Yu-gi-oh/MLP Season 1 Chapter 24
Beneath the Surface
"ALRIGHTY, JUST ONE MORE DUEL BEFORE THE FINAL MATCH! WHO WILL GO ON TO FACE TWILIGHT SPARKLE? RAINBOW DASH OR TRON ARCLIGHT?"
Rainbow was very happy as she entered the stadium. Scootaloo was finally off that cursed machine. Even if someone else had taken her place. But that was fine, this Ruby was older, stronger. She would be fine. That was what Rainbow told herself. Either way, she had only one thing left to do; defeat Tron, for the sake of her family.
…
Twilight waited anxiously in the lobby. It still felt wrong to her that no-one else was here for Sunset. She had no friends, her parents were apparently dead, a long time ago, and her sister was in another hospital. The only person who cared was someone Sunset was just trying to kill yesterday. It was kind of funny, if you thought about it.
The doctor motioned for Twilight and she followed. "How is she?" Twilight asked. "Surprisingly, she has very few injuries, despite her duel." The doctor asked. "The reason she collapsed seems to be exhaustion. I can't say for certain when was the last time she ate or slept." The two arrived at Sunset's room. "She should be fine for now, but I can't recommend her doing anything too strenuous for the next few days. She should focus on recovery."
Twilight nodded as she entered the room, while the doctor left for other patients. Sunset was on a small hospital bed, with an IV feeding nutrients to her, and the window curtain was open, showing the city. Sunset herself looked over when she heard Twilight walk in, then turned back to the window. "Hey." Her voice was soft, tired. Twilight sat down on a nearby chair and pulled it closer.
"You wanna talk?" "What's there to talk about? You won, I lost. Congratulations." "You know what I mean, Sunset. All the time we've known each other, you've hated my guts." "I hate everyone's guts." "But you seem to single me out time and time again. Why?" Sunset sighed, still looking out the window.
"I assume you heard about my sister?" Twilight nodded. "I saw the display during your duel with Rarity. I'm sorry." "Don't be. In fact, that was the problem. I saw you, with what I thought was your perfect life; your brother who loves you, all your friends, your growing skill in dueling, and I guess I got jealous. I thought 'Why does she get everything and I don't?'"
Sunset then looked over to Twilight. "But I guess the grass is always greener on the other side, isn't it? I was looking for someone to blame, and you fit the bill." Twilight looks outside the window. "It's funny." Sunset muses. "You see that building over there? That's the hospital my sister is in. They say that in a few months, she should be fully recovered." Sunset narrows her eyes. "It's odd. Rarity used her card to set Diamond on fire, but the doctors only found a few burns. At the time, I thought they were lying to me to make me feel better, but now that I think about it, how did she survive? And the visions she gets sometimes..."
…
"I draw!" Rainbow declared. "I then summon Photon Satellite!" A white and blue space-craft appears next to Galaxy-Eyes. (Level 1/0) "Once per turn, I can increase Photon Satellite's level by that of a monster I control." The satellite's core glows brightly in reaction to Galaxy-Eyes. (Photon Satellite Level 1-9) "Since Photon Satellite can be used as two overlay units instead of one, I use it in order to build the overlay network! Appear, Number 9: Dyson Sphere!" (Rank 9/2800)
"I then equip Galaxy-Eyes with Photon Wing!" Galaxy-Eyes grows a second set of wings that extend the first set. "Once per turn, I can detach an overlay unit from an xyz monster I control in order to increase Galaxy-Eye's attack by that monster's rank times 200, and let it attack directly, but that xyz monster can't attack directly that turn." Dyson Sphere's only overlay unit breaks off its circuitry and is absorbed into Galaxy-Eye's wings. (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon 3000-4800)
"Galaxy-Eyes, attack directly with Photon Stream of Destruction!" Galaxy-Eyes charges up its wings, then lets out a massive multi-colored stream of energy. Tron simply smiles at the impending doom. "I activate my face-down Heraldry Change! I summon a level 4 or lower Heraldry Beast from my hand and reduce the damage by its level times 1000, then end the battle phase. I summon Heraldry Beast Aberconway!"
