge on you."

"You think she joined just to beat you?" Fluttershy asked.

"Doubt it?" Rainbow said, "there's no way she could have known I'd come here."

"Right about that," Lightning replied before leaping of the goal, soaring over the two and landing in the center of the field, "just luck I suppose." She pulled out her Duel Disk and attached it to her arm, "once I get you back for what you did, I'll have nothing stopping me from being the best. So let's Duel!"

Rainbow sighed as she sat back on her bed and continued to stare at the picture.

Despite the Duel ending before a winner could be determined, Rainbow had a feeling she would have lost if it had continued. Even with Fluttershy's help, Rainbow hadn't been able to do much. Lightning had obviously been training hard since their last Duel.

Her memory then flashed back to her Duel with Shadow and how horribly that had ended. "I need to get stronger," she said.

Later that day at the Freeze Stadium.

"Orchard Sheriff attack!" Applejack ordered as her monster fired its blasters at Gem Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond, destroying it and reducing Rarity's life points to zero.

"Oh," Rarity moaned as she deactivated her Duel Disk, "I lost again."

"Sorry Rarity," Applejack said as she pushed her hat up head head, "guess a'm just in the zone today."

"Applejack's on fire," Pinkie said as she and Fluttershy watched from the corner.

"Yes," Fluttershy said, "she's been training really hard all week."

"A'h have to," Applejack said as she and Rarity stepped over to them, "a'h need to be at ma'h best if a'm wanting to take those two out."

"Flim and Flam?" Rarity asked.

"Yeap," Applejack said, "when a'h first Duelled them, it was Flash who finished them off and when we Duelled them last it wasn't looking to good. A'm gonna need to up ma'h game if a'm wanting to take them down."

"Well you won't be alone," Rarity said.

"That's right," Fluttershy said, "we'll be there with you."

"We sure will," Pinkie said, "cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Thanks ya'll," Applejack said before turning to the door, "now if only Rainbow would get here."

"She is running late isn't she," Rarity said.

Fluttershy had also noticed this and grew concerned. "Have any of you noticed lately that Rainbow's been acting a little different?"

"How so?" Applejack asked.

"I've been watching her Duel all weak and I've noticed she's been rushing through her Duels," Fluttershy said, "it's like she's trying to get the Duel over with as fast as possible."

The three thought about this for a moment, trying to think about the Duels they'd had against her the last few days. Now that Fluttershy mentioned it, Rainbow had seemed eager to summon her best cards end her Duels quickly.

"A'h guess a'h never really thought about it," Applejack said, "but isn't that just her style."

"Indeed," Rarity said, "her deck's all about summoning multiple monster at once, so she can Overlay them."

"That may be true," Fluttershy said, "but Rainbow's starting to rush her moves. She's not thinking them through like she always did. I'm worried she's grown scared."

"Scared?" Pinkie asked in confusion.

"That doesn't sound like Rainbow darling," Rarity said.

"You haven't known Rainbow as long as I have," Fluttershy said, "we've been friends since kindergarten and since then I've seen Rainbow become the person she is today. She loves a challenge and always wants to face and opponent at their best, but now it's like she's become afraid."

Fluttershy looked at the ground, as if embarrassed about talking about Rainbow behind the girl's back. However, when she felt Applejack's hand on her shoulder she looked up and into her friends eyes.

"Ya'h right," Applejack said, "no one knows Rainbow like you. If you think there's something wrong then we need to find out what it is."

"That's right," Rarity said, "we can't have one of our best Duellists at anything less then one hundred percent."

"Maybe we can throw a party to make her feel better," Pinkie said.

"I don't think that would work," Fluttershy said, "we need to find out what the problem is."

In that moment, the door opened and the person they were talking about rushed in.

"Sorry I'm late," Rainbow said, "I overslept."

"Well as long as ya'h here," Applejack said.

"Right," Rainbow said, "now who's up to Duel me first?"

She looked around at Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie, trying to decide which one to take on. However, in that moment a certain voice spoke out.

"I am!"

They all turned to Fluttershy, who had stepped up to accept Rainbow's challenge.

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this.

"You sure?" She asked, "this ain't gonna be a for the fun of it sit down match. I'll be going all out."

"I know that," Fluttershy said, "but I'm up for it. Unless you don't think you can take me?"

Rainbow's eyebrow raised even further. "Of course I can take you. Just don't start crying when I win."

Fluttershy nodded and pulled out her Duel Disk, attaching it to her arm and began walking over to her side of the field.

"Are you sure about this?" Rarity asked as she and the other two walked with her, "you don't really like playing actual Duels."

"Maybe," Fluttershy said, "but I have to. Keep an eye one how Rainbow plays and you'll see what I was talking about. I'm gonna do everything in my power to slow her down."

"Alright sugarcube," Applejack said, "we trust you. Just be careful alright."

"I will," Fluttershy replied.

"Hey," Rainbow said, "we doing this or what?"

Fluttershy turned to Rainbow and activated her Duel Disk, forming a pink blade. "I'm ready"

"Then let's do this," Rainbow replied as she activated hers to.

"DUEL!"

Fluttershy: 4000
Rainbow: 4000

"I'll go first," Fluttershy said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I'll start by playing a Field Spell. Hope you're ready for a trip to the Sacred Guardian Beast Sanctuary." She sent a card into the Duel Disk and suddenly the area around them began to change. The ground beneath them transformed into rock, with grass and trees appearing around them. A large waterfall was to their right, which fed a stream that flowed between the two Duellists. "Now any insect, beast and beast warrior we summon gains three hundred points," Fluttershy explained, "I now summon Kuribon in DEF mode." A version of Kuriboh appeared on the field, this one having a tail with a bow tied around it, before hopping around happily. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Rainbow said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her cards and smirked, knowing this Duel wouldn't last long. "I'm gonna set the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Rainbow Wing Knight Eagle and scale eight Rainbow Wing Knight Owl." The columns of light appeared besides her and two monster flew up into them, one having armour based on Rainbow Wing Yellow Eagle. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Rainbow chanted as the portal began to form, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two streaks of light shot out of it and struck the ground, transforming into a pair of identical monsters.

"Rainbow Wing, Blue Falcons!" (A1600/D1400/L4)X2

"Fluttershy's right," Rarity said, "Rainbow didn't even take a moment to consider her opponent's stratagy."

"She's ignoring Fluttershy's face downs," Applejack agreed.

"And now," Rainbow said as her two monsters glowed and changed into lights, before shooting into the air, "with these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." The black hole appeared below her which the lights flew into. "When birds of a feather flock together an awesome power is unleashed." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's ace. "Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" (A2300/D1700/R4)

"I activate Assault Wing Gold's ability," Rainbow said, "to remove an Overlay and add a winged beast from my deck to my hand." Her monster used his katanna to slash through its Overlay, as Rainbow's deck shuffled and slotted out a card for her to take. "Now I'll summon it, Rainbow Wing Knight Hawk." (A1400/D800/L3/P6)

"I activate my face down," Fluttershy said as her card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Trap Hole! With this, your monster is automatically destroyed."

As soon as the Pendulum Monster landed on the ground, it fell through a hole which suddenly appeared and sucked it up to destroy it.

"Rainbow walked right into that one," Pinkie said.

Rainbow frowned falling into Fluttershy's trap, but just shook her head and decided to keep going. "Alright, Assault Wing Gold attack!" The Xyz monster drew his sword and soared towards the furball creature, who was currently shaking in fear.

"I activate Sphere Kuriboh's ability," Fluttershy said as she discarded the card from her hand. The robotic version of Kuriboh appeared and flew over to Rainbow Assault Wing, buzzing around him and causing him to begin swatting away at it. Eventually the Xyz monster kneeled down and struck the robot, destroying it before taking a defensive stance.

"What the heck?" Rainbow asked in confusion.

"By discarding Sphere Kuriboh," Fluttershy explained, "I can cause your monster to switch to DEF mode."

Rainbow was literally growling at this, before crossing her arms and ending her turn.

"Fluttershy's sure doing a heck of a job," Applejack said, "bein able to keep Rainbow at bay like that."

"She wasn't kidding when she said she'd slow her down," Rarity said.

"But this Duels gotta end sometime," Pinkie said.

"Well hopefully Fluttershy will be able to hold on long enough for Rainbow to realise her mistake.

"It's my turn," Fluttershy said as she went to her deck, "I draw and now I'll tribute Kuribon to summon Sacred Guardian Beast, Grand Grizzly!" The furball disappeared in a flash of light, before being replaced by the four armed armoured bear. (A2300/D1800/L6) "And thanks to my Field Spell, he gains three hundred points." (A2600/D1800/L6) With two Level one monsters in my graveyard, Grand Grizzly gains a hundred points for each one." (A2800/D1800/L6) "Attack Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" Fluttershy ordered, as her monster charged forward and slashed at Rainbow's Xyz monster.

Rainbow watched as her monster was destroyed, though since Rainbow had put it into DEF mode her life points her safe.

"I end my turn," Fluttershy said.

"Then it's my turn," Rainbow said as she drew her card. She didn't have anything in her hand so as much as she hated to, she'd have to play defensively. "Once again, I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Rainbow said as the portal began to form above head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out, before transforming into a DEF position monster. "Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "And since Wing Knight Kestrel was Special Summoned, I can add Rainbow Wing Red Kestrel from my deck to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card for her to take. "Now I'll summon Red Kestrel to the field in DEF mode." The bird of prey appeared and flew around the room for a moment, before landing next to its Wing Knight counterpart. (A1500/D1200/L4) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my draw," Fluttershy said as she drew her card. She looked at it and smiled, knowing it would come in handy soon. She then looked over Rainbow's current field and thought for a moment, knowing that if she destroyed her Wing Knight, Rainbow would just resummon it and then add another Red Kestrel to her hand. Until she could destroy it, she'd focus on the none Pendulums.

"Come on already!" Rainbow said, "what's the hold up. I could have had five more Duels in the time it's taking you."

Fluttershy and the rest of their friends all frowned at this.

"Alright," Fluttershy said, "I attack your Rainbow Wing Red Kestrel!" Her Grand Grizzly charged forward, before grabbing Rainbow's monster in its lower arms before slashing at it with its higher ones. "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Rainbow said as she reached for her deck, "I draw she looked at the card she'd got and frowned, before looking at her field. "It is getting annoying," she said, "I end my turn."

Fluttershy smirked at this, knowing Rainbow was so focused on trying to win that she was growing impatient. That meant she wasn't thinking properly.

"My turn," she said, "I draw and once again I'll attack your Red Kestrel with Grand Grizzly!" Once again the four armed bear thrashed at Rainbow's monster, destroying it. "I place one card face down and end my turn," Fluttershy said.

"Then I'll go," Rainbow said a smirk on her face. "Thanks for destroying my Wing Knight," she said, "because I've got what I need to win. First I'll once again cut through space time and recarve the arc of victory," she said as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and out of it shot Rainbow Wing Knight Kestrel, who flew around before landing infront of Rainbow. "Next I'll use his ability, which'll let me add Red Kestrel to my hand." Her deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which Rainbow took and then slapped down on her Duel Disk. The bird of prey flew onto the battle field, before flying over to Wing Knight and landing next to it. (A1500/D1200/L4)

"What's she planning?" Applejack asked.

"Why summon them in ATK mode?" Rarity asked, "Fluttershy's Grand Grizzly will easily destroy them both."

"Now I'll activate this Spell card," Rainbow said as she used the card she'd drawn last turn, "Xyz Rebirth! Now I can Xyz Summon an Xyz monster in my graveyard, as long as I have the monsters needed." The two Kestrel monsters glowed before shooting into the air and then into the black hole that appeared at Rainbow's feet. "When birds of a feather flock together an awesome power is unleashed." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's ace. "Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" (A2300/D1700/R4)

"That card's strong sure," Applejack said, "but with Fluttershy's monster powered up, it won't stand a chance."

Pinkie nodded but Rarity'd realised Rainbow's plan.

"It will when she uses that," she said, getting their attention.

"I activate my Rainbow Wing Knight Owl's Pendulum Ability," Rainbow said as she discarded a card, "so by ditching a card from my hand I can take a certain card from my deck." Her deck shuffled, before it slotted out the a card which she took. "Now I'll activate it," she said, "Rank-Up-Magic, Rainbow Force!" Assault Wing Gold transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Let the rainbow shine its brilliant light upon you, as you take flight to a new future," she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's most powerful monster. "Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum!" (A2800/D2200/R5)

"Oh boy," Pinkie said, "Fluttershy's in trouble."

"Their monsters have the same ATK points," Rarity said.

"Not fer long," Applejack said

"Now I activate Assault Wing Platinum's ability," Rainbow said. "by removing an Overlay Unit I can reduce your monsters ATK points by seven hundred, for every Rainbow Wing or Rainbow Assault Wing in my graveyard." The Xyz monster crushed one of its Overlay Units in both hands, before extending his wings. They shone a brilliant light which spread and began to take the form of the monsters in Rainbow's graveyard.

Two Red Kestrel and two Blue Falcons flew around the Xyz monster as astral projections, before flying towards the large bear and striking it. With each strike it became weaker and weaker, until the fourth strike weakened it to its new number. (A0/D1800/L6)

"Its ATK is zero now," Pinkie said.

"Attack!" Rainbow ordered as her monster flew up and the charged toward Fluttershy's, bringing its hands together and spinning around till it was like a rainbow coloured drill. The spinning monster struck Grand Grizzly, causing the monster to roar in pain before being destroyed.

Fluttershy meanwhile was almost sent flying and barely managed to hold her ground through the force of the attack.

Fluttershy: 1200
Rainbow: 4000

"I end my turn," Rainbow said before smirking. "Told you this wouldn't be a fun Duel Fluttershy," she said, "and you better not be crying."

"I'm not," Fluttershy said as she stood tall, "I am sad though, because you've forgotten the whole point of why you Duel."

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at this, wondering what she meant by that.

"Do you remember when the thought of facing a strong opponent thrilled you?" Fluttershy asked, "because the way you've been Duelling lately makes me think you've forgotten."

"What are you talking about?" Rainbow said.

"Ever since our trip to that lab, all you seem to care about is winning as fast as possible. You used to love facing your opponents best cards, but now it's like you're so scared that you're trying to win before they can get going. That's not Rainbow Dash!"

Rainbow didn't reply to that and just stood there silently.

"I'm gonna bring the real Rainbow Dash back," Fluttershy said, "by winning this. It's my turn, I draw." She drew her card and smiled, happy at the card she'd got. "I activate my face down," Fluttershy said as one of her two face downs flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Dust Tornado!"

A small twister appeared and sucked up Rainbow's Wing Knight Eagle, before tossing it out the top and destroying it. "That takes care of your Pendulum," Fluttershy said, "now I'll summon Winged Kuriboh in DEF mode." The little furball appeared on the field, looking up at Assault Wing Platinum with determination. "I end my turn."

"That's what you want to defend yourself with against my best monster?" Rainbow asked before laughing, "nice try." She reached for her deck and drew her card, which wasn't a monster like she'd hoped. "Just have to wait until I get one," she said, "but for now. Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum, wipe out that overgrown hairball." The Xyz Monster once again brought its hands together and began to spin, creating the tornado which flew towards Winged Kuriboh.

Rainbow smirked at this, until she noticed Fluttershy's smile. "What?"

"I'm sending two card from my hand to the graveyard," Fluttershy said before her last face down flipped up, "in order to activate my Transcendent Wings!" There was a brilliant flash of light, which enveloped Winged Kuriboh and then disappeared. Once that happened, Rainbow saw the little monster wasn't so little anymore. Its wingspan was now a hundred times large and it now wore some kind of golden armouring. "With Transcendent Wings, my Winged Kuriboh has evolved into its ultimate Level ten form." (A300/D200/L10)

"NO WAY!" Rainbow screamed.

"And there's more," Fluttershy said, "by sacrificing itself, Winged Kuriboh Level Ten can destroy every ATK position monster on your field and then deal you damage equal to its ATK points."

There was a large explosion as both monsters were destroyed, while Rainbow was pushed back by the force.

Fluttershy: 1200
Rainbow: 1200

"Lucky shot," Rainbow said as she steadied herself.

"Not luck," Fluttershy said, "you just weren't paying attention to my moves or thinking yours through. The old you would have seen through it and think up a stratagy."

Rainbow realised she was right. What had see been thinking.

"And there's even more," Fluttershy said, "one of the cards I discarded was Roar of the Sacred Guardian Beasts, which activates when its sent to the graveyard. Now I can add two Sacred Guardian Beasts from my deck to my hand that have less then a thousand ATK points." Her deck slotted out two cards, which she then took.

"I end my turn," Rainbow said.

"Then it's my turn," Fluttershy said "and I'll activate my Field Spell's second effect. Instead of drawing, I can add a random Sacred Guardian Beast to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took and smiled as she looked at it. "Now it's time I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Sacred Guardian Beast Silk Spider and scale eight Sacred Guardian Beast Breezy Fairy!" The columns of light appeared on either side of her, as two monsters flew up into them. One was a spider with a black body and gray legs, while the other was a blue skinned fairy with pink hair wearing a black wool suit with white on the end. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Fluttershy chanted as the portal formed above her head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out of it, before hitting the ground and taking shape.

Everyone watched as a giant dragon appeared infront of Fluttershy. It had mostly yellow scales with a white belly and pink spikes running down its back. Its wings were yellow with a pink membrane and it had pink hair on its head similar to Fluttershy's. "Sacred Guardian Beast, Kindness Dragonoid!" (A2600/D1900/L7/P5)

"No way," Rainbow said. Who knew Fluttershy would have such a powerful looking monster.

"It's over Rainbow Dash," Fluttershy said, "Kindness Dragonoid, attack her directly!" Her monster turned to Rainbow and opened its reptilian mouth, before taking a deep breath. "Silent Roar!" It made the motion of roaring, but no sound came out of its mouth. However, a gust of wind shot out and struck Rainbow, sending her flying back and slamming into the wall.

Fluttershy: 1200 (Winner)
Rainbow: 0

As the holographic sanctuary faded, Fluttershy rushed over to Rainbow.

"Oh dear," she said as she kneeled down besides her, "are you alright?"

Rainbow picked herself up and clutched her head. "Yeah," she said, "I'll be okay." It was in that moment that Rainbow actually processed what had just happened. "I lost," she said.

"Ya'h sure did."

They both looked up to see Applejack and the others move over to them.

"And ya'h lost because ya'h were Duelling with power alone."

"A straight forward style like that is easily countered," Rarity said, "like how Fluttershy did it."

"Dashy what's wrong?" Pinkie asked in concern, "why are you acting so differently?"

Rainbow sighed as she leaned back against the wall. "I need to be stronger," Rainbow said, "I barely beat Lightning Dust the first time I beat her and in our last Duel it wasn't going much better. This is war and if we want to win, we have to be strong."

The four girls finally realised what was going on with her. She didn't want to let them down by losing.

"It's alright Rainbow," Fluttershy said as she placed her hand on the girls shoulder, "you won't lose to her."

"That's right," Pinkie said, "there's no way a super awesome Duellist like you lose to someone like her."

"But Duelling like this ain't gonna win against her," Applejack said.

"I agree darling," Rarity said, "if you want to be victorious against her, you can't match power with power."

"I can't?" Rainbow asked.

"No," Rarity said, shaking her head. "So you can't beat her physically, then you need to beat her mentally."

"You mean?"

"Out think her," Fluttershy finished, "the way I outsmarted you. Take her by surprise and throw her off, then win."

"Ya'h need to be careful," Applejack said, "think about the Duel from every angle."

"It's only then you'll win," Rarity said.

This info flowed through Rainbow's head, making a ton of sense. "How could I not think of that."

"Because sometimes we let our fears get the best of us and don't think clearly," Fluttershy said before smiling, "I should know."

They all chuckled at that.

"Thanks guys," Rainbow said as she picked herself up. "You're right, I can't keep Duelling like this. I need to start Duelling like me again."

"That's the spirit," Applejack said.

Rainbow smiled before turning to Fluttershy. "Think we can Duel again? I promise I won't fall for that move again."

Fluttershy smiled and nodded, before they went back over to their spots to start a new Duel.

Everyone wants to be the best, but everyone is different. Power or stratagy alone isn't enough to win every match. It's only when you learn to be adaptable that you can be a true Duellist.

Turn 35, Thorax's Choice

View Online

Thorax was running as fast as he could through the darkness.

Behind him was a swarm of insect monsters that his mother had used in their Duel, which was chasing him and quickly catching up. Eventually the teen tripped and fell to the ground, allowing the bugs to gather around him. "Please no," he asked as he sat up, "someone help me."

Suddenly the insect began to fly away, as someone walked towards him. Thorax stood up and when he saw who it was, he smiled. "Mother!" He rushed towards Chrysalis and hugged her, she putting her own arms around her son in response. "Thank you for saving me."

"Don't worry," Chrysalis said, "I won't let this happen again." Suddenly her body began change as she hugged him, "because I will make you strong." Thorax pulled his head away and looked up to see her transform into Changeling Queen.

He screamed as he pushed himself away and tried to run, but the creature what was once his mother spat a green slime out at him. It struck his legs and caused him to fall to the ground, allowing the monster the slowly step towards him. One she was above Thorax, Changeling Queen spat out more slime that began to cover the teens whole body. "No, please!" He called out as everything went dark.

The next thing Thorax knew, his eyes were opening and he found himself standing up, but something didn't feel right. He noticed a nearby reflective surface, which he moved over to and what he saw horrified him. He was no long human, now he had been transformed into Changeling Drone.

"No," he whispered as he saw his new form, "NOOOOO!"

Thorax screamed as he sat up, now wide awake.

Looking around her realised he was in his room at the penthouse apartment of Freeze Industries, where he'd been staying ever since he'd awoken from his coma several days ago. His heart was racing a mile a minute, before he finally managed to calm himself enough that it wasn't beating against the inside of his chest.

Suddenly there was a knock at his door and Sunset's voice came from the other side. "Thorax?" She asked, "you alright in there?"

"Yeah," Thorax lied, "just a bad dream."

"Well alright," Sunset replied, "I need to head out, you can call the maid if you need anything."

"Okay," Thorax replied, "don't worry about me."

As he heard Sunset's footsteps getting further away, Thorax slowly got up and looked around the room. There was much in it, just a bed, a TV, wardrobe, a simple looking computer and a desk. His desk should have had his Duel Disk on it, but Cold had taken it to study the data it'd recorded about what he'd seen.

Thorax walked over the the wardrobe and changed into his usual black hoodie and jeans, before exiting the room and walking into the living area. He saw the large flat screen on the wall, so chose to sit on the lush couch and switched it on. The second he did he regretted it, as the channel showed the news and had an image of Thorax's mother on it.

"And in over news, still no word on the whereabouts Queen Chrysalis. In an on the phones interview, she expressed how she will be staying in the country to oversee an important project but the specifics of said project is still unknown."

Thorax sighed at this, before switching of the TV and sitting back.

His mother was still missing, no doubt doing something horrible in the name of her 'king'.

Meanwhile, down in the lab we find Cold and Grand going over everything they'd gotten off Thorax's Duel Disk. Sadly not much on there was of any use.

"It seems they did upload several databases of information into the Duel Disk," Cold explained, "but they had a self delete procedure that was triggered when Thorax lost to Spike."

"Were you able to save anything?" Grand asked.

"Several corrupted files," Cold said, "we're trying to rebuild them to see what we can find. We managed to get one file, which indicates several possible locations where they might have been working out of. I've sent Sunset to investigate them, but I doubt they're still using them after our infiltration attempt."

"Is there anything else we can use?"

"Duel info from when he faced Chrysalis," Cold said, "should help us formulate a stratagy to use against her."

"That's good," Grand said.

"There's something else to," Cold said as he clicked away at the computer. Suddenly an image of Chrysalis, Thorax and their Changling cards appeared. "We scanned Thorax's monster and discovered something interesting," the image of a helix that anyone with a basic science education would recognise.

"Is that...DNA?"

"Yes," Cold replied, "Chrysalis's. It's encoded onto the card itself, creating a link between her and the monster. My theory is that they used this DNA template to create the Duel Spirit, which they then imprinted onto the card. In other words, that card is Chrysalis in Duel Monster form."

"Incredible," Grand said.

"There's more," Cold said as another DNA strand appeared. "This is from Thorax's card, it has a mixture of his DNA along with the DNA of Changeling Queen. I'm guessing that they took the DNA template of Changeling Queen and then merged it with Thorax's to create this card."

"So what your saying is, Changeling Drone was spawned from Changeling Queen."

"The same way Thorax is Chrysalis's child, their monsters share the same relation," Cold finished.

"What kind of side effects might this kind of thing have on Thorax?" Grand said, "that card is something Sombra created. Who knows what it could do to the boy."

"When we scanned him," Cold explained, "we couldn't find anything out of the ordinary about him."

"Maybe we should check him again," Grand said, "and have him psychologically checked. He might not have been under their control for very long, but they could have implanted all kinds of subliminal messages into him."

"You think he could be acting as some kind of sleeper agent?" Cold asked.

"Only one way to find out," Grand said.

Cold agreed and turned to one of his assistants. "Go collect Thorax and bring him down to my private car park."

The assistant nodded and turned to leave, while Cold and Grand headed out of the room.

Later that day, Spike was at Freeze Stadium.

Twilight was training with the rest of their friends, so he'd offered to check up on Flash. So here he was in the teens room, checking to see if there was any change. Flash was still out of it. He didn't even appear to have moved in his sleep, which worried Spike.

"Hope you wake up soon man," Spike said, "we need our fearless leader to help us against whatever Sombra's planning."

Flash didn't respond, causing Spike to sigh as he turned to look out the window. There he saw a limo turning into the parking lot, before coming to a stop outside the main doors. The limo opened and Cold stepped out, followed by Grand and then-

"Thorax," Spike said. He hadn't seen his friend since he'd woke up several days ago, and now he was here. Spike quickly rushed towards the door and out of the room, before rushing down to the lobby.

His speed made it so he'd arrived just when they were about to head down a hallway.

"Wait up," he called out, catching their attention and letting them stop so he could catch up. "Thorax, how you been?"

"I'm okay," Thorax replied, "at least I think I am."

"That's what we're here to find out," Grand said.

"Come on," Cold said, "we're wasting time."

The four headed down the hall, then down several more hallways until they arrived at the corridor where the underground Duel arenas were. Cold directed them towards the elevator at the end of the hall and opened it up, ushering them inside before getting in. They rode the lift all the way down to the bottom, before it opened up and allowed them inside.

Grand, Spike and Thorax looked around and realised what it was.

"I didn't know there was a ARC field down here," Spike said.

"Why would you," Cold said, "it's not meant to be public knowledge."

"So why are we here?" Thorax asked.

"We're here to see whether or not we can trust you should the situation call for it," Cold said as he looked up. "Computer!" He called out, before the robotic voice replied.

"ONLINE!"

"Activate ARC System file one, nine, eight, zero," he said.

Suddenly the floor beneath them began to glow, as it generated the Action Field.

"AUGMENTED REALITY COMBAT SYSTEM ENERGISED."

In the blink of an eye the four of them found themselves in the same Action Field Chrysalis and Shining had Duelled on.

"What do you mean whether we can trust Thorax?" Spike asked, "of course we can trust him."

"We need to be sure," Grand told him, "we don't know what they did to him. There may be hypnotic suggestions which are laying dormant in his subconscious. If one of them is triggered when he Duels, better to find out now then in an actual situation."

"That's right," Cold said as he threw Thorax's Duel Disk at the boy, "so will you Duel me?"

Thorax looked down at the Duel Disk and through about what they'd just said. If there were mental traps in his mind, he needed to know so they could get rid of them. "Let's do this," he said as he placed the device on his arm and activated it.

"Well then," Cold said as he did the same with his Duel Disk.

"DUEL!"

Cold: 4000
Thorax: 4000

"ACTION CARD DISPERSED!"

"I'll take the first move," Cold said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll start by summoning Frozen Heart Lancer to the field." The ice armoured knight appeared on the field, holding up its spear like weapon. (A1800/D1300/L4) "I'll place two cards face down and end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Thorax said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in ATK mode." The effect version of Thorax's monster appeared. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Next I'll equip him with the Celtic Longsword, which while raise is ATK points by five hundred." His sword was replaced by an even larger sword, which caused the monster to glow. (A1900/D1200/L4)

"Alright," Spike said, "with those two cards Thorax's monster is almost indestructible."

"But don't forget who he's facing," Grand said, "Cold will have a plan."

"Now attack," Thorax ordered, his monster charging forward and using his sword to slash at Frozen Heart Lancer."

Cold: 3900
Thorax: 4000

"I activate my face down," Cold said as one of his cards flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Ice Shard Summon!" Since you destroyed a Frozen Heart Monster, I can search my deck for a Level four Frozen Heart with less ATK and then summon it to the field." His deck shuffled before slotting out a card, which Cold took and placed on the Duel Disk. "I summon Frozen Heart Enchantress." (A800/D1600/L4) "And when she's Special Summoned, I can take a Frozen Heart Monster in my graveyard and add it to my hand." He removed Frozen Heart Lancer.

"I end my turn," Thorax said.

"It's my turn," Cold said, "I draw and summon Frozen Heart Lancer to the field once again." The knight once again appeared, standing next to Enchantress.

"Two Level fours," Thorax said in concern.

"And now," Cold said as his monsters glowed, "I'll use these two monsters to build the Overlay Network." Lancer and Enchantress changed into a pair of lights, which flew into the air and then into a black hole as it formed. "Unite my frozen hearted monsters and form a greater force of power!" The black hole exploded in a burst of light, revealing Cold's monster. "I XYZ SUMMON."

The light faded and Cold's monster appeared. "Frozen Heart Lord of the Hook!" (A2400/D1200/R4)

"Oh boy," Thorax said.

"Lord of the Hook," Cold ordered, "attack Obnoxious Celtic Guardian!" The ice monster swung its hook ended chain around, before throwing it at Thorax's monster and slamming it with it.

Cold: 3900
Thorax: 3500

"Obnoxious Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed by a monster with nineteen hundred or more ATK," Thorax explained.

"Maybe," Cold said, "but let's see what happens after I activate my Trap." His card flipped up, "Freezer Burn. Since a Frozen Heart monster failed to destroy another monster, this card reduces both monsters ATK points by a thousand and lets Lord of the Hook attack again." Both monster found themselves covered in ice, which caused their ATK points to drop. (A900/D1200/L4), (A1400/D1200/R4) Lord of the Hook once again swung its hook chain, slamming it into Thorax's monster and this time actually destroying it.

Cold: 3900
Thorax: 3000

"Since a monster holding the Celtic Longsword was destroyed," Thorax explained, "I get to add a Level four or lower Celtic Monster from my deck to my hand." His deck shuffled and then slotted out a card, which he took and added to his hand.

"I end my turn," Cold said.

"Then it's my turn," Thorax said as he drew his card. He looked at this and then at the rest of his hand, as a plan slowly formed in his mind. "Alright," he said, "I'll start by playing the Spell Monster Beacon. Now we declare a Monster Type and draw until we get a monster and if it's the same type as the one we declared, we can add then to the hand. If not, then we send them to the graveyard."

"Very well," Cold said, "I pick Rock."

"And I select Dinosaur," Thorax replied.

"Dinosaur?" Grand asked in confusion.

"He did that to me," Spike said, "I think I know his plan."

The two drew until they found a monster, the rest of the cards going to the graveyard, and both nodded when they did.

"Mine's a Rock Type," Cold said as he added it to his hand.

"Well mine's not a Dinosaur," Thorax said as he discarded his. "Next I'll set one monster face down in DEF Mode and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Cold said as he drew his card and a microscopic smirk appeared on his lips, "I'm setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Frozen Heart Magician and scale nine Frozen Heart Angel." The pillar of appeared as the two monsters flew up into them, before they started forming the portal above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, taking the form of a large ice giant. "Frozen Heart Golem!" (A2800/D1800/L7) "Now Golem attack Thorax's face down monster!" The ice monster ran forward and punched the face down monster with its colossal fist, causing the face down card to flip up and reveal an elderly elf with a white beard. He was then destroyed.

"You activated my Celtic Bodach's Flip Effect," Thorax said, "which lets me add a Celtic Monster from my deck to my hand." His deck slotted out a card for him to take.

"Well let's see how that card helps against my Lord of the Hook's attack," Cold said as his monster threw its hook at Thorax.

The teen dodged the hook, which barely missed him. As the Xyz Monster pulled it back to try again, Thorax leapt off the bridge and landed on a low bridge. There, he grabbed an Action Card and then slotted it into his Duel Disk.

"I activate the Action Spell Cocoon Shield, which will negate your attack." The Xyz Monster threw its hook at the teen, but a load of string appeared around him and formed a protective shell which the hook bounced of. The cocoon smashed, but Thorax remained unharmed.

"I end my turn," Cold said as he leapt down onto the lower bridge.

"Then I'll go," Thorax said as he drew his card, before taking the one Bodach had gotten him. "Now I'll banish Obnoxious Celtic Guardian, Celtic Knight And Celtic Bodach to summon my ultimate monster." The spiritual forms of the three monsters appeared, before being sucked into Thorax's card which he slapped on the Duel Disk. "I summon Celtic Warlord!" The giant elf warrior appeared on the field, ready to do battle against it opponent. "Attack, Lord of the Hook!" Warlord swung its blade and struck the Xyz Monster, destroying it and pushing Cold back.

Cold: 3300
Thorax: 3000

"Next his ability activates and deals you damage equal to your monsters Level, times two hundred." The giant swung his sword and created a powerful gust of wind, but when it struck Cold his life points remained unchanged. "What give?"

"Xyz Monsters don't have a Level," Grand told him from the sidelines.

"Oh," Thorax said before face palming, "stupid."

"It's an easy mistake to make," Spike assured him.

"But one that may cost him," Cold said, "are you done."

Thorax sighed, before placing a card face down and ending his turn.

"It's my turn," Cold said as he placed his hand on his deck, "I draw and play the Spell Icicle Crash!" A burst of cold wind blew, causing the area around them to freeze over. Thorax shielded his face from the frost and when he finally looked back at Cold, he saw three giant icicles. Frozen Heart Lancer, Enchantress and Lord of the Hook were each frozen within. The icicles then shattered as Cold took three cards from his deck and added them to his hand. "And now I'll once again carve the arc of victory," Cold said as the portal formed above him, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Frozen Heart Gardna!" (A800/D2000/L4)

"Frozen Heart Demon!" (A1900/D2100/L5/P2)

"Frozen Heart Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)

Thorax didn't like the look of this.

"I activate Frozen Heart Dragon's ability," Cold said, "to tribute Demon and Gardna in order to double his ATK points." The dragon grabbed the two monster and froze them solid, before crushing them into dust. (A6000/D2500/L8/P5) "ATTACK!" The dragon unleashed a powerful burst of cold air, which flew at Thorax's monster.

Thorax looked around for a card that could save him and saw one, at the end of the bridge. Running as fast as he could, he reached out for the card and grabbed it just as Frozen Heart Dragon's attack struck.

An explosion occurred, engulfing Thorax and his monster.

"THORAX!" Spike yelled as he and Grand watched from the higher bridge.

The smoke began to clear and as it did, Thorax and Celtic Warlord were seen standing tall.

Cold: 3300
Thorax: 1500

Cold didn't seem surprised by this. "Let me guess," he said, "Miracle?"

Thorax just nodded.

"Very well," Cold said, "I end my turn. Frozen Heart Dragon's ATK points return to normal." (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)

Thorax looked over his situation. He needed a card that could hold its own against Frozen Heart Dragon. Something that was stronger then it or Frozen Heart Golem. He went to his deck and drew his card, but when he saw what it was his heart stopped.

"No," he said seeing Changeling Drone, "why is this in my deck?"

"Thorax?" Cold asked.

"Why did you put this in my deck!?" Thorax almost yelled as he showed him the card, "I don't want to be anywhere near this evil card!"

"Thorax," Cold said, "this is why we're here. We need to know as much about this card as we can."

"What's there to know," Thorax replied, "it's evil and I don't want to be anywhere near it." He tried to throw the card away, but no matter what he did his fingers wouldn't release it. "What's going on."

"You can't get rid of the card Thorax," Cold said, "it's a part of you."

"No it isn't!" Thorax almost yelled as he tried to get rid of it.

"Yes it is," Cold replied, "you and that card share a link. It has your DNA imprinted in it, creating a connection between the two of you. You can't get rid of it, because it is you."

Thorax stopped trying to release the card and instead looked at it, realising what this meant. "But I don't want it to be me," he said, "it was made by evil people. I don't want to be evil...like my mother"

"Then don't be."

Thorax looked up and saw Grand speaking out to him.

"You don't have to be evil if you don't want to be," Grand said, "that card is part of you. It may have been made by evil people, but your the one who decides its fate."

"He's right," Spike said, "you're not your mother, you don't have to be like her if you don't want to."

"Your mother chose her path," Cold said, "now you're free to chose yours."

Thorax thought about what they said as he looked down at the card. Suddenly the card began to glow, whether it was the light refraction or something else he didn't know, but seeing it made him feel like he could believe in this card. "Okay," Thorax said, "let's try it." He looked up at Celtic Warlord, who seemed to node in understanding. "Alright," he said, "I'm tributing Celtic Warlord to summon Changeling Drone in ATK mode!" The giant elf disappeared in a flash of light, replaced by the black insect. (A1000/D1000/L6/P3)

As Spike saw the Pendulum Monster, he noticed it was slightly different from the last time he'd seen it. The creatures wings were no a sparkly blue, like someone had stuck glitter to them. Was he imagining it, or had the change really happened.

"I activate Changeling Drone's ability," Thorax said, "to transform him into a monster on the field or in the graveyard. This'll increase his ATK and DEF points while also giving him access to that monsters ability." The monster was engulfed in a flaming cocoon and when it disappeared, its new form was that of Celtic Warlord though its skin and hair were now black. (A4000/D4000/L6/P3) "Now Changeling Drone, attack Frozen Heart Golem!" The fake Celtic Warlord swung its sword and struck Cold's Ice giant, shattering it and sending the pieces flying at Cold.

Cold: 2100
Thorax: 1500

"And now Celtic Warlord's effect activates, dealing damage equal to your monsters Level times two hundred." The giant elf swung its sword, creating a gust of wind which knocked Cold of his feet.

Cold: 700
Thorax: 1500

"I end my turn," Thorax said as the fake Celtic Warlord stood tall.

As Cold picked himself up, he looked over at Thorax and smiled. "It seems there are no side effects to using that card," he explained, "so I guess we can trust you when the time comes."

Thorax smiled at this.

"But you still have a long way to go before you're ready to face your mother," Cold continued as he placed his hand on his deck and drew his card.

"As long as he doesn't get a monster," Thorax said, "I'm safe."

They all watched as the portal formed above them. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

A single light shot out and struck the ground, taking the form a familiar monster. "Frozen Heart Demon." (A1900/D2100/L5/P2) "Next I'll activate the Eternal Ice Ritual Spell," Cold explained as Frozen Heart Demon suddenly turned into snow, which spiralled around Frozen Heart Dragon and encasing him in an icy cocoon. "By tributing Frozen Heart Dragon and a level two or higher Frozen Heart monster, I can unleash my dragons ultimate form! Now watch as the ultimate icy monster appears," Cold said as the cocoon shattered and released his monster. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

Everyone watched as Cold's monster appeared. "Eternal Ice Dragon!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

"Awesome," Thorax said, "but it's not enough to beat my Changeling Drone."

"We'll see," Cold said, "because I activate my Dragon's special ability. By paying half my life points, I can negate your monsters ability and reduce its ATK points to zero."

Cold: 350
Thorax: 1500

Thorax's eyes went wide as he looked up and saw Eternal Ice Dragon flap its wings, unleashed a powerful blizzard. It caused the fake Celtic Warlord to be frozen, before the ice shattered and Changeling Drone fell out, now back to its true form. (A0/D1000/L6/P3)

"No way," he said seeing this.

"Eternal Ice Dragon," Cold ordered, "finish this!" His monster flapped its wings and took off, before it brought its clawed hands together and formed a giant icicle which it threw at Changeling Drone.

Thorax looked around but couldn't find an Action Card.

The icicle struck Thorax's monster and destroyed it, sending the teenager flying backwards

Cold: 350 (Winner)
Thorax: 0

As the Duel Field deteriorated, Spike and Grand rushed over to where Thorax had fallen.

"You okay?" Spike asked as he helped him up.

"Yeah," Thorax said, "I think so."

"Quite the skill set you got there," Grand said, "you're a fine Duellist."

"But it's like I said," Cold said as he walked over to him, "you have a ways to go before you're ready." He bent down and picked up the Changeling Drone card, which had fallen off his Duel Disk during the last attack, and handing it to the boy.

Thorax took the card and looked it over. After a few moment's thought, he nodded and placed the card in his Duel Disk before turning to Cold. "Thank you," Thorax said, "and I have a request."

"Go on."

"If I train hard and grow my skills," Thorax said, "will you allow me to face my mother when we find her."

Cold thought for a moment, before nodding. "Impress me enough and I'll consider it."

Thorax nodded and turned to Spike. "Come on," he said, "Duel me. We've got a lot of practising to do."

Spike nodded and pulled out his own Duel Disk.

Meanwhile Cold and Grand watched.

"What are you thinking?" Grand asked when he saw the face Cold made when he was in deep thought.

"That Thorax meeting and becoming friends with Flash and the others wasn't an accident," Cold replied. "I think Thorax will have a part to play in the final battle, but what part that is I don't know."

"Well whatever it is," Grand said, "I think we can trust that that boy will be willing to do anything to help us."

Cold just nodded in agreement. Chrysalis may be against them, but Thorax had chosen his own path and now was working on helping them defeat the great threat that faced them. The question was however, what was that threat? And could they defeat it?

Turn 36, Doom Raizer pt1

View Online

We open today's adventure on the streets of Canterlot, where we find Sunset walking down the street looking at her phone.

"It should be around here somewhere," she said as she used her phone's GPS to try and find what she was looking for. "Couldn't he have given me a little more to go on."

Sunset was in her room at Freeze Industries.

She'd been going through her deck when she had gotten a call.

"Hello," she said as she a put her deck back in her Duel Disk and answered the phone.

"It's me," Cold's voice replied, "you up for a little recon?"

"What you got?" She replied.

"We manage to save one of the deleted files from Thorax's Duel Disk," Cold explained, "it shows several possible locations for labs they were using aside from the one we attacked. I doubt they'd still be using any of them, but I'd like you to go and check them out. See if they left behind anything that can help us track them down."

"Just send me the locations and I'll leave right away," Sunset replied.

"I'm counting on you," Cold said. With that he hung up and Sunset got ready to head out. After receiving the email, she stepped out of her room.

As she was walking through the corridor, she heard a yelling sound coming from the room where Thorax was sleeping. Rushing over to it, she knocked on the door before calling out

"Thorax, you alright in there?"

"Yeah," Thorax's voice replied from behind the door, "just a bad dream."

"Well alright," Sunset replied, "I need to head out, you can call the maid if you need anything."

"Okay," Thorax replied, "don't worry about me."

Sunset nodded and turned to leave, heading out the door towards the elevator which would take her to the lobby.

Sunset had spent the day checking out the multiple locations Cold had sent her.

The first location had been a complete bust, making her suspect that it had only been a potential building location which Sombra hadn't found a use for. The next spot had been just a bad, being an empty warehouse which Sunset had combed every inch of. But no matter what she did, she couldn't find anything of value to them and left.

Now Sunset was on her way to the third location, which she didn't expect to have anything of interest to them but she needed to be sure. However, she was still having trouble actually finding the place.

"Come on," she said getting frustrated, "where is it?"

While this was going on, not to far away another situation was going on that would soon connect with Sunset's little adventure.

"I attack Wild Rush Raptor with Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon!"

"And that lowers Scootaloo's life points to zero," Sweetie said as she finished doing the math.

She, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Shining Spoon were in a small card shop where they liked to hang out and face Duellists their age. Currently Scootaloo and Spoon had just finished a Duel, with Scootaloo having barely put up a fight against him.

"You okay?" Spoon asked Scootaloo as they put away their decks, "don't that this the wrong way, but your not usually this easy to beat."

"I'm fine," Scootaloo said as she finished packing her things away, "just not really in the mood to Duel right now." With that she got up out of her chair and left the table, heading towards the door.

Once she was out of ear shot, Spoon turned to the last two girls. "Alright," he said, "what's really going on here?"

"It's hard to explain," Applebloom said, "I guess she's still a little depressed about what happened to Flash."

"What?" Spoon asked with raised eyebrows, "what happen to Flash?"

Applebloom flinched realising what she'd just said, before she and Sweetie looked at each other. After a quick facial feature conversation, they both nodded and turned to Spoon.

"Alright we'll explain," Sweetie said, "but you need to keep it a secret."

"Got it," Spoon said, "Duellist's honour."

And so the two told him about what had really happened during the Celestic Cup. About what Shadow and Adagio had been doing, about what they'd done after the final match and infiltrating Sombra's lab. How Sombra had tricked them all and finally how he'd used Flash who was now currently unconscious.

To say Spoon was surprised would be an understatement, with the look his face was giving. "No way," he said, "that's..."

"Yeah," Applebloom said, "exactly."

"That explains why Flash hasn't been seen in public," Spoon said, "I thought he'd be doing TV interviews and stuff like that. All my friends have been asking me if I could introduce them to the Celestic Cup Champion."

"And with Flash unconscious," Sweetie said, "Scootaloo's been unhappy and mopey. She's trying not to show it, but I think she's really upset."

"We thought bringing her here would take her mind of it," Applebloom said, "but I guess it didn't work like we'd hoped."

"Come on," Sweetie said as she got up, "we should probably go find her."

Applebloom nodded and the two got up and left the store, looking around for Scootaloo.

They finally found her a little later coming out of a convenience store, guzzling down a large soda.

"Scootaloo!" Applebloom called out as they rushed over to her, "you alright."

"I'm fine," Scootaloo replied.

"No you're not," Sweetie said, "you're upset because of Flash."

Scootaloo flinched hearing her brothers name, confirming what the to had suspected.

"You can't keep going like this," Sweetie continued, "you really think Flash would want you moping around like this?"

"We don't know what he wants," Scootaloo said, "because he's in a coma."

"He'll wake up," Applebloom told her.

"How can you be sure," Scootaloo said, "he could be asleep for years."

"Don't be silly," Sweetie said.

"Of course Flash is gonna wake up," Applebloom said.

"Then why hasn't he?" Scootaloo asked.

"He went through a lot," Sweetie said, "it's just taking a little time for his body to recover."

Scootaloo just rolled her eyes and looked away, doing so making her catch a glimpse of something that made her grow suspicious.

Sunset Shimmer was wondering down the street, her nose in her phone, slowly stepping towards them.

Grabbing the two, Scootaloo rushed them all into a nearby alley to hide.

"What are you-" Sweetie couldn't finish as Scootaloo shushed her, until Sunset stepped by them.

"Okay, she didn't see us," Scootaloo said once she was out of earshot.

"Why are we hiding from Sunset?" Applebloom asked,

"Yeah," Sweetie said, "did you forget she's on our side?"

"I know that," Scootaloo said, "but if she's out here then that means she must be investigating Sombra. She might have figured out where he is."

"Fair point," Sweetie said, "but what does that have to do with us."

"If she knows where Sombra is," Scootaloo explained, "then I bet if we follow her she'll lead us right to him."

"And then what?" Applebloom asked suspiciously.

"Then I get payback for my brother," Scootaloo replied before stepping out of the alley and following after Sunset, "now come on. We're gonna lose her."

Applebloom and Sweetie shared a nervous glance, before stepping out and following the purple haired girl.

"This is not a good idea," Sweetie said.

And so the three girls followed Sunset, keeping far enough away so she didn't notice them.

Eventually Sunset arrived outside a large unused building, which she then stepped into.

"You think this is it?" Applebloom asked.

"Duh," Scootaloo said, "why else would she go inside it."

"It is very similar to the place that was hiding Sombra's lab," Sweetie said.

"Exactly," Scootaloo said, "so let's get in there and start kicking butt."

Before the other two could say anything, Scootaloo began running towards the door.

