Isaac jumped back and skidded to a halt with a hand on the ground. The World Champion lifted his head with gritted teeth as he looked at his foe. The Shadow Duelist he'd been facing was proving to be a rather tough challenge. The monster they brought out was a pain, as it knocked him around quite a bit. Isaac dusted his left arm off, stood up before lifting his arm, and panted heavily. Watching from her crystal ball, the evil sorceress smirked before she changed the scene and was now spying on another pair.
"I now fusion summon… Elemental HERO Flame Wingman!" declared Mario as he was currently facing his own duel.
Mario and Pipp had managed to locate one of the relics, as it was none other than Princess Platium's crown. Like their friends had encountered, they, too, had marks glowing on their arms. For the pair, it was a pair of pegasus wings that appeared on their arms; while the boy was dealing with his opponent, Pipp managed to make her way up to where the crown was and tried to get it.
"Go… Skydive Scorcher!" instructed Mario.
The boy's monster then dived at the Shadow Duelist, who covered up and took the attack head-on. Meanwhile, Pipp was shown trying to reach for the crown.
"Almost… got it… just a little more…" said the girl, as she was but fingertips away from grabbing the thing.
The duel with Mario ended as the purple wall around them ceased. The boy looked at his glowing mark when he looked up at Pipp.
"I got it!" said the girl as she reached for the item. "Mario, I got the crown!"
Pipp stood up, and soon, the pillar she was on began to crumble. The girl felt her balance shift as soon as she began to fall off. Pipp screamed as she headed for the dark hole at the bottom of the floor. At that moment, a hand grabbed the girl's hand. Pipp felt herself stopping from falling as she looked up. Mario was shown leaning over the railing as he managed to catch the girl in time.
"Hold on, chica. I got you!" assured Mario to the girl as she looked at her crush.
Mario then pulled and used his strength to pull the girl up slowly. Eventually, he felt his strength going as, at the last second, he pulled one big pull and fell back. Pipp was flung over the railing and landed on Mario as he fell, resulting in a thud. The boy cushioned the girl's fall as she lay on his chest; she opened her eyes and looked at the teen, who sat up.
"Thanks for saving me," said Pipp as she hugged the boy.
"Yeah, no problem. But I can't breathe!" shouted Mario as Pipp was hugging him too tightly.
The girl released her hold on the boy while seated in his lap. Once Mario got some air in his lungs, he noticed his arm begin to do something. Pipp also noticed her arm doing the same, as both marks stopped glowing and soon remained on their arms. It was safe to say it was unexpected, as neither knew what it meant.
"Alright, Pipp. Can you get off m-"
The girl captured the boy's lips as she closed her eyes and held both sides of his face. Mario soon fell under the kiss' influence as he placed his hands on the girl's hips before she pushed him back to lie on the ground as she lay on top of him. The girl continued to kiss the boy with all she had as her hands, then moved downward to his shirt and felt about his muscles. Eventually, the pair needed air as they broke apart. Mario stared at Pipp, who smiled while running a hand through his hair. The social media girl then planted one last kiss on the boy before getting off him and allowing him to stand up.
The sorceress saw the two teens heading back from within her crystal ball with their respective relic. However, her gaze remained on the boy as she stroked her chin.
"Well, well, Young Prince… you didn't disappoint," smirked the evil sorceress.
"So, you two were engaged before you even got married?" asked Sunny as she was with Twilight.
The pair were looking for their relics. Sunny wanted to know more about how her friends' parents met up during the trip. She hoped this would give her some insight into her relationship with Hitch.
"Yes. When it came time for our graduation, we both knew that our future careers would be difficult if we remained. So, the night prior, our prom night, we shared one final moment, saying how much we loved each other and enjoyed each other's company. We thought it was best to end our relationship on good terms. But that night… something changed in me. No matter how much I tried to convince myself, in my heart, I knew… that I loved Isaac. And I didn't just love him. I wanted to be with him… for the rest of my life."
"What did you do?" asked Sunny.
"Well, it was tough. The next day was our graduation, and since Isaac was considered the champion of CHS at the time, Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna gathered my friends and me to determine who would face Isaac in the graduation duel. I told the others that I needed
to be the one to face him. I figured if I couldn't tell him with words how I truly felt, then I'd let my cards do the talking. And I got through to him. So… in the middle of our last duel, he literally asked me if I wanted to marry him. And I answered immediately."
"Aw. That's so romantic," said Sunny, as she couldn't get over how cute and sweet Isaac's proposal was to his future wife.
"So, we made a promise. We'd each do our thing first and finally get married when the time came. And since then… we've spent nearly 15 years together and… we made a beautiful family." said Twilight as she couldn't stop thinking about her two kids and how their birth dates were some of the happiest moments of her life.
"I can't imagine what it's like to stay with that special someone for that long. Mario and Roll are lucky to have you two as parents," said Sunny.
"Well, they're also lucky to have you. You and the others are the best support group I could've ever asked my kids to be around. Thank you, Sunny. Thanks for sticking by my kids." said Twilight as she patted the girl's shoulder to show her appreciation for being a true friend to Mario and Roll.
