The World Duel Carnival had been announced a few days ago, and over 10,000 duelists had entered, including Sunset and her friends. Twilight in particular was going over every single strategy, formula, theorem, and equation to take on any type deck in the world. "I may have lost the KC Grand Championship, but it's time to step up and show everyone that I'm just as good at Duel Monsters as I am with Science, Geometry, and History! There were a few flaws in my deck when I was dueling my dimensional counterpart. And I've got to replace them!" After two days of preparing and planning at her house, her brand new deck was done. "IT'S ALIVE! IT'S ALIVE! I've created the perfect deck! It's absolutely flawless! Now I'm ready!"
"Um, Twilight!" called Fluttershy knocking on Twilight's door.
"Huh? Who's there?" asked Twi.
"It's us!" called Rainbow.
"Are you okay?!" asked Sunset. "We heard you yelling."
Twilight then opened her door. "Sorry, I just got excited because I've finally finished my new deck. Now I'm ready for the World Duel Carnival."
"Uh… about that, Twi," said Applejack.
"About what?" asked Twilight.
"Yeah, um… you see," said Sunset.
"What is it?" asked Twi. "Was the tournament cancelled?!"
"No," answered AJ. "But, the thing is…"
"Tournament registrations stopped yesterday," said Rarity.
"What?!" cried Twi.
"We tried to call and tell you yesterday," said Sunset. "But you never answered any of our calls."
"But maybe you can still apply online," said Pinkie.
"Okay!" said Twilight. But when she tried to apply, the site had already shut down the registration page. "No… I had finally prepared the perfect deck, just for this very tournament, and now I'll never get the chance."
"I'm so sorry, Twi," said Spike.
"So am I, darling," said Rarity.
"If only I would have answered one of your calls," said Twilight on the verge of tears.
All the girls hugged their friend.
"Don't worry, Twilight," said Fluttershy. "You can take my heart piece."
"What?" asked Twi.
"It's okay," said Fluttershy. "I'll just enter the next tournament."
"No," said Twilight. "That's very sweet of you, Fluttershy. But you're not going to pay for my mistake. I'm the one who didn't apply. Besides, I can tell you want to duel."
"Okay, you caught me," said Fluttershy. "Sorry."
"But still, that was very sweet," said Twilight.
"Hey, maybe we can win you a heart piece," said Rainbow.
"Yeah!" said Pinkie. "I'll give the first heart piece I win to you!"
Twilight's tears finally fell. "You girls are the best friends any girl could ever wish for!" And the girls all hugged again.
"Maybe there's a way I can help," thought Spike.
The next day, all the participants had gathered in the city, and the second the tournament began, duels started happening everywhere.
"Well, let's get going!" said Rainbow.
"Oh yeah!" said Pinkie.
"Let's get us some heart pieces!" said Applejack.
"Once again, thank you for helping me, girls," said Twi.
"Anything for a friend, darling," said Rarity.
Spike then arrived with a heart-shaped frame in his mouth. "Surprise!"
"Spike?" asked Twi. "What are you doing here? And, what's that in your mouth?"
Spike dropped the item. "I kinda… snuck out of the house, and went into town. Then I asked my dog pals to help look around for a spare heart piece that someone might have dropped or didn't need anymore. And Winona helped me find one. See? And it's got four pieces!"
"Spike…" said Twilight. "I can't believe you did that. How can I ever thank you, and Winona?"
"It was no problem at all. Besides, I love you, Twi," said Spike as he licked his master.
"Awwwwww," said the girls.
"Good girl, Winona," said AJ as she hugged her pet. "You're such a good little girl."
A couple seconds later, a bunch of kids and cats showed up, including Opalescence.
"My heart pieces!" said one of the kids. "I finally found them! Cathy, please thank your cat friends for helping us find them."
"You're very welcome, Yuma," said another.
"What's going on here?" asked Twilight.
"Um, excuse me, I'm Yuma, and those are my heart pieces," said the boy. "I accidently dropped them while I was eating, and then your dog grabbed them and took off. Can I please have them back?"
"Spike?" asked Twi. "You stole them?!"
