Spike looked at the building in front of him: a two-story house with timber frames and a thatched roof. It would have been practically indistinguishable from most other buildings on Ponyville, save for a large, golden frame in the shape of an eye right above the front door. For a lot of ponies it was slightly unsettling; for Spike it was the definition of awesome.

Inside he was greeted with a rather modest setting: a dozen of square tables separated in two rows of six, leaving a path between them, and each with two chairs. Richly detailed posters depicting all sorts of creatures, from beasts and automatons to angels and demons, including those mythical humans, adorned nearly every inch of the walls. Finally, a registry on the back left corner, behind it a large shelf occupied with books, pamphlets and, most importantly, boxes filled with trading cards; for this was Ponyville's one and only card shop: the Millennium Mausoleum.

"Pity the name is not showing on the front," thought Spike."It would make this place look even more awesome. Or get the Royal Guard called. Whatever"

When not assisting Twilight, Rarity or anypony else, this was the baby dragon's favorite place. A place where everypony could gather to play "Duel Monsters" regardless of their age, gender or race. A place filled with laughs, cheers and joy. Or at least until today, were it stood completely empty, save for a white unicorn stallion lying on the ground, eyes closed.

"Whoa," cried Spike as he quickly approached the seemingly passed out pony, placed a tiny claw on his shoulder and gave him a light shook. "Are you okay, dude? What happened?"

"Strong…" muttered the stallion.

"What?"

"He's…too strong…"

"Who are you talking about? Hey! Open your eyes," said Spike as he shook the stallion harder. There was a moment of silence before he opened his eyes and frowned.

"Look, kid, are you going to the back or not? I can't lie on the floor all day!"

Spike raised his hands, slowly backed away from the stern looking stallion, still lying on the floor, and headed towards the back door. He quickly threw a glance behind him and saw the stallion closing his eyes and start muttering "strong" again.

"The back", as it was known among the shop's clientele, was an open grassy area behind the building surrounded by a small wooden fence forming a square shape. Inside there was a circle made of uniform, polished black stones, each carved with different kinds of arcane runes. This was the main reason of the game's popularity: a Dueling Arena. These monuments absorbed the magical energy on the atmosphere and focused it to project an illusion of every card played inside them, effectively "bringing the game to life". In urbanized areas like Canterlot and Manehattan, they had to be strategically placed over leylines, but in rural areas like Ponyville, with a near source of abundant untamed magic like the Everfree Forest, they could be set anywhere.

As the baby dragon took a step outside he was greeted by an even more bewildering sight: trading cards scattered everywhere, colts hunched over and barely holding back their tears, fillies crying in the embrace of mares, mares crying in the embrace of fillies, stallions lying on the ground, trembling like dried leaves with eyes wide open like if they had been witnesses of a third coming of Nightmare Moon. Their collective sobs, moans and mutterings filled the air in a cacophony of despair.

"Invincible…"

"…Such power…"

"Legendary…"

"…So scared…"

"…He's not human…"

"Of course not, he's a pony"

"It was a fragment of speech, jackass"

Spike blinked twice and slowly made his way, careful to avoid stepping on cards, manes, tails and a few puddles here and there, towards the only seemingly calm pony: a green coated unicorn stallion with a darker mane and a cutie mark of a notebook, wearing a black shirt with the logo of the shop on it.

"Hey Mulligan," said Spike while waving his tiny claw.

"Spike," replied the stallion without taking his eyes away from the horizon. "You should not have come here…"

"Uh, well, there was this guy at the door-"

"He's simply too strong for us…"

"Oookay…I don't-"

"His deck is far beyond what we, Ponyvillians, could ever hope to assemble…"

"Now wait a minute," said Spike, irritation evident in his voice. "Is this because you all lost in a card game?"

Mulligan suddenly turned around. "Card games are serious business, Spike"

The baby dragon raised an eyebrow.

"W-Well, they are for me," said Mulligan sheepishly. "I mean, it's my main mean of living."