"Wait up," Sweetie said as they followed.

"Scootaloo," Applebloom called out.

In a dark area a computer showed and image of the three girls rushing inside.

"So," a dark figure said, "it seems we're going to be having a few guests. I wonder if they'll be smart enough to find us, huh my little friends?"

A loud amount of moaning could be heard in response, which the figure ignored as he switched the feeds to show the girls in the warehouse.

Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle all looked around the interior, but couldn't find anything out of the ordinary.

"Doesn't look like there's anything here," Sweetie said.

"That's what they want us to think," Scootaloo said, "that's what makes it a secret base. I bet if we look hard enough we'll find a secret passage somewhere."

"I don't like it in here," Applebloom said, "we don't know what could be hiding away. And besides, we shouldn't even be in here."

"No, you shouldn't!"

The three screamed before spinning around and seeing Sunset, arms crossed and and look of annoyance on her face, staring down at them.

Scootaloo placed her hand on her chest and breathed a sigh of relief. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"What are you three doing here?" Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Um," they all said in unison.

"I'm waiting?"

"It was Scootaloo's idea," Sweetie snapped.

"She saw you and thought you were looking for Sombra," Applebloom continued. "She wanted to follow so she could try and Duel him."

"Blabber mouths," Scootaloo said.

"You three shouldn't be here," Sunset said, "it's to dangerous. Besides, it looks like this place is another dead end. Now let's get you three out of here."

The girls all sighed before turning to head out the way they came in, but as they were about to leave.

"Help."

Scootaloo stopped and turned around, looking back into the building. "Did you guys hear that?"

"Hear what?" Sweetie asked.

"Help me, please."

"That," Scootaloo said.

"We don't hear anything," Sunset replied.

Scootaloo stepped over to where she thought she'd heard the voice coming from, a nearby blank wall, which she placed her ear to.

"What are you doing?" Applebloom asked.

"Shush," Scootaloo replied. She continued to listen.

"I don't like it here."

It sounded louder. Scootaloo continued to move along the wall, until she reached a part that the voice was loudest at.

"There's someone behind this wall," she said, "and their asking for help."

Sunset, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle all shared a glance, obviously think Scootaloo had cracked.

There opinion quickly changed when Scootaloo knocked on the wall, which suddenly started glowing. The teen stepped back as a section of the wall glowed, before retracting into the rest of it and revealing something behind it. Scootaloo looked down it and saw a flight of stairs, before looking back at the rest of the group.

"See," she said, "hidden passage." With that she quickly began rushing down the stairs, the other girls not far behind.

"Wait!" Sunset called as she followed, "it might be dangerous."

Scootaloo didn't listen and kept running down the stairs, eventually arriving at the bottom where a large metal door awaited.

"Great," she said as she tried to open it, but nothing she did worked.

Sunset and the others arrived and also tried to find a way to open it, but nothing worked.

"Here's why," Sunset said as she pointed to a metal device on the wall, "fingerprint scanner. Can't get through unless you're in the system."

"So how do we get in?" Scootaloo asked.

"We don't," Sunset replied, "we shouldn't be in here without proper back up. We're leaving and I'm calling Cold." She was about to turn the back towards the stairs, when suddenly the scanner beeped and the door suddenly opened.

The four of them shared a glance, but eventually their curiosity got the better of them and eventually the four stepped through the door.

Everything was dark, so dark that they could barely see more then a few feet infront of them. The only light they had was what was flowing in through the door and the further they stepped into the room, the weaker that light got.

They carefully walked into the room, being careful where they stepped so as not to walk off the end of something.

"Is anyone else a little scared," Sweetie said,

"Eyup," Applebloom mimicked her brother

"Just stay close and hold onto each other," Sunset told them.

"I can't hear the voices anymore," Scootaloo said.

"Anyone else think this might have been a trap?" Sweetie asked.

"I'm not sure," Sunset said. In that second their attention was caught by the creaking sound of the door closing behind them, plunging them into darkness and locking them in. "Now I'm sure."

Suddenly the room was filled with light and the four were able to see what was inside the room and what they saw, horrified them.

Large glass containers lined the room, one atop the next, and each one was filled.

"Duel Spirits," Sunset said in horror as they stared at the containers. Within each one was a character from the Duel Monsters game, some they recognised like Baby Dragon and Basic Insect and some they didn't recognise.

When the Duel Spirits saw the four girls they all started banging on the glass yelling, however their cries didn't seem able to reach through the glass so the girls couldn't hear them. Well, all accept one."

"Stop yelling," Scootaloo cried as she placed her hands over her ears and fell to her knees.

"You can hear them?" Sunset asked,

"You can't?" Scootaloo asked.

"That would be the sound proof glass."

The four all looked around and saw a hole open in the ceiling. From that hole a circular platform retracted, lowering itself low enough for them to see the man standing on it. He was a middle aged man with bright red hair and scars lining his face.

"I find it much easier to do my work without the annoying screams," he said once the platform came to a stop a few feet above the girls.

"Who are you?" Sunset asked.

"What is this place?" Sweetie asked.

"And what are you doing to those Duel Monsters?" Applebloom finished.

"One at a time," he said, "please."

"Talk!" Sunset yelled.

"Very well," he replied, "my name is Doom Raizer. This is my facility and what you see here is my Ener-D extraction experiment."

"Ener-D?" Sweetie asked, "isn't that the stuff generated by Duels?"

"It is," Sunset said, "but it's also generated by Duel Monster Spirits, the same way we generate heat."

"We're extracting the Ener-D and gathering it to use to summon King Sombra's final monster," Doom explained.

"That's sick!" Sunset yelled, "caging them like this to use as battery."

"It's all for a good cause," Doom said, "their pain will help bring a brighter future."

"You wouldn't say that if you could hear them," Scootaloo said as she stood back up, "it's horrible. And I'm not gonna let you continue on like this."

"And what are you going to do about it?" Doom asked.

"Duel me!" Scootaloo called out, "right here, right now! If I win, you have to release these creatures and tell us where Sombra is."

"Is that so," Doom said with a smile, "fine, but when I win, you four will remain here. I'm sure king Sombra could use some more mind slaves."

The girls all grew scared hearing that. They sure didn't want to turn out like Thorax and the Dazzlings had been, but they had to save the Duel Spirits.

"You're on," Scootaloo called out.

"No Scootaloo," Sunset said, "I'll Duel him. This is my job."

"We wanna help to," Applebloom said.

"Yeah," Sweetie said, "why can't we Duel him."

"Oh how sweet," Doom said, "but I'm a busy man and can't waste my day Duelling you all one at a time. How about I take you all on."

The four of them stared at each other in amazement.

"Seriously?" Scootaloo asked.

"Sure," Doom replied, "shouldn't be to hard. I'll have extra life points and you can alternate turns."

The four once again glanced at each other, before smiling and nodding before turning back.

"You're on," Sunset said.

"Very well," Doom said as a Duel console folded out of the platform and he pressed a few buttons. Suddenly a die appeared in each girls hand. "You'll all roll to see which order you'll go in," he explained, "and I'll have an additional thousand points for each Duellist. Agreed."

The girls all nodded as they attached their Duel Disks to their arms. They then each rolled their dice, Sweetie getting a five while Applebloom got a four, Scootaloo got a three and Sunset got a one.

"With that decided," Doom said, "shall we do this."

The girls all nodded, before taking out their Duel Disks and attaching them to their arms..

"Well then," Doom said as his Duel Console activated, "we begin."

"DUEL!"

Doom: 8000
Sweetie: 4000
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"Looks like I'm going first," Sweetie said as she reached for her deck, "I draw." She looked at her hand and nodded. "I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale with scale two Melodious Tenor and scale seven Melodious Coloratura." The pillars of light appeared and two monster floated up into them. The first being a man in a tuxedo while the other was a woman in a music themed dress. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Sweetie said as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and shot out a pair of lights, which struck the ground and took form.

"Aria the Melodious Diva!" (A1600/D1200/L4)

"Soprano the Melodious Songstress!" (A1400/D1400/L4)

"Alright," Applebloom cheered.

"Nice move Sweetie," Scootaloo said.

Sweetie nodded her thanks before turning back to the Duel. "Now I'm using Soprano's ability to fuse her and Aria together," she said as a portal opened up behind the two, sucking them in. "Two voices, singing in perfect harmony to create a new melody." The portal exploded, "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing, revealing Sweetie's "Schuberta the Melodious Maestra." (A2400/D2000/L6)

"I place two cards face down and end my turn," Sweetie said as she did so.

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he went to his deck on the console, "I draw and I'll activate the Spell card Reasoning. With this you select a Level and I draw until I get a monster and if it's Level is anything other then what you picked, I can summon it."

Everyone turned to Sweetie and nodded. Since she was still playing it was her choice.

"Okay," she said, "I pick Level...three."

Doom drew his card and smiled. "What a shame," he said, "it's a Level four. Power Injector." A Frankenstein like monster wearing a blue coat and metal devices on his arms appeared. (A1300/D1400/L4)

"A Psychic Monster," Sunset said, "those can be tricky."

"I've never seen Monsters like that before," Applebloom said.

"Now I'll summon my Psychic Snail," Doom said, "in ATK mode." A large snail with gold and blue skin appeared. (A1900/D1200/L4) "Now I'll activate Power Injector's ability," Doom said, "to pay six hundred life points and then power up Psychic Snail by five hundred points."

Doom: 7400
Sweetie: 4000
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

Power Injector pointed its mechanical arms at the snail, which unleashed an energy pulse which struck it and increased its power. (A2400/D1200/L4) "Now attack Schuberta!" The snail unleashed an energy beam out of its antenna, which Sweetie's monster unleashed a sonic wave from her mouth. The two attacks struck and bounced off each other, being sent back to the one who unleashed it and destroying them both. "Now Power Injector, attack her directly." The Frankenstein unleashed its own energy wave, which struck Sweetie and zapped her.

Doom: 7400
Sweetie: 2700
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"I activate my face down," Sweetie called out, "Numinous Healer, which increases my life points by a thousand.

Doom: 7400
Sweetie: 3700
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"Then I'll end my turn with a face down," Doom said.

"Then it's my turn," Applebloom said as she drew her card, "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale. Scale one Blooming Rose Maiden and scale six Rambler Maiden, here we go." The pillars of light appeared on either side of her, with two woman in flower themed dresses appeared on either side of her. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Applebloom called out as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

The first was a woman in a flower themed dress, carrying a wooden staff with a flower shaped head on it. "Maiden of Cherry Blossom!" (A2100/D1500/L5/P2)

The next was a young child in a flower dress. "Maiden of Autumn's Fall!" (A500/D500/L2)

"Not bad," Doom said sounding rather impressed.

"And now," Applebloom continued, "I tune level two Maiden of Autumn's Fall with level five Maiden of Cherry Blossom!" Her Tuner Monster changed into a pair of lights, which flew into the air and carved three circles which her Maiden jumped into. "Glorious flower, now is the time to blossom." The monsters disappeared in an explosion of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Applebloom's ace. "Maiden of Great Bloom!" (A2200/D2400/L7)

"Since I have a plant monster in the graveyard," Applebloom went on, "my Maiden gains one hundred ATK points." (A2300/D2400/L7) "Now attack Power Injector!" The Synchro monster flew at Doom's, using her scythe like hoe to slice in two and destroy it.

Doom: 6400
Sweetie: 3700
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"You activated my Trap," Doom said as his card flipped up, "Psycho Draw. When a Psychic Monster with fifteen hundred ATK points or less is destroyed, I get to draw cards equal to its Level." He drew four cards.

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Applebloom said.

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he drew his card and looked at it. "First I'll use Monster Reborn, to revive Psychic Snail." The large snail reappeared on the field. "Don't blink, you might just miss him. I tribute Psychic Snail to summon Mind Kraken in ATK mode." The large snail disappeared and was replaced by what looked like the cross between a brain and an octopus. (A2100/D1300/L6) "Now I'll activate Mind Kraken's ability," Doom said as his monster used its tentacles to wrap around Maiden of Great Bloom, before it electrocuted her.

"What are you doing to my monster?" Applebloom asked in shock. She then saw her monsters points. (A1800/D2400/L7), (A2600/D1000/L6)

"This ability zaps away five hundred ATK points," Doom explained, "which are then transferred to to Mind Kraken."

"Not good," Scootaloo said.

"Now Mind Kraken," Doom ordered, "attack." Using its tendrils, the brain squid whipped Applebloom's Synchro Monster and destroyed it.

Doom: 6400
Sweetie: 3700
Applebloom: 3200
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"I end my turn," Doom said

"It's my turn," Scootaloo said as she drew her cards, "and I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale five Dino Knight Tyrano Lancer and scale two Dino Knight Tricera Guard." The pillars of light appeared on either side of her and in them appeared to men in dinosaur styled armour. One had red T-Rex armour and carried a lance styled around a T-Rex's tail, while the other wore blue Triceratops armour and carried a large shield in the shape of a Triceratops head. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Scootaloo said as the portal formed above her, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, hitting the ground and taking form.

"Rush Raptor!" (A1200/D1400/L3)

"Velocity Raptor!" (A1000/D1200/L3)

"Gilasaurus!" (A1400/D400/L3)

"First Fusion," Doom said, "then Synchro, so now it should be-"

"And now" Scootaloo yelled, "I'm using these three monsters to build the Overlay Network." Her three monsters changed into lights which shot into the air, before flying into the black hole that had just formed. "Watch as the ancient powers of a Dinosaur are awakened" the black hole exploded in light as a new monster appeared. "I XYZ SUMMON."

The light faded revealing Scootaloo's Xyz monster. "Wild Rush Raptor." (A2000/D2000/R3)

"With Rush Raptor as an Overlay Unit," Scootaloo explained, "Wild Rush Raptor gains five hundred ATK points. (A2500/D2000/R3) "Next I'll activate his ability," Scootaloo explained as one of the lights shot into Wild Rush Raptor's mouth. "Now any battle damage he deals for this turn is doubled," she said, "so I'll have him attack Mind Kraken!" The winged dinosaur shot into the air and then flew at the brain squid, before spinning around and smashing it with its tail and destroying it.

Doom: 5600
Sweetie: 3700
Applebloom: 3200
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"I end my turn," Scootaloo explained.

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he drew his card. Seeing what he got made his crack a smile, before returning to his normal demeanour. "I summon Dark Brainiac, in DEF mode." A man with blue skin and wearing a metal suit of armour appeared. (A500/D2000/L4) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"We've got him running scared," Scootaloo said with a smirk.

"Yeah," Applebloom said before turning to Sunset. "Take him down."

Sunset just smiled. "With pleasure," she said as she went to her deck and drew her card. "I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Magician of Radiant Sunlight scale eight Magician of Glorious Sunrise." The pillars of light appeared on either side of her, as the two monster flew up into them. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," she said as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground, before taking form.

"Flame on, Firewall Defender!" (A1800/D0/L4)

"Ignite you flame of victory, Solar Flare Phoenix." (A2500/D2100/L7/P4)

"Now I'll summon my Tuner Monster," Sunset continued, "Sun Ray Salamander." A small yellow lizard with a white stomach and black spots appeared. (A100/100/L1)

"A Tuner Monster huh?" Doom said.

Sunset smirked at this. "Now watch as I tune level one Sun Ray Salamander, with level seven Solar Flare Phoenix." The little lizard glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Solar Flare Phoenix flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your flame to burn brighter then ever." The Phoenix was consumed by a burst of light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Sunset's monster. "Solar Phoenix Rebirth!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"WHOA!" The girls said. They'd heard Twilight mention this monster, but never thought it'd be this cool.

"How'd you like that?" Sunset asked Doom cockily.

"I like it a lot," Doom said, "that's quite the monster and it'll serve me well."

"What?"

Suddenly six unusual disk like machines appeared and flew around Solar Phoenix Rebirth, four circling it while one flew above its head and the last flew bellow it. After that the disks all unleashed a bunch of green energy ropes, which connected to another disk and formed a cage like contraption which trapped the Synchro Monster inside. The cage then flew over to Doom's side of the field, the caged bird going with it.

"PHOENIX!" Sunset screamed seeing her monster be taken, before turning to Doom and glaring at him. "WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO MY MONSTER!"

"I trapped it," Doom said as he pointed to his face down, which flipped up to reveal a cage. "My Psycho Cage Trap card lets me bring any monster on my opponents field to my side. I can't attack with it, or us it as a tribute or a shield, but with it on my field my victory is all but assured."

The four girls didn't like the sound of that. Without her best monster, Sunset couldn't pull off her best moves. The question was, what was Doom Raizer planning to do next?

Turn 37, Doom Raizer pt2

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The Duel between Doom Raizer and the four girls, Sunset Shimmer, Scootaloo, Applebloom and Sweetie Belle continued.

The four girls had stumbled upon Doom Raizer's secret underground lab, where they'd discovered hundreds of trapped Duel Spirits being used to generate Ener-D. Demanding him to stop, the four girls had challenged him to a Duel and he had accepted to a four on one Duel.

Doom Raizer had just used his Psycho Cage to trap Sunset's Solar Phoenix Rebirth, bringing it over to his side and putting an end to Sunset's stratagy.

"I must thank you for giving me such a beautiful monster Ms Shimmer," Doom said with an evil smile on his lips, "I look forward to adding it to my collection when this is all over."

"Collection?" Applebloom asked in a sickened manor.

"Oh course," Doom said, "my Duel Monster Spirit collection. When I was younger I had one of the best Duel Monster Card collections of all times and now I've evolved to the next level."

"That's disgusting!" Sweetie cried out, "Duel Monsters aren't just things to collect like dolls or stamps. They're living being who deserve the right to be free."

"She's right," Scootaloo said, "you can't do something like this. What do you have, some kind of sick fetish for holding living things captive?"

Doom didn't appear to appreciate being talked down to by a couple of kids.

"I didn't ask for a life review," he told them, "I don't care what a bunch of silly girls think about me. All I care about is defeating you and then turning your puny little brains blank.

"That's not gonna happen!" Sunset yelled out, "after I save my monster, you're going down!"

"Well aren't you a feisty one," Doom said before smirking, "maybe King Sombra will let me keep you for myself once you're hypnotised."

He licked his lips, causing the four girls to cringe in disgust.

"Anyway," Doom said, "I'm guessing you turn's over?"

Sunset just frowned at this. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he reach for his deck and drew his card. Seeing the card he'd drawn he smiled and evil smile, before turning back to the girls. "I hope you're ready ladies, because I've just drawn the card that will win this whole match." He raised the card above his head. "I tribute Dark Brainiac to summon my most powerful monster, Theta Thinker!"

Dark Brainiac disappeared in a flash of light. In its place appeared a tall humanoid monster that looked similar to the monster Jinzo, only its armour was red with yellow spikes covering it. It's head was pink and vainy, almost like a brain, and it wore a silver mask which covers its eyes, nose and mouth. (A2400/D1500/L6)

The four girls stared at the monster in disgust, freaked out by its horrid appearance.

"Pretty impressive wouldn't you say?" Dooms said, "just wait until you see his ability."

Theta Thinker turned to the caged Solar Phoenix Rebirth and held out its hand, causing the bird to begin to glow. That light then moved like a mist over to Theta Thinker, who absorbed it into his body.

"What are you doing to my monster?" Sunset asked.

"Do any of you know what a Theta Wave is?" Doom asked.

"No," Scootaloo said with the other two girls agreeing.

"Theta Waves are the most powerful brainwave that can be created," Doom explained, "if a being can generate enough Theta Waves, they enter something called the Theta State. In the Theta State, information becomes easier to absorb allowing a person to literally think faster and max out their instincts. Theta Thinker's ability allows him to absorb the Theta Waves of other monsters and enter the Theta State. He's absorbing your Phoenix's Theta Waves and increasing his ATK points, by Phoenix's Level times one hundred. (A3200/D1500/L6) "Theta Thinker, attack!" The monster placed its thinks on its temples and unleashed several brainwaves, which flew at Sunset's monster.

"I activate my face down," Sunset called out as her card flipped up, "Brittle Shield. With this, my Firewall Defender will switch from ATK to DEF mode." The warrior crouched down, as a shield of fire shot out of of his gauntlet. The brainwave bounced off the fire shield, leaving Firewall Defender unarmed. "While in DEF mode, Firewall Defender can't be destroyed by battle."

"Not bad," Doom said, "very well. I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Sweetie said as she looked at her hand. She didn't have another monster, so If she couldn't draw one this turn then that Theta Thinker would wipe her out next turn. "I draw," she looked at her card and sighed it relief at the sight of a monster. "I summon Solo the Melodious Songstress in DEF mode," she said as her ballerina like monster appeared. (A1400/D1000/L4)

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he drew his card and smirked seeing it, "and I'll equip Theta Thinker with the Hypno Helmet!" A silver metal helmet appeared on Theta Thinker's vainy head, it had a small satellite on the part covering its forehead. "With this device, when the Psychic Monster that wears it attacks a monster, I can chose to change that monsters battle position."

All four of the girl's eyes went wide hearing this. That meant that defending against this guy was pointless, since he could just switch their monster's modes.

"First Theta Thinker will activate his special ability," Doom explained as his monster turned to the caged Phoenix and drained more energy out of it. (A4000/D1500/L6) "Now Theta Thinker, switch Solo the Melodious Songstress to ATK mode and destroy her!" The satellite on Theta Thinker's helmet unleashed a beam of light which struck Solo's forehead, causing her eyes to go blank as she stood up.

"Don't do it!" Sweetie called out but it was to late.

Theta Thinker unleashed its psychic wave, which struck Solo and gave her a splitting headache before she was destroyed.

Sweetie was sent flying backwards from the explosion, landing face up on her back.

Doom: 5600
Sweetie: 1100
Applebloom: 3200
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"Sweetie!" Applebloom called out.

"You okay?" Sunset asked her.

"Say something!" Scootaloo cried.

Sweetie groaned as she picked herself up. "I'm okay," she said, "don't worry about me."

"Oh you'll have plenty to worry about soon enough," Doom said as he ended his turn.

"If we want to take that thing down," Sunset said, "we have to get rid of Rebirth." She turned to the others. "I'd rather she be destroyed then under that psycho's control."

They all nodded before turning back to the battle.

"It's my turn," Applebloom said as she went to her deck, "I draw and once again I'll carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a beam of light shot out and struck the ground, taking the form of the monster Applebloom had used to Synchro Summon before. "Maiden of Cherry Blossom." (A2100/D1500/L5/P2) "Next I'll activate the Spell card Draining Thorn, which sucks a thousand ATK points from a monster on your side of the field and then transfers half that amount to a plant monster on my field."

Thorny vines wrapped around Solar Phoenix Rebirth and caused it to yell out as it was stabbed, draining its energy. (A2000/D2000/L8) Meanwhile the energy flowed throw the vines and into the ground, which travelled over Applebloom's Pendulum Monster and caused it to glow. (A2600/D1500/L5/P2)

"Now attack Solar Phoenix Rebirth!" The woman leapt into the air and struck the caged bird with its staff and causing an explosion.

Doom: 5000
Sweetie: 1100
Applebloom: 3200
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

Applebloom cheered at this, thinking she'd done it, before gasping as the smoke from her attack faded and revealed Rebirth still in its cage. "But how."

"Did I forget to mention that the Psycho Cage prevents the monster inside it from being destroyed?" Doom asked.

"Yes," Sunset growled, "yes you did."

"Oops," Doom chuckled.

Applebloom sighed at this. "I end my turn, my Maiden's ATK returns to normal." (A2100/1500/L5/P2)

"Then it's my turn," Doom said as he drew his card, "and once again I'll have Theta Thinker absorb Rebirth's power." (A4800/D1500/L6) "ATTACK!" Once again the Psychic Monster fired its brainwave attack, striking Applebloom's and destroying it while sending her flying back.

Doom: 5000
Sweetie: 1100
Applebloom: 500
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"That had to hurt," Doom said.

"You okay?" Sunset asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom said as she picked herself up, "I'm fine."

"I think I'll end my turn there," Doom said.

"Then it's my turn," Scootaloo said, "I draw and I play Pot of Greed!" As she drew her two cards, she looked other her options and a plan formed in her head. "Here goes," she said, "I summon Dino Knight, Ptera Stinger in DEF mode!" A knight in yellow pterodactyl themed armour appeared, holding a pair of daggers in the shape of pterodactyl beaks. (A1700/D1300/L4/5) "I end my turn with a face down," she said.

"It's my turn," Doom said as he drew his card and smiled once again, "I activate Theta Thinker's ability once more!" (A5600/1500/L6) "And now I'll activate the Spell card Psychotic Rampage! Now I can select a monster on my field and it can attack every monster on your side of the field, so Theta Thinker will be attacking them all!"

The girls all gasped as this.

"Theta Thinker!" He cried out, "attack Firewall Defender, Wild Rush Raptor and Dino Knight Ptera Stinger!" The Jinzo ripoff fired two beams from its helmet, causing the two defending monsters to stand up into ATK mode, before unleashing its psychic waves.

Sunset felt hopeless as the waves approached them. "This is all my fault," she said, "I should have gotten the three of you out while I had the chance."

"No way," Scootaloo told her, "I don't regret coming in here. If we hadn't we never would have discovered what he was doing that the Duel Spirits would have continued suffering. At least now we still have a shot at saving them."

Sunset smiled at Scootaloo's just intentions. She was right, they couldn't give up. Not until these monsters were saved.

There was a massive explosion which engulfed the two girls.

"Scootaloo!" Sweetie yelled out

"Sunset!" Applebloom cried.

Doom laughed happily. With both her monsters destroyed, the damage would knock Scootaloo out of the Duel and Sunset would be doing any better. However, when the smoke cleared her had to take a double take.

Both Scootaloo and Sunset were standing.

Doom: 5000
Sweetie: 1100
Applebloom: 500
Scootaloo: 100
Sunset: 200

"But how?" He asked turning to Scootaloo, "you shouldn't have any life points left."

"My Trap activated just in time," Scootaloo explained pointing to her face down, which then flipped up. "Extinction Buster," she said, "I had to tribute a Dinosaur monster to use it, but that's fine since it saved me."

"So you tributed your Wild Rush Raptor?" Doom asked.

"That's right," Scootaloo said, "and now for it's next effect." Suddenly Wild Rush Raptor reappeared and flew at the Psycho Cage, before using its clawed feet to grab one of the disk like devices and crushing it to pieces before disappearing.

"What are you doing?" Doom asked.

"Extinction Buster lets me tribute a dinosaur monster and in exchange I can destroy one face up Spell or Trap on the field," Scootaloo explained with a massive smile on her face.

With one of the devices busted, the energy weakened and Solar Phoenix Rebirth was able to break out and free itself.

Sunset's eyes lit up with joy seeing her monster be freed, before it flew over to her side of the field and hovered above her head.

"You're back," she said happily, before turning to Scootaloo. "Thank you."

Scootaloo just smirked and gave her a thumbs up, before turning back to Doom. "And without Rebirth on your field, Theta Thinker's power up ability is now gone."

Theta Thinker cried out as it held its head, while its power began to diminish. (A2400/D1500/L6)

Doom growled at this, but wouldn't be stopped now. "You may have got your monster back, but it won't help you. I end my turn."

Sunset hated to admit it, but he was right. Sure she could destroy Theta Thinker, but it wouldn't defeat him and if he managed to summon another powerful monster on his next turn she wouldn't survive. She needed a way to beat him this turn. She went to her deck and drew her card, seeing what it was gave her an idea but-

"Sunset," Sweetie called out, "if you've got a plan, then tell us what we can do to help."

Sunset smiled. "Well if you can get me a pair of Level one monsters that would help."

"Well I don't know about a getting you two," Sweetie said, "but I can get you one." Her face down flipped up, revealing a Trap card. "I activate Fusion Spirit," she said, "this card lets me revive a Fusion Monster from the graveyard, but it's ATK and DEF are zeroed out and it's Level set to one."

Schuberta the Melodious Maestra reappeared on the field. (A0/D0/L1)

"I'm also activating a Trap," Applebloom called out, "Synchro Spirit! This card lets me revive a Synchro Monster from the graveyard, but it's ATK and DEF are zeroed out and it's Level set to one."

Maiden of Great Bloom also reappeared, landing next to Sweetie's monster. (A0/D0/L1)

Sunset smiled at this and turned to the girls. "Thank you, all of you. Together, we gonna take this freak down."

The three nodded as Sunset turned to the Duel. "I'll start by activating the Spell card Magic Duplicater, which allows me to activate the effects of a Spell card twice this turn. With that, I can use Magician of Radiant Sunlight's ability to turn both Schuberta and Maiden of Great Bloom into Tuner Monsters!" The teenage wizard raised it's wands and fired a magic blast at the two, causing them to glow.

"So now their Tuner Monster?" Sweetie asked

"What's she gonna do?" Scootaloo asked.

"I'll show you," Sunset said, "I'm tuning Level one Schuberta the Melodious Maestra and Level one Maiden of Great Bloom with Level eight Solar Phoenix Rebirth!" The two monster leapt into the air and joined hands, before turning into a pair of lights which carved a pair of shining circles. Solar Phoenix Rebirth flew inside the circles and began to glow.

"She using two Tuner Monsters?" Applebloom asked in amazement.

"Double Tuning!" Sunset cried as her monster disappeared in a flash of light. "Appear, the embodiment of my new strength!" Sunset screamed as the light faded and her new monster was revealed.

This new form had three sets of golden wings and wore golden armour around its chest and a golden helmet that seemed to double as a crown. It's tail and the feathers coming out the back of its helmet were now ablaze. "Level Ten, Solar Monarch - FRIENDSHIP PHOENIX!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

Everyone was mesmerised by Sunset's newest monster.

"I activate Solar Monarch's ability," Sunset explained, "during each turn it returns our life points to four thousand!" The large birds fire flew off its body and surrounded to group, bathing them in its healing flames.

Doom: 5000
Sweetie: 4000
Applebloom: 4000
Scootaloo: 4000
Sunset: 4000

"Now I'll attack with my Friendship Phoenix!" Sunset called out.

"Go ahead," Doom said, "it won't be enough, come my next turn I'll wipe you and your overgrown turkey out."

"You're not getting another turn," Sunset said, "because I'm activating Solar Monarch's other ability. An ability that let's any Duellist give up their own life points and add them to Friendship Phoenix." She turned to the younger girls, "mind sparing some points?"

The three smiled at this and nodded.

"Their all yours," Scootaloo said.

The four glowed as their life points were converted into ATK points and given to Solar Monarch, Friendship Phoenix."

Doom: 5000
Sweetie: 100
Applebloom: 100
Scootaloo: 100
Sunset: 100

(A19100/D3000/L10)

"That's almost twenty thousand ATK points!" Doom screamed as he saw this.

"DOOM RAIZER!"

He turned to look down at Sunset, who had a look of pure hatred on her face.

"You tried to use your power to control living things and make them do your bidding, thinking that will make you stronger in the long run, well it won't. I know, I used to be the same way. But it's only by combining your power with those around you, working with them as a team, that will truly make you strong." She looked up at her monster, whose entire body burst into flames before taking off. "You're subjugation of Duel Monster Spirits ends now."

Suddenly, Scootaloo, Sweetie Belle and Applebloom's Duel Disk glowed before that light shot off and took the form of Wild Rush Raptor, Schuberta the Melodious Maestra and Maiden of Great Bloom. The three monster shot into the air and flew around Solar Monarch.

"What is this?" Doom asked, "why are those monsters here."

"Because their working together," Sunset explained, "fighting as one. Wild Rush Raptor, who sacrificed itself to save Phoenix from your entrapment, and Schuberta and Maiden, who lent Phoenix their power so he could achieve his ultimate form. These four monsters united their spirits and are now going to combined their power to put an end to your evil ways."

The three Duel Spirits transformed back into light, which surrounded Friendship Phoenix in a shining aura as the flaming bird rocketed at Theta Thinker.

"Now go!" The four girls cried in unison, "UNITED BURNING SOUL!"

The firebird struck the armoured psychic and a massive explosion occurred. Doom yelled out as the flames engulfed him and his platform was destroyed, sending him flying.

Doom: 0
Sweetie: 100 (Winner)
Applebloom: 100 (Winner)
Scootaloo: 100 (Winner)
Sunset: 100 (Winner)

As the holograms all faded, the girls all cheered at their combined victory.

"I can't believe we did it," Sweetie cheered.

"Me neither," Applebloom said.

"That last move was great," Scootaloo told Sunset, who smiled in response.

"I couldn't have done it without you girls," Sunset replied.

Suddenly their attention shifted to Doom, who despite having lost was laughing his head off.

"What's so funny?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah," Applebloom said, "you lost."

"Did I?" Doom replied as he stood up, "I may have lost the battle, but the war is as good as ours!"

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked.

"Did you forget the purpose of this facility?" Doom asked them.

A cold chill ran down their spine as they suddenly remembered.

"That's right," Doom said, "it was to collect Ener-D and thanks to that last big attack, we've collected enough Ener-D to finally summon the final monster."

"No," Sweetie said.

"He tricked us," Applebloom said.

"We have to stop it," Scootaloo said.

"To late," Doom replied, "it's already been transferred to my king's location."

"No," Sunset growled.

CRACK!

That sudden sound caught all their attentions, causing them to look up and see the containers holding the Duel Spirits had all been damaged by that Duel's last attack. Now the Duel Spirits were slamming against their glass prisons and increasing the damage.

"No," Doom said seeing this, "don't do that."

They continued banging on the glass until finally, with an earsplitting crash, they all shattered and the Duel Spirits were freed.

The hundreds of monsters flew through the air, enjoying their renewed freedom before turning their gaze on Doom Raizer. One spirit, Happy Lover, flew down to the girls and began speak. Scootaloo recognised it as the voice that she'd heard earlier and her eyes went wide hearing what it had to say.

"Oh boy," she said.

"What'd it say?" Sunset asked.

"It told us we should leave quickly," she translated, "while we still can."

They all looked up and saw the spirits begin to crowd around Doom.

"No," he said as he turned to the girls, "please help me."

Sunset just smirked. "I think whatever punishment they deem worthy, is what you deserve."

With that the four turned towards the door, which had been blasted opened by Friendship Phoenix, and rushed through it. They ran as fast as they could, up the stairs, into the warehouse and then outside. While they were doing that, the building had begun to shake, causing them to grow nervous and double their efforts. Seconds after they got outside, the whole building suddenly collapsed on top of itself.

The girls looked at the wreck that had once been the building, before sighing in relief at their escape. Scootaloo stared at the pile of rubble and noticed several lights flying out from beneath the pile and then into the air. One of the lights transformed into Happy Lover, who smiled at her and nodded her thanks before changing back into light and flying off

The four returned to Freeze Stadium and told everyone about their adventure.

To say the members of the younger girls family were unhappy about them going into a dangerous area would be...underplaying it, but they were just happy they were safe.

"We're sorry," Sweetie Belle said, "it's because of us that Sombra can summon that last monster now."

"That would have happened eventually anyway," Cold said, "from what you told us, they would have just kept using the Duel Spirits to generate it. You girls saved them from further pain."

"He's right darling," Rarity assured her sister, "what matters is you're safe and you were able to help those poor creatures out."

"You four did a heck of a job," Applejack said.

"Eeyup," Mac said in agreement.

Cold placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder and smiled at her. "You've come a long way from the lonely girl I met that day. I'm proud to have had a hand in helping you grow into who you are."

Sunset smiled and nodded, before they both turned back to the group.

"Now listen up," Cold said, "we'll need to be extra careful from here on. Now that he can summon the last monster, Sombra will obviously move on to his grand scheme."

"So what do we do?" Thorax asked him.

"We have to be ready for whatever he might try," Cold said, "we have to be on guard at all times."

"I guess you've got a point," Twilight sad. Her mind then went to Flash, who was laying on the bed still unconscious in the medical bay. "But whatever it is, I just hope we can do it without him."

A little while later, Scootaloo entered into her brothers room.

"Hey bro," she said as she sat down and took his hand in hers. "Please wake up soon. You and me have only just recently grown close once again, I don't want to lose that."

"He'll wake up soon."

Scootaloo looked up and saw her grandfather step into the room. He stepped over to them and sat down in the chair opposite the her.

"I want to believe that," Scootaloo said, "but no matter what I keep feeling like it isn't going to happen."

Grand Hoof got up out of his and brought it over to her side and sat back down, before pulling his granddaughter into a hug. Scootaloo couldn't stop it and she began to cry into his shoulder.

"Don't worry," he told her, "if there's a way to wake your brother up, I'll find it."

Scootaloo cried into his shoulder for several more minutes, until finally she was cried out and wiped her eyes one her sleeve.

"So," Grand said, wanting to change the subject, "you can hear Duel Monster Spirits."

"I guess," Scootaloo said.

"Guess you take after your mother," Grand said with a smile."

"You think?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeap, though she started seeing them a lot sooner. Guess you're just a late bloomer."

"I guess," Scootaloo said, "do you think I can do what Flash can do? Make a connection between the two worlds."

"Maybe," Grand said, "he can do it because he was born in that universe. We don't know if you were as well. It's possible you could learn to do it, in time."

"I guess," Scootaloo said.

Meanwhile in the ruins of the Duel Monster Spirit World, a single cloaked figure stepped into the area.

Suddenly there was a flash of light and the figure looked around to see a large portal like object appear. From that portal stepped out two beings, one being another cloaked figure while the other was Vail Pixie. The second figure had a white glow coming off his body.

The two cloaked figures rushed over to each other and threw their arms around the other.

"It's been so long," the first figure, a female, said.

"I know," the second one, a man, replied.

They pulled away from each other and removed their hoods. Doing so revealed them to be Misty Vail and Trail Blazer, who shared a quick kiss before turning back to the ruins.

"The moment is drawing closer," she said, "soon the Shadow Gate will open."

"There has to be something we can do," Trail said.

"Our only hope is our son," Misty said, "he's the only one with the power to stop this."

"But is he ready?" Trail asked.

"Only one way to find out," she said. She then turned to Vail Pixie. "We need you," she said.

"What'cha need?" The fairy asked as she flew around them.

"We need you to bring our children here," Misty asked, "it's time to test our son and see how far he's come."

Turn 38, Sombra's Followers

View Online

We find ourselves in a circular room with three rows of wooden benches lining the walls.

Sitting in that room were three people, Lightning Dust and the Flim-Flam Brothers. They seemed to be doing their own thing, Lightning was laying on one spinning a soccer ball on her fingers while Flim and Flam both held a tablet and were reading off them.

Suddenly a door opened and Chrysalis stepped inside, looking around to see the three. "Good," she said, "you're all here."

"Can I asked why we're all here?" Lightning asked her, "you told us to come and then you leave us waiting for an hour."

"As much as I hate to agree with the child," Flim said, getting a glaring look from Lightning in return, "she does have a point."

"Indeed brother of mine," Flam said before turning to Chrysalis, "so what's the situation."

"The situation," Chrysalis said, "is that Doom Raizer's Ener-D extraction lab was just destroyed."

That got the three's attention.

"What happened?" Lightning asked.

"A Duel," Chrysalis said, "we hacked into the labs security cameras and saw the whole thing. Four young girls found their way in and discovered the Duel Spirits he's gathered. They wanted to free them and challenged Doom to a Duel, which he accepted and then lost."

"And those four girls destroyed the lab afterwards?" Flim asked.

"No," Chrysalis replied, "the Duel damaged the Duel Spirit containers and allowed them to brake free. They destroyed the lab."

"And Doom?" Flam asked.

Chrysalis just shrugged her shoulders, showing she didn't know and frankly didn't care.

"So what now?" Lightning asked, "we need Ener-D to summon the final monster. How do were gather it without Doom's lab?"

Chrysalis just smiled. "We don't. The Duel I mention, generated more then enough Ener-D to summon the final Monster. I'm here to tell you that we'll be moving onto the final stage soon enough."

The three all smiled at this, happy it was almost time.

"King Sombra is preparing for the summoning," Chrysalis said, "it's in an hour and he asked you all be there for it." With that she turned and headed towards the door, only to stop and turn back to them. "Oh that's right," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out three cards. She turned back to them and threw a card at each of them, which they caught perfectly. "The king had those made for you. He said since you'll be facing old opponents who know your stratagy, it would be best that you evolve your strategies." And with that she turned again and finally left the room.

Once she was gone, the three looked at their new cards and all smiled.

"She's right," Flim said as he stood up, "we will need to improve our skills if we want to succeed."

"To true brother," Flam replied as he to stood up, "but by the looks of this card, we won't need to change our decks around at all to use it.

"Same here," Lightning said as she stood up, "we got some time to kill. How about one of you test it out against me?"

"I have to say I like the sound of that," Flim said.

"Then you can be my opponent," Lightning replied as she walked into the centre of the room.

"Very well then," Flam said, "good luck brother."

Flim nodded and stepped over to Lightning.

The floor between them suddenly opened up, as a mechanised table folded out and transformed into a Duel Console.

The two took out their decks and added the new cards to them, before placing them on their sides of the console.

"You ready?" Lightning asked him.

"I am," Flim replied.

"DUEL!"

Lightning: 4000
Flim: 4000

The console activated and lit up, while holes in the roof and wall opened up to reveal strange projector like devices which pointed at them.

"I'll take the first move," Lightning said as she drew her first card, "and I summon Lightning Wing Burst, in ATK mode." The projectors lit up and suddenly a gold jet with blue trim appeared above her. (A1600/D1200/L4) "When this card is summoned, I can ditch a card and then add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." Lightning discarded a card before picking up her deck and shuffling through it, until she found what she was looking for and added it to her hand. She then shuffled her deck and placed it back on the console. "I'll end my turn there."

"I see," Flam said from the sidelines, "her style involves searching her deck for the cards she needs to summon Jetstream Thunderbird, which can paralyse an opponent's monster and lower their ATK points to zero. But with that new monster, how will her stratagy change?"

"It's my turn," Flim said as he drew his card. Looking through the cards in his hand, he formulated a plan. "I summon Forbidden Summoner," he said, "in DEF mode." The projectors lit up again and a man wearing armour similar to Exodia's body appeared, carrying a staff with a key for the head. (A1000/D1000/L4) "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Forbidden Summoner," Lightning said to herself, "obviously a card designed to help him summon Exodia. How does it work though? Only one way to find out. I draw and I'll play Stop Defence, which switches your Forbidden Summoner from DEF mode to ATK mode." The crouching man stood up, as the jet monster aimed its weapons at him. "Now I attack with Lightning Wing Burst!" The jet burst into life, flying towards the man and launching a missile at him. It struck him and exploded, the force of which caused Flim to cover his face.

Lightning: 4000
Flim: 3400

"You activated my Summoner's ability," Flim said, "which lets me search my deck for a Forbidden monster and add it to my hand." He picked up his deck and shuffled through it before finding the card he was looking for, which he added to his hand before shuffling his deck and placing it back on the console.

"So that's how it works," Lightning said to herself, "is it Exodia, or that new monster? I end my turn."

"Then I'll go," Flim said as he drew "and now the time has come to try this new monster out."

"Here it comes," Lightning said.

"To summon this monster, I must shuffle every monster in my graveyard back into my deck." Flim took Forbidden Summoner off the discard pile and put it on top of his deck, which he then shuffled.

"How is that fair?" Lightning asked.

"Oh it's fair," Flim said, "because this monster's power hinges on having monster in the graveyard. Allow me to show you, I summon Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!" The projectors activated and created a new monster. It looked like Exodia, but its armour was black with gold trim and a blue skirt. (A?/D0/L10)

"Whoa," Lighting said in amazement, "sweet card."

"Why thank you," Flim said, "I must thank his majesty for it. Another gift he's given me and my brother, even after everything he's done for us."

"You never told me how you two ended up here," Lightning said, "I'd love to find out."

Flim and Flam both sighed. "It was back in a dark time of our lives."

Flim: My brother and I were once the most famous Tag Duellists in the world. The two of us couldn't even walk down the block without being recognised.

Flim and Flam were walking down the street, as they did so the people around them all stared in wonder at them being there.

"Hey look," someone said, "is that who I think it is?"

"It is," another said, "but I can't believe it."

"Does anyone have a pen," a woman said, "I just have to get their autograph."

"I can't believe their walking down the street like regular guys," A teen boy said to his friend.

"Yeah," his friend said, "you'd think they'd have a limo or something."

Flam: Life was great. We were living he high life. Commercial deals, interviews on talk shows, everything was going our way.

The two brothers stepped out of a restaurant when a young teen boy rushed up to them. "Excuse me," he said, getting their attention. The two turned towards him. "You're the Flim-Flam Brothers right?" He asked as he held out a large notebook, "I was wondering whether you'd be willing to sign an autograph?"

"Why of course," Flim said, as he took the notebook and signed it.

"Anything for an adoring fan," Flam said as his brother handed him the notebook and he to signed it.

"That's awesome," The teen said as he reached out to take it, but in that second Flam held the notebook out of his grasp.

"Now hold on," Flim said, "we never said it was free."

"But I don't have any money," the teen replied.

"What about your rarest card?" Flam asked.

The teen looked uneasy but pulled out his deck, followed by showing them his rarest card, a Red-Eyes Black Dragon. The two smiled and snatched the card away, before tossing the notebook in the air so the boy barely managed to catch it.

"Pleasure doing business with ya," Flim said as he and his brother walked away.

Flim: Life was good, but that streak didn't last. We entered the Celestic Cup hoping to increase our fame, and then we entered the Survival Duel.

"Magna Champion Assault Striker attack," Flash ordered as his Synchro Monster launched itself at Flim. Assault Striker raised one of its blades and slashed down his chest.

Flim: 0
Flash: 500
Flam: 2500
Applejack: 400

The Synchro Monster then turned to Flam raising its other blade, slashing him as well.

Flim: 0
Flash: 500 (Winner)
Flam: 0
Applejack: 400 (Winner)

Flam: And just like that, everything changed.

The brothers were at an outdoor cafe, when people spotted them.

"Hey look," someone said, "its the Whim-Wham Brothers."

"Can't believe they're showing their faces," another said.

Flim: All it took was one lost and they turned on us.

"I can't believe it!" Flim screamed as he kicked a trashcan over. They were in an alley way while it rained. "We were beaten by a couple of no names!"

"No more commercials," Flam said, "no more endorsement deals and no more adoring fans."

Suddenly a voice spoke out. "Are you the Flim-Flam Brothers?"

The two smiled. Finally their fans had returned. "Of course," Flim said.

"What can we do for you?" Flam asked.

"NOTHING!" Before the two knew what was happening, they found themselves on the floor with bruises and bloodied noses. Their decks were scattered on the floor. They both looked up and saw a trio of bulky men, one holding up a particular card. "Is this it?" He asked as he handed the card to the boy the Flim-Flam Brothers had taken Red-Eyes from.

"Yeah," the boy said, "thanks bro." They began to walk off.

"What did you do with those autographs anyway?" The bulkier one said.

"You kidding," the teen said, "I couldn't even give them away."

The two tried to pick themselves up, but their injuries made it difficult.

"This is all that boys fault," Flim moaned, "Flash Sentry. He did this to us."

"No," Flam moaned, "he may have been the one who beat us, but it was that girl, Applejack, she did this. That boy was beat, but she talked him into stopping us. We need to get even with her."

"And I can help you get it."

The two turned to see a dark figure standing at the entrance of the alley.

"It was on that day that the me met the king, who promised us not only the chance to get even, but also to stand atop everyone else in this world."

"Impressive," Lightning said, "An interesting story."

"Why thank you," Flim said, "and now he has given me this. Exodius the Ultimate Forbidden Lord."

"Time to see what it can do," Lightning said.

"Agreed," Flim replied, "I'll start by activating Foolish Burial, which lets me send a monster from my deck to my graveyard." He took his deck and once again searched through it until he pulled out Millennium Shield, which he discarded. "Exodius gains one thousand ATK points for every Normal Monster in my graveyard." (A1000/D0/L10) "Now I'll attack Lightning Wing Burst!"

"But my monsters got more ATK points?" Lightning asked

"For now," Flim explained, "but that won't be the case after Exodius's effect. Whenever he attacks, I can send a monster from my deck to my graveyard." He picked up his deck again and pulled out Left Arm of the Forbidden One, which he discarded. "With another Normal Monster in my grave, Exodius's ATK power goes up." (A2000/D0/L10) Exodius punched Lightning's jet, destroying it.