"No!" barked Spike. "I didn't know they were his, honest!"
"I'm very sorry," said Twilight. "He was just trying to help me get into…"
"You thieving mongrels!" interrupted Cathy. "How dare you take my friend's heart pieces! Those mutts should be kept on a very short leash!"
"Who are you calling a mutt?!" asked Spike.
"What?!… That dog's talking?!" asked Yuma.
"No way!" said Tori.
Winona growled and the cats while they hissed at her and Spike.
"I'm very sorry," repeated Twilight. "But there's no need to get…"
"Don't bother Twi!" said Spike. "You don't have apologize to some crazy cat girl."
"Crazy, huh?!" asked Cathy. "At least my friends don't dig up the garden and drink from the toilet."
"At least I don't scratch up everything in sight and eat disease ridden rats!" countered Spike.
Cathy gritted teeth. "Why you, flea bitten-"
Winona and Spike then howled to summon all their neighborhood dog friends to join them.
"This is getting out of hand!" said Rarity.
"Totally," said Rainbow.
"Wait!" yelled Fluttershy. "Look, I know cats and dogs have had their problems in the past, but maybe if we all just look past your differences and…"
"I know the perfect way to settle this, once and for all," interrupted Spike. "A duel!"
"A duel?!" asked Yuma, Tori, Bronk, Caswell, and Flip.
"Sounds like a fine idea," said Cathy. "But if I win, you dogs have to leave the city, for good!"
"And if I win," said Spike. "Then you cats get lost, forever!"
"This sinks," said Tori. "I like cats and dogs."
"I just want my pieces back," said Yuma.
"This takes precedence, Yuma," said Astral. "Cats and Dogs are age old rivals. Finally, they have a chance to settle it."
"But what about what I want settled?" asked Yuma. "Like getting my pieces back?!"
"Do ya have it, Twi?" asked Spike.
"Yeah," said Twilight as she brought out a miniature duel disk. "But come on, Spike. You really don't think you need to do this."
"By insulting us dogs, that girl is mocking all dog lovers!" said Spike. "Like you. And nobody insults my owner!"
"That's very sweet, Spike," said Twilight. "But…"
"Are we dueling or what?" asked Cathy.
"Of course!" said Spike as he pulled on the duel disk onto his front leg with his teeth.
"Then let's get it on!" said Cathy.
"Duel!" said Spike and Cathy.
Cathy LP: 4000
Spike LP: 4000
"I've heard of it raining cats and dogs, but not dueling them," said Yuma. "I just hope Cathy wins for my heart piece's sake."
"How in the hay did Spike learn about Duel Monsters?" asked Applejack.
"Oh, we've been practicing for weeks at home," said Twi. "First I taught him how to put on the small duel disk that I designed specifically for him, then I taught him about the cards, and how to win."
"And I taught him some cool canine card tips," said Fluttershy.
"Awesome," said Rainbow.
"I know that dogs can be trained," said Sunset. "But I didn't think you could teach them this much."
"Me neither," said Rarity.
"Cool," said Pinkie.
Turn 1: Cathy
"I'll start off!" said Cathy. "First I summon Stray Cat in attack mode."
"Only a hundred ATK points?" asked Yuma. "That cat is clawless."
"That maybe the plan," said Astral.
"I now place two cards face down to complete my turn," said Cathy.
Turn 2: Spike
"Okay, my turn," said Spike as he drew.
"That dog can draw?!" asked Yuma and Tori.
"Now I've seen it all!" said Bronk and Flip.
"He's drawing the cards with the very tips of his claws," said Caswell. "And instead of putting them in his actual paw, he just places them on the ground, face down. Amazing."
"I activate Graceful Charity which lets me draw three cards as long as I discard two," continued Spike. (Chain Dog and Mechanical Hound) "Then I'll play Pot of Greed so I can draw two more cards! Now I summon Outstanding Dog Marron in defense mode. Next I play Where Arf Thou? Since I have a level one monster on my field, I can add another monster to my paw with the same level. I choose another Outstanding Marron. Then I'll play Double Summon so I can bring him out to field, also in defense mode. Now that I have two Beast monsters on my field, I can special summon Chain Dog from my graveyard in attack mode!"