The teen nearly broke down in tears after hearing and receiving praise from someone as important as Twilight.
"So, what about your relationship?" asked Twilight as they hopped over some barrels.
"Well… me and Hitch have been best friends since we were kids. We grew up in Maretime City, but more realistically, we lived in the city's bay area. We actually moved to Canterlot to begin high school. My dad and his grandma wanted both of us to attend the best school possible and have a good learning environment," said Sunny.
"I see. I know it can be difficult moving to a new place. Trust me, I was when I transferred to CHS," said the woman.
"It was. But I had hope that I'd meet new friends. And I did."
"Well, that's the most important thing. Friendship is a powerful thing."
"Speaking of… do you still keep in contact with your friends from back then?" asked Sunny.
For a moment, Twilight paused as she took a deep breath. Sunny picked up on the woman's body language as she began to regret asking that question.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to-"
"It's okay. It's just… time changes things. One minute, you're with your friends who are like your sisters, and then the next thing you know, you're married, starting a family, having a successful career, and you wonder where the time has gone and… how it all changed." said Twilight as she began to think about how in the past 15 years, her relationship with her friends had changed.
Sunny kept quiet as she felt like she made Twilight a bit upset by asking that question about her friends. The girl then began to think about her own group and thought if they would end up like that. Suppose they would grow apart and live out their own lives, never to see each other again. And what of her relationship with Hitch? Would they be able to survive if they went their separate lives, and what if… they met other people who they clicked with more? All these doubts began to fill Sunny's mind as she started to feel anxiety starting to build up thinking about her future that, while a ways off, seemed inevitable.
"Sunny!"
"Mmm, yeah," responded the girl as she looked at Twilight.
Twilight could tell the girl was starting to have an inner panic attack as she wanted to calm her nerves.
"Change can be difficult, but it's how we grow. It can be the hardest thing to realize you can't hold on to something forever… sometimes you have to let it go… but of the things you let go, you'd be surprised what makes its way back to you. Remember that."
The girl took in what was said to her, which really turned the gears in her brain.
"Hold on!" said Twilight, putting her arm before Sunny.
The girl looked at Twilight before looking around. She panned around the room, trying to see what Twilight might have seen, but she couldn't see anything. For the card designer, she had a serious and determined look on her face.
"Owlysious!" shouted Twilight.
"On it, miss!" responded the AI.
At that moment, Twilight's duel disk began to shine and emit something as she held it up high. At that moment, a magical barrier was built around her and the girl as it blocked an incoming projectile. Sunny was amazed at what she saw before the barrier emitting from Twilight's duel disk faded, and two Shadow Duelists emerged from the shadows.
"How did you do that?" asked Sunny.
"You'd be amazed what technology mixed with a little magic is capable of," smirked Twilight as she upgraded her duel disk with new features to combat the evil group. "Now… give us what we came for!"
"You mean this?" said one of the Shadow Duelists as they pulled out a glass cube container that housed Starswirl's book.
"I'm afraid we can't do that!" said the other Shadow Duelist as she revealed her duel disk and her necklace glowed.
In an instant, a purple firewall began to surround the four individuals. Twilight kept a defiant look as she knew what this meant.
"Draw your cards and prepare to face the shadows!" said one of the Shadow Duelists.
"In that case, let's make this a tag duel!"
Sunny gasped as she looked at Twilight, who smiled.
"What do you say, Sunny? Want to be my partner?"
"Yes! Absolutely!" answered the girl immediately.
For Sunny, she couldn't believe her eyes. This was a fantasy of hers come true as she would be teaming up with one of the biggest role models of her life. The girl let out a happy inner squeal, excited to the max.
"Very well, but for this tag duel, each team will share a total of 8000 Life Points, as well as the field!" said the female Shadow Duelist.
"Then let's duel!" said Twilight.
Sunny was shown strapping on her duel disk as she took a moment to compose herself. She pulled out her deck and looked at it. The girl was hoping she could be the teammate Twilight needed.
"Sunny, just focus. We'll be alright," the woman assured the girl, giving her a comforting smile.
"Right," nodded Sunny as she slotted in her deck and projected a lavender card tray.
Twilight grabbed her deck of cards and slotted it into the holder, projecting a purple card tray.
"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said all four duel disks.
Team 1: Shadow Duelists
Shadow Duelists' Life Points: 8000-
Team 2: Twilight and Sunny
Twilight & Sunny's Life Points: 8000-
Turn 1: Shadow Duelist #1 (Hand 5)
"I'll begin. I activate the continuous spell card, Yosen Training Grounds!" said the Shadow Duelist as they held a card out, and the field around them began to change.
Sunny and Twilight looked about like they were in a temple, with many candles rising behind them.
"What is this?" asked Sunny.
"I'm not sure, but keep your guard up!" instructed Twilight.
"Then I use two cards… Scale 3 Yosenju Shinchu L and Scale 5 Yosenju Shinchu R to set the pendulum scale!"
"They have pendulum cards?!" gasped Sunny as Twilight bit her bottom lip defiantly.
