The voice coming from above was quickly followed by a rainbow blur landing right next to the baby dragon and the white unicorn, making them jump on their toes and hooves respectively. Rainbow "Danger" "Professionalism" "Maylene" "I Swear You Tell Anypony And I'll Dump Your Head Inside A Thundercloud" Dash, weather team captain and member of the Wonderbolts reserve team, approached them with her characteristically cocky smile.

"Ha! I can't believe you of all ponies would turn out to be the fourth-"

Rarity put a hoof over the cerulean mare's mouth and glanced towards the crowd. After the defeat of Blueblood, the mood had improved substantially and everypony was back to enjoying the game; Mulligan, for his part, was too busy dispensing advice to the younger duelists.

"I would appreciate if you could keep your voice down, Rainbow Dash. Not everypony is looking to bring attention to their dueling careers."

Rainbow Dash removed her friend's hoof from her mouth and spat. "Yeah? Maybe you should have thought about that before doing a one-turn-kill on the Blue-Eyes Buffon back there," she pointed her hoof behind her.

"I CAN'T FEEL MY LEGS!"

"Oh, pish posh. He's ranked number twenty; anypony with decent skills could have done that," said Rarity while waving a hoof.

Rainbow Dash shrugged. "Eh, guess you have a point there. Still, I almost didn't recognize you without your dueling ensemble," she accompained the last two words with a roguish grin that made Rarity's cheeks turn pink.

"Girls, girls," said Spike while waving his tiny claws over his head. "Is anypony going to tell me what's going on?"

"Heh, sorry Spike," said Rainbow Dash with a chuckle. "See, turns out our friend here," she nodded her head towards Rarity. "Is the number four best duelist in all of Equestria; going by the nickname Burning Knuckler Rareza, dying her mane and tail black, using hazel colored contact lenses and wearing a long red coat to take part in tournaments."

Spike blinked twice and looked at the flustered Rarity. He made a mental note to get pictures. Lots and lots of pictures.

"Yes, well," said Rarity before clearing her throat. "I am a lady first and foremost, and while having a hobby is nothing to be ashamed of, I'm afraid it wouldn't be fitting of moi to openly play with cards depicting brawlers that solve every problem by striking it into oblivion," she finished by lifting her nose up and adjusting her mane.

Spike smiled awkwardly and looked at Rainbow Dash who merely rolled her eyes.

"Say," the baby dragon began. "Have you played in tournaments too, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow Dash grinned. "That's Biting Gale Dash for you, chump."

Spike's mouth fell. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"Yep," she casually polished her right hoof on her chest and looked at it. "I'm ranked number two in all of Equestria."

"For now."

Rainbow Dash ears perked up and she looked at Rarity, who was gazing somewhere in the sky, but with a barely disguised smirk across her lips.

"Is that a challenge?" asked the cerulean pegasus.

"Of course not, darling," said the white unicorn casually. "Just a simple observation."

"Oh?" Rainbow Dash approached Rarity until they were face to face. "In that case, I'm sure you wouldn't mind backing that up with a little duel right here, right now, will you?"

Rarity tilted her head to look at the busy crowd of ponies.

"Forget about them," said Rainbow Dash as she used her right hoof to move Rarity's head to face her alone again. "They already saw your skills and I bet you and I could come up with a much better show than that guy lying out there."

"THE PAIN! THE PAIN!"

"I-It was the heat of the moment-"

"Come on, Rares," continued Rainbow Dash while poking Rarity on the chest. "You gotta loose up and live a little, open the lid and let the steam come out; that's why you got into this game, didn't you? I saw your whole duel; you haven't smiled like that since we faced that army of Changelings back on Canterlot."

Rarity's eyes widened.

"Yeah, I can be observant when I want, you know," chuckled Rainbow Dash "So, what do you say?"

Rarity bit her lips for a second before composing herself. "Very well, we shall duel."

"That's the spirit!" cheered Rainbow Dash. "Hey Mulligan!"

The green unicorn lifted his head from among the crowd. "Yeah?"

"We're gonna use the arena for a while, okay?!"

"Sure!" he waved his hoof and went back to explaining how Mystical Space Typhoon doesn't negate spell and traps.

Spike quickly took his spot outside the arena as both mares set themselves up. Rainbow Dash unfolded her wings, revealing a jet black duel disk which she adjusted around her neck. For her part, Rarity did a quick tilt of her head so that her mane went back to cover her right eye.