Lightning: 3600
Flim: 3400

"There's more," Flim explained, "if five different Forbidden One cards are sent to the graveyard by this effect, I can activate Exodius's ultimate ability and automatically win the game."

Lightning smiled at this. Now that was a good ability.

"Let's see if I can beat you before that," she said as she drew her card and smiled. "I activate the Spell card Disassembly, which let's me discard a machine monster from my hand and then summon machine monsters from my deck whose combined Levels equal the discarded one's. I discard Level ten Rocket Arrow Express, to summon five new Lightning Wings!"

Five rays of light appeared around her, before transforming into five different monsters.

"Lightning Wing Soar!" (A500/D500/L2)

"Lightning Wing Thrust!" (A500/D500/L2)

"Lightning Wing Boost." (A500/D500/L2)

"Lightning Wing Jet!" (A500/D500/L2)

"And Lightning Wing Glide!" (A500/D500/L2)

"Impressive move," Flim said.

"You haven't seen nothing yet" Lightning said, "now I use my five monsters to build the Overlay Network." Her five jets shot into the sky before zooming into the ground as the black hole appeared, "now watch as a storm of power begins to take shape." the black hole exploded in a burst of light, as a new monster flew out. "I XYZ SUMMON."

The light faded, revealing Lightning's monster. "Jetstream Thunderbird!" (A500/D500/R2)

"Nice card," Flim said.

"Thanks," Lightning said, "but even with his ability, I wouldn't be able to beat you before you can send the cards you need to win to the graveyard. I gotta power him up," she pulled a card from her hand and placed it on the console, "so I activate Rank-Up-Magic Lightning Force! With this I can Rank-Up a Machine Monster on my field." A bolt of lightning flew out of the projector and struck Jetstream Thunderbird, the electrical energy surging around it causing it to transform. "Now watch as the storm of power evolves to its highest level of power," Lightning chanted as the monster finished transforming. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing the monsters new form. It looked like Jetstream Thunderbird, but its paint was now dark blue and it had a lightning shaped double edged horn. It now had two sets of wings, which were larger and created an X shape when the monster spread all four. It had a third leg and foot with lightning shaped talons. "Blitzkrieg Thunderbird!" (A500/D500/R3)

"So that's your new card," Flim said.

"An impressive monster," Flam agreed, "but it's not that powerful."

"We'll see about that," Lightning said.

"We will," Flim said as he looked at here, "so tell me. How did you end up here?"

Lightning frowned at the thought. "Well," she said, "this you told me your story. I'll tell you mine."

I was always the best, ever since I was a kid, no matter what I tried to do. Soccer, Duelling, anything. I could do something for the first time and still be the best. It seemed like no one could match me, until I met her.

Lightning was at soccer camp and had just completed the dribbling obstacle course. She headed over to the board where the coach had pinned the results and tried to see, but there were to many kids there. Suddenly a rainbow haired girl pushed her way to the front and looked at the sheet.

"Alright," she said, "I came...second? Who came first?" She looked up at the name above her and read it aloud. "Who's Lightning Dust?"

The young girl just smiled. "That would be me."

The girl looked around and saw her.

"So you're my competition," Lightning said with a smirk on her face, "think you can keep up?"

"Of course," she replied, "I'll soon have my name atop that chart."

Lightning hated her attitude, but decided to play it cool. "That's good," she said, "it wouldn't be any fun if I didn't have someone who actually was a threat around." She held out her hand, "may the best player win."

Turns out there was someone almost as good as me, and that made me furious. I'd spent my whole life at number one and here was some loser who thought she could overthrow me. I remained on top but Rainbow was always there, threatening to take my place the second I messed up. Eventually, I did.

"Now attack!" The bird man took to the sky and raised his sword, before diving down and slashing towards Jetstream Thunderbird.

"NO...WAIT" Lightning tried to say, but Rainbow didn't listen as her monster destroyed the mechanical bird.

Rainbow: 1500 (Winner)
Lightning: 0

I'd been beaten, by her. I couldn't believe it. How dare she defeat me at anything. And that wasn't the worst of it.

"What do you mean I can't play?" Lightning asked her coach.

Her coach in turn pulled out a tablet, which showed an image of the Phantom. Suddenly parts of the Phantom's costume disappeared until only the mask was left and when that disappeared, Lightning could be seen.

No one wanted to be affiliated with the Phantom, I was rejected from every team I tried to join. My life was in ruin.

Lightning walked down the street in the dead of night. She was shaking, not from the cold, but from the anger of what had happened. "Rainbow," she said as she fell to her knees, "you did this to me. I'll make you pay if it's the last thing I do!"

Suddenly the presence of somebody caught her attention. Looking up she saw a dark figure looming over her.

"Phantom," the figure said, "I have need of your skills."

"He brought me to this place and offered me the chance to rise above everyone else," Lightning said, "and now we're so close to that goal."

"Agreed," Flim said, "soon the Shadow Gate will open."

"And we will stand above everyone else," Flam finished.

"But first things first," Lightning said, "let's finished this Duel. Since I summoned Blitzkrieg Thunderbird with Rank-Up-Magic Lightning Force, my Spells second effect grants my monster five hundred extra ATK points." (A1000/D500/R3) "Now I activate my Thunderbird's ability," One of the six Overlay Units flew into Thunderbird's horn, which unleashed a surge of electrical power that spread throughout its body. "This ability allows me to double my Thunderbird's current ATK points once a turn," Lightning explained. (A2000/D500/L3)

"I see," Flim said before doing some basic math, "so if you're able to use all your monsters Overlay Units, the resulting ATK points would be almost a hundred and thirty thousand."

"Exactly," Lightning said, "this is Blitzkrieg Thunderbird's power. Hope you're up for it."

"Always," Flim said.

"Well then," Lightning said, "I end my turn with a face down."

"Then it's my turn," Flim said, "I draw and I'll attack your Blitzkrieg Thunderbird with Exodius, the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!" The Exodia fake pulled back its fist and unleashed a powerful punch, which flew straight at Blitzkrieg Thunderbird. "Now I'll use Exodius's ability to send the Right Arm of the Forbidden One to the graveyard." He picked up his deck and shuffled through it until he found what he was looking for and placed it in the discard pile. "Now Exodius will gain an additional thousand ATK points!" (A3000/D0/L10)

"I activate my face down," Lightning said as she flipped the card around, "Negate Attack. With this I can stop your attack and end the Battle Phase." A force field appeared and deflected Exodius's attack.

"Very well," Flim said, "but I'm only three cards away from victory. I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Lightning said as she drew, "and I'll activate Thunderbird's ability." Another Overlay Units shot into its horn, causing a surge of energy to gather around the bird and increase its power. (A4000/D500/R3) "Now attack!" The bird flew up and spread its wings into an X formation, as they each opened up and folded out a bunch of lightning lasers. They shot off and unleashed a burst of electrical energy which flew at Exodius.

"Think not," Flim said as he flipped his card around, "because I have my own Negate Attack." A force field appeared around Exodius and blocked the attack.

"Alright," Lightning said, "well I end my turn with a face down."

"Then it's my turn," Flim said, "I draw and I'll have Exodius attack." The giant turned to the robot and raised its fists in a boxer manor. "Now to send the Left Leg of the Forbidden One to the graveyard and increase Exodius's ATK power to match your monsters." (A4000/D0/L10) The two monsters stared each other down, ready to do battle.

"Both monsters will be destroyed," Flam said, until he remembered they both had a face down card. Which one would activate theirs.

As the two monsters drew closer, and the two Duellists reached for their face downs, a loud voice called out. "ENOUGH!"

The two monsters vanished as the three turned to the door, where Chrysalis was standing with crossed arms.

"I thought I told you to be in the main lab right now?" She asked.

The three looked at the time and realised that fifty minutes had passed since they started the Duel.

"Those backstories really eat up the time," Lightning said.

"You're just lucky I came to make sure you weren't late," Chrysalis said, "now come on."

The four headed down to the main lab, where the hypnotised Adagio was waiting.

They stood next to her in a line, as an opening in the floor appeared and Sombra was elevated up into the room. "Welcome," he said, "the time as come to summon the final monster. With it we can build the Crystal Tower and open the Shadow Gate."

The four nodded, happy that the time drew near.

Sombra turned to the main part of the lab, which was set up the same way as his last on.

A glass window showing a room with walls that were covered in metal dishes. A single blank card floated in the centre of the room. Seconds later a computerised voice spoke from out of some speakers.

ENER-D CONVERGENCE STEADY!

Sombra sat back in his throne, as a pair of metal orbs flew up from the floor and into his hands which gripped them. The next second an opening in the ceiling opened and out of it came a metallic bowl like helmet, which landed on his head.

TRANSDIMENSIONAL LINK READY!

He took a deep breath and spoke. "Begin."

All over the city, lights flickered before going out.

"Not again," Shinning said. The group had been visiting Flash is his room, when the lights went out.

"Oh no," Cold said. He'd realised the cause of the multiple blackouts after their failed attempt at capturing Sombra. If this was the same, then Sombra was making his move.

Back at the lab, the beams of light continued to strike the cards. It began to glow as images and words appeared on the surface. Eventually the machine finally shut down and Sombra gasped for breath as he began panting.

TRANSFER COMPLETE!

The window opened and the card flew out, into Sombra's hand. "Finally," he said before turning back to his minions. "It's time."

Back at the Freeze Stadium, the lights switched back on and everyone sighed in relief. All accept Cold.

"This is bad," he said, "Sombra's summoned the final monster. He'll be moving onto his ultimate goal."

"And we don't even know what that is," Twilight said.

"We need Sentry," Cold said as he moved over to the bed. "Come on," he said, "you were so eager to help stop Sombra, well then you need to wake up."

Flash didn't respond, causing Cold and the rest of the group to sigh in disappointment.

Scootaloo watched her brothers face, a frown burnt onto her lips. It seems they wouldn't have Flash for this final battle after all.

"Scootaloo."

The teen's head shot up, as the weak voice struck her hears. "What," she said.

"What's up?" Sweetie asked as she noticed her friends sudden reaction.

"I can help."

Scootaloo looked around, not sure where the voice was coming from.

"I can wake him up. But I need your help."

"Where are you?" She asked, making everyone stare at her in confusion.

"I'm in the room, right next to you."

Scootaloo looked to her side and saw Flash's Duel Disk on the desk next to him. Picking it up she pulled out his cards and began shuffling through them until the voice cried out.

"THAT ONE!"

Scootaloo stared at the card, Vail Pixie, and wondered how she could help.

"Hold my card over him."

Scootaloo still wasn't sure how this would help, but did as she was told and pulled out the card. She stepped over to Flash's bed and held Vail Pixie above him. Suddenly the card began to glow, causing everyone to step back in shock. The light enveloping the card spread to Flash and Scootaloo, causing them to glow.

Scootaloo was amazed at this, until the light suddenly faded and her eyes went blank.

"Scootaloo!" Applebloom called out as they saw the teen fall back.

Rainbow moved quickly and managed to grab her, before she got a concussion from the fall.

"What happened?" Grand asked as he looked over his granddaughter.

"I don't know," Cold said as they slowly moved her to the empty bed, "but hopefully it will lead to them both awakening."

"Let's hope," Twilight said.

Would Flash and Scootaloo awaken? And what was Sombra planning? Only time would tell.

Turn 39, Family Reunion

View Online

Darkness was all Scootaloo could see.

She didn't understand. One moment, she'd been having some kind of conversation with Vail Pixie and the next, she was holding its card above her brothers body and being engulfed by light. The light had forced her to close her eyes and when she finally opened them, she found herself floating and surrounded by nothing but darkness.

"Hello!" She cried out into the darkness, "anybody out there?"

She continued to look around, until she finally saw something in the distance. As if on instinct she started to slowly float through the darkness towards what she had seen, that thing getting closer and clear as she did. Eventually she got so close to it, that she could make out what it was and gasped. "Flash!" She floated faster towards him, finally reaching her brother and grabbing hold of him. "Flash," she said as she slowly shook him.

Flash's eyes began to crack opened, allowing him to see her. "Scootaloo?" He asked in a weak voice.

"You're okay," she said as she pulled him into a hug.

"Yeah," Flash said, "of course I am. Why wouldn't I be?"

"You've been asleep for almost two weeks," Scootaloo explained.

"I have?" Flash replied in shock. He then looked around. "Where are we?"

"I was hoping you'd tell me," Scootaloo said, "the last thing I remember is hearing a voice and finding out it was Vail Pixie."

"Vail Pixie?"

"I can talk to Duel Spirits," Scootaloo said, "no big deal."

"I beg to differ."

"Anyway," Scootaloo continued, "she told me she could wake you up if I held her card above your head. So I did there was a big flash of light and the next thing I know, I'm here with you."

"Okay," Flash said, "I'm sure that whatever Vail Pixie has planned, it'll work."

"Awe, thanks Flash."

The two suddenly spun around and there, floating in the darkness, was Vail Pixie.

"Vail Pixie," Flash said, "you're here."

"You know it," the fairy said as she flew around them, "and I'm here to help you wake up."

"Isn't he already awake?" Scootaloo asked her.

"Nope," Vail Pixie said, "the two of you are unconscious in the real world. I used my power to bring my consciousness and your's into Flash's mind."

"Great," Scootaloo said, "now let's get out of here. Sombra's about to make his move."

"He is?" Flash asked, "then we can't wait around."

"Sorry," Vail Pixie said, "before I can wake you up, there's somewhere else I need to take you."

Before the humans could ask where, Vail Pixie flew upwards into the darkness. A second after she vanished, there was a bright flash of light.

Suddenly it was as if someone switched on the gravity and the two teens found themselves falling, except not down but face first up towards the light. They screamed as they began to fall faster, until they finally struck the light and were forced to close their eyes.

When they opened their eyes, they found they were no longer in the darkness. Now they were in the bright of day, flying above forest. It took a few seconds but they soon realised they weren't flying. Once again the two found themselves falling, the forest canopy drawing closer and closer.

Flash tried to look down to see if maybe there was a soft place he could steer them towards, however looking down he saw they were falling towards a clearing in the forest where a large crack in the ground was. He grabbed Scootaloo and held her close to his body, as they passed the trees and fell into the crack. They both braised for impact, but it never came.

Slowly opening his eyes, he found he and Scootaloo were hovering a few inches above the ground. This effect only lasted a few seconds and they once again fell the last remaining foot and crashed with a thud.

"Ow," Scootaloo moaned.

"You okay?" Flash asked as they pulled themselves back up to their feet.

Yeah," Scootaloo replied as she dusted herself off, "what happened?"

"No clue," Flash said as he looked around and then froze. He'd been here before.

They were in the ruins of the Duel Monster Spirit World, the place where he'd come whenever he summoned his more powerful cards.

"How?" He asked as he looked around.

"Do you know where we are?" Scootaloo asked.

"Yeah," Flash replied, "I think we're in the Duel Monster Spirit World."

"Seriously?" Scootaloo asked.

Flash looked at her and noticed her body had a white glow about her, before looking down and seeing the same glow on him. "Vail Pixie must have brought our minds here," Flash said, "but why?"

"Because we asked her to."

The two teens spun around at the sound of the female voice, looking over at the elevator statue where two cloaked figures stood at its feet. One looked completely normal, while the second taller one had the same glow coming off his body.

"Who are you?" Flash called out.

The two cloaked figures took a glance at each other, before turning back to them and pushing the hoods of their cloaks down.

The two teens froze at the sight of them. Though they'd never actually met, the two looked exactly like the picture they'd seen hundreds of times. Trail Blazer and Misty Vail watched as their children stared at them, large smiles on their faces.

"I've waited so long for this moment," Misty said.

"It's hard to believe it's finally come," Trail said.

The two teens were still in shock. "Mom?" Flash asked.

"Dad?" Scootaloo asked.

The adults nodded, their smiles growing larger as they did.

The two teen's shocked faces slowly changed to ones of immense joy, before they both broke out into a run towards their parents. They all met and Flash threw his arms around his mother, while Scootaloo did the same and threw hers around Trails midsection.

"Mom," Flash said with tears in his eyes.

"Daddy," Scootaloo cried into her fathers chest.

"We're so happy we finally to meet you," Vail said as she hugged back.

"We're sorry," Trail said, "we missed so much."

"No," Flash said as they finally pulled out of the hugs, "we don't blame you."

"It wasn't your fault," Scootaloo said.

"It was Sombra," Flash said angrily, "he did this."

Misty sighed. "It pains me to think someone I once called a friend would do such horrible things."

"He's evil," Scootaloo said, "of course he'd do something like that."

"Maybe now he is," Trail said, "but he wasn't always. The darkness infected his heart and made him the monster that threatens both worlds."

Flash meanwhile was looking around the ruins, amazed by the mere sight of them.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Misty asked her son.

"Yeah," Flash said, "no matter how many times I come here, I always feel this amazing feeling."

"It is incredible," Misty said.

Flash looked at his mother and noticed she didn't have the white glow about her. "You're actually here aren't you?" He asked, "me Scoot and Dad are just spirits, but you're actually here."

Misty just nodded. "Yes," she said, "I'm actually here. I've been in this world for a long time, the last time I left was to give birth to Scootaloo."

"So I wasn't born here," Scootaloo said.

"No," Trail said, "you weren't."

"Then why was I?" Flash asked, "Cold told me I was born in this world. Why didn't you return to ours like you did with Scoot?"

"We wanted to," Misty said, "and we planned to, but-"

"I couldn't do it."

They all looked up and saw Vail Pixie floating above them, before flying down and landing on Flash's shoulder.

"What do you mean you couldn't do it?" Scoot asked.

"Maybe," Trail said, "we should start at the beginning."

Misty, Sombra and I had been on the hunt for portals connecting our world with that of the Duel Monster Spirit World. We'd searched for months but for nothing, until we discovered an ancient tomb. Within that tomb we managed to find a breech, the doorway leading to another world, but then Sombra betrayed us.

We return to the scene where Trail and Misty are hanging off the destroyed bridge, with Sombra standing above them.

"Why?" Trail asked, "why have you done this?"

"It is my destiny," Sombra said as he stepped on Trail's hand. Trail could feel his grip weakening, but despite the pain he held on as best he could. "But to achieve my destiny," Sombra explained, "a sacrifice must be made." With that he raised his boot, causing Trail's weakened fingers to give and let go. As the two feel through the air, Trail grabbed hold of Misty and held her close to him. Finally the two of them hit the breech and continued falling.

Light flew passed them as they fell into the breech, blinding them and slowly the two lost consciousness.

The first thing Trail and Misty felt when they began to awaken was soft grass. As their senses returned, they pulled themselves into a sitting position and looked around. They were in some kind of meadow, with several small hills around them. Behind them was a stone ridge ruffly twenty feet high

"Are you okay?" Trail asked his wife.

"I think so," Misty replied, "but where are we?"

"That's a good question" Trail said as they got up and looked around.

"You don't think," Misty said, "we're in the Duel Monster Spirit Realm?"

Suddenly the ground beneath them rumbled, causing them to grow nervous. Seconds later another rumble happened, followed by another and then another.

"Footsteps," Trail said but before he could act, a loud roar burst through the air and almost deafened the two.

Suddenly something leapt off the ridge above them and landed with a crash a few feet away, kicking up a dust cloud.

When the dust cleared, Trail and Misty looked up and saw something they both recognised staring down at them.

"Black Tyranno," Trail said in amazement.

"Then we are in the Duel Monster Spirit World," Misty said.

The Black Tyranno stared at them, before unleashing another roar that was so powerful that it sent the two flying into the ridge. The dinosaur monster then began charging at the two.

The both flinched, Trail trying to shield his wife, as the monster grew closer. Suddenly a gust of wind shot passed them and the next thing to two knew, they were hearing Black Tyranno cry out in pain.

Looking around, what they saw shocked them.

A robot the same size as Black Tyranno, had appeared out of nowhere and punched it in the side. It was humanoid in appearance, with light blue armour and orange trim on its arms, legs, chest and shoulders. From its shoulders were a pair of square jet booster like wings, and it wore a red scarf which was emblazoned with an emblem of a shield with a lightning bolt on it.

The robot thrust its fist, sending the T-Rex flying off. The humans watching were amazed at what they'd just seen.

"Way to go Flash Heart," a voice called out. The two looked around and saw a small fairy with silver skin and purple hair, it wore a green dress. Misty gasped as she recognised it.

"Vail Pixie."

The fairy turned to them and smiled before waving out them. "Hey," she said, "don't worry. I brought some friends to help you."

Suddenly more creatures leapt over the ridge. Some were humans, some were dragons and some were robots. They stood infront of the humans to form a protective wall, as Flash Heart continued to battle Black Tyranno.

"Don't worry," Vail Pixie said, "we'll keep you safe."

"And they did," Trail said, "they saved us and brought us here."

They moved over to one of the ruin's walls, where a large boulder sat. Trail placed his hand on the boulder and it suddenly split down the middle, before moving apart to reveal a stair case. They headed down it and came to a large room, with many different doors lining the walls.

"Welcome to the place we called home," Misty said.

Flash and Scootaloo looked around and were in wonder.

"The Duel Monsters welcomed us," Trail explained, "and explained everything to us."

"They knew about Sombra and what he did," Misty explained, "they explained about how their ancient enemy, the Doom-Vaders, wished to free themselves and enter the human world."

"We knew that if Sombra succeeded, our world wouldn't survive. We had to take action."

"So you created my deck," Flash said, getting a nod from his parents in return.

"I worked to create the cards to use as conduit to bring them to our world," Misty said, "while Trail and Vail Pixie worked to find a way back to our world."

"I have the ability to create breeches," Vail Pixie explained, "but they were only weak once that could only transport someone a few miles away. I couldn't make one which could cross dimensions."

"We worked together," Trail went on, "using me as an anchor she began familiarising herself with our universes energy signature."

"Energy signature?" Scootaloo asked, not sure what they meant.

"Every universe has its own universal energy signature," Misty explained, "anything born in that universe gives off that energy. By absorbing it from Trail into herself, Vail Pixie was slowly able to learn to open and close breeches to our world."

"Our plan was to complete the deck," Trail said, "and then take it with us back to our world once Vail Pixie had mastered interdimensional travel."

"But then we had a certain...unexpected change of plans," Misty explained. She turned to Flash.

"Me?" He asked.

Misty just nodded, before moving over to a nearby door and opening it.

Looking inside, Flash saw it was a nursery. He stepped inside and looked around.

"When we realised I was pregnant with you," Misty said, "we hoped to return to our world as soon as we could. We didn't want to know what kind of effect being born here would have on you. But no matter how hard she tried, Vail Pixie just couldn't form a stable breech back home.

"So I was born here?" Flash asked.

"That's right," Trail said, "and the Duel Monsters loved you."

"Oh," Vail Pixie said as the two new parents showed their newborn to their Duel Monster friends, "he's so cute."

"Isn't he," Misty replied, "he takes after his father."

"Have you decided on a name?" Magna Caster Lunara asked.

"We have," Misty replied before turning to Flash Heart Dragon, "if it's okay, we'd like to name him, Flash."

Flash Heart just nodded, before slowly holding out a finger towards the baby. The little boy saw the giant robot dragon's finger, but he wasn't afraid and instead reached out and grabbed the finger before giggling in joy.

"So his name's Flash Heart?" Vail Pixie asked.

"No," Trail said, "we feel like his last name should be something else, we just don't know what."

"Despite our best efforts, you were born in this world," Trail said. They'd left the cave and were back outside.

"But we wanted you to lead a normal life," Misty said, "so when Vail Pixie finally managed to create a stable breech, we knew we had to send you somewhere safe."

The day had come for Misty and Trail to say goodbye to their son.

Vail Pixie was preparing to open a breech which would take them back to their world, where they would leave their son with his only remaining relative.

"Okay," Misty said as she wrapped Flash up and placed his in the basket. "It's time." She looked down at her child and tears began to form in her eyes. "You'll probably hate us for this," she said, "but please know that mommy loves you. Whenever life seems hard and you feel alone, just know that we will always be with you in your heart. You are the most special baby that will ever exist. Born of two worlds, you are the bridge that connects them. And one day, you may have to protect those worlds. You will be its protector, its guardian, its...sentry." She smiled at that name. "Flash Sentry."

"And just like that you were gone," Misty said, "we left you on my father's doorstep and returned to this world."

"And what have you been doing in this world?" Scootaloo asked.

"Why didn't you just stay?" Flash asked.

"We had to finish our mission," Trail explained, "to stop Sombra from unleashing the Doom-Vaders."

"I remained in this world to complete the deck," Misty explained, "but your father and Vail Pixie had another job."

"We returned to our world and travelled the globe," Trail said, "seeking out breeches and closing them. Had Sombra been able to find one, he would have been able to use it to acquire large amounts of Ener-D. Had we not closed them, he may have been able to summon the Doom-Vaders a decade ago."

"Every so often they had to return to this world," Misty said before turning to Scootaloo, "on one of those trips you were conceived."

Scootaloo nodded, understanding what she meant completely.

"I didn't want to risk complications again," Misty said, "so I returned to our world in my seven month. When you were born we left you at Grand Hoof's and I returned to this world to finish the deck."

"When it was finally ready I brought it to our world," Trail said, "but discovered some of the cards were blank. There wasn't a strong enough connection to allow the cards to form. We realised the only one who could give the cards back their power, was you Flash."

Flash nodded. He remembered what Cold had told him, how his connection to both worlds allowed him to open and stable connection between the Duel Monster and the card.

"Of course we didn't know how to get the cards to you," Trail continued, "me just showing up and giving you a deck wouldn't have worked. But luckily a few years ago, I met someone who could help me."

"Cold," Flash said, getting a nod in return.

"When I realised who he was, I knew meeting him wasn't a coincidence. I explained what was happening and what I needed him to do and he accepted. The rest you know."

"Well why didn't you show up after that?" Scootaloo asked, "after Cold told us about Sombra and you two, why didn't you come home?"

"I couldn't," Trail explained.

"Why?" Scootaloo asked.

"Because of me," Vail Pixie finally spoke up.

"In order to close the breeches," Misty explained, "Vail Pixie had to be physically there, not just a spirit. Your father used his own power to grant her a physical form, with them returning every now and again so they could rest. But now after almost two decades of doing it, his body is to weak to even move now."

Flash and Scootaloo nodded, understanding completely now. This was the way it has to be.

"Don't worry," Vail Pixie said, "since Sombra's making his move, I don't have to be in your world anymore. I'll be staying here and your father can start regaining his strength. He'll be home in no time."

"I guess," Flash said, "but what do we do now?"

"Sombra will no doubt move onto his ultimate plan," Trail said, "using the cards he created he'll try and create a gateway into the world of darkness that the Doom-Vaders at sealed within. The Shadow Gate."

"Then how do we stop that from happening?" Scootaloo asked.

"The only way to do so is to defeat the Doom-Vaders in a Duel," Misty explained, "that will weaken their connection to this world and stop them from opening the Shadow Gate."

"Then that's what I'll do," Flash said, "I'll defeat Sombra and the Doom-Vaders. My deck's filled with the monster that defeated them once, so there's no doubt I can do it again."

"Is that so," Trail said as he stepped up. "You seem pretty sure of yourself."

"I am," Flash said, "I defeated Cold and Shadow. I'm ready for whatever Sombra has to throw at me."

"You think so?" Trail asked before glaring at his son, "then why don't you prove it."

"What?"

"We didn't just bring you here for a family reunion," Trail said, "we brought you here to test you."

"I never wanted you to be involved," Misty said, "that's the last thing we wanted."

"Well I am involved," Flash said, "you gave Cold the deck to give to me."

"So you could awaken its full power," Trail said, "but if you want to keep using it, then prove your up to the task." There was a flash of light and suddenly an orange Duel Disk appeared on his arm. "You up for it."

Flash frown, not liking his parents having little faith in him, but he nodded anyway. "Let's do this," he said. A flash of light caused his Duel Disk to appear on his arm.

Scootaloo, Misty and Vail Pixie moved off to the side, ready to watch the battle which would decide whether Flash continued as the one to ultimately face Sombra.

"Hope you're ready son," Trail said.

"I am," Flash replied, "dad."

"Then let's get started," Trail said.

"DUEL!"

Trail: 4000
Flash: 4000

"Age before arrogance," Trail said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Blazing Soul Serpent and scale nine Blazing Soul Dragon, Flame Spark Dragon." The two pillars of light appeared on either side of him, as two monster appeared and flew up into them. One was a bright red rattle snake with fire on the tip of its tail, while the second was a red serpentine dragon carrying a sphere in its hands which looked to be filled with fire. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Trail chanted as the portal formed above him, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out.

The first became a monster Flash recognised. "Blazing Soul Firefly!" (A900/D1400/L3)

The second became a man in red armour, carrying a sword that's blade was on fire. "Blazing Soul Knight, Pyronus!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Blazing Soul Monsters," Flash said as he looked at the to DEF position monsters. His memory flashed back to the first time he'd met Cold, when he'd used those card against him.

"That's right son," Trail said, "I lent Cold those cards to use against you. He told me how poorly you did against them, so how will you fare now?"

Flash frowned at this. "I may have lost to that deck once," he said, "but that was a long time ago. I've been through much harder Duels since then and have learned a lot. So don't think you can scare me with a deck I lost to once."

"Very well," Trail said, "then show me how far you've come. I activate Blazing Soul Firefly's ability. Since he was Special Summoned, I can summon as many copies of him from my deck as possible." Firefly's wings caught fire and when it flapped them, the flames flew off and took the form of two new Blazing Soul Fireflys which also took up a defence postion. (A900/D1400/L3)X2

"I end my turn," Trail said.

"Dad's opening strong," Scootaloo said.

"That's always been his style," Misty said, "summoning as many monsters as he can to overwhelm his opponents. The fact that he's playing defensively to start, shows he's taking Flash seriously and not underestimating him."

"So how will Flash respond?" Vail Pixie asked as they looked back at him.

"It's my turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll set my Pendulum Scale, with scale one Magna Caster Lunara and scale eight Magna Caster Solaris." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two magicians appeared and flew up into them. They pointed their staffs at the spot above him and both shot off a magic beam, which struck the sky. "Now I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash chanted as the portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out of it.

"Snap to it, Lumino Jaw Dragon!" (A2300/D1600/L5/P5)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Alright!" Scootaloo said, "Flash is starting out just as strong."

"It's funny," Misty said, "even after all these years of knowing them, this is the first time I've ever actually seen these monster used in an actual Duel."

"What just watch mom," Flash said, "because me and these monsters are gonna put on one heck of a show."

"Big talk," Trail said, "but can you back it up?"

"Just watch me," Flash said, "I'll start by using Flash Heart Dragon's ability! Since he was Special Summoned, I can send the weakest monster on your field to the bottom of the deck." A hole opened beneath one of Trail's Fireflys, causing it to fall into the abyss. "Now I'll attack your other two Blazing Soul Fireflys!" Flash Heart and Lumino Jaw Dragon both took off and flew at Trail's monsters, destroying them with a punch of by taking a bite out of them.

"I'll end my turn with a face down," Flash said as he did so.

"Not bad," Trail said, "but still you've yet to show me anything that would convince me to let you take on Sombra."

Flash frowned at this.

"Please understand I'm only looking out for you," Trail said, "I don't want to put you in danger if there's a chance you could be hurt. That's why I have to find out if you're really ready." He placed his hand on his deck and drew his card, before looking at it and smiling. "Time to see if you really have come far enough," he said, "I'll start by playing the Spell card, Mystical Revival!"

Flash's eyes went wide at this.

"You recognise it I see," Trail said, "then you'll know that by paying a thousand life points this Spell Card lets me revive one monster for every face up Spell card on your field."

Trail: 3000
Flash: 4000

Flash turned around and look up at his Pendulum Monsters. Solaris and Lunara were glowing a dark light, while wincing as if they were in pain. The next thing he knew the dark light shot out of them and flew over to Trail's field and took the forms of a pair of Blazing Soul Fireflys.

"And since they were Special Summoned," Trail said, "their effect activates." The third Firefly appeared alongside the other two and Pyronus. "And now," Trail said, "I'll sacrifice these three monsters." He took the card he'd drawn out of his hand and held it up. "Forged in the flames of hell, a great rage is born. Now it appears, to burn everything to ashes!" His three monsters suddenly burst into flames which pulled together into a tornado of fire.

Flash watched in terror as he saw a shadowy figure appear inside the cyclone, before the flames dissipated to reveal a monster he knew all two well.

"Blazing Soul Dragon, Purgatory Dragon!"

Flash, Scootaloo, Misty and Vail Pixie shook seeing that card.

"So Flash," Trail said, "still think you're strong enough?"

Flash wasn't sure how to answer, but knew if he wasn't careful, this Duel would be going the same way as his first one against Cold.

Turn 40, Father vs Son

View Online

We open in Freeze Stadium's medical bay, where our heroes are waiting to hear about the unconscious Flash and Scootaloo.

The two were laying on a bed, each with bizarre devices on their heads which were connected to large machines that stood beside their beds. The Freeze Industries medical staff were looking them over and constantly taking notes on the two.

Outside the room, the gang sat and waited impatiently.

"What's taking them so long?" Rainbow said.

"The medics have no idea what they're suppose to be looking for," Sunset told her, "so until we have a grasp on what we're dealing with, we just have to wait."

"I don't get it," Twilight said, "how can Scootaloo suddenly fall into the same coma as Flash."

"Just before she did," Spike said, "she was talking to someone we couldn't see."

Grand Hoof, who was the only one sitting, looked down at the card in his hand. "Vail Pixie," he said, "why did you do this?"

"Are we even sure it was that card?" Shinning asked but Grand was positive.

"Yes," he said, "this card was the one my daughter was always talking about. Then when Flash summoned it here, I realised all that stuff she said was true. Now Scootaloo has inherited her mothers ability and Vail Pixie spoke to her and made her do what she did."

"Okay," Thorax said, "that makes sense. But why did she fall unconscious then?"

"I don't know," Grand said, "but hopefully they'll both wake up soon."

Suddenly the door opened and the head doctor stepped into the hall, causing the team to turn to him.

"What's the prognosis?" Cold asked him.

"I'm sorry to tell you this sir," the doctor said, "but we have no idea what's happening to them."

"Nothing?" Twilight asked in shock.

The doctor replied by shaking his head. "Every single test we perform just leaves us more confused. We did a full scan on the both of them, but their showing no brain activity what so ever. They shouldn't even be alive, but somehow they appear in absolute perfect health."

"What are you saying?" Grand asked.

"I'm saying," the doctor said, "that they're still alive, but it's like their minds have be removed from their bodies."

The group all wondered what that could mean, before all turning back to the room and watching the two sleeping teens through the window. They all looked off in despair, hoping that Flash and Scootaloo would soon awaken. If they didn't who knew what could happen.

Meanwhile, in the ruins of the Duel Monster Spirit World.

The Duel between Flash and his father Trail continued, with the fate of Flash's continuation as the one to finally face Sombra on the line. Currently, Flash's life points were higher then his father's with Flash Heart Dragon and Lumino Jaw Dragon on his field. However, Trail had just pulled out the big guns by summon Blazing Soul Dragon, Purgatory Dragon to the field.

Flash looked up at the large dragon and grew nervous. "That's the card that Cold used against me in our first Duel," he said.

"I know," Trail said, "so the question is, can you beat it?"

"You bet I will," Flash said with all the determination he could muster.

"Well then," Trail said, "I can't wait to see you try. First off, Purgatory Dragon's original ATK and DEF becomes the combined Levels of the three monsters used to summon his times three hundred. (A2700/D2700/L10)

"That monsters so powerful," Scootaloo said.

"Flash needs to be careful if he wants to survive its attack," Misty said.

"Now for Flame Spark Dragon's Pendulum Ability," Trail continued, "during the battle phase, every Burning Soul Monster on my field gains ATK points equal to their Level times one hundred." The serpentine monster in one of Trail's Pendulum Zones held up the orb it was carrying, which suddenly split down the middle and split in two. The flames held within the orb shot out, before forming a circle around Trails monsters. Purgatory Dragon and Pyronus both soaked up the heat and felt their power rise. (A3700/D2700/L10), (A1900/D1200/L4/P5)

Flash didn't like the look of this. With that power up, Purgatory Dragon could take out either of his monsters and deal him major damage.

"Now attack Lumino Jaw Dragon!" Trail ordered, as his dragon brought it's claws together and formed a fireball. The fireball began to grow until it was the same size as the dragon, who now held it above his head.

"I really hope that face down Flash has is a Trap," Scootaloo said.

"It wouldn't matter if it was," Misty said, "Purgatory Dragon's ability negates the effects of all Traps during your fathers turn. All Flash can do is brace himself."

And brace himself he did, as Purgatory Dragon threw the giant fireball towards him. It flew through the air, the heat coming off it almost to hot to bare. Lumino Jaw Dragon saw it coming and took to the sky, flying as fast as he could towards. Flash knew that his monster was simply accepting its fate and ending the attack quicker, so Flash didn't have to suffer any longer.

Lumino Jaw struck the fireball, which burst and engulfed it in flames. The explosion rattled the whole ruin, causing Flash, Scootaloo and Misty to all lose their balance while Trail simple stood there.

Trail: 3000
Flash: 2600

Finally the shaking stopped and they could all pull themselves together.

"That's was intense," Flash moaned as he pushed himself back to his feet. He held up is card and nodded. "Thanks Lumino Jaw Dragon," he said, "don't worry, you'll get your pay back. Just rest of now." He placed the card in his Extra Deck and turned back to the Duel.

"You okay?" Misty asked as she and Scootaloo stood back up.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said as she dusted herself off, "but that attack was amazing." She looked over at her father, who was still standing perfectly still. "I knew dad was good from what Gramps and everyone else told me, but seeing him Duel for real is more incredible then I imagined."

"He is good," Misty said, "that why we originally intended for him to use the deck. But in the end Flash was the one who used it and has managed to bring out its full power."

"There's no doubt in my mind that your strong Flash," Trail told his son, "but I know everything about your deck. You may have used it more then me, but I've known those monsters for years. I know everything about them, meaning I can predict how you're going to use them. Nothing you do will surprise me. I Switch Pyronus to DEF mode and I end my turn. Flame Spark Dragon's Pendulum Ability now ends."

The fire that surrounded the two monsters returned to the orb, which then resealed itself and caused the two monsters to return to their previous attack strength. (A2700/D2700/L10), (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Then it's my turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw." He drew his card and when he saw it he smiled. "Nothing I do can will surprise you huh?" He asked, "we'll see about that. I summon Magna Scholar Ingenium in DEF mode!" In a flash of light, the steampunk in robes and carrying a large tome appeared. He adjusted his glasses and opened his book, to be at the ready for whatever Flash needed him to do.

"Are Ingenium," Trail said, "quite the monster. Your mother learned quite a bit from studying his tomes."

"Really?" Scootaloo asked as she turned to Misty.

"That's right," she said with a node, "I even learned how to create the cards and have them create a link between the worlds."

"His ability to allow you to Fusion Summon might have helped you turn this around," Trail said, "but without a Spellcaster or Warrior monster on your field, I'm afraid he won't he of much use to you."

Flash just smirked. Obviously his father was oblivious to his plan. "We'll see about that," he said, "because once again I'm gonna cut through space time carve the arc of victory!" Solaris and Lunara pointed their staffs up and fired of the magic beams, which connected and formed the portal above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, taking the form of the monster Trail had destroyed last turn. "Snap to it, Lumino Jaw Dragon!" (A2300/D1600/L5/P5)

"What can those cards do?" Trail said.

"Watch and learn," Flash said, "because now I can use Ingenium's ability to allow me to Fusion Summon!"

"But how?" Trail asked.

They watched as Ingenium's hands glowed and caused the book he carried to float, before it opened and he began chanting. Suddenly the words on the pages began to glow, before flying off the page and up into the sky where they became a circle. That circle suddenly transformed into a vortex, which pulled Flash Heart and Lumino Jaw inside.

"Now watch as I fuse the unequalled might of a dragon," Flash said, "with the shining light of the Pendulum!" The vortex exploded and released a burst of bright light. "I FUSION SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Flash's Fusion Monster. "Spiral Vector Dragon!" (A3500/D1500/L8/P7)

To say Trail and Misty were in shock at the sight of this monster, would be an understatement.

"I...you...how?" Trail asked.

"You like?" Flash asked, "this is how I defeated Shadow. I'm not one hundred percent sure how I did it, but I managed to use everyone's Ener-D to create this monster. Spiral Vector Dragon!"

The two parents were amazed at this. They had no idea Flash could do something like this and maybe this was something that could be used to defeat Sombra, if Flash was able to defeat Trail.

"Okay," Trail said, "I'll admit I didn't see that coming. But, can your monster defeat mine? Don't forget that during the battle phase, Flame Spark Dragon's ability increases the ATK of my monsters by one hundred for each Level point." Once again the dragon's orb split and released the fire, which surrounded the two monsters and began pumping them up. (A3700/D2700/L10), (A1900/D1200/L4/P5)

"Well we'll have to see how my monster's ability will change that," Flash said as his monster raised his bazooka weapon and aimed it at Purgatory Dragon. A red beam of light shot out of its sight and struck Purgatory Dragon. "Since Spiral Vector Dragon was Fusion Summoned using a monster with a Pendulum Scale of five, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and for each Pendulum Monster I reveal, your monster loses five hundred ATK points." Flash drew the top five cards of his deck, before looking at them and smiling. He revealed his cards and showed that two cards were Pendulum Monsters. "Flash Knight and Magna Caster Exitium, so that means your monster will be losing a thousand ATK points!"

Trail gasped as he looked up at his monster and saw it's power beginning to lessen. (A2700/D2700/L10)

"Now, Spiral Vector Dragon attack!" Flash ordered as his monster's weapon glowed as the charge continued to build, while it aimed directly at the dragon.

"Vortex Pulsar BLAST!" The dragon fired, unleashing a powerful beam of white light which flew towards Purgatory Dragon. The blast struck the dragon and caused a massive explosion, so powerful that it sent Trail flying back and Misty tried to cover Scootaloo from the dust which had been kicked up.

Trail: 2200
Flash: 2600

"How'd you like that?" Flash asked as he placed the five cards he had drawn back into his deck, which then shuffled itself.

As Trail picked himself up, he looked over at his son. "Alright," he said, "I'll admit that was pretty impressive. The fact that you created that monster yourself, shows just how much power you have. But you said it yourself, you don't understand how you created it. You don't have full control over the powers you have, making you a liability."

Despite how he felt, Flash knew his father had a point. It's true he didn't really know how he'd done it before, but the fact that he could do it had to mean something.

"I'm only saying this because I care about you," Trail said, "but if you can't control your powers, you put everyone you care about at risk."

Flash thought about what he'd said. Was he really dangerous.

Misty and Scootaloo turned to each other. "You really think Flash might be dangerous?" Scootaloo asked.

"I don't know," Misty said, "we don't know what powers being born in this world gave Flash. So we don't know all his limitations."

"I guess," Scootaloo said.

"You showed me what you've got," Trail said as he reached for his deck, "now let me show you what I can do. I draw." He looked at the card he'd drawn and nodded. "I play the Spell card Blazing Soul Draw," he said, "by banish up to five Blazing Soul Monsters from my grave, I can draw that many cards. I'll banish Purgatory Dragon and my three Fireflys, to draw four cards." He did so and when he saw one of the cards he smirked. "Next I play the Spell Card Exchange."

"Card Exchange?" Flash asked.

"It's quite simple," Trail said, "first take the top ten cards off your deck without looking at them."

Flash was confused but did as he was told, while Trail did the same before he began walking towards him. Again he was confused, but Flash did the same thing and walked towards his father and met him at the centre.

"Now we look through each others cards and pick one to add to our hands," Trail said as he offered the cards to Flash. He took them and handed his cards the Trail, before shuffling through the ten cards. Finally the two of them chose a card and added it to their hands before handing the nine other card back to their owner. They returned them to their decks, which shuffled, before returning to their original spots.

"So dad's got one of Flash's cards and Flash has one of dad's?" Scootaloo asked.

"And neither of them know which card they selected," Misty said.

"And now," Trail said once he was back in position, "I'll have my Pendulum Monsters cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, before striking the ground and taking form.

The first became a flame patterned bird. "Blazing Soul Falcon!" (A1400/D900/L4/P7)

The second became a dragon Flash recognised from his Duel with Cold. "Blazing Soul Dragon, Magma Breath Dragon!" (A1800/D1500/L4)

"Three monsters," Flash said looking at them. "Does he have another Purgatory Dragon?"

"No I don't," Trail said as he took a card out his hand, "I have something better. I tribute my three monsters."

"Here he comes," Misty said, "your fathers true ace in the hole."

He held the card up high and began to chant. "With the flame of adventure burning in his soul, he will incinerate anything in his way to forge a path to the future!" His three monsters suddenly burst into flames which pulled together into a tornado of fire.

Everyone watched in amazement as they saw something appear in the tornado.

"Blazing Soul Dragon, Trail Blazer Dragon!" The flame dissipated revealing a massive red humanoid dragon, with two sets of wings and three large horns. Two were where his ears should be while the third was on his snout. (A3000/D3000/L8)

"No way," Flash said.

"Since he was summoned using three monsters instead of two," Trail said, "his ability activated and destroys every other card on the field, before dealing two hundred points of damage for each one." The dragon flapped its wings and shot giant embers onto the field, causing everything to be set ablaze.

Flash watched as Spiral Vector Dragon, Ingenium and his face down were all destroyed, before the flames burned him.

Trail: 2200
Flash: 2000

"Next I activate Double Summon," Trail said, "which lets me summon another monster to the field. I think I'll summon the monster I took from you. Shine Crest Magna Wolf!" In a flash of light, Flash's wolf appeared on the field. (A1200/D1100/L3)

"You took my Magna Wolf?" Flash asked.

"This can be quite a useful card," Trail said, "so I decided to take it away from you. Besides, Magna Wolf and I are old friends. We were always out gathering food together, so we grew quite close."

"Is that so," Flash said.

"Now for my attack," Trail said before whistling. Magna Wolf pranced at Flash, before slashing him with his claws.

Trail: 2200
Flash: 800

"Magna Wolf has whistle commands?" Flash asked as he rubbed the spot that he'd been slashed.

"After so many years together, you learn a few things." Trail then looked up at his dragon. "Finish this." A fireball appeared in the dragons mouth. "I'm sorry Flash," Trail said, "I guess you just weren't ready. Trail Blazer Dragon, ATTACK!" The dragon unleashed the fireball, which flew through the air and shot at Flash.

"If this hits," Scootaloo said, "it's all over."

"Flash!" Misty cried out.

Flash however, didn't seem worried. "I'm not going down like this," he said as he took a card from his hand and placed in in the graveyard, "I activate the effect of Blazing Soul Magician!"

Trail's eyes went wide hearing this. So that was the card he took from him.

"Be discarding this card," Flash explained, "I can activate the effects of a Trap card in my grave. So I'll be activating the effect of the Defence Draw your Trail Blazer Dragon destroyed." A wizard in flame patterned clothing appeared and waved his wand, creating a force field that the fireball bounced off before he vanished. "Defence Draw cancels out the battle damage I would have taken and lets me draw one card," Flash explained as he did so.

"No way," Trail said in disbelief, "its as if he knew I was gonna destroy his face down."

"Actually," Flash said, "my plan was to activate Defence Draw now and then use that card later. Just luck I guess."

"That wasn't luck Flash," Trail said, "that was instinct. The kind of instinct needed to defeat Sombra."

"Does that mean-"

"Maybe," Trail said, "you've got yourself a chance, but how you use that chance will decide how this turned out. I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!" He looked at the cards he'd gotten and smiled. "Time to end this," he said, "with my pendulum scale I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory one last time." The portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, before taking form.

"Shine your light of victory once again, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

The second light became a monster no one expected. "Reek havoc, Chaos Command Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/R7/P4)

"Whoa," Scootaloo said, "I didn't know you could Pendulum Summon an Xyz Monster."

"Since Chaos Command Dragon is a Pendulum Monster," Misty explained, "you can summon it if its Rank is between the Pendulum Scale. But unlike other Pendulum Monsters, when its destroyed it'll go to the graveyard."