"I'm guessing he was one of the cards you discarded?" asked Cathy.
"Yep," answered Spike. "Then I'll equip my Chain Dog with United We Stand! This gives him 800 extra ATK points for each one of my monsters. Since I have three, my dog gains 2400 ATK points!" (Chain Dog ATK: 1600 – 4000)
"Talk about a bite as big as your bark," said Yuma. "How does a dog know how to make that play?"
"When it comes to dueling, I'd say the dog is better trained than Yuma," said Astral.
"So not cool!" said Yuma.
"Chain Dog! Declaw that Stray Cat!" ordered Spike.
"I play a trap card!" said Cathy. "Cat Confusion! Now, since your mutt attacked one of my Beast monsters, I can now return your Chain Dog to your paw."
"I don't think so!" said Spike.
"What?" asked Cathy.
"I activate the effect of Chow Chow Chan from my paw!" said Spike. "Since you activated a normal trap during my monster's attack, I can simply discard Chow Chow Chan to negate your trap and destroy it."
"Ah!" cried Cathy as the attack hit.
"Only 100 points to go," said Spike.
"That's what you think," said Cathy. "Before your dog hit my Stray Cat, I played this! My face down, Cat Food! It let me tribute my little kitty, and then special summon Stray Cat Girl from her deck. And when she's in attack mode, she can't be destroyed in battle."
Cathy LP: 600
Spike LP: 4000
"Big deal," said Spike. "You've only got 600 points left. One more attack, and you're done for. I now equip my Chain Dog with the Raregold Armor, now he's the only monster you can attack. I place one card place down and end my turn."
Turn 3: Cathy
"My turn then," said Cathy. "Sure ya knocked pretty good last round, but now you'll see why cats always land on their feet. I summon Cat Girl! Next, I'll overlay her with my Level 4 Stray Cat Girl and Xyz summon Cat Girl Magician! Next I equip her with Catnip Turbine, it gives her 1200 ATK points!" (Cat Girl Magician ATK: 2000 → 3200) "The only drawback is, now I can't attack any of your monsters."
"Then why bother playing it?" asked Spike. "Your monster's still too weak, and now it can't even attack."
"Oh but she can," said Cathy.
"Huh?" asked Spike.
"I activate Cat Girl Magician's effect!" said Cathy. "By using one overlay unit, I can cut her power in half until the end of the turn. After that, I can attack you directly." (Cat Girl Magician ATK: 3200 → 1600)
"Oh boy," said Spike.
"Go, Cat Magician!" said Cathy. "Attack him directly with Cataclysmic Clobbering Blast!"
"Ah!" yelped Spike.
Cathy LP: 600
Spike LP: 2400
"Spike!" said the girls.
"Are you okay?!" asked Twi.
"Yeah, I'm fine," said Spike.
"Now for long," said Cathy. "I now place two cards face down and end my turn. Which means my Cat Girl Magician's ATK points return to normal." (Cat Girl Magician ATK: 1600 → 3200)
Turn 4: Spike
"Back to me," said Spike. "I activate Premature Burial! By paying 800 life points, I can special summon a monster from my graveyard. So I choose Mechanical Hound!"
Cathy LP: 600
Spike LP: 1600
"I guess that was the other card you discarded?" asked Cathy.
"Of course," answered Spike. "And since I gained a new monster, Chain Dog gains 800 more points." (Chain Dog ATK: 4000 → 4800) "Now Chain Dog! Attack that Cat Magician!"
"I play a face down!" said Cathy. "The trap, Gold Coins for Cats! You see, since you attacked my Cat Magician, she now gains half the ATK of your monster until the end of the damage step." (Cat Girl Magician ATK: 3200 → 5600)
"Not today!" said Spike. "I activate Seven Tool of the Bandit! Now by paying 1000 life points, I can negate the activation of your trap card and destroy it!"
Cathy LP: 600
Spike LP: 600
"That's what I was waiting for," said Cathy. (Cat Girl Magician ATK: 5600 → 3200)
"Whatta ya mean?" asked Spike.