"You know," said Rainbow Dash with a smile and a slight nod. "I really like when you do that."

Rarity smiled coyly.

"DUEL!"

The monument glowed, this time with a fierce purple light, once again filling the arena with thick clouds of miasma.

"I'll go first," declared Rarity. "I summon Battlin' Boxer Headgeared!" The mechanized pugilist materialized on the field and threw a few punches, followed by Rarity taking a card from her deck and placing it on her graveyard (1000/1800). "Next, I special summon Battlin' Boxer Sparrer!" A humanoid automaton, much like the previous, appeared adopting a fighting stance. It was colored grey, with glowing cerulean eyes and wore a red strike shield on each arm (1200/1400).

"Not bad," commented Mulligan as he sat down next to Spike, followed by several of the ponies present. "Since she cannot attack on her first turn, the Sparrer won't cost her anything."

Spike nodded.

"Now I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!" The miasma engulfed the two boxers. "Answer the call of your empress to crush those who dare to oppose her! Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" The bound barbarian appeared taking firm steps despite the monumental weight over its shoulders (2200/2000). Rarity smirked. "Your turn, darling."

Rainbow Dash's grin was almost feral. "Draw!" she shouted, pulling the top card from her deck with such strenght it whipped a gust of wind. "I summon Hammer Shark!" A large blue shark, with a literal head of a hammer for a head, leaped from the miasma as it was the very sea (1700/1500). "That's not all! I can lower its level by one to special summon a level three or lower water monster from my hand!" Rainbow Dash took a card from her hand and slammed it over her duel disk. "Big Jaws!" Another shark jumped out; its jaws, coated in steel, had fangs so large it had to remain open (1800/300).

Rarity quirked an eyebrow. "I take this is why they call you "Biting Gale"?"

Rainbow Dash did a playful biting motion. "Watch as I build an overlay network! XYZ summon!" The sharks leaped back into the miasma. "Rise from the depths and swallow my enemies whole! Number 47: Nightmare Shark!" The new monster was undoubtely a shark, but its back fins were so disproportionately large they had become wings, same with the frontal ones, which looked more like arms with blades (2000/2000). "By detaching an XYZ material from it I can make a water monster of mine attack directly," she chuckled. "I hope you don't mind I take a shortcut! DEPTH HUNTING!"

Rarity watched in disbelief as the Nightmare Shark dove into the miasma and charged towards her, with only its dorsal fin, displaying a number forty seven in bold red, visible. Right before clashing with her monster, it disappeared completely, and a mere second later its long, whip-like tail surfaced and slapped her, sending her body tumbling back and reducing her life points to two thousand.

"She went around Lead Yoke's defense to attack directly!" cried Mulligan.

"We know, dude; we can see it," drily said a stallion from the crowd.

Spike merely continued to watch in awed silence.

"I set a card face-down and done," declared Rainbow Dash. "Need a hoof there, Rares?"

Lying on her back, Rarity raised her hind legs and flipped forwards, standing on two legs for a moment before going back on her fours. She cracked her neck loudly and glared at Rainbow Dash. "My burning hooves will break your bones!" she shouted.

Rainbow Dash laughed. "Try it, filly!"

"Draw!" shouted Rarity as her magic pulled out a card from her deck with such intensity her horn produced a blinding flash. "Break free, my bound barbarian! Oni Gami Combo!" The Lead Yoke roared and shattered its bounds with a single swing of its might arms (3800/2000). "Still not enough! I remove Counterpunch from my graveyard!" The barbarian's muscles stiffened and Rarity pointed her right hoof forward (4800/2000). "Go! DEMON GOD BARRAGE!"

"P-Ponyfeathers," muttered Rainbow Dash and hurriedly pressed a button on her duel disk."Trap card open! Poseidon Wave!"

A wall of water erupted between the two monsters and blocked the bound barbarian's attack. From the sides, two streams emerged, taking the shape of giant hands, and launched themselves towards Rarity, leaving her completely drenched and taking away eight hundred of her life points, with only one thousand two hundred remaining.

"I'm not done yet!" roared Rarity. "Lead Yoke, charge and destroy her monster! LIGHTNING FAST!" The barbarian teared through the wall of water as if it was made of tissue and punched the giant shark right on the mid-section. It let out a howl of pain as the fist drilled into its flesh before exploding into a cloud of miasma that sent its master, Rainbow Dash, flying backwards and slamming onto one of the duel arena stones. Her life points lowered to one thousand two hundred.