The Shadow Duelist placed both cards on the far ends of his duel disk as the word pendulum was spelled out in dark letters. The two monsters appeared on the field of the Shadow Duelists, with them rising in a column of light before their respective numbers rose in front of them.
"Seems they learned some new tricks as well," muttered Twilight.
"With that, I place one card facedown!" said the male Shadow Duelist.
"Then it's our turn! Care to start it off, Sunny?" asked Twilight.
"It'd be my pleasure," responded the girl.
Turn 2: Sunny (Hand 5)
"Alright, my turn." Sunny drew her card and looked at her hand before picking a card. "First, I'll summon this monster… Arnis, the Empowered Warrior(1700/1200)! Then I'll play the spell card, Arcane Barrier. With the power of this spell card, whenever a Spellcaster monster is destroyed, it produces a Spell Counter for my Arcane Barrier!" stated the girl.
"Then I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown!"
"Not bad," commented Twilight as Sunny smiled at hearing her role model's praise.
Turn 3: Shadow Duelist #2 (Hand 5)
"My turn. To start, I summon a monster called Yosenju Kama 1(1600/500)!" In a gust of wind, a weasel-like yokai appeared with a chain.
"What monster is that?" asked Sunny.
"For centuries, ghostly samurai spirits known as 'yosenjus' wandered these sacred grounds. So now whenever we summon a 'Yosenju' monster, one of the candles on the training grounds lights up!" said the female Shadow Duelist as one of the candles lit up behind the pair. "And due to my monster's effect, I can summon another 'Yosenju' monster so long as it's a different spirit than the one I just summoned! So come on out, Yosenju Kama 2(1800/200)!"
Another gust of wind blew, and another weasel-like yokai appeared. This one had a small katana resting on its shoulder with an evil smirk.
"But why stop at two when I can bring out a third one? Take to the field, Yosenju Kama 3(1500/800)!" Once more, another weasel-like yokai, which had a small dagger in its hand, appeared before the pair.
"Three monsters in one go?" said Sunny as she couldn't believe her eyes.
"And don't forget, since I summoned three samurai spirits, due to Yosen Training Grounds effect, three of those candles light up!" said the female Shadow Duelist as her partner's field gained some counters by the candles lighting up.
"Any idea what those might do?" asked Sunny.
"My guess, trouble," responded Twilight.
"Next, I activate Kama 1's ability! Since another one of his kama brothers is out, I'm not allowed to return one monster on your field to your hand!"
"What?!" said Sunny.
"So, say goodbye to your monster!" shouted the female Shadow Duelist. Her monster swung its chain around before wrapping around the girl's spellcaster, and it vanished. The card reappeared in Sunny's hand, and the girl's bead of sweat was rolling down her face.
"Now that you have no monsters on the field, it's time to attack! Kama 1, attack!"
"I reveal my facedown! The trap, Life Force!" Sunny touched her duel screen as her card flipped over. "Now, instead of taking Battle Damage, we can pay 400 Life Points!" The weasel swung its chain, emitting a whirlwind as Sunny and Twilight covered up. Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 7600-
"If you were hoping the pain wouldn't stop, think again! Now, Kama 2, your turn!" instructed the Shadow Duelist.
"Once again, I activate my trap!" said Sunny, thrusting her arm out with her card glowing.
Another whirlwind blew over their field, resulting in them giving up more points. Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 7200-
"Kama 3, go!"
"My trap activates again!"
A third whirlwind blew over Twilight and Sunny. The girl couldn't hold on much longer this time, so she was taken off her feet and hit the ground hard. Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 6800-
"Sunny! Are you okay?" asked Twilight as she looked at the teen.
"Y-Yeah," responded the girl as she got to her hands and knees and felt some pain. "That hurt."
"The damage here is real," said Twilight as the girl touched her cheek and felt minor bruises.
"Next, I place one card facedown! And so now that I've reached the end of my turn, all three of my Kama brothers return to my hand!" In the blink of an eye, all the weasels disappeared back into their card forms as the Shadow Duelists held them.
"I've figured out your strategy!" said Twilight defiantly. "After seeing your turns, you both have similar decks, but one focuses on spells and traps while the other relies on the monsters aspect of your decks! Well, your plan won't succeed."
Turn 4: Twilight (Hand 5)
"I'm sorry, Twilight. I cost us some points," apologized Sunny for starting them off badly.
"The duel's just started, Sunny. Now… sit back and watch," smiled Twilight as she was going to put on a show for the girl.
Sunny gasped before popping the biggest smile possible as she couldn't wait to see her role model duel before her eyes. Twilight stepped forward, calmed her mind, and took a deep breath. She placed her hand on top of her deck before shifting her gaze to look at her opponent.
"I… draw! First, I'm going to send my beloved Green Gadget to the graveyard to special summon this monster… meet Nightmare Apprentice(2000/1700)!" Out came a girl spellcaster as she spun her staff before grabbing it and tipping her hat. "Thanks to Nightmare Apprentice's arcane studies, I can add any 'Illusion' monster from my deck to my hand." Twilight touched her duel screen as she searched her deck before making her choice as it slotted out for her to grab. "I choose my Nightmare Magician. Then I summon my Fool of Prophecy(1600/900) in attack mode!"