"Right," said Spike with a sigh. "Now where's this "so strong" duelist you all keep muttering about?"

Mulligan raised a hoof and pointed towards the center of the Dueling Arena. And for the first time since arriving here today, Spike felt all of his confusion, bewilderment and annoyance being replaced by a single, clear emotion: anger. That expensive looking suit, that long blonde mane, those clear blue eyes and that insufferable smile. Dragons were known for keeping grudges, and while Spike considered himself above the more feral members of his race, this was a pony he simply could not forgive or forget. Not until he saw him stripped bare of his meaningless titles and worldly possessions, and dragged through mud, rocks and thorns while begging to be forgiven for the transgression of besmirching the honor of—

"Spike!"

The baby dragon shook his head. "What?!"

Mulligan gave a small smile. "Just wanted to check in you were still with us"

"Uh, yeah," muttered Spike before composing himself. "I am. And I will take him on."

"Don't do it," said Mulligan, returning to his previous grim demeanor. "You have no idea who you're dealing with."

Spike waved his claw. "Pfft, he's just a pompous jerk."

Mulligan shook his head. "No—well, yes, but that's not what i'm talking about. He's—"

"Is there anypony else here who wishes to face Prince Blueblood of the Blue Eyes?!"

The commanding voice was like the crack of a whip that brought everypony to silence. Blueblood looked around him, satisfied by his previous opponents averting their gaze or simply leaving the premises with their heads nearly touching the ground. "And here I was hoping for a challenge! How naive of me to expect-"

"I'll duel you!"

Blueblood quickly turned towards the source of the voice. "Ah-ha! A brave one! Or should I say a foolish one?! Reveal yourself so I can crush you!"

"I'm here!"

"Where?! Stop hiding!"

"Down here."

Blueblood looked down to see Spike, barely reaching his chest, glaring at him. There was a moment of silence before the prince raised his head and looked at the crowd. "Has anypony lost a pet here?!"

"Very funny," said Spike through gritted teeth. "Do you accept?"

"Of course," said Blueblood with a smirk.

Both duelists stepped away from each other. Spike set down his backpack and took out his Duel Disk, a small, white artifact shaped like half a circle, engraved with the same runes as the Dueling Arena and with slots for his deck, graveyard and individual cards, and strapped it to his left arm. In front of him, Blueblood did the same with his custom-ordered, gold-plated, jewel-encrusted, imported-from-Saddle Arabia-perfume-releasing-every-thiry-seconds-mechanism Duel Disk, adjusting it around his neck.

"DUEL!"

At their declaration, the stones around them glowed with a blue light, the two behind each player displaying the four thousand life points each one had, and a faint purple miasma spread across the field.

"I'll go first," said Spike. He looked at the five cards in his hand, picked one and placed it on the disk. "Summon Red-Eyes Black Chick!" The miasma gathered in front of him and formed a cloud from which emerged a small, fragile looking, black baby dragon (800/500). "Special summon! Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Spike continued and, in the blink of an eye, the black chick was engulfed in a pyre from which emerged its adult form: a ferocious looking, large winged dragon with scales sharp as blades and black as the night sky; it looked at Blueblood with its crimson eyes and let out a earth-shaking roar (2400/2000). "Turn end"

Blueblood yawned. "My turn. Draw," he said as he took a card from his deck using his magic and looked at it. "Well now, I almost feel bad for doing this," he said with a smirk. "Almost."

Rarity, propietor of the prestigious Carousel Boutique, Canterlot's rising fashion entrepeneur and ten years practitioner of mixed martial arts (not that she would ever make this last little fact public), had a feeling. It was like a distant sound, the kind that makes you turn your head and stand still while trying to figure it out. She had this feeling before, when Opal was about to spit a hairball on her sofa, when Sweetie Belle was about to use the oven and when a button was about to fall from one of her dresses. Just as she was considering the possibilities, a pillar of light erupted from a few houses away. She decided it was enough of a sign, quickly picked up her shopping bags and ran out of Ponyville's Market, towards the sudden phenomenon.