The ponies in the crowd were stunned; a few of the adults even having covered the foals' eyes. Mulligan gulped and shifted in place while Spike had both eyes wide like dinner plates and his jaw metaphorically on the floor.

"Not bad," muttered Rainbow Dash as she stood up. Her mane, tail and feather were completely messed up, yet her grin did not falter a bit. "Anything else?"

"Just a face-down card," said Rarity as she slid her trap card, Numbers Overlay Boost, into her disk. Would Rainbow Dash try to get rid of her Lead Yoke, be it by battle or effects, she would activate it and attach the Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna and Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher from her hand to her Lead Yoke to use its effect again. "I end my turn."

"Draw!" Rainbow Dash looked at her newest card. "I'm sorry, Rares, but I'm going to end this right now," she declared firmly.

Rarity laughed softly. "Bluffing does not suit you, darling."

"Oh, I know," said Rainbow Dash with a smirk. "I play the Surface spell! It allows me to bring back a level three fish monster from my graveyard in defense position! Come back, Big Jaws!" The shark with oversized jaws leaped from out the miasma and curled itself. "Now I summon Spear Shark!" The newest monster was a crimson shark with golden fins. True to the name, its snout ended on a wicked looking, golden blade (1600/1400). "When my Spear Shark is summoned I can increase the level of all my level three fish monsters by one. You know what this means?" she asked, spreading her wings like a hawk dive bombing its prey. "I build an overlay network!" Both of her sharks jumped into the cloud of miasma. "XYZ summon! The king and scourge of the seas! Bahamut Shark!" The miasma spout like a geyser, revealing a monstrous shark with actual arms and legs, ending in long, black claws. It stood taller than Carousel Boutique, the six long fins on its back spreading like wings (2600/2100). "By detaching one XYZ material from it I can special summon a rank three or lower water xyz monster from my deck! GOD SOUL!" The Bahamut Shark's eyes glowed with an eerie light and from the miasma emerged none other than Number 47: Nightmare Shark. "You didn't think I had only one, did you?" Rainbow Dash teased.

Rarity did not reply.

"When my Nightmare Shark is special summoned I can attach one level three water monster from my hand to it as an XYZ material," Rainbow Dash said as she took the Shark Stickers card and placed it on her duel disk. "Now I'll detach it for a direct attack! Go Nightmare Shark! FINAL DEPTH HUNTING!"

Rarity's eyes narrowed as the Nightmare Shark dove under the miasma, becoming completely invisible. A couple of seconds later its tail erupted under her, sending her crashing right against the stone behind her. Her life points went down to zero. The stones stopped glowing and the miasma dissipated, taking the monsters away with it.

"R-Rainbow Dash is the winner," declared Mulligan.

"Rarity!" called Spike. The white unicorn stood up, shook herself and glared at Rainbow Dash. Then, both mares marched towards each other, fire in their eyes. One with a grin that threatened to split her face in two and the other baring her teeth like a Diamond Dog ready to strike. Both of their manes and tails gave the impression they had been galloping on the middle of a storm.

"D-Don't you think you should do something?" asked a yellow coated mare.

Mulligan glanced at the arena, then at the mare. "I-I would like to keep living for a while longer, y-you know."

Spike ran inside the arena but stopped as soon as Rainbow Dash and Rarity came face to face. There was a long moment of silence that not even the wind dared to break before both mares took a breath and composed themselves.

"Good game," said Rarity as she daintly extended her right hoof.

Rainbow Dash softly slapped her friend's hoof away. "Come here you," she said as she hugged her. Rarity blinked in surprise but quickly returned the gesture.

There was a cheer from one of the fillies in the crowd. Soon everypony else followed with their own cheers, whistles and stomps. Rainbow Dash basked in the attention, hovering over the arena, while Rarity tried to maintain an air of sophistication despite her disheveled state.

"Ah," Spike let out a breath and fell down on his rear. His tiny claws trembled and his whole body felt like if he had been carrying piles and piles of books all day. "I think…I'll stick to tables and chairs."

Ponyville bathed on an orange light as Princess Celestia slowly set the sun over the horizon. Two ponies and a baby dragon followed the dirt path towards the center of the town, exhausted but content.