A white and red dragon appears and intercepts the attack. (Level 4/1800) (Tron 4000-3200) Rainbow growls in frustration. "I end my turn, causing Photon Wing's effect to expire." (Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon 4800-3000) "I draw!" Tron exclaims. "I overlay my level 4 Heraldry Beast Aberconway and Basilisk! I xyz summon Number 8: Heraldic King Genome-Heritage!" (Rank 4/2400)
"I activate the effect of Genome-Heritage, detaching an overlay unit so that when it battles a monster, it will steal that monster's attack." Tron's number monster absorbs an overlay unit into its mask. "Then I attack Dyson Sphere with Genome-Heritage! Flash Impact!" Genome-Heritage flies into the sky before changing into a duplicate of Dyson Sphere, save for the mask. (Heraldic King Genome-Heritage 2400-2800) (Dyson Sphere 2800-0)
"Did you forget the effect of Dyson Sphere!" Rainbow chides. "When it's attacked while it has no overlay units, I can attach two monsters from my graveyard onto it as overlay units. That will let me negate an attack." "Oh, I didn't forget. I use the other effect of Genome-Heritage, detaching an overlay unit to steal your monster's effect." The last overlay unit is absorbed into Genome-Heritage's mask, and Dyson Sphere's circuitry shuts down. Genome-Heritage then fires a laser beam through its center, destroying Dyson Sphere. (Rainbow 4000-1200) "Ahahaha! So much for that lumbering piece of space junk. I set a card and end my turn." As he does, Genome-Heritage returns to its normal form. (Heraldic King Genome-Heritage 2800-2400)
…
Ruby looks down to the portal. She was certain she heard something on the other side of the portal. Screams of pain. Is that all this is? A big gun, firing at Faker's enemies? But who would he be firing on? Ruby realizes Faker probably wouldn't just tell her, so she needs a way to distract him while she figures out herself.
"Hey, Doc." Faker turns over to face Ruby, his expression making it perfectly clear that he isn't impressed with the nickname. "Tron said that you betrayed him and Twilight's parents at Peru. Why?" Faker turns back to his equipment. "That is none of your concern." "Twilight's my friend. I want to know what all of this has to do with her."
Faker refuses to respond. "I warn you; if you ignore me, I can be pretty annoying." He continues to ignore her. "Okay, you asked for it." She then proceeds to whistle, deliberately out of tune, and timing the sharper notes to be just as Faker is about to press a button on the terminal, hoping to catch him and get him to mis-click.
To Faker's credit, he actually lasts a good long while before cracking. He pulls on the lever, causing the machine to drain her of energy, and shutting her up. "If you must know, it wasn't personal. In fact, those three were my deepest friends. But one day, I was contacted by a being I would later learn was from Barian World, named Jeze." (pronounced with the second E silent) "She asked me for my help."
"All I needed to do was open the gateway so she could get through to our world. But there was no way to do that without any of them knowing, so I tricked them into thinking that I had found an exciting exhibit in Peru. In truth, what I had found was the city, and I only needed their unwitting help in opening it. They had the poor luck of standing there when the portal opened."
Ruby glared at Faker. "So you sold your friends to the devil." Faker returned her glare. "It was them or my daughter! You would never understand!" He recomposed himself. "Either way, it was a success, and Jeze was able to contact me. She promised me power, the type of power that could not only power the city, but stabilize Scootaloo's frail condition. The only thing she wanted in exchange was for me to find a way to destroy her enemies; the Astral World."
Ruby looked down at the machine. "Is that where this portal leads? To Astral World?" Faker nods. "Yes. I never could learn why Jeze wanted them dead so badly, but-" Faker's watch received a notification, and he started to leave the room. "But I have better things to do than bring up the past. Goodbye."
Ruby smiled. Now she knew who she was going to contact. She focused all her psychic power, and sent another surge down the portal. But this time, it wasn't a blast of destruction, but a message: My name is Ruby Rose, and I want to help.
…
"Neo Galaxy-Eyes, attack Genome-Heritage with Ultimate Photon Stream of Destruction!" The dragon's three heads fired on the beast, but Tron was quick to act. "I activate my face-down Heraldry Protection! Neo Galaxy-Eyes loses 800 attack, but can't be destroyed by battle." A sigil appears over Neo Galaxy-Eyes, (Neo Galaxy-Eyes Photon Dragon 4500-3700) but the attack continues, and Genome-Heritage is destroyed as its effects were negated. (Tron 2000-700)
"Whew! That was exciting! If I didn't use that card, I would have lost!" Tron drops his smile. "But now it's time I ended this. I summon Heraldic Beast Berners Falcon." A noble bird of prey swoops in. (Level 4/1000) "I then activate Heraldry Reborn in order to bring back Heraldic Beast Basilisk." (Level 4/1000) "Then, since I control two or more Heraldic Beasts, I can summon Heraldic Beast Eale." A goat-like creature appears next to Tron's monsters. (Level 4/1000)
"Now, witness the culmination of my efforts, the true power of my hate! I overlay my three level four monsters and xyz summon! Number 69: Heraldry Crest!" A freakish skeletal thing appeared. (Rank 4/2600) Using the number, Tron was able to completely devastate Rainbow Dash in a brutal fashion, much to the horror of the onlooking audience. (Rainbow 600-200-0) Tron smiled: all that was left was Twilight Sparkle.