"And without its Overlay Units, it can't activate its ability," Trail said, "what's he planning?"

"Flash Heart's skill," Flash said, "Magna Wolf to the bottom of the deck." He smirked as Magna Wolf transformed into a stream of light, which flew into the air and hit his deck. "Welcome home boy."

Trail smiled hearing this. He was happy that Flash had such a close connection to the monsters.

"Next up," Flash said, "I'll summon Vail Pixie, in ATK mode." In a flash of light, the little fairy appeared and took position next to Flash's two dragons.

"It's me," the real one said.

"He must be planning to Synchro summon," Misty said.

"But even if he did," Scootaloo said, "Flame Spark Dragon's ability will make dad's dragons stronger then both of them."

"I got that covered," Flash said, "but first I'll tune Vail Pixie with Flash Heart Dragon!" Vail Pixie glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Flash Heart flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light, which flew into another tablet. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light shot off the tablet, before fading to reveal the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Nice move," Trail said, "but with Flame Spark Dragon my monster's still stronger."

"I know that," Flash said, "that's why I'm getting rid of him. I activate the Spell card Mystical Space Typhoon!" A tornado appeared and sucked up the dragon, destroying it as he was thrown out the top. "That takes card of that," Flash said, "now Chaos Command Dragon, destroy Trail Blazer Dragon!" The Xyz Monster raised its staff and unleashed as bolt of lightning, while Trail's monster launched a fire ball. The two attacks met and were even, causing them to bounce back and strike both monsters and destroying them both. "Thanks Chaos Command," Flash said, "we can win this thanks to you clearing the field."

"Smart move," Trail said.

"Now Flash Dragon Accel," Flash said, "attack my father directly." His dragon flew high and released its four cannons, which began to charge up. "Supreme Energy Blast!" They fired and shot four combined energy blasts at Trail.

"I don't think so," Trail said, "because I'm activating the effect of Blazing Soul Defender Igniscorch! By discarding him, I can negate any direct attack." A shield wielding knight in flame patterned armour appeared and raised its weapon, blocking the attack and leaving Trail unharmed before disappearing.

"Sorry son," Trail said, "close but not close enough."

Flash just smirked. "I knew you might block that attack," he said, "that's why I summon Accel. His ability will make your card's effect useless."

Trail raised an eyebrow at this, before thy both went up as he remembered Accel's ability.

"Flash Dragon Accel!" Flash called as his monster was consumed by light, "devolve into Flash Heart Dragon!" The light faded, revealing Flash's ace. "END THIS!" The dragon's boosters exploded, propelling it forwards and allowing him to fly straight at Trail. With one solid punch, Flash Heart struck the ground infront of Trail and caused it to explode.

Trail was sent flying by the force of the attack, but even so he knew he'd been beaten, he was smiling.

"Well done son," he said, "you are ready."

Trail: 0
Flash: 800 (Winner)

"HE DID IT!" Scootaloo cheered as she jumped around in joy.

"I can't believe it," Misty said, "to think that Flash would have such a strong bond with his monsters. Stronger then Trail or I even."

"Of course," Vail Pixie said, "he's practically one of us. Of course he'd be close to us."

As the monsters disappeared, Flash moved over to where his father had landed.

As Trail sat himself up, he noticed Flash hold out his hand to help him up. Smiling he took the hand and let his son pull him up. "Well done Flash," he said, "I guess you're stronger then I thought."

"Maybe," Flash said, "but I've still got a ways to go."

"Even so," Trail said, "you won, so I must concede defeat and admit you are the one best suited for finally taking down Sombra."

"Thanks dad," Flash said with a smile on his face, "I won't let you down."

"I know you won't," Trail said.

With that the two pulled each other into a hug, causing the girls watching to smile.

When they pulled away, the two returned to the rest of the family. When they did, Flash saw Misty was crying.

"Mom," he said, "what's the matter."

Misty wiped he eyes. "Now that the Duel's over, you all have to return to our world. We just got back together and now we have to separate again."

"You could come with us," Scootaloo said.

"No," Misty said, "I have to remain here. I have every confidence that Flash will be victorious, but if he does lose then I need to be here to form a backup plan. There's enough people in our world to do that, but I'm the only one it this world that can."

"Oh," Scootaloo said feeling sad.

"Don't worry," Trail said, "once Sombra is defeat, we can be a family again."

Flash, Scootaloo and Misty all smiled at this. Vail Pixie also smiled, before moving over to the centre of the ruins and holding out her hand. They glowed and unleashed that light, which began to clump together until it formed a portal.

"Is that?" Flash asked.

"The breech back to our world," Misty said. "Stepping through will return you to your bodies."

"So this is it," Scootaloo said.

"For now," Trail said.

"Once Sombra is defeated," Flash said, "we'll be together, us and gramps as a family."

"Do me a favour," Misty said, "tell my father thank you and that I miss him."

Flash and Scootaloo both nodded.

"You three better hurry," Vail Pixie said, "before the portal breaks down."

Flash, Trail and Scootaloo nodded. After one more hug, the three of them moved towards the portal. Trail was the first to step through, after glancing back and waving at his family he was gone.

Scootaloo was next, tears in her eyes she stepped inside.

Finally Flash was the last one.

"Flash," he looked over at Vail Pixie, "if you ever find yourself trapped, call on me. I'll be there."

Flash nodded with a smiled, before stepping through the portal.

Flash and Scootaloo's eyes shot open as the awoke.

They both shot into a sitting position and gasped as they did.

The medical team were all startled by their sudden awakening, several of them dropping whatever they were holding as they did.

"Where are we?" Flash asked as he looked around.

"Freeze Stadium's medical bay," Scootaloo said.

Suddenly the doors shot open and when they looked over to it, they saw all their friends rushing in.

"You're awake!" Twilight said as she rushed over to their beds.

"How?" Spike asked.

"Guys," Flash said happily, "it's good to see you all."

"I don't understand," Grand Hoof said, "how did you just wake up like this."

"With a little help," Scootaloo said, "mom and dad say hi by the way and they want you to know they appreciate what you did for them."

Grand's eyes went wide at this.

"I'm so happy you're okay," Twilight told Flash.

"Same here," Flash replied, "sorry I made you guys worry."

"So what happened to you?" Rainbow asked.

"Why did Scootaloo fall unconscious?" Applebloom asked.

"And how'd you both wake up at the same time?" Thorax asked.

"Now hang on," Cold said, "I know you're all anxious to know what happened, but they just woke up. Let them all really settle."

"We'd like to do a few more tests on them," the head doctor said.

"Okay," Flash said, "as long as it doesn't take to long. We need to get ready for whatever Sombra pulls."

The others all nodded at this. Now that Flash and Scootaloo were awake, it was time to move onto the final battle. But when would that be? Only time will tell.

Turn 41, Rise of the Crystal Tower

View Online

We find Sombra in his lab, looking up at the computer screens which lined the walls.

"The time of awakening draws near," he said to himself, "soon the Shadow Gate will open and my perfect world will come to pass. Only one thing stands in my way and when they are dealt with, nothing will be able to stop me."

In that moment a door opened and Chrysalis stepped into the room. "My king," she spoke once she was close to him, "we are ready to proceed to the final phase."

"How are the rest of our comrades doing?" Sombra asked.

"They are ready."

Lightning was looking through her deck, making sure it was at its best.

"This is it," she said, "finally I will stand above all overs. Once I've dealt with you Rainbow, the world will finally see who the true number one is."

Flim and Flam were also preparing.

"The world is ours for the taking," Flim said.

"And take it we will," Flam replied, "after we've settled the score."

"Then nothing will be able to stop us," Flim finished.

Adagio was sitting in the mind control device, the helmet strapped to her head. It had been decided that she would be under this device as long as she is needed, to ensure nothing like with what happened to Thorax would happen to her.

"Aria," she whispered, "Sonata." A single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Just say the word," Chrysalis said, "and we'll roll out."

"Very well," Sombra said, "gather them in the main hall."

Chrysalis nodded before turning around and walking out, leaving Sombra alone. He reach into his cloak and pulled out his deck, flipping through the multiple cards and nodding to himself.

"Soon my friends," he spoke, "soon you shall be free and when you are, you can help me lead this world into a brighter future." With that he placed the cards back into his cloak and turned to walk out the room.

He found Chrysalis and the others all standing in the main hall. When he stepped in, they all turned to him and then got down on one knee with their heads down.

"My faithful servants," he preached, "today is that day that we bring our world into a new era. We will purge it of violence, pain and suffering. But to do this, we must free the monsters that will give us the power to rule and to do that we must open the Shadow Gate. As you know to open the Shadow Gate requires vast amounts of Ener-D and to gather that much we must do it in one fell swoop. There will be those who will try to stop us, but for the sake of our perfect world we can't allow that. Can I trust you all to help me do this?"

"Yes my king!" The five of them said.

"Very well," Sombra replied, "then let us begin. The final battle will soon be upon us and for the sake of our world, we must not lose."

At Freeze Stadium, we find the gang all gathered in the VIP box.

Right now they had a large TV on, with images of their different allies.

Tidal, Maud, Grand and even Relic Fragment were on it, all communicating with the group.

"We have no idea when Sombra might attack," Cold said, "so we must be ready to act at a moment's notice. We also need to be ready should Sombra find a way to open the Shadow Gate before we can stop him."

"How?" Flash asked.

"That's where I come in," Tidal said from his point on the TV. "I've been working to gather every skilled Duellist I can find. I've already managed to find a few who are willing to help. The TV images showed Duellists they all knew, such as Poindexter, Lyra, Bon Bon, Shining Spoon and even Gilda.

"Whoa," Rainbow said, "those are some seriously skilled Duellists."

"They'll surly be a big help when the time come," Applejack said.

"Eeyup," Mac said.

"But we don't even know where Sombra is," Rarity said, "how are we suppose to stop him if we can't find him."

"That's where I come in," Grand said, "I have the whole police department out in force looking for any evidence that might lead to his location."

"It's likely he'll be moving his location constantly," Sunset said, "he's doing everything in his power to keep himself from being found."

"That's concerning," Twilight said.

"For all we know," Spike said, "he could pull off whatever he's planning without us even knowing about it. One minute everything's fine and the next, end of the world.

"No," Thorax said as he shook his head, "he'll show himself eventually. I don't remember much about my time with them, but I do know they'll want this to be a public event. They'll want it to be seen by as many people as possible."

"He's right," Cold said, "according to the information we have, opening the Shadow Gate isn't something he can do discreetly. It needs to be someplace open and easily seen."

"So we'll be sure to know when it happens?" Scootaloo asked.

"Exactly," Cold said, "but I'd much rather not leave finding him to the last minute. Every second we spend searching for him is a second wasted and a second more Sombra has to finish hi plan."

"So what do we do?" Fluttershy asked.

"For now we need to just make sure we're at are best," Flash said.

"And I have something that might help with that," Cold said as he pressed a button on his phone. The next thing they knew, a table folded out of the floor. On the table were several Duel Disks they all recognised.

"Our Duel Disk?" Pinkie asked as they each picked theirs up.

"Not just that," Cold said, "I had each of them equipped with an Action Field Generator which will create the Crossover Action Field. Hopefully this will give us all a chance should any of us end up facing Sombra or his entourage."

"Smart," Shining said, "since we'll most likely be facing them on their turf, we'll need something to even the odds."

"Since Crossover is an Action Field they don't know about," Cadance agreed, "that'll be a big help."

"Exactly," Cold said, "I suggest we all begin training using this Action Field. We'll need to know everything about it so we can be ready when the time comes."

They all nodded and headed out the door towards the Duel Arenas to practice. As they were heading down the hall, Flash suddenly felt someone tap his shoulder. Turning around he noticed Twilight behind him looking nervous about something.

"Can I talk to you," she asked, "in private?"

Flash just shrugged in response. "Sure," he said as they waiting for the rest of their friends to leave and then they moved over to an empty corridor. "So what's up?" He asked.

Twilight rubbed her arm, obviously nervous about what she was about to say. "Well first I wanted to say that I was really worried when you wouldn't wake up."

"Yeah," Flash replied as he rubbed the back of his head, "sorry about that. Cold suspects that when Sombra zapped me to drain my Ener-D, the dark energy rebounded onto me and forced me to retreat back into my own mind. Vail Pixie and Scootaloo managed to free me from my own mind, so I shouldn't have any problems now."

"That's good," Twilight said, "I was really worried about you you know."

"I know," Flash said, "thanks."

"And I'm worried about what's gonna happen," Twilight said, "about you having to go up against Sombra."

"I know It's scary," Flash said, "heck I'm scared. To be honest if I could help it, I wouldn't wanna be anywhere near that creep. But someone's gotta take him down and me and my deck are the ones best suited for it."

"Maybe," Twilight said before looking at the floor, "but I'm still concerned."

Flash smiled at this, happy that she cared so much about him. Stepping closer to her, he placed his hand under her chin and made her look back up at him. "I'll be fine Twilight," he assured her, "it's not like I'm doing this alone. I've got you and the rest of my friends."

Twilight smiled at this. He was right, it wasn't like he'd be alone when the time came from him to face Sombra. No matter what, she'd make sure she was there to support him. Just like in his Duel against Shadow, she'd be there for him.

"There's something else," she told him, "something else I need to tell you."

"What is it?" Flash asked as he stepped back away to give her some space.

Twilight took a deep breath, obviously she had some kind of speech prepared. "When you were unconscious, Cadance helped me realise something which I promised I'd tell you when you woke up."

"Which is?" Flash asked.

"Flash," Twilight said, "I-" She couldn't finish as in that moment, Flash's phone suddenly went off.

Pulling it out, Flash looked between the ringing device and Twilight, as if asking what she wanted him to do.

"Go on," Twilight said, though she obviously didn't like being interrupted.

Flash nodded and switching on his phone's screen, before frowning. "Unknown number," he said before answering it and placing the device to his ear. "Hello."

"The time has come," Flash froze hearing that voice, "meet me at the location I'm sending you." With that the call ended and Flash stepped back and leaned against the wall.

"What's the matter?" Twilight asked.

Flash didn't answer, in that moment his phone buzzed. Looking down he saw he'd got a text with co-ordinates on it. Looks like Sombra had finally made his move.

It's funny how some things work out.

Months ago when Flash was walking through this very park and heard Spike cries of pain, leading to him meeting Garble and using his deck for the first time, he never would have imagined he'd be rushing towards it on the way to defeat a crazed super villain.

But there he was, rushing towards it with Twilight, Cold, Sunset, Spike, Rainbow, Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, Thorax, Mac, Scootaloo, Sweetie and Applebloom. Cold had told Shining and Cadance to stay at the stadium, to act as a safety net encase this proved to be a trap and they needed saving. Grand was also keeping back, just encase.

They finally arrived at the location they'd been sent, the same fountain where they'd first met Thorax before the Celestic Cup Finals, and there they saw him.

Sombra was staring at the fountain water, watching his reflection as he tossed a coin into the water and causing the surface to ripple.

"Sombra!" Flash called out, catching his attention.

Sombra slowly turned towards them, making most of them feel intimidated at the sight of his green and red eyes.

"That's Sombra?" Rainbow asked.

"Freaky?" Scootaloo called out.

Sombra remained completely still, a dark smile on his face, until he finally moved and reached into his cloak. Then he pulled out something that made Flash and the others all grow nervous, his deck.

In that moment, Flash felt something coming from the deck. It felt almost like a heartbeat, each beat seeming to send a pulse from the deck towards them and causing him to grow uneasy.

Then that heartbeat seemed to stop and replaced by a slight glow, which seemed to slowly intensify when suddenly. Their was a radiant burst of light, which was so strong that Flash was forced to shut his eyes in order to shield them from being burned out of their sockets.

When Flash finally opened his eyes, he realised he was no longer in the park. Now he was in a dark abyss, filled with nothing in all directions. His friends were gone, leaving him alone.

"Okay," he said, "this is becoming to much of a habit."

Suddenly he heard something, footsteps, drawing closer.

Turning towards the sound he saw Sombra walking towards him, looking calm and focused as he did so.

"What's the deal Sombra?" Flash asked as he got into a fighting stance, "come to take me out why'll I'm alone? Well it won't work!" He ran towards Sombra and attempted to punch him, but suddenly the man calling himself king disappeared into the shadows and caused Flash to go flying and almost trip up. Sombra reappeared behind him, causing him to spin around and throw another punch but he just disappeared again and made him miss.

This seemed to go on for a few moments until Flash, panting after the seventh time of doing it, just stood there as Sombra stood infront of him calmly.

"Are you finished?" Sombra asked.

Flash replied with one last punch, which worked as well as the last seven, and then nodded. "Yeah," he said, "I'm done."

"Good," Sombra said, "then we can get down to business."

"What business?" Flash asked.

"We don't have to be enemies Flash," Sombra explained, "we can work together."

"You want me to work with you?" Flash asked, "you're insane!"

"Before you fully reject my offer," Sombra said, "let me show you something."

"What?" Flash asked. Then there was a mighty flash of light, causing him to once again shield his eyes and when he eventually opened them, he found he and Sombra were no longer in the darkness. Now he and Sombra were flying above a vast mountain range. "Where are we?" Flash asked as he looked around.

"This is the Duel Monster Spirit World," Sombra replied, "centuries ago."

"No way," Flash whispered as he looked around.

"Look down there," Sombra said as he pointed towards an area of the mountain range.

Flash did so and saw something.

It was an army, filled with monsters of many different shapes and sizes. Dragons, warriors, spellcasters, dinosaurs and fairies filled the ranks, each showing off their own tremendous power and all seemed to have a vicious look in their eyes.

"Whoa," Flash said in amazement.

"Now look over there," Sombra said as he pointed to an area on the other side of the mountain range.

Flash did and saw another army, this one filled with dragons, fiends, beast, winged beasts and fish type monsters. They to appeared powerful and had their own viciousness in their eyes.

"What's going on?" Flash asked.

Sombra didn't look away from the two armies. "Just watch, you'll see."

Suddenly a horn sounded and the two armies charged towards each other and clashed, the dragons meeting tooth and claw while the spellcasters and fiends fought along with the warriors and beasts. The two armies battled it out, not holding back against their opponents or showing any mercy for those they'd already defeated.

Flash's eyes went wide as he watched, hardly believing this was happening.

There was a flash of light around the two of them and when it faded, Flash saw they were now on the ground of the mountain range. It seemed they'd fast forwarded to the end of the battle as the monsters had all stopped fighting and were now trying to recover. Flash doubted either of the two armies could be called the winner, with their troops now decimated as they were.

"Please."

Flash turned to the sound of the weak voice and saw a monster he recognised as Freed the Matchless General, holding another warrior which Flash didn't know in his arms.

The unknown warrior was bloodied and didn't look like he would make it. "Please help me," he said.

"I'm sorry," Freed said, "but I don't think I can."

The warrior's eyes began to fill with tears. "General," he said, "please tell me. Have we made a difference? Will this make our world a better place."

Freed's face told him everything. He didn't think they'd made a difference, that the world would remain the same dangerous place.

"I see," the warrior said before shutting his eyes. The next thing Flash knew, the warrior exploded the same way a Duel Monster would when destroyed.

Now Freed's eyes filled with tears at the loss of his friend and comrade.

"Believe it or not," Sombra said, "this was only a small battle. Mere peanuts compared to other battles."

"Why would you show me this?" Flash asked as he turned to Sombra.

"To show you why the Doom-Vaders were right," Sombra said.

Suddenly there was another flash of light and the two found themselves back in the darkness.

"The Duel Monster Spirit World was once a land of constant war and destruction," Sombra continued, "where anyone who couldn't fight wouldn't survive."

"What does this have to do with anything?" Flash asked.

When Sombra looked up, Flash did the same and saw something.

A sphere of reddish-black light floated above them and within it, there was a large figure that Flash could only guess was a Duel Monster of some kind.

"What is that thing?" Flash asked.

"I don't know," Sombra said, "the Doom-Vaders won't tell me. But what I do know, is that whoever this creature is, they created the Doom-Vaders." Suddenly from the sphere came a small orb of dark energy, which suddenly grew and took a new shape. The dark energy faded, revealing the being beneath to be Doom-Vader, Tyrant Reaper Dragon. More and more orbs came out of the sphere, before they each morphed into a new monster.

"No way," Flash said.

"They were sent to the Duel Monster Spirit World," Sombra explained, "with a single mission. Stop the wars and bring peace to it. They realised there was only one way to do this."

"Conquer the Duel Monster Spirit World," Flash guessed.

"Under their leadership," Sombra said, "the world would be brought into a new time of peace."

"You call conquering and oppressing innocent beings peace?" Flash asked.

"I do," Sombra said, "and it would have worked if not for your monsters."

"My monsters?" Flash asked.

Suddenly there was another flash of light and the two found themselves in another valley, where they saw the Doom-Vaders marching through it.

Before Flash could comment, a brilliant flash of light caught his attention. Turning towards its source, he couldn't quite make it out until the light faded. Looking at it, he smiled seeing Flash Heart Dragon standing infront of of the army of Doom-Vaders.

"I don't know where that monster came from," Sombra explained, "but he was somehow able to overcome the dark power of the Doom-Vaders and over time he was able to find allies."

There was another flash and when it faded, they saw two armies facing off. One being the monsters in Flash's deck, while the other was the Doom-Vaders. The two armies charged at each other and collided, the light and dark monsters.

Flash watched as the two forces battled. Destiny Bound and Chaos Command Dragon were taking on the more powerful of the Doom-Vaders, though Flash could tell they were using a lot of their power. Was this why they were encased in stone, because they'd used so much of their power defeating the Doom Vaders that they had to rest.

He soon got his answer when Tyrant Reaper Dragon showed up and used in scythe like weapon the strike both monsters, causing them to scream in pain at the damage they took. They both fell back as they slowly succumb to their injuries, allowing Tyrant Reaper to raise his weapon for a kill blow.

However in that moment, Flash Heart appeared and blocked Tyrant Reaper. He grabbed the monsters scythe and pushed him back, using all the strength he could muster to keep the Doom-Vader at bay.

While this was going on, Vail Pixie flew around the battle field. She flew over to Destiny Bound and Chaos Command, before opening a breech that the two pushed themselves into. When it closed she looked over at the battle and saw how badly it was going for them. Suddenly an idea appeared to pop into her head, making her smile before she flew over the battle and found the ones she needed. Opening four breeches, she pulled the four Magna Casters out of their battles and to where she was.

Flash watched as Vail Pixie and the Magna Casters talked, though he couldn't hear what they were saying, until finally they all nodded and began their plan. Vail Pixie flew above the battle, while the Magna Casters stood in four different corners and raised their staffs. They each shot a beam of energy, which struck Vail Pixie and formed a bubble of magic energy.

She absorbed the magic and suddenly directed it to a point behind the army of Doom-Vaders, allowing her to open the largest breech she'd ever made.

It was in this moment that Flash realised this was how they'd sealed the Doom-Vaders away.

Seeing the breech, Flash's monsters seemed to be renewed in strength and one by one they managed to push the Doom-Vaders inside the breech. Eventually only one Doom-Vader remained, Tyrant Reaper Dragon.

They all watched as Flash Heart tried to push the monster into the portal, but Tyrant Reaper proved to powerful.

Suddenly, Vail Pixie flew out of her bubble and touched Flash Heart. In a brilliant burst of light, the dragon transformed into its evolved Flash Dragon Accel form.

"Hurry!" Vail Pixie cried, "the breech won't last much longer!"

Accel nodded and unleashed its four cannons, which charged up and released the Supreme Energy Blast. It struck Tyrant Reaper and pushed him towards the breech, but the monster began to push back. In that moment the four Magna Casters surrounded Accel and raised their staffs, causing all the monster from Flash's deck to glow. That light was then channelled into Accel, increasing his power and causing the strength of his Supreme Energy Blast.

The force of the attack proved to much, causing Tyrant Reaper Dragon to be sent flying backwards into the breech. It let out a powerful roar as it tried to fight back but was unable to and was soon sucked into the dark realm that the breech was connected to.

As soon as he was gone, the breech closed and the monsters from Flash's deck all cheered at their victory. Flash Dragon Accel glowed as it transformed back into Flash Heart, while Vail Pixie landed on his shoulder and smiled at him.

A flash of light brought Flash and Sombra back to the darkness, were they stood back to back.

"Because of your monsters interference, the Doom-Vaders were unable to complete their mission and as a result, the wars and destruction continued. It would be many more centuries before anything that even remotely close to peace was achieved, but in that time many lives were lost."

"Maybe," Flash said, "but at least they got to live their lives as free beings. Instead of being oppressed."

Sombra just growled. "Well now the time for their return has come," he said, "despite what you think will happen, they will be freed and with them my perfect world will be born."

"Perfect world?" Flash asked.

"Don't you see it?" Sombra asked, "our world is the same as the Duel Monster Spirit World was centuries ago. War, pain suffering, all things that mankind are destined to continue feeling should they be given the chance. But under my leadership, all those things will disappear. This is and always has been my destiny and the Doom-Vaders knew this, that's why they chose me."

"That's enough," Flash said, "I don't want to hear any more of this crap."

Sombra sighed hearing this.

"You think this world is a wreak," Flash said, "but I happen to like it just the way it is. Sure it's not perfect," he continued, "but perfection is an illusion. It's the imperfections that make us human, our world wouldn't even exist without imperfections. As humans we make mistakes, but simply washing the slate clean is another mistake. We need to learn from our mistakes and work to fix them, not give up and start again. You asked me to wait before rejecting your offer to join you, well I've waited and my answer is still no. I won't join you and I never will.

Sombra sighed once again. "I had hoped you would understand," he said, "but it seems I was wrong."

With that, he walked into the darkness and a burst of light caused Flash to shield his eyes.

When Flash opened his eyes, he was back in the park with his friends.

"What was that light?" Spike asked.

"I don't know," Cold said, "but it didn't seem to do anything."

"No," Sombra said, "it didn't. Despite my hopes it seems I will have to do this on my own."

"That won't happen," Rainbow said.

"Yeah," Applejack said, "we ain't gonna let you get away with this."

"There right," Flash said, "no matter what you do, the darkness will never overcome the light."

"YEAH!" His friends all said.

"Very well," Sombra said as his face became incredibly serious, "then the time for final judgement has come to pass!"

Suddenly the group all heard the rustling of bushes coming from four different directions.

Looking around, they saw Sombra's minions step out into the opening.

"Mother," Thorax whispered seeing her.

"Lightning," Rainbow growled.

"Flim and Flam," Applejack said.

"And Adagio," Twilight said seeing her. Looking into her eyes, she saw the girl was still under Sombra's control.

They watched as the five of them gathers around Sombra, who was still holding his deck to his heart. "My four shields," he spoke as he raised the deck, "the time has come!"

They each held up a single card, Flim and Flam holding the same card, which then all glowed along with Sombra's deck. That light began to increase until it engulfed them all, while shooting upwards.

"Everyone get back!" Cold called out, making them begin to run away as the light got closer.

They ran as fast as they could, as the light was hot on their tail. It wasn't until they reached the edge of the park, that the light stopped spreading and the group were able to catch their breath and looked back. The second they did they saw the light actually beginning to take a particularly shape, before the light faded and revealed what it had created.

Everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing, as they looked up at the monstrosity.

It was a giant tower made of a dark red and black crystal. It was ruffly eighty meters in height and seemed to cover the entire park. It had several towers branching out from it and at the very top, was a castle like structure which overlooked the entire town.

"No way," Flash said.

"is this what I think it is?" Thorax asked.

"Yes," Cold said with a node, "it is. This is the Crystal Tower."

Everyone continued to look up at the construct, realising that this was were the final battle would take place. The question was, who would win? The light side, or the darkness?

Turn 42, The Final Battle Begins

View Online

When we'd last left off, Sombra and his minions had used their dark power to create the Crystal Tower. It was a eighty meter high monstrosity, which no doubt had some kind of evil power.

"So this is the Crystal Tower?" Rainbow asked as they stared up at it.

"No doubt," Thorax replied, "it looks just like the schematics I saw in Sombra's lab."

"But how could something like this suddenly just appear?" Rarity asked.

"I don't know," Cold said, "but they did and that's what matters."

"He's right," Flash said, "Sombra's in there and we have to stop him before he can do whatever the heck he's planning to do with this thing."

"But how do we get in?" Pinkie asked.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said, "I doubt Sombra will have put a front door in for us to use."

Flash reached into his jacket and pulled out a card, before staring at it for a moment and nodding. "I think I have a way," he said, "but we'll need to get to it before I can try."

"Then let's go," Applebloom said.

"Yeah," Sweetie said, "time we ended this once and for all."

They all nodded and were about to walk towards the base of the tower, when suddenly an unusual rumbling beneath their feet caught their attention.

"What's that?" Fluttershy asked.

"An earthquake?" Rainbow wondered.

"I don't think so," Twilight said.

Suddenly the ground around the tower began to crack and break, as crystal spikes the same colour as the tower and ranging between three and twelve foot tall began shooting out the ground.

"What the hey!" Applejack yelled as a line of crystal broke through the ground and was heading in their direction.

"Everybody move!" Flash ordered. As fast as they could they ran away from the assaulting crystals, which seemed to be following them as they tried to escape.

"In there!" Twilight said as she pointed to the open door of a nearby building. Following her lead, they rushed inside as the crystals tried to follow, but suddenly swerved in their direction and missed the building completely.

Everyone looked back outside and saw the crystals moving away.

"Why didn't it follow us?" Spike asked.

"Must not be able to break through the building's flooring," Sunset suggested.

"What were those things?" Scootaloo asked.

"I don't know," Flash said.

Cold on the other hand, was watching the crystal line before turning away and seeing another line going down the street and an idea formed. "Come on," he said as he began running into the building.

"Where?" Sunset asked as the group followed.

"The roof," Cold replied, "I want to check something."

And so the group rushed towards the roof. Despite the building being so tall, it didn't seem to have an elevator so getting there took a while. Once there however, the group saw what Cold had suspected and were shocked.

Every street they saw was covered in the crystals, which broke through the ground and seemed to be ripping them to shreds. Some of the crystals appeared to be growing larger, some appearing almost as large as some buildings.

"Canterlot," Rarity spoke.

"He's destroying it," Pinkie said sadly.

"But why?" Flash asked.

Suddenly, Twilight's phone began to ring and when she pulled it out she saw who was calling her. "Shining," she said before answering, "I'm here. I'm okay Shining, let me put you on speaker." She did so and held it out so everyone could hear, "okay."

"Cadance and I have just finished analysing the tower and the crystals," Shining's voice replied through the phone.

"What can you tell us?" Cold asked.

"Well," Cadance said, "the first thing you need to know is this isn't just secluded to Canterlot."

"You mean it's happening in other places?" Rainbow asked.

"All over the world," Cadance replied, "we're getting reports of these crystals popping up everywhere."

"That's insane," Scootaloo said, "how is that possible."

"It get's worse," Shining said.

"Go on," Cold said.

"We did an energy scan on the crystals and found they seem to be drawing energy from anything surrounding them," Cadance explained. "And it's not just absorbing it, but also sending the energy to a single source."

"Let me guess," Flash said before looking at the large structure, "the Crystal Tower."

"That's right," Shining replied.

"Their roots," Twilight said, "like the roots of a tree, their absorbing what it needs and sending it to the main body."

"The tower is most likely storing the power to use to open the Shadow Gate," Sunset said.

"Meaning we need to get in there and stop this," Flash said.

Everyone nodded, before turning back to the tower.

Inside the Crystal Tower, Sombra and his minions were in the highest room.

Sombra sat in a crystal throne, as his followers all stood around the room. Chrysalis was standing at a crystal screen, which had numbers and such plastered on it.

"Energy levels at eight percent," she said, "and growing steadily."

"Good," Sombra said before he turned to another crystal screen, which showed images of Flash and the gang rushing towards the tower. "It seems we'll be having guests," he said, "each of you get to your locations. I will soon require my shields."

The five nodded and headed towards a flight of stairs on the other side of the room.

Once they were gone, Sombra smiled. "That's right," he said, "come and try to defeat me. You will all fail."

The group were all rushing towards the Crystal Tower, constantly climbing over the lines of shorter crystals which covered the ground.

They all looked around at the damage they were doing to the town. Street lamps and mail boxes had been knocked over and destroyed, making the place look like a war zone.

"This is awful," Pinkie said.

"And it'll only get worse if we don't stop them," Cold said.

They nodded and continued to draw closer to the tower, when suddenly the ground shook again and more twelve foot crystals shot out between them.

The all yelled as they leapt out of the way, causing the group to be split in two with Fluttershy and the younger girls being left on one side while the others were on the other side.

"Fluttershy!" Rainbow called out as she got up and rushed towards the crystal.

"Scootaloo!" Flash yelled as he did the same.

"Applebloom!"

"Sweetie Belle!"

Applejack and Rarity also cried as they and Big Mac rushed to the crystal.

"We're alright," they heard Fluttershy call out.

"Keep going," Scootaloo yelled, "before it's to late."

"She's right," Twilight told them, "we have to keep moving."

They didn't like leaving them behind, but knew they were right and turned back to the crystals.

"Get somewhere safe," Flash called out.

"Eeyup," Mac agreed.

"We will," Sweetie said.

"Go kick their butts," Applebloom called out.

They nodded and once again began their trek to the tower.

They ran as fast as they could, hoping to get there before the crystals grew to big for them.

"We're almost there!" Cold said as the tower's base came into view.

They saw that the base was mostly unguarded by the crystals, meaning Flash's plan should work.

"Look!" Rainbow called out, causing them to turn to their left and see a line of crystals spreading towards the route. It threatened to cut off their only way to the tower.

"Over there to," Applejack said, making them to turn in the opposite direction and see another line of crystals. This one looked to connect with the first and really block their route.

"Faster!" Flash yelled as they rushed forward at high speed, hoping to get through before they were trapped outside.

They pumped their legs as fast as they could, as the two lines drew closer to each other and eventually they connected but not before our heroes leapt through.

"Is everyone okay?" Cold asked.

They all nodded, before Twilight did a quick head count. "Wait," she said, "where are Rarity and Pinkie?"

"We're here darling," Rarity's voice called from the other side of the crystals.

"No," Rainbow moaned.

"It's okay," Pinkie's voice called out, "just keep going. Take those meanies down!"

"You got it," Flash said as he picked himself up and turned to the Crystal Tower.

"Sure hope this plan of yours works," Cold told him.

"Same here," Flash said. He reached into his jacket and pulled out his Duel Disk, which he attached to his arm and activated before he pulled out a card. "Vail Pixie," he called out as he placed the card on the disk, "appear!"

In a bright flash of light, Vail Pixie appeared and flew around the group. "Hey Flash," she said, "what's up."

"It talks!" Rainbow called out.

"Of course I can talk," Vail Pixie said, "I'm not your everyday hologram you know."

"Flash actually summoned you here?" Twilight in astonishment.

"Exactly," Vail Pixie said before turning to Flash. "So what can I do for you?"

"Do you think you can open a breech that'll let us inside this thing?" Flash asked as he pointed to the tower.

Vail Pixie turned to the tower and stared at it for a moment, before nodding with a smile. "No problem," she said as she held out her hands, which glowed as they a small portal opened on the crystals surface. Seconds passed and the portal slowly got bigger, until it was large enough for them to step through. "Hurry," she said, "before I lose it."

They nodded and all rushed inside, until Flash was the last one. "Thanks Vail Pixie," he said before he stepped inside.

The second he was in, Vail Pixie released her power and as the portal vanished she did to.

As Flash stepped through the breech, he found he and his friends were in a circular room. Looking at his friends, she saw they were all staring up at the inside of the Crystal Tower in wonder.

Looking around he could see why. Unlike the outside of the tower, which was coloured a mixture of black and red, the inside was a plethora of different colours. It was like being inside an aurora.

"Whoa," Twilight said, "it's beautiful."

"Yeah," Flash said, "but why is it like this."

Cold had a theory. "It's the energy that's being collected," he said, "it's travelling through the inside of the tower and being sent up."

"So it's a bad thing?" Thorax asked.

"It will if we don't stop it," Cold said.

"So what do we do?" Applejack asked.

"No doubt Sombra's further up," Sunset suggested.

"Then that's where we'll go," Cold said.

"And I now how?" Rainbow said.

They all turned to see her standing next to an opening, which lead to a flight of stairs.

"Nice," Twilight said, "let's go."

They rushed up the spiral staircase and soon found themselves inside another circular room, the only problem was that there didn't appear to be any way forward.

"Okay," Spike said, "so what do we do now?"

"There has to be a way up," Flash said.

"Unless this was some kind of trap," Thorax said. As if to prove his point, the staircase they'd travelled up suddenly shut.

"He might be right," Sunset said.

"Eyup," Mac agreed.

"Hey look," they turned to see Applejack was standing next to a window like opening, allowing them to look out and see the devastation that had already been caused.

"Looks like the towers are the next level up," Twilight said after looking out through the window, "though that doesn't help us much since we're trapped in here."

"No," Cold replied, "Sombra wouldn't just trap us in here. That's not his style."

"Then how do we get out of here?" Rainbow asked.

She soon got her answer, as in that moment the whole tower began to shake.

"What's happening?" Spike asked.

"I don't know," Sunset replied.

Suddenly a bunch of crystals shot out of the roof and floor, causing the group to leap out of the way so they wouldn't be crushed between them.

"Whoa," Flash said as he picked himself up and looked around. He found he'd been trapped within a segment of the room, with Twilight and Sunset there with him. "You guys okay?"

"Yeah," Sunset asked as she stood up and then helped Twilight to her feet.

"What about the others?" Twilight asked as she looked around, "Spike!"

"I'm okay Twilight," Spike's voice called from behind the crystal wall. "I'm here with Thorax."

"We got cut off," Thorax said.

"Same here," Rainbow's voice called out.

"Me and Mac are trapped to," Applejack said.

"Eyup."

"Everyone remain calm," Cold said, but in that moment the tower shook again.

This time, a segment of the walls in everyone but Cold's area cracked and split until they became openings large enough for them to step through. Behind each opening were a flight of stairs.

"Did anyone else suddenly get given a staircase leading up?" Spike asked.

Everyone but Cold replied yes, but weren't sure where to go from there.

Suddenly however, an evil laugh echoed through the room and caught everyone's attention.

"Sombra," Flash growled.

"Greetings," Sombra's voice spoke, "I commend you for making it this far. Now the real fun can begin."

"Enough games Sombra," Cold said, "show yourself."

"I'm afraid not," Sombra replied, "if you wish to face me then you must first defeat the ones guarding me. My four shields, who are the only ones sealing the entrance to my chamber."

"So we've gotta take them down before we can reach you?" Flash said.

"Exactly," Sombra said, "but can you in time. Unless you can reach me before the Shadow Gate is opened, the Doom-Vaders will be released and I will be given ultimate power."

"That won't happen!" Rainbow called out.

"That's right," Applejack said.

"We'll see," Sombra replied before his chuckling finally went silent.

"Listen everyone," Flash said, "this is it, the final battle. No matter what we have to win and make it to the top of the tower, then we can take Sombra down."

"He's right," Cold said, "everyone do your best and stay safe."

"But what about you?" Sunset asked.

"It doesn't matter about me," Cold said, "just go."

"No matter what," Flash said as he looked back at his friends, "we win and stop them...TOGETHER!"

Everyone nodded. "TOGETHER!"

With that the four groups rushed up the stairs, leaving Cold alone in the chamber.

"Good luck," he said, only for the wall behind him to crumble and break apart in that moment. Doing so revealed a staircase leading up, making Cold raise an eyebrow before rushing up it.

Spike and Thorax were rushing up the stairs, until they noticed a light up at the top which drew closer.

Knowing they were close, the two doubled their efforts and continued up until they finally made it to the chamber. It was exactly the same as the other two chambers, though it was much larger and had several crystal platforms pocking out the side of the room.

"Is this it?" Spike asked as he looked around.

"I think so," Thorax replied as he did the same.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps caught their attention, causing them to turn towards the source and both grew serious when they saw who it was.

Chrysalis was slowly walking towards them, a coy smile on her lips as she saw them.

"Hello boys," she said, "I do so wish you would have told me you were bringing a friend round sweetie."

"Enough games mother," Thorax said as he and Spike pulled out their Duel Disks, "we've come to put a stop to this."

Chrysalis frowned hearing this. "So you truly have turned your back on your people," she said, "that's heartbreaking."

"The only one who's turned their back on their people is you," Thorax said.

"And we're here to stop you," Spike agreed.

"Very well," she replied as she took out her own Duel Disk, "here's how this will work. You two will share a field but each have four thousand life points and alternate turns, while I have eight thousand. Agreed?"

The two boys stared at each other and nodded before turning back to her.

"The loser of this Duel will be ejected from the tower and will be unable to re-enter," Chrysalis continued, "losing here means losing everything. No second chances."

"That's fine," Spike said, "because we're not gonna lose."

"We'll beat you and put an end to your evil once and for all," Thorax agreed.

"Then shall we begin?" Chrysalis asked.

"Sure," Spike said as he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, "and I'll set the Action Field."

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, before things started appearing in mid air. They were light green platform like structures that scattered around the area.

"I see you came prepared," Chrysalis said, "it won't help you."

"We'll see," Thorax said.

"DUEL!"

Spike: 4000
Chrysalis: 8000
Thorax: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

While this was happening, Fluttershy and the girls were moving through the streets trying to get to the Crystal Tower.

Despite what Flash had said, they had decided to try and get there in a hope of cheering them on.

In that second a nearby megascreen switched on. Looking up, the girls saw an image of Thorax, Spike and Chrysalis on the screen.

"It's Spike and Thorax," Applebloom said.

"They're Duelling," Scootaloo said.

"How are we seeing them?" Sweetie asked.

Looking around the group saw the same image on every screen they saw.

"Did Sombra make it so the Duels were televised?" Fluttershy asked.

"Why would he do that?" Pinkie asked Rarity as they to saw the image. The two had managed to find a way around the crystal spikes and now stood at the tower's base. The Duel was being shown on their Duel Disks.

"Sombra obviously expects our friends to lose," Rarity said, "I guess he wants the whole world to see his triumph."

Rarity was correct. All over the world, every single screen showed images of the Duel. No matter which channel they switched to, in was always the same thing. The Duels which would determine the fate of the world.

"I'll take the first move," Spike said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and summon Ember Dragon in DEF mode." The armoured lizard appeared on his field, before taking up a defensive stance. (A1200/D1100/L3) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Chrysalis said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Silk Spitter and scale nine Rumble Beetle!" The columns of light appeared on either side of her, as the two monsters appeared a flew up into them.

"She can Pendulum Summon?" Spike asked.

"Did I forget to mention that?" Thorax asked.

"Now I will cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Chrysalis said as the portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two streams of light shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

The first was a humanoid figure wearing black armour designed around an army ant, with large boxing gloves on his hands. "Mega Drone!" (A1800/D1000/L4/P3)

The second became a monster Thorax remembered from their last Duel. "Flying Kamakiri!" (A1400/D900/L4)

"Now I'll have Mega Drone attack Ember Dragon," Chrysalis called out as her monster charged towards Spike's.

Spike looked around and saw an Action Card laying nearby, which he leapt at and grabbed before slotting it into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Destruction Cancel! This card negates my monsters destruction, I would also take the damage but with my monster in DEF mode that hardly matters."

"Don't be so sure," Thorax told him.

"What do you mean?" Spike asked, though he soon got his answer when Silk Spitter shot out a load of silk string. It struck Ember Dragon and pulled him to his feet. "Hey!"

"My Silk Spitter's ability lets me change the battle position of any monster I attack," Chrysalis explained, "now Mega Drone!" The armoured figure punched the dragon in the chest, causing it to flinch pain but remain standing.

In that moment Spike felt a staggering pain in his chest, causing him to flinch and place a hand to the spot as he groaned and fell to his knees.

Spike: 3400
Chrysalis: 8000
Thorax: 4000

"Are you okay?" Thorax asked him.

"Did I forget to mention," Chrysalis said, "here in the Crystal Tower, we have a physical connection to our monsters. Any pain they feel will be inflicted on us. Plus the more life points we lose, the more painful it is."

"Not good," Thorax said.

"I'm okay," Spike said as he stood back up

"Well don't forget my Flying Kamakiri has yet to attack," Chrysalis said. Her monster took flight and buzzed towards Ember Dragon, before striking it with its stinger and destroying it.

Spike took felt the sting, causing him to cry out in pain.

Spike: 3200
Chrysalis: 8000
Thorax: 4000

The flames from Ember Dragon's wings flew off and became a pair of living flames. "When Ember Dragon is destroyed," Spike explained through his moan, "I get to summon two Ember Tokens to the field." (A0/D0/L1)X2

"I think that's enough for now," Chrysalis said, "I end my turn."

Outside, Rarity and Pinkie had made it to the tower and were watching the Duel on their phones.

"It's a good thing Spike got that Action Card," Rarity said, "or Silk Spitter would have changed his token to ATK mode and dealt them major damage."

"I hope Thorax has a plan to turn this around," Pinkie said.

"Me to," Rarity agreed.

"It's my turn," Thorax said as he reached for his deck, "I draw!"

"Thorax," Spike said, "my cards are your cards."

Thorax smiled and nodded. "Alright," He said, "I'll tribute one of Spike's Ember Tokens to summon Celtic Archer in ATK mode!" One of the fire balls disappeared and was replaced by an elf in green armour and mask, carrying a bow and wearing an arrow quiver. (A2100/D1800/L6)

"Now I'll activate my Archer's ability," Thorax said, "by tributing a monster, I can deal you five hundred points of damage." As Celtic Archer drew his arrow, the Ember Token transformed into light which flew into the arrow and made it glow. The elf released its bowstring, sending the arrow flying into Chrysalis's chest and making her cry out in pain.

Spike: 3200
Chrysalis: 7500
Thorax: 4000

"Now I'll have my archer attack your Flying Kamakiri," Thorax ordered as his archer fired another arrow, which struck the giant insect and destroyed it while causing Chrysalis serious pain.

Spike: 3200
Chrysalis: 6800
Thorax: 4000

Chrysalis moaned in pain as she held her chest, but still remained standing. "I activate Flying Kamakiri's ability, which lets me summon a wind monster whenever its destroyed. I'll summon a second copy of him to the field." A second Flying Kamakiri appeared next to Mega Drone. "I have to admit you've improved since our last Duel son," Chrysalis said, "you managed to not only use your partners monster to summon your own monster, but you also sacrificed the other one to prevent me from dealing damage to it next turn. Maybe you do have a future as a king after all, considering how you use the peasants around you."

"No mother," Thorax replied with a shake of his head, "that isn't how I treat those around me. You think using others to suit your own needs is the mark of a king," he said, "but its the mark of a tyrant like you or Sombra."

Chrysalis frowned hearing this.

"A king works with the people around him," Thorax continued, "towards a common goal. The last person a king should think about is himself, that's what my friends taught me. And when I defeat you, I'm taking the Changeland throne and will rule in your place. I'll help rebuild our country to be better then ever, using the lesson they taught me to work towards a better future."

Spike smiled hearing this, while Chrysalis just glared.

"Such a disappointment," she said coldly, "I tried my best to teach you what it truly takes to lead and you don't understand what it all means."

"Oh I understand," Thorax said, "I just reject it."

"Very well," Chrysalis said, "then I'll have to give you a more furrow lesson."

"We'll see about that," Thorax replied, "but if you wanna get to us then you'll first have to get through this." He placed a card in his Duel Disk, causing a Spell card to appear infront of him. The Spell then unleashed a bright light which surrounded them, before solidifying into a force wall which separated Spike and Thorax from Chrysalis. "This is my Insect Barrier" he explained, "I put it in my deck just for this Duel. Now no Insect monster can attack us, making every monster in your entire deck worthless!"

"Alright," Spike cheered, "that's the way Thorax!"

"There's no way she can attack now," Pinkie said.

"We can't be sure of that," Rarity said, "she may have monsters other then insects. They can't assume she only uses that kind of monster. But at least this weakens her stratagy.