A small portal appeared before her. From within arose a human dressed in a bright yellow robe with a low, matching hat. He grasped a twig in his mouth and leisurely held a golden rod over his shoulder.
"Now, Fool of Prophecy, attack them directly!" instructed Twilight.
The Fool spat out his twig and trained his rod towards the sky. A white orb formed at the tip of the rod, which he flung at the two Shadow Duelists, who covered up. The orb struck home, making the image shatter into bits with a surprisingly loud explosion. Shadow Duelists' Life Points: 6400-
"Awesome!" shouted Sunny.
"I set two cards facedown and end my turn," smirked Twilight.
Turn 5: Shadow Duelist #1 (Hand 2)
"It's my turn. And now I activate the effect of Yosen Training Grounds!" said the male Shadow Duelist. "By extinguishing three candles, I can add a 'Yosenju' card from my deck to my hand! Next, by paying 800 Life Points, I activate this continuous spell card… Yosen Whirlwind!" Shadow Duelists' Life Points: 5600-
"What does it do?" asked Sunny.
"Oh, you'll find out in due time. Now… I summon Yosenju Kodam(0/0)!" A single ball of leaves appeared, and looking through the leaves was a single eye. "So a candle lights up. Then, I activate my monster's ability. By tributing Kodam itself, I can place three counters on my Yosen Training Grounds. So that means three candles light up!" One by one, the tips of three candles lit ablaze. "Then, by banishing Kodam from my graveyard, I'm allowed an additional summon this turn. So I summon Yosenju Izna(800/1200)!"
"Your new monster doesn't have enough attack points to take down either of Twilight's monsters!" barked Sunny.
"I never intended to do that," smirked the Shadow Duelist, confusing Sunny. "Now, another candle lights up, and then I end my turn. And during the End Phase of my turn, my Izna returns to my hand. Which in turn triggers Yosen Whirlwind! Now, whenever a 'Yosenju' monster returns to my hand, this spell allows me to target one card you control and send it back to your hand. So say goodbye to your Nightmare Apprentice!"
A giant wind blew over the field as Twilight's monster vanished. It appeared in card form and was blown away by the wind before the card designer caught it between her fingers as she covered it with her arm.
Turn 6: Sunny (Hand 3)
"This isn't good," said Sunny as it was clear their opponents' strategy.
"Focus, Sunny. Don't let them shake you," stated Twilight.
The girl drew her card as she looked at her hand.
"I once again summon my Arnis, the Empowered Warrior! Then, I'll have it attack you two directly!" instructed the girl.
"Don't think so. I reveal my facedown, Defense Draw!" shouted the male Shadow Duelist as a wall of cards appeared to protect the pair. "Now, all the damage becomes zero, and I draw one card."
"Grr… I end my turn," said Sunny.
Turn 7: Shadow Duelist #2 (Hand 5)
"It's now my turn. And welcome back, the three Kama brothers!" said the female Shadow Duelist as the three weasel monsters appeared.
"And don't forget, since three 'Yosenju' were summoned, three candles light up!" said the male Shadow Duelist, who now had six lit candles.
"Well, you won't be able to get to our Life Points this time because we're protected!" Sunny said they had monsters stronger than the Yosenjus controlled by the Shadow Duelists.
"Oh, that's where you're wrong," the female Shadow Duelist smirked.
"Wha?"
"Let me introduce you to Kama 2's special ability. He can attack you directly by cutting his attack points in half!" said the Shadow Duelist as the weasel swung his katana to fire a gust of wind that blew over Twilight and Sunny's field as they covered up. Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 5900-
"Then… I'll use the pendulum scale set by my partner!"
"With that setup, you'll only be able to summon level 4 monsters, and we can handle that!" stated Sunny.
"Level 4? Ha! In your dreams, kid. You see, Yosenju Shinchu L and R are so perfectly in tune with each other that the pendulum scale tips into our favor!" boasted the male Shadow Duelist. "Now… I activate Yosenju Shinchu R's pendulum ability to increase its scale up to 11!"
"11!" shouted Twilight and Sunny, with fear on their faces.
"Which means now I can summon monsters from Level 4 through 10! And I think I'll do just that! Pendulum Summon!" shouted the female Shadow Duelist as a portal opened, and out came two monsters. "First is my Yosenju Misak(2300/200), and next… behold a beast born from the howls of the winds… a creature composed of chaos and cruelty! I give you…Mayosenju Daibak(3000/300, Level 10, Scale 7)!"
"Now that's a monster!" said Sunny, looking at the big beast towering over the pair.
"And thanks to these monsters appearing, two more candles light up!" said the male Shadow Duelist.
"That's eight candles lit up!" commentated Twilight as she didn't like that.
"Now I activate Yosenju Misak's special ability. When it's pendulum summoned, I can target one card on your field and destroy it. So say goodbye to your Life Force trap card!" said the female Shadow Duelist as Sunny's card vanished. "Then I activate Daibak's special ability. I'm allowed to select two cards on the field and return them from whence they came… so say goodbye to Fool of Prophecy and Arnis!"