"So strong," muttered Spike as he stood with both claws and knees on the ground, his cards scattered around him.

"Yes, I often get told that," said Blueblood as he idly checked his right hoof for imperfections.

Mulligan sighed as he approached Spike and placed a hoof on his shoulder "That's what I wanted to tell you: he's Blueblood of the Blue Eyes, one of the best twenty duelists in Equestria."

"And that's why there's no shame in losing with me," said Blueblood. "In fact, you should be happy you've got something to boast about to your friends. Think about it," he waved a hoof in front of him like if he was admiring a large glowing sign. "I got my little lizard rear kicked by the Prince of the Blue Eyes! I'll tell you what: I'll even sign you an autograph!"

Spike could feel the tears swelling on his eyes as Blueblood laughed. Just then, a voice cut through the laughter like a diamond through glass. "Enough." And he saw her: standing tall and proud, her immaculate white coat shimmering under the sun, purple mane curling like a cascade on a warm spring afternoon and eyes glistening like sapphires. Those eyes filled with mercy and love that told him "everything is going to be okay" as her magic picked up his cards, neatly piling them and putting them back on his duel disk. Truly she may not have had wings, but no other pony embodied the very concept of royal—

"You're the witch that ruined my mane!"

Rarity swiftly turned around to face Blueblood. "And you are that prototype of a prince who wouldn't know "royal" if the entire palace fell on top of him!"

"Guys…"

"How dare you, you uncultured barbarian!"

"Guys"

"Better than a spoiled brat!"

"Guys!"

"WHAT?!" yelled both, Rarity and Prince Blueblood, simultaneously.

"I-In this store we have rules," informed Mulligan, while shielding himself behind an awkward looking Spike, before pointing towards a sign nailed on the wooden fence.

"But I don't have any black magical ancient artifacts with me," protested Rarity.

"I think he's talking about the next one on the list," softly said Spike.

Rarity turned her head.

"No conflicts whatsoever beyond dueling."

"Oh"

"It's settled then," said Blueblood with a smirk. "We'll resolve this by means of a duel like civilized equines," his expression turned sour. "Unless you've got some cake with you to throw"

Rarity gave a loud "hmph" and both ponies went to take their place of the arena.

"Rarity, don't do it," cried Spike as she placed both of his tiny claws over her chest. "He's one of the twenty best duelists in all of Equestria and one-turn-killed me and-and it's just words—the stream takes them away—or was it the wind? Look, the important thing is that it's not worth it!"

Rarity softly placed a hoof over Spike's head. "Ponies like him thrive because nopony else puts them in their place, Spike. I'm not going to let him insult me and much less you, okay?" she smiled. "Now be a dear and take my shopping bags outside the arena, yes?"

With just a nod, Spike did as he was told and took his place next to Mulligan. The crowd of defeated ponies gathered around them, quietly observing the two unicorns facing each other.

"So," started Mulligan. "Is your friend any good?"

Spike scratched the back of his head. "Well…"

"Then you can use Polymerization to fuse Gem-Knight Obsidian and Gem-Knight Tourmaline to summon Gem-Knight Topaz!"

"Heavens, Spike! Tourmalines and obsidians on the same ensemble? That's positively dreadful!"

"But…they're just cards"

"Tut-tut, perfection is not an act but an habit, Spike"

"She…knows the rules, alright"

The monument glowed intensely as both players drew their five cards.