"Are you finished?" Chrysalis asked, getting a node from Thorax in return. "Very well," she said, "I draw." She looked at her card and smiled. "Once again I'll cut through space time and carve the arc of victory!" The portal began to form above head head, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, before taking form and becoming a monster Thorax new all to well. "Arise Insect Queen!" (A2200/D2400/L7) The giant bug monster stared down at the two boys, before unleashing a powerful cry which shook the ground around them. "That insect barrier may be protecting you for now," she said, "but it's only a temporary shield and when I find a way to brake it down then you both be bug food."

Spike and Thorax both glanced at each other nervously, knowing she was right. They needed to end this Duel quick, before it was to late.

The only question was, could they?

Turn 43, King takes Queen

View Online

The City of Canterlot was in dire state, due to the multitudes of growing crystals which were quickly spreading. Many of the inhabitants of the city had retreated to the roofs of buildings, the only place that appeared to be safe from what was happening.

Currently Tidal and the Duellists he'd gathered, were atop the Freeze Industries building with all its employees and were looking over the cities destruction. After speaking with Cold and the others, Shining and Cadance had called Tidal and explained what was going on. Not long after that, a nearby megascreen switched on and showed the Duel between Spike, Thorax and Chrysalis. However, the Duel did not distract them from the growing danger of the spreading crystals.

"This is horrible," Lyra said.

"By my estimates," Poindexter said, "the city will be at the point of no return in less then two hours."

"Can't we do something?" Bon Bon asked Tidal.

"Yeah," Gilda said, "I'm sick of just standing around and doing nothing." She pounded her fist into her palm, "I'm ready for action!"

"I'm afraid there is nothing we can do," Tidal said, "all we can do is hope that our amigos will be victorious."

"They can do it," Spoon said, "because their awesome."

"I hope you're right," Tidal said. In that second his phone buzzed and he took it out to see who it was, before putting it on speaker. "Senor Grand Hoof," he said.

"Tidal," Grand said, "how are things on your end?"

"Bad," Tidal said, "my team and I have been trapped on the Freeze Industries roof. There is nada we can do."

"Same here," Grand replied, "I stuck on the police roof." He looked around to see the rest of his department looking worried as they watched and crystals and or Duel. "My forces are scattered around the city," he said, "and they've all had to take cover from the onslaught of crystals."

"Is there nothing we can do?" Tidal asked.

"I doubt it," Grand said as he looked down at the crystals surrounding his building, "I'm no rock expert, but I doubt anything we have will be able to break through this stuff. For now we'll just have to hold out until we can come up with a better plan."

"Entendido," Tidal replied before hanging up.

Grand turned off his phone and looked over at a nearby megascreen, watching as the Duel continue.

"You can do it kid," he said, "show the world who the true king is."

The Duel of Thorax and Spike verses Chrysalis continued.

Chrysalis had just summoned her Insect Queen and even though it was the strongest monster on the field, Thorax's Insect Barrier prevented it or any of her insect monsters from attacking.

"I may not be able to get to your monsters right now," Chrysalis said, "but it's only a matter of time until I break through your shield."

"We'll see about that," Thorax said, "are you done?"

"Almost," Chrysalis replied, "first I need to switch my Mega Drone and Flying Kamakiri to DEF mode. And don't forget, for ever insect on the field my Queen's power increases by two hundred." (A2600/D2400/L7) "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Spike said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I summon Lava Fang Dragon in ATK mode." The Pterodactyl winged serpent with large fangs appeared. (A1400/D1300/L4) "Now I'll activate the effect of Thorax's Celtic Archer, which lets me sacrifice Lava Fang Dragon to deal you five hundred points of damage." The dragon transformed into a stream of light, which flew into the elf's arrow before he fired it and struck Chrysalis in the chest.

Spike: 3200
Chrysalis: 6300
Thorax: 4000

Chrysalis clutched her chest as she felt the pain of the arrow.

"Now I'll have Archer destroy Flying Kamakiri!" Spike went on as the monster shot another arrow and destroyed her monster.

"When Flying Kamakiri is destroyed," Chrysalis said, "I can summon a wind attributed monster from my deck with fifteen hundred or less ATK points." A tornado appeared and from it came a dragonfly monster, with metallic wings and was wearing a cone shaped helmet on its head. (A1000/D1000/L3) "Meet Torpedo Insect," Chrysalis said with a bright smile on her face.

Outside the tower we find Rarity and Pinkie standing at the base, watching the Duel on their Duel Disks.

"Is it just me," Pinkie said as she saw Chrysalis's smirk, "or does she look way to happy to have such a weak monster on her field?"

"Agreed," Rarity replied, "she must be up to something. The only question is what is it and will Spike and Thorax be able to stop it?"

"Rarity!"

The two girls turned around and saw Sweetie and the rest of their friends running up to them, having finally made it to the base with them.

"Sweetie!" Rarity said, "I thought you lot were going to look for cover?"

"I'm sorry Rarity," Fluttershy said, "I tried to convince them, but they were hell bent on coming to show their support."

"That's right," Scootaloo said, "that's my brother and friends in there. If there's something I can do then I'm gonna be here ready."

"Same here?" Applebloom said.

"We not little kids," Sweetie said, "we wanted to be here for them."

Rarity just smiled, before patting her sister on the head. "It's okay darling," she said, "I don't blame you. I'd probably do the same thing if I was in your position."

"We were in their position," Pinkie said, "that's why we're out here."

"Did you get separated from the group too?" Fluttershy asked them.

"Yes," Rarity said, "we were a second to slow and ended up on the wrong side of the crystal line. By the time we made it here the others had gone in."

"How did they get in?" Scootaloo said, "maybe we can to."

Pinkie just shook her head. "Sorry," she said, "but Flash used Vail Pixie to get in."

"Vail Pixie?" Applebloom asked.

"We didn't see it," Rarity said, "but we heard it. Flash managed to summon the real life Vail Pixie and use her powers to get inside."

"So that's it," Scootaloo said as she looked up at the tower, "so we're stuck out here."

"I know it's hard," Fluttershy said, "but we have to have faith that our friends can win."

"Yeah," Sweetie said, "they might not be able to hear us, but I know they'll feel us."

This got Scootaloo smiling. "You're right," she turned back to the tower, "you can do it guys!"

"I place one card face down," Spike said "and I'll end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Chrysalis said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and since it's my standby phase, Torpedo Insects ability activates. An ability which lets it destroy itself!"

Thorax and Spike shared a confused glance.

"Why would you destroy your own monster?" Thorax asked.

"Because he's not the only one being destroyed," Chrysalis explained, "his ability lets him take out one card on your field when he does."

Both Spike and Thorax realised when this meant.

The dragonfly monster flew up high and then dive bombed towards Thorax's Insect Barrier, curling up its wings and using its helmet like a missile. It struck the card and caused a powerful explosion as they were both destroyed.

"With that out of the way," Chrysalis said, "my Insect Queen is free to attack. All I have to do is sacrifice an insect." Her monster grabbed the Mega Drone and began to eat it. Once it had finished it turned towards Celtic Archer, before unleashing a breath of toxic gas.

Spike ran over to a nearby platform and leapt onto it, before jumping off and grabbing an Action Card from the walls. He landed on another platform and slotted the card into his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle, which will protect my monster and cuts the damage I would have taken in half.

A force field appeared around Celtic Archer, protecting it from the gas though he was feeling the fumes.

Spike: 3050
Chrysalis: 6300
Thorax: 4000

Spike also felt woozy, the effect of the attack also effecting him.

"You survived that round," Chrysalis said, "but we'll see how long you last. Now I'll once again carve the arc of victory and Pendulum Summon." The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, before taking the form of Mega Drone who appeared in DEF mode. (A1800/D1000/L4/P3) "That keeps Insect Queen at twenty four hundred points." (A2400/D2400/L7) "I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Thorax said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Celtic Beithir and scale eight Celtic Ùruisg." The columns of light appeared on either side of him as the monsters appeared inside them. "Now I'll summon Celtic Guardian to the field in ATK mode," The green elf warrior appeared. (A1400/D1200/L4) "Now during the battle phase, Ùruisg's ability will increase every Celtic Monsters ATK points by three hundred. (A2400/D1800/L6), (A1700/D1200/L4)

"Archers equal with Insect Queen," Spike said.

"Not for long," Thorax said, "Celtic Guardian take out Mega Drone!" The swordsman charged at the bug armoured monster and sliced it in half. With it destroyed, Insect Queen's power decreased. (A2200/D2400/L7) "Now Archer, destroy her Insect Queen!" His monster readied his bow and fired off an arrow, which flew at Chrysalis's monster.

The woman leapt up onto a platform and then jumped up to where an Action Card was waiting, which she grabbed before landing on the platform. "I activate Evasion, which let's my monster dodge your attack." Insect Queen ducked her head, allowing the arrow to go sailing over her.

Thorax growled at this. Since Celtic Archers ability could only be used during the first main phase, he couldn't deal her any damage. "I end my turn," he said.

"Then it's my turn," she said, "I draw and I'll play Pot of Greed." She drew two cards and nodded at what she'd got. "And once again I'll use my Pendulum Monsters, to carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above her head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground, before taking shape.

"Mega Drone!" (A1800/D1000/L4/P3)

"Sting Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6)

"Oh boy," Thorax said.

"With these two monsters on the field, Insect Queen's power once again raises." (A2600/D2400/L7) "Now I'll sacrifice Sting Winger to attack!" The giant bug grabbed the smaller one and devoured it, before turning to Celtic Archer and unleashing its acidic gas. Since it was the battle phase, Ùruisg's kicked in and raised the monsters ATK points but not enough. (A2400/D1800/L6), (A1900/D1200/L4)

It struck Celtic Archer and caused him to begin melting, while Thorax screamed in agony as his own skin felt like it was blistering.

Spike: 3050
Chrysalis: 6300
Thorax: 3800

"Now Silk Spitter's ability will switch Celtic Guardian to DEF mode, allowing Mega Drone to attack!" The worm in her Pendulum Zone spat out its string and pulled the elf to its knees, before the Pendulum Monster decked him into destruction."

"You okay?" Spike asked Thorax, who was still smoking after Insect Queen's attack."

"Yeah," Thorax said as he picked himself up, "I'm fine."

"Not for long," Chrysalis said, "I end my turn." With Sting Winger gone, Insect Queen's power decreased. (A2400/D2400/L7)

"Then it's my turn," Spike said, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled, having everything he needed to turn the tides. "I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Flame Viper Dragon and scale seven Flame Banner Dracokid." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two dragonic monsters flew up into them. "Cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Spike said as the portal formed, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Horus the Black Flame Dragon, Level six!" (A2300/D1600/L6)

The second was a red dragon creature. "Magna Drago!" (A1400/D600/L2)

"A Tuner Monster," Chrysalis said in shock.

"That's right," Spike said, "and now I'll tune Level two Magna Drago, with Level six Horus the Black Flame Dragon." The small dragon flew into the air and transformed into two balls of fire, which carved a pair of burning rings which the two dragons flew into. "Cast your flames across this battle field, and burn everything that is weak to ashes" Spike said as his monsters burst in an explosion of fire. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The flames erupted, as Spike's ace burst free and revealed itself. "Dragonic Blazemaster!" (A3000/D2000/L8)

"Incredible," Chrysalis said, "but it won't be enough."

"We'll see about that," Spike said, "because I'm activating my face down." The card flipped up to reveal a very familiar Trap. "Assault Mode Activate!"

Chrysalis's eyes went wide, before turning to see Dragonic Blazemaster get engulfed by a pillar of fire which slowly grew larger and larger. "Harbinger of destruction, spread your raging flames across this battle field and rise from the ashes in your ultimate form!" The pillar of fire exploded, revealing Spike's new monster. "Dragonic Blazemaster, ASSAULT MODE!" (A3500/D2500/L10)

"Whoa!" The younger girls all said as they saw Spike's monster.

"That's just what they need," Rarity said, "go get them Spikey Wikey!"

"That's gonna be a tone of damage," Sweetie cheered.

"Yay." Fluttershy said.

"Thanks to Flame Banner Dracokid's Pendulum Ability," Spike went on, "all fire monsters gain five hundred ATK points!" (A4000/D2500/L10) "Now attack Mega Drone!" He ordered as his dragon raised its twin blades and charged forward.

"I activate my Trap," Chrysalis said as he face down flipped up, "Swarm Defence! This card activates when you attack an insect, while I have another one which is stronger. It changes the target of your attack to my Queen." As Assault Mode drew closer to Mega Drone, Insect Queen leapt in the way and was struck by the two swords, getting sliced into four pieces.

Spike: 3050
Chrysalis: 4700
Thorax: 3800

Chrysalis staggered back as she felt the pain of the attack, though she would have been in even more pain had Mega Drone been hit.

"Assault Mode's ability activates when he destroys a monster," Spike explained, "and lets me destroy any other monster on your field and deal you three hundred points of damage times its Level." The dragon aimed its twin pistols at Mega Drone and fired them, unleashing a barrage of flaming projectiles which flew towards Chrysalis's monster and destroyed it.

Spike: 3050
Chrysalis: 3500
Thorax: 3800

Chrysalis once again felt the pain, but even so she still stood.

"I end my turn," Spike said.

"Then it's my turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw. She looked at the card and smiled, as her eyes glowed bright red. "Time to put an end to this," she said, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and unleashed three streams of light, which struck the ground and took form.

"Mega Drone!" (A1800/D1000/L4/P3)

"String Winger!" (A1400/D1300/L4/P6)

"Changeling Queen!" (A2000/D2000/L8/P5)

Spike and Thorax both went wide eyed seeing that monster, knowing what it could do.

"Now I activate Changeling Queen's ability," Chrysalis ordered as her monster was engulfed in a flaming cocoon, "to transform it into any monster on the field or in the graveyard until my next turn." The cocoon disappeared and revealed Changeling Queen, only now it looked like Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode, though it was black in place of red. "Not only that, but Changeling Queen also gains your monsters name, ATK, DEF and ability." (A5500/D4500/L8/P5)

The two teenage boys looked up at Spike's monster's dark counterpart, as it raised its twin blades and lazor pistols. They knew they were in serious trouble.

"Now," Chrysalis ordered, "attack!" The fake dragon raised its twin blades and swung them at Assault Mode, who raised his own swords up in defence. Changeling Queen then raised its pistols and aimed them at Assault Mode's chest, before pulling the triggers and blasting Spike's monster.

Spike also clutched his chest, as the pain of being shot through the chest flowed through his body.

Spike: 1550
Chrysalis: 3500
Thorax: 3800

"And that's not all," Chrysalis said, "I still have two monsters ready to finish you off. ATTACK!" Sting Winger and Mega Drone both charged at Spike, ready to strike.

Thorax looked around, trying to find anything that could help Spike. Then he saw it. Stepping back he ran up and jumped, landing onto a platform and then leaping up again until he reached what he had seen.

As the two monster drew closer to Spike, there was a sudden flash of light and when it faded something stood between the two forces.

"What?" Chrysalis asked in shock as she saw it. Changeling Drone was flying between Spike and her monsters, protecting the teen. (A1000/D1000/L6/P3) "How?"

"I got the Action Spell Guardian's Call," Thorax explained, "it let me look at the top five cards of my deck and summon any monster to the field."

"I'm amazed you still have that card in your deck," Chrysalis said.

"I wasn't thrilled about having it at first," he said, "but I accepted it was apart of me. With it I'm gonna put an end to your evil, especially since Guardian's Call makes my monster indestructible for this turn."

"Good," Chrysalis said, "meaning I get to attack it again and again. GO!" The two monster charged at Changeling Drone. First Mega Drone punched it, causing both it and Thorax to be winded.

Spike: 1550
Chrysalis: 3500
Thorax: 3000

Then Sting Winger stabbed it, making Thorax clutch his shoulder in pain.

Spike: 1550
Chrysalis: 3500
Thorax: 2600

"It amazes me how silly you can be," Chrysalis said, "you used that Action Card, knowing summoning Changeling Drone would mean you got hurt, just to save some peasants from being hurt."

Despite the pain he was feeling, Thorax smiled. "Every time."

Spike smirked and Chrysalis frowned.

"Very well," she said, "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw." He looked at his card and nodded, before turning to Chrysalis and viewing her field.

"I activate Changeling Drone's ability," he said as his monster was engulfed in a flaming cocoon, "you all know how this works." The cocoon disappeared and revealed Changeling Drone, now in the form of Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode, though it was black in place of red. (A4500/D3500/L6/P3) "I can't damage your Changeling Queen, but I can take out your other monsters." The fake dragon flew at Sting Winger, while Chrysalis leapt from platform to platform before snagging an Action Card.

"I activate Miracle," she said as a force field appeared around her monster, protecting it from the attack.

Spike: 1550
Chrysalis: 1950
Thorax: 2600

"I end my turn with a face down."

"My turn," Chrysalis said, "I draw." Changeling Queen returned to normal. "Once again I activate my Queen's ability, to transform her into Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode!" Once again the insect monster was consumed by green fire, before emerging as Spike's monster. "Now attack Changeling Drone."

"I activate my Trap," Thorax spoke as his flipped up, "Mega Defender! It negates my monsters destruction, though I'll still take the damage." The swords struck his monster, causing him to flinch in pain.

Spike: 1550
Chrysalis: 1950
Thorax: 1600

"Well I have my Spell," Chrysalis said as she slotted it into her Duel Disk, "Royal Exaction. This card's effect activates while I have a monster with King or Queen in its card name on my field. It destroys every other monster on the field." Suddenly Changeling Drone, Sting Winger and Mega Drone all exploded, leaving Changeling Queen as the only monster on the field. "I end my turn."

"She destroyed her own monsters," Sweetie said.

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but now Spike and Thorax can't destroy them and deal her damage. Plus she can Pendulum Summon them next turn."

"It's my turn," Spike said, "I draw." He looked at the card he'd got and frowned, before looking around and seeing an Action Card. Leaping around the platforms, he reached for it and pulled it from the crystal it rested on. "I activate the Action Spell Magic Draw," he said, "which lets me draw a card and if its a Spell then I get to us it." He reached for his deck and drew a card. "Perfect," he said, "I play the Spell card Monster Reborn, to revive my Assault Mode in DEF mode." The dragon appeared on the field. "I end my turn with a face down."

"It's my turn," Chrysalis said as her monster reverted back, "I draw and once again I'll Pendulum Summon!"

"I don't think so," Spike said, "because I'm activating my Trap card," his face down flipped up, "Dragon Blaster! By tributing a Dragon Monster, I can destroy every Spell and Trap on your field!"

"What!" Chrysalis asked.

"Spike what are you doing?" Thorax asked him.

"Giving you a fighting chance," Spike said, "I sacrifice Dragonic Blazemaster!" His dragon exploded into flames, which flew at Chrysalis's field and fried her two Pendulum Monster.

"You little brat," Chrysalis growled, "you'll pay for that. Changeling Queen, transform and destroy him!" The insect monster flew at Spike, while transforming into his dragon before aiming its blasters at him.

"Spike!" Thorax said.

Spike smirked as he turned to Thorax. "You got this," he said, "and do me a favour. When you beat her and become king, maybe consider a knighthood for me."

With that, the fake dragon fired and Spike was bombarded by a barrage of fire shots. He screamed in pain as he was continuously struck.

Spike: 0
Chrysalis: 1950
Thorax: 1600

As the barrage ended, Thorax saw Spike, his cloths tattered, barely standing.

"Spike?" Thorax asked.

"You got this," was all Spike said before falling to the ground. Before Thorax could do anything, Spike began to glow before he disappeared.

"SPIKE!" Thorax screamed.

Outside, everyone was in shook at the what they'd just seen.

Suddenly a part of the Crystal Tower glowed and when it faded, they saw Spike fly out of it before he began to fall to the ground.

"SPIKE!" They cried as they rushed over to where he was gonna land and caught him.

"Is he okay?" Applebloom asked as Rarity and Fluttershy looked him over.

"I think so," Rarity said as she held him.

Thorax fell to his knees in horror of seeing Spike disappear, until he heard Chrysalis laughing.

"How hilarious," she said, "he thought his sacrifice would help you. All he did was make it easier to defeat him."

"Shut up," Thorax whispered.

"What was that?"

"I said SHUT UP!" He turned to her before getting up, "I won't let you get away with that."

"And what are you going to do?" Chrysalis asked.

"I'm going to defeat you," he replied, "I swear it!"

"Oh really," Chrysalis said, "I'd love to see that. I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Thorax said, "I draw!" He knew this might be his last chance to defeat her, he needed a way. "I can't give up," he said, "everyone's counting on me. Flash, Cold, Grand...Spike. I won't let them down!"

Chrysalis smirked at this, until she noticed that Thorax was glowing. "What?"

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal above Thorax's head opened, allowing a stream of light to shoot out. It struck the ground and took the form of Changeling Drone. "We have to win," he said, "are you with me?" Changeling Drone didn't reply, instead it began to glow the same light from around Thorax.

"What is happening?" Chrysalis asked.

Changeling Drone flew down and wrapped its legs around Thorax, before the two were consumed by a cocoon of light. Suddenly it cracked and a new monster shot out of it. It looked like the cross between an insect and a stag. It was light green, with dark green armour and purple on its back. It had dark blue wings and a pair of orange antlers. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"Impossible," Chrysalis said, "the monster changed!"

"He's not the only one."

Chrysalis looked at where Thorax was standing and her eyes went wide.

His skin was now the same light green as his monster, with orange hair and was wearing a dark green overcoat. His duel disk was now dark green with a purple blade.

"How is this possible?" Chrysalis asked.

"I don't know," Thorax said as he looked himself over. "Maybe this is our true form, created by the love of our friends. The power hidden within me has awakened and allowed Changeling Drone to take on his true form. Changeling King!"

Chrysalis just snarled at that. "True form or not, your monster still isn't strong enough to defeat mine."

"Don't be so sure," Thorax said, "because Changeling King has an ability which makes him count as a Celtic Monster. Because of that, he get three hundred points thanks to my Pendulum. (A2800/D2000/L7/P4) Next, I'm activating my King's second ability. I select one monster on the field or graveyard and he takes that form."

"No matter which monster you select it will not be enough," Chrysalis said.

"Don't be so sure," Thorax said, "because the monster I select...is Changeling Queen!"

"What!" Chrysalis asked as she watched his monster transformed, becoming a green version of her monster. (A4800/D4000/L7/P4) "It's still not enough!"

"Maybe," Thorax said, "but don't forget that my king also gained your monsters ability, meaning he can transform one more time."

Chrysalis's eyes went wide. "No."

"Oh yes," Thorax said, "and even though Spike was defeated, his Graveyard's still in play." Changeling King once again transformed, becoming a green version of Dragonic Blazemaster Assault Mode. (A8200/D6500/L7/P4)

"No," Chrysalis repeated.

"It's over mother," Thorax said, "Changeling King, ATTACK!" The fake dragon flew at the other one, raising its swords before swinging them at Chrysalis's monster. He struck the fake dragon, causing it to transform back into its true form before being cut into four and exploding.

Chrysalis screamed as the feeling of being sliced to pieces coursed through her body, before she collapsed.

Spike: 0
Chrysalis: 0
Thorax: 1600 (Winner)

As the monsters disappeared, Thorax looked over at where Chrysalis was laid.

Quickly shuffling over to her, he saw her eyes were closed but she was still breathing. Suddenly she began to glow before she disappeared, ejected from the Crystal Tower. With her gone Thorax fell to his knees, exhausted from the Duel.

"I did it," he said with a smile, "I won." Suddenly a rumbling sound caught his attention, causing him to look over and see an opening appear. It was a staircase, most likely leading up to another tower, but before he could take it something else caught his attention. A portal, similar to Vail Pixie's, appeared. It showed the outside, making Thorax realise he could leave through it.

"Spike," he said as he picked himself up, "I have to make sure he's okay." He turned back to the staircase. "Sorry guys, I'm leaving you to deal with the rest." With that he stepped through the portal and vanished.

Up at the top of the tower, Sombra growled as the image of Chrysalis's tower disappeared.

"How dare you fail me," he said before taking a deep breath, "no matter. My three remaining shields will not fail me."

Suddenly the sound of footsteps caught his attention, making him look over at the stairs leading to his chamber. Seconds passed and the steps got louder, until the one making them finally arrived in the room.

Sombra smirked seeing him. "Hello brother."

Cold Steel frowned as he looked at his brother. "You know why I'm here," he said as he took out his Duel Disk and attached it to his arm.

"I do," Sombra said as he stood up from his throne, "you're here because you think you can stop me."

"I will stop you," Cold said sternly.

"We'll see," Sombra replied as he took out his own Duel Disk, "until my true opponent arrives...entertain me."

Cold snarled at this. No, his true opponent had arrived and he was ready, to settle the score and put an end to Sombra's insanity once and for all.

Turn 44, The Brothers of Cold and Shadow

View Online

Outside the Crystal Tower, the girls were still looking over the severely injured Spike.

"Please tell me he'll be okay," Sweetie asked Rarity, who was holding the teen in her arms.

"I'm afraid I don't know," Rarity said, "maybe we should get him to a hospital."

"How?" Scootaloo asked, "the nearest hospital's hours away and it'd take us even longer since we can't just carrying him over the crystals."

"She's right," Fluttershy said.

Before they could say anything there was a brilliant flash of light coming from the tower. From out of it, Thorax floated out and slowly descended until he touched down on the ground. Once that happened, the part of the tower they had been Dueling inside began to crack and crumbling. It then completely disintegrated into dust, which rain down upon them.

Thorax looked around and saw the girls gathered around Spike. "SPIKE!" He screamed as he rushed towards them and then knelt down to look Spike over. "Spike, are you okay? Come answer me!"

Spike's eyes slowly opened, allowing him to moan as he turned to look at Thorax.

"Hay," he said, "like the new look."

Thorax smiled at this. "I couldn't have done it without you," he said, "thanks and don't worry, you're getting that knighthood."

"Sweet," Spike said, "now if you don't mind, I'm exhausted."

"That's alright darling," Rarity said, "you rest."

"Okay," Spike said, "just wish I could see how the others are doing."

"You can," Applebloom said as she showed him and Thorax her Duel Disk. "Somehow your Duel was being broadcast. Everyone saw it."

"Meaning we can watch the others Duel?" Thorax asked as he pulled out his Duel Disk. Suddenly the device switched on, showing images of Cold and Sombra. "No way," Thorax said as he saw it.

"Cold's Dueling?" Pinkie asked.

"And his opponent's Sombra," Fluttershy said.

In the highest level of the Crystal Tower, Cold and Sombra stared each other down as they prepared to Duel.

"I'm glad you're here," Sombra said as he attached his Duel Disk to his arm, "I've been wanting to Duel you for some time. Seeing you here made me realise this was the last chance to do so, that's why I summoned you here."

Cold just continued to glare at him. "You're gonna regret that decision," he said, "I'm taking you down right now."

"We'll see about that," Sombra said, "my true opponent may take a while to show up, so I need something to pass the time until then."

"Enough talk," Cold replied, "time for action!" He went to his Duel Disk and clicked something, causing a robotic female voice to speak.

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, before things started appearing in mid air. They were light green platform like structures that scattered around the area.

"This is it," Sombra said as he activated his Duel Disk, "the final judgement."

"To right," Cold said, "your evil end here!"

"DUEL!"

Cold: 4000
Sombra: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

"I'll take the first move," Cold said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and summon Frozen Heart Lancer in ATK mode!" The knight in ice armour appeared, before raising his icy lance in preparation for battle. (A1800/D1300/L4) "I end my turn with a face down."

"My turn," Sombra said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and summon Sabre Strike Doom-Vader, in ATK mode!" A bunch of shadows appeared on the field, before fading to reveal a warrior in black crystal armour with red crystal trim. He carried a pair black handled swords with red crystal blades. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "Attack!" The Doom-Vader charged at Lancer.

"But my monsters stronger?" Cold asked.

"Not once my Doom-Vader's ability cuts your monster ATK points down by its Level times one hundred," Sombra explained. His monster swung its swords through the air and sent out a shock wave which struck Lancer. (A1400/D1300/L4) It then slashed at Lancer, destroying him and causing Cold to flinch as he felt the slashing effect on him.

Cold: 3900
Sombra: 4000

"Here in the Crystal Tower," Sombra said, "any damage dealt to our monsters is also dealt to us. Still wish to processed?"

Cold glared at Sombra. "My face down should answer that," he said as his card flipped up, "Ice Shard Summon! This card lets me summon a Level four Frozen Heart Monster, whose ATK is less then my destroyed monster. I summon Frozen Heart Enchantress." The snow witch appeared on his field. (A800/D1600/L4) "When Enchantress is special summoned, I can move a Frozen Heart Monster from my grave to my hand." He took Frozen Heart Lancer out of his grave and added it to his hand.

Sombra just smirked at this. "Very well, I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

Outside everyone was watching.

"Those Doom-Vaders are powerful," Scootaloo said.

"It's nothing Cold can't handle," Pinkie said.

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but we don't know how these monsters work. They're play style could be something completely knew and out of the blue."

"We'll just have to hope Cold can handle it," Thorax said.

"It's my turn," Cold said, "I draw and I'll set the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Måne of the Frozen Moon and scale ten Sol of the Frozen Sun!" The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monsters appeared and flew up into them. "Now watch as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Cold said as the portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out of it, before striking the ground and taking form.

"Frozen Heart Lancer!" (A1800/D1300/L4)

"Frozen Heart Golem!" (A2800/D1800/L7)

The light faded and Cold's monster appeared. "Frozen Heart Lord of the Hook!" (A2400/D1200/R4)

"Now attack!" Lord of the Hook charged at Sabre Strike Doom-Vader, before swinging his hook around.

Before it could strike, Sombra looked around and saw an Action Card embedded in a crystal. Leaping up onto a platform, he then jumped and grabbed the card before placing it in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle." A force field appeared around Sabre Strike protecting it from the hook and causing it to stay on the field, though he and Sombra both felt the pain.

Cold: 3900
Sombra: 3550

As Sombra landed on the ground, he turned towards his little brother.

"Now Frozen Heart Golem," Cold ordered, "attack him directly!" The ice giant stepped towards the king, before pulling his fist back and sending it flying towards Sabre Strike.

"I activate my face down," Sombra said as his card flipped up, "Defence Draw!" Though Sable Strike was destroyed, Sombra replied unharmed as he drew his card.

"I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said as he drew his card, "I draw and I set the Pendulum Scale with scale one Doom-Vader, Knight of Black Holes and scale eleven Doom-Vader, Knight of the Black Comet!" A pair of dark light pillars appeared on either side of him, as two monsters appeared and flew into the. They were two similar looking monsters, two knights in black crystal armour with red crystal trim. One had bulkier armour and was carrying a buster sword, while the other had more streamlined armour and had a single thin katanna in hand. "Now watch," Sombra said, "as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory. A dark spiral began to form above his head, made entirely of shadows. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened before two clouds of black shadows shot out and struck the ground, before taking shape and then fading to reveal the monsters.

"Sabre Strike Doom-Vader!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

The second was a large wyvern with black crystal scales and red crystal claws and fangs. "Dragonic Doom-Vader, Vengeance!" (A2600/D2200/L7/P4)

Cold growled as he looked at the monster.

"Vengeance!" Sombra said, "attack Frozen Heart Lord of the Hook!" The dragon flashed its wings and took off, before flying towards Cold's monster and slicing it in half with its wings.

Cold flinched in pain, but he wouldn't let that stop him. "I activate my face down, Damage Diet! This card cuts the damage I take this turn in half."

Cold: 3800
Sombra: 3550

"Well since Vengeance destroyed a monster this turn," Sombra said, "his ability increases his ATK points by four hundred and allows him to attack again." The dragons crystal scales glowed as it's power increased. (A3000/D2200/L7/P4). It then turned in midair and flew towards Frozen Heart Golem, before slashing it in half as well.

Cold: 3700
Sombra: 3550

Cold once again felt the pain, but it was quickly forgotten when he saw Sabre Strike charging towards him. The dark knight swung his blades in a X formation, slicing Cold in the chest and causing him to yell out in pain as he fell back.

Cold: 2950
Sombra: 3550

Everyone gasped as they saw Cold fall back.

"This is bad," Sweetie said.

"I can tell you from experience how painful those attacks can be," Thorax said.

"He needs to get up," Rarity said, "he needs to keep Duelling."

"Come on," Pinkie said as she brought her hands together, "you can do this."

As Cold picked himself up, he clutched his chest in pain.

"Your will to go on is impressive," Sombra said as he ended his turn, Vengeance's ATK points returning to normal, "but I must know why you're going to such lengths?"

Cold didn't reply, instead simply placing his hand on his deck.

"Why put yourself through so much pain?"

Cold closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He knew why. "I'm doing it for him," he said.

All my life I had been placed on a pedestal, told I would do great things and follow in the footsteps of my ancestors. However, there was one person I'd idolised all my life. My adoptive big brother, Sombra. Despite not being our blood, he represented the ideals of our family greater then anyone. Growing up I learned about his accomplishments and vowed to follow in his footsteps. I chose to wander the world like he did, hoping to find what he could not, and that lead me to him.

Years ago Cold was traversing a snowy mountain. It was during a blizzard when he was climbing a steep cliff face looking for shelter, when his hand slipped mere feet from the top. But before he could fall something grabbed hold of him. Looking up Cold saw a figure clad in a brown cloak leaning down and holding him up.

He told me everything. Who he was, what had happened and what my brother planned to do. I couldn't believe it at the time. How could the person I idolised my whole life, want to do something so horrible. I knew I had to do something.

"I'm going to do this," Cold said after Trail and Vail Pixie finished explaining, "don't try and stop me. This is something I have to do."

Trail stared at him for a brief moment, before smiling. "Despite your name, I can see the fire in your eyes." He held out the deck he had just used to defeat Cold. "I don't know why, but I feel like I can trust you."

And so my mission began. I returned to Canterlot, so I could prepare for what was to come. Using every connection I had, I found out everything I could before beginning what I had been ordered to do.

Cold looked around the empty halls of the school, before finding the locker he was looking for. Quickly picking the lock and opening it, he placed the deck inside before leaving.

A little while later he watched as Flash walked into the school, about to discover the deck he had left for him.

The mission given to me, was to watch over, raise and guide a young man who would turn out to be the key to winning the struggle. Despite what I had been told, I didn't believe he was up to it, so I prepared myself to take over the task. I honesty thought he would fail.

Cold followed Flash as he left the school, no one even daring to come close to him and he in turn isolating himself.

I saw a boy who thought he was alone in the world and who had closed off his heart, but despite that...

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Flash yelled as the portal opened.

Hiding in the bushes, Cold watched as Flash Pendulum Summoned for the first time against Garble.

When you started to develop your skills, you began to exceed my expectations.

Memories flashed into the forefront of his mind. Flash's victory against the Duel Bot, his victories in the Shooting Star Micro Tournament, defeating Shining and all the victories in the Celestic Cup Finals. Defeating Shadow.

Watching over you was often irritating, often exasperating, but to be honest...a lot of fun. Now, I believe you have the ability to accomplish the task and you will continue to grow into a strong, fine young man. And that is why, I will do anything in my power to help you.

Cold opened his eyes, which were filled with determination. "The way forward is clear," he said as he drew his card, "I'll pave the way for him! I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a single light shot out and struck the ground, before taking the form of Cold's ace monster. "Frozen Heart Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)

"So this is your go to monster is it?" Sombra asked as he looked up at the ice dragon, "an impressive beast. But will he be enough to defeat my Doom-Vaders?"

"Let's find out," Cold said, "Frozen Heart Dragon, attack Sabre Strike Doom-Vader!" Frozen Heart Dragon rose into the air and held up one of its clawed hands, before thrusting them forward and unleashing a stream of ice cold air.

Sabre Strike Doom-Vader tried to defend against the attack, but his body quickly began to freeze over until it was nothing more then a giant ice cube. Said ice cube then shattered, while Sombra also felt the icy chill of Frozen Heart Dragon's attack.

Cold: 2950
Sombra: 2050

"I end my turn," Cold said as his dragon landed behind him.

Outside the group all cheered after seeing that move.

"Now that's how you do it," Scootaloo cried.

"Now that he's got Frozen Heart Dragon," Sweetie said, "Sombra doesn't stand a chance."

"That's nothing," Thorax told them, "if he can summon Eternal Ice Dragon then Sombra's as good as beaten."

"Eternal What?" Applebloom asked.

"It's Cold's best card," Thorax replied, "a Ritual Monster that needs Frozen Heart Dragon to summon it. It's super powerful."

"Well then," Rarity said, "let's hope he summons it."

"It's my turn," Sombra said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and activate the Spell card Shadow Draw. This card works by taking a Doom-Vader from my Extra Deck and placing it at the bottom of my deck." He showed Sabre Strike Doom-Vader before placing it in his Duel Disk. "Now I can draw cards equal to that monsters Level." He drew four cards and smiled seeing them, before turning to Cold and chuckling a dark chuckle.

Cold didn't like the sound of that.

"You've brought out your best card," Sombra told him, "now allow me to do the same. Once again I will cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The dark portal began to open above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

It opened and three shadows shot out and struck the ground, taking the form before fading to reveal the monsters within.

The first was a bipedal dragon with black crystal scales and red crystals for claws, fangs and horns. A black mist was steaming out the side of its mouth. "Doom-Vader, Rotting Breath Dragon!" (A1600/D1300/L4/P6)

The second was a man in a black cloak that had dark crystals sown onto it. He carried a black dagger with a red crystalline blade. "Doom-Vader, Shadow Cloak Assailant!" (A800/D1100/L3/P7)

The last monster was the same one Sombra had summoned in the lab. With its scythe like weapon in hand and wings folded out to show its full body. "Doom-Vader, Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" (A4000/D4000/L10/P5)

Cold's eyes went wide seeing the giant dragon monster staring down at him.

"Tyrant Reaper Dragon loses one thousand ATK and DEF points for each of my monster spaces which doesn't have a Doom-Vader in it," Sombra explained, "with one empty space, his points become three thousand." Vengeance, Rotting Breath and Shadow Cloak Assailant glowed a dark aura, which then flew up and into Tyrant Reaper Dragon. (A3000/D3000/L10/P5)

That's not a very useful ability," Sweetie said.

"Yeah," Scootaloo said, "all Cold has to do is get rid of his other monsters and Tyrant Reaper Dragon will be completely defenceless."

"We can't assume anything," Rarity said, "I doubt that's its only ability. Whatever happens, Cold needs to be on guard."

"She right," Thorax said, "who knows what tricks Sombra has up his sleeve."

"And now," Sombra said, "Tyrant Reaper Dragon will attack Frozen Heart Dragon!" The dark dragon raised its scythe and flew towards Frozen Heart Dragon. "Go, Dark Crystal Slashing Blade!"

Cold began to run around the room, before leaping up and onto a platform and then onto another before leaping up and grabbing an Action Card from between two crystals. As he landed on another platform, he placed the card in his Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Miracle!"

Tyrant Reaper Dragon struck Frozen Heart Dragon, but an force field appeared around it and defended against the scythe. Tyrant Reaper's weapon began to crack, followed by its armour before the monster completely shattered. Sombra flinched in pain, but remained steady as he looked up at Cold.

"I activate Rotting Breath Dragon's ability," he said, "since one of my monsters was destroyed. I can switch his battle position and decrease the ATK of your monster by five hundred."

"Frozen Heart Dragon is unaffected by monster effects," Cold said. However, when he saw the bipedal dragon changed to DEF mode, before breathing a load of black mist which surrounded Frozen Heart Dragon. The mist appeared to be acidic in nature, as parts of Frozen Heart Dragon were beginning to melt. (A2500/D2500/L8/P5) "How?"

"Rotting Breath Dragon also negates the effects of the monsters it uses this effect on," Sombra explained. "Now Dragonic Doom-Vader Vengeance," he continued, "attack and destroy Frozen Heart Dragon!" The wyvern took off and flew towards the melting dragon, before using its wings to slice the monster in half and deal Cold some serious pain.

Cold: 2850
Sombra: 2050

"Now Shadow Cloak Assailant!" Sombra ordered as his last monster transformed into a shadow, which flew through the air before appearing behind Cold and taking form again. He then used his dagger and stabbed the man in the side, causing him to cry out in pain and clutch his side.

Cold: 2050
Sombra: 2050

Whenever Shadow Cloak Assailant deals you damage," Sombra said, "I can draw one card." He did and smiled seeing what it was. "This'll come in handy later," he said with a smiled, "but for now I'll activate the Spell card Corrupted Pendulum! This card can only be activated if I have a Doom-Vader on my field," he explained, "which I do. Now I can take any Doom-Vader in my Extra Deck whose Level is between that of my Pendulum Scale and summon it!"

The dark portal once again formed and opened, before releasing a shadow which struck the ground and took form. "Rise once again, Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" (A3000/D3000/L10/P5) "I end my turn."

Cold leapt down from the platform and turned to Sombra. "It's my turn," he said as he drew his card, "I activate the Spell card Icicle Crash!" The Spell card appeared on the field and from it a sudden burst of cold wind blew, causing the crystals around them to freeze.

Sombra covered his face, shielding it from the bitter cold that the Spell was creating. When he lowered his arms and opened his eyes, he was that the whole chamber was covered in ice with a pair of icicles sticking out the ground. Once had Frozen Heart Lancer and the other had Frozen Heart Lord of the Hook sealed inside.

"By banishing these two monsters from my graveyard," Cold explained, "I can take any two cards from my deck and add them to my hand." The two icicles shattered as Cold's deck shuffled out a pair of cards for him to take. "Now I'll use my Pendulum Scale the cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The portal formed above his head. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Frozen Heart Statue Norr!" (A200/D200/L2)

"Frozen Heart Dragon!" (A3000/D2500/L8/P5)

"And next," Cold said, "I'll activate the Eternal Ice Ritual Spell!" Frozen Heart Statue Norr suddenly turned into snow, which spiralled around Frozen Heart Dragon and encasing him in an icy cocoon. "By tributing Frozen Heart Dragon and a level two or higher Frozen Heart monster, I can unleash my dragons ultimate form!"

Sombra watched as Cold's cocoon began to crack, releasing snow white light.

"Now watch as the ultimate icy monster appears," Cold said as the cocoon shattered and released his monster. "I RITUAL SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Cold's monster. "Eternal Ice Dragon!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

"Now I activate Eternal Ice Dragon's special ability. By paying half my life points, I can negate your monsters abilities and reduce there ATK points to zero."

Cold: 1025
Sombra: 2050

Eternal Ice Dragon flap its wings and unleashed a powerful blizzard, which flew at Sombra's monster and consumed each of them in a whiteout.

Cold smiled, knowing he'd won. "With your monsters all frozen solid, nothing will protect you from my next attack."

However, when the snow cleared and Sombra was revealed, he had a dark smile on his lips. "I wouldn't be so sure about that."

Cold raised an eyebrow before looking up at Sombra's monster, only for them to go wide at what he saw. Sombra's three weakest monsters had leapt infront of Tyrant Reap Dragon, forming a shield which had blocked Eternal Ice Dragon's blizzard and were now frozen solid. (A3000/D3000/L10/P5), (A0/D2200/L7/P4), (A0/D1300/L4/P6), (A0/D1100/L3/P7)

"What!?"

"Oh," Sombra said, "did I forget to mention. As long as I have another Doom-Vader on the field, Tyrant Reaper Dragon is unaffected by any of your Spells, Traps and Monster Effects."

"But Eternal Ice Dragon negates your effects," Cold said.

"Not all effects it seems," Sombra said.

Cold growled at this. "Fine, it doesn't matter. I'll still win. Eternal Ice Dragon, attack Dragonic Doom-Vader Vengeance!" His monster flapped its wings and took off, before it brought its clawed hands together and formed a giant icicle which it threw at the dragon.

"I don't think so," Sombra said.

Suddenly Tyrant Reaper Dragon leapt infront of Vengeance and let the icicle impale him, causing him to once again be destroyed.

Cold: 1025
Sombra: 1550

"Oh come on," Cold said seeing this, "don't tell me."

"That Tyrant Reaper Dragon is the only Doom-Vader you can attack while he's on the field," Sombra finished as he clutched the spot where Tyrant Reaper Dragon had been struck, "oh yes."

Cold couldn't believe how powerful that monster was. Despite its weaknesses, its power more then made up for it.

"I'm guessing by your shocked expression you're turn is over?"

Cold didn't reply, but simply nodded in agreement. With his turn over, the monsters Cold froze all thawed out.

"Then its my turn," Sombra said, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The dark portal opened and two shadows shot out and took form.

The first was a bulky knight in dark crystal armour, carrying a large red crystal hexagon which it held as a shield. "Shroud Barrier Doom Vader!" (A1000/D2000/L4/P4)

"Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" (A4000/D4000/L8/P5)

Cold looked over the five monsters that stood against him and his dragon.

Sombra smirked. "You know you don't have to be so scared," he said, "Tyrant Reaper Dragon has one last ability I should mention."

What now? Was what ran through Cold's head.

"While he's on the field," Sombra continued, "no other monster on my side of the field can declare an attack."

Cold raised an eyebrow at this. So only Tyrant Reaper Dragon could attack, meaning even thought Sombra had five monsters he couldn't make an all out attack.

"Of course," Sombra went on as he grabbed the card he'd drawn last turn, "this card will help solve that problem." He slotted the card into his Duel Disk, as Tyrant Reaper Dragon's scythe began to glow. "I activate the Spell card, Dark Crystal Slashing Blade!" Tyrant Reaper raised his weapon and slashed it four times, each one striking one of Sombra's other monsters and destroying them.

"What are you doing?" Cold asked, but saw Sombra's dark smile.

"Dark Crystal Slashing Blade is a Spell card which allows me to tribute every Doom-Vader on my field, save for Tyrant Reaper, and for each one sacrificed my dragon gains an additional thousand ATK points. This Spell also negates my dragons power down effect for the turn."

"You tributed four monsters," Cold said, "that means your dragon's gaining four thousand ATK points!"

Sombra simply nodded before looking up at his dragon. The shards that remain of his monsters transformed into shadows, which flew up and into Tyrant Reaper's scythe. The scythe began to grow, until it was twice the size. (A8000/D4000/L10/P5)

Cold stared up at the giant scythe wielding monster in horror, knowing what was about to happen.

"It's over," Sombra said, "ATTACK!" Tyrant Reaper Dragon raised the giant scythe before swinging it around and striking Eternal Ice Dragon, causing it and Cold to scream in pain at the feeling of being impaled. As Frozen Heart Dragon exploded, Tyrant Reaper's weapon kept going and the blade then struck Cold. The man once again screamed as he was sent flying.

Cold: 0
Sombra: 1550 (Winner)

"COLD!" His friends screamed in horror seeing him fall.

"Oh no," Fluttershy cried.

"This can't be happening," Pinkie said in horror.

"No," Thorax whispered.

Sombra stepped over to where Cold had landed and smiled down at him, seeing his clothes torn and him battered and bruised.

"It's a shame you chose to become my enemy brother," Sombra said, "had you stayed out of my way, I may have chosen to grant you a place in my perfect future. Now you will be nothing more then a bad memory, cast aside and forgotten." Cracks began to form around the floor where Cold had landed. "Usually a Duellist who is defeated in this tower is ejected, but I think I'll leave you as a warning for your friends." With that Sombra turned and walked back to his thorn, as the floor gave way and Cold fell through.

As he began to fall, Cold's eyes cracked open. "All I can do, is leave the rest to you." With that he lost consciousness as he fell into the darkness.

"Huh?" Flash said as he stopped in place.

Twilight and Sunset stopped climbing the stairs and looked back, giving him a confused look.

"What's up?" Twilight asked him.

"I don't know," Flash said, "I've just got this really bad feeling."

"Whatever it is," Sunset said, "it'll have to wait. We need to get to the top of the tower."

Flash shook his head, before nodding in agreement. "You're right," he said, "let's go."

With that they continued up, totally unaware what had just happened to their friend.

Turn 45, Lightning Strikes

View Online

At the Freeze Dome, we find Shining and Cadance in the main computer room.

They and a group of Freeze Industries top scientists were currently working to find a way to reverse the spread of Sombra's crystal roots, which were slowly burying deeper into the earth and absorbing energy to send to the Crystal Tower.