A tornado blew away Twilight and Sunny's monsters as the cards appeared in their hands. The two were now left with nothing as they were wide open.
"There's more! Since Daibak is out on our field, I activate the trap card, Dizzying Winds of Yosen Village!" said the male Shadow Duelist as he activated his facedown. "Now, those two cards that were sent back will get shuffled back into your deck!"
"No!" said Sunny.
Both she and Twilight put their respective cards into their decks as the auto shuffler kicked in.
"And if you thought it was over, thing again. Remember my spell, Yosen Whirlwind?" said the male Shadow Duelist.
"Well, the time has come for it. Your suffering has only begun. So… I end my turn!" said the female Shadow Duelist with a smile.
"I don't like where this is going," remarked Twilight.
"Nor should you because when one of our samurai spirits returns to our hands, the effect of Yosen Whirlwind returns one card on your field to your hand. And then, thanks to my partner's other card, Dizzying Winds of Yosen Village, returns those cards to your deck instead of your hand."
"That can't be!" said Sunny, as they were being forced to get rid of their best cards before they could even have a chance to use them.
"So, since I just ended my turn, the three Kama brothers are about to exit the field, which means the winds are roaring! So that means your two facedowns are gone!" said the female Shadow Duelist as she pointed at Twilight. "And after that, they return to your deck, where you'll have difficulty drawing them again!"
Her two cards shot back to her hand in the blink of an eye. Twilight gritted her teeth as she took them and placed them on her deck before the auto shuffler kicked in again.
"And with that, Daibak and Yosenju Misak return to my hand, and Yosenju Shinchu R's scale returns to five," said the female Shadow Duelist as her two remaining monsters vanished and appeared back in hand.
Turn 8: Twilight (Hand 2)
"My turn!" said Twilight.
"It's over. There's nothing you can do to escape our combo!" said the female Shadow Duelist.
"You might as well give up!" replied the male Shadow Duelist.
"Twilight…"
"I place two cards facedown!" the designer responded as two cards materialized before her. "I end my turn."
Turn 9: Shadow Duelist #1 (Hand 2)
"My turn. And I activate the effect of my Yosen Training Ground. So, I can add a 'Yosenju' to my hand by removing three candles. Then, it's time to use my Pendulum Scale. I activate Yosenju Shinchu R's pendulum ability. Since there's another 'Yosenju' monster in the opposite pendulum zone, the pendulum scale rises to 11! Now I can summon monsters from Levels 4 through 10 simultaneously!" said the male Shadow Duelist as a portal opened above them. "I Pendulum Summon! Yosenju Magat(2000/100), Yosenju Izna, and my own Mayosenju Daibak!" Three monsters appeared as they stood before the Shadow Duelists, ready to battle.
"With three 'Yosenju' monsters appearing, three candles light up. As you may recall, Daibak has a very special ability… when summoned, two of your cards are returned to your hand. So say goodbye to your facedowns and your last hope of winning!" shouted the Shadow Duelist as his monster blew another wind over Twilight. "And don't forget, my Dizzying Winds trap sends those cards back to your deck. And with no cards out, you two are done!"
His Dark Magician was shielding Isaac as he managed just barely to avoid a narrow attack from his opponent. The World Champion was in a brutal fight with his opponent as the Shadow Duelist made him sweat. The minion smiled as watching from the Crystal Ball was his mistress, who also enjoyed the show that was being put on. At that moment, a mirage being conjured up by the sorceress' magic appeared beside Isaac as he saw the duel Twilight and Sunny were in. He saw that his wife and the girl had nothing to protect them.
"Looks like your wife is about to lose. I hope you said your goodbyes to her 'cause she'll be gone for a long time," the evil witch snickered.
"Do you know why I choose Twilight to spend the rest of my life with? It's because she can duel her ass off! If there's one thing that I know Twilight learned from me is that a duel isn't over until the final card has been played."
"Well, from where it stands, her final card just got blown away," smirked the evil sorceress as she moved a chess piece forward on the board.
"It's the end of the line!" the male Shadow Duelist proclaimed.
"Wrong!" barked Twilight, making the pair gasp. "We're just getting started! Because of this!" Twilight revealed one of the cards she had previously set, which had been returned to her hand by her opponent's effect.
"What is that?" asked the female Shadow Duelist.
"Glad you ask, and thanks for doing me the favor of making it leave the field. By doing that, my Amnesia trap card takes root! Now your monsters have a slight amnesia and don't know they're 'Yosenjus' anymore."
Hearing that made the evil duo gasp even more. Sunny was delighted as she looked at Twilight with more hope.
"If they don't know they're Yosenjus, they're no longer welcome in their village home. So if your monsters return to your hand, Dizzying Winds will send them flying back into your deck instead!" stated Twilight.
"Clever move…" said the male Shadow Duelist, gritting his teeth at Twilight coming up with a plan.
"Looks like this duel is gonna last longer than you both thought," smirked the card designer.
"Not quite, because Dizzying Winds' effect doesn't activate until the turn is over… so all I have to do is beat you two before that! Now… Daibak! Prepare to finish them off. Everybody else, follow suit!" shouted the Shadow Duelist as he commanded his monsters to charge.
