Chapter 19: Fall

"So your dad only let you duel if you placed high in tournaments?" Hope asked, amazed. It was the night after her and Crown's duel. After years of knowing each other, Crown was starting to open up. They weren't friends by any means, but they were gaining an understanding. All the girls were in Hope's room, chatting.

"Yep," Crown replied, sipping a glass of Crystal Berry juice.

"I never like Filthy Rich," Honeycrisp muttered, "No offense."

"None taken," Crown replied, "In fact, that's part of why I even allowed Envy to take over anyways."

Zach and Ditzy were lying in bed, reading.

"I have no idea how Hope likes these," Ditzy stated, setting down a copy of Nova Heart.

"I think they're pretty good," Zach said, "I like the whole Sci-Fi thing going on."

"Explaining why you're reading Fallout: Equestria."

"Hey! This is one of the best science fiction novels in Equestria. I just can't believe that one of Earth's fanfictions exist here."

There was a knock on the door. On the other side a muffled voice said, "Candy Cart for the Do's."

Zach and Ditzy looked at each other, their eyes saying that neither of them knew what was going on. Zach walked up to the door and opened it. A bright light filled the room and knocked Zach out.

When Zach came to, Ditzy was gone. He stood up and saw a note on their bed.

'I have your wife. If you tell anyone I will end her life and be gone before anyone gets anywhere near me. Bring your duel disk to the Crystal Stadium ASAP.'

Zach put down the note and walked out the door, his hooves clacking on the floor. Hope poked her head out of her door and asked what was wrong.

"My book is back at the stadium," he quickly lied. He quickly continued walking. Hope pulled her head back into her room

"What's up?" the Pies asked.

"I'm not sure," Hope replied, "He used his normal lie."

"The bedroom lie or the needing to go somewhere lie?"

"Needing to go somewhere. Turvy, can you give me some rope?"

Turvy created a spool of rope, "Why do you need the rope?"

"Dad's hiding something. I'm going to find out what it is."

Hope dropped one end of the rope out the window and coated her hooves in magic. She jumped from the window and grasped the rope. She quickly lowered herself to the ground, the magic preventing rope burn.

Hope looked towards the stadium and used her dark magic to make herself camouflaged in the shadows.

As Zach entered the stadium, he called out, "Where is my wife?"

Dagger walked out of the shadows to the center of the stadium. He snapped his fingers and said, "She's right here."

Ditzy appeared behind Dagger, her appendages bound with metallic balls. She began to awaken and yelled, "What's going on here?"

"I wish to duel you, Zachary," Dagger stated. He pulled a card out from under his cloak, "I suspect you know what this is."

"Eternity's End," Zach stated, his voice unwavering, "Return that card to me, or I won't use my cards to kick your flank into next week."

"That will not be necessary," Dagger breathed fire on the card and it began to glow dangerously. The card suddenly disappeared, "I transferred all of the power to Oblivion."

Zach began to run at Dagger, but the dragon raised a hand and Ditzy's limbs were stretched further. Zach stopped; knowing what would happen if he continued.

"Let go of my wife," Zach growled.

"I will if you succeed in beating me," Dagger replied, "But you need a change."

Before Zach could ask what Dagger meant, Zach collapsed in pain.

"What's happening to him," Ditzy asked, her voice staring to tremble.

Dagger didn't answer. Instead, Zach began to glow. When the glowing stopped, he was in his human form. He looked similar to when he was human last time at the Crystal Empire, though he looked older and his clothes were tighter and more ragged.

Zach looked down at himself and whispered, "What did you do to me?"

"I merely removed the effects Equestria's ambient magic had on your body," Dagger explained, "I wanted to duel a human, something that hasn't been done in nearly two decades."

Zach's duel disk materialized on his thin, leanly muscled, wrist, "Fine then."

Zach: 8000

Dagger: 8000

"I'll go first," Zach said, drawing the first card, "I set a monster and a card and end my turn."

Dagger activated his duel disk and drew, "I summon Antimaterion Zaron (ATK 1500)." A red overlay unit descended from the sky and landed, revealing a woman in red robes.

"Antimaterion?" Zach asked, "How did you get those cards?"

"Discord isn't the only one who can reach into other universes. Oblivion gave me this deck to specifically get rid of you, though I had to use the Volcanics during the other duels. I activate Double Summon to bring out Antimaterion Yordel (ATK 1300). Now, since I possess two Antimaterion monsters with the same level, I can bring out an xyz monster from my extra deck without overlaying. Come forth, Antimaterion Xross (ATK 2200)."

Hope accidently allowed herself to become visible and said, "Amazing, an xyz summon without overlaying monsters."

Zach turned towards Hope and scolded, "Hope, you should not be here!"

"There's no way I'm leaving now. You need someone to cheer you on."

"Hey!" Ditzy called down, "Just go back to the castle."

A barrier of energy appeared on every exit and Dagger said, "I need you here if I succeed here. Now, I have two Antimaterions here, so both allow me to xyz summon. Come forth, Antimaterion Zero (ATK 2500).

"He can bring out his Element of Vice now, for sure," Zach thought.

"I overlay Antimaterion Zaron and Yordel and xyz summon Antimaterion Yaraida (ATK 2100)."

"Why did you not bring out your Element of Vice?" Zach asked.