"The Crystal Tower's energy levels have reached twenty three percent," a scientist said.

"There has to be something we can do," Shining asked as he watched Cadance typing away at the computer. "At least find a way to slow it down?"

"We're trying," Cadance said, "but so far nothing seems to effect these crystals."

It was true. They had been sending out many groups of workers, each with a different job to attempt to break, crack or even scratch the crystal. However, the crystals remained completely solid no matter what they did. Drills, heavy machines and even electrifying them did nothing to break them.

"They're indestructible," Cadance said as she held her head in despair.

Shining placed his hand on her shoulder and smiled at her. "It's okay," he said, "we'll find a way. You have to relax, not just for you."

Cadance sat up straight and took a deep breath as she placed her hand on her stomach. "You're right," she said, "we can't give up."

"Exactly," Shining said, "let's keep our heads up and do what we can to help our friends."

Cadance nodded and continued working on finding a way to stop those crystals. Even if she couldn't physically help, she could do whatever was in her power.

Meanwhile outside the Crystal Tower, the gang watched as Thorax and Scootaloo slammed against the crystalline structure.

"Come on!" Thorax moaned as he body slammed the tower, only to bounce off while the tower remained intact. "Break!" He cried as he tried again, "let us in!"

"Keep trying!" Scootaloo said as she did the same.

"Stop it you two," Fluttershy said, "you'll just hurt yourselves."

"She's right," Rarity told them as she continued to hold the still unconscious Spike, "the only way in is with Vail Pixie and Flash is the only one who could summon her."

"But Cold needs our help!" Scootaloo replied hastily.

"There's nothing we can do," Fluttershy said, "we just have to hope someone makes it up there to help him."

Suddenly Scootaloo's phone began to ring. Taking it out and seeing who was calling, she answered it as quick as she could by putting it on speaker phone. "Gramps?"

"Scootaloo!" Grand Hoof said, "thank goodness you're okay. Where are you?"

"We're outside the tower," Scootaloo replied, "we're trying to get inside."

"To help Cold?" Grand replied.

"You saw?" Fluttershy asked

"I did. That last attack looked like it did some major damage. If he doesn't get medical attention soon, who knows what permanent damage could be done."

"So what do we do?" Thorax asked, "nothing we try works against this stuff."

"How did the others get in?" Grand asked. They explained how Flash had summoned Vail Pixie, surprising him at first but he soon accepted it and saw what the problem was. "I see," he said, "without Vail Pixie you can't get inside. For now you'll need to wait and be prepared. Another way in may reveal itself. Hopefully one of the others will find him and get him out of there."

"Let's hope," Rarity said as she looked back up at the tower. "But if their Duels are anything like the last two, they'll need to pull out all the stops to win."

Rainbow was rushing up the crystal staircase as fast as she could. It felt like they went on forever, but Rainbow knew she'd get their soon and who would be waiting for her once she got there.

"Have to keep going," she said to herself, "can't stop."

Suddenly she saw a bright light up ahead, making her double her efforts and rush up until she found herself inside a crystal chamber.

Unlike Chrysalis's chamber, this one was filled with crystal spikes pointing in every direction. Some of them joined up to make bridges, which in multitudes created a labyrinth of bridges which grew higher and higher.

As Rainbow stepped further into the chamber, she looked around to see if anyone was in sight. However, no matter which direction she was looking in, the room was completely empty.

"Up here loser!"

Rainbow looked up at one of bridges in the centre of the chamber, where she saw Lightning Dust sitting over the edge and smirking down at her.

"Nice to see you're finally here." she said in a snarky tone, "I was growing insane just sitting here waiting for you to show up. Never was much of a patient person, though you knew that already."

Rainbow simply glared up Lightning, not in the mode for her games. "You know why I'm here Lightning," she yelled up to her, "but it doesn't have to be this way. Show me how to get up to Sombra and we can forget this whole thing."

Lightning stared back down at her for a moment, before her snark turned to a smiled which then turned into a large grin. Before Rainbow could ask what was going on Lightning burst into laughter, clutching her stomach as she cackled like a made woman. "Hilarious," she said, "you think I'd give up all this?"

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at her question.

"Don't you get it?" Lightning continued, "I'm going to become one of the most powerful people in the world. All I have to do is beat you and I'll be golden."

"Sombra's using you!" Rainbow told her, "once that Shadow Gate's open he'll turn on you and you'll have nothing."

"Compared to what I had before," Lightning said, "I'll take the risk." She stood up on her crystal bridge. "Now, it's time to get some payback for you beating me. Get up here!"

Rainbow continued to frown at her, but knew she wouldn't listen to her. Hopefully beating her in a Duel will make her see sense.

After taking a few steps back, she then ran forwards and leapt up onto a nearby crystal ledge. She then leapt off it and onto another, then another and another until she finally landed on Lightning's bridge.

Once she had her balance, she took out her Duel Disk and attached it to her arm.

Lightning did the same. "The loser of this Duel will be ejected from the tower," she explained, "so I hope you packed a parachute, because it's a long way down."

"We'll see who needs a parachute," Rainbow said, "I'll set the stage." She clicked something on her Duel Disk and the robotic female voice began to speak.

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, Due to the many crystal spikes, the platforms did not appear.

"You ready to go down?" Lightning asked.

"In history maybe," Rainbow replied.

"DUEL!"

Rainbow: 4000
Lightning: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

Back outside, everyone's Duel Disk's switched back on and showed the Duel to them.

"It's Rainbow," Fluttershy gasped.

"She's Dueling Lightning Dust," Rarity said, "though it was probably obvious she would be."

"Alright," Scootaloo said, "this won't last long. Take her down Rainbow."

Fluttershy however was worried. She thought back to her Duel against Rainbow and how they'd talked about her needing to think before she acted. After that day Rainbow had been exceedingly focused, but would she remain focused now that she was actually facing Lightning. "Be careful Rainbow," she said.

"I'll take the first move," Rainbow said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I'll start by summoning Rainbow Wing Knight Eagle in DEF mode." The yellowed bird armoured warrior appeared, before landing on the crystal bridge and taking a defensive stance. (A1700/D1300/L4/P3) "I'll throw down a face down and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Lightning said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I'll summon Lightning Wing Strike in ATK mode!" A gold jet with red trim appeared and flew around the chamber. "Now I'll have Strike attack your overgrown pigeon, GO!" The jet flew around before aiming its weapons at Rainbow Wing Knight Eagle and firing a missile towards it.

"I activate my Trap," Rainbow said as one of her face down cards flipped up, "Tornado Guard!" A tornado appeared around the bird knight, causing the missile to bounce off and go flying off in a different direction and exploding as it hit the chamber wall. "Tornado Guard protects my monster from destruction and would have cut any damage I'd have taken in half." The tornado faded, leaving Eagle completely defenceless."

"Maybe," Lightning said, "but I'm guessing that it only works against one attack. Luckily my Strike's ability activates if it fails to destroy a monster, letting it attack one more time!" The jet unleashed its second missile, which went flying towards the Rainbow Wing Knight.

Rainbow leapt off the bridge and flew through the air, landing on a crystal spike that had an Action Card. Picking it up, Rainbow placed it inside her Duel Disk. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion, to let my monster dodge your attack." The knight spread its wings and with one powerful flap, he managed to fly to safety as the missile struck the bridge and exploded.

Lightning growled seeing this. "Fine," she said, "I'll throw down a face down and end my turn."

Rainbow smirked. "Alright, it's my turn. I draw and summon Rainbow Wing Blue Falcon." In a flash, the blue bird of pray appeared and flew up next to the Rainbow Wing Knight. (A1600/D1400/L4)

Lightning knew what Rainbow was planning and she was ready.

"First I'll have my Rainbow Wing Falcon attack Lightning Wing Strike!" Rainbow ordered as her monster took the the skies and then dive bombed the jet, destroying it and causing Lightning to flinch in pain.

Rainbow: 4000
Lightning: 3800

Rainbow raised an eyebrow at Lightning's pain. "What the?"

Lightning just smirked as she stood up straight. "Here in the Crystal Tower, we have a connection to our monsters. Any damage they feel will also be inflicted on us."

Hearing this made Rainbow uneasy. She might want to beat Lightning, but that didn't mean she wanted to hurt her.

"What's the matter Dash?" Lightning asked, "you to scared to Duel with some real stakes."

Rainbow just frowned hearing this. Fine, if she wanted to play rough then they'd play rough. "Rainbow Wing Knight Eagle," she ordered. "attack!" The bird man flew into the air and then flew towards Lightning, before striking her with his wing and sending her flying off the bridge. She landed on a crystal spike that was across from Rainbow.

Rainbow: 4000
Lightning: 2100

Rainbow watched as Lightning picked herself up, a pained look on her face. "And now," she said as her two monsters glowed and changed into lights, before shooting into the air, "with these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." The black hole appeared below her which the lights flew into. "When birds of a feather flock together an awesome power is unleashed." The black hole exploded in a burst of light. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's ace. "Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" (A2300/D1700/R4)

Lightning smirked seeing her summon that card. "Alright," she said, "I activate my face down." Her card flipped up and revealed a Trap. "Overlay Grab! With this card, I can grab every Overlay Units off an Xyz Monster and summon the same number of monsters from my deck whose Levels are lower then your Assault Wing's Rank."

Rainbow frowned as she looked over to see her monster begin to glow, before a pair of lights shot off him and transformed into the two monsters Lightning Wing Soar and Thrust. (500/D500/L2)X2

"Dang it!" Scootaloo said, "Rainbow's best monsters been depowered."

"She's obviously prepared her deck to counter Rainbow's deck," Rarity said.

"Doesn't matter," Sweetie said, "Rainbow beat her once and she can do it again."

"Except Lightning had underestimated Rainbow," Fluttershy said, "this time she's not playing around."

"It's my turn," Lightning said as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I summon Lightning Wing Jet." The third jet appeared and flew alongside the other two. "Now for the fun part" Lightning said, "because I'm using these three monsters to build the Overlay Network." Her five jets shot into the sky before zooming into the black hole that had just appeared in midair, "now watch as a storm of power begins to take shape." the black hole exploded in a burst of light, as a new monster flew out. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Lightning's monster. "Jetstream Thunderbird!" (A500/D500/R2)

"There it is," Rainbow said, "I can handle this."

"Jetstream Thunderbird," Lightning called out, "attack Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" Her monster took flight, charging straight at Assault Wing Gold. "I activate Thunderbird's ability" she said, "by removing an Overlay Unit I get to zap your monster's ATK and DEF points to zero." One of its three Overlay Units flew into Thunderbird's horn before it shot a lighting bolt out which struck Assault Wing. (A0/D0/R4) "now go," Jetstream Thunderbird's body discharged electricity which zapped Assault Wing, the static hitting Rainbow as well.

Rainbow screamed as she felt herself be electrified.

Rainbow: 3500
Lightning: 2100

"As you know, Thunderbird's can't destroy a monster it used its ability on," Lighting said as she ended her turn, "but your monsters points won't return to normal until next turn."

"Then it's my turn," Rainbow said, "I draw." She looked at her card and nodded. "I summon Rainbow Wing, Orange Osprey." The orange bird of pray appeared on the field, before flying around Assault Wing Gold. (A1200/D1000/L3) Since I have a Rainbow Wing on my field, Assault Wing's ATK points go up by five hundred. (A500/D0/R4)

Lightning frowned seeing the two monsters now had enough power to attack hers.

"Now I attack with Orange Osprey!" Rainbow ordered as her monster flew up and then dive bombed towards the mechanised bird.

"I activate Thunderbird's ability" Lighting said, as once again an Overlay Unit hit it's horn and shot out a lighting bolt that struck Orange Osprey. (A0/D0/L3) Osprey bounced off of Thunderbird, causing Rainbow to feel the pain.

Rainbow: 3000
Lightning: 2100

"Now Assault Wing Gold," Rainbow ordered, "attack!" The bird man took to the air and soared at Lightning, unsheathing his katanna and preparing to strike.

"I activate Jetstream Thunderbird's ability once again," Lightning said as the last Overlay Unit on her monster flew into its horn and it unleashed a thunder bolt which struck Assault Wing Gold, zapping its ATK points back to nothing. (A0/D0/R4)

Assault Wing Gold's katanna struck the mechanised bird, bouncing off it and shocking the Xyz Monster. Rainbow also felt to electric jolt, causing her to spasm before falling to her knees.

Rainbow: 2500
Lightning: 2100

This is bad," Thorax said, "Rainbow's just letting herself take the damage."

"Maybe," Rarity said, "but now Thunderbird's out of Overlay Units, meaning it can't activate its special ability again."

"Next turn Rainbow can start dishing out some serious hurt on her," Scootaloo said.

"But Lightning would have been expecting this," Fluttershy said, "plus this is how Rainbow beat her last time, so we shouldn't expect her to fall for it again."

"She's right," Pinkie said sadly, "Rainbow will be creamed if she lets Lightning get ahead of her."

"All we can do is hope Rainbow has a plan to deal with whatever Lightning throws at her.

"I end my turn," Rainbow said.

"Then it's my turn," Lightning said, "I draw!" She saw the card she'd drawn and smirked, before placing it in her Duel Disk. "Time to give my Thunderbird a tune up," she said, "I activate Rank-Up-Magic Lightning Force!"

"Oh dang," Rainbow said.

"With this I can Rank-Up a Machine Monster on my field." A bolt of lightning flew out of the her Duel Disk and struck Jetstream Thunderbird, the electrical energy surging around it causing it to transform. "Now watch as the storm of power evolves to its highest level of power," Lightning chanted as the monster finished transforming. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, the evolved version of Lightning's monster. "Blitzkrieg Thunderbird!" (A500/D500/R3)

Rainbow looked up at the upgraded Thunderbird, knowing she was about to be in for a world of hurt.

"Since Blitzkrieg Thunderbird was summoned using Rank-Up-Magic Lightning Force," Lightning explained, "my Spells second effect grants my monster five hundred extra ATK points." (A1000/D500/R3) "Now I activate my Thunderbird's ability." The monsters single Overlay Unit flew into Thunderbird's horn, which unleashed a surge of electrical power that spread throughout its body. "This ability allows me to double my Thunderbird's current ATK points once a turn," Lightning finished. (A2000/D500/L3)

"Seriously," Rainbow said.

"Blitzkrieg Thunderbird!" Lightning called out as she leapt up and landed on her monsters back, "take out Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" The bird flew up and spread its wings into an X formation, as they each opened up and folded out a bunch of lightning lasers. They shot off and unleashed a burst of electrical energy which flew at the Assault Wing.

Seeing her monster in trouble, Rainbow kicked it into high gear and leapt off the crystal. Landing on a lower one, she saw an Action Card not to far off and leapt for it. Just as the electrical attack was about to strike, Rainbow grabbed the Action Card. "Go Miracle!"

A force field appeared around Assault Wing Gold, causing the attack to weaker enough so the monster wasn't destroyed. However Assault Wing Gold, and by extension Rainbow, still cried out in pain as they were zapped.

Rainbow: 1500
Lightning: 2100

"Looks like you survived that attack," Lightning said, "but I've got more attacks coming."

"I hope Rainbow's okay?" Sweetie said.

"She'll be fine," Scootaloo said, "next turn her monsters ATK points are gonna return to normal and she'll be able to kick Lightning's butt."

"I hope you're right," Thorax said, "if she can get more Overlay Units on her monster, then she'll be able to double its ATK points again and eventually it'll become unstoppable."

"Come on Rainbow," Fluttershy said.

"It's my turn," Rainbow said as her monsters ATK points returned to normal, "I draw!" She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled. "You're not the only one that can Rank up her monster. I activate Rank-Up-Magic, Rainbow Force!" Assault Wing Gold transformed into a stream of light, which flew up and into a black hole as it opened. "Let the rainbow shine its brilliant light upon you, as you take flight to a new future," she chanted as the black hole exploded. "CHAOS XYZ EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Rainbow's most powerful monster. "Rainbow Assault Wing Platinum!" (A2800/D2200/R5)

Lightning remained steadfast as she watched the newly evolved Xyz Monster fly up until it was at the same level as Rainbow.

"Here we go," Rainbow said, "I attack Blitzkrieg Thunderbird with Assault Wing Platinum!" The bird man spread his wings and flew towards the mechanised bird. "I'm also activating Assault Wing Platinum's ability," Rainbow continued. "by removing an Overlay Unit I can reduce your monsters ATK points by seven hundred, for every Rainbow Wing or Rainbow Assault Wing in my graveyard." The Xyz monster crushed one of its Overlay Unit in both hands, before extending his wings. They shone a brilliant light which spread and began to take the form of the monsters in Rainbow's graveyard.

Blue Falcon and Assault Wing Gold flew around the Xyz monster as astral projections, before flying towards Blitzkrieg Thunderbird and striking it. Lightning watched as the two struck her monster, causing its power to become decimated. (A600/D0/R3)

"Alright!" Everyone cheered seeing this.

"That's enough of a difference to end this!" Scootaloo said.

"If it can just get through," Rarity said.

"DO IT!" Rainbow ordered as her monster flew up and the charged toward Lightning and her monster, bringing its hands together and spinning around till it was like a rainbow coloured drill.

Lightning steered her monster away from the attack, as she searched for an Action Card. Seeing one nearby, she leapt off her monster and grabbed it. "I activate the Action Spell Evasion!" Thunderbird's thrusters kicked in, allowing it to barely dodge the attack. With the battle over, Lightning's monster regained its lost ATK points. (A2000/D500/R3)

"No," Rainbow growled, "so close."

"To bad," Lightning said as she jumped back on her monster, "so sad."

Rainbow frowned, but knew there was nothing more she could do. "I switch Osprey to DEF mode and end my turn."

"It's my turn," Lightning said, "I draw." She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled. "I pay five hundred life points, to activate the Spell card Overlay Generator!"

Rainbow: 1500
Lightning: 1600

"Now I can look at the top five cards of my deck and then add any monsters to my Thunderbird, as long as their Levels are the same as his Rank." She looked at the top five cards of her deck and smiled, before taking out three and placing them under her Xyz Monster card.

Rainbow watched as a trio of jets appeared on either side of Thunderbird, before transforming into lights and circling the monster.

"Now I'm able to activate my monsters ability," Lightning said, "which is what I'll do right now!" One of the new Overlay Units flew into Thunderbird's horn, which unleashed a surge of electrical power that spread throughout its body. (A4000/D500/R3) "Now attack, Rainbow Assault Wing Gold!" The monster once again took an X formation and unleashed the electrical projectiles.

Rainbow tried to find an Action Card, but none were in sight and her monster was struck and the blast sent Rainbow flying off where she was standing.

"RAINBOW!" Her friends called out as the screen was filled with smoke.

Lightning watched with glee as the smoke cleared, showing Rainbow barely holding onto the edge of a bridge.

Rainbow: 300
Lightning: 1600

With all of her might, Rainbow was able to pull herself up.

"Can't believe you're still in one piece after that," Lightning said, "maybe on my next turn."

Rainbow growled hearing that. Against Thunderbird, she didn't have anything left in her deck that could out muscle it. Suddenly she remembered what Fluttershy and the rest of her friends had told her. She couldn't beat Lightning with power alone, so she had to find another way. "I draw," She looked at her card, "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Lightning said, "I draw and I'll play my own Pot of Greed." She drew two cards and when she saw what she'd drawn, her eyes went wide before she smiled. "It's over," she said, "I activate the Spell card, Double Xyz! With this, I can activate the effect of an Xyz Monster twice. So now I can double Blitzkrieg Thunderbird's ATK points twice!" Both the monsters Overlay Units flew into Thunderbird's horn, causing it to unleash the most powerful burst of electricity. (A16000/D500/R3)

Rainbow began to sweat seeing the power that monster had, but knew she had to be relaxed. With her monster in DEF mode, she would be fine.

"Next," Lightning said, "I play the Spell card Smashing Ground! This card destroys the monster on your field with the fewest DEF points and with only one monster one your field, you'll be defenceless!"

Rainbow's eyes went wide before she watched as Osprey was suddenly destroyed, leaving her field bare.

"This is it," Lightning said with a dark smile, "payback time. Blitzkrieg Thunderbird, DESTROY HER!" The Xyz Monster took its position, before unleashing the multiple electric projectiles at Rainbow.

"No!" Rarity said.

"That monster's so powerful," Thorax said, "if she gets struck, there's no way she'll survive!"

Everyone else began to fear the worst, everyone else except Fluttershy.

"You can do this," she said quietly.

As the projectiles flew towards Rainbow, Lightning began to laugh.

This was it, everything she'd worked so hard for. Her vengeance was complete.

Rainbow however, remained still and silent. She didn't go for an Action Card or try and outrun the attack.

"What's the matter?" Lightning asked between laughter, "just realised what a huge mistake challenging me was. Well you're right, it was a mistake. You could never defeat me. Not with the power I've gained."

"You're right," Rainbow replied as she closed her eyes, "I can't stand up to the power you have."

"Finally understand huh," Lighting said, "took you long enough. But to late now."

"I don't have the power to beat you," Rainbow said, before she opened her eyes and smiled. "So I'll have to use yours."

"What?" Lightning said, only for her eyes to go wide when she remembered Rainbow had a face down.

"I activate my Mirror Force!" Rainbow called out as her card flipped up to reveal the Trap.

"Not that one!" Lightning screamed.

A force field appeared around Rainbow, causing the projectiles to bounce off and be sent flying back in the direction of Blitzkrieg Thunderbird. They struck the mechanised bird and caused an explosion, which sent Lightning flying off and landing on the bridge.

She looked up just in time to see her monster be destroyed.

"How!?"

"A friend of mine helped me realise that relying on power alone would never help me win against you," Rainbow told her, "and she was right. I wasn't able to out muscle you, but I could outsmart you."

Lightning just growled at her. "You'll pay for this."

"I doubt it," Rainbow said, "with no cards left for you to play and my turn coming up, I'm expecting this Duel to end shortly."

Lightning looked down at her hand and realised Rainbow was right. She had nothing left to play.

"Here we go," Rainbow said, "I draw and play the Spell card, Monster Reborn." In a brilliant flash of light, Assault Wing Platinum appeared and stood between the two girls.

Lighting was quivering at the sight of the monster. "Please," she said as she crawled back, "no."

"I'm sorry Lightning," Rainbow told her, "but you brought this on yourself. Assault Wing Platinum, ATTACK!" The Xyz Monster flew forwards, chasing after the girl who was now trying to run. With one great slash of his claws, Platinum struck Lightning and sent her falling forwards onto the crystal bellow her.

Rainbow: 300 (Winner)
Lightning: 0

As her monster disappeared, Rainbow walked over to where Lighting had landed.

"This can't be possible," Lightning said as she slowly picked herself up, "to be defeated so easily. How?"

"I told you," Rainbow said, "power alone isn't enough to win a Duel. All you did was power up your one monster, with no idea on what to do if it was beaten."

As Lightning stood tall she growled at Rainbow, before she screamed and charged towards her ready to beat the living daylights out of her. However, in that moment the entire room began to shake.

"What's going on?" Rainbow asked.

"Since I lost, my chamber is beginning to collapse," Lightning said. Suddenly the crystal bridge they stood on began to crack.

The two began to run away from the cracks, but suddenly Lighting felt herself begin to fall as her section broke apart beneath her. She yelled as she fell, managing to grab hold of the edge. She began to panic as she felt her fingers begin to slip.

Finally she lost enough grip to fall, only for something to grab hold of her. Looking up she saw Rainbow leaning over the edge, holding onto her.

"Hold on," she said, "I'll get you up."

Lightning simply stared at her angrily, before reaching up and grabbing her arm. The strength she clutched it was causing pain, making Rainbow lose her grip.

"What are you doing?" She asked in pain.

"I'd rather fall then have you save me," Lightning said. Those were her last words, as Rainbow lost the last of her grip and was forced to release Lightning.

"NO!" Rainbow screamed as she saw Lightning fall and disappear into the rubble. Despite the shock at what she'd just seen, the still collapsing room drew Rainbow's attention. Quickly getting up, Rainbow leapt off the bridge and onto a still solid spike.

Looking around for a way out, Rainbow then saw a new opening appear on the far side of the room. "How am I suppose to get to that?" She asked, but then something else caught her attention. A portal opened, much close to her, showing the outside. It was obvious Sombra was giving her a choice. Either try and get to the opening and face him, or simply leave and be safe. Weighing her options, Rainbow growled before turning to the portal. She might have been awesome, but even she couldn't make it to that opening.

With one great leap, she jumped into the portal as the entire room finally collapsed.

Two of Sombra's shields had been broken, leaving two more to deal with. Could our heroes destroy them? Only one way to find out.

Turn 46, Siblings V Siblings

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Outside the crystal tower, everyone had been cheering as Rainbow won her Duel.

However, when the Duel Disks stopped showing the Duel and Lightning's tower began to crumble, they grew concerned.

"Where's Rainbow?" Scootaloo asked.

"Maybe she headed up to the next level," Applebloom said.

"Hopefully," Thorax said.

Suddenly a bright light caught their attention, causing them to look up and see a breech appear next to the tower. Rainbow suddenly appeared from out of it and began to slowly float down, until she reached the ground and touched down. Not a second after, the tower collapsed.

Rainbow looked around and saw her friends, making her rush towards them. "Guys!"

"Rainbow," Fluttershy called out, "you're okay."

"Yeah I'm fine," she replied, before seeing Rarity holding Spike. "What happened?"

"He got injured when we Duelled my mother," Thorax said.

Rainbow looked at him and her eyes went wide. "What's with the new look?"

"Long story," he replied, "why didn't you go on?"

"I wanted to," Rainbow said, "but the tower collapsed around me and I couldn't get to the stairs."

"Then we'll just have to hope the others get win and get to Cold," Rarity said.

"Cold?" Rainbow asked. They explained everything they'd seen.

Meanwhile, Applejack and Big Mac were rushing up the stairs towards their opponent.

"We're almost there," Applejack said, "look!" She pointed up to the top of the staircase, where a bright light could be seen. Seeing this caused them to double their efforts and finally they reached the top and stepped inside.

This chamber was similar to Lightnings, with multiple crystalline structures lining the wall. However these ones were more uniformed then hers, looking like square shaped platforms more then spikes.

Applejack and Mac looked around the room, trying to see if they could find their opponents.

"GREETINGS!" The two siblings almost jumped hearing the twin voice speak from on high. Looking up they saw the Flim-Flam Brothers standing on a pair of pillars half way up the chamber.

"Welcome to our little piece of heaven," Flim said.

"Get a good look at it," Flam replied, "because you'll be leaving soon enough."

"No way," Applejack said, "we came here to take you down."

"Eeyup," Mac said.

"I'd like to see you try," Flim said.

"Shall we brother?" Flam asked him, to which he nodded and then snapped his fingers.

Suddenly the floor beneath the Apple Siblings shook, before a square section began to raise up and lifted them until they were at the same height as the brothers.

"It's quite simple," Flim said as he attacked his Duel Disk, "we have a Tag Duel and share life points and graveyards."

"Whoever loses gets ejected from the Crystal Tower," Flam continued as he attached his Duel Disk, "while the winner will remain and do whatever they wish."

"A'm okay with that," Applejack said as she attached her Duel Disk.

"Eeyup," Mac agreed as he did the same.

"A'll set the stage," Applejack said as she clicked something on her Duel Disk.

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area. Creating the Action Field the four would Duel on.

"With that settled," Flim said.

"Let's get this transaction over with," Flam agreed.

"Let's," Applejack agreed.

"Eeyup," Mac finished.

"DUEL!"

Apples: 4000
Flim-Flam: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

Back outside, Rainbow had just finished listening to everything that had happened.

"Dang it!" She cried, "if I could've just got to that staircase, I would have found him and brought him out."

"I know you feel bad," Rarity said, "but there was nothing you could've done. We just have to hope the others win their Duels and make their way to him."

"I've tried calling them," Pinkie said, "but it looks like the tower doesn't have cell reception."

Suddenly their Duel Disks switched back on, revealing the Duel that had just started.

"Applejack," Applebloom said, "Big Mac."

"Their Duelling the Flim-Flam Brothers," Sweetie said.

"I hope their alright," Fluttershy asked.

"They can do it," Applebloom told her, "I know they can."

"Age before arrogance," Flim said as he reached for his deck, "I draw and I'll start by summoning Forbidden Summoner in ATK mode." The key staffed wizard appeared, swinging his staff around as he did. (A1000/D1000/L4) "I end my turn by placing two cards face down."

"It's ma'h turn then," Applejack said, "a'h draw and a'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale one Thorn Knight and Scale eight Apple Paladin!" The columns of light appeared on either side of her, as the two monster flew up. One of them was a knight in bulky spike covered armour. "Now watch," she said as the portal began to form above her head, "as a'h cut through space time and carve the arc of victory! A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three lights shot out, striking the ground and taking form.

"Sylvan Marshalleaf!" (/A1500/D1200/L3)

"Blooming Daisy!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P2)

"Apple Kid!" (A200/D300/L2)

"When Apple Kid is special summoned," Applejack explained, "his ability increases his Level by one." (A200/D300/L3)

"Three Level threes," Flim said.

"And with these three monsters," Applejack said, "A'h can now build the Overlay Network." The monsters shot into the air and then flew into the black hole as it appeared below her. "As the seasons bring fourth new growth, it can also bring fourth a new power," the black hole exploded in a burst of light. "A'H XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing AJ's Xyz monster. "Orchard Cowboy!" (A2100/D600/R3)

"Alright," Applebloom said, "first round and AJ's got her best monster out."

"She'll need to be careful though," Rarity said, "against the power of Exodia, she and Mac might find themselves in a tight spot."

"AJ's beaten Exodia before," Scootaloo replied.

"Except Flash was the one who beat it," Rainbow said, "and since they're sharing a graveyard, they can't win that way."

"We'll just have to wait and see whether or not they can do it on their own," Rarity said.

"Orchard Cowboy!" Applejack called out, "attack Forbidden Summoner!" He monster pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Flim's monster.

"I activate my face down," Flim said as his card flipped up, "Dimensional Prison! this Trap will banish any attacking monster."

"It would," Applejack said, "if a'h didn't have my Cowboy's special ability." One of Orchard Cowboy's Overlay Units flew into his pistol, which he then fired to destroy the Trap. He then pointed his other gun at Forbidden Summoner and fired, destroying the monster and causing both brothers to flinch.

Apples: 4000
Flim-Flam: 2900

"What the hey?" Applejack asked seeing the two flinch.

"Here in the Crystal Tower," Flim said, "we are physically connected to our monsters."

"Any pain our monsters feel," Flam said, "is also inflicted on us."

Applejack and Mac shared a glance, worried about what might happen if they take to much damage.

"What's more," Flim said, "since my Forbidden Summoner was destroyed, his special ability activates and I can add on Forbidden One card from my deck to my hand."

Applejack frowned at this. No doubt he intended to use Dimensional Prison to make Applejack use up her monster's effect, so she couldn't use it on that effect."

Flim's deck shuffled before it slotted out a card for him to take and place in his hand.

"A'h end ma'h turn," Applejack said.

"Then it's my turn," Flam said as he drew his card and looked through the face down his brother had left him. "Excellent," he said as one of the face downs flipped up, "I activate the Sharing Hand Spell card! This is a Spell card specially for Tag Duels. It lets me take any card from my partners hand and add it to my own."

Applejack knew they were most likely going to swap that card Forbidden Summoner had gotten them. She had to stop it. "A'h activate ma'h Cowboy's effect," she said as her monsters second Overlay Unit flew into his pistol, "to negate your Spell card's effect." He fired and destroyed the Spell card. "Perfect."

"Exactly what I was thinking," Flam said, "because I have own Sharing Hand Spell!"

"Crud!" Applejack said.

"Brother," Flam said, "you mind?"

"Not at all brother," Flim replied as he took the card out of his hand and threw it at Flam, who caught it.

Flam looked at the card and smiled, before turning to the Apple Siblings. "And now, to summon this card I will first have to return every monster in our graveyard to the deck!" Flim took Forbidden Summoner out of his graveyard and placed it in his Duel Disk.

"What?" Mac asked.

"How's that a fair trade?" Applejack asked.

"Oh you'll see," Flam said, "because now I summon the monster that rivals the power of Exodia himself!" He held the card up as it began to glow. "I summon Exodius, the Ultimate Forbidden Lord!" He slapped the card down on his Duel Disk, causing a brilliant burst of light which began to take shape. Finally the light faded and revealed Exodius, who stared down at the two siblings. (A?/D0/L10)

"Oh boy," Applejack said.

"Next I activate the Spell card Foolish Burial," Flam said, "which lets me send Gigobyte from my deck to my graveyard." His deck shuffled and slotted out a card for him to take and place in the graveyard. "Exodius's ATK points increase by a thousand for each normal monster in the graveyard." Exodius glowed, as he began to grow larger. (A1000/D0/L10)

"So that's it," Applejack said.

"I end my turn with a face down," Flam said.

"Then it's ma'h turn," Mac finally spoke as he went for his deck, "a'h draw and a'h summon Mecha Worker Screw Driver, in ATK mode!" The robotic worker with a screw driver for an arm appeared. (A1400/D1400/L4) "A'h attack!" The robot charged forward, ready to strike.

"I activate my face down," Flam said as he card flipped up to reveal a Trap, "Mirror Force!"

Applejack and Mac glanced at each other, Applejack nodding at her brother, before looking back at them. "A'h activate the effect of ma'h sister's Cowboy, to remove the Overlay Unit and negate the effect of your Trap!" The last of the Overlay Units flew into Cowboy's gun, before he fired it and destroyed the Trap.

Flam leapt off his pillar, landing onto another one and picking up an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell Crystal Guard, which prevents my monster from being destroyed this turn and increases his ATK points by three hundred whenever he's attacked." Exodius glowed as his power increased. (A1300/D0/L10)

Screw Driver struck Exodius, causing him and the brother to flinched but he wasn't destroyed.

Apples: 4000
Flim-Flam: 2800

"Fine," Mac said, "then a'll attack with Orchard Cowboy!" The Xyz Monster raised its pistol and aimed it at Exodius.

"Crystal Guard is still in effect," Flam said, "so Exodius gets another three hundred points. (A1600/D0/L10) Cowboy fired and struck Exodius, causing the three to flinch in pain.

Apples: 4000
Flim-Flam: 2300

"A'll place one card face down and end m'h turn," Mac said, as Crystal Guard's effect wore off. (A1000/D0/L10

"Then I'll go," Flim said as he drew his card. "I play my own Foolish Burial, to send Gigobyte to the graveyard. With that our Exodius gains another thousand points." (A2000/D0/L10) "Now I'll attack Screw Driver!" Exodius raised its colossal fist, ready to strike.

"A'h activate ma'h face down," Mac said, "Shift! This card switches the target of your attack from Screw Driver onto Orchard Cowboy." The Xyz Monster leapt infront of the machine, making it the target of Exodius's attack.

Applejack and Mac both smirked, since their monster was stronger then the one attacking it.

Flim and Flam however, just smirked back. "Exodius's special ability activates whenever he attacks," Flim said, "allowing me to send one monster from my deck to my graveyard." He took the Left Arm of the Forbidden One out of his deck and placed it in the graveyard. "With one extra normal monster in my grave, Exodius's power goes up!" (A3000/D0/L10)

Applejack and Mac both went wide eyed seeing this, before watching as Exodius punched Cowboy and destroyed him. The two siblings feeling the wind be knocked out of them.

Apples: 3100
Flim-Flam: 2300

"And it gets worse for you," Flim said, "because Exodius has another ability."

"If five different Forbidden One cards are sent to the grave by this ability," Flam continued, "we automatically win the game."

"Meaning we've only got four more turns before the happens," Applejack realised.

"That's nuts," Scootaloo said, "how are they suppose to beat a monster that just keeps getting stronger, with a time limit?"

"I don't know," Rainbow said, "but if anyone can, it's them."

"Yeah," Applebloom said, "don't count my older brother and sister out yet."

"They can do it," Rarity said.

"I think I'll end my turn with a face down," Flim said.

"Then it's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "a'h draw!" She looked at the card she'd drawn and smiled. "Perfect," she said, "a'h activate the Spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Growth Force!"

The Flim-Flam Brothers glared at this card.

"With this," Applejack said, "not only can a'h revive ma'h Orchard Cowboy, but it also let's me rank him up!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's evolved monster. "Orchard Sheriff!" (A2800/D2300/R4)

"Now I'll use my Sheriff's ability," Applejack said, as her monsters Overlay Unit flew into his pistol. "With it a'h can negate ya'h monsters ability, before adding his ATK points to Orchard Sheriff's." Orchard Sheriff fired its pistol, striking Exodius and depowering it. (A0/D0/L10) "Orchard Sheriff, attack Exodius!" The Xyz Monster pointed its weapons at the monster.

Flim leapt off his pillar, landing on another and grabbing an Action Card. "I activate the Action Spell, Evasion!" Sheriff fired, but the bullets missed Exodius.

"Dang it," Applejack said, "fine, then I'll use Screw Driver to attack." The robot charged forward.

"I activate my face down," Flim said, "Spell Release. This card lets me activate the effect of a Spell card in my graveyard, so I'll activate Evasion once again." Exodius dodged Screw Driver's attack.

"Consarnit," Applejack said, "fine, a'h end ma'h turn." Exodius returned to normal. (A3000/D0/L10)

"Then it's my turn," Flam said, "I draw and I'll have Exodius attack Orchard Sheriff!" The colossal monster charged forward, ready to attack with its fist. "Now I'll send the Right Leg of the Forbidden One to the graveyard, increasing his power once again!" (A4000/D0/L10) The Xyz Monster was struck, getting destroyed and causing the two siblings to flinch in pain.

Apples: 1900
Flim-Flam: 2300

"I'll end my turn there," Flam said.

"Then it's ma'h turn," Mac said, "a'h draw." He looked at his cards, but nothing he had right now was of any use to them. "I summon Mecha Worker Chisel Striker in DEF mode." (A1200/D1100/L3) "A'h switch Screw Driver to DEF mode and end ma'h turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flim said as he drew his card, "and I attack with Exodius once again." The giant reared back its fist. "I'm sending the Left Arm of the Forbidden One to the grave, increasing his power again." (A5000/D0/L10) Exodius smashed Screw Driver, crushing it into scrap as it was destroyed. "Only two cards left."

Applejack and Mac glared seeing Exodius grow stronger and larger.

"This is going from bad to worse," Thorax said, "they've only got two turns left before they lose."

"They can do it," Applebloom said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "don't lose hope yet."

"It's ma'h turn," Applejack said, "a'h draw and once again a'll carve the arc of victory!" The portal formed above her head. "A'H PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two beams of light shot out, turning into a pair of DEF position monsters.

"Garden Knight!" (A1300/D900/L3/P3)

"Blooming Daisy!" (A1000/D1000/L3/P2)

"A'h end ma'h turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flam said, "I draw and attack with Exodius!" The titan turned to Garden Knight, before be began to grow. "I send the Right Arm of the Forbidden One to the graveyard, increasing his power to six thousand!" (A6000/D0/L10) Exodius reared his fist back and launched it forwards, striking Garden Knight and flattening it. The force of the attack was so strong, that both Applejack and Mac were almost blown off their pillars.

"One left," Flam said, "only one card remains to be sent to the grave and ultimate victory will be ours."

"You won't get the chance to send it there," Mac said as he stood back up on his pillar.

"Yeah," Applejack said, "we won't let you. Our friends are relying on us to beat you and we won't let them down."

"What can you possibly do?" Flim asked. "Our monster is sitting at six thousand ATK points, while you two have nothing strong enough to defeat it. Face it already, you've lost."

"Never," Mac said as he reached for his deck, "a'h draw!" He looked at his card. "a'h summoned Mecha Worker Grand Hammer!" The robot appeared, taking up a DEF position along side Blooming Daisy and Chisel Striker. (A1800/D100/L4) "A'h activate Grand Hammer's ability, to revive Screw Driver!" A pile a scrap appeared, which Grand Hammer smashed until it took the form of Mac's destroyed Mecha Worker. "A'h place one card face down and end ma'h turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flim said as he went to his deck, "I draw!" He looked at his card and smiled. "It's over," he said, "I play the Spell card, Energy Grenade! This Spell forces me to cut the ATK points of Exodius in half." Exodius glowed before shrinking. (A3000/D0/L10)

"Why would he do that?" Applejack wondered.

"No doubt for something bad," Mac replied.

"He's right," Flim said, "because now Energy Grenade's effect, destroys any monster whose ATK points are less then the amount Exodius lost!"

The sibling's eyes went wide hearing this, as they looked up to see the light coming off Exodius began to collected into a sphere that the giant grabbed. Exodius then launched the ball, which struck Applejack and Mac's field and obliterated their monster army. Meanwhile the two siblings ducked down and grabbed the edge of their pillars, so they wouldn't be blown off.

The force of the attack finally decreased, showing their now bare field. The Flim-Flam Brothers laughed seeing this.

"It's over," Flim said, "now there's nothing you can do."

"We've as good as won," Flam said.

"Don't be so sure," Mac said as he picked himself up, "because a've still got a face down."

The brothers looked down and saw that he was right.

"A activated the Threatening Roar Trap," Mac said as his card flipped up, "this card makes it so you can't declare an attack this turn."

The brother's eyes went wide seeing this. Not only could they not attack, but they couldn't use their monsters ability to add the last Exodia piece to their graveyard. "You worm!" Flim said, "you'll pay! Exodius!"

Everyone watched as the giant turned to Mac, before using his colossal fist to backhand the pillar he was standing on.

"Mac!" Applejack screamed seeing her brother fall. He leapt off his pillar into midair, but Exodius was waiting and punched the teen. "MAC!" Applejack's brother was sent flying into the wall, slamming into it and letting out a wail of pain.

"NO!" Applebloom screamed seeing this.

"What the heck just happened?" Rainbow asked in horror.

"I don't know," Rarity said.

Applejack's eyes filled with tears as she stared at her brother's unconscious body. She turned to the Flim-Flam Brothers. "Why? Ya'h weren't allowed to attack!"

"But that wasn't an attack my dear," Flim said, "your life points haven't changed."

"Just us showing off our true power," Flam agreed.

"Ya'h disgusting!" Applejack said, "a'll make you pay!"

"You're free to try," Flim said, "your brother bought you one turn, but it won't help you." Exodius returned to its originals size. (A6000/D0/L10)

"We'll see about that," Applejack said as she got up and reached for her deck, "I DRAW!" She looked at her card and they went wide seeing the card. "Mac risked everything to give me this card," she said, "and his sacrifice won't be in vain! A'h activate Rank-Down-Magic Gaia's Spirit!"

"What's this?" Flim and Flam asked.

"This is your end," Applejack said, "with it a'h can revive my Orchard Cowboy. Then, instead of Ranking Up my monster this card lets me Rank it down." And just like that, Orchard Cowboy appeared in a flash of light before transforming into a stream of light which flew up and into a black hole as it opened

"Why would you want to Rank it down?" Flim asked.

"To win this!" She screamed before chanting. "Even the mightiest of oaks begins as the simplest of seeds, now return to that form and remember the power you once had!" The black hole exploded, unleashing a surge of bright light. "XYZ DE-EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing Applejack's new monster. It looked like Orchard Cowboy but now was younger, toughly a teenager, and wore a simple red shirt under a brown leather jacket and brown pants. The bandanna wasn't covering his mouth, showing his full face. He held a pair of toy guns and a single Overlay Unit floated around him. "Seed Shooter!" (A1000/D1000/R2)

"That's your big comeback?" Flim asked.

"He can't even scratch our monster.

"We'll see about that," Applejack said, "because a'm attacking Exodius!" Seed Shooter pulled out its pistols and pointed them at the giant.

"Go ahead," Flim said, "you defeating yourself will be fun to watch.

"A'h don't think so," Applejack said, "because A'm using Seed Shooter's ability. By removing an Overlay Unit, he can banish every monster in the grave whose the Level a'h pick."

"SAY WHAT!?"

"A'h select Level one," Applejack said, "meaning every Level one monster in your graveyard is banished." The Overlay Unit flew into his gun, before firing them both at the brother's decks.

They watched in horror as the blasts struck their Duel Disk, causing all the cards within it to fly out.

"Plus," Applejack said, "Seed Shooter gains five hundred ATK points for each card banished. With six cards,
that's an extra three thousand points. (A4000/D1000/R2) "And don't forget, without those monsters in the graveyard, ya'h Exodius loses a few points."

The brothers almost had a heart attack as they looked up to see their monster shrink down to its original size. (A0/D0/L10)

"This can't be happening!" Flim screamed.

"It's impossible!" Flam cried.

"Oh it's not impossible," Applejack said, "and it is happening. Seed Shooter, END THIS!" The Xyz Monster pointed its twin guns at Exodius and pulled the trigger, firing a pair of seeds which struck the giant and flew straight through it before blasting out his back and striking the Flim-Flam brothers in the hearts.

They both screamed as they felt the pain of being shot, while their life points were decimated.

Apples: 1900 (Winners)
Flim-Flam: 0

As the monsters disappeared, Applejack turned towards her brother and leapt off the pillar onto where he landed. "Mac," she said as she placed her hand on his neck and sighed in relief as she felt a pulse. "A gotta get you out of here," she said as she grabbed his arm and flung it around her neck. As she lifted him up, Applejack suddenly felt the whole tower shake.

Looking up she saw the place begin to crack and crumble, making her panic as she looked for a way out. Suddenly a bright light caught her attention and made her turn, seeing a breech showing the outside. She looked around and saw the Flim-Flam Brothers had disappeared, most likely scarpered after losing, making her shrug before turning to the breech and stepping through it with her brother.

Despite being happy at Applejack's victory, the group only grew anguish at the unknown condition of Big Mac.

Suddenly the tower glowed as a light appeared, with the Apple Siblings appearing from out of it before floating down to the ground and touching down.

"APPLEJACK!" Applebloom screamed as she ran towards them, "MAC!"

"We're alright sugarcube," Applejack told her as they met and Applebloom helped lift her brother towards the rest of the group. Once there they placed him against some crystal as Fluttershy and Rarity looked him over.

"Is he gonna be alright?" Applejack asked.

"Despite what happened," Fluttershy said, "I believe so."

Everyone sighed in relief.

Suddenly Mac's eyes fluttered open. "What happened?"

"Those cheats pulled a fast one on yeah," Applejack said, "but a'h dealt with them."

Mac just smiled. "A'h knew you could."

Everyone smiled at this, but then frowned and looked back up at the tower. Only one group of their friends remained inside. They needed to reach the top, or they'd never make it to Sombra.

Flash, Twilight and Sunset continued to rush up the stair, until finally they saw light up ahead and knew they were almost there.

Finally they reached the top and stepped inside.

The chamber they were inside was similar to Chrysalis's, with nothing but simple flat crystal floor.

"Here it is," Flash said.

"So where's the Duelist?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know," Twilight asked as she looked around.

Suddenly they heard a pair of footsteps, causing them to look around and see her.

Adagio stepped into the light, revealing herself to them.

"Adagio," Twilight almost whispered as she stepped closer to her.

"Opponent recognised," Adagio spoke, almost robotic, "Twilight Sparkle."

"Looks like she's calling you out," Flash said.

"That's fine," Twilight said as she took out her Duel Disk and placed it on her arm.

"Objective," Adagio said, "protect the final shield."

"Final shield?" Sunset asked.

"The others must have won their Duels," Flash said, "meaning she's the last thing standing in our way."

"Not for long," Twilight said as she clicked a button on her Duel Disk.

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, before things started appearing in mid air. They were light green platform like structures that scattered around the area.

"Twilight," Sunset said, "let's Duel together. We'll beat her easily with two against one."

Twilight smiled and nodded, however in that moment Adagio's eyes glowed.

Suddenly the whole room began to shake, before several crystal spikes shot out of the ground around Flash and Sunset. It formed a tepee shape, trapping the two inside.

"GUYS!" Twilight yelled as she rushed over to the cage.

"We're fine," Flash said as they picked themselves up and looked at the cage. "Looks like we're not getting out."

"Sorry Twilight," Sunset said.

"It's fine," Twilight replied before turning back to Adagio, "I've got this."

They stepped towards each other, activating their Duel Disks as preparing to settle their score.