The trio of monsters rushed forward, with the large beast leading the charge at the two. Sunny flinched and closed her eyes, not wanting to see how it would end. Twilight kept her defiant look as she didn't bat an eye at the incoming danger. Watching from their mirage projection was Isaac and the evil witch, with the World Champion having a similar expression as his wife. As the three monsters were about to strike, a bright light occurred, followed by a barrier. The three were pushed back as Twilight didn't flinch. Sunny opened her eyes and was shocked to see them unharmed; at that moment, appearing before Twilight was a monster. The creature managed to ward off the attack and shielded its mistress and the teen from harm.
"What is this?" shouted the Shadow Duelist.
"While you two say we were late showing our hands, you both didn't wait long enough to show yours. Because the other card that I set that you sent away also activates. Spellbook of the Protector! Now, by paying half our Life Points, I can summon a monster from my hand whose attack is less than or equal to the damage I would've taken. So, I brought out my Nightmare Magician(2500/2000) in defense mode. And thanks to its effect, it can't be destroyed in battle. So our Life Points are safe!" Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 2950-
"This isn't over!" said the male Shadow Duelist as he grabbed his monster cards.
The Shadow Duelist placed his monsters on his deck as the auto shuffler kicked in.
"And now Yosen Whirlwind is gone too because, with no 'Yosenju' monsters, I'm not allowed to keep it around," the male Shadow Duelist said as he gritted his teeth.
"And your scale drops back to normal," responded Twilight with a smile.
"Looks like my wife is sticking around for another turn," smirked Isaac as the mirage faded and turned to address the evil witch.
"Perhaps… but you're still focused on your duel, hmm?" said the evil sorceress as her minion drew to begin his turn.
Turn 10: Sunny (Hand 3)
"It's your move, Sunny. Just concentrate and believe in your deck," said Twilight.
The girl was nervous, to say the least, as she looked at her deck. The teen was starting to feel the pressure as everything rided on her. Twilight had done all she could until now, and now it was up to Sunny. The teen began to feel her heart beat rapidly as she clenched it. Sunny's heart began to race as she felt it starting to hurt; the girl put her hands on her head as she felt a panic attack coming on.
"I can't do it! I can't do this!" muttered Sunny as her heart spiked.
Twilight saw how Sunny was reacting and quickly acted.
"Sunny, listen to me!" shouted the card designer, trying to get her voice to reach the girl. "Calm down! Take a deep breath!"
Sunny's fears took over as she panted heavily.
"Sunny, it's alright! I'm here for you! You're not alone! Think of your friends!" said Twilight.
At that moment, the others were all shown racing among the mega factory. Each mark was shown on their arms, flickering every so often. Sunny was on her knees, and the panic attack was starting to affect her.
"Sunny, think of your friends. They're here for you! And they need you now more than ever!" said Twilight.
The girl began to think of her friends. Sunny recalled how special their friendship was and how each one was special to her. As if hearing her heart, the others' marks began to glow. It caught their attention, and they all stopped in their tracks.
"What's going on?" asked Hitch as he looked at his glowing mark.
"I don't know," responded Roll, looking at hers.
"Sunny…" said Zipp, as she felt her mark telling her that her friend was calling out to her.
"Does that mean Sunny is in danger?" asked Pipp to Mario as the boy didn't have an answer.
While the others had their marks glowing, Sunny, the girl, felt the power of her friend's marks as a warm feeling invading her and taking away her anxiety. Twilight noticed something happening to the girl, and it began to glow on her arm. For a moment, it glowed brightly, and on the girl's arm was a mark similar to what Hitch had on his. Sunny stood up and placed a hand on her deck, with the top card glowing in a rainbow color.
"Believe… Believe in hope," muttered the girl to herself.
Twilight smiled as she let the girl have the spotlight and look at the two Shadow Duelists.
"It's my turn. I draw!" said Sunny. When she drew her glowing card, it had a rainbow trailing it. "I activate the spell card, Shining Sarcophagus! With this card, I can add a card that mentions 'Shining Sarcophagus' from my deck. So I call for… the dragon of the promised battle!"
Sunny thrust her hand upward as a portal opened up.
"Gandora-G the Dragon of Destruction(0/0)!"
A large beast appeared as it growled and made its presence known. Twilight smiled as she looked at Sunny, who was now more confident than before.
"I activate Gandora-G's effect! By giving up half of my Life Points, Gandora-G can destroy every other card on the field and banish them! However, my Shining Sarcophagus can't be destroyed by my monster's effect, so it's sticking around!" Twilight and Sunny's Life Points: 1475-
"What?!" said the two Shadow Duelists.
Sunny's monster let loose its power within as the entire field was nuked. Twilight had to cover her eyes briefly as Sunny's monster decimated the field, leaving nothing but itself and her spell card.