"Ladies," began Blueblood. "And creatures masquerading as ones, first"

Rarity did not reply, but merely twirled her head, causing her mane to move and cover her right eye. She picked a card with her magic from her hand and placed it on the duel disk around her neck, one with a standard design but in a beautiful turquoise color. "I summon Battlin' Boxer Headgeared," with her words a humanoid automaton appeared before her: it was pitch black and wore red boots, boxing gloves and a headgear; its eyes glowed crimson as it threw a couple of swift jabs to the air. (1000/1800) "By it's effect I can send one Battlin' Boxer from my deck to my graveyard," she took a card out of her deck and placed it on the graveyard slot, the auto-shuffle function of the duel disk taking care of the rest. "I end my turn"

Spike stared in confusion. "That's…"

Blueblood cringed as if he had seen a cockroach. "Draw," he swiftly took a card from his deck. "I summon Lord of D." A dark skinned man, clad in an armor made of dragon bones and wearing a long, dark blue cape materialized on the field (1200/1100). "Activate White Dragon Ritual!" It raised both hands in the air and let out a scream as a pilar of light engulfed him from below, leaving a young knight in his place, wearing a golden armor and riding a beautiful white dragon (1900/1200). "My Paladin of White Dragon," said Blueblood. "I can sacrifice him to special summon the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon directly from my deck!" The miasma on the arena swirled, crackling with lightning and enveloped the paladin before exploding to reveal a new form. "Behold the monster that gave me my title!" The majestic winged dragon shined under the sun like a sword destined to be wielded only by a king and let out a roar that made the crowd tremble (3000/2500). "But it's not over yet! I play Polymerization to fuse it with the dragons on my hand!" The monument glowed and the miasma swirled to form a tornado which swallowed both, monsters and duelists. "This is it! The strongest! The Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" The miasma dissipated and Blueblood looked at the dragon like a proud parent to his child. It was larger than Sugarcube Corner and its three heads looked like they could devour half of Ponyville's population in one swoop (4500/3800).

Rarity looked impassively.

"Oh, but where are my manners," said Blueblood with a chuckle. "My dear dragon, could you please vaporize that vermin?" He raised a hoof then suddenly brought it down. "With your ULTIMATE BURST STREAM!" At the command of his master the dragon's three heads opened their jaws, energy accumulating inside their mouths like an upcoming thunderstorm, and fired a torrent of pure energy at Rarity's monster, the resulting explosion kicking up a cloud of dust that obscured the view inside the arena.

"Rarity!" screamed Spike as the memories of his own defeat came back.

But, as the view cleared, they all watched in surprise how not only Rarity's monster was unharmed, a second one, a crimson humanoid automaton holding a golden shield, stood next to it (0/1800).

"Once per turn my Headgeared in attack position cannot be destroyed in battle," calmly informed Rarity. "And since I took battle damage I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Veil and immediately recover all the life points I lost." Her counter automatically went from five hundred back to four thousand life points.

There was a collective "ooohh" among the ponies in the crowd, a few of them even cheered and whistled.

"Hey! Your friend seems she knows what's she's doing," said Mulligan with a smile.

"Yes," mumbled Spike. "Yes, she is! Go Rarity!"

Blueblood gritted his teeth. "I swear they're like cockroaches. Fine! Go ahead and play," he said waving his hoof dismissively. "I'll finish this on my next turn"

"There won't be a next turn!" declared Rarity with a sudden fierceness that made Blueblood, Spike and several other ponies in the audience jump. "Draw!" The card was practically rocketed out of her deck by her magic. "I use my two monsters to build an Overlay Network!" The miasma swirled into the shape of a whirlpool and both of her creatures glowed, their bodies turning into streams of light, before being absorbed. "XYZ Summon! Come forth my bound barbarian! Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" The monster that emerged was easily twice the size of her previous ones, much more human in appearance, with muscles that gave the impression it could rip apart an apple tree with its bare hands. It wore black leather sandals and a skirt of the same color and material, its face concealed by a metal helmet, save for its glowing red eyes. But the most impressive thing was the huge wooden beam secured around his back, neck and arms by means of large black steel chains (2200/2000).

Blueblood put a hoof to his mouth, as if trying not to puke. "I must say if you're trying to disgust me into submission, then you're doing a remarkable effort!"