"Let's do this," Twilight said.

"I will protect the last shield," Adagio said.

"DUEL!"

Twilight: 4000
Adagio: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

One shield remains. Will Twilight be able to defeat her, or will Sombra's plan come to fruition?

Turn 47, The Final Shield

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As Spike's his eyes flutter open, he felt his body ache. He let out a slow moan as he tried to pick himself up.

"Oh no you don't."

He looked up to see Rarity looking down at him as she held him in her arms.

"You're still in no condition to stand up," she told him.

"I'm good here," Spike said as he looked around and saw Rainbow, Applejack and Mac. "Looks like I missed a bit while I was out."

"Just us kicking some serious butt," Rainbow said as she pounded her fist into her palm.

"And getting our own butts kicked a little in return," Applejack said as she pointed to her brother.

"Eeyup," Mac replied.

"So you all won?" Spike asked, "and then left the tower?"

"They didn't have much of a choice," Thorax told him, "but we gotta hope that Flash, Twilight and Sunset can get up to the higher tower."

Suddenly their Duel Disks all activated once again, showing images of Twilight and Adagio.

"Twilight," Spike said as he sat up.

"Relax," Rarity told him.

"Where's Flash and Sunset?" Scootaloo asked.

"There," Applebloom said as she pointed to a spot right behind Twilight, "looks like their trapped."

"Then Twilight needs to get them un-trapped," Rainbow said.

"No problem," Sweetie said, "Twilight's beaten her before."

"I don't think it'll be that simple," Rarity said, "if the last few Duels have taught us anything, then Adagio will have likely stepped up her game."

"Then Twilight needs to be careful," Applejack said.

"Come on Twilight," Shining said as he and Cadance watched the Duel unfold.

"She'll be fine," Cadance assured him, "this is Twilight after all."

Shining nodded, but still looked uneasy.

"Sir," one of the Scientists said, "the Tower's power level has just passed sixty five percent."

"Their running out of time," Shining said.

Inside the Crystal Tower, Twilight and Adagio were staring each other down.

"I'll take the first move," Twilight said as she drew her card, "I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale, with scale two Magi-Beast Midnight Owl and scale six Magi-Beast Mystic Owl!" The columns of light appeared on either side of her, as the two monsters flew up and into them. "Now watch as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Twilight spoke as the portal opened above her, "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and hit the ground, taking form as they did.

"Striker Magician!" (A1200/D1100/L3)

"Terra Charmer!" (A1200/D1800/L4)

"Twilight's not holding back," Sunset said.

"She wants to end this quick," Flash replied, "before Adagio has a chance to summon her Siren monsters."

"But summoning such a high powered monster," Sunset said, "it's dangerous unless she has a way to counteract Adagio's monster ability."

"We'll just have to wait and see," Flash said.

"And now," Twilight called out, "I'll tune my Level four Terra Charmer with my Level three Striker Magician!" Her Tuner glowed before transforming into four balls of light, which each circled around creating three rings which Striker Magician jumped into. "When two mighty magicians unite their magical power an amazing event will occur." Her monsters disappeared in a burst of light, "I SYNCHRO SUMMON."

The light faded, revealing one of Twilight's best monsters. "Twilight Sorcerer!” (A2100/D2800/L7)

Adagio seemed unwavered by the sight of this monster.

"Since Striker Magician was used as a Synchro Materiel," Twilight said, "his ability deals you damage equal to half Terra Charmer's ATK points."

The spectral form of Terra Charmer appeared, before slamming Adagio with his staff though she appeared unphased by the attack."

Twilight: 4000
Adagio: 3400

"Next I activate my Sorcerer's ability," Twilight said as he deck began to shuffle and then slotted out a card for her to take. Twilight looked at it and nodded. "I place one card face down and end my turn."

"My turn," Adagio spoke as she reached for her deck, "I draw and I set the Pendulum Scale with scale two Alluring Harmonious and scale eight Alluring Choir!" The columns of light appeared on either side of her, as two new mermaid monsters appeared within them. One had a golden tail and hair, while the other's was silver. Once the two were high enough, the portal slowly began to open above Adagio's head. "I Pendulum Summon."

The portal opened and a pair of lights shot out and struck the ground, before taking form.

"Alluring Vocalist." (A1000/D1000/L3)

"Alluring Siren." (A0/0/L7)

The three teens grew tense seeing that card on Adagio's field. Hopefully she didn't have the other card needed.

"Next," Adagio said, "I activate the Dark Melody Ritual." Suddenly a tornado of murky water shot out of the ground, surrounding the two monsters.

Twilight and her friends all growled seeing this, knowing which monster was coming next.

"With Alluring Siren now in my graveyard, " Adagio said, "I may now summon its more powerful form." The jewel around Adagio's neck glowed along with her eyes, before the tornado exploded. "I Ritual Summon."

The last of the water disappeared, revealing Adagio's monster. "Dark Siren." (A1000/D1000/L8)

The slimy seahorse monster looked down at Twilight and her Spellcaster, releasing a low growl which sent a chill down her spin.

"I activate Dark Siren's special ability," Adagio said as her monster unleashed sludgy black tendrils from its stomach. "I will absorb your monster and makes its power my own."

"Not this time you won't." Twilight said, "because I activate my face down Trap Card." The card flipped, revealing a Trap Twilight had never used before. "Magical Pocket Dimension! This card works by banishing my Twilight Sorcerer," a portal opened up above Twilight's monster and then sucked it inside. "Next, I can search my deck and summon a Spellcaster whose Level is less then Twilight Sorcerer's." Her deck deck shuffled, before slotting out a card for Twilight to take. "I summon Mystic Mage to my field." The old wizard appeared on the field. (A400/D600/L2)

"Alright Twilight!" Flash said.

"Since Dark Siren can only use its effect once a turn," Sunset continued, "Adagio can't use it to take Mystic Mage."

"I attack," Adagio said as he monster's mouth opened and unleashed a powerful torrent of water, which struck Mystic Mage and destroyed it.

Twilight screamed as her body suddenly felt like it had been hit by a bus...or a powerful burst of water.

Twilight: 3400
Adagio: 3400

"Twilight?" Flash called out seeing her flinch and clutched her stomach, "are you alright?"

"I'm fine," Twilight replied, "but I think...I think I just felt the pain my monster felt."

Flash and Sunset shared a concerned glance. "This could be bad," Sunset said.

"You don't have to do this Twilight," Flash told her.

"I'm fine," Twilight said as she straightened herself out and reached for her deck. "When Mystic Mage is destroyed by battle, I can add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took and added to her hand.

"I place one card face down and end my turn," Adagio said as she did so.

"Then it's my turn," Twilight said as she drew her card and smiled. "Since its my Standby Phase, Magical Pocket Dimension returns my Twilight Sorcerer to the field." The portal reappeared on the field and from out of it came Twilight's Synchro Monster. "I activate my Sorcerer's effect," Twilight said as she took another card out of her deck, before placing the card Mystic Mage gave her last turn. "Now I'll activate Spellbook of Rebirth, which lets me revive Mystic Mage to my field." The old man reappeared and stood next to Twilight Sorcerer.

"I think I know where this is going," Flash said.

"I summon the Tuner Monster Royal Charmer," Twilight said. (A100/D100/L1)

"That's just what she needed," Sunset said.

"I now tune Level one Royal Charmer with Level two Mystic Mage," Twilight called out as the robe clothed wizard waved his wand and transformed into a ball of light. It then carved a ring that Mystic Mage leapt into. "Now watch," Twilight said, "as both power and magic surge towards each other and collide to create pure might." The two disappeared in a burst of radiant light. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing the Synchro Tuner that had helped Twilight defeat Adagio last time. "Celestial Charmer!" (A1200/D600/L3)

"Since Celestial Charmer was Synchro Summoned," Twilight explained, "I can draw a card and if its a Spell card then your monster will lose five hundred ATK points." Twilight drew a card, before revealing it as Twilight Unicorn.

"Dang," Flash said.

"It's alright," Sunset said, "Twilight's monster still outmatches Adagio's. Especially after what's about to happen."

"And now," Twilight said, "Level three Synchro Tuner Celestial Charmer tunes with Level seven Twilight Sorcerer!" Celestia Charmer waved its staff before transforming into three rings of light, which flew up into towards the unseen roof. Once there, Twilight Sorcerer flew up towards them. "Ancient power of the heavens, let your might flow through me, so I may carry out your work." As Twilight Sorcerer flew through the rings, they exploded into light which covered the Spellcaster before the light formed a cocoon around him. "GO ACCEL SYNCHRO!"

The light cocoon disappeared from around Twilight's monster, revealing her most powerful monster. "Celestial Body Magician!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

"Now I activate Celestial Body Magician's ability," Twilight called out as she drew the top five cards of her deck, seeing two Spellbooks amongst them. "That means my monster can attack twice this turn," she said, "GO!" Her monster created a pair magic books, which it fired at Dark Siren.

"I activate my face down," Adagio said, causing her card to flip up revealing a Trap. "Destruction Guard, this card negates an attack on a monster on my field once." A shield appeared around Dark Siren, causing the first book to bounce off.

"Maybe one attack was negated," Twilight said, "but I've got a second one coming." The second book made its way towards the seahorse monster.

Adagio kicked into action, jumping up onto one of the nearby platforms and swiping an Action Card from the crystals. "I play the Spell card Miracle." Another shield appeared around Dark Siren, deflecting the book though Adagio and the monster still felt the pain.

Twilight: 3400
Adagio: 2150

Twilight sighed. "I end my turn."

"Dang it," Flash said, "Twilight could have ended it there with those attacks."

"It's not all bad," Sunset told him, "with Celestial Body Magician's ability, at least Adagio won't be able to take him."

"My turn," Adagio said, "Thanks to Alluring Harmonious's Pendulum Effect, I draw two cards." She did so and looked at her what she'd got, before her eyes glowed bright red once again. First I summon Alluring Melodist." The purple fined mermaid appeared. (A1800/D1200/L4) "Now I activate the Spell card Rebirth Ritual!" Another black tornado appeared and engulfed Dark Siren, who disappeared from sight.

"What's going on?" Sunset asked, "I've never seen that card before."

"I have," Flash said, "but how did she get one?"

"Now my monster will be reborn once more," Adagio said, as the tornado exploded while unleashing a powerful light. "RITUAL EVOLUTION!"

The light faded, revealing a new monster in Dark Siren place.

It looked like Dark Siren, except it was twice the size and had three heads. "Ultimate Dark Siren!" (A3000/D3000/L10)

The three teens stared up in horror at the new monster.

"Rebirth Ritual increase my monsters's ATK points by a thousand for the turn," Adagio told them. (A4000/D3000/L10). "Next I activate my Ultimate Dark Siren's ability," she continued. Suddenly her new monster turned to Alluring Melodist, before unleashing a horde of black tendrils which wrapped around the mermaid and pulled her inside.

"She destroyed her own monster," Sunset said.

"And I get the feeling we won't like why," Flash replied.

"Now Ultimate Dark Siren's ATK points increase by that of Alluring Melodist," Adagio said. An image of Alluring Melodist's face appeared on the monsters body. (A5800/D3000/L10)

"Oh no," Twilight said.

"Ultimate Dark Siren attack," Adagio said as her monster prepared to attack.

"I activate Celestial Body Magician's ability," Twilight said, "to banish him and negate your attack."

"And I activate Ultimate Dark Siren's ability," Adagio replied as she removed Alluring Siren from her graveyard. "By banishing a copy of Alluring Siren from my graveyard, I can negate your monsters ability."

"No!" Twilight said.

Ultimate Dark Siren's three heads unleash a trio of water blasts, which all struck Celestial Body Magician and destroyed it. Twilight screamed as her body was bombarded by the pain, while the force of the attack sent her flying.

Twilight: 1100
Adagio: 2150

"TWILIGHT!" Flash and Sunset screamed as they watched her be sent flying into a nearby wall.

Everyone outside gasped seeing her hit the wall.

"This can't be happening," Fluttershy said.

"Twilight," Spike whispered, "get up."

They watched as Twilight slowly pushed herself back up.

"Are you okay?" Flash asked.

"I'm fine," Twilight said, though her sides were hurting quite a bit.

"I end my turn," Adagio said. Rebirth Ritual's effect wore off, but the points from Alluring Melodist remained. (A4800/D3000/L10)

"It's my turn," Twilight said, "I draw and once against I carve the arc of victory." The portal began to form above her. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out and struck the ground.

"Twilight Unicorn!" (A1800/D1300/L4/P7)

"Shadow Charmer!" (A1200/D700/L3)

"Hope this works," Flash said.

"Now!" Twilight cried, "I'll tune my Level three Shadow Charmer with Level four Twilight Unicorn!" Her Tuner leaped into the air and transformed into three spheres of lights, which carved three circles that Twilight Unicorn leapt into. "It's time to embrace the power given by those we call friends and ascend to a higher plain of life." A bright light occurred as the transformation took place. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

The light faded, revealing Twilight's monster. "Twilight Alicorn!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

"Next I'm using Midnight Owl's Pendulum Ability," Twilight said, "to discard a card and then add a Spell card from my deck to my hand." Her deck slotted out a card, which she took and then activated. "Now I'll use Spellbook of Secrets, to add another Spellbook to my hand." Once again it happened and see took the card. "I activate the Spellbook of Master, to activate the effect of Spellbook of Rebirth." In a bright flash of light, Twilight Sorcerer appeared and stood next to Twilight Alicorn.

"Those monsters don't stand a chance against Adagio's monster," Sunset said.

"Don't be so sure," Flash said, "don't forget about Alicorn's ability."

"I remove three Spellbooks from my graveyard," Twilight said as she did so, "in order to switch your monster to DEF mode and cut its ATK points in half." Ultimate Dark Siren did so, as it power began to drop down. (A2400/D1500/L10)

"Now we're talking," Flash said.

"Do it Sorcerer," Twilight said as she jumped on her Alicorn's back. Her monster leapt into the air, before pointing his staff at Ultimate Dark Siren.

Adagio then leapt off her platform and onto another one, then another and then up to grab an Action Card. "I activate Swap Shift, which changes the ATK and DEF of my monster." Ultimate Dark Siren glowed, as its power began to change. (A1500/D2400/L10)

Magician pulled back from the attack, making Twilight glare at this. "Alicorn!" The winged unicorn's horn glowed.

Adagio leapt off the platform and onto another, picking up an Action Card and using it. "I activate Emergency Trap, to pay half my life points to activate a Trap in my graveyard."

Twilight: 1100
Adagio: 1075

"I activate Destruction Guard." A force field appeared around Ultimate Dark Siren, protecting it from the Alicorn's blast.

"I end my turn," Twilight said. Ultimate Dark Siren's points returned to normal. (A5800/D3000/L10)

"Don't lose heart," Flash told her, "you can do this just relax."

"But Adagio's monster is back to full power," Sunset told him.

"Doesn't mean she'll win," Flash said.

"It's my turn," Adagio said, "I draw and I'll switch Ultimate Dark Siren to ATK mode and summon Alluring Diva." (A1800/D1400/L4) "I activate Ultimate Dark Siren's ability." The evolved ritual monster unleashed its black tendrils and wrapped them around the mermaid, before pulling it inside and absorbing it. (A6600/D3000/L10)

"Oh no," Twilight said.

"Attack Twilight Alicorn," Adagio spoke as her monster aimed its attack at Twilight.

"TWILIGHT!" Flash screamed.

"GET OUT OF THERE!" Sunset cried.

Twilight turned Twilight Alicorn around and began flying around the chamber, as Ultimate Dark Siren unleashed its three blasts. As it followed her, Twilight looked around trying to find an Action Card but none were around. Then finally, at the very top of the chamber, see saw one wedged between the crystal walls.

Twilight glanced back to see the attack drawing closer, before she stood up on Alicorn's back and then leapt off it to reach the card. Time seemed to slow down as she and the attack drew closer to what they were aiming for. Finally Twilight managed to grab the card, seconds before the blast hit Alicorn and caused an explosion.

"TWILIGHT!" Flash, Sunset and all their friends watching screamed seeing the explosion.

Adagio waited patiently for the smoke to clear to see if she'd won, but she didn't have to. Shooting out of the smoke, once again riding her Alicorn, was Twilight. She was a little roughed up from the force of the explosion, but all in all she was fine.

Twilight: 550
Adagio: 1075

"What is happening?" Adagio asked.

"I got the Action Card Mirror Action," Twilight explained. "By paying half my life points, I got to activate the effect of an Action Card that was already used. I used your Evasion, allowing my monster to dodge your attack."

Everyone sighed in relief, unable to believe how lucky she was to get that card in time.

"I end my turn," Adagio said, "you cannot win. No monster in your deck will allow you to defeat my monster."

"That might be true," Twilight said as she jumped onto a platform the same height as Adagio, "but I won't give up. I can't, because I have people looking to me to win. My friends, my family, their all in danger and the only way to save them is to defeat you."

Everyone smiled hearing Twilight's sure determination.

"And there's someone else that needs me," Twilight said, "you."

Adagio's face became on of confusion, indicating she didn't understand.

"You're in this situation because you lost to me," Twilight said, "I'm not sorry I beat you, but I'll do everything in my power to help you. In order to do that...I HAVE TO WIN!"

Then it happened.

Twilight suddenly began to glow, surprising her as she looked down at herself. "What's going on?" She asked. Then another glow appeared, making her look up to see Twilight Alicorn and Sorcerer were both glowing. "Guys?"

"What's happening?" Sunset asked.

"I don't know," Flash replied, but in that second he started glowing as well. "Seriously," he said looking down at himself, but then he remembered this happening both during his Duel with Shadow. "I wonder," he said as he closed his eyes and placed his hands together, causing the light to flow into the space between them.

"What are you doing?" Sunset asked.

"I think a new monster is being born," Flash said as he opened his eyes, "and its using me to help it form." Suddenly the light took shape, becoming a blank monster card. He took it and turned to Twilight. "Twilight!" He yelled.

Twilight looked back from her monsters to him.

"Catch!" He screamed as he threw the card through the cage and up towards Twilight, who managed to catch it. As soon as she did, the light from her and her monsters flowed through it.

The card glowed as it absorbed the light, until finally it faded revealing a new monster. "Incredible," Twilight said, before turning back to Adagio. "I tribute Twilight Alicorn and Twilight Sorcerer!" Her two monsters shot into the air, before Twilight Sorcerer transformed into a stream of light which spread around Alicorn and encased it in a cocoon like form. "By tributing her and a Synchro Spellcaster Monster," Twilight explained, "Twilight Alicorn's true power is revealed!"

The cocoon broke open, revealing Twilight's newest monster. It looked like Twilight Alicorn, but its wing tips were now pink and dark purple. Its mane and tail were longer, with streaks of yellow now flowing through it. Its hooves were now pink, with yellow, purple and pink star patterns similar to the one on its flank on them. "Arise, Perfect Harmony Alicorn!" (A3500/D3000/L10)

Everyone stared up at Twilight's new monster, amazed my the radiant aura is seemed to give off.

Perfect Harmony Alicorn looked down at Adagio, as its horn suddenly glowed and it fired off a magic blast which struck her.

Adagio yelled as she was zapped, falling to her knees as she did so.

"Adagio!" Twilight called out. Then she saw it.

Adagio was clutching her head and moaning in pain. When she finally looked up, they all saw he eyes wen't blank anymore. "What's happening?" She asked.

"You're awake," Twilight said in joy.

"Twilight?" Adagio asked, before clutching her head once again and crying. When she stopped she opened her eyes and they were once again blank.

"No," Twilight said, "if being on the field did that, maybe if I beat her with Perfect Harmony Alicorn she'll be truly free."

"Then beat her already!" Sunset said.

"You got it," Twilight said, "first since Twilight Sorcerer was the one I tributed to summon her, Perfect Harmony Alicorn gains half his ATK points." (A4550/D3000/L10)

"That's not enough," Adagio told her.

"Hold your horses," Twilight said as she placed a card in her Duel Disk, "next I activate the Spellbook of Illusions, which creates four Spellbook Tokens on my field." In a flash of light, the four books appeared alongside Twilight's new monster. "Now attack!" Her monster flew into the air, as its horn began to glow.

"What are you doing?" Flash asked her, "your monster's not strong enough."

"Don't be so sure," Twilight said, "because when Perfect Harmony Alicorn attacks, it gain a thousand ATK points for each Spellcaster on my field and with four Spellbook Tokens, that's an extra four thousand ATK points!" The four Spellbooks began to glow, the light flying up into Perfect Harmony Alicorn and bathing her in its power. (A8550/D3000/L10)

Adagio's eyes went wide seeing this.

Perfect Harmony Alicorn unleashed its attack, firing a rainbow coloured blast which struck Ultimate Dark Siren and flew straight through it. The blast then struck Adagio, causing her to let out a loud scream as she was sent flying and the blast bathed her in its power.

Twilight: 550 (Winner)
Adagio: 0

Back at the Freeze Stadium, Aria and Sonata's eyes fluttered open as they regained contagiousness.

The two moaned as they sat themselves up and looked around.

"Where are we?" Sonata asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"I don't know," Aria said, "some kind of hospital."

"Hey," Sonata said as she looked around, "where's Adagio?"

As the monsters and Action Field disappeared, Twilight leapt down and ran over to where Adagio had landed.

The crystal cage around Flash and Sunset disappeared, allowing them to run over to where the two girls were.

"Adagio," Twilight said as she picked her up, "speak to me."

Adagio's eyes slowly opened, allowing her to look up at Twilight. "You saved me, after everything I've done?"

"I don't blame you," Twilight said, "you were doing it for your sisters."

"My sisters?" Adagio said before her eyes went wide, "where are they?"

"It's okay," Sunset told her, "their safe. They're under our care and are recovering."

Adagio smiled hearing this, but in that moment Adagio's body began to glow.

"What's happening?" Twilight said as she looked at her.

"I lost," Adagio said, "so I am no longer welcome in the Crystal Tower." She then looked up at Flash. "Sombra is waiting for you, at the top of the tower. You must defeat him or the Shadow Gate will open." In that moment, Adagio's body began to disappeared starting with her feet and moving up.

"Don't worry," Twilight said, "once we stop him, we'll reunite you with your sisters."

Adagio just smirked. "It doesn't work that way. Me and the other Shields know to much, there's no way Sombra would let us be free."

"What are you talking about?" Sunset asked.

Adagio just smiled as her torso vanished. "Tell my sisters I'm sorry and I hope they have a good life." With that, the last of her disappeared.

"NO!" Twilight screamed.

"If they weren't ejected from the tower," Sunset asked, "where are the other shields?"

Flash just stood there, shaking with anger. "SOMBRA!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, "how many more people do you have to hurt? How many more families do you have to tear apart in the name of your perfect future?" He turned to the stairs, which had opened after Adagio lost, and began walking towards them. "This ends now," he said.

Twilight and Sunset stood up and followed him. "We're with you," Twilight told him.

"Until the end," Sunset agreed.

Flash nodded, before turning back to the to stairs. "Then let's go save the world."

Turn 48, Flash v Sombra, The Final Battle Begins

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In the top most chamber of the Crystal Tower, we find Sombra sitting in his throne as four crystal screens showed reruns of his four shields in action. One by one he watched as Chrysalis, Lightning, The Flim-Flam Brothers and finally Adagio were all defeated.

"You disappoint me," he said as all but one of the screens vanished, before it switched images. The screen now showed the inside of the lower chamber that the heroes had been in when they'd first entered in tower.

In the centre of the room, five unconscious figures were laid out on the floor.

Adagio had been right when she said Sombra wouldn't let any of them leave, instead he had transported them into that room. There they would remain, as punishment for failing him.

The screen once again switched, this time to that of Flash, Twilight and Sunset.

"I'll be waiting."

The three teenage Duellists ran up the stairs as fast as they could, but Twilight had a worried look on her face.

"Where are the other?" She asked, "since they won their Duels, we should have seen them by now."

"I don't know," Flash replied, "maybe their already at the top and waiting for us."

"We'll know soon enough," Sunset said.

Meanwhile at the Freeze Stadium we fine Shining and Cadance were still in the computer room, overjoyed after seeing Twilight's victory over Adagio.

"Alright Twily!" Shining said, "I knew she could do it."

"Now they can finally get to Sombra," Cadance said happily as she looked down at the computer, "oh no."

"What is it?" Shining asked.

"The Ener-D readings," she replied, "their about to reach one hundred percent."

"Then they don't have much time left," Shining said. He turned to look out the window, seeing the Crystal Tower in the distance.

At the base of the tower, the group were watching as the last of the four chambers disintegrated but no one came out before hand.

"Looks like Flash and the girls went on," Thorax said.

"Good," Fluttershy said, "they need to find Cold and get him out of there."

"What if it's to late?" Pinkie asked.

"All we can do is hope," Rarity told her.

"Hope isn't enough," Scootaloo said, "we need to know."

"She's right," Rainbow said as she turned to the tower, "there has to be someway back inside. If not, then I'm gonna make one." She charged at the crystal and body slammed it, but all that did was cause her shoulder to ache and the crystal was undamaged.

"We already tried that," Rarity told her, "this crystal won't be scratched so easily."

"Dang it," Rainbow said as she picked herself up, "there has to be something we can do."

"Not unless ya'h got a stick of dynamite in ya'h pocket," Applejack replied.

"Er," Rainbow said as she reached into her pockets but all she pulled out were some sticks of gum and an old tissue, "nope."

"It's like Rarity said," Fluttershy told her, "we have to trust in the others."

"You're right," Rainbow said as she looked back up at the tower, "but I can't help feeling useless sitting out here while our friends our risking their necks."

Flash and the girls continued there trek up, finally seeing a light at the top of the staircase and rushing up towards it.

They arrived inside a chamber. Looking around they noticed it wasn't as big as they thought it would be, but realised this couldn't be where Sombra was waiting.

"I don't get it," Flash said, "we're at the top of the tower so where's Sombra?"

"Maybe this isn't the top," Twilight said, "there might be another flight of stairs somewhere."

"Then what's the point of this room?" Sunset asked as she looked around, only to see something that made her gasp in horror.

"What is it?" Flash asked her, but when she didn't answer he and Twilight followed her gaze and they two were taken by surprise. "COLD!"

Cold Steel was laying in the centre of the room, completely still.

Flash was the first to move, rushing over to the unconscious man and kneeling down besides him. The girls quickly followed as they kneeled around him as Flash tried to sit him up.

"Cold," he said, "it's me. Can you hear me? Are you alright?" He had more questions, but they disappeared from his thoughts after he placed his hand on the mans chest and suddenly felt something cold and wet soaking his shirt. Pulling his hand back, Flash saw it and Cold's shirt were covered in blood.

Twilight and Sunset both threw their hands over their mouths in horror, while Flash continued to shake the older man.

"Hey come on!" He cried, "ya gotta wake up! Can ya hear me?"

At long last Flash got a response, as Cold's eyes creaked open. "Flash?"

"I'm hear," Flash told him.

"So are we," Sunset told him as she and Twilight put their heads into view, "what happened to you?"

Cold didn't reply, instead he reached out and grabbed Flash's jacket. "I'm sorry," he said, "I tried to stop him, but Sombra...was just to powerful."

That alone told the three everything they needed to know to understand what had happened to him. Based on what had happened in Twilight's Duel, no doubt a Duel against Sombra would be even more dangerous.

"It's alright," Flash said, "what matters right now is getting you out of here and to a hospital." He looked up at the two girls. "You two need to get him out of here."

Sunset nodded, but Twilight looked horrified at the idea.

"No way," Twilight said, "I'm not leaving you here on your own."

"You have to," Flash told her as he looked down at Cold, "he won't last much longer if you don't get him out of here. Sunset can't do it on her own."

"But if I leave," Twilight replied, "I won't be able to get back in."

"That doesn't matter," Flash argued.

"I'm not leaving you!" Twilight almost screamed.

"Enough," Sunset said, breaking their argument. She then grabbed Cold's arm and threw it around her shoulder. "I'll get him out of here," She said as she tried to pick the man up, though it was clear Cold was to heavy and she was struggling under the weight.

Watching Sunset stagger under Cold's weight, Twilight sighed before walking over to them and grabbing Cold's other arm. She threw it over her shoulder and together the two girls were able to hold him up perfectly.

Before they left, Twilight turned back to Flash. "You'd better not lose you understand."

Flash just nodded before turning towards the flight of stairs he'd noticed and walking towards it, while the girls carried Cold towards the ones they'd come up.

As they drew further away, Twilight glanced back over her shoulder to see Flash walking away. Suddenly she stopped, catching Sunset's attention and making her look towards her. Putting Cold down, Twilight gave Sunset the signal to wait a moment before turning and running towards the boy.

"Flash!"

"Yeah?" Flash asked as he turned around, only to find Twilight throwing her arms around him and something pressing against his lips. His brain went completely dead in the water, before he realised what was happening.

Twilight was kissing him.

They remained lip locked for what seemed like an eternity, until finally Twilight pulled away. They stared at each other for a moment, Twilight blushing and Flash completely dumbfounded.

"What was..." Flash couldn't finish that sentence.

"Extra incentive to win," Twilight finished for him, "just felt like the right thing to do."

"Good call," Flash replied.

Twilight continued to blush, before she turned back around and moved back over to Sunset. She picked Cold up and together they began walking over to the stairs. Twilight noticed Sunset giving her a knowing smirk. "Shut up," she said embarrassed.

Flash continued to watch the two head down the stairs, a stupid grin plastered on his face. Once they were down the stairs and out of sight, Flash's grin turned into a serious frown before he turned to look up the stairs.

Sombra was sitting in his throne, waiting for his opponent to arrive and face him.

Finally the sound of ascending footsteps caught his attention, making him lift his head and look over at the stairs. Seconds passed and the steps got louder, until the one making them finally arrived in the room.

Flash stood at the top of the stairs, glaring at Sombra as the mad king smirked back at him.

"Welcome Flash Sentry," Sombra said as he stood up, "you've come a long way. The fact that you are here is nothing short of incredible."

Flash continued to glare at the man. "Sombra," he growled, before pulling his Duel Disk out and attaching it to his arm. "I am gonna stop you from doing this, even though my life's at risk!"

Sombra just continued to smile, before stepping into the centre of the room. "I like your fighting spirit," he said as he did the same with his Duel Disk, "I too am willing to risk everything to achieve my goals." Suddenly his deck began to glow, before the whole tower began to shake.

Outside the tower, the group were waiting for any new development.

Suddenly a bright light coming from where Adagio's chamber had been caught their attention, causing them to look up and see Twilight and Sunset carrying Cold appear.

The two flew down to the floor, where the others rushed over to them.

"Twilight!" Spike yelled.

"You guys okay?" Rainbow asked.

"We're fine," Sunset said, "but Cold needs help."

They looked Cold over and saw his injury, making them all gasp seeing the blood.

"He needs medical attention right now," Fluttershy said.

"But the closest hospital is miles away," Scootaloo told her.

"It'll take forever to get there," Spike said.

Before anyone could say anything, they noticed the ground around the tower was beginning to shake.

"What's going on?" Sweetie asked.

"Look!" Applebloom yelled. She pointed to the tower, which was beginning to change from black to the same aurora colour as the inside.

"Oh no," Twilight said as she realised what was happening.

At the very top of the tower, the light was shining brightest. Suddenly from out of the top, fired a beam of energy the same colour as the tower. The beam flew up a few hundred feet, before suddenly stopping in midair. Then something new appeared in the air, a small black circle which was very slowly growing larger.

"What's happening?" Pinkie asked.

"I think," Twilight said in shock, "Sombra's opening the Shadow Gate."

Everyone turned to her in horror. It could be, after everything they'd been through they'd failed.

"This isn't over yet," Thorax said to them, "if Flash can beat Sombra before it opens, we can still stop it."

They all agreed, remembering what Cold had said. They all looked up at the tower, each silently praying to Flash to win.

"Flash," Twilight whispered, "be careful."

Flash and Sombra were watching this on a crystal screen that was high in the air.

"The Tower has gathered enough energy to form the Shadow Gate," Sombra explained, "now all that is required is for the gate to grow large enough to open. Then the Doom-Vaders will be truly free and I will be able to rebuild this world anew."

"That's not gonna happen!" Flash told him, "I am gonna stop you right now." With that he pressed a button on his Duel Disk, which activated and had the robotic woman speak.

"CROSSOVER ACTIVATED!"

From the Duel Disk came a pulse which covered the whole area, before the platforms appeared.

Sombra simply shook his head. "Once a fool, always a fool. Can't you see I'm doing this for the greater good of the world?"

"All I see is you wanting to rule the world with an iron fist," Flash said, "something I won't let happen."

"Very well," Sombra said, "then it looks like I have only no choice, but to force you to understand."

They activated their Duel Disks, ready to do what must be done.

"Here's to a perfect future," Sombra said.

"Here's to a future out of your control," Flash replied.

"DUEL!"

Flash: 4000
Sombra: 4000

"ACTION CARDS DISPERSED!"

Everyone outside was watching the portal grow, when suddenly their Duel Disks switched on and showed.

"It's Flash," Scootaloo called out seeing him.

"So this is it," Sunset said, "the final Duel, which will decide the fate of our world."

"Flash can do it," Twilight said, "I know he can."

"I'll take the first move," Flash said as he drew his card, "I'll start by summoning Volt Edge Dragon in ATK mode." The armoured lighting lizard appeared. (A1500/D1200/L4/P5) "I'll place one card face down and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said, "I draw and I'll set the Pendulum Scale with scale one Doom-Vader, Knight of Black Holes and scale eleven Doom-Vader, Knight of the Black Comet!" A pair of dark light pillars appeared on either side of him, as the two monsters appeared and flew into the. "Now watch," he said, "as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory." The dark portal began to form. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and three shadows shout out.

"Sabre Strike Doom-Vader!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

The second became a serpentine dragon with black crystal armour and bat wings with red membrane. "Doom-Vader, Raging Shroud Dragon!" (A1700/D1100/L4/P4)

"Doom-Vader, Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" (A4000/D4000/L10/P5)

Flash looked up at the large monster, feeling quite intimidated by its presence.

"Here's how this works kid," Sombra said, "whilst I have another Doom-Vader on the field, Tyrant Reaper Dragon is unaffected by any of your Spells, Traps and Monster Effects. He's also the only Doom-Vader you can attack."

"You gotta be kidding me," Flash said.

"It's not all bad," Sombra said, "Tyrant Reaper Dragon is the only monster that's allowed to attack, plus he loses a thousand ATK and DEF points for each monster space that doesn't have a Doom-Vader in it." (A2000/D2000/L10/P5) "Attack!" The Doom-Vader raised its scythe and used it to slash Volt Edge, destroying it and causing Flash to fall to his knees and clutch his chest in pain as he felt the force of the slash.

Flash: 3500
Sombra: 4000

"This is the place where two dimensions intertwined," Sombra said, "the link between the two worlds now links us to our monsters, causing the effect on them to also effect us. You and I will feel a physical impact."

Flash glared at Sombra, before it turned to a smirk and he stood back up. "Bring it on," he said, "I activate my Trap, Stardust Draw! Since you destroyed Volt Edge, this card lets me draw four cards." He did so.

"I end my turn," Sombra said.

"Then I'll go," Flash said as he drew his card, "and I set the Pendulum Scale, with scale three Magna Caster Exitium and scale eight Magna Caster Estella." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two monsters flew up into them. "Now watch," Flash said, "as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory. "The portal formed above him. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, before striking the ground and taking form.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Unleash your radiant power, Aura Spear Dragon!" (A2000/D100/L4)

"Two Level fours," Sombra said.

"And now," Flash called out, "I'll use Volt Edge Dragon and Aura Spear Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" His monsters glowed before flying into the air and into the black hole, which opened at Flash's feet. "Destiny is the thing that binds us together, now new bonds will be formed and grant unbridled power." The black hole exploded, releasing Flash's monster. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

The light faded revealing Flash's monster. "Destiny Bound Dragon!" (A2400/D2100/R4)

Sombra frowned seeing this monster.

"I attack Tyrant Reaper Dragon with Destiny Bound!" Flash ordered as his monster's wings opened and unleashed the projectiles, which flew into the air and then down towards Tyrant Reaper! They struck and Tyrant Reaper was destroyed, Sombra feeling the force of the explosions too.

Flash: 3500
Sombra: 3600

"I end my turn," Flash said.

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said, "I draw." He looked at his card and smiled. "I activate the Spell card Pendulum Shadow Gate, which now allows me to Pendulum Summon Doom-Vaders from my deck." The dark portal above his head began to form, before opening. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

Three shadows shot out the portal, before hitting the ground and taking shape.

The first was a demon like monster with black crystal armour and large red crystal claws. "Demonic Claw Doom-Vader!" (A1200/D1100/L3/P8)

The second was a humanoid dragon with black crystal scales and red crystal claws and large red fangs. "Doom-Vader, Chaos Fang Dragon!" (A2100/D100/L4/P2)

"Doom-Vader, Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" (A4000/D4000/L10/P5)

Flash saw Sombra's army of monster, beginning to worry at the power they all had.

"Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" Sombra yelled, "attack Destiny Bound Dragon!" The giant dragon raised its scythe and prepared to strike the Xyz monster

Flash kicked into action, jumping up onto one of the platforms and then leapt off it to grab an Action Card. "I activate the Spell card Miracle, to save my monster and cut the damage I'd take in half."

The scythe struck Destiny Bound, but the dragon remained standing though it and Flash felt the pain.

Flash: 2700
Sombra: 3600

"Very well," Sombra said, "I end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Flash said, "I draw and I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened, before unleashing a single light which struck the ground and took form. "Flare up, Blazing Light Dragon!" (A2600/D1900/L7)

Sombra frowned, knowing what Flash was planning.

Flash then turned to look at his other Pendulum Monster. "Next I'll activate Magna Caster Estella's Pendulum Ability, to increase Destiny Bound Dragon's Level by three." The wizard waved her wand and unleashed the stardust, which spiralled around Destiny Bound and caused it to glow. (A2400/D2100/L7) "Now I Overlay Blazing Light Dragon and Destiny Bound Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" His two monsters transformed into streams of light, shot up to the sky and into the clouds as black hole formed within them. "Light and darkness, hope and despair, creation and destruction," Flash chanted and the black hole grew bigger, "two sides of the same coin. But when they're all brought together, they create...ABSOLUTE CHAOS!"

The black hole exploded with light, releasing the monster that was inside. "I XYZ SUMMON!"

Finally the light faded and the clouds disappeared, revealing Flash's monster. "CHAOS COMMAND DRAGON!"(A3000/D2500/R7/P4)

"Alright!" Scootaloo said, "that's just the card he needed."

"You know it," Rainbow said, "kick his butt Flash!"

"I activate Chaos Command's ability," Flash explained. "Since he was Xyz Summoned using an Xyz monster, I can send every monster on your side of the field to the bottom of the deck."

Sombra watched as Chaos Command raised its giant staff, which fired out a beam of light which struck the ceiling. A tear appeared in the space time continuem, unleashing a sucking force which caused all but Tyrant Reaper to be sucked inside.

"Don't forget that Tyrant Reaper Dragon is unaffected by Monster Effects," Sombra said.

"Maybe," Flash said, "but without your other monsters, Tyrant Reaper loses its points. (A0/D0/L10/P5) "Now I'm removing one Overlay Unit from Chaos Command Dragon," he said as one of the lights flew into the dragon's staff, "to allow him to attack once for every monster sent to the bottom of your deck." The gears on its staff began spinning, as they generated a bolt of lightning which flew at Tyrant Reaper.

"I activate the effect of my Shroud Barrier Doom-Vader," Sombra said as he placed the card in his Duel Disk, "by discarding him from my hand, I can negate your attack and end the Battle Phase." The dark knight appeared and raised his hexagonal shield, blocking the lightning from hitting Tyrant Reaper. "Also, by paying five hundred life points I can move him from my graveyard to my Extra Deck."

Flash: 2700
Sombra: 3100

"I end my turn," Flash said.

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said, "I draw and since it's my standby phase, I must pay three hundred life points to keep Pendulum Shadow Gate on the field."

Flash: 2700
Sombra: 2800

"Next I activate Shadow Draw. By sending Shroud Barrier Doom-Vader to my graveyard, I can now draw four cards." He did so and smiled seeing what he got. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The dark portal opened and four lights shot out, before striking the ground and becoming the monsters Flash sent to the deck last turn. With them on the field, Tyrant Reaper Dragon was back to full power. (A4000/D4000/L10/P5) "I then activate Dark Mist, which lets me destroy every face up Spell and Trap on your field." A dark cloud surrounded Tyrant Reaper's scythe, which it swung through the air and send out a shock wave which struck Exitium and Estella destroying them.

Flash growled seeing this.

"Plus I can draw one card for every card that was destroyed," Sombra said as he did so. He then turned to Flash and smiled. "ATTACK!" The dragon raised its scythe and swung it at Chaos Command Dragon, slicing the monster in half and sending Flash flying backwards and slamming into the wall.

Flash: 1700
Sombra: 2800

"FLASH!" His friends all screamed seeing him fall to the floor.

"This isn't good," Rarity said.

"Flash is in major trouble," Spike said.

"He'll be fine," Scootaloo said, before turning to Twilight. "Won't he?"

Twilight just stared at her Duel Disk, not sure how to reply. "Flash."

Sombra smirked as he watched Flash try to pick himself up.

"I now play the Continuous Spell card Shadow Reloading," Sombra said, "I'll explain what it's for later. I place one card face down and end my turn."

Flash groaned as he tried to get back up, but that last attack had done some serious damage.

"Look at you," he heard Sombra say, "to think all those people put their faith in you. My brother, your parents and all your friends. They thought you could save this doomed world, but now all they can do is watch as you fail."

"What?" Flash asked.

"Oh don't you know," Sombra said, "all the Duels that have taken place in the Crystal Tower are broadcast world wide. Everyone is watching."

Flash actually smiled at this, knowing that his friends were cheering him on.

Sombra meanwhile looked up at the screen showing the Shadow Gate. The black portal was now about half way open. "It won't be long now," he said, "as soon as the Shadow Gate opens there'll be nothing left to stop me."

He was right, Flash knew he was. Once the Shadow Gate opened, the world would be over. Flash needed to end this soon, but with a time limit he didn't have what it took.

"Don't give up."

Flash froze, as he picked his head up. "Mom?"

"You are not alone in this. Your friends are there to help you, all you need is to ask."

"My...friends," Flash replied as he got up to his knees. He closed his eyes and thought for a few seconds, until he realised what was happening and smiled. "I get it," he said.

"Get what?" Sombra asked.

"How I'm gonna win," Flash replied before closing his eyes and yelling at the top of his voice. "LISTEN EVERYONE!"

Everyone outside listened as Flash spoke to them.

"I can't win this with a time limit," he said, "so you need to buy me some more time."

"What does he want us to do?" Rainbow asked, "we're stuck out here."

"You need to destroy the crystals," Flash explained, "but to do that you need to use the Shadow Gate."

"WHAT!" They all yelled.

"The Shadow Gate's connecting our world to the world of darkness," Flash continued, "but it's also connecting it to the Duel Monster Spirit World. I know because I heard someone in that world speak to me. Call out to them and they'll come, trust me."

The group all stared at each other, not sure how to respond to what he'd just said.

"You think he's telling the truth?" Spike asked.

Twilight reached into her deck and pulled out her two ace monsters, before looking back up at the tower. "Flash has never steered us wrong before," she said before holding up her cards and yelling, "COME TO ME!". Suddenly the cards started glowing, before the lights shot off and into the sky. The lights then took shape, before the glow faded to reveal Twilight Sorcerer and Twilight Alicorn.

The others were all amazed at what they'd just seen.

"No way," Spike said.

Twilight smiled, before she leapt up into the air and landed on Alicorn's back. The three then shot off into the air, before turning towards a line of crystals. "Let's do this," she ordered as her two monster unleashed a pair of magic blasts, which flew through the air and then struck the crystals and destroyed them.

The rest of the group were amazed at what they had just seen, before Rainbow smiled.

"Come on," she said as she pulled out her own card, "we gonna let her show us up?"

"No way," Applejack said as she and the others all did the same.

They lifted up their cards, which all glowed before unleashing the light. They each took form. Orchard Cowboy, Assault Wing Gold, Balloonimal Chimera, Gem Knight Lady, Kindness Dragonoid, Dragonic Blazemaster, Solar Flare Phoenix, Cyber Handyman, Changeling King, Wild Rush Raptor, Maiden of Great Bloom and Schuberta the Melodious Maestra all appeared, before picking up their Duelists and flying off.

"Let's do this!" Applejack ordered as her monster began to fire, shattering the crystals.

"Here we go," Rainbow said as her monster slashed through them.

"Oh yeah!" Spike yelled as his monster unleashed a wave of five that melted the crystals.

"TOGETHER!" Scootaloo, Sweetie and Applebloom cried as their monsters combined their attacks to take out a large group of crystals.

"Wee!" Pinkie cheered as her monster belly flopped another group of crystals.

"On guard," Rarity cried as her monster slashed at some crystals.

Atop Solar Flare Phoenix, Sunset was riding it with Cold in her arms. "Fire!" She yelled as her monster unleashed a blast of fire.

Changeling King rammed down several lines with its horns, as Thorax rode atop it.

At the top of the Freeze Industries building, Tidal and his group had heard Flash's call. "We're with you amigo," he said as they held up their cards, "we won't let you down."

"If anyone can do it," Spoon said, "you can."

Their cards all glowed, before unleashing their ace monsters. Soveruin, Xyz Dragon, Harpie Tempest, Technobot LV7, Maiden of the Harp and Agent Striker all appeared before picking up their Duelists and flying off.

"You're in my way," Spoon said as his dragon blasted a large group of crystals, "I'll burst through you!"

"Make way for me amigo," Tidal said as Soveruin slashed another line to pieces, "or I will make you make way."

"Cut them down!" Gilda called out.

"You got it!" Lyra and Bon Bon said as they did so.

"Fire!" Gizmo yelled as Technobot unleashed its missiles.

"Ener-D Levels now decreasing," Cadance said as they watched from the computer room. "We're getting reports all over the world of monsters appearing and destroying the crystal roots."

"Looks like Flash was right," Shining said before looking back at the tower, "don't give up."

Back in the tower, Sombra watched as more and more Duelists called on their monsters and started destroying the crystals.

"This is pointless," Sombra said as he saw the tower's power remain steady. "Soon your world will end," he said as he looked down at Flash, "and my perfect world will take its place." He let out a mighty laugh, but as he looked back down his eyes went wide seeing Flash standing tall with a smirk on his face.

"Not if I beat you," he said simply.

Turn 49, Earth's Harmony

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Across Canterlot, explosions of all kinds were going on.

The cause of those explosions was the army of Duel Monsters come to life, using their incredible power to destroy the crystal roots that were absorbing power and sending it to the Crystal Tower.

"Again," Twilight called out as her monster unleashed a pair of powerful magic blasts which destroyed a line of crystals. "Keep it up guys," she said, "we can't let up."

"Who's letting up?" Rainbow asked as Assault Wing Gold and Orchard Cowboy destroyed another batch.

"Not me," Applejack said.

Gem Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond and Balloonimal Chimera were also smashing through crystals.

"This is fun!" Pinkie said as she rode on her monsters back.

"We're not doing this for the enjoyment Pinkie," Rarity said from her monsters shoulder, only to smirk as Brilliant Diamond's rapier smashed through some more. "Though it won't stop me from liking seeing those horrid things be destroyed.

"Silent Roar!" Fluttershy ordered her dragon, who unleashed a burst of wind which caused the roots to fly out the ground and shatter.

"Yeeha!" Scootaloo said said she rode atop Wild Rush Raptor, as it flew passed a group of crystals at high speed and caused them to shatter.

"Take this!" Applebloom said as Maiden of Great Bloom stuck her hoe into the ground, causing several vines to shot out and wrap around the crystals before crushing them.

"Let's rock," Sweetie said as Schuberta a sonic blast, which caused the crystal to shatter like glass.

All over the city, monsters of all kinds were busy smashing the crystal.

"Go!" Maud said as Tectonic Colossal crushed a load under its foot.