"And that's not all! Gandora-G lets me summon another monster from the Shining Sarcophagus and increase its level by the number of destroyed cards. Come forth… my Silent Swordsman Zero(1000/1000)!" A small boy swordsman appeared with a sword resting on his shoulder. "Due to Gandora-G's effect, your two Pendulum cards, Yosen Training Grounds, Dizzying Whirlwind, your facedown card, Twilight's Nightmare Magician, and my Arcane Barrier, that's a total of seven cards on the field that were destroyed! Therefore, my Silent Swordsman Zero gains seven levels; for every level it gains, it also gains 500 extra attack points!"
"So that means it now has 4500 attack points!" said Twilight smirkly.
"That's still not enough to take us out!" said the female Shadow Duelist.
"Then it's a good thing I have this! Turn Silence!" shouted Sunny, holding the card glowing in a rainbow color. "This gives my monster three more levels, and he gets 500 more attack points for every level he gains. So now his strength is…"
"6000!" exclaimed both Shadow Duelists in shock.
"Silent Swordsman Zero, finish them this with Silent Slash!" commanded Sunny.
The swordsman had undergone many changes. He began to grow up and mature as he went from a small boy to a teen and finally became a full-grown man as he leaped into the air. The swordsman swung his blade and brought his weapon down on the pair as they cried defeat. Sunny began to cover up from her monster's attack as Twilight instinctively pulled the girl in and wrapped her arms around her. The attack ended as Twilight opened her eyes and saw the two Shadow Duelists were gone. In their place was Starswirl's journal, which lay on the ground. Shadow Duelists' Life Points: 0- Winners: Twilight and Sunny
"Twilight…"
"Are you okay, Sunny?" asked the woman, pulling back to look at the girl.
"I think so," said Sunny, "But um… I think my arm."
Twilight was confused until she noticed Sunny's arm glowing through her red jacket. The woman pulled the sleeve of her jacket back to expose her arm, and sure enough, the glowing mark on the girl ceased and was left tattooed on her skin.
"Does it hurt?"
"No," responded Sunny as she looked at her mark.
"Sunny… your hair."
"Huh?"
The card designer pulled out a small hand mirror; she opened it up and allowed the girl to see her reflection. The teen looked at her reflection to see what Twilight meant, and sure enough, she immediately saw what she was referring to. A single strand of the girl's purple hair had turned into all the rainbow colors. Sunny gasped and instinctively reached her hand up to touch the strand. It didn't hurt as it felt normal, but she was stunned to see that whatever her mark did, it did this to her.
At that moment, the entire place began to shake. The two noticed it as parts of the ceiling began to fall.
"Come on! Let's get out of here!" said Twilight, discussing what had transpired once they were safe.
The woman grabbed the stolen book and Sunny's hand. The two were running down a hallway as the entire structure shook around them. They soon turned into a merging hallway, and sure enough, they ran into Zipp and Izzy, who had just come from their own route to escape the place.
"Sunny, Twilight! We got two relics!" said Izzy.
"Talk later!" shouted Twilight.
"Sunny, what's up with your hair?"
"Not now, Zipp!" shouted the girl as she continued to be dragged by Twilight.
Outside, Hitch, Roll, Mario, and Pipp had made it out as they turned, and sure enough, the rest of their friends and the card designer emerged as they hopped over some fallen pillars. The teens were glad to see their friends as they approached them.
"Let's move, kids!" said Twilight.
"Mom, what about Dad?" asked Roll as they didn't see their father.
Twilight gasped as she turned to the crumbling building. She was worried her husband was still trapped there, and she was about to go back in when the whole thing fell to the ground. The dust picked up, making everybody cover their eyes. Nothing but wood, dirt, and steel scraps remained.
"Dad!" yelled Roll.
The girl worried for her father as the others gasped. Twilight held her hands to her mouth, not wanting to believe the worst. Moments passed, and there was no sign of the World Champion. Soon, a massive force pushed some debris apart, and Isaac stood there. The World Champion was perfectly fine as he walked toward the group with some kind of barrier around him. Twilight gasped before she rushed toward her husband.
"Dad!" shouted Roll. She was happy to see her father alive and rushed toward him.
"How is he okay?" asked Pipp to Mario.
The boy looked at his father as he hugged his mother and sister. The teen looked above his father as the spirits of his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were present; the two magicians had kept their master safe by putting up a magical barrier to protect and shield him. As the World Champion held his wife, he looked up at his two loyal monsters and smiled at them.
"Thank you."
"My master," responded Isaac's Dark Magician as he and his apprentice vanished.
From afar, Mario looked at his father. A small part of him was glad his father was safe, as he was a bit worried when he wasn't present. Isaac broke the hug from Twilight as he was shown pulling out something from behind him. In his hands was a mask as he managed to defeat his Shadow Duelist and secure the relic they had.
"Let's move!" said Isaac, knowing that something as big and loud as the building crumbling would surely attract attention.
Once the group returned to the hotel, they quickly snuck into the two adults' room and laid out all the stolen relics. Once they were all accounted for, attention was diverted to the marks on the kids' arms.
"Any clue as to what this is, Mom?" asked Roll as the girl's mother held her arm out and examined it.
"I'm not sure, sweetie. How are you all feeling?"
"Fine."
"Normal."
"Okay."