Spike watched hypnotized as Rarity picked up a card from her hand. If he had to judge from the look on her eyes alone, he could swear she was in the middle of an actual fight. "Next, the spell card Oni-Gami Combo!" The bound barbarian's muscles tensed, there was a cracking noise and, with a single movement, he broke free of his chains and snapped the yoke on his back in two, standing on his full height (3800/2000). It wasn't as impressive as the Blue-eyes Ultimate Dragon, sure, but it certainly wasn't a creature any of the ponies in the crowd would've liked to meet alone on a dark alley. "By removing two materials from one of my xyz monsters it can make a second attack," she informed. "And whenever a material is removed from my Lead Yoke it gains an extra eight hundred attack points!" Rarity stood up on her hind legs and pointed her right hoof forward. "Go my bound barbarian! Take down that dragon with your DEMON GOD BARRAGE!" At her words the Lead Yoke charged towards the Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and punched the beast right on the middle of its chest.

"You fool!" said Blueblood. "Do you honestly believe that will accomplish-"

A loud craking noise echoed.

"…something?"

Blueblood watched in horror as the bound barbarian kept attacking, each punch breaking more and more of the dragon's scales. Its three heads contorted, hacking and coughing with their tongues out, before letting out a pitiful cry and vanishing like smoke. "My dragon," muttered Blueblood as his life points went down to three thousand seven hundred. "How…?"

Rarity gave a toothy smile. "Battlin' Boxer Counterpuch," she said as she held up a monster card. "By removing it from the graveyard I can increase the attack points of one of my Battlin' Boxers by a thousand points until the end of the turn"

"Your graveyard?!" cried Blueblood. "But when did," his voice fell as his eyes widened in realization.

"Precisely," whispered Rarity and pointed her right hoof forward towards the prince. "Finish him off! LIGHTNING FAST!"

Time seemed to slow down as the Lead Yoke threw a punch straight to Blueblood's face. It connected with his muzzle, sending his head back, his legs above the ground and then his whole body flying out the arena, way past over the wooden fence and landing over a pile of leaves.

"OW! MY BACK!"

The miasma that covered the arena disappeared as the stones stopped glowing.

Silence.

"She won!" cried Spike while throwing his arms up.

The crowd of ponies immediately exploded in a chorus of cheers, whistles and stomps.

"I can't believe it," muttered Mulligan.

Rarity exhaled and adjusted her mane to its usual position.

"Rarity!" called Spike as he ran next to her. "T-That was—that was-"

"Crude, darling, I know. But, sometimes, a lady has to get her hoves dirty"

"No—yes—I mean—it was awesome! You totally trounced him! One of the best twenty duelists in Equestria! It's almost incredible—not saying I didn't believe you couldn't do it—even if I asked you don't—because I know you're amazing and-"

Rarity lightly booped Spike on the nose. "Thank you, Spike"

A noticeable blush appeared across the baby dragon's cheeks. "Heh, it was nothing—say, how did you get so good?"

Rarity giggled. "Ah, remember my trip to Manehattan six months ago? When I assisted that seminar hosted by the House of Outrageous and Opulent Fashion?"

"Uhh…"

"It's over, Twilight! She's not coming back!"

"Heavens, Spike! She said she was going for two weeks! And it's been only two hours!"

"Y-yes, yes I do."

"Well, during my spare time I took the opportunity to do some shopping, of course, and I found out the city is filled to the brim with card shops which periodically hold tournaments with prize money," Rarity explained enthusiastically. "You know how difficult being an independent businessmare can be sometimes, and since having some extra bits never hurts, I decided to buy some new cards, learn a few strategies, and try my hoof at playing professionally," a sheepish smile formed across her face. "Let's just say I was too focused on the monetary gain to pay attention to rankings and, before I realized, I had become-"

"Burning Knuckler Rareza!"

Author's note: I'm aware Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke should only have got an increase of 800 ATK points from Oni-Gami Combo and not 1600 ATK. Consider it a small liberty for the sake of storytelling.