"I needed you to destroy my trap," explained Cathy. "Now I can activate my second face down, the spell Counter Meowsure. Since my trap was destroyed, I can destroy a spell or trap card on your side, then I can double the ATK points of my Cat Girl Magician for the rest of the turn. I think I'll destroy your United we Stand spell. So now, your monster's ATK points go back down to just 1600, while my Magician's ATK go up to 6400!" But Cathy's spell card didn't activate. "Hey, what's going on?! Why isn't my spell working?!"
"Because of my Mechanical Hound's effect!" said Spike. "You see, if I don't have any cards in my paw while he's on the field, you can't activate a single spell card."
Cathy gasped.
"Now as I was saying," said Spike. "Chain Dog, end this duel!"
"Darn!" said Cathy as she was blown away.
Cathy LP: 0
Spike LP: 600
"Alright, Spike!" cheered Twilight.
"Yee-haw!" said AJ.
"Awesome!" said Rainbow and Pinkie.
"Marvelous," said Rarity.
"Ya!" said Fluttershy softly.
"Man, what a duel!" said Yuma. "Wait! What about my heart pieces…"
"Spike, what you did was very sweet," said Twi. "But please, don't ever steal again."
"I'm sorry," said Spike. "I honestly didn't know they were his."
"Okay," said Twi. "Here um… Yuma was it?"
"Yes," said Yuma. "Nice to meet you, um…"
"Twilight," said Twi. "But my friends call me Twi. Anyway, here's your pieces."
"At last!" said Yuma. "Thank you!"
"I'm sorry for all this," said Twi. "My dog Spike, was just trying to tell help me get into the World Duel Carnival. I didn't register in time."
"Huh?" asked Yuma.
"Hey, just like you, Yuma," said Tori.
"Thanks for reminding me," said Yuma silently. "I'm sorry, Twi. I know what that feels like."
"Whatta ya mean?" asked Applejack.
"I didn't register either," admitted Yuma.
"Then… how did you get those heart pieces?" asked Rainbow.
"He begged to be let in," answered Bronk.
"I didn't!" yelled Yuma. "Well… maybe a little."
"I believe I can help you," said Cathy. "Here, take mine."
"What?" asked Twi.
"I'm pretty sure they don't let dogs duel in the tournament," said Cathy. "But he did beat me. And since you're his owner, I'll give these to you instead."
"Are you sure?" asked Twi.
"Of course," said Cathy. "Guess cats and dogs can be friends after all. Which does makes sense."
"I agree," said Fluttershy. "Because deep down, we're not all that different."
The gang then looked over and saw all the dogs and cats playing with one another.
"Guess this town is big enough for both cats and dogs after all," said Cathy.
"It always has been," said Fluttershy. "And it always will be. But we all must remember to pick up after our pets."
"Observation number 18," thought Astral. "People say a dog is man's best friend. Yuma would make a good dog."
"By the way," said Tori. "My name is Tori. And these are Yuma's friends, Bronk, Caswell, Flip, and Cathy."
"Hi!" said the boys.
"Nice to meet you all," said Twi. "These are my friends, Rainbow, Rarity, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, and Sunset."
"Cool names," said Caswell.
"Thanks," said Pinkie. "Love yours too, especially Flip. So, how many backflips can you do?"
"Um…none," said Flip.
A short while later, the two groups walked past a fashion boutique.
"This is my favorite clothing store," said Tori.
"Mine too," said Rarity. "Oh, I just got an internship at this shop."
"Really?" asked Tori.
"Yes. But I couldn't have gotten it with Sunset's help," admitted Rarity. "She helped me with the window displays."
"It was nothing," said Sunset.
"She that woman with the pink hair?" asked Rarity. "That's my boss, Prim Hemline."
"Hey, there's a sale going on!" said Cathy.
A big fat girl named Nelly then rushed past the group of friends and into the shop. "Oh, my gosh, a sale! Do you have the Princess Dress?!"
"Afraid not," said Prim Hemline.
"Oh well," said Nelly.
"That girl reminds me of your mom, Bronk," said Flip.
"What?!" asked Bronk.