Twilight was glad the kids were okay, but the fact that these strange marks were now permanently tattooed on the kids' arms did raise some concerns. She also considered that Sunny had a strand of her hair now in rainbow coloring, as she figured the mark might have caused it. One thing was certain: the kids now had some kind of magic within them… just as she and her husband did all those years ago.
"So, what do we do now?" asked Zipp.
"Now… we rest. You kids did alright out there. It's late. Let's get to bed, and we'll talk with the hotel staff about these relics." said Isaac as they accomplished their mission.
"Say less," said Pipp as she yawned, feeling the weight of sleep wash over her.
"In the morning, we'll talk and reconvene," said Twilight.
The teens began to leave the room, and Twilight followed them to ensure they went to bed. Sunny stopped at her door. She took a moment to examine the nearby window and her hair strand, which had changed color.
"Everything okay, Sunny?" said Hitch as his reflection appeared in the window. The girl turned to address her boyfriend as her worried face told the whole story.
"I'm not sure. First, this weird mark appears on my arm, and now… I have this!" said the girl, pointing at the colorful small strand. "And I nearly panicked in my duel. What if… what if I failed?" Sunny grabbed her arms as if feeling somewhat cold despite wearing her jacket.
"Hey, it's okay," said Hitch as he did his job of comforting his girlfriend. He approached behind the girl to put his hand on her shoulder.
"I was scared, Hitch. I…"
The boy grabbed his girlfriend to turn her around and pulled her in. The boy rested his chin on the girl's head as she had her hands on his chest and closed her eyes. Hitch did the same as he tried to be the rock that his best friend needed. Twilight had exited her daughter's room and saw the couple holding each other.
"I know how you feel. I was the same in my duel with Roll. But she told me I had to be brave and trust in my cards to pull through," said Hitch. "I don't know why these marks appeared or why we're connected to them, but hey… we got matching marks. Maybe… maybe it's a sign that… we're a pair."
Sunny just laughed into her boyfriend's chest, knowing what he was doing. He was trying to be positive, but it ended up with him saying something goofy. It was part of his charm that she adored, and she couldn't help but laugh. Hearing his girlfriend chuckle meant he did his job; he pulled apart to look at Sunny and brought a hand to caress her cheek. He then lifted a hand to brush the front of her hair and felt the rainbow strand.
"You know… that's a good look on you. I'm serious. That cute little strand… makes you even more beautiful." said Hitch, making Sunny giggle and smile.
The boy smiled, glad to have cheered up his girlfriend, and pulled her in for another hug. This time, Sunny wrapped her arms around her boyfriend and relished being in his hold. Twilight
smiled as looking at the two young couple made her think about Isaac and her when they first started as an item and were head over heels with each other. The pair then pulled back as they held hands.
"Thanks, Hitch. I needed that," said the girl as she prepared to enter her room before turning her head and approaching her boyfriend to plant a kiss on his lips. "I love you."
"I love you, Sunny," responded the boy as he pulled the girl's head in for another kiss.
The pair separated as Sunny entered her room and closed the door. Hitch then went toward his room while Twilight watched with a big smile. Once the boy entered his room, she proceeded down the hall as she entered her room and prepared for a long-deserved sleep.
While Twilight was putting the kids to sleep, Isaac was sitting on his bed as he had a serious thinking face on. The World Champion had his hands to his mouth as he was lost in his own thoughts. He was recalling something… something he didn't tell his wife or the kids. Something that happened just moments before the building collapsed.
"Who sent you?" shouted Isaac as he grabbed the Shadow Duelist, who lay on the floor after he defeated them in a Shadow Duel. He pinned the evil drone against the wall and growled. "Who are you people?! Answer me!"
"The first of many… cut off head… another will take its place," responded the evil minion as he looked at the World Champion. "You can't win… darkness will succeed and our mistress… will reign over all… hail to her… Mistress Opaline…"
At that moment, the Shadow Duelist disappeared as the pendant he wore dropped to the ground. Isaac looked at the object, and next to it was a relic that the Shadow Duelists had stolen. Mage Meadowbrook's mask lay as the World Champion picked it up; he recalled the name the minion dropped before he vanished. However, he didn't have much time to ponder it, and a second later, the whole building began to shake, and parts of the office's ceiling fell. Taking that as his cue to run, he began to book it and try to get out. The evil sorceress watched the World Champion escape as she moved a white King chess piece forward.
"Looks like the first game is nearly ready. The signers have been found… this'll be fun," chuckled the evil witch, pushing seven pawns forward as they stood across the board from seven black pawns.
Author's Note: It seems the rescue operation to retrieve the stolen artifacts was a success for our heroes. And several developments. For one, Sunny being able to live a childhood dream of hers with Twilight and then she now has her own mark just like her friends. And as expected, we now know who the leader of this evil cult is and it's who you expected it to be. And on a side note, we've officially reached 100 chapters for this story. I didn't think it was possible but we did it. A huge milestone for myself as I didn't think it was possible to write another 100 chapters since my original story, but yet, I did it again and surprised myself. However, as good as it is to have put out this much content, we still got a whole lot of story to tell. For one... Sunny and her friends are going to have to deal with Opaline's so-called "first game". What that is?... you'll have to wait and see.