"I do not use it, for it is not mine to use."

"What does that mean?"

"You will find out soon enough. I activate Overlay Inferno. This sends the overlay units on my Yaraida to the graveyard and deals you five-hundred points of damage for each." The two overlay units flew at Zach and hit him in the chest.

Zach: 8000-7000

As Zach took damage, Ditzy's bindings sent an electric shock throughout her body, causing her to cry out in pain.

Zach and Hope cried out in unison.

"Ditzy!"

"Mom!"

After a second the shocks stopped and Ditzy began to pant, "I'm alright."

Zach lowered his gaze to Dagger, "What did you to her?"

Dagger acted completely oblivious, "Did I not tell you? Whenever you take damage your wife will be electrocuted. If you lose, she will die."

A tinged red aura surrounded Zach, "You bastard."

Hope and Ditzy both cringed. No matter how angry Zach had gotten, he never cursed.

"Call me what you will," Dagger said, "I attack your face-down with Yaraida."

The monster that was destroyed was a dog with Gatling guns attached to its back.

"You destroyed my Assault Dog," Zach said, "That allows me to bring out a couple more (DEF 800x2)."

"I attack your two monsters with mine."

"I activate Waboku! My monsters can't be destroyed."

"Then I shall end my turn."

Zach drew, "I summon Goblindburgh (ATK 1400), which allows me to bring out a Ganbara Knight (ATK 0). With these four monsters I build two overlay networks. From the antiverse, two lovers come forth. Appear, Numbers 39 and 13: Utopia and Paradise (ATK 2500) (ATK 2400)!" Utopia appeared, along with a female mage who looked similar to him. "Utopia, attack Antimaterion Xcross!"

Dagger: 8000-7700

"Paradise, attack Yaraida!"

Dagger: 7700-7400

"I'll end my turn."

Dagger drew, "I activate Overlay Cannon. This destroys all xyz monsters with Overlay Units and deals you five-hundred points of damage for each one."

Zach: 7000-5000

Ditzy screamed in pain and the aura around Zach grew stronger, "Ditzy!"

"Since I control an xyz monster with no overlay units I can summon Antimaterion Xykik without tributing (ATK 2000). Both of my monsters attack you directly.

Zach: 5000-500

After the shocking was over, Ditzy stopped moving.

"Ditzy?" Zach called out, "Ditzy!"

Ditzy stirred slightly, causing Zach and Hope to sigh in relief.

Zach turned his attention back to the duel, and cried out, "I will not let you get away with hurting my family!"

Dagger smiled, "I activate the spell Extra Trade. This allows us to look at each other's extra decks and take one monster. I happen to know that you have two copies of Utopia, so give me the other one." Zach reluctantly threw the second Utopia at Dagger. "Now, I only have one monster in my extra deck, so I will give you mine." Dagger removed the red card from his extra deck and threw it at Zach.

Zach caught the card and looked at it. The card's text and image slowly appeared.

"Wrath."

Zach was standing in a black void within his mind. In front of him was a cloud of red.

"Zachary," it said, "Succumb to our rage. Allow me to enter your soul."

"I will never use your power!"

"But you HAVE used my power, so long ago."

"W-what do you mean?"

Beside Zach, scenes from the first months he was in Equestria appeared. They all showed Zach drawing Rank-Up-Magic Limited Barian's Force during times he was enraged, such as during his duel against Sombra.

"You have been able to use my power, even without an Element of Vice. You have used it to save those you love. Without me, you will never save your wife."

"No!" Zach turned around, "I d-don't need you."

"All I want is this duel. Allow me into your soul to save her."

Wrath turned into a red ring and floated in front of Zach. He slowly reached out and took the ring in his left hand, "To save Ditzy."

Back in the duel Zach placed the card into his extra deck.

"Are you all right Dad?" Hope called out, "You sort of zoned out there."

"I'm fine." Zach raised his left hand and a red aura enveloped it. He placed two fingers on his deck, "I draw!" As Zach drew, his duel disk and Element of Harmony shattered, scattering his cards across the ground.

Hope never heard of that card, "What did you just draw.

Zach looked at the card in his hand, "This is the only way I can save your mother. I activate Wrathful Revival!" A red portal appeared on the ground.

"With this card I can bring out an xyz monster and two monsters that are the same level from my graveyard. Return to me, Utopia, Ganbara Knight, Assault Dog. Now I overlay my three monsters to perform an xyz summon."

The three monsters became one red overlay unit. It floated down to Zach and turned into a red ring. Zach took the ring in his left hand. As he prepared to put it on his ring finger, a tear fell from his eye, "I'm sorry."

Once the ring was on Zach's hand, an opaque red aura began to spread over his body. He started to chant, "With blood and rage of crimson red, ripped from a corpse so freshly dead, together with our hellish hate, we will burn you all – that is your fate!"

The aura exploded. Zach was now about a foot taller, as tall as Celestia. He now looked similar to Utopia, though now with a red and black color scheme. Demonic wings sprouted from his back. Utopia's helmet now had two bull's horns sprouting from it. Zach had become the creature from Hope's nightmare.

"I am the Element of Vice – Wrathful Butcher!"

For once, the Element of Vice for this chapter is mine. Paradise and most of Dagger's deck belong to