"I can't believe you guys never told me about this," said Spike while spreading his short arms.

"I'm sorry, Spike," said Rarity. "We didn't mean to leave you in the dark, but Ponyville is such a small, quaint town that very little information regarding the competitive world of Duel Monsters reaches the ears and eyes of its inhabitants."

"That and you didn't ask," added Rainbow Dash.

Spike crossed both arms over his chest and frowned. "Yeah, but now you have to promise to teach me one or two tricks, okay?"

"Of course."

"Sure thing."

Their steps came to an end right before the Town Hall.

"It's been a delightful day, but I'm afraid this is where I take my leave," said Rarity. "I have to go home, sort out my groceries and take care of this," she gestured to her mane which had become flat and stringy. "…disaster."

Rainbow Dash snorted.

"You know, Rainbow Dash," said Rarity with a tone reminiscencing of a mother dealing with a stubborn filly. "A visit to the spa would do wonders for your appearance and, by extension, your dueling career."

Rainbow Dash smirked. "Maybe if you defeat me I'll think about it."

"Is that a challenge?"

"You bet."

Rarity smiled coyly, winked at Spike and walked away into the sunset.

"That mare never changes," said Rainbow Dash with a chuckle. "By the way," she searched between her wings and pulled out a pamphlet with her teeth. "I've gosh dish fo yu, Spik."

Spike had his back turned around; both eyes firmly planted on the direction a certain white unicorn disappeared a minute ago until a hoof slap on the back of the head brought him back. "What?! " he turned around to face a frowning Rainbow Dash. "Oh, heh, sorry," he mumbled as he took the pamphlet on his tiny claws. "What's this?"

"It's an updated list of the top twenty duelists in Equestria," replied Rainbow Dash.

Spike nodded and began reading. "Blue-Eyes Blueblood," he snorted. "Sky Captain Fancy, Raging Flower Cherry, Black Feather Gi—what's with these names?"

"Everypony earns sort of a title based on their play style or the cards they use," explained Rainbow Dash. "They can also choose to use their real names or just a nickname; it's kind of customary or something."

"That's why you didn't know Rarity was number four, right?"

"Yeah, I know a few of the ponies on that list, but most escape me," Rainbow Dash scratched her head. "It's not that it bothers me that much, I mean, it wouldn't surprise me if we get to gather at some point, so it's kind of a waste of time to worry."

Spike thought about today's duels multiplied by twenty and shivered a bit. It was scary, albeit exciting. He went straight to the top names. "Ice Maiden Papillon, Magic Hand Diane, Burning Knuckler Rareza, Holy Lightning Jacqueline—wait a minute, it says here the duelist ranked number two is Biting Gale Maylene," he glanced at Rainbow Dash questioningly.

The cerulean mare's expression turned sour. "Yeah, ignore that, will you? It's like, some kind of paperwork issue I'm still trying to solve, okay?"

Spike decided to leave it at that. "Galaxy Eyes Josephine…these are the top six," he mumbled.

"And one day I'll stand at the top," declared Rainbow Dash. "Best Flyer and Duelist! Yeah, I can get used to that," she giggled. "You should try polishing your skills, Spike. Who knows, you may end up becoming my number two."

The baby dragon gave a hopeful smile.

"Well, gotta go fast now! See you around, Spike!" and with those words, Rainbow Dash took to the sky with a mighty beat of her wings.

Spike looked at the pamphlet one last time before folding it and hurrying back home.

The sun had long set and now the sky was fully covered with Princess Luna's beautiful canopy of stars. The Millennium Mausoleum was closed for today and Mulligan was taking care of the last steps in his daily routine. He sweeped the floor, after telling a certain white stallion to stand up and go home, checked the registers, counted the bits and locked the front door. As he went to the back one, he took a minute to gaze pensively at the Dueling Arena. The monument stood in silence, the black stones that composed it would have been practically invisible if not for the light of the moon. "I swear you're going to increase my sales or send me to the hospital," he said and closed the door, failing to see the arena glowing red.

"HELLO? ANYPONY THERE? I'M IN EXTREME PAIN AND NEED HELP! YOUR HEAR ME, PEASANTS?! YOU PRINCE DEMANDS ASSISTANCE! AUNTIE LUNA? AUTIE LUNA ARE YOU THERE? PONYFEATHERS…"