"Let's jam!" Vinyl and Octavia said as Sound Striker and Melody Maker unleashed their musical attacks.

"Attack!" Thunderlane ordered as Gilford the Lightning swung his giant sword.

"Can't let Flash be the only hero," Timber said as Dark Timberwolf howled, the force of it destroying several crystals.

"Power levels continuing to drop," Cadance said as they watched the reports flood in.

"Let's hope it's enough," Shining said.

While this was going on, Sunset was riding Solar Flare Phoenix. The large bird unleashed several fireballs which destroyed many more crystals, as they made their way to a nearby hospital to get Cold medical attention.

"Hold on Cold," she told him, "we'll be there soon."

Cold didn't respond, instead only opening his eyes and looking back at the tower. "Flash."

Within the Crystal Tower we find Flash and Sombra, still Duelling for the fate of their world.

"Don't waste your time," Sombra told Flash, "there's no way you can defeat me."

"I won't know until I try," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "it's my turn. I DRAW!" He looked at the card he got and nodded, before turning back to Sombra. "I play Stardust Reload, which let's me banish a monster in my grave and then draw cards equal to its Level. So I'll banish Blazing Light Dragon and then draw seven cards," he did so and smiled seeing what he'd got.

Sombra raised an eyebrow, wondering what he'd gotten.

"Alright," Flash said, "first I'll play the Spell card Pendulum Summons. This card lets me discard a card, then add two Magna Casters from my deck to my hand." He discarded and then his deck shuffled, before slotting out a pair of cards for him to take. "Now I'll use those Magna Casters," he said, "Solaris and Lunara to set the Pendulum Scale." The columns of light appeared on either side of him, as the two magicians flew up and then unleashed a pair of magic beams. They connected above Flash's head and caused the portal to form. "Now watch as I cut through space time and carve the arc of victory," Flash said. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The portal opened and two lights shot out, before striking the ground and taking form.

"Spark up, Volt Edge Dragon!" (A1500/D1200/L4/P5)

"Shine your light of victory, Flash Heart Dragon!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4)

"So your ace monster finally makes an appearance," Sombra said, "he won't help you."

"We'll see about that," Flash said, "because I'm using Flash Heart's ability. Since he was special summoned, the weakest monster on your field will be sent to the bottom of your deck."

Sombra watched as Demonic Claw Doom-Vader was sucked inside a worm hole.

"And with one less monster," Flash continued, "Tyrant Reaper grows weaker." (A3000/D3000/L10/P5)

"That's still not enough," Sombra said.

"Well maybe this will change that," Flash said, "I summon the Tuner Monster Vail Pixie!" In a flash of light, the little fairy appeared besides Flash's other monster. "Now I'll tune Level one Vail Pixie with Level seven Flash Heart Dragon!" Vail Pixie glowed before transforming into a ball of light, which flew high up into the sky before carving a single ring that Flash Heart flew into. "Awaken the power sleeping within us all and allow your light to shine brighter then ever." Flash Heart was consumed by an explosion of light, which flew into another tablet. "I SYNCHRO SUMMON!"

Slowly the light began to fade, revealing to the world the evolved version of Flash's ace. "Flash Dragon Accel!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Now I'll play the Spell Lightspeed, which increases a Light Monster's ATK points by one thousand." (A4000/D2500/L8) "ATTACK!" The evolved dragon unleashed its cannons, before firing four blasts which combined into one as it flew towards Tyrant Reaper.

"I activate my Trap," Sombra called out as his face down card flipped up, "Shadow Guard! This Trap negates your attack." A shield made of dark energy appeared around Tyrant Reaper, which the blast struck only to leave the field and monster within completely undamaged.

Flash frowned at this.

"Shadow Guard has another ability," Sombra said, "by ditching the top three cards of my deck to the grave, I can reset the Trap to use again."

"You gotta be kidding me," Flash said as he watched Sombra do that and the Trap returned to the face down position.

"He'll keep doing that to negate all of Flash's attacks," Spike said from his dragon's shoulder.

"It's not all bad," Thorax said from Changeling King's back, "he'll run out of cards sooner or later."

"But not before that Shadow Gate opens," Twilight replied as she looked up at the portal in the sky. Even with them destroying the crystals, it still continued to grow and would be big enough for the Doom-Vaders to escape soon. "Not unless we slow it down."

"Don't worry darling," Rarity said, "Flash has got this."

"I hope your right," Twilight said, "let's get back to work."

They all nodded and turned to the next nearest line of crystals, ready to destroy them as well.

"I'm not done yet," Flash said, "I play the Spell card Mystical Space Typhoon, to destroy your Knight of Black Holes!" A tornado appeared and sucked Sombra's Pendulum Monster inside, before throwing it out the top and destroying it. "I place one card face down and end my turn." Flash Dragon Accel's ATK points returned to normal. (A3000/D2500/L8)

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said, "I draw and once again I pay three hundred life points to keep Pendulum Shadow Gate on the field."

Flash: 1700
Sombra: 2500

"Won't help without a Pendulum Scale," Flash said.

"Which is why I have this," Sombra said as he slapped card on his Duel Disk, "scale two Doom-Vader, Rabid Fang Dragon!" The dark column reappeared, with a black scaled dragon appearing within it.

Flash frowned seeing the monster, knowing Sombra could now Pendulum Summon anything once again.

"Now I PENDULUM SUMMON!" The portal opened and a dark shadow shot out, striking the ground and transforming into Demonic Claw Doom-Vader." (A1200/D1100/L3/P8) With this monster on the field, Tyrant Reaper was back to full power. (A4000/D4000/L10/P5) "Next I activate the effect of Shadow Reloading," Sombra said, "it lets me take once card from my graveyard for every Doom-Vader on the field, then shuffle it into my deck."

Flash growled, knowing Sombra could now return five cards to his deck. That meant Shadow Guard wouldn't eat up his deck like it should.

Sombra took the three cards he used for Shadow Guard, plus Shroud Barrier Doom-Vader and Shadow Draw, before placing them in his deck which shuffled. He then turned to Flash. "ATTACK!" The dragon raised its scythe and swung it at Volt Edge Dragon, intending to destroy it and deal Flash enough damage to end the match.

The scythe struck and Volt Edge was destroyed, causing Flash immense pain. "I activate my Trap," he said, "Defence Draw. This card let's me negate the damage and draw a card."

"Lucky twerp," Sombra said, "I end my turn."

"It's my turn," Flash said, "I draw." He then looked at his card, but nothing he had could help him defeat Tyrant Reaper Dragon." I switch Accel to DEF mode and end my turn."

"Then it's my turn," Sombra said, "I draw." Pendulum Shadow Gate activated, reducing his life points

Flash: 1700
Sombra: 2200

He then looked at his card and smiled. "I activate Stop Defence, to switch your dragon back to ATK mode."

Flash's eyes went wide, as he looked over and saw his monster stand back up.

"ATTACK!" Sombra yelled as Tyrant Reaper charged at Accel, before slashing it with his scythe and cutting it in half.

Flash cried out, as the feeling of being cut in two flowed through his body.

Flash: 700
Sombra: 2200

"I end my turn," Sombra said.

"It's...my turn," Flash said as he shakily stood tool, "I...draw." He once again looked at his cards, but nothing could help him beat Sombra. "I...Pendulum...Summon." The portal opened and a light shot out, transforming into Flash Heart Dragon which took a defensive stance. (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Demonic Claw Doom-Vader to the bottom of the deck," Flash said as the Doom-Vader was once again sucked inside the hole.

"This is bad," Twilight said, "Flash's running out of steam."

"He needs a way to take Sombra's monsters down," Spike said.

"But how?" Scootaloo asked, "with the way he's set his field up, it doesn't look like there are any holes."

"We can't lose faith," Thorax said, "Flash isn't beat yet."

"I end my turn," Flash said as he took deep breaths to try and keep himself up right. "Can't give up," he said, "I have to win. To save my world."

Hearing this caused Sombra to chuckle. "You wish to save this world, why?"

Flash didn't understand the question.

"It's like I said before," Sombra said, "this world is filled with nothing but pain and suffering. It is a place where criminals and murders get away with countless crimes. Where children are forced to live on the street or are abused by those who should love and care for them. This world must be cleansed and united under a single ruler, which is what I will do." He drew his card, as his life points decreased.

Flash: 700
Sombra: 1900

He looked at his card and smiled, before turning to Flash. "I PENDULUM SUMMON!"

The dark portal opened and a shadow shot out, taking form. "Demonic Claw Doom-Vader!" (A1200/D1100/L3/P8)

"Now I activate my ultimate Spell card," Sombra said, "Dark Crystal Slashing Blade!" Tyrant Reaper raised his weapon and slashed it four times, each one striking one of Sombra's other monsters and destroying them.

"What the?" Flash asked, "you're sacrificing your own monsters."

"That's right," Sombra said, "with Dark Crystal Slashing Blade, by tributing every other Doom-Vader on my field Tyrant Reaper's power increases!"

Flash watched, as the shards that remain of Sombra's monsters transformed into shadows which flew up and into Tyrant Reaper's scythe. The scythe began to grow, until it was twice the size. (A8000/D4000/L10/P5) "This is the same card I used to take down my brother," Sombra said, "it also negates my monster's power down effect."

"To bad you wasted a powerful Spell card," Flash said, "did you forget that Flash Heart's in DEF mode?"

"I didn't," Sombra said before turning to Rapid Fang Dragon. "I activate Rapid Fang Dragon's Pendulum Ability. Once, I can grant a Doom-Vader on my field Piercing Damage."

Flash's eyes went wide hearing this.

"This is where it ends," Sombra said, "with this one attack, the world will be reborn and the perfect future will begin." Tyrant Reaper Dragon raised its colossal scythe, ready to finally end the Duel.

Outside, everyone had stopped destroying the crystals to watch.

"Flash," Twilight whispered, "you have to do something."

"THIS IS IT!" Sombra screamed, "MY DESTINY IS AT HAND! TYRANT REAPER DRAGON, ATTACK!" The Doom-Vader swung its weapon towards Flash Heart.

Meanwhile Flash kicked himself into gear, leaping up and landing atop a platform. He then leapt off it and onto another, then another and another as he climbed higher, until he reached for very top and grabbed an Action Card.

In that moment, Tyrant Reaper's attack struck and caused a massive explosion which filled the entire chamber with smoke.

"FLASH!" His friends all screamed, fearing the worst.

Sombra chuckled as he waited for the smoke to clear, expecting to see a defeated Flash laying on the ground. "It's over."

"Don't be so sure."

Sombra turned towards the voice as the smoke cleared to reveal Flash, shaky but still standing, looking back at him with a smirk on his face.

Flash: 350
Sombra: 1900

"How?" Sombra asked.

"I got the Action Spell Emergency Trap," Flash explained, "by paying half my life points, it let me activate the Defence Draw in my graveyard. It zeroed out the damage and let me draw a card."

Sombra growled, before taking a card and slotting it in his Duel Disk. "I activate Corrupted Pendulum. This Spell lets me take any Doom-Vader in my Extra Deck whose Level is between my Pendulum Scale and summon them." The dark portal opened and four shadows flew out, before taking shape as the monsters Sombra previously sacrificed. "I end my turn." Tyrant Reaper's ATK points returned to normal. (A4000/D4000/L10/P5)

Everyone outside sighed in relief.

"That was a close one," Applejack said.

"Yeah," Rainbow said, "but now Flash's field is empty, he has almost no life points and Tyrant Reaper Dragon's at full strength. I'm starting to not like his odds."

"Don't say that," Twilight told her, "we can't give up on him. He needs us to believe in him, if he's to believe in himself."

The others all nodded, as they turned back to the Duel.

In the tower, Flash looked down at his deck. He wasn't sure how he could possibly win right now, but he couldn't give up. Everyone was counting on him.

"You know," he said, "it's funny. A long time ago I probably would have agreed with you about how this world needed to be cleansed, but not anymore."

"Oh really," Sombra said, "what changed?"

Flash just smiled as he closed his eyes. "I met my friends."

Sombra frowned hearing this.

The faces of all his friends flashed into the forefront of his mind, reminding him of all the adventures they'd been on together. "It feels like a life time ago, but to be honest it hasn't even been six months. Since meeting them, I've done so much. I've been happy, I've been sad, I've been scared and frustrated. I've learned who I truly am and what it means to care about people."

Sombra simply sneered at what he said, until he noticed a faint light. It was coming off Flash.

"They're why I'll fight," Flash said as he reached for his deck, "until the very end. I won't let you hurt them." The light began to grow stronger. "You may have turned your back on this world, but I haven't. I want to keep going and see what comes of it, because everyone you think is suffering have their own hopes and dreams for the future. They want to do everything they can to make those dreams a reality, all they need is a chance and as long as I'm here-" his eyes shot opened and the light exploded into a powerful aura, which was so bright it forced Sombra to shield his eyes. "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE THAT CHANCE AWAY FROM THEM!"

Outside, everyone saw the light that surrounded Flash.

Then they saw a new light, resonating off their bodies and the bodies of their monsters.

"This is," Spike began.

"Yeah," Twilight said, "just like when he beat Shadow."

"So Flash needs are power once again," Applejack said.

"Then let's give it to him," Rainbow said.

"Our power is your power darling," Rarity said.

"So use it to kick that meanie's butt." Pinkie said.

"We know you can win," Fluttershy said.

The light around them intensified, before they all transformed into streams of light which then shot towards the tower.

"How come you keep getting to do all the cool things bro," Scootaloo asked as she and her friends glowed, "you always seem to luck out." With that the three of them transformed into streams of light, which also flew towards the tower.

"Flash," Thorax said, "it's thanks to you and the others I was able to become the person I wanted to be. This is my thanks." Then he and Changeling King transformed into the light which flew off.

"We're with you Flash," Spoon said as he and the others glowed.

"If this is the world you chose amigo," Tidal said, "then it's the world we chose too."

With that the six of them and their monsters transformed into streams of light, which shoot off towards the tower.

From their spot in the sky, Sunset and Cold watched as the multiple light converged on the tower.

"This is your true strength Flash," Cold said, "let everyone's dreams become your power."

"Looks like all that work we did to get him and his friends ready was worth it," Sunset said.

Cold simply nodded, before they to transformed and flew off.

In the Freeze Stadium, Cadance and Shining watched in amazement at what they were seeing. A satellite image of the earth showed bright lights flying around it, all heading to one spot.

"Ener-D is accumulating from Duelists all over the world," Cadance said, "its all being sent to the Crystal Tower."

Shining simply smirked. "That kid's something else. Being able to unify everyone on earth in a single cause."

"What do we do now?" Cadance asked her husband, who smirked in response and took out his ace monster.

"We lend him our support."

Cadance smiled and took out her card, which she held up along with Shining.

Suddenly a bright light filled the room, before shooting out a window to the outside. There it faded, revealing Cadance and Shining atop Grand Emperor and Crystal Princess. The two smiled at each other before turning back into the light, which flew towards the tower.

Atop the Police Headquarters Building, Grand watched as the lights flew through the air.

"He's grown up to be a truly fine young Duelist," he said, "wouldn't you say. Misty, Trail, you'd be proud of your son." With that, he held up his card and in a flash of light appeared Twin Blade Shinobi. The ninja monster landed behind Grand and picked him up, before they became a stream of light which flew towards the tower.

In a desert area, the cloaked Trail Blazer noticed himself glowing and smiled.

"Well done my son," he said as he held up his card. In a flash, Trail Blazer Dragon appeared before it roared and become a stream of light that flew off to lend Flash its power.

Back inside the Crystal Tower, Sombra was shocked to see many streams of light fly through the walls and surround Flash, sealing him within a cocoon of light.

Within the cocoon, Flash felt a presence and turned around. There he saw Twilight and all his friends, standing in a group and smiling at him.

"Guys," he said, "you're all here."

His friends all nodded, before holding out their hands and bringing them together.

Flash looked at them, before smiling and placing his hand on theirs. With that the light's power intensified, making everything within it disappeared into white.

Sombra's eyes felt like they were burning, until finally the light died down.

Finally able to see, he looked over at Flash and his eyes went wide at what he saw.

Flash, still glowing, stood there holding a Monster Card in his hand that Sombra had never seen before.

"I PENDULUM SUMMON!" Flash cried as the portal opened and a single light shot out, striking the ground and becoming Flash's ace monster. "Shine your light of victory, brighter then it ever has before, FLASH HEART DRAGON!" (A2500/D2000/L7/P4) "Flash Heart's skill, Demonic Claw Doom-Vader to the bottom of the deck."

Sombra watched as a portal appeared beneath his monster, sucking it up. With one less monster on the field, Tyrant Reaper lost a thousand points. (A3000/D3000/L10/P5)

"Now I'm using the ability of Vail Pixie," Flash explained, "to summon her back to the field." In a flash, the little fairy reappeared on his side of the field.

"What's the point of that?" Sombra asked, "you can't Synchro Summon again. Even if you could, it wouldn't help you."

"I'm not Synchro Summoning," Flash said as he held up his new card, "by tributing Flash Heart and a Level one Light Monster, I can awaken a new power born from everyone's hopes and dreams." With that, Flash Heart and Vail Pixie glowed before they shot into the air. The two struck the ceiling, which such force that it caused the roof to be shattered and the light to fly outside.

Sombra was horrified to see this, while Flash smiled as shut his eyes.

"Now," he chanted, "show me the world I truly desire. One where the hopes and dreams of everyone can be made reality." His eyes opened, before he screamed at the top of his lungs. "TRANSCEND!"

The light exploded, revealing Flash's new monster. It looked like Flash Heart, only it had evolved into something more. It was now twice as big and looked more dragonic in appearance. Its armour was much more streamlined, with sharp blades and spikes coming off its arms and legs. It's booster wings were gone, now replaced with a pair of large robotic dragonoid wings. Its scarf was now longer, with the two ends flowing in the wind behind it and its tail was longer with a gear on the end of it. Its head was more pointed though its mouth was covered by a mouth plate. "Flash Dragon, MAGNA HARMONY!" (A3000/D2500/L8)

"How is this possible?" Sombra said, "how can you just create a monster like that?"

Flash just smirked, the glow he had now fading.

Outside the crystal tower, the light that had exploded off Magna Harmony flew around the world.

At the tower's base, several lights hit the ground and when it faded, all of Flash's friends stood there. They looked up at the new monster and were amazed by it.

"Incredible," Grand said.

"With all our power," Shining said, "Flash can't lose."

"Do it amigo," Tidal said.

Twilight just smiled as she watched happily, as the one she loved did what he did best.

"I activate Magna Harmony's ability," Flash said. He reached into his graveyard and pulled out two cards, which he revealed as Accel and Chaos Command. "Select two dragon type monsters in the graveyard and banish them," he explained, "Magna Harmony obtains one skill from Chaos Command and one skill from Accel."

"A monster that can be given other monster's abilities?" Sombra asked in shock.

"The power of our past experiences," Flash explained, "everything we've learned, guiding us to the future. Activating the skill inherited from Chaos Command Dragon," he took another card out of his graveyard, revealing it as Vail Pixie. "In place of an Overlay Unit, banish a Level one monster."

Sombra watched as the dragon unleashed a beam of light which struck the sky, causing a rift in the space time continuum to appeared. A powerful sucking force appeared, which caused all but Tyrant Reaper to be sucked inside.

"And don't forget that without your other monsters, Tyrant Reaper loses a few points." (A0/D0/L10/P5) Sombra glared up at his monster, seeing it once again powerless. "Sombra!" He looked back down at Flash. "You said our world needed to be united," he said, "well it looks to me like you got your wish. We are united, against the dark future you and your Doom-Vader friends want to force upon us."

Sombra's glare hardened on the boy.

"Magna Harmony," Flash ordered, "attack Tyrant Reaper Dragon!" The evolved dragon spread its wings and shot towards the Doom-Vader, its sharp claws ready to tear it apart.

"I activate my Trap," Sombra called out as his card flipped up, "Shadow Guard! With this I negate your monsters attack." The dark shield appeared around Tyrant Reaper, protecting it from Magna Harmony's attack. "By sending the top three cards of my deck to the grave," Sombra went on "I can reset this Trap to be used again." He looked at Flash. "What about all the pain and suffering that will continue without us to guide humanity. Do you honestly want people to suffer?"

"No I don't," Flash replied, "but it's like I said before. We can't just give up on this world and try again. We have to work together, to fix it and make the world the one where everyone can be happy. Activating the skill of Flash Dragon Accel!" A bright light surrounded Magna Harmony, causing it to revert back to its previous form. Flash Heart Dragon flew out of the light, ready to kick some butt. "ATTACK!"

Sombra watched as Flash Heart's thrusters ignited, propelling it towards his monster.

"I activate my Shadow Guard Trap once again," Sombra called out as his card flipped up again.

"Not this time," Flash said, "because Solaris's Pendulum Effect will put an stop to that. When a Pendulum monster attacks, this effect prevents the activation of Traps." The flame clothed wizard waved his staff and fired a burst of fire which surrounded the Trap card causing it to flip face down.

Sombra growled, before looking around. "I won't let it end like this," he said as he saw an Action Card nearby. He rushed over to it, but as his fingers touched it he suddenly felt a chilling cold which made him pull his hand back. Looking at the card, he saw it was frozen solid.

"Sorry Sombra," Flash said, "but Lunara's Pendulum Effect prevents the activation of Spells when a Pendulum Monster attacks."

Sombra's eyes went wide in horror, before looking up to see Flash Heart Dragon throw a punch at Tyrant Reaper Dragon. The Doom-Vader raised its scythe in defence, but the force of the attack was so strong that it shattered the weapon before Flash Heart struck Tyrant Reaper in the chest.

Sombra, Flash and everyone outside watched as the Doom-Vader let out a powerful cry of pain, before it was destroyed and created an explosion which filled the room with smoke as Sombra went flying back as he cried.

"NOOOOOOOOO!"

Flash: 350 (Winner)
Sombra: 0

Turn 50, Towards a Perfect Future

View Online

Flash coughed as he fanned the smoke away.

He looked up and saw Flash Heart Dragon, who was staring down at him through the smoke. He smirked before giving his partner a thumbs up, Flash Heart copying the motion before disappearing. With that done, he turned to look at where Sombra had landed.

Ironically the blast from the final attack had thrown him into his throne, which had shattered leaving him laying on a pile of broken crystal. The man who called himself king groaned as he picked himself up, before turning to look at Flash. His eye went wide as what had just happened hit him. "No," he quivered out, "it isn't possible. How could I lose...to a child."

Flash just glared at the man. "You lost because you underestimated the power of this world."

Sombra shook in fear and horror. "I lost, that means." He looked up at the Shadow Gate above.

Outside everyone cheered after seeing Flash defeat Sombra.

"He did it!" Pinkie screamed.

"Or yeah!" Rainbow said.

"Incredible," Rarity said as tears threatened to break out of her eyes.

"I knew he could do it," Twilight said as she smiled up at the tower, only for her attention to drift to something else. The Crystal Tower's glow faded, returning it to the black crystal it had originally been. The energy beam that had been shooting out the top stopped, as the last of the light faded. Then she and the rest of the group heard a cracking sound, making them look around and see the crystal roots turning to dust.

"What's happening?" Applejack asked.

"Sombra lost," Cold, having been healed by the Ener-D convergence, explained, "doing so meant that the very weak link between his cards and the monster has been broken. Now the Doom-Vaders have nothing connecting them to this world and without a connection, the Shadow Gate can't be forged."

"So that's it," Shining said, "it's over."

"Yes," Cold said as he looked up at the Shadow Gate, "the gate will soon begin to close and then disappear completely."

Grand looked up at the tower with a worried look. "I doubt it'll be that simple."

Back in the tower, Sombra wasn't taking his defeat well.

"No," he said before he started pounding the ground, "this can't be happening. No, no, no, NO!"

"Give it up Sombra," Flash told him, "it's over, you've lost."

"No," Sombra said, "everything I've worked for. Why did this happen?"

"It happened because you turned your back on this world," Flash told him, "it happened years ago. You seeked to find the breeches so you could escape this world and now you tried to simply destroy it." He began to walk over to Sombra. "Don't you see," he said, "this world is amazing. It has its flaws but nothing's perfect." He held out his hand, offering to help him up. "It's time to come back to this world," he told him, "and see what your future holds."

Sombra looked up at the boy, staring at his hand, before looking down at his own. Could he really return to the way things were, after everything that had happened?" Taking a deep breath, Sombra nodded before holding out his hand to take Flash's. However, in doing so he caught a glimpse of his deck and saw something unusual.

The deck was glowing a dark shadowy colour, coming off the cards like smoke.

"What?" He asked looking at it, before something caught his ear.

The sound of thunder rumbling above their heads, causing the two to look up at the Shadow Gate.

The gate should have started to close, however it remained as it was and even stranger, it looked like it was getting bigger. Lightning sparked across it, as the portal grew in size.

"What's going on?" Flash asked Sombra, "you lost, the portal should be closing."

Sombra thought for a moment, until his eyes went wide. "No," he said as he stood up, "they can't."

"Can't what?"

"They're trying to open the gate and pass through," Sombra replied.

"They can do that?" Flash asked.

"Yes," Sombra said, "but it comes with a price."

Down bellow, the group saw the Shadow Gate and grew concerned.

"The Doom-Vaders are trying to pass through an unstable gateway," Cold explained.

"I'm guessing that's a bad thing?" Spike asked.

"Unless the passage is stable," Sunset replied, "trying to pass through it will cause the rift between the two dimensions to collapse and that will cause our world, the dark world and the Duel Monster Spirit World to collide with each other."

"It'll be a world sandwich and we'll be the jam," Tidal said in concern.

"Then we'll just have to stop it," Rainbow said. She held up her card, but unlike last time the card did not respond. "What?"

"The passage is destabilised," Cadance told her, "our monsters can't come through either."

"We have to stop them," Flash told Sombra.

"I know," Sombra replied, "but how." Suddenly he looked at his wrist and saw the glow from his deck begin to grow larger. Suddenly the Duel Disk holding it exploded, sending Flash and Sombra flying back, as the cards flew into the air and collected into a single shadowy mass.

Flash and Sombra sat themselves up as they watched the shadow grow larger, until it almost filled the entire room. Suddenly a pair of green eyes appeared in the centre, before turning to the humans and glaring down at them.

"Sombra!" A voice from the shadow spoke, "you have failed us!"

"I...I," Sombra tried to respond.

"Failure will not be accepted," the shadow said. Suddenly a load of shadow tendrils shot out of the cloud, before wrapping itself around Sombra's arms, legs and torso. They then started dragging Sombra towards the cloud, as he scrapped and scratched along the ground trying to escape.

"NO!" Sombra screamed as he felt himself be lifted into the air and pulled into the shadow. As his lower half was submerged into the darkness, Sombra suddenly felt someone grab his arm. Looking up he saw Flash holding onto him and try and pull him out.

"Let...him...go!" He groaned.

"Flash," Sombra said.

"I have you," the teen said, however. Flash suddenly felt something wrap around his waist, making him look down to see the shadow had gotten him.

"You," the darkness said, "we will take you as well."

Flash released Sombra and tried to pull himself free, but the shadow's grip was to strong and the both of them were sucked inside.

Seconds passed and nothing happened, making the shadow believe he had done it, until suddenly a single speck of light shot of its body.

"What?" The shadow asked, before the speck exploded into a stream of light and caused the shadow to cry out as he was ripped apart by the light and retreated away. Looking back he saw the light die down, showing the origin.

Flash Heart Dragon stood there, Flash and Sombra in his clutches, giving off the light which had hurt the shadow.

"How?" The shadow asked.

Flash Heart put the humans down, before turning to the shadow and igniting his thrusters. He shot forward and punched the shadow, causing it to cry in pain as it was sent flying.

"Oh yeah!" Flash cried, seeing his monster kick butt.

"How?" Sombra asked, before something else caught his attention. A piece of the shadow was flying towards Flash from the rear, transforming into a spear like object that was about to stab him. "LOOK OUT!"

Flash spun around and saw the spear, causing him to flinch and raise his arm in defence. However, nothing happened. Opening his eyes, he saw someone standing infront of him blocking the spear with a bronze shield.

"Arma?" Flash asked seeing the girl, who turned back and smiled at him over her shoulder.

Flash smiled back, before a light caught his eye and made him look down to see his deck glowing. Then a light flew off his deck and took form, before the light faded to reveal Magna Wolf. The wolf leapt over Arma and bite down on the spear, destroying it and allowing Arma to lower her weapon.

"You're here," Flash said as he stood up.

"Flash!" The teen turned back to Sombra, who was looking up at the Shadow Gate.

The gate had grown even larger and from it, several shadows flew out before flying around the city.

Down bellow, Flash's friends saw this and grew concerned.

"Look!" Scootaloo cried pointing at a group of shadows, which were flying right at them.

"Everybody run!" Shining called out, as the group scattered and was being chased by shadows.

"The Doom-Vaders are breaking through," Sombra explained, "we need to stop them or everything will be destroyed."

Flash looked down at his deck, knowing what he had to do. He took the cards out of his Duel Disk, before raising them in the air.

"COME TO ME!"

The deck shined, before exploding into many different lights which flew out the tower and across the city.

Down bellow, Twilight, Spike, Shining and Cadance was running from a shadow.

Suddenly Twilight tripped and fell.

"Twilight!" Shining called out as they turned back to her.

Twilight tried to pick herself up, but as she did she felt a presence. Looking behind her, she saw a shadow shooting towards her. She was about to scream, but then a light shot down from the sky infront of her. When the light faded, Twilight looked up and saw Lumino Jaw Dragon standing above her.

The dragon turned to the shadow, before flapping its wings and creating a gust that sent it flying back.

"What just happened?" Twilight asked.

All over the city, Flash's monsters were appearing and fighting back against the shadows.

"Whoa!" Rainbow and Applejack said as they looked up to see Crossbolt and Radium shot down several shadows.

"Incredible," Rarity said as she and Pinkie watched as Solaris and Lunara fired magic beams that struck several more shadows.

Volt Edge Dragon, Twin Laser Dragon, Light Boarder, Lucidum and Gladio, they were all there. They all worked to make the shadows retreat back into the Shadow Gate.

"Their returning to the gate," Sombra said.

"Then let's make sure they stay there."

The two looked around to see Vail Pixie float down.

"Come on," she said, "We need to destroy the gate."

The humans nodded, as Flash Heart picked them up and placed them on his back, before flying into the sky.

A new wave of shadows appeared, heading straight for them. But in that moment Flash's Extra Deck monster flew up and passed them. Spectral Nova, Spectral Sabre and Spiral Vector Dragon took out the first wave of shadows, followed by Assault Striker and Sacred Light Paladin who attacked and destroyed the second lot. Destiny Bound and Chaos Command Dragon finished off the final group, freeing Flash Heart to attack the gate itself.

"We have to hurry," Sombra said.

"Vail Pixie," Flash said, "power us up!"

The fairy nodded, before placing her hand on Flash Heart. The dragon was consumed by light, as he shifted and changed before the light faded to reveal Accel. The evolved dragon unfolded its cannons at let rip, unleashing it quadro blast which struck the gate.

The gate began to shake and crack, as Accel's power overloaded it.

"Keep going!" Flash said.

"It's not enough," Sombra said.

Suddenly the Extra Deck monsters were beside them and unleashed their own attacks, followed by the rest of Flash's monster. The many attacks all combined as they struck the gate, causing it to break up even more and grow smaller. Eventually the portal was almost completely closed, as only one shadow remained.

Flash looked at the shadow and instantly knew which one it was.

"Tyrant Reaper," he said before looking down at Accel, "let's end this!"

Accel ceased its attack, before it was consumed by light and reverted back to Flash Heart. His boosters ignited, propelling them forward before Flash Heart reared back a fist and then let it fly. It struck Tyrant Reaper with enough force that the Doom-Vader was sent flying back into the gate, which finally succumb to the onslaught and collapsed.

Everyone looked up to see the Shadow Gate be destroyed.

"He did it!" Spike said.

Twilight however, was concerned and began rushing back to the tower.

"Twilight!" Shining called out as they chased after her.

Back at the Crystal Tower, Flash Heart Dragon landed back in the main chamber.

As he put Flash and Sombra down, the rest of Flash's monster flew and gathered around them. "We did it," Flash said as he looked around at them, "all of us."

"We couldn't have done it without you," Vail Pixie told him, "you were the one who lead us. Thank you." With that, she and the rest of his monsters all bowed to him.

"Our jeez," Flash said as he scratched the back of his head, before turning to Sombra.

Sombra was staring around the Crystal Tower, obviously still disappointed at the lose of his perfect future.

"Hey," he turned back to Flash, "I believe we were about to shake hands." He held out his hand once again, still offering his friendship and help.

Sombra stared at the hand again, before smiling and going to take. Then suddenly his whole body exploded with pain, causing him to cry out as he fell to his knees.

"Sombra!" Flash called out as he and his monsters crowded around him, "what's wrong?"

Sombra had a feeling he knew. "Forcing the rift between worlds open and creating the link between the Doom-Vaders and the cards, put major strain on my body," Sombra explained. "The Doom-Vaders were the ones keeping my body from collapsing for the damage, but now their gone."

Flash realised what he meant. Now all the damage he'd done to himself was being returned to him at once.

"Looks like I won't get that chance to see what this world is worth," Sombra said.

"No," Flash told him, "I won't accept that. There has to be something we can do?" He looked around at him monster, all of whom seemed to be looking sad. "Anything?"

Vail Pixie frowned, before she suddenly looked up is surprise. "You're right, that might work."

"What might work?" Flash asked, but the fairy didn't reply. Instead she lifted up her hands and concentrated, before a breech opened up on the far wall. "What's going on?" Suddenly someone stepped out of the breech, someone Flash knew. "Mom?"

Misty Vail smiled down at her son. "Well done Flash," she said, "I knew you could do it." With that she knelt down next to Flash and Sombra, before looking over the older man's injuries. "You won't survive this," she told him.

"I know," Sombra said.

"But that doesn't mean you have to die," Misty said as she placed her hand on his shoulder, "you can make a new life, in the Spirit World."

"Wait," Flash said, "are you saying that Sombra will survive if he goes into the Spirit World?"

"Yes," Misty said, "his human body will die, but his soul will become a Duel Monster Spirit. You'll be reborn."

"And maybe I can still do something worth wild," Sombra said.

"Maybe," Misty said, "but we must hurry." They lifted him up and carried him to the portal. Once there, Sombra and Misty prepared to pass through. Before they did, Misty turned to her son. "I'll be home soon," she said, "once Sombra is stable and the damage to the Spirit World is repaired."

Flash just smiled at her and nodded. "I understand. You have a lot of responsibilities."

Misty smiled at her son, before pulling him to her and kissing his forehead. "Say hi to your sister and grandfather for me," she said.

"I will," Flash replied.

With that Misty and Sombra walked into the portal, where Sombra's new life would begin. Seconds later the portal closed, leaving Flash and his monsters in the crystal chamber.

Flash turned to his friends and smiled. "So this is it," he said, "you'll be leaving soon right?"

"We have to returned to our world," Vail Pixie said.

"I know," Flash replied as he knelt down and stroked Magna Wolf, "but I'm gonna miss you."

"Why?" Vail Pixie asked, "we'll still be with you. You are apart of us and we, are apart of you." With that, the monsters all glowed before transforming into lights which flew into Flash's Duel Disk and returned to their card forms. The only monsters still there, were Vail Pixie and Flash Heart.

"You're right," Flash said, "we'll never really be apart. As long as I Duel, I'll be connected."

Vail Pixie nodded. "We'll be with you for as long as you want us to be, even until the end of your days. Our power, is your power." With that, the two monsters transformed into a pair of lights before reverting back to their card forms that floated infront of Flash.

Flash smiled as he took the cards, but the second he did they both began to glow and were completely enveloped. Before Flash could ask what was going on, the light faded and the cards were revealed. However, these cards were different. Flash Heart and Vail Pixie were still on them, but their posses were different and the writing on their card was slightly different.

"What?" Flash asked, but in that second the entire tower began to shake. "Uh oh," he said, "I'd better get out of here." And with that he rushed off towards the stairs.

Outside the tower, Twilight and the others were rushing towards it.

As they got closer however, they noticed the structure beginning to shake. Then the whole tower began to crack and pull apart, before finally completely collapsing into dust.

Twilight's eyes went wide seeing this, as she and the others reached the dust cloud where the tower had once been.

"Flash?" Twilight called out in fear, "Flash where are you?"

Everyone else began to fear the worst, until they noticed something coming out of the dust.

That something was a humanoid figure, who was walking towards them. Finally they exited the dust cloud and revealed itself as Flash, dusty and battered but alive.

Finally he stopped and smirked at his friends. "Hey guys," he said.

Everyone smiled seeing him, but no one's smile was as big as Twilight's. She shot towards him and threw her arms around him, before pulling him into a kiss.

Once again Flash was surprised, but quickly got over it and kissed her back.

"Well it's about time," Applejack said, everyone else agreeing.

With that everyone gathered around Flash and Twilight, before pulling them into a hug.

"We're so proud of you," Twilight told him as they pulled away.

"Thank you," Flash said before turning to the others, "all of you. I couldn't have done it without you."

"Happy to help," Rainbow said.

"Indeed darling," Rarity said.

Then Cold appeared. "Sombra?"

"Don't worry," Flash said, "he's somewhere that'll help him."

Cold smiled as he nodded.

Meanwhile Thorax was looking over the crystal rubble, before he noticed some thing sticking out of it. Moving over to it he began to move the crystal away, before gasping as he saw who it was. "Mother," he said, getting everyone's attention.

They all moved over to them and then saw several over people sticking out of the crystal, which they removed to reveal Adagio, Lightning and the Flim-Flam Brothers.

Checking them over, they all saw they were unconscious but alive.

"They need medical attention," Cadance said.

"Let's get them back to the stadium," Cold told them.

They all nodded as they did so.

Meanwhile Flash was looking up at the sky, Twilight stepping over to him.

"So that's it," She said, "it's over?"

"Yeah," Flash said, "it's over."

"So what now?" Twilight asked, only getting a smile from him in return.

"We start moving on," he said, "towards a perfect future."

Twilight smiled as she leaned into him. It would be a long road, but they'd recover.

Canterlot was rebuilding.

All over the city construction workers were busy repairing the damage done by the crystal roots, patching up the roads and repairing the street lamps and mail boxes.

The repairs were mainly being funded by Freeze Industries.

In his office at the Freeze Industries building, Cold and Sunset were looking over to reports for the repairs.

"Everything seems to be going well," Sunset told him, "over thirty percent of the damage has already been repaired."

"Good," Cold said, "everything appears to be on schedule." He then looked over at Sunset. "How about our patient?"

Sunset smiled. "She's doing well."

At the Freeze Stadium, Adagio's eyes began to flutter open.

"I think she's coming around," she heard someone say. She opened her eyes fully and as she did, two familiar faces showed themselves to her.

"Welcome back," Sonata said with a smile on her face.

"About time," Aria said, a smirk on her face.

"Aria," Adagio spoke, "Sonata. You're alright."

"Of course we are silly," Sonata told her.

Before they could say anything else, Adagio grabbed the two and pulled them into a hug. Her eyes were filled with tears. "I'm...so happy I get to see you."

Sonata and Aria both smiled, before returning the hug.

Meanwhile out on the street, Twilight was helping the construction crews who were repairing the city.

Her organisation skills proved rather handy at this moment. "That's right," she told a foreman, "we should have enough materials for this section. Go check the next one and see what's needed there."

The foremen nodded, before moving over to do what she said.

"Looks like someone's keeping everything together."

Twilight turned to see Shining and Cadance walking towards them.

"Hey guys," she said, "just trying to get as much done as possible before I had to leave."

"Just don't overexert yourself," Shining said, "you'll want to be at your best."

Twilight nodded. "Are you two coming?"

"of course," Cadance said, "though I won't be participating."

"Why not?" Twilight asked in confusion.

She watched the two share a knowing glance, before turning back to her and both placing a hand on Cadance's stomach. Twilight's eyes went wide as she realised what they were insinuating.

"No."

"Yeap," Cadance said with a smile.

Twilight let out a giddy squeal before throwing her arms around them. "Congratulations," she said.

"Thanks," Shining said, "we've known for a while, but we wanted to wait until everything had settled down."

"I can't believe it," Twilight said as she pulled away, "I'm gonna be an aunt."

Meanwhile in another part of town, Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and Pinkie were walking through a part of the repaired town.

"So their gone?" Fluttershy asked.

"They left as soon as they were on their feet," Rainbow said.

"Yeah," Applejack said, "but I doubt we've seen the last of them."

"To bad they left so soon," Pinkie asked, "I was gonna invite them to the party."

"Hopefully they'll have had a change of hearts when we next see them," Rarity said.

Lightning and the Flim-Flam Brothers were on a hill in the outskirts of town, all of their belongings in bags they were carrying. They looked back at the city they'd once called home and smirked.

"Next time we'll get them," Lightning said.

"Indeed," Flim said.

"But next time we'll use our own power," Flam said.

With that they all turned and walked away, ready to start anew.

Thorax and Spike were in the park, which had been completely restored with the crystals being hauled away.

Thorax was on the phone. "I have a few more things to do here," he said to whoever he was speaking to, "I should be back in a few days. How is she?" He listened for a few minutes before nodding, "okay. Keep an eye on her. I'll talk to you later." With that he cut the call and turned to Spike.

"Well?" Spike asked.

"Mother's recovering," Thorax said, "but she's not enjoying being under house arrest."

"Makes sense," Spike replied, "so they getting everything ready for your coronation?"

"Yeah," Thorax replied, "though it won't be for another few weeks. Maybe you guys can come."

"I thought we were anyway?" Spike asked before they both smiled and then laughed.

"We should get going," he said, "don't wanna be late."

Spike nodded and they made the way to their destination.

A little while later, the two arrived at Freeze Stadium and headed up to the room where they'd had the party before the finals.

"Hey everyone," Spike said as they stepped inside. Almost all their friends were there, helping to set up and decorate the room.

"Hey," Twilight said as she handed them a box of decorations, "you're just in time to help out."

"Great," Spike replied sarcastically as he and Thorax walked over to where Pinkie was hanging some streamers with Applebloom and Sweetie. Next to them, Maud and Mac were setting up the tables while Rainbow and the others carried more boxes in.

"Looks like everything's gonna be done sooner then expected," Sunset told Twilight.

"Looks like it," Twilight said.

In that moment, Tidal decided to show up. "All that's missing now is the guest off honour," he said as he looked around, "where is he anyway?"

"I don't know," Twilight said, "but hopefully he'll be here soon."

Flash was in his room looking over his deck, making some changes to it.

Suddenly he heard a knock at the door, which opened to show an annoyed Scootaloo.

"Will you hurry up," she told him, "we're gonna be late."

"We've got plenty of time Scoot," Flash told her, "I was just making so last minute changes to my deck."

"What changes?" Scootaloo asked as she walked over, "you saved the world with that deck. What could need changing?"

Flash just smirked and showed her a card.

Scootaloo stared at it in confusion. "Magna Wolf?"

"Check it out," he replied as he closed his eyes and brought the card to his forehead. Suddenly the card glowed, only for a second, before the light died down and Flash opened his eyes. He then showed her the card.

It was almost completely changed, surprising Scootaloo. It looked like Magna Wolf, but it was larger and its armour was now silver and it had to large fangs sticking out its mouth. "Shining Fang Magna Wolf?"

"Some of my monsters have gained new power," Flash explained, "by opening my connection, I can make the cards evolve to better suit their new power."

"That's cool," Scootaloo said, "but we do need to get going."

"Alright," Flash said as he packed his deck away. The two of them then headed out to the living room, where Grand Hoof was on the phone. "See you later gramps."

"See yeah kids," Grand replied as he watched them leave, before returning to his call. "Are you sure you can't come back? It sounds like you've recovered a lot."

"It's still gonna take me a while," Trail said, "I'm able to move around a lot better, but I doubt I can make such a big trip yet."

"Well don't rush yourself," Grand said.

"I won't," Trail replied, "but I do miss the kids. I wish I could be there now, but..."

"It's okay," Grand replied, "just focus on regaining your strength."

"I will," Trail said, "and thank you for all that you've done."

"No problem," Grand said, "I loved every second of it."

As Flash and Scootaloo arrived at the stadium, the first thing they saw was Twilight.

She was standing outside the doors, her arms crossed and and frown on her face.

"Hey," he said as they got closer, a nervous look on his face.

"You mister," Twilight said as she pointed at him, "are late."

"You know," Scootaloo said, "I think I'll go in and leave you two to it." With that she ran inside, leaving the two alone.

"Sorry," Flash said, "I guess I lost track of time."

"Honestly," Twilight said as she rubbed the bridge of her nose, "what am I gonna do with you? Sometimes it amazes me that you saved the world."

"Oh haha," he replied before grabbing her around the waist, "come here you." With that he pulled her towards him and then planted his lips on hers.

They kissed for almost a solid minute, before they pulled away and smiled at each other.

"Come on," Twilight said as she took his hand and pulled him inside the stadium.

They rode the elevator up to the party room, holding hands the whole way, before stepping out into the room. As soon as he arrived, he was bombarded by party poppers and a loud cry.

"CONGRATULATIONS FLASH!"

Flash smiled seeing all his friends, before Twilight pushed him through the crowd and up on stage. Flash just stared at his adoring public, quickly growing nervous at the attention. Finally he took a deep breath and then smiled. "Okay everyone, I want to thank you all for coming and for all your help in the fight against Sombra and his forces. From the bottom of my heart," he bowed, "thank you."

Everybody smiled at this.

"Okay everyone," Flash said, "what do you say we get this thing started!"

"YEAH!"

Out on the stage, the ARC System was activated and generated a large field with many different terrains.

"Let's go," Fluttershy said as she flew over a large lake on Kindness Dragonoid.

Suddenly out of the lake shot Soveruin, Tidal sitting behind him. "A strike to the HEART!" His monster waved his sword and created a tsunami, which headed towards Fluttershy.

In another area, this time a forest, six figures broke through the treeline. It was Scootaloo, Sweetie and Applebloom, riding atop their ace monsters.

"You can't beat us," Applebloom said.

"We're the strongest ever," Sweetie said.

"Just let us show you," Scootaloo said.

Suddenly another figure broke through the treeline. It was Shining, riding atop Grand Emperor, who looked at the girls then smiled. "Bring it on!" He yelled as his monster swung its sword and sent the three girls flying.

"GUESS WE NEED MORE PRACTISE!"

In a desert area, Maud and Tectonic Colossal were fighting Mac on Cyber Handyman.

In a canyon area, Pinkie and Rarity were brawling with their best monsters and not to far away was Spike and Thorax doing the same.

"You're going down!" Spike said as Blazemaster swung his sword at Changeling King, who dodged it before transforming into his opponent.

"I'd like to see you try!" Thorax replied.

In another area, a large industrial complex, Applejack and Rainbow were duking it out. Rainbow's monster wasn't Assault Wing Gold, though it did look like him only with different armour and a longer sword.

"Wings of freedom, descend!" Rainbow said, "Rainbow Battle Wing, Gold!"

Applejack just smirked at the new monster.

In another area, a volcano, Sunset was flying on Solar Flare Phoenix. Suddenly she was almost hit by a blast of magic energy, which caused her to look down and see Twilight.

She was stood next to a monster that looked like Twilight Sorcerer, only his cloths were slightly different and his staff was made out of metal instead of wood. "Let the magic shine for all eternity," Twilight said, "Twilight Warlock!"

Twilight and Sunset stared at each other, before their monsters charged.

At the top of a large tower stood Flash, with Flash Heart Dragon behind him, staring up at Cold who stood atop a flying Frozen Heart Dragon.

"A whole new world is opening up infront of us," Flash said as he leapt up onto his dragon's back, as it prepared itself for battle, "Flash Heart Dragon...X!" He smiled up at his mentor. "Here I come Cold."

Cold just smiled back, "I'm ready, Flash!"

The teen nodded as his dragon's boosters kicked into gear and sent it and its Duellist flying forward. Flash Heart reared his first back, while Frozen Heart readied its claws. With one strong swing the two collided.

The world had been saved and a new dawn had begun. No one knew what would happen next, but there was one thing they did know. The future, was going to